I thought to myself, If I am truly going to become a cultivator and pursue eternal life, I cannot afford to waste years contributing to this clan while it hinders my own cultivation. Besides, there is no guarantee I can make his daughter fall in love with me. Love is unpredictable, and luck is the most uncertain thing in this world.
Meanwhile, Tiang Wen, the clan head, was thinking something entirely different.
Since he is my old friend's grandson, I originally planned to make him serve for a few months before arranging a marriage with my daughter. He managed to escape from a serpent that once carried dragon blood and sacrificed its bloodline tier to revive. He is currently suffering the side effects of awakening his aperture. The boy clearly wants to cultivate to a higher rank, which will eventually drive him crazy. The higher one climbs, the stronger the side effects become, yet breakthroughs also grow easier. In the end, he will desperately marry my daughter and beg me to cure his impotence. It's a perfect win-win situation.
On second thought, I nearly refused his offer outright. I had already started feeling the heat of lust rising within me. Though it was only in my mind, my body moved forward almost involuntarily as I followed the clan head toward a heavily guarded vault filled with all kinds of treasures.
Looking at the vast array of resources, I couldn't help imagining how smooth my cultivation would be with such wealth. However, I also knew the danger — if I were to hold 100% karma inside my aperture for even a few hours, I would die a horrible death. That was a rare case, but still possible. Eventually, one's initial-tier karma would naturally transform into middle-tier karma. The quality would increase while the quantity decreased. I had already experienced a glimpse of this transformation in prison after killing that peak Rank 2 serpent, which granted me the Patience achievement and helped me unlock the next tier.
The clan head personally handed me a Rank 2 Vitality Potion. For Rank 1 cultivators, a Rank 1 Vitality Potion healed heavy injuries, while a Rank 2 potion revitalized damaged organs. He also gave me a simple ring that slightly increased luck, boosting my fragile white thread all the way to red, making it easier for me to reach the peak of Rank 1. Finally, he presented me with a green Taoist robe.
"Green is for righteous cultivators," he explained. "Blue for unorthodox, red for demonic cultivators, silver for demi-humans, and gold for those of the Nang bloodline."
I thought silently:
When will people stop caring about caste?
When will they stop caring about religion and labels?
If everyone simply looked at one another as the same…
To make it simpler for those whose thinking is one-liner:
People coexist with black and white people as human.
Yet why discriminate the black and white money of our life.
But it is good for me.
I will happily take everything this clan offers and monkey around with it.
hurray caste hurray religion hurray racist(cultivation world)
.
I received all the joining privileges with a humble, grateful smile on my face.
I was then instructed to head to the outer circle, since only peak Rank 1 cultivators were allowed in the inner circle. I knew it would take a very long time before I could officially step foot here again.
It was nearing evening. I walked straight toward the outer circle with clear purpose, yet maintained the relaxed appearance of someone casually strolling. I didn't want to get into trouble, but I also didn't want to seem impolite. In righteous sects, reputation was both power and a lifesaver — a well-known good person required heavy evidence before they could be arrested.
After walking for some time, I realized that none of the places the clan head had mentioned were in sight. It was clear he rarely visited the outer circle, and the area was constantly changing. I had no choice but to give away my dew stones, produced by the Luck Dew Flower, to ask for directions to my residence. I was left with only the last ten pieces. I had intentionally given forty to the guards earlier, even though they deliberately made me go in circles just to obtain them.
I finally arrived at a grand three-storey mansion that served as the main residence for outer circle guards and low-ranking clan members. The building stood imposingly behind a sturdy stone wall reinforced with iron plates. Two large stone lion statues guarded the entrance, their eyes carved with faint qi runes that glowed softly in the fading light. Several seasoned fighters in green robes patrolled the perimeter, their movements sharp and disciplined. The air carried the faint scent of weapon oil, sweat, and medicinal herbs.
The mansion itself had a practical yet sturdy design — dark wooden beams, reinforced walls, and narrow windows perfect for defense. Lanterns hung along the eaves, already lit as dusk approached, casting warm orange light across the courtyard.
I approached the maid at the reception counter inside the main hall. After giving her my information, she handed me the key to Room No. 143 with a polite bow.
Entering the mansion revealed a well-organized interior. A polished wooden receptionist desk stood prominently near two diverging stairways made of dark oak. Two long hallways extended on each side of the desk, lined with numbered doors and occasional training dummies placed against the walls. The floorboards creaked faintly underfoot, and the air smelled of incense and aged wood.
I followed the instructions and went down the right hallway into Room No. 143.
The room was modest but functional — a simple bed, a cultivation mat in the corner, a small table, and a window overlooking the training grounds behind the mansion. I began quietly cultivating my karma there while waiting for dinner to be delivered to my room. Guards risked their lives daily to earn a living, so dinner was practically sacred.
After finishing my meal, a burning sensation flared below my stomach. My hands instinctively reached for my "holy sword," intending to relieve the growing lust. Instead, I found something else entirely.
A devil contract.
It was an item only usable for giving one's life in exchange for cursing a far stronger opponent. Only someone from another world like me would recognize it for what it truly was.
I used the devil contract, which I had inherited from the Lone family, to summon a succubus and satisfy my lust within a dream. Yeah, only modern people truly knew that succubi were devils — sometimes considered demons. There was a high chance people here knew of them too, but not in a place like this.
And so, my life as an official member of the Wen Clan officially began.