After Li Chunsong left, it was Outer Sect Deacon Niu Yuanshan's turn to take charge. However, he didn't put on airs with these in-name disciples as the other deacons might have. In many people's impression, this man was fair in his dealings, hardworking, and mild-tempered... This was also why, when his identity as a spy was exposed years later, many disciples in the outer sect refused to believe it. Even many Dao Gate players didn't believe it.
"Ahem." Niu Yuanshan cleared his throat and said, "Why don't you two first bind the tokens with your blood?"
"After binding with the tokens, you'll have an official identity and will have formally become members of our Dao Gate," he said.
Chu Huaixu and Han Shuangjiang exchanged a glance, a hint of excitement stirring in both of their young hearts.
For Han Shuangjiang, this was the first step in changing the trajectory of her life.
As for a certain transmigrator, he wasn't sure if the Dao Gate would be a place where he could settle down, or if a storm of intrigue awaited him.
Their respective drops of blood fell onto the tokens and were quickly absorbed without a trace.
A system prompt sounded in Chu Huaixu's ear.
"[Ding! Congratulations, player, you have successfully joined a sect. Faction acquired—Mirror Kingdom, Dao Gate.]"
"[System is now calculating rewards...]"
Hearing this pleasant system prompt, his spirits lifted once more.
When he first played the game, he had exhausted a great deal of effort just to enter Spring and Autumn Mountain, one of the four great sects. Other players might have already been close to level 10, but because he hadn't joined a sect or obtained a cultivation technique, he had remained a level 0 account.
In this regard, it all came down to the player's personal choice. Some sects were like third-rate schools you could get into just by paying. For other sects, you needed to bury your head in your books and rely on your own hard work to test in.
In the long run, it seemed that joining a stronger sect offered better prospects for future development. But "Borrowing a Sword" was a game, after all. Some players who got an early start and began cultivating and leveling up sooner could seize the resources and opportunities of the novice period more quickly. Chu Huaixu had also seen some players who joined garbage sects at the beginning but still soared all the way up due to a series of fortuitous encounters in the early stages.
It was precisely these various uncertainties that made the game so fascinating to players.
"But it's different now."
"I joined the Dao Gate this time without much effort at all."
He had even been resistant to it at first...
However, it was worth mentioning that when players went through painstaking efforts to join a powerful sect, the [Faction Reward] would be more generous. If it were an ordinary sect, it would be classified as an ordinary [Faction], and the reward for joining was standardized: 1 [Random Attribute Point].
In the entire Eastern Continent, only by joining one of the four great sects could one receive an additional, more generous faction reward—1 [Spirit Embryo Attribute] point. With a Spirit Embryo Attribute point, a player was no longer considered a Pseudo Spirit Embryo.
As for those players in the Eastern Continent who couldn't join the four great sects, they could later obtain Spirit Embryo Attribute points by doing hidden quests and large-scale main story quests.
"Someone like Han Shuangjiang with a Profound Yin Physique is likely a typical max-level Spirit Embryo, needing to max out her Spirit Embryo attribute, which means adding up to 10 points."
"Before I transmigrated, not a single player had ever maxed this thing out. To be precise, the highest I think was only 7 points."
Chu Huaixu's own account at Spring and Autumn Mountain had reached 6 points before he transmigrated. Compared to the true prodigies of the Xuanhuang Realm, there was definitely still a gap. But among the players, he was absolutely a crane standing among chickens. This piece of information was even something he wrote in his companion profile to show that he was a master, which he used to attract clients.
—Sisters, are you sure you don't want to come and touch my Spirit Embryo?
After a short three breaths, Chu Huaixu heard the system prompt. His [Faction Rewards] had all been credited.
Seeing that the two had bound their identity tokens with blood, Niu Yuanshan lightly tapped his own deacon token and took out a large number of jade slips from the storage space within. These were all aperture-opening stage cultivation techniques.
He quickly found the 'Ice-Pure Art' among them and handed it to Han Shuangjiang.
Chu Huaixu looked at the jade slip for the 'Ice-Pure Art' and tossed an [Information Probe] at it.
The information he received was:
['Ice-Pure Art': Aperture-Opening Stage Technique. Compatibility: 0%.]
He pouted slightly and complained internally, "The name of this technique is so pure and chaste, and my compatibility with it is 0%?"
"It thinks I'm dirty, doesn't it?"
He personally guessed that the compatibility between the 'Ice-Pure Art' and the Profound Yin Physique was likely close to one hundred percent. The aperture-opening stage was a very simple phase of cultivation. A truly talented person could quickly speedrun any technique they learned. For players, it was also impossible to get stuck leveling up; the experience required for levels 0-9 was not high. A higher technique compatibility just meant that it would cost less experience to level up.
These complex settings were actually to further increase the game's playability and enhance the player's desire for exploration in the early stages.
Niu Yuanshan looked at the young comrade before him, his heart filled with a desire to take good care of him. And so, this thick-browed, righteous-looking Outer Sect Deacon spoke with a warm smile, "Come, these are all the aperture-opening stage techniques of the outer sect. Pick one. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me. There's no need to rush."
"Thank you, Deacon," Chu Huaixu said politely.
While he was choosing, Niu Yuanshan considerately asked Han Shuangjiang, "The night is already late, and he might still need some time. You may go back and rest on your own, it's no trouble."
Unexpectedly, Han Shuangjiang just shook her head slightly, her voice still ice-cold, as if devoid of much emotional fluctuation. "I'll wait for him."
Hearing this, Chu Huaixu turned his head to glance at her, then continued to rummage through the techniques. He had been using [Information Probe] nonstop.
"'Tyrant God Art', compatibility 53%."
"'Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Profound Art', compatibility 49%."
"'Eight Desolates Divine Power', compatibility 9%."
These aperture-opening techniques were clearly the most basic, yet more than half of their names were ridiculously epic. The problem was, after looking through all of them, he hadn't found one with a compatibility higher than 60%.
"This one isn't bad. 'Lesser Farmer Art', compatibility 78%. But what kind of name is that?"
At this point, he had almost looked through all the jade slips.
Niu Yuanshan and Han Shuangjiang just watched him squatting on the ground, picking and choosing, without once asking the deacon for advice. They didn't understand what he was doing.
Time ticked by. Niu Yuanshan felt he should be more proactive and offered his care, "Are there any that you're particularly interested in? I can explain one or two for you."
"It's fine, Deacon Niu," Chu Huaixu looked up, then continued to choose.
After another incense stick's worth of time, Han Shuangjiang's patience and curiosity were completely exhausted. Tonight had been an extraordinary yet tiring night for her.
"How much longer are you going to take?" she asked.
Chu Huaixu looked at her sideways. Since he was currently squatting, his gaze traveled up from this angle, making her astonishingly proportioned jade legs look even longer.
"I didn't ask you to wait for me. If you can't wait, just go back," he retorted.
Hearing this, Han Shuangjiang's fine brows furrowed slightly. She said nothing more, but she did not leave.
The thick-browed Niu Yuanshan, listening to the conversation from the side, was extremely surprised. He had thought this ice-mountain of a beauty would turn and leave directly. This made him marvel inwardly once again.
Chu Huaixu had been a companion for so long and had interacted with far too many women. There was a reason he could thrive in this line of work.
Don't be fooled by Han Shuangjiang's cold demeanor, her strong "big sister" vibe, and her seemingly difficult personality. This was just a form of self-protection. She had been abandoned by her parents as a child and sold into a brothel. Growing up in such a family and such an environment changes one's disposition.
Being abandoned leads to a sense of insecurity. A brothel girl, trained from a young age, is taught primarily to be obedient, taught how to serve others. The madam wants an obedient "daughter." If you're not obedient, one can imagine the consequences. Therefore, it was possible that this cold and stunning young woman had a bit of a "submissive streak."
Chu Huaixu did indeed want to ride the coattails of this World Protagonist. But he had no interest in kneeling and licking her jade legs.
Chu Huaixu paid her no more attention and continued to search.
Finally, he found what he was looking for.