Chapter 038 – Moving
After a few more questions, Li Yuan gained a basic understanding of how the Blood Blade Sect worked. Broadly speaking, there were two types of disciples—
The first was those who trained in the sect’s martial arts and didn’t engage in regular labor. This included all the inner disciples and some of the outer disciples.
The second was those who maintained the sect’s operations in its territories. This included associate members and some of the less-talented outer disciples.
Cai Ze fell into this second category.
Li Yuan had managed to secure his permit to live in Silver Creek, so being just an associate member didn’t bother him too much. Of the four placement options he’d been given, he quickly ruled out watch patrol and bailiff duty.
The watch patrol was too much hard work for too little reward. There was no point taking on that drudgery if he didn’t have to.
As for bailiff duty, though wearing an official uniform could bring plenty of bribes and gifts, it also meant running around to collect taxes. The odds of stumbling upon any useful martial arts manuals that way were slim.
That left the public market and black market. The public market offered certain comforts and pleasures—an easy life of free samples, so to speak—while the black market had more risk, but also a vast array of goods passing through. If there was any chance of getting his hands on a new martial art, it would be there, so Li Yuan was leaning in that direction.
As for the first category of sect disciples, Li Yuan recalled from Cai Ze's explanation that they divided their time in three phases.
Disciples in the first phase stayed within the sect to train day in and day out, likely those still striving for basic breakthroughs.
In the second phase, they formed teams to venture outside for real combat experience. Those were likely the ones pushing toward higher levels.
Finally, in the third phase, they withdrew into closed-door cultivation, seeking a kind of enlightenment.