Chapter 104: Core Disciple

“You joined the Alliance?” Bai Feiyu was somewhat astonished upon hearing this. After all, no matter how he looked at it, Yang Fan didn’t seem like the kind of person who would obediently join an alliance. People like him, with the heart of a true powerhouse, were unlikely to be willing to mingle with those in the Alliance.

Yang Fan nodded and said, “Yes, I joined once, but at that time I was still weak. Later on, I left.”

“The reason was simple—I didn’t want to associate with those people any longer. Most of the Alliance members have no real future.”

Bai Feiyu nodded in understanding.

Yang Fan continued, “In each of the major alliances, there are usually disciples at the Chains Realm holding the fort—some alliances even have several.”

“Of course, there are also those who don’t like alliance life and prefer to be free and unrestrained; such people aren’t rare.”

“But it’s worth mentioning that among the Chains Realm disciples in the Hawk Alliance, very few ever leave.”

“That’s connected to the culture of the Hawk Alliance—they value strength above all, and the strongest rule the entire alliance. Among all the disciples of the Return to Ruins Sect, the Hawk Alliance has the strongest cohesion.”

“And don’t think that the Chains Realm disciples within the inner sect of the Return to Ruins Sect are limited to the thirty-two listed on the Heaven Ranking.”

“Those thirty-two are on the ranking because they have fought. There’s still a considerable number of Chains Realm disciples who, after advancing, ceased fighting, and so they aren’t counted in that number.”

“In the inner sect, on the surface, there are only a few thousand disciples, but in reality, there are at least ten thousand.”

“No sect would ever reveal the true number of its disciples.”

“As for Chains Realm disciples within the inner sect, there are probably sixty or seventy in total. Many who made the Heaven Ranking did so not out of personal desire, but because of sect missions—they are the sect’s hidden strength.”

Bai Feiyu suddenly saw the light and nodded.

His time in the inner sect hadn’t been long, so he wasn’t very familiar with these things. Fortunately, with Yang Fan’s explanation, he finally understood.

“What about the core disciples?” Bai Feiyu asked again, as he truly knew nothing about the Return to Ruins Sect.

“Core disciples?” Yang Fan began, “As the name suggests, core disciples are the heart of a sect. At this level, these disciples are the true foundation of the sect.”

“As far as I know, the senior brothers among the core disciples have not only trained longer than we have, but whenever there’s an important elder position up for selection, it always starts from among the core disciples.”

“Core disciples can remain in the sect for life, always contributing to its glory. If, after ten years as a core disciple, one wishes to venture out alone, one may also leave the sect.”

“The requirement to become a core disciple is to reach the second layer of the Chains Realm. As long as you achieve that, you can become a core disciple.”

“In the entire Return to Ruins Sect, since core disciples can spend their entire lives in the sect, their number isn’t small.”

“From what I know, excluding those who’ve left the core disciple ranks due to taking on official duties, there are currently twenty-seven core disciples on record. As for the true number, ordinary people have no way of knowing.”

“Once you become a core disciple, you’ve reached the end of the disciple path. After that, you can be chosen as an elder within the sect. All the sect leaders and elders are selected from among former core disciples.”

After Yang Fan’s explanation, Bai Feiyu finally gained some understanding of what it meant to be a core disciple.

The number of core disciples didn’t surprise him. Even though it seemed like a lot, it was only so when compared to the Chains Realm disciples in the inner sect.

There were thirty-two Chains Realm disciples on the Heaven Ranking, plus another twenty or thirty, making sixty or seventy in total. But these were just inner sect disciples, while the inner sect had over ten thousand members. In comparison, the number of core disciples was not so many.

Moreover, any disciple who broke through to the Chains Realm basically had the potential to become a core disciple; it was just a matter of time.

These Chains Realm disciples were, in fact, the true foundation of a sect.

“After your explanation, I finally have some understanding of our Return to Ruins Sect.” Bai Feiyu forced a wry smile and nodded.

“You don’t need to worry that the Hawk Alliance will do anything to you. Their style isn’t vindictive. At most, they’ll try everything to get you to join them,” Yang Fan said casually, thinking Bai Feiyu was concerned about the Hawk Alliance.

Bai Feiyu shook his head and replied, “I really have no intention of joining the Hawk Alliance. Actually, I have another idea—to create my own alliance, to let our alliance become a lasting presence within the Return to Ruins Sect.”

Hearing Bai Feiyu’s idea, Yang Fan was taken aback, realizing Bai Feiyu’s ambition was not small.

After all, forming a foundational alliance was something ordinary disciples did for power, self-protection, or status.

But if Bai Feiyu wanted to establish an alliance, there would be a deeper implication behind it—to cultivate his own faction and, in the future, aim for the position of Grand Elder or even Sect Master.

After all, the old Sect Master and Grand Elder would eventually retire; at that time, it would be the young who would take over.

When that day came, whoever had the most followers and the greatest strength, skill, and ability within the sect would become the Sect Master.

“My advice is not to set your sights on the Sect Master’s position just yet. And if you truly have ambition for that position, joining the Hawk Alliance might actually be a better option for you.”

“Historically, most of the important positions in Return to Ruins Sect have been held by those from the Hawk Alliance.”

“If you want good connections, joining the Hawk Alliance is much easier than building your own power from scratch, and your chances of success are much higher,” Yang Fan reminded him.

“Besides, if you’re worried about not getting along with the people in the Hawk Alliance, Shi Yuan and I can join with you!”

“If we want to join the Hawk Alliance, there aren’t so many restrictions. We can join at any time we wish!”

Bai Feiyu nodded, suddenly feeling a yearning for the Chains Realm.

The truth was, he hadn’t realized until now that, compared to ordinary disciples, the Hawk Alliance—which was revered as sacred by so many—was, in the eyes of Chains Realm disciples, just an alliance they could join at will.

But on reflection, it was only natural; to any alliance, Chains Realm disciples were highly sought-after talent.

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