Dawn was just breaking.
Jiang Chen, who now had a rough grasp of the rules within the sect, walked with hesitant steps. With every move, he cast anxious glances around to make sure there was no risk of bumping into any of the talented disciples before finally daring to step outside his door.
"Although I have the system at my disposal, I haven't grown strong enough yet, and the danger factor is simply too high."
However, after some observation, Jiang Chen had realized that these gifted disciples of higher standing rarely bothered to flaunt their authority in front of menial disciples. After all, for them, beating up a lowly menial—the absolute bottom rung of the sect—was beneath their dignity and entirely unworthy of notice. Only those disciples who had just entered the sect showed any such tendency.
This realization made Jiang Chen heave a slight sigh of relief; after all, he had no desire to take two steps out only to have all his teeth slapped out of his mouth.
"Fortunately, yesterday I also managed to figure out the cultivation system of the Immortal Cultivation World. This Xianyun Sword Sect... is far more powerful than I imagined," Jiang Chen thought to himself.
The cultivation system of this world was divided into numerous realms: Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Spirit Severing, Void Refinement, Integration, and Mahayana.
Aside from newly admitted disciples, the outer disciples of the Xianyun Sword Sect mostly possessed Foundation Establishment cultivation, while the inner disciples were at the Golden Core stage. Core and personal disciples needed at least the Nascent Soul realm just to qualify!
"The strength of the Xianyun Sword Sect is truly formidable. You must know that a single Nascent Soul cultivator is enough to establish a sect in many places, yet here they are merely ordinary disciples," Jiang Chen reflected inwardly.
From what he knew, however, some of the outer elders seemed to possess cultivation levels around the Nascent Soul stage as well. As for the higher echelons, those were completely beyond his current reach.
The only thing he knew for certain was that the hierarchy within the Sword Pavilion—no, within the Sword Sect—was strict and entirely dominated by the law of the jungle. Only formidable cultivation and strength served as the ultimate backing and foundation for everything.
Shortly after, he prepared to head over to the mountain gate to clean the area.
Suddenly, a blurred figure materialized right in front of him.
It was none other than a low-level sect steward, specifically in charge of managing menial disciples like them.
"Number 369, this is your identity token. It has a teleportation array inscribed upon it; as long as you have this token, you can teleport to most areas within the sect to carry out your tasks."
"Remember this well: you may go, but do not gawk around or casually disturb others while they cultivate. If you happen to displease those talented disciples or elders, don't say I didn't warn you."
With that, the steward tossed a token straight at Jiang Chen. He then casually threw over a storage ring, which contained the menial disciples' monthly stipend along with two basic cultivation manuals of the Sword Sect.
Jiang Chen quickly said, "Understood."
At the same time, he grumbled inwardly: *If you want me to sweep, just say I'm doing menial chores. Why dress it up as "carrying out tasks"?*
The steward gave a slight wave of his hand. "Alright, today you'll go clean the Sword Pavilion!"
Hearing this, Jiang Chen searched his mind for the two words "Sword Pavilion." Upon careful recollection, he actually managed to find it.
The Sword Pavilion was a place used to temper the mind and heart of the Dao. Legend had it that a certain sword immortal had once attained enlightenment and ascended right here, which was why people frequented the place year-round to comprehend swordsmanship and temper their minds.
Of course, the tale of a sword immortal ascending here was most likely a tall tale. But that a powerful sword expert had once cultivated here was an absolute certainty.
Without hesitation, Jiang Chen activated his menial token, channeled the teleportation runes inscribed upon it, and vanished straight to the location of the Sword Pavilion.
Since a mighty expert had once cultivated in this place, the lingering Dao Rhyme should be relatively dense. Perhaps it would yield a rather decent reward.
Thinking this, Jiang Chen walked straight into the Sword Pavilion and began sweeping as if no one else was around. Only, the Sword Pavilion looked as though it hadn't been repaired in years, giving off a thoroughly dilapidated feel.
A disciple inside the Sword Pavilion sighed, "I really have no idea what the sect leaders are thinking. The Sword Pavilion is in such a ruinous state, yet they won't even bother to fix it? The sect is certainly not short on spirit stones these days, and repairs wouldn't even cost that much."
After a brief pause, the young man muttered viciously, "Hah, sooner or later, I'll replace this stingy Sect Master!"
As soon as he finished speaking, another voice chimed in from the side: "Oh, why be so impatient? With the two of us and our natural talent, replacing him is only a matter of time."
With that, the two men left.
Jiang Chen happened to catch a glimpse of them as they passed. All he could say was that fantasies are wonderful, but reality is harsh. Just like his predecessor, who had also believed that upon entering an immortal sect, he would make a great splash, defy the odds, and shake the entire region—only to end up a mere menial disciple.
Moments later, the moment Jiang Chen stepped inside the Sword Pavilion, a voice rang out instantly in his mind.
*Ding! A location with lingering Dao Rhyme detected. Does the host wish to check in?!*
Without any hesitation, Jiang Chen immediately chose to check in, brimming with anticipation as to what kind of reward he might receive in the Sword Pavilion.
Although he didn't know the strength of the Sword Pavilion's Dao Rhyme, it had after all been a place where a mighty expert once cultivated; logically speaking, the reward shouldn't be too shabby, right?
The next instant, a system prompt echoed through his mind.
*Congratulations to the host for successfully checking in at the Sword Pavilion. Reward obtained: Sword Heart Clear and Bright!*
*Sword Heart Clear and Bright: Greatly enhances the host's comprehension of the Sword Dao. All kinds of sword techniques are instantly mastered upon a single glance; you are the sword, and the sword is you. The Sword Dao seems tailor-made for you!*
Those two short lines of text made Jiang Chen's eyes light up slightly.
Although this wasn't the cultivation manual he had been hoping for the most, the Sword Heart Clear and Bright seemed exceptionally good. Most importantly, its effect was astonishingly powerful.
It meant that his talent and comprehension in the Sword Dao would be completely unmatched, surpassing everyone else!
And the Xianyun Sword Sect was precisely the representative powerhouse of the Sword Dao. The countless inheritances and sword techniques it possessed were fundamentally tied to the Sword Dao, perfectly complementing this "Sword Heart Clear and Bright"!
"Not bad. Coming to the Sword Pavilion today was the right choice. It's just a pity that I'm currently only a menial disciple, so I probably won't be able to get my hands on the Xianyun Sword Sect's manuals and sword techniques. Everything... will still have to rely on checking in."
Jiang Chen let out a quiet sigh inwardly.
However, he wasn't discouraged. As long as he kept checking in, he would inevitably grow stronger and stronger. Becoming a supreme Emperor who ruled the ages alone was only a matter of time!
All he needed to do was keep a low profile, bide his time for a few thousand years, and he would eventually become invincible, sweeping across the contemporary world!
What was that nonsense about becoming the pampered toy of a powerful expert with unorthodox tastes? Absolute garbage!
Before that happened, however...
His task was to stay steady, peacefully complete his menial shifts, and avoid drawing any attention.
Suddenly, Jiang Chen found that his current menial job felt a lot more appealing, no longer as repulsive and annoying as before.
He glanced around and found the surroundings completely deserted. Although the Sword Pavilion had a long history, sect disciples practically never showed up here on normal days.
Thus, after finishing the sweeping, he quietly found a corner, reached into his spatial ring, and pulled out a book.
*Sword Dao True Interpretation (Elementary)*
This was the basic cultivation manual issued by the Xianyun Sword Sect. Once cultivated, Sword Essence would be born within the body, allowing one to officially step into the Qi Refining stage while simultaneously becoming a genuine sword cultivator.
However, this manual wasn't profound; it was relatively elementary.
Right now, Jiang Chen was simply using it as a test to see just how formidable his newly acquired Sword Heart Clear and Bright truly was.