215. Profound Teaching, Lightly Bestowed
While pondering, Beno Alder had already followed Xin Liu to the Hall of Weaponry.
The person responsible for receiving them was Hao Zhong, the steward of the Hall. He was also a formal Party member.
According to Xin Liu, these fixed position assignments were the most profitable in the inner circle. Not only did they earn many contribution points—often enough to support a family with just one job—but they were also stable, truly the equivalent of university tenure in the West, or a government job in pre-apocalypse China. Unfortunately, with so few positions available, only those with connections could secure these assignments.
"Comrade Liu? It's been a while." Hao Zhong greeted Xin Liu, but his eyes were sizing up Beno. Only after finishing his assessment did he turn to Xin Liu and ask enthusiastically, "Bringing another new member?"
"Indeed." Xin Liu grinned, hinting at something in his tone. "Now that you know, hurry up and bring out the finest magical artifacts for Comrade Alder to see!"
"Right away!" Hao Zhong nodded eagerly, then led everyone into the inner courtyard of the Hall of Weaponry. As they walked, Beno frowned in confusion: "This place... isn't this the members' study area?"
"To get magical artifacts, shouldn't we go to a warehouse or something like that?"
Hearing this, Hao Zhong first looked confused, then had a sudden realization and laughed, "Comrade Alder, you don't know—the best magical artifacts are all right here."
Before he could finish speaking, the three of them stopped in front of a meditation room.
"The comrade in this room has been here for quite some time—he's been a registered member in the outer circle for three years. Unfortunately, he's rather stubborn and has gone down the wrong path with his training method."
After saying this, Hao Zhong pushed open the door without hesitation.
Then Beno saw a middle-aged man sitting on a meditation mat in the center of the room, his eyes tightly closed, mumbling to himself, seemingly lost in a trance.
"It's done... I'm about to succeed."
Next, Hao Zhong formed a hand seal, and the man in the room suddenly opened his eyes. His previously vacant face immediately showed extreme joy:"Haha! That's it! I got it! I got it!"
Boom!
Before he could finish speaking, his entire body exploded violently. Blood and flesh scattered everywhere, then surged back inward, completely merging into the skeleton that remained.
In an instant, a living person had vanished.
In his place was a "bone sword," crystalline as jade with orderly segments, resting gently on the meditation mat and radiating dazzling magical light.
Hao Zhong stepped forward, picked up the "bone sword" and handed it to Beno Alder, then said with satisfaction: "The magical artifact 'Ivory Bone Sword' is considered high-grade even in the 'Relics of Red Forge Book.' This junior brother was truly talented—cultivating diligently for so many years with exquisite skills—otherwise the magical light wouldn't be so pure."
Beno Alder: "..."
Looking at the Ivory Bone Sword in Hao Zhong's hand and reflecting on his previous life's experience, Beno felt a bone-chilling cold spread through him as he gained a deeper understanding of the Red Party's ways.
To sum it up in a few words: survival of the fittest and maximize utility!
The Party invests resources in training registered members, so you must create value in return. If you can't create value on your own, the Party will help you create it!
If you break through and become a formal member, everyone is happy.
If you can't break through, the Party can't support you for life, so naturally they must recover their invested resources from you to ensure the Party doesn't lose out.
Therefore, in the Red Party's view, some members are clouds, some are water—each performing different functions, but all are valuable resources, with nothing going to waste.
"This truly is... a Party living up to its name."
Beno Alder closed his eyes and exhaled deeply, thinking of his Hundred Rebirths as his safety net. When he opened his eyes again, he had fully regained his composure.
"Comrade Alder has such excellent composure, truly a man of talent!" Meanwhile, seeing how quickly Beno Alder had calmed his emotions, Xin Liu's eyes flashed with surprise, and then his smile grew even brighter.
Next, Beno Alder followed Xin Liu to the Hall of Elixir and Hall of Beasts in succession, where he received a vial of "Atherflex" and a "Human-faced Owl." The former contained celestial essence that, when consumed, would fill one's essence chamber, while the latter functioned like a carrier pigeon—formal members typically used these creatures to transmit messages between one another.
When they arrived at their final stop—the Hall of Harmony—Xin Liu found himself in a predicament.
"Comrade Alder, you've broken through too quickly." Xin Liu shook his head and said, "You've only joined the outer circle three days, yet you're already promoted to formal member. The cauldrons reserved at the Hall of Harmony haven't even arrived yet."
"Perhaps you could wait a few days?"
Unsure what "cauldron" meant, Beno Alder naturally didn't care. He immediately cupped his hands and said, "I'll defer to your judgment, Comrade Liu."
Xin Liu flashed a broad smile, then took out a manual and handed it to Beno Alder. "This is the secret technique of our Mending Heaven Peak. Take it back and practice diligently."
Beno Alder accepted the manual and immediately examined the cover, which bore The Innate Dao Scripture in bold, vigorous calligraphy.
Eagerly, Beno opened the book and began to read.
"The human being is formed from celestial essence
"The human being is formed from celestial essence. Cultivating essence means cultivating oneself. By purifying one's body and refining celestial essence, one can achieve the perfect fruit of celestial essence—a state where both form and spirit become wondrous."
After a long while, Beno Alder opened his eyes, his face alight with delight.
Compared to the Pleasure of Kama Sutra, The Innate Dao Scripture truly appeared to be an authentic Martial Order technique.
The scripture began with instructions for an ordinary person, starting with a set of exercises to temper the physical body. It also included a complementary martial art called the Great Primordial Grappling Technique, which creates a large hand formed from celestial essence.
After the physical body was fully developed, the practitioner would begin "reversing to the celestial state." This process involved merging all celestial essence within one's body into a single stream of Daoist essence. With this transformation, one could gather and disperse this essence at will, become impervious to Daoist techniques, and stand undefeated in battle.
In addition, the scripture recorded many magical techniques that could be used in conjunction with the Daoist essence.
Techniques such as the Heavenly Net Pervasive Mist, the Single-Intent True Qi Sword, and the Spirit Breath Qi Absorption—the comprehensive variety and diverse functions of these magical techniques astonished Beno.
However, just as he was engrossed in his reading, Beno suddenly froze:
"...Why is there nothing more beyond this point?"
Beno instinctively looked up at Xin Liu, only then realizing that The Innate Dao Scripture in his hands contained only the first half—the content had abruptly ended.
"Comrade Alder, profound teachings are not lightly bestowed."
Xin Liu chuckled lightly. "The second half of The Innate Dao Scripture concerns the secrets of the Crystal Realm, and it's not included in the Party's benefits. You'll need to exchange contribution points for it."
Hearing this, Beno shook his head helplessly. "I see. I was being presumptuous."
"It's fine. Half the scripture is sufficient for your current practice."
Xin Liu patted Beno's shoulder affectionately. "Come, I'll take you to select a house on Heaven Mending Peak. Choose a good location so we can visit each other often in the future."
Beno nodded. "Thank you, Comrade Liu."