Face is earned by oneself, not given by others.
To earn the respect of others, one must first possess sufficient strength.
A glance swept across the area; the first level of the Sword Pavilion had multiple windows. There were windows for publishing tasks, for receiving rewards, and for obtaining cultivation resources, as well as windows for handling registration procedures for joining the Sect, and so on.
Whether it is one’s own joining or recruiting a Sword Slave into the Sect, registration must be completed.
Otherwise, it’s a violation of the Sect rules, and there will be penalties.
Those who haven’t registered will also be expelled from the Sect. That’s just the lighter consequence; if the Sect suspects you of being a spy or something, you’ll be taken directly to the Law Enforcement Hall for interrogation.
The window responsible for registration only had two people left in line.
Chu Yun’s figure was already out of sight; presumably, she had completed the registration process and gone to her residence.
Within the Ten Thousand Sword Sect, it was relatively safe.
Chu Feng did not need to worry about his second sister; moreover, he intended to distance himself from her. Chu Feng’s enemies were too formidable, and he had to be vigilant.
If one day the enemies came knocking and couldn’t find Chu Feng, they would definitely capture and interrogate Chu Feng’s family members.
Therefore, Chu Feng had to plan ahead in this regard to prevent any mishap.
With his current strength, if enemies came to kill him, he wouldn’t be able to resist. The only option would be to escape.
"Strength, I must quickly possess great strength!"
Chu Feng subconsciously clenched his fists. After joining the Sect, the first thing he had to do was to inquire about Prince Jianyun.
He only knew that Prince Jianyun had long entered the Ten Thousand Sword Sect, but he did not know the specifics.
Before long, it was Chu Feng’s turn to register.
The elder sitting inside the window was wearing a silver robe unique to Stewards, indicating a not insignificant status.
But it’s understandable; being in charge of registering every person joining the Sect is an extremely important position. At least, it has to be someone who has served the Sect for many years and holds a certain position who can handle it.
If the position is too low, it’s easy to be influenced by those with higher status.
It would be beneath a protector to do this job. It’s probably the case that no protector would be willing to sit here and deal with the registration work.
This kind of work that requires showing one’s face is usually done by the subordinates.
Protectors are second only to Elders, and wherever they go within the Sect, they command respect, walking with heads held high, exuding awe from all directions.
Asking them to sit here and serve the entry-level disciples and Sword Slaves? That would be too much of a degradation.
Stewards are mid-level members of the Sect; picking a Steward who is loyal to the Sect but does not have outstanding potential to do this job would be just perfect.
Chu Feng clearly saw on the workplacard in front of the window: Steward Mu Kun: Head of Registration Window!
"Steward Mu Kun, hello, my name is Chu Feng, a newly admitted disciple!" Chu Feng handed over his assessment token. At the same time, he showed his Identity Token.
"Fill out this form!"
Steward Mu Kun frowned slightly, his gaze towards Chu Feng particularly cold.
Chu Feng thought the other party was accustomed to being aloof due to holding a high position, so he did not take it personally.
In truth, being assigned as the head of the registration window, Steward Mu Kun somewhat considered it a semi-retirement. Without anything unexpected, this would probably be his limit in life. Even if there is reluctance, he can only resign himself to his fate.
In this position, he has been in the same role for more than a decade, never having shifted from his post.
Steward Mu Kun no longer harbored any hopes; he thought his whole life would just amount to this level of achievement, and he had reached his peak. Even if he felt dissatisfied, he could only accept his fate.
He was a man with schemes, always looking for opportunities to advance.
Even if it meant just switching to a slightly better job position, that would do.
At his age, he still had to show his face here, constantly receiving newly admitted disciples and Sword Slaves, which made it impossible for him to hold his head high among other Stewards.
In the midst of his long wait, an opportunity finally presented itself that could allow him to leave this position.
Steward Mu Kun had heard about the incident where Chu Feng offended Elder Yang.
His idea was straightforward: deal with Chu Feng, and then find a way to get the news to Elder Yang. By then, Elder Yang would naturally have a high opinion of him.
With a Respected Elder as his backer, wouldn’t getting a promotion be an easy feat?
If Elder Yang were pleased and bestowed upon him an Advanced Level Elixir to help him break through the Middle Stage Great Sword Master Realm, that would be even more splendid.
The Ten Thousand Sword Sect held a strict hierarchy for each level, with strict requirements. Cultivation was one of the hard conditions.
For example, to become a Steward, one must attain the cultivation of a Middle Stage Great Sword Master.
And, for instance, to become a higher rank like a protector, one would need to be a Late Stage Great Sword Master or beyond.
Steward Mu Kun had been stuck in the Middle Stage Great Sword Master Realm for over sixty years, which is what people refer to as a full sexagenary cycle.
Among sword cultivators, there is common knowledge that if one cannot advance to a new Great Realm within sixty years in the Great Sword Master Realm, they’ve essentially reached their limit.
Steward Mu Kun, who did not have a powerful backing within the Sect and whose potential had peaked, was thus assigned to this registration booth.
Those Stewards with exceptional potential naturally soared within the Sect.
Even the Stewards with less potential, as long as they had a strong backer, would also flourish. Only Steward Mu Kun was having the hardest time.
Chu Feng quickly finished filling out the form.
Steward Mu Kun coldly took it and swiftly processed Chu Feng’s registration.
"According to the rules, every Entry-level Disciple must perform tasks for the Sect. At least one task must be completed per month."
"Here’s your Identity Token and Disciple’s clothes! As for the task, I’ve already arranged it for you. There have been some anomalies in the Fiery Flame Cave recently; go investigate and resolve the issue. If you fail to complete the task, you will be the only one held responsible."
When Steward Mu Kun mentioned the Fiery Flame Cave, a glint of icy Killing Intent passed through his eyes.
The surrounding senior disciples and other Stewards all looked in this direction.
Many people gazed at Chu Feng with a hint of sympathy in their eyes.
Having lived for thousands of years over two lifetimes, Chu Feng, an old oddity, immediately sensed that the Fiery Flame Cave was probably not a good place.
"May I inquire with Steward Mu Kun, where is the Fiery Flame Cave? Is it particularly dangerous?" Chu Feng’s eyes stayed fixed on Steward Mu Kun, not missing any subtle expression of his.
"The location is easy enough to find! I’ll just draw a map for you!"
Regarding whether it was dangerous or not, Steward Mu Kun did not answer; the sinister smile on his face had already given Chu Feng his answer.
Chu Feng had no grievances or enmity with the man, yet on their very first meeting, he was assigned such a perilous task—it was almost a death sentence. Chu Feng’s heart was filled with anger.
However, his current status was merely that of an Entry-level Disciple, with absolutely no power to confront a Steward.
What’s more, there was the possibility that Elder Yang might take action at any time.
Steward Mu Kun had been cold to Chu Feng all along, and now he was drawing a map for him as if out of kindness. Unwarranted solicitude, nothing came without a reason.
This person was definitely up to no good.
After receiving the map, Chu Feng knew that talking further was useless. He immediately took his belongings.
"Huh, shouldn’t newly admitted disciples be able to receive their first month’s Cultivation Resources?" Chu Feng realized he only had two sets of gray Disciple’s clothes, an Identity Token, and a room key.