Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Hermit’s Ingenious Plan

With the addition of Xu Ke, Wang Ran’s power expanded rapidly. What began as a trio swiftly became a small alliance with dozens of disciples. Over the years, Xu Ke had not been idle in the Hall of Enforcement; his formidable strength and loyal nature had also drawn many disciples to his side.

This time, Xu Ke brought with him no fewer than twenty followers, each one a prodigy, the weakest among them already at the fourth tier of Foundation Establishment. Twenty may not sound like a large number, but in truth, it was an impressive force for a small alliance—especially considering the entire Hall of Enforcement housed only about four hundred disciples in total.

Among these, some were independents unwilling to pledge allegiance to any faction, while others lingered at the bottom, like the black-robed assassin Wang Ran had slain—anonymous disciples merely drifting through their days.

Excluding such factors, the actual numbers within each faction were not great. Even Ye Cang’s Celestial Alliance only boasted just over fifty members. Of course, those fifty were prodigies accumulated over many years by the Only Me Sect, each one powerful enough to secure Ye Cang’s place at the head of the Four Great Alliances.

All in all, after defeating Xu Ke and winning his allegiance, Wang Ran had become a mighty force within the Hall of Enforcement, his prestige unmatched.

On this day, Wang Ran, Zhao Xiaobai, Little Junior Sister, and Xu Ke sat together in the Hall of Enforcement’s residence, discussing their next moves.

Zhao Xiaobai began his analysis, “Brother Wang, now that we’ve truly established ourselves here, we’ll need to make further preparations if we want to compete for the position of core disciple.”

Wang Ran nodded, voicing his doubts, “How exactly do we qualify to compete for core disciple status? And what about contribution points? I’ve heard they’re distributed daily, but how much is enough?”

Before Zhao Xiaobai could respond, Xu Ke—who had been in the Hall the longest—spoke up first. “The selection of core disciples is always strict. Not only must your cultivation be outstanding, but your contributions to the sect must be among the highest. The standard varies each time—this session, it’s one million!”

“As long as your contribution points exceed one million, you’re eligible to compete for the core disciple position.”

“Members of the Hall of Enforcement receive special treatment—three thousand contribution points per month, totaling just over thirty thousand a year. It sounds decent, but compared to the benchmark for core disciples, it’s a drop in the ocean.”

“That’s why no one in the Hall expects to accumulate a million points just from the sect’s distributions. The real way to earn contribution points is by taking on sect missions!”

“The Hall of Enforcement has its own mission office, where completing assignments can earn a large number of points. However, compared to the Outer Sect’s mission hall, our tasks are far more dangerous—sometimes even life-threatening!”

“A century ago, when the Hall of Enforcement was first established, disciples often died or were injured on missions. Only after the sect introduced the four-person squad system—so members could support each other—did casualties decrease.”

“Each squad draws on the strengths of four disciples, named Vermilion Bird, Azure Dragon, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise. They carry out missions together and split the points afterward—a rule that has continued to this day.”

“In recent years, however, prodigies like Ye Cang and Meng Jiang have made use of mission assignments to gradually expand their squads into actual alliances. Other disciples imitated them, which is how the Hall of Enforcement came to be divided among so many powerful factions.”

Hearing the veteran Xu Ke’s explanation, the others were enlightened. Even Zhao Xiaobai fell into thought; his information wasn’t as comprehensive as Xu Ke’s. After a moment’s consideration, he asked, “But why are those prodigies now willing to serve under others? And after Ye Cang formed his alliance, even if they earn points faster, doesn’t splitting them just create more rivals for the core disciple competition?”

Zhao Xiaobai’s question echoed Wang Ran’s own thoughts. Having joined the Hall of Enforcement later, they weren’t clear on the inner workings.

Xu Ke chuckled, “Brother Xiaobai, you don’t know. Earning a million contribution points only qualifies you to compete for the core disciple spot. After that, there’s a brutal arena battle—the sole victor becomes the core disciple.”

“These prodigies aren’t fools. After witnessing the strength of Ye Cang and Meng Jiang, they know that even with enough points, they stand little chance. It’s better to join them early on—if their leader wins the core disciple position, their own status will also rise.”

“Moreover, contribution points have many uses—borrowing cultivation techniques from the Scripture Pavilion, buying spiritual artifacts from the Martial Pavilion, and more. Instead of hoarding points for a slim chance at becoming a core disciple, many prefer to spend them on practical items to bolster themselves.”

Zhao Xiaobai, ever sharp, immediately grasped the Hall’s rules from Xu Ke’s explanation and couldn’t help but click his tongue in amazement. Thinking it over, it made sense—these prodigies were all shrewd. Knowing their limits, they’d naturally seek to maximize their own interests.

Only a few especially ambitious and supremely confident individuals would devote themselves entirely to vying for the core disciple position.

Wang Ran, thoughtful, asked, “Do you know the actual strength of the Four Great Alliances?”

Xu Ke, full of respect for Wang Ran, replied eagerly, “Senior Brother Wang, I’ve had my run-ins with the Four Great Alliances, so I do know a bit about their strengths.”

“The strongest is undoubtedly the Celestial Alliance, recognized as the top contender for the core disciple spot. Slightly below them are Beiming Lie and Meng Jiang. Beiming Lie’s alliance is one of the four mainly because of his powerful backing—his grandfather is the sect’s formation elder, a figure of great authority.”

“As for Meng Jiang, he relies on cunning and shrewdness, skilled at winning hearts and never failing in his missions.”

“The last is Chu Yingxuan of the Chu Alliance. Don’t let her gender fool you—she’s got wealth on her side. The Chu Alliance was built almost entirely with spirit jade…”

Hearing this, Wang Ran’s eyes narrowed. He had noticed during his time in the Hall that, among the Four Great Alliances, Chu Alliance was the strongest in both numbers and power. He’d always wondered why their palace was so lavish and every disciple wielded top-quality spiritual artifacts—it turned out it was all bought.

Indeed, the saying ‘money makes the world go round’ holds true even for cultivators.

Zhao Xiaobai’s eyes lit up as well, murmuring, “Buying power… That’s a quick way to expand strength.”

Little Junior Sister nodded in agreement, only to pout a moment later, “But we don’t have any money.”

At her words, the three others froze, then simultaneously turned to look at Xu Ke.

Xu Ke waved his hands frantically, like a startled rabbit. “Senior Brother Wang, I don’t have any money either! All the spirit jade I’ve earned over the years has gone to my followers.”

Wang Ran knew even if Xu Ke had funds, they wouldn’t suffice for a vast alliance, so he didn’t press him.

After a brief silence, Wang Ran’s eyes suddenly lit up with inspiration. He stood and declared, “Old Xu, tomorrow spread the word: Senior Brother Wang offers excellent terms—any disciple willing to join me will receive a fourth-grade spiritual artifact and generous spirit jade rewards.”

“Huh?” Xu Ke blinked in confusion, “But where will we get all that money?”

Wang Ran simply smiled mysteriously. “Your Senior Brother Wang’s methods are beyond your imagination. Just do as I say—this mountain monk has his own clever plan!”