Chapter 2130 - Merit and Disciple Grade
"Nephew, I have quite a few works, too. We should study them when you're free," Lin Dan said with a wink. It was clear to see that those 'works' weren't of the wholesome variety.
"If you want to head out, just take the mini ship. No matter who you run into, they'll at least give you some face," Dongshen Yue said.
"Understood!" There would be no need for Tianming to fly around in the Ninedragon Imperial Tomb within Ebonia.
As they spoke, the sword-shaped mini ship of the Lin Clan was rapidly flying across the Infinitum Swordsea. Nova source and swords were visible everywhere the eye could see.
"Feng'er, Ling'er, Xiaoxiao, and Little Fish, come here. Granny will give you disciple cards," Dongshen Yue said, waving at them. All of them got in line to look at the shining blue objects in her hand. They were cards made from seemingly complex and small divine formations. "Feng'er, this one’s yours. I’ve recorded your information in the clan registry on it. Any information about you will be updated in the registry."
Tianming had always thought the registry would be an actual book, but it seemed more like a complicated formation array system that even supported the use of these cards. He had seen something similar in the wondersky realm and didn't think that technology could also be applied in real life, but when he thought a little more about it, it was rather simple. The wondersky realms were basically Perpetual Wondersky Formations set up within the Xenoworld.
As he remained deep in thought, Dongshen Yue pressed the card against his left cheek. The card formation absorbed some of his blood before infusing itself into the albi near his cheek, fusing with his body. It was like having a miniature formation implanted within him. While it was similar to divine wonders in some respects, the card formations were much simpler and had no offensive capabilities at all.
"Once you’ve taken in the disciple card, you're an official disciple of the clan. Even if you tear away at the flesh near your face, you won't lose your status as a clan member. Most disciples of the clan have them implanted at birth," Dongshen Yue said.
"I see...." Tianming tried to get used to it. He noticed that the card could be activated much like divine wonders; all he had to do was to infuse it with a bit of astralforce. He tried, and a blue light appeared on the left side of his face before projecting out to form a floating window about one meter by half a meter in size. The layout resembled what he had within the Skydome Battlefield, but it was more concise in the real world. It read:
Name: Lin Feng
Category: Post-Hundred Disciple
Identity: Second Branch Primary Line Scion
Level: Twelfth-level Solarian
Cultivation Method: Beastmaster, Divine Wonder Formation
Disciple Grade: One
Merit: 0
It basically served as an identity card in the clan, and every single disciple had one that was connected to the clan registry. The data could only be edited if one had access to the register. Otherwise, it was a system that made intraclan administration much easier.
As expected of a sixth-class nova source world.... While they don't have a wondersky realm, their society is still far more advanced than that of lower-class worlds. The disciple cards were a kind of high-level application of formation technology, just like wondersky realms. Tianming didn't even know what grade the formations were.
Either way, having the card meant that he wouldn't have any issue with his name and identity. He was also a scion, which meant he was the heir to the Second Branch's primary line. However, he didn't quite know what to make of the category part. "Granny, what other categories are there apart from post-hundred disciples?"
"There's the pre-thirty category, also known as children. From age one hundred to five hundred, they're called youths. Beyond that, you'll be listed among the intermediate levels of the clan." In other words, they were considered to no longer be young after five hundred. Tianming estimated that the people in this world had an average lifespan of five thousand years or more.
While he wanted to know more about cultivation resources, like manna, ores, and formations, he held back as Dongshen Yue was still giving Feiling and the rest their cards. He looked back at his own and took note of the final two lines.
"Granny, what does grade one mean? Is that high or low?"
Dongshen Yue had been implanting formation cards in the others. Theirs were pink and looked rather pretty when embedded in their faces. "Grade one is the lowest, naturally. There’s seven grades of disciples based on talent, performance, and combat record. Grade seven is the highest. Your grade determines where you can and can’t cultivate. For instance, you're limited in access to our ancestral caeli."
"So the higher your grade, the better access you’ll have to cultivation resources, right?" Tianming said.
"Yes. But it isn’t just your resources—it’s also your talent and status. Some people born in distant branch families also gain respect this way. You, on the other hand, are of high birth but have nothing to show for it. People will look down on you for being a grade-one disciple, got it? The Lin Clan is a fair place to be. Your grade is far more important than your family background or status. Your grade doesn’t just affect your access to caeli, but all other resources as well." That would no doubt include access to artifacts, impressive cultivation locales, and even manna.
"Doesn't that mean that grade-one disciples like me can't go anywhere?" Tianming asked, annoyed.
"That's impossible. The clan may be mostly fair, but scions like you have special privileges. Based on that, you're able to go to places that’re open to grade-three disciples or more. You're almost considered a grade-four disciple, and by the time you actually reach grade four, you'll be considered a grade-seven disciple."
In other words, scions like him were implicitly considered to be three grades higher. Even so, it was still much more fair than sects that allowed direct descendants access to any and all resources without any requirements.
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