Yun Bo narrowed his eyes and looked at Drog for a single breath of time. His expression relaxed and he nodded his head. "I guess you are right… but does that matter?... You will join the sect once we arrive at the location of the sword sect, you can start treating me like you would treat an elder… I will ask you again disciple Drog, what is your cultivation at?"

Drog looked at Yun Bo in silence and said after another breath of time, "And if I refuse?"

"I won't allow you to join the sword sect," he said with a smile on his face.

"Are you sure you want to do that, elder Yun?" Drog returned a smile.

The man narrowed his eyes, "And what if I do?"

"Then you are not even a man," Drog laughed lightly.

"What did you say?!" The air around the man changed, the air was even thicker than the time when Drog was taking the will examination – the examination which Drog passed without flinching his eyes.

"He can withstand the pressure of rank 9 martial intermediate? Good but strange considering his talent," Liu Ri thought.

"I said that you are not even a man if you can't even keep your own word," Drog stated.

The man frowned and confused expression appeared on his face, "How are you able to stand?"

"Will you or will you not keep your word, elder Yun."

"Fine!" The man spat and the air around him returned back to normal. He turned away from Drog and walked a step forward, glanced back and said, "Let's go."

Drog walked after the man and they both disappeared into the distance.

…

"How long till we get to the sect?" Drog asked after walking side-by-side with Yun Bo for several hours.

The man glanced at Drog. "It should take us four to five days."

"Big Sister Ri said that you would have only arrived from the sect to the village in three days, why is it three to four to five days now?"

"It's two and half days when running back and its four to five days when walking."

"I see," Drog nodded. "Do you come in contact with Go, Ro and No often?"

The man shook his head, "I meet Go more than I meet the other two."

"How come?"

The man sighed, "Go is an inner sect disciple while Ro and No are both outer sect disciples."

"I see," Drog once again nodded. "Can you explain to me how everything works in the sword sect?"

"Very well. First, there are three types of disciples in the sect: outer disciples, inner disciples and core disciples and all these disciples are separated."

Drog glanced at the elder, "Separated?"

"That's right, the disciples could meet with each other only on very rare occasions."

"So I can still meet Go even if I start as an outer disciple." Drog thought. "How are they separated exactly?" he said.

"For me to answer this question, I have to explain to you the layout of the sect. The sect is separated into five peaks and a plateau that connects those five. You see to enter the sect you will have to cross the bridge and this bridge will take you to the plateau from this plateau you can access five peaks. Outer disciple peak, inner disciple peak, core disciple peak, elder peak and profession peak."

"Outer sect disciples can enter the plateau in the middle, their own outer disciple peak and a profession peak. Inner sect disciples have an access to their own inner disciple peak, the plateau in the middle and the profession peak and as for core disciples you get the drift to don't you?"

"Yes, I do." He thought, "So the only way I can meet Go as an outer disciple is in either the plateau in the middle of the profession peak."

"Is there a herb garden available in the sect?"

"Herb garden? Why would you need that? It's only for alchemists."

"So there is one," he smiled and thought inwardly.

A moment passed and Yun Bo not hearing a response from Drog, furrowed his eyebrows and said, "Why do you need the herb garden in the first place?" He thought, "An F-rank talent couldn't have possibly awakened a dual element dantian of wood and fire, now could he?"

Drog shook his head, "I was just asking."

"Did you awaken a dual element dantian of wood and fire?" The man asked suspiciously.

"That's personal."

Yun Bo narrowed his eyes but didn't say anything else, he just sighed.

"Do you want to know anything else?"

"Yes, there is."

"What is it then?"

"Tell me more about the disciple ranks. What is the difference between them?"

"I will start from the lowest disciples – the outer sect disciples. They are at the bottom of the barrel, each month they receive the least amount of spirit stones and they can only enter the first level of martial skill library which is located in the plateau. They also can only accept the missions of the lowest grade. On top of that, they can only rent profession rooms for only thirty breaths of times per day."

"Spirit stones will allow you to recover your Qi, the more you have the better it will be," Liu Ri said.

"Inner disciples are in the middle. They receive more spirit stones a month, they can access the second and third levels of martial skill library, they can accept higher grade missions and the time they can spend in the profession rooms is double that of an outer sect disciple."

"The last is a core disciple, they receive even more spirit stones a month. They can access the fourth, fifth and sixth level of the martial skill library. They have access to the toughest missions and they can spend an indefinite amount of time in profession rooms."

"Rewards aside, as an elite it's my job to stand at the top and that means I must become a core disciple," Drog thought.

"Is there anything else, you want to know about?"

"How to advance in ranks?"

"To advance from and outer disciple to an inner disciple is not that hard, reach the rank 6 martial novice realm and gather 500 contribution points. You can get contribution points by completing missions and participating in martial competitions."

"And from inner sect disciple to a core disciple?"

"There is no requirement."

"No requirement?" A puzzled expression appeared on Drog's face.

"Yes, all you have to do is get acknowledged by the elder, one elder can promote one inner disciple to a core disciple."

Drog furrowed his eyebrows and thought, "I have to find a sponsor as to speak to advance? Well no matter, once I stand at top of all the inner disciples, they elders will swarm around me, its just a matter of time."

"Do you want to know anything more?"

"No that's fine, let's just go."

"Alright."

…

Four days passed and they arrived at the sect entrance. "We are here!" Yun Bo said. Drog looked straight ahead and saw a bridge that led upwards.

He smirked and thought, "I am here, first I will have to teach Go a lesson that is ten years overdue, then find out more about the herb garden and finally become a core disciple."

"Let's go!" Yun Bo said and he walked towards the bridge and the youths standing at the start of the bridge.