I Only Wanted to Stay Unseen, Until...

The Abyss Pit Sect Rulebook opened with a brief rundown of the sect's origins—something Pay Ling had already heard a snippet off from the old crone during the kowtow respect rites, so he skipped it. 

The next part listed the benefits for outer sect disciples. Beyond cultivation, and the items picked up at the Affairs Hall, outer sect disciples could freely choose one Skill subject to learn, Smithing, Alchemy, Fulu-crafting, Gardening spirit plants, or Beast-taming. Each skill required attending classes at the corresponding mountain peaks.

As for art techniques, the Bone Tempering Art was a basic one taught to all disciples at the outer sect, much like how the Pay clan used it to train their youngsters. Each 15 days, a Foundation Stage cultivator would visit one of the mountain peaks to deliver a lecture on the intricacies of the Bone Tempering Art. These lessons were open to all outer sect disciples, so all you had to do was make your way to the designated peak, find a spot in the open-air classroom, and listen as the cultivator explained the key points of the technique.

The mountain he based, Ghost Shade Peak, was one of the outer sect's many peaks. Each had an Affairs Office managing its operations.

Besides the function of arranging housing, in the Affairs Office there's a building called the Pavilion of Myriad Arts, stocked with techniques and spells prepped by the Abyss Pit Sect for outer disciples. The Bone Tempering Art was there, free of charge, but everything else required spirit stones.

Another building called the Hundred Treasures Tower, offering Dao Gears, Dao Fulu, pills, and other essentials for cultivation and combats. They accepted spirit stones, or you could trade with finished goods or raw materials after identification.

Lastly, the Spirit-Gathering Grand Array. Laid down by an inner sect Elder skilled in Dao Formations when the peak was first colonized, it harnessed Ghost Shade Peak's terrain—aligned with the stars above and the earth's veins below—to condense spiritual energy to the max. It was the ultimate cultivation hotspot on the peak.

The rulebook suggested, though: the cost to use the array was steep expensive. Best saved for breakthroughs, not daily use.

Pay Ling skimmed through at flash speed until he reach the core content of the rule book.

Taking a deep breath, he leaned in eagerly—only to see, in stark black and white: "We Sect strictly forbids challenges to fight in private among disciples. Violators who strike first, regardless of reason, will be fined as follows based on the crime severity, 

for menial handyman disciples, 30 to 100 D$t (D grade spirit stones) fine; 

for outer sect disciples, 100 to 300 D$t (D grade spirit stones) fine; 

for inner sect disciples, 30 to 100 C$t (C grade spirit stones) fine…"

"Just striking first would be fined spirit stones? No matter who's right or wrong?" Pay Ling's stomach dropped. "Crap, if I'd known, I'd never have touched that girl. She's not gonna snitch, isn't she?"

He scrolled down rapidly. The rules detailed penalties for everything—picking quarrels, provoking troubles, larceny theft, hate crimes like slurs or insults. Yes all crimes were fined in spirit stones. Then, come the big felony: "Violators assault and battery sect comrades: 

For menial handyman disciples, 200 to 500 D$t (D grade spirit stones) fine; 

For outer sect disciples, 2,000 to 5,000 D$t (D grade spirit stones) fine; 

For inner sect disciples…"

Pay Ling's face twisted. ""Apart from monetary fines, there are no other penalties???"

The more he read, the paler he got. 

Assault and battery causing serious bodily injury—resulting in permanent disfigurement, loss or impairment of a bodily function, limb, or organ, or creating a substantial risk of death—were punished only with a fine paid in spirit stones. Even killing another comrades in sect merely increased the amount on fine.

With $pirit stones in pockets, violators could not only evade justice for these crimes but also walk away free from accountability, even for voluntary manslaughter against their sect comrades.

Well, Holy Sect even offered user-friendly fine payment plans: 

Minor offenses, the fine should be paid within 10 days; 

Serious injury crimes, the fine should be paid within 30 days; 

And even for voluntary manslaughter, you walk away as a free man by paying the fine within 90 days.

In summary, the Holy Sect's laws were exhaustively detailed, covering even the smallest specifics. However, as long as you had enough $pirit stones, any violation could simply be erased with money!

The only real punishment kicked in if you couldn't pay by the deadline.

Then, the Abyss Pit Sect shed its money-grubbing facade and showed its true demonic colors: weak bodies got mulched into fertilizer for Spirit Plant Peak; sturdy ones became forging fodder for Forging Peak; Your essence blood, souls, organs—all forcefully split or fragmented up neatly to ensure the sect never lost a dime of $pirit stone.

"Fuck me—" The security Pay Ling felt when he first got the rulebook evaporated, replaced by raw dread. He finally understood why the crone warned him to tread carefully with his background—he didn't have a single spirit stone!

By Abyss Pit Sect standards, he couldn't even afford to curse someone. As an outer disciple, the punishment of insulting a sect comrade started at 3 D$t.

With trembling hands, he closed the book. Recalling tales of Abyss Pit Sect disciples' brutality—wiping out clans, razing three thousand miles—he suddenly wondered if it wasn't demonic techniques or arts twisting their minds into cruelty or rage. Maybe they were just broke!

Thus they'd find any excuse to slaughter and loot money.

In this hellish rule system, striving days and night for spirit stones was priority one!

As Pay Ling's heart raced with fear, a noise came from outside. He jumped up, peeked out the window, and saw the lodge's defense ward lift. Three figures of varying heights stepped in, locking eyes with him through the window. The shortest one frowned slightly. "Who're you? Why're you here?"

"Toanh!" The middle-height one grabbed his shoulder, his gaze flicking to the Blade of Life Hater near Pay Ling. His pupils shrank as he signaled his companion to cool it, then smiled at Pay Ling. "May I ask who this junior brother is?"

"Greetings, Senior Brothers," Pay Ling steadied himself and greeted in fist-and-palm gesture. "I'm Pay Ling, a new outer sect disciple."

"Pay Ling?" The middle one looked surprised. "It's not the usual enrollment time for new disciples. How'd you get in?"

He introduced himself: "I'm Lee Sagwon, fourth layer of Qi Refinement."

Pointing to his tall and short companions, he added, "This is Chou Ease, fourth layer, and Miu Toanh, fifth layer."

Their calm behavior eased Pay Ling's nerves. "It was arranged by Inner Sect Bloodline Lord Kinson Zheng," he explained. "Successor Fairy Lith led Brother Zheng and my Clan brother Pay Honine on a mission to Deerspring. They stumbled across me, and Senior Brother Zheng brought me into the Holy Sect."

"I see, it's about Elder Luo's case," Lee Sagwon said, his eyes glinting as he exchanged a look with Chou Ease. Miu Toanh blurted out, "Fairy Lith, her highness, is undoubtedly deserving, but Kinson Zheng? That fool actually believes he's worthy of the Nascent Soul ascension method?"

Pay Ling blinked. Kinson Zheng's status in the Abyss Pit Sect seemed… less impressive than he'd thought?

"Don't mind him, Junior Brother," Lee Sagwon said, noticing his expression. "Toanh's got a direct brother in the inner sect, also one of the thirteen bloodline lords, and he's always clashed with Brother Kinson Zheng. Toanh's young and brash—don't take it to heart."

"No worries, Senior Brother. I'm not one who gossip," Pay Ling replied, relieved. Then Lee Sagwon added, "You're new here, Junior Brother. Any troubles settling in? To be honest, my grandfather Lee Ping is an outer sect elder. On Ghost Shade Peak, most small matters bend to his word."

Chou Ease chimed in, "My clan sister's a Sect Successor too. Since you know Fairy Lith, Junior Brother, we're practically family."

Pay Ling's mind stirred. Were they probing his connection to Fairy Lith?