"What kind of missions do we have to do, Senior? And where do we accept these missions?" Another disciple asked after the sect elder stopped talking.
"You can find and accept all kinds of missions at the Mission Hall. Every mission inside the Mission Hall are requests from the people in the outside world, so you will obtain more than just contribution points from the sect, which is basically a little bonus from the sect," explained the sect elder.
"I should also let you know that as Outer Court disciples, you are obligated to complete at least one mission every three months, so quarterly. Failure to do so will result in punishment that is usually in the form of a fine, so you'll have to pay contribution points."
"There are a variety of missions with their own difficulties, so you can choose to do easy missions that require no skills like cleaning dishes for some restaurant or the more difficult missions that require you to hunt specific magical beasts for their materials. Of course, the harder the mission the more rewarding it will be at the end."
"However, don't chew more than you can bite, as there have been plenty of incidents that resulted in the deaths of disciples because the disciple arrogantly or ignorantly tried to challenge something they have no qualifications to even challenge."
Sometime later, the sect elder continued, "Okay, I think I have covered enough about contribution points. Now let's talk about what the sect of you as Outer Court disciples."
"First and foremost, you are not allowed to leave the sect without permission from the sect unless you are on a mission, and only Inner Court disciples and above are allowed to leave the sect as they please. If you need to go somewhere, you must go to the Reception Hall and state your reason for leaving the sect. If the sect deems it reasonable, they will allow you to leave."
"If you are outside on a mission, you are not allowed to wander too much. If you leave the sect for too long without any accountability and for an unreasonably long amount of time, the sect will deem you as a deserter or dead and revoke your disciple status. This is mostly to prevent the Outer Court disciples from getting out of hand in the outside world. You guys are no longer mortals but Cultivators— disciples of an elite sect. Therefore, you must learn to separate yourself from the mortal world."
"If you encounter trouble with other Cultivators while you are outside, try to solve it peacefully, especially if the opposite party belongs to another elite sect. While it's very common for disciples from other sects to fight each other and our sect does not forbid fighting against others, you should know that there are people and places you cannot offend. Just keep that in mind because the Dragon Essence Temple is not invincible in this vast cultivation world."
After talking about a few more things regarding their status as Outer Court disciples, the sect elder began talking about a few rules for the sect.
"This can be found in your rule book, but I am still going to mention it because it still happens very often between disciples from all ranks. If you are in a disagreement with another disciple, before you duke it out in the middle of the sect and destroy the sect's property or accidentally hurt other disciples, find a sect elder to settle it for you. If that's not enough, you can challenge the other to an official fight in the arena, where you are free to fight each other to your heart's content. However, you are not allowed to kill your opponent."
"If the two of you truly hate each other to the point where you are not willing to exist in the same world, you can request for a deathmatch, and you will be able to kill your opponents during the deathmatch. However, once you agree to a deathmatch, the sect will no longer protect you no matter what happens, and you will be at the mercy of your opponent and vice versa. Therefore, don't request for a deathmatch if you fear death."
After talking about a few more major rules that they should not break, the sect elders asked the disciples, "Do any of you have any questions for me before I let you all live your life as disciples?"
"Where do we live, sect elder?" One of the disciples raised her hands and asked.
"Your identification badge will show you the location of your living quarters, and it also acts as a key to the house so don't lose it. Furthermore, all Outer Court disciples are required to have roommates. Though, there will be some exceptions if you come from a renowned family."
The sect elder glanced at Min Li briefly before continuing, "Any more questions?"
"When can we start participating in lectures by the sect elders?" Another disciple asked.
"You can participate in them whenever you want. There will be at least 2 lectures a week from different sect elders at the Education Peak if you wish to listen to the lectures. If you're lucky, you might even get to see one of the higher-ranking sect elders there. Of course, they only appear once a year."
After spending a few more minutes answering the disciples' questions, the sect elder handed out another book to everybody there and said, "This is a guidebook that mentions all of the locations and buildings within the Dragon Essence Temple, and it answers most frequently asked questions. Even if you are looking for something specific, it should all be in there."
"Now that you have completed your first lecture, I shall let you all experience life as a disciple for the Dragon Essence Temple for yourselves."
"Thank you, Senior!"
All of the disciples then stood up and bowed to the sect elder before leaving the building with excitement and enthusiasm.
However, right as Yuan approached the door, the sect elder suddenly grabbed his arm and said, "Please stay here for a little longer, Disciple Yuan."
"O-Okay…" Yuan nodded with a startled look on his face.