Given that I will not be staying in the Five Elements Hall for long, and after rescuing my wife, I will be on the run. These people have been so kind and enthusiastic to me. How sad they will be when they hear I've defected.
Seeing his absentminded look, Lei Xin patted Wan Lei heartily on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, our master is currently at the Sea of Bitterness battlefield, but as I said, he'll be back soon, and then you can officially become his disciple."
"Our master?"
Wan Lei was startled, then his eyes widened.
"Senior Sister, you are also a personal disciple of the Thunder Sage?"
"Yes, why do you look so surprised? Am I not good enough looking?"
"No, no, I'm not surprised."
"No, you are surprised."
"..."
"Hahaha, just kidding. Our master has very few personal disciples, only nine so far. Our junior sister was brought back by the master over a year ago. Although her background is unclear, she is a very gentle person.
Junior sister is probably around your age and is also very beautiful. You're not bad-looking either. It's a shame, but junior sister is currently in seclusion, attempting to break through to the Immortal Realm. Otherwise, I could introduce you."
As she spoke, Lei Xin's face showed a somewhat indecent expression, uncharacteristic of a woman.
"Junior sister is truly beautiful. You'll know when you meet her. Try to win her over."
Wan Lei was speechless at her man-like demeanor and quickly changed the subject.
"Doesn't our Five Elements Hall only recruit disciples in the Immortal Realm? Aren't all disciples in the Mortal Realm at the Goose Pagoda Academy?"
"Special recruitment, do you understand special recruitment? It means those with exceptional talent, but who haven't yet broken through to the Immortal Realm, are recruited exceptionally. However, such individuals are rare, and almost all of them become top-tier existences after ascending to immortality."
Wan Lei nodded. At this point, they had arrived at the back mountain of the Thunder Hall's main peak.
"Most ordinary disciples live on the peaks surrounding the main peak. Some top-ranking disciples, or personal disciples of the Thunder Sage, reside on the main peak itself. However, there's no strict rule about this; it's mostly based on self-awareness, as everyone has a sense of pride.
You'll be living on the main peak too. If anyone is unhappy, just tell them to show their battle achievements, hahaha."
Lei Xin pointed ahead.
"This is your cave dwelling."
Wan Lei looked at the platform halfway up the mountain and fell into thought.
The place before him was similar in location to his cave dwelling in the Yin-Yang Sect, also a large platform halfway up a mountain, with sheer cliffs above and a bottomless abyss below.
But the crucial point was, this was just a flat piece of land, with nothing on it.
Was the sky his bed and the ground his mattress?
Was the Five Elements Hall so casual about arranging living quarters for its disciples?
Wan Lei looked at Lei Xin, dumbfounded.
Lei Xin looked back at Wan Lei, equally perplexed.
After a moment of mutual staring, Lei Xin finally broke the awkward silence.
"What are you waiting for? Hurry up and take out your portable mobile house."
One still had to bring their own house to the Five Elements Hall? But my house...
It's still with my wife!
"Uh... I don't have a mobile house."
"...You don't even have that? How is that possible? It's not expensive."
"I only ascended this year, and I've been in the Immortal Realm for less than half a year."
"Oh, you're an ascendant cultivator, no wonder. Then go to the market and buy one; it's not expensive."
"Never mind, I'll manage for today. I'll buy one another day."
Wan Lei extended his hand, activated his lightning, and carved a hole in the cliff face.
This was his cave dwelling; no, it was only a cave, not a dwelling.
Since he wouldn't be staying long anyway, there was no need to waste money buying such a thing.
Looking at the extremely simple mountain cave before him, Wan Lei lacked the courage to invite Lei Xin in for a seat.
"Alright, then you can rest. If you want to go out tomorrow, go to the lectures. If you don't want to go out, you can stay in seclusion and cultivate. Just remember not to blindly take on a master.
I'll be heading back too. If you need anything, just find me."
Lei Xin said, turning to leave. Wan Lei suddenly called out to her.
"Um... actually, there is something I need to ask you, Senior Sister."
"No problem, go ahead. It's our duty as senior disciples to help new disciples."
Lei Xin was very righteous.
"I'd like to ask, what are the conditions for disciples of our Five Elements Hall to hold positions, such as working in the Administrative Hall, the Security Division, as administrators, or in the internal prison?"
The last one was what he truly wanted to know.
"Oh, you're asking about that? You're in such a hurry to earn merit points right after arriving? There's no need to be so anxious; get familiar with things first."
"No, no, no, I'm just curious."
"Alright. Disciples of our Five Elements Hall can either cultivate normally or choose to work internally or externally.
Disciples who cultivate internally need to complete three tasks assigned by the sect each year, while those who are assigned external work do not need to do so, but they must perform their duties well.
Merit points are awarded for both completing tasks and external assignments, with each having its pros and cons.
Merit points are issued for tasks arranged by the sect, as well as for those proactively accepted from the task hall in one's free time. The amount of merit points awarded varies according to the difficulty and contribution of the task.
Those assigned external work receive a fixed amount of merit points each month, but some of these positions are more lucrative than others.
When I say lucrative, I don't mean corruption or kickbacks; that's absolutely forbidden.
What I mean is, for example, administrative or prison-related positions have no sudden events, so you only get a fixed salary. But positions like the Security Division, where you apprehend or eliminate evil forces, come with additional merit points.
Or like the expeditionary forces, where merit points are exchanged based on battlefield achievements."
After a lengthy explanation, Wan Lei understood in an instant: merit points were earned based on contributions, and these merit points were likely very useful, perhaps for buying magical treasures, divine abilities, or other items. Many sects operated in this manner.
"Um, I'd like to ask, if one wants to hold a position, do they choose their preferred position, or is it assigned by the sect, sending them wherever?"
"You can choose yourselves; you apply yourself. After all, you can only do well in something you like. Unless it's for positions no one wants to take due to low benefits, where some disciples with little talent or those who haven't broken through for a long time are assigned.
Or if there's an emergency that requires special talents, then it might be mandatory."
Upon hearing this, Wan Lei's eyes lit up, but he spoke in a calm tone.
"According to what you're saying, I can also apply for a position?"
"Of course not."
"Ah? Why?"
"Because to select a position, you need a minimum of one thousand merit points. Of course, these won't be deducted from you, but you must possess them. This also serves as a guarantee of the disciple's ability and loyalty.
Furthermore, even if you apply, the leader of the position must approve it. It's a matter of mutual consent."