Leaving the kitchens, Siu's steps were firm, following not his nose this time around, but the natural flow of the disciples passing by them. Of course, from the outside, it looked like he knew perfectly where to go, but he was simply using his own logic to deduce that the place where the most disciples were heading was the one where they exchanged their completed tasks for CC. It was simple guesswork, and it turned out to be right.

  Right now, before him stood the Central Tower of Outer Disciples, which wasn’t nearly as tall as the name suggested.

  It was built into the cliffside, featuring expansive, open balconies and a domed top, rather than a tower. It was a squat but broad structure with spiraling staircases leading to the different levels and paper lanterns hanging from their railings.

  Like a curious cat, Neya followed closely, her hands clasped in front of her robe, her steps small but quick, as she did not want to be swept away by the fast-moving crowd. Her eyes kept darting from one entry to another, taking in every passing disciple, every scroll they were holding, trying to memorize every detail of the place so next time, she wouldn't be lost or look too timid to do anything by herself. But... It was also shocking, making her realize that there were many outer disciples... Just here, there were hundreds of them coming and going. How many disciples were there in the sect anyway? Thousands? Or... more?

  In the end, they entered a chamber on the bottom floor, filled with wide panels of rough wood, each section being divided by a dizzying number of strings of pinned notes marked with thin slips of dyed paper. Siu gave her a moment to take it all in, while he himself ran his eyes over the first row of offers.

  "This is where we get jobs?" Neya asked, blinking her eyes as she came out of the surprise she felt, regaining her composure.

  "This is where we get money," Siu nodded, "Jobs are just how we get there."

  "Semantics..." Neya chuckled, making Siu smile, looking at her.

  "Using semantics is a promising weapon to master. You would be surprised how many traps and contracts are laid out using it to trap unsuspecting individuals. It is the flytrap of a sect... so always be careful when dealing with semantics."

  "Oh..." She muttered, suddenly unsure what to say while Siu looked back at the offerings.

  Rows of postings filled the walls, and by just scanning them, some were written with careful brush strokes, others looked way messier and rushed as if their owner was either way too angry or barely giving a damn about writing. Small tags hung beside them, all of them, color-coded and marked with the offered rewards.

  "So, how does it work exactly?" Neya asked, not wanting to make a mistake, afraid that if she reached for one, it would also mean she had already accepted the contract. "I mean... Everything."

  "It isn't that hard," Siu began while he stepped closer to the wall and plucked a small note free. He turned it over, revealing a reddish-orange tag attached to it. "The tags represent the value of the reward. CC comes in various colors, sizes, and densities. The higher the purity, the stronger the spiritual energy inside. No, that is not right... The purity is always the same," he corrected himself, "fundamentally speaking. The issue is the density. And the amount. The bigger and denser, the more they’re worth."

  "I... See..." Neya leaned closer, trying to act as if she also knew everything, but... not all was clear to her. "I saw you use one. Red, wasn’t it? I do remember they are the lowest variants..."

  "Right. That’s an Ember Crystal, the lowest usable tier. It is good for everyday trading, food, basic supplies, and a few low-tier training items. One Ember Crystal is essentially a copper coin, if we were talking in regular currency. Most cultivators don't use it as the density of Cosmic Energy within them is worthless. For us, right now, it would still be a good boon, but strictly speaking, give it a few months, and none of us would want to waste time and energy absorbing it."

  "Yet we use it as money..." She chuckled, shaking her head.

  "Yeah." Siu smiled too, "We do." But then, he lifted a finger, counting off as he went. "Above the Ember is the Flame Crystal," he pointed at the tag he was holding, "Equivalent for silver coins. It is followed by the Sun Crystal."

  "Gold?"

  "Exactly. Both in value and color." He smiled at her, "Above it is the Emerald Crystal, the Sapphire Crystal, Amethyst Crystal... and finally Cosmic Crystal."

  "Um..." Neya blinked. "That's a lot."

  "You’ll probably only see up to Sun Crystals in the next few years unless you get very lucky or very impressive." He chuckled, "Anything above it is not only money but actual resources to be used. They are not to be used in regular trades, but in exchanges of valuable materials."

  "So... they're worth a lot?" Neya asked, gulping a little, her eyes flashing, showing a light that made Siu raise an eyebrow. Huh... so the girl liked money? Or she just found it interesting? Maybe both...

  "The exchange rate at the bottom tier is the same as in regular money." He answered, still gazing into her eyes, "One to ten and from there ten to a hundred. As for the middle tier... I don't know, nor do I know the worth of the top-tier CC."

  "You don't?!" She blinked her eyes in surprise, making Siu chuckle.

  "What, you think I know everything?"

  "Well... um..."

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  "Flattering, but no." He shook his head, "Anyway. Back to this," He raised the paper in his hand. "Best if you start to think in crystals from now on. And more importantly, you must learn what they’re worth in terms of effort."

  "So I don't get duped and exploited... I get it." Neya frowned. "And people would really pay me for work...?"

  "Sometimes. When they’re desperate, rich, or trying to buy loyalty, but always ask yourself why." he put back the tag in the end, "Like this one. It was asking for a sparring partner. But... Judging from the description, we are talking about an experienced senior of ours and the fact that he requested newbies... It tells me enough to skip it."

  "Why?" Neya asked, not because she didn't believe him, but because she was curious.

  "There are two reasons. He may have developed something new and wants to test it out on people who don't know him, so he can test it to its fullest without being thwarted. A spinless behavior. Second, it is someone who likes the idea of dominating weaker opponents. A scummy behavior."

  "Oh..." She gulped, understanding what Siu meant by semantics all of a sudden. "Then... how will I know which jobs to take?"

  "Easy," they moved to the first panel, and Siu tapped two notes. "These are official sect requests," he said, pointing to a clean, red-stamped note. "Tasks issued by elders, people who are actually part of the sect itself, and no longer counted as disciples. This is the closest you can get to official jobs. Yes, they pay in Ember Crystals, but they are generally safe. In a sect, Ember Crystals are constantly being generated as higher-tier CC gets used up in cultivation. It enables the sect to support its disciples. Things like cleaning the training fields, organizing records, or helping with kitchen prep."

  "You do know a lot..." Neya muttered, "Did you live in a sect before?"

  "For a time." Siu nodded as he moved his hand to another group of notes, more chaotic in layout, not saying more. "These are disciple-issued. See? The stamp is missing from them. Yes, they pay more... But they’re the ones you need to be careful with."

  "I see..." Neya leaned closer, still glancing at him more than at the paper. So he did live in a sect... how interesting. Why was he here then? But... by his tone, he may not want to talk about it, and she wasn't going to pressure him to tell everything, "So... Are these also... trying to trick us?"

  "More or less," He chuckled, "Glancing at these... half of them are legit, and half of them are traps, using semantics as a weapon. A core disciple offering five Flame Crystals for help carrying boxes? It could be real. It does not define what is in the boxes, though. How many boxes? Where do you need to deliver them? In the sect? Or outside of its borders? Are they stolen? Or not? It could also be a setup to pressure you into becoming a runner for their errands... forever. Or worse, signing an indentured contract."

  "W-w-w-what?!" Neya stuttered as her eyes widened even further. "They can do that?"

  "Not officially." Siu muttered, smacking his lips, his eyes narrowing as if remembering something, "But once something’s signed, and there are enough witnesses, getting out of a contract is like trying to unboil rice."

  "Ugh..." Neya grimaced.

  "Your best bet until getting a grasp of how a sect works, especially amongst outer disciples... Your best bet is to go for only the well-defined postings." Siu said as he stepped back and waved his hand broadly at the hundreds of tags before them. "Welcome to the real trial of being an outer disciple. Cultivation isn’t just about meditating and fighting monsters... It’s about managing your finances, avoiding debt, and maintaining your pride without letting it trip you up. The lessons it teaches you can either ruin you or save you from death. No matter the sect's size, the outer disciples are always numerous, and the pot we are in is the most chaotic one. It is by design... If you can't navigate the chaos and rise above it... Why would the sect trouble itself with pouring its actual resources into you?"

  "Hearing it... Makes me a bit... afraid," She stepped closer to the board again, gulping. "But... if I don’t work, I can’t pay for food. Or tools... resources... Or... anything."

  "Exactly." Siu gave her a calm look. "So the safest route is to build a routine. Pick the repeatable sect-issued jobs. Low pay, low risk. Enough to keep you fed. Use those to fund your basics. Once you have a cushion to fall back onto, build yourself up to stand on your own, and you start testing the higher-paying offers. The one-time things. The stronger you are, the less likely someone will try to trick you." Then he leaned over and lowered his voice slightly. "And if anyone ever says that you can negotiate the terms later... You walk out on them."

  "Right. Walk. Fast, I assume?" She nodded, memorizing his words.

  "Yeah. Or..." He smirked, "Slap them. That works, too."

  Neya giggled, some of the tension in her shoulders loosening.

  "You really know all, huh?"

  "Let’s say I’ve seen how bad it can get." He shrugged, "There are sects where half the so-called disciples are glorified house servants. Then, there are places where the higher-ranked disciples are like owners of the lower-ranked ones. This place... Even though many of the postings here are fishy to my eyes, the sect itself doesn’t feel like that. But caution’s a habit worth keeping. That is something I did learn early."

  "I will keep that in mind. Thank you, Siu."

  He simply nodded as they continued down the rows, Neya occasionally stopping to read postings while Siu offered translations, context, or judgment with brief flicks of his fingers.

  "That one’s okay. Cleaning formation tiles is fine. It is steady work with no pitfalls, really. It is simply a ridiculously monotone and long-hour job, so most older disciples don't want to bother with it."

  "I am good with monotony." She mumbled, taking it down for consideration. Then, as she was reaching for another, Siu cleared his throat, making her hand stop.

  "Avoid that. That’s a bait, for sure. They’re looking for a research partner, but it’s a trap to test techniques. If they do look for research partners, they would mention the field they are searching for."

  "Oh... Yeah, that sounds reasonable..." She blushed, pulling back her hand, pointing at another one. "I... I think this reads fine?"

  "Hmm... this one could work." He agreed after reading it, "Medicine delivery... It could be risky, as it mentions it is on the mountain, outside of the sect, but the area is the same where the selection took place, so it is not that dangerous."

  By the time they reached the last panel, Neya looked more confident, with a few works in her hand by now.

  "You really don’t pull any punches," she said. "But thanks... It was really, really helpful!"

  "You are welcome."

  "Um..." She tilted her head, looking at him, "So what would you do if someone came up all rude and demanding despite already having their offer? And then they try to change it..."

  "Heh," Siu’s expression cooled just a bit. "Depends on their tone. I usually match the energy of those with whom I interact. I reciprocate kindness with kindness and steel with steel."

  "You’d be a scary senior," she giggled, making him tilt his head.

  "Let’s hope I live long enough to find out."

  "Seesh!" She laughed, the sound echoing lightly through the chamber, and while she went to stamp her applications at the counter, Siu also took some down, but she never got to see what type of jobs they were.

  By the time they were outside, the bell began to ring in the distance, a soft chiming that called the new initiates to their first evening meditation, their first actual lesson.

  "Come on," Siu said, turning for the pathway, leading away towards the north. "Let’s go sit in silence and pretend we’re not tired."

  "You’re terrible," Neya said, giggling again as she followed him out, feeling so much more relaxed than at the start of the day.

  four weeks ahead!

  Or just buying me a cup of coffee would help, too~!