Ning Fan was quite happy.
Humming a little tune, he watched as the Mountain-Suppressing Stele emitted a soft glow, continuously channeling contribution points into his disciple token, causing the corners of his mouth to lift involuntarily.
As someone who wasn't even an official disciple, Ning Fan didn't even have the qualifications to take on missions.
His daily life was sustained entirely by the two hundred contribution points automatically issued by the sect each month.
Every day, he spent two points on spirit rice.
Training at the Martial Arts Hall cost him one point.
If he occasionally bought some clothes, there wasn't much left to save.
Now, watching tens of thousands of contribution points flow into his token, Ning Fan felt a sense of sudden wealth.
Don't think that just because all the sect disciples have disappeared, these contribution points are useless.
The Taiyi True Sect is a top-tier sect, and those magnificent buildings aren't just for show; they were constructed with various formations and mechanisms.
To activate them, one must rely on contribution points!
So even if Ning Fan was the only one left in the sect, his life still depended on contribution points.
For instance, this system task—to go to the Scripture Library.
It's important to know that the Taiyi True Sect's territory is extraordinarily vast, with seventy-two main peaks, and the twelve peaks near the central spirit vein are the core.
The remaining sixty peaks are divided into inner and outer peaks based on geography and spiritual qi concentration.
As a preparatory disciple, Ning Fan naturally resided on an outer peak.
The Scripture Library, located on the Cultivation Transmission Peak, was undoubtedly one of the core twelve peaks.
With his mortal body, even if he traveled day and night without rest, it would take him two months to walk from the outer peak to the Cultivation Transmission Peak!
Therefore, for such a journey, he had to rely on the "flying vessels" provided by the sect for each peak.
These flying vessels could be activated with contribution points.
When Ning Fan previously checked the sect's situation, he used a flying vessel.
But in doing so, he exhausted the few contribution points he had left.
That's why he came to the nearest Mission Hall to inject contribution points into his token.
After all, everyone in the sect had run away, leaving only him, so taking some wouldn't hurt.
"Even if the elders find out, can they really blame me?" Ning Fan chuckled, watching the contribution points in his token rise continuously, feeling quite satisfied.
Meanwhile, inside the "Taiyi True Ruins" above him.
The elder of the Mission Hall was cursing loudly, "Shameless! No morals! His skin is thicker than a city wall! He's already taken a hundred thousand, and he still won't stop! This kid is truly, truly outrageous!"
Contribution points from the Mountain-Suppressing Stele aren't generated out of thin air; they need to be nurtured and filled by the sect's core spirit veins.
One could say the contribution point system is the key to maintaining the entire sect's operation.
Even an elder of a peak, after many years of management, might only have a few hundred thousand contribution points in their token.
So, in the elders' eyes, Ning Fan wasn't just taking contribution points; he was drawing spiritual qi from the sect's earth veins!
"Outer Peak Deacon Yang Wu at your service, Sect Master, Elders!"
Amidst the displeased expressions, a middle-aged man squeezed through the crowd, nervously cupping his hands towards the sect master.
"Yang Wu, do you recognize this person?" the Taiyi Sect Master asked coldly.
The middle-aged man was taken aback upon hearing this, then followed everyone's gaze, finally landing on Ning Fan.
He couldn't help but look puzzled, muttering, "This kid looks familiar, who is he..."
Suddenly, he slapped his thigh, "Black Sweet Water!"
"What?" The sect master's eyebrows furrowed.
Seeing this, Yang Wu quickly responded, cupping his hands, "Reporting to the Sect Master, this person is called Ning Fan. Half a year ago, he crossed the Boundless Forest Ocean and arrived at our sect. Seeing his Heart Directed Towards the Dao so resilient, I admitted him into the sect according to the rules."
"Hmph? Resilient Heart Directed Towards the Dao? You didn't even check his character? Seeing no one in the sect, he casually takes sect property for his own use. If such a person appeared before me, I'd kill him with one strike!" Elder Wu of Punishment Law Peak said coldly.
His words left Yang Wu with an embarrassed expression.
After all, it was his decision to bring Ning Fan into the sect.
The sect master, however, focused on the key point, asking, "What do you mean by black sweet water?"
"Uh, it's a mundane beverage Ning Fan brought when he joined the sect. It's black, very sweet, and fizzy. Out of curiosity, I tried a little..." Yang Wu explained somewhat sheepishly.
Upon hearing it was a mundane item, the sect master lost interest and waved his hand, "Alright, I can't punish you in this Secret Realm. When we get out, go to the Hall of Law Enforcement and receive three hundred lashes."
"Yes..."
Yang Wu breathed a sigh of relief.
Three hundred lashes were painful but not fatal.
Compared to suspension and accountability, this was already the best outcome.
He cupped his hands and quickly bowed out of the circle meant for the big shots.
"Half a year in the sect and still hasn't reached the threshold of the Body Tempering Realm. His talent is truly abysmal. He probably crossed the Boundless Forest Ocean by sheer luck," the master of Cultivation Transmission Peak shook his head, looking at Ning Fan busy below.
In truth, such a small character wasn't worth the attention of the sect's high-ranking members.
But trapped in the "Taiyi True Ruins," with the three Supreme Elders still examining the Secret Realm's laws and the Holy Maiden not showing up, the only person they could focus on was Ning Fan.
So they had no choice but to turn their attention to him.
The fate of this preparatory disciple, who stole sect contribution points, was naturally already foreseen.
Once they could leave the Secret Realm, he would surely face death.
But until then, the elders were curious about what this audacious disciple would do in an empty sect.
Thus, all eyes were fixed on him.
***
Ning Fan, of course, had no idea that a group of "immortals" above was watching him.
After collecting a million contribution points in one go, he finally stopped.
"These should last me for a while," Ning Fan shook his token, very satisfied.
Then, with a light step, he headed straight for the air port where the flying vessels were docked on the peak.
At mid-mountain, an air port came into view.
Inside, about a dozen small flying vessels were parked.
Ning Fan casually chose one, placed his token on the mechanism, and after deducting three hundred contribution points, successfully activated the flying vessel.
The next second, he grabbed the ship rudder and flew straight towards the sect's center.
Breaking through clouds and mist, it took him only half an hour to reach the Cultivation Transmission Peak, one of the twelve peaks.
"Heh, he's smart, taking a flying vessel straight to the sect's core," the sect master sneered with a cold smile.
The master of Cultivation Transmission Peak wore a mocking expression, "Judging by his actions, he's heading for the Scripture Library. Not stupid, just overestimating himself.
Our sect's Scripture Library, aside from the first floor which can be opened with contribution points, all other floors depend on one's talent.
The better the cultivation techniques and divine abilities, the higher the floor they're stored on.
When Holy Maiden Jiang chose her cultivation technique, she reached the eighth floor with her Myriad Clouds Primordial Dao Body, on par with the Holy Son.
This little thief's talent is mediocre... no, it's inferior. He probably can't even practice the techniques on the first floor!"
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan