Fatty Wang waddled over, holding a bucket of popcorn he had forgotten to eat. "Brother... you actually won? We're going to the Inner Sect?"
"I'm going," Ye Tian said. He flashed the Sect Master's Token (the one he got from the little girl, Gu Ling'er). "And you're coming as my 'personal attendant'. This token says I can do what I want."
The Inner Sect Gate.
The boundary between the Outer and Inner Sect was marked by a massive white marble archway.
As soon as they stepped through, the air changed. The Spirit Qi here was thick and sweet. In the Outer Sect, breathing was just breathing. Here, every breath felt like drinking an energy drink.
Beautiful pavilions floated on clouds. Cranes flew overhead. It looked like paradise.
"Wow," Fatty Wang drooled. "The air tastes like money."
"Don't get too comfortable," Ye Tian warned. "Higher level map means higher level monsters."
They hadn't walked fifty steps before three figures blocked their path.
They wore the azure robes of the Inner Sect. The leader was a tall, thin man with a face that looked like he had smelled something bad.
"Halt," the thin man said, crossing his arms.
He scanned Ye Tian and Fatty Wang. He saw their dusty Outer Sect clothes and sneered.
"New promotions?" the man asked.
"Yes," Ye Tian said politely. "I am Ye Tian. This is Wang."
"I am Senior Brother Liu," the thin man said, holding out his hand. "Welcome to the Inner Sect. Now, pay the toll."
Ye Tian raised an eyebrow. "Toll? The rulebook didn't mention a toll."
"It's the 'Newbie Protection Fee'," Senior Brother Liu grinned. "The Inner Sect is dangerous. You pay us, and we make sure you don't 'accidentally' fall down a flight of stairs. 100 Spirit Stones each."
Fatty Wang gasped. "100?! That's robbery!"
"For you," Liu looked at Fatty's gut. "It's 200. Because you take up twice the space."
[Ding! Host is encountering the 'Standard Hazing Ritual'.]
[Please make a choice!]
[Option 1: The Doormat. Pay the 300 stones. Reward: Title "Easy Target" (You will be robbed daily).]
[Option 2: The Lawyer. Argue about Sect rules. Reward: A beating.]
[Option 3: The Gangster. Rob the robber. Reward: Skill "Intimidation" + Whatever is in their pockets.]
Ye Tian sighed. Why is it always violence? Can't people just be nice?
"System, Option 3."
Ye Tian took a step forward. He smiled, looking harmless.
"Senior Brother Liu," Ye Tian said. "I don't have 100 stones."
Liu's face darkened. "No money? Then strip. Leave your robes and that bag, and crawl through my legs. Then I might let you pass."
"I don't have 100," Ye Tian continued, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Because my hands are full holding this."
FLASH.
Ye Tian moved. He used the newly acquired Heavenly Lightning Step.
To Liu, Ye Tian simply vanished.
SLAP!
Ye Tian reappeared behind Liu. He didn't use a sword. He used a brick he had pulled from his inventory (the one he used to scam the library janitor).
He smashed the brick into the back of Liu's head.
"Argh!" Liu crumpled to the ground, clutching his skull.
The other two lackeys froze. "You... you dared to hit Senior Brother Liu?!"
"He slipped," Ye Tian said innocently, tossing the brick in the air. "The floor is very slippery here."
He stepped on Liu's chest, pinning him to the ground.
"Now," Ye Tian looked down at the groaning Senior Brother. "I heard there is a toll?"
"Yes! No! I mean..." Liu stammered, looking at the brick hovering over his face.
"I think you misunderstood," Ye Tian smiled coldly. "I am charging you a toll. It's the 'Stupid Tax'. You were stupid enough to block my path."
"You... do you know who my cousin is?!" Liu shrieked.
SMACK.
Ye Tian slapped him with the brick. Not hard enough to kill, but hard enough to loosen teeth.
"I don't care if your cousin is the Emperor of Heaven," Ye Tian said. "Hand over your Spatial Bags. All of you."
The two standing lackeys looked at Ye Tian, then at the foaming Liu on the ground. They quickly threw their bags on the floor and ran away.
"Monsters! The new guys are monsters!" they screamed as they fled.
Ye Tian bent down and picked up the bags. He looted Liu's pockets too, finding a few loose stones and a half-eaten bun.
"Pathetic," Ye Tian kicked Liu aside. "Inner Sect disciples are surprisingly poor."
Fatty Wang stared at Ye Tian with wide eyes. "Brother... we have been in the Inner Sect for five minutes, and we just mugged the Welcome Committee."
"It's called networking," Ye Tian tossed a bag of stones to Fatty. "Here. Buy yourself some nice food."
Ye Tian looked deeper into the Inner Sect, towards the towering Administrative Hall in the distance.
"Come on, Fatty. Let's go claim our mountain peak before someone else tries to 'welcome' us."
As they walked away, leaving the groaning Senior Brother in the dust, a shadow watched them from a nearby tree.
It was an Elder with a long white beard. He was holding a notebook.
"Interesting," the Elder muttered, writing down Ye Tian's name. " ruthless, greedy, and fast. He fits right in."