System S.E.X. (Seduction, Expansion, eXecution)

Chapter 619: The Boundaries of the Sect

The sun was beginning to dip below the jagged horizon, casting long, crimson shadows across the mountain paths as Ethan made his return to the Heavenly Sword Pavilion. By now, the rest of the one hundred and fifty newly admitted disciples had already fully installed themselves within their designated quarters, their expensive banners and personal belongings proudly displayed outside their doors.

As Ethan walked through the main thoroughfares of the outer sect residential district, a heavy silence blanketed the area. Dozens of noble heirs looked out from their balconies, their eyes instantly locking onto the two women walking closely behind him.

A sharp wave of pure envy rippled through the onlookers. In their eyes, Mary and Louisa were nothing more than exceptionally beautiful personal servants—a luxury only afforded to the absolute top five scorers of the examination. Yet, what truly baffled the watching elites was why Ethan had gone down the mountain to retrieve them completely on his own. To a core-region noble, physically walking to a frontier town to fetch servants instead of simply dispatching a low-ranking runner was an absurd, undignified waste of time.

"Look at him, acting like a big shot just because he took the first rank," said a young master from a mid-tier clan, his eyes narrowing maliciously as he leaned against a stone railing. "He goes personally to escort his maids. The frontier truly has no concept of class."

"Let him enjoy his little display," said a noble mistress behind her fan, her gaze lingering on Louisa’s striking features with cold disdain. "The newcomers always think they own the mountain until the reality of the sect catches up to them. Someone will put that dog in his place soon enough."

Several of the surrounding factions deliberately put their heavy spiritual eyes on Ethan as he passed, trying to subtly pressure and intimidate the newcomer to assert their dominance. Ethan didn’t even bother to glance in their direction. He walked with a steady, dominant stride, his piercing amethyst eyes completely ignoring their pathetic attempts at provocation as he guided Mary and Louisa toward the edge of the peak.

His designated residence was a simple, standalone stone courtyard tucked away in a relatively quiet corner of the district. Unlike the massive, luxurious villas occupied by the wealthiest core families, Ethan’s pavilion was modest and practical. It contained only two distinct rooms—a primary, larger chamber meant for the head of the household, and a smaller adjacent room meant for his attendants.

Inside the borders of the Heavenly Sword Pavilion, standard gold coins and common spiritual stones held almost zero intrinsic value. The true, absolute currency of the realm was Sect Points. These points could not be bought or traded with outside wealth; they had to be earned through hard labor, successful missions, and brutal dominance in the arena, making them the ultimate indicator of status and power within the mountain.

Ethan was already thoroughly aware of this system, having carefully studied the basic protocols before setting foot inside the gates. He set his traveling satchel down on the central wooden table and turned to face Mary and Louisa.

"Stay inside this courtyard and do not wander into the main paths," said Ethan, his deep voice carrying an absolute weight of authority. "I am leaving immediately to retrieve my official disciple uniform from the logistics hall. We have exactly twenty-four hours to collect our sect attire; if I am caught wearing unauthorized clothing past the deadline, the enforcement disciples will use it as an excuse to issue a heavy punishment."

"We understand, Ethan," said Louisa, nodding softly as she began to unpack their belongings with a calm, focused expression. "Be careful out there. The eyes on this mountain do not seem friendly."

"Let them look," said Ethan, his lips curling into a dark, dangerous smirk as he turned back toward the door. "The wolves only stare because they are trying to figure out how to avoid being eaten."

Without wasting another second, Ethan stepped out of the stone pavilion and vanished into the darkening corridors of the outer sect, leaving his family safe behind the reinforced thresholds of his rank.

As Ethan navigated the winding stone steps toward the logistics hall, he spotted a familiar figure walking down the main path.

Roy had already managed to retrieve and change into his official sect attire. The young cultivator looked completely transformed, dressed in an immaculate, heavy white robe that fit him like armor. Embroidered in brilliant, deep blue thread along both of his sleeves were the intricate shapes of two coiled dragons, their bodies twisting upward until their wide-open jaws terminated directly at his shoulders.

The color of those dragons was the absolute defining symbol of status within the Heavenly Sword Pavilion.

The deep blue embroidery indicated their current rank as official, formally accepted outer disciples. In this frontier branch, the hierarchy was split into three distinct color codes. Below them were the disciples who wore light blue dragons—the unofficial or provisional outer members who had barely scraped through the entry requirements and were relegated to manual labor. Above them stood the elite of the branch, wearing striking orange dragons; these were the main outer disciples, the top-tier combatants who controlled the best resources the mountain had to offer.

While these three colors dictated daily life within the lateral branch, every single youth on the mountain possessed the exact same burning ambition: to wear the legendary red dragon robes. The crimson embroidery was the exclusive mark of a true inner disciple, an honor that was never granted at the frontier outposts and could only be bestowed upon those who successfully earned their way into the sacred central headquarters of the core world.

"Master!" said Roy, stopping in his tracks and bowing respectfully as he noticed Ethan’s arrival. "The logistics hall is just ahead. The elders are waiting to distribute the top-rank attire."

"You clean up well," said Ethan, his piercing amethyst eyes casually inspecting the crisp white fabric and the sharp blue dragons on Roy’s shoulders. "The fit is proper for a swordsman."

"Thank you, Master," said Roy, a fierce, determined grin breaking across his face as he looked at his own sleeves. "The weight of this robe is different. Just putting it on makes the spiritual energy in my core feel sharper. I heard the top-five uniforms have even higher-grade enchantments woven into the threads."

"Then let’s go see what they have prepared for the first rank," said Ethan. He rolled his shoulders and continued down the path, his dark, unauthorized frontier cloak cutting a sharp contrast against Roy’s pristine white robes as they approached the towering gates of the logistics hall.