"Are all people from the Order that powerful?" Murong Yan asked in a daze as she looked at the spot Yang Qing and the Zou siblings had just disappeared from.
The whole experience was surreal and also the most frightened she has ever been. She had a feeling today's experience would stay with her for a very long time.
"It's a given since they're known as the watchful eagles of the Southern continent. To evoke fear and respect from the whole continent, they need abilities that stand above the masses.
Even though there are clan records describing those from the Order, it still doesn't do them justice. I felt like an ant beneath his gaze," Murong Jie said as he chuckled bitterly.
One of his hands hidden beneath the sleeves of his robes was still shaking, so he had to clench it into a fist to reduce the shaking.
"Yan'er, you are one of the best talents our Murong family has seen in close to 500 years. In here, your talent is worthy of the reverence and respect you get from the clan members but out there it's a different story.
Even without pitting ourselves against the Order, since it's a monolith we may never reach, just in Green Pine County alone, we are not even worth mentioning.
There are already over a dozen rank 5 organizations with more seniority and power than us. Our family only has one person in the foundation establishment stage, while the likes of the Shen clan, Liu clan, Pan clan, and Thunder peak sect have about 20 of them and that number may keep growing if nothing unexpected happens.
Above them, are the noble families with core formation experts. And this is just Green Pine County, which can't even be considered in the top five among the powerful counties of the Red Maple Empire.
The reason I mention this, Yan'er, is so that you can set your sights on a wider world. Don't let your perspective be shackled within the Murong family otherwise, it's easy to grow complacent and prideful.
I won't ask much, since you have already fulfilled the wish of hundreds of generations of Murong members but all I ask, as your grandfather, is do the very best you can.
Every time you rise up, the world seems a bit different every time," Murong Jie said as he cast a solemn gaze on Murong Yan.
"I will," answered Murong Yan.
"Good. Now that we have an attendance quota for the Order, you will be the one who will be going. Make sure to make the very best of the opportunity while you are there.
Learn as much as you can and don't be like that brat from the Song family, who went there only to have fun and fool around, that he ended up getting kicked out even before the three years were out.
Those three years are a chance to change your fate. I heard there are even rewards for those who perform well," Murong Jie said as he lightly chuckled when he remembered how livid the Song patriarch was when the kid came back.
He chased him around with a whip for almost a month around the mountains next to their territory. Those mountains got later nicknamed the wailing mountains because of the Song kid's cries.
"But grandfather, with my talent will I really be able to stand out? It's the Order, and if they all have the same talent as the judge who was just here, won't I be embarrassing myself by competing against them?" Murong Yan asked with worry showing on her face.
"You silly girl, I'm not asking you to compete against them. I may be getting on in my years but I'm not that senile," Murong Jie said as he softly smiled.
"During your training at the Order, you will be evaluated in comparison to those at the same level and circumstances as you.
From what the Song patriarch told me, those coming from rank 5 organizations will be trained together, separate from the students of the Order or other quota attendees from higher-ranked organizations. Though there are some classes that you will share with them, but those are only the theoretical classes such as history.
But for the practical exercises such as meditation techniques and cultivation arts, and other hands-on subjects such as formation arrays, alchemy, and the like, you will be trained together with the other rank 5 members.
Your performance evaluation will be based on how well you perform against them. The better your performance, the better the rewards. For example, you may be rewarded with cultivation resources such as alchemy pills, artifacts, and extended personal guidance on the various cultivation arts.
He told me these are only the base rewards. If your performance is really exceptional enough to stand out, you may get a chance at rebirth by having the grade of your pillars improved and your foundations reset.
A few counties over, the Red Clay County, there is a prominent sect there called the Snow pearl sect. It is now a rank 4 sect, but 20 years ago, it was just a rank 5 sect that didn't particularly stand out. However, all that changed when their current sect master went to the Order.
She performed very well during her stay there for those three years and she had her body cleansed and strengthened within those three years.
I heard when she went in, she was at the second stage of the foundation establishment realm but when she came out, she was in the sixth stage. She went into closed-door cultivation immediately after coming back and 17 years later, she broke through to the core formation realm.
That speed drew the attention of some of the mighty figures from the Red Maple Empire, like the noble families and some of the royal princes who wanted to recruit her. She rejected them but they didn't do much to her even with the rejection, do you know why that is?"
Murong Yan shook her head sideways to indicate she didn't.
"The special reward she got from the Order was a chance at a rebirth for her, but it was also a form of recognition from the Order for her efforts, which also doubles as a protective halo for her since she stood out enough to be noticed by the Order.
Other powers would have to put that into account before they act. You understand what I'm getting at?" Murong Jie asked as he narrowed his eyes.
"I do," Murong Yan answered as a fighting will ignited in her heart.