Depthless Hunger

Technically Kai was setting foot on Cloudspire for the first time, but that was nothing special: the coast was sand and rock, like everywhere else in the world. He was far more interested in the fact that he was being ushered directly to the Bloodcoral sect headquarters.

All of the outer walls were made from rough yellowed rock he suspected was a type of coral, while the largest buildings seemed to have been forged from vast shells. The pearlescent walls gleaming in the sun were impressive... but he was mainly wondering what kind of monster or beast left shells that large. Another question to ask eventually, though for now he was keeping his mouth shut so he didn't expose his full ignorance.

"The others will show you around our headquarters," Cor Li Xan was saying, "but I wanted to formally introduce you. For a start, let me give you your command medallion. It doesn't make you an inner disciple yet, but we wouldn't insult a cultivator of your strength."

Kai accepted the medallion, which was a circle of red coral polished to a shine and attached to a rope, as if to hang around his neck. He took it reverently, of course, but had no idea what he was really looking at. It must have shown in his face, because Cor Li Xan chuckled.

"I take it you haven't been a member of a sect before?"

"Not really," Kai said. "You said this doesn't make me an inner disciple?"

"We work with many allies and mercenaries, so our sect doesn't work the usual way." Cor Li Xan gestured out past the coral walls, where there were various untrained people moving carts of materials. "Someone who wants to join our sect starts as an outer disciple, which means they have to prove themselves. That filters out all those who don't have any discipline. If they prove talented or trustworthy, they're given a medallion like this, which marks them as a real member of the sect."

"So I get one right away by virtue of my strength?" Kai examined the smooth surface and noticed that there were two triangular crystal marks along one edge, too precise to be as natural as the coral itself. Chapters first released on novel fire.net

"You've noticed the markers. All Body Refinement cultivators are given one for their cultivation base, Nascent Foundation cultivators receive three, and Earth Souls receive five. You become a true inner disciple, a real member of the sect, once you gain four of them. You started with one for your cultivation, and one for playing such a major role in the Great Cetae hunt."