The entrance exam was completed, and the elder left the place, leaving some sect members to handle the new members and help them settle down inside the sect.
The sect members guided the newcomers, teaching them the basics about the sect, what they could and could not do.
The first thing they explained about the Golden Sword Sect was that it is one of the strongest sects on the continent, ranking among the top five.
As the name suggests, the Golden Sword Sect is mostly made up of cultivators who practice the Dao of the Sword.
It was founded by one of the greatest sword cultivators to ever walk the world, and named after the golden sword he carried for hundreds of thousands of years.
Because it was created by such a revered sword cultivator, many aspiring sword cultivators flocked to the Golden Sword Sect to improve their own skills.
Over the years, countless sword cultivators came and went, leaving behind their knowledge.
To the point that now, there is no place in the world more suitable for cultivating the sword than the Golden Sword Sect.
The sect itself is vast, its territory is as large as an average country on Earth, and yet it is not even the largest sect territory in this world.
"Just goes to show how big this world really is… Usually, such big worlds already familiar with supernatural evolution contain people with long lifespans and powerful abilities. At the same time, that also means the dangers and opportunities are many times greater." Ethan thought to himself as he listened to the sect member.
Most of the sect's territory is occupied by mountain ranges, forests, and a few rivers.
Beyond that, there are five main areas used by sect members: the Northern Palace, Southern Palace, Western Palace, Eastern Palace, and the Central Palace.
Though they are called palaces, they are not actual palaces, just names.
Each is located in its respective direction, separated by several kilometers, and each palace serves different functions.
The Central Palace is where classes are held.
It also houses the elders, vice sect master, and sect master.
It contains vast knowledge, secrets, and the sect's most valuable treasures.
It is the most heavily guarded area of the sect.
The Western Palace manages external affairs such as trade.
It even has auction houses and lodging for outsiders who can stay by paying with system gold.
The Southern Palace deals with the sea, including sea trading, fishing, sea monster hunting, and sea travel.
The Eastern Palace also manages sea-related matters but focuses mainly on intercontinental trade, so cultivators from other continents are more commonly found here.
The Northern Palace is the residential area for sect members.
It has training grounds, barracks, weapon halls, libraries, and more, everything needed to grow stronger.
Other than roads and structures, the area is covered with trees and plants.
Those knowledgeable enough can even find medicinal herbs.
"Herbs, huh? That's where my knowledge in potions will come in handy…" Ethan smiled.
Of course, there are also monsters.
The forests stretch for hundreds of miles, so weaker beasts are common, easily dealt with by even low-level cultivators.
Stronger beasts, however, tend to be intelligent.
They will not cause destruction unless disturbed.
The sect members strongly advised the newcomers to stay away from wild monsters.
Other than that, sect members are free to roam anywhere within sect territory.
But if they venture into dangerous areas and die, the sect bears no responsibility.
Each new member is also given an identification stone shard.
These shards are enchanted and used to gain clearance to different areas, though restrictions apply.
Next came the explanation of the types of sect members.
There are two: cultivators who can cultivate Qi, and those who cannot, but instead focus on cultivating their body to the peak.
The sect member then explained the rules and regulations.
The most notable rule is that if any sect member fails to show progress for seven months, they will be expelled.
Likewise, those who do not contribute to the sect's growth will also be expelled.
Progress can be shown in cultivation, mastery of techniques, alchemy, or other cultivation-related skills.
Contributions can take many forms but are usually something that increases the sect's wealth or resources.
The sect uses the system functions to track contributions.
The system evaluates the value of a contribution and awards contribution points, which the sect uses to measure each member's worth.
Ethan agreed to allow the sect to track his contributions through the system.
Of course, the system does not automatically count everything a member acquires.
Only items or knowledge they actively submit to the system count as contributions.
After explaining a few more things, the sect members left the new disciples on their own.
The most basic rule of the sect is that nothing is free.
One must earn everything, including food and even a place to sleep.
That meant Ethan had to earn system gold to buy himself a one-day stay, at least until he figured things out.
"I guess I should check out the departments…" Ethan muttered.
Like the other new members, he went off to do his own thing.
The easiest way to earn system gold was to join a department and take on tasks.
There were many departments within the sect, each overseen by an elder, such as the Alchemy and Research Department, Maintenance Department, Resource Management, Archives Management, Security, Commerce Department, and more.
Among them, Ethan was interested in two: the Alchemy and Research Department, and the Archives Management Department.
By then, there were still around six hours until sundown, and Ethan's stomach was growling with hunger.
He did not really care about where to sleep, he could sleep under a tree if necessary, but he needed food, especially after the beating his body had taken.
The effects of the pill had already worn off, and the pain was returning. Even walking felt like the hardest thing he had ever done.
"My first priority should be increasing my physical attributes…" Ethan sighed.
After walking for about thirty minutes, he arrived in front of a massive building with a sign that read: [Alchemy and Research Department].
The building looked modern, not medieval as one might imagine in a cultivation or Murim world.
All the worlds Ethan had lived in were inhabited by humanoid beings.
In most of them, he had lived for hundreds or even thousands of years before dying and being transported to the next world.
Almost all of those worlds were similar to Earth, just at different points in time.
It was as if all those worlds were heading toward the same type of evolution and advancement, even with the ability to cultivate supernatural forces.
Except, of course, for some worlds where humans were not the dominant race, like the world of [Yelvera], where elves and dwarves were the prominent beings.
That world had advanced in a direction heavily influenced by magic.
This cultivation world, however, was once again human-dominated, though influenced by the energy known as Qi.
Shaking his head to stop overthinking, Ethan stepped inside.
But as soon as he crossed the door, two sect members sitting at the reception desk near the entrance stopped him.
...
[A/N: If you liked this chapter, don't forget to donate some POWER STONES and add it to your library. No pressure! Thank you for checking out the novel.]