The elder formed a series of hand seals, and light flowed across the token before sinking into its surface. Only then did he begin explaining its uses.
"This is your Inner Court Tag," he said, his tone brisk and clearly well-rehearsed from having repeated the same explanation countless times before. "It grants you access to the Inner Court Library, the training grounds, the mission halls, and the resource pagodas. You can also use it to open and close the formation guarding your personal abode. Your previous contribution points, along with anything you earn going forward, will now be tracked through this token exclusively." He paused just long enough to make sure Mo Xuan was following before continuing. "It also functions as a communication device linking you back to the sect whenever you're out on a mission, should you need to report something urgent."
He slid a jade slip across the counter. "All the remaining details you'll need are recorded in there. Take your time familiarising yourself with it."
Then he paused, his gaze sharpening slightly as he studied Mo Xuan for a moment longer than strictly necessary. "Many students are eager to meet you. I expect you'll be receiving challenges soon enough."
Mo Xuan blinked, caught slightly off guard by the comment.
The elder's lips curved into a thin, meaningful smile, offering nothing further by way of explanation. Mo Xuan cupped his hands politely in thanks and turned to leave, tucking the jade slip and his tag away as he stepped back out into the hall's steady murmur of whispers.
A few minutes later, he arrived at the dwelling distribution ground.
The dwelling distribution grounds sat on a serene plateau wrapped in drifting spiritual mist, the air there noticeably cooler and quieter than anywhere else Mo Xuan had passed through so far. Floating platforms hovered at intervals across the plateau, each one displaying rows of wooden plaques, every plaque representing a cultivation residence tucked somewhere among the inner peaks.
A white-robed disciple descended gracefully to meet him, bowing slightly the moment her feet touched solid ground. "Senior Brother Mo Xuan, please follow me. Your abode has been assigned to Azure Peak."
Mo Xuan nodded and followed her lead, letting her guide him up a winding path that rose steadily with each turn.
Azure Peak rose above the surrounding clouds entirely, its trees glowing with a soft blue luminescence that seemed to pulse faintly in rhythm with the wind. That same wind whispered through the leaves as it passed.
The attendant led him to a courtyard perched right at the cliff's edge, and a carved stone gate swung open at her touch, revealing a cultivation chamber reinforced with layered guarding formations, their runic lines glowing faintly along the chamber's inner walls. She walked him through the basic controls for the formation, explaining how to activate and adjust its various protective layers, then bowed once more and took her leave, her footsteps fading quickly back down the path.
Mo Xuan walked through the courtyard alone, taking in each detail at his own pace. A meditation platform sat near the courtyard's centre, ringed by a Spiritual Energy condensation array humming faintly beneath its stone surface. Nearby, a small spiritual spring bubbled quietly, releasing faint curls of fragrant vapour into the cool mountain air. Further back stood a modest wooden room, its furnishings simple, with each piece carrying a quiet elegance.
"This place..." Mo Xuan murmured, letting the words trail off as he took it all in.
He settled onto the meditation platform and sat cross-legged, letting the Revolution Connecting Mantra circulate through him naturally, the rhythm now as familiar as breathing. He cultivated through the night, and by the time sunrise broke over Azure Peak, painting the glowing blue trees in warm gold, he had already completed another full cycle. As he stepped outside the gate, a familiar voice arrived a half-second before the person attached to it.
"Brother Mo!"
Jin Bao came hurrying up the path, already talking before he'd fully caught his breath. "I know a nice place we can eat. Let's go." Without waiting for a response, he turned and started walking, clearly assuming Mo Xuan would follow — which, after a moment's hesitation, he did.
It didn't take long for them to arrive in front of a modest but well-kept building tucked along one of the Inner Court's busier paths, a wooden sign hanging above its entrance reading *Cloudmist Pavilion*. Jin Bao practically glowed with enthusiasm as he introduced the place, insisting the food served here was the best in the entire Inner Court — not cheap by any means, but worth every spirit stone spent.
They stepped through the entrance into a warm, dimly lit space, the air thick with the smell of roasted meat and simmering broth. Private booths lined the far wall, separated by carved wooden screens, while the main floor buzzed with the low chatter of disciples eating in small groups. Lanterns strung along the ceiling beams cast a soft amber glow over everything.
An attendant spotted Jin Bao almost immediately and rushed forward, bowing low with an eager smile already forming. "Young Ma—"
Jin Bao shot him a sharp, warning look before he could finish the name, and the attendant caught himself just in time, smoothly shifting his greeting mid-sentence. "—esteemed gentlemen, welcome! Would you like a private room?"
Jin Bao's smile returned instantly, as though nothing had happened. "Yes. And bring out the finest wine you have."
Throughout the entire exchange, Mo Xuan observed the restaurant in silence, taking note of the attendant's near-slip without commenting, filing the detail away for later.
The attendant led them to a private room, and it wasn't long before wine and an assortment of dishes arrived, filling the small table between them. Jin Bao rose, cupping his hands toward Mo Xuan before lifting his cup in a toast. "To finally becoming Inner Court disciples!"
Mo Xuan smiled and returned the gesture, lightly touching his cup to Jin Bao's before they both drank.
After the meal wound down, the two of them parted ways outside the restaurant — Mo Xuan intending to head toward the Martial Pavilion, Jin Bao off toward some destination he kept characteristically vague about. They exchanged a brief farewell, and Mo Xuan continued on alone.
Leaving Cloudmist Pavilion behind, Mo Xuan followed the winding stone path alone. Soon, another pavilion emerged through the morning mist.
The seven-storey pagoda stood quietly among a grove of ancient cypress trees, its dark wooden beams weathered by what looked like centuries of use. Morning mist drifted lazily around its uppermost roof, curling and dissolving as the sun climbed higher.
An elderly keeper sat nearby on a resting chair, a book lying open and forgotten across his chest, his eyes closed as though he'd drifted off between pages. Mo Xuan approached quietly, and just as he opened his mouth to offer a polite greeting, the old man spoke without so much as lifting an eyelid.
"A new Inner Court member. Is it already that time of year?" He said it more as a statement than a question, not waiting for confirmation before continuing in the same flat, half-bored tone. "As a new member, you're entitled to use the first floor free of charge for your first three months. After that, it's ten contribution points for access. Going up each floor beyond that, aside from needing the right strength to ascend, costs an additional ten contribution points per level. When you reach the barrier, place your identity tag against it to gain entry. Note — only you can use your own tag. You cannot use someone else's, or borrow yours out to someone else. If you try..."
Mo Xuan listened carefully, absorbing every word, and bowed respectfully once the old man's voice trailed off. Assuming the explanation had ended, he began to step forward.
The voice continued, freezing him mid-stride. "One more thing. For each floor, you need to be of comparable strength to access it. If you place your token to enter a floor you're not yet strong enough for, the contribution points are deducted regardless — and they will not be returned," the old man said. "So don't bite off more than you can chew."
Mo Xuan bowed a second time, and this time, no further instructions followed. He walked the rest of the way to the barrier without interruption, removing his identity tag from where he'd tucked it earlier and pressing it flat against the shimmering surface. A swirl of energy flowed out of the barrier into the tag, then from the tag directly into him, gently probing his aura. Mo Xuan understood immediately why the elder had been so insistent that no one could use another person's tag — the barrier wasn't simply reading the token's data; it was cross-referencing the token against the specific aura of the person holding it.
The barrier parted, revealing a passage beyond. Mo Xuan stepped through without hesitation.
The moment he crossed the threshold, the old keeper's eyes finally opened behind him, and he murmured something to himself, too quiet for anyone but him to hear. "That's *his* disciple, hmm. Not bad." Then his eyes drifted shut again, and he settled back into whatever nap Mo Xuan's arrival had briefly interrupted.
The moment Mo Xuan stepped fully inside, his breathing slowed almost on instinct.
Books. Thousands of them, stacked floor to ceiling. Tall wooden shelves stretched in long, orderly rows throughout the enormous hall, disappearing into the dim upper reaches of the building. Jade slips rested neatly inside specially carved cabinets lining the walls, each one etched with fine script indicating its contents.