C8 Register

After spending a considerable amount of time back in the cave, the shock of taking a life finally subsided. Zhao Lin examined the cloth bag in his hand, utterly baffled. He had clearly seen Chen Quan retrieve items from it, yet now that it was in his possession, the bag wouldn't open. He inspected it from every angle, but the bag didn't seem capable of holding much. What could possibly fit inside a pouch no bigger than a fist?

Dismissing it for the time being, Zhao Lin set the bag aside and began to meditate and cultivate his wakan. The act of killing Chen Quan, though seemingly straightforward, was a first for Zhao Lin and had left his dantian completely empty. As he meditated, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth surged toward him. He spent the rest of the night replenishing his wakan. By the time Zhao Lin awoke, dawn was near. He quickly placed the portrait and Chen Quan's cloth bag into a square box, buried it, and hurried back to his thatched cottage.

Over the following days, Zhao Lin stayed close to the cottage, spending his days chopping wood on the mountain and his evenings conversing with Wang Yu. After several days passed without anyone inquiring about Chen Quan's disappearance, Zhao Lin breathed a sigh of relief. During this time, he subtly gathered information about the cloth bag from a few individuals who had been close to Chen Quan.

He learned that the bag was known as a Spatial Pouch. Despite its small appearance, it contained a separate space within. A typical Spatial Pouch could hold about ten cubic feet. The only way to open it was to refine it with one's Divine Sense, imprinting it with their unique mark. From then on, opening it would be as simple as willing it to open.

Zhao Lin was eager to discover the contents of Chen Quan's Spatial Pouch. Since no disciples had come to question him in the past few days, he felt at ease. As night descended, Zhao Lin left the cottage and made his way to the cave. Inside, he didn't rush to cultivate; instead, he set about refining the pouch using the method he had learned.

The others didn't possess a Spatial Pouch and only knew about it because Chen Quan had bragged about it. They provided Zhao Lin with a general idea, but the specifics were beyond them. As Zhao Lin focused all his essence, energy, and spirit into the bag, Chen Quan's previous mark vanished instantly, and the Spatial Pouch became unclaimed.

As he refined the object, Zhao Lin instinctively used the method of observing patterns. Gradually, he sensed something entering the bag within his mind. At that moment, it was as though he glimpsed a space inside his head. This space was roughly ten square meters and filled with various items. Zhao Lin's face beamed with joy; he had discovered the inner space of the Spatial Pouch.

With just a thought, all the items from the Spatial Pouch materialized in the cave. Zhao Lin excitedly rummaged through the items, searching for anything of use. Among the clutter, aside from some garments, there were a couple of books, a medallion, and several black banners.

The sight of the black banners sent a shiver of fear through Zhao Lin. If Chen Quan had brandished all the banners, Zhao Lin might have met his demise. Disregarding the clothes, he kept only the two books, the banners, and a jade bottle. Upon opening the bottle, a pleasant aroma filled the air. Although Zhao Lin couldn't identify the contents, he was certain it was valuable and stowed it back in the Spatial Pouch.

One of the other books detailed the sect's rules and provided an introduction to the Firetalons. Zhao Lin's curiosity was immediately ignited. He skipped over the rules and dove into the sect's introduction. His expression turned determined, his fighting spirit surged, as he learned that service area disciples had a special opportunity: if they reached the Nascent Soul Stage within a year, they could request a promotion from the Outer Sect!

The book also outlined the various cultivation realms: Nascent Soul, Foundation Building, Windwalk, Flux Weaver, Spirit Formation, Solar Apex, Goldforged, and Spirit Ascension. Each higher realm signified greater cultivation strength and more formidable combat power. The contents of the book unveiled an unknown world to Zhao Lin, igniting an unprecedented thirst for knowledge. This world brimmed with limitless possibilities, and Zhao Lin resolved to explore it.

From then on, Zhao Lin's days were spent chopping wood and cultivating. Since Chen Quan's demise, no one had sought him out. "Zhao Lin, Zhao Lin!" While Zhao Lin was chopping wood, an urgent voice caught his attention. He turned to see Wang Yu running desperately toward him. "Wang Yu, what brings you here?" Zhao Lin called out, concern mounting as he noticed Wang Yu's gaping mouth and labored breathing.

"Hurry, hurry, it's time to register!" panted Wang Yu, his eyes rolling wildly as he struggled to get the words out. "Register for what?" Zhao Lin was momentarily puzzled before a surge of excitement overtook him. He grabbed Wang Yu, shaking him, "The Outer Sect registration has opened!" Wang Yu rolled his eyes and managed a difficult nod.

"Uh, Wang Yu, I got too excited. Let's go sign up!" Seeing Wang Yu's eyes roll back from his shaking, Zhao Lin gave an awkward smile and quickly led him away. Unaware of his increasing pace, Zhao Lin didn't notice that Wang Yu, still recovering from their earlier run, was now being dragged along at a sprint, his tongue hanging out.

"Wang Yu, come on!" Zhao Lin looked back and jumped, realizing that if they continued at this pace, Wang Yu would be completely winded. "You, you, you go on..." Wang Yu managed to get out half a sentence with great effort. Zhao Lin nodded and said, "Alright, you catch your breath here. I'll go register and come right back!" Considering the distance to the cottage was still quite far, Zhao Lin opted for a compromise.

It had been a year since joining the Firetalons, and after much anticipation, the chance to enter the Inner Sect had finally arrived. Wang Yu knew that Zhao Lin's greatest wish was to leave the Servant District as soon as possible to practice the sect's formidable cultivation techniques. So, when the opportunity to register arose, he rushed to inform Zhao Lin without a second thought!

The open space outside the Servant District was now teeming with people; nearly all the service disciples were present. Although the Firetalons imposed strict promotion assessments at every level, who would want to spend their entire life in the Servant District? Everyone understood that the Firetalons provided this opportunity to the service disciples partly to prevent complaints and partly in the hope that some might bloom later than others, creating a perfect solution.

Zhao Lin surveyed the crowd of overjoyed faces and shook his head. It was just the registration phase, yet everyone acted as if they had already been admitted to the Outer Sect. The registration process was quick; Zhao Lin had only been in line for an hour when it was his turn. "Name, age!" The two disciples handling the registrations were haughty, as if they were scions of great houses.

"Zhao Lin, seventeen years old!" As soon as Zhao Lin spoke, the two recorders' faces shifted, with one asking for confirmation, "Are you the Zhao Lin that Senior Sister Xie Ling brought back a year ago?" Zhao Lin, though confused, nodded truthfully. Seeing his nod, they shared a curious laugh and dismissed him. One of them then inscribed Zhao Lin's name in a separate book.

After the registration concluded, there were fewer than ten individuals whose names, including Zhao Lin's, were noted in that particular book. The names of all others were listed elsewhere.