"Alright," Xu Yun said, he tapped Jing's shoulder and joined the rest of the group who were removing the giant bird's fearthers.

Even in the eyes of this somewhat reasonable disciple, Jing was able to detect less care in those eyes after the previous altercation. Something that he had already prepared himself for because this world wasn't like his own. Especially in this situation, he found himself in, he needed strength to be able to speak with them like an equal, otherwise, he will always remain a liability, or worse, the group's bitch. Someone who most of them would turn to in order to vent their frustrations, feel better about themselves, and raise their own standing in others' eyes by showcasing their own power at his expense.

Clenching his fists tightly the pain from the nails jabbing into his palm overwhelmed him, and his eyes turned even colder than their environment. Moving on from that line of thought, he began looking for dry pieces of wood to help the other group that was starting a fire.

After a few minutes, a very big fire was ignited in the middle of where they were sitting, and most disciples surrounded it as they sat on the grassy grounds by the river. Thirteen disciples sat there to be exact, the only one who was still moving about was Xu Yun. He was so busy cutting up several parts of the bird with a long knife that Jing was uncertain about its origins.

A woman beside Jing suddenly spoke, she was the one who had broken her back and was later healed by some unknown means.

"That's a Core Formation bird!" She whispered in unbridled excitement to the woman next to her. "Lin Lan saw the sect master with her own eyes removing the core from it before she put it in her spatial ring."

Another woman opposite to her with long braids, the woman whom Shen Yun always accompanied on their journey, and the one whose breasts Jing was familiar with interjected, "It's true, but it's such a shame we're just Body Tempering now, it won't be as beneficial."

One of the Zho twins replied, 'Who cares? It's a Core Formation monster, that's all that matters. I am going to eat until...' His voice trailed off, a sudden shift in tone betraying a hint of dejection as if he had just remembered something. In fact, the others too seemed to think of the same thing as him, and they all mirrored his expression.

Though Jing was intrigued as to why, he didn't have to wait long enough to hear a clarification from another disciple.

With a sigh the disciple said, "Our stomachs now will be Body Tempering too, we'll only be able to eat a little before we get full. Curses."

Half understanding, and half not, Jing continued listening to their conversations to have a better idea about his new world, and the people he was stuck with.

A few minutes later, Xu Yun was finally done with cutting the bird. Its intestines, claws, beak, and everything else that was unedible were piled into a mound before him. A pile that immediately disappeared once he passed by it, startling Jing.

The bird was split into thirteen parts, and each part had a long wooden spike going through it. One of the disciples stood up to help, and they both positioned all of the spikes perfectly above the fire before they sat down with the rest.

The fire was loudly crackling, the river's stream was gurgling, and the forest was filled with a cacophony of bird calls and beast roars. Though it was very cold, their proximity to the fire helped most disciples regulate their own body temperatures, and to make it even warmer they nestled closely to one another.

Xu Yun suddenly coughed, halting all of their quiet murmurs. "First of all," He said after swiftly standing up and glancing at everyone for a few seconds. His visage obstructed by the rich flavorful smoke, he continued, "This is, Xie Jing, he was the son of Xie Ran, a very close and valued member of the solitary Gay Dragons' Peak. Although he's only a newcomer and most of you don't know him, he is still a second generation of the sect. In other words, some respect is in order as he is more of a Wandering Abyss disciple than some of you here."

Hearing that, Jing's face turned cold as all of the other disciples glanced at him. His gaze remained locked ahead, not meeting anyone. Though just from his periphery he noticed that those words didn't seem to affect them too much.

Xu Yun's gaze lingered on a certain someone for a few seconds before he changed the subject, "With that out of the way," He said, his face turning serious at that he continued speaking. "I am sure all of you heard that the previous batch of Body Tempering disciples we sent had all but died as outer disciples in the Golden Mountain. Even Ling Lang, Peak Master Dan's son had vanished." His gaze moved around from one person to the next. "True not all of them died because they were suspected to be demonic cultivators, but most were. All of this just to emphasize the danger of what we'll be doing."

All of the disciples' previous grinning and amused expressions as they sat around the fire had all but disappeared by then. Confronted with the severity of the matter that none of them could escape, they felt overwhelmed, and it showed on their solemn faces.

Xu Yun resumed his speech, "Although this time we've made many arrangements like back stories which I am sure all of you have memorized as if your life depends on them," Cracking a small joke, he faintly smiled and said, "Because they do." He continued explaining with a somber tone, "All of this just to say that we need to be careful, smart, and disciplined. This is a righteous sect, so most of you will need a total change of your habits to blend in. No drinking, no sex, no fights, and most importantly, never disagree with anyone about their beliefs. We're not here to infiltrate, not to educate."

He paused for a few seconds because several disciples began whispering their disagreements and their unwillingness to follow his words to the tee. Raising his hand, all of them stopped at the same time and he said, "I think I need to remind you how ruthless these righteous cultivators are because hidden underground for years now most of you might have forgotten about that. If you were caught being a demonic cultivator, then you'd automatically bear the sins of all the demonic cultivators of past, and trust me that word demonic wasn't undeserved. Which means you'll become someone, or rather something, that they will do their best to exact their revenge on. You will be treated in ways that the heavens would be appalled by. So, the next time you go looking for a quick fuck, or a drink to relax after a long day, think of the consequences." His tone turned even more grave and high as he stressed, "Do not raise any suspicions."

Jing, like most of the other disciples, was terrified, and an audible gulp couldn't help but echo from his dry throat that hadn't drunk in anything in a whole day. The words spoken by Xu Yun petrified him, and he could feel the situation becoming more and more complicated for him in this world.

Staying with the demonic cultivators would make him an enemy of these righteous cultivators who would tirelessly torture him, and yet if he defected to their sides, that godly levitating woman promised that she would personally go after him. In a world where thousands of magical abilities existed, in a world where he as a small teen village boy was able to turn his whole arms into monstrous claws with formidable strength, and he could also surround himself with a red shield, he wasn't very confident in his ability to run away from someone of the sect's master's caliber.

Xu Yun began speaking once again and subsequently pulling him out of his reverie, "After we reach beyond the Icebound Summit Range, old members of the sect who are already installed in Golden Veil City will meet us. Then, we will be separated into groups of two, and each group will be accompanied by one of them. After reaching the city we'll stay there for a day or two depending on when we will arrive, and then we will depart for the Golden Mountain's entrance test. In our very first month, none of us should interact with others, except for those we came with. I will carefully build believable connections that will connect all of us, and that will also be the time when the sect will assign us missions outside and we will gather all of the information we've acquired so far to weaken the sect from the inside."

Once again, he let them process everything he had said so far, and said with a soft chuckle, "Granted, we're still weak and the degree of our effect will be less than ideal at first. But there are still positions that if reached even by us, will make a very big difference in the upcoming deciding war. Mainly, becoming the disciples of either the Array Formation Elder Yong, Disciplinary Elder Shi, and Alchemy Elder Tao." His eyes moving from one side of the campfire to the next, he asked, "Is everything clear?"

Jing slightly nodded like the others, and he appeared deep in thought. Needless to say, for someone like him almost every word uttered by Xu Yun had scared him out of his wits. Yet, of all of those words, the one that had the greatest impact was none other than, 'The Upcoming Deciding War.'

By the time Xu Yun had finished his words, the meat was done, and he gave each one of them a thick wooden spike with a big piece of meat.

Jing received the lower side of the breast, a supple bundle of rich protein wrapped in a deliciously crispy spiced skin. His very first bite was followed by a stream of oils that dripped down his face, and further dirtying his white robe.

The other disciples continued their chatter whilst he kept mostly to himself with a giant bird breast in hand and a wooden cup filled with water beside him.

Once everyone ate, Xu Yun gave each one of them a small blanket and they surrounded the still-lit fire to sleep. It was then that Jing learned the existence of something called a spatial ring, a ring that had the magical capability of storing things.

When Jing sat down above his blanket, he could feel a bubbling process occur within him. Once digestion began to kick into gear, the abundant Qi stored within the Core Formation piece of meat flowed like a river caressing every part of his body. He could feel his every cell growing stronger by the second, and when the energy ran out, he knew that he had just broken through to the ninth stage in the Body Tempering realm.

Then, he laid down to sleep. At first, he was barely able to let go and his mind was abuzz with worries, but as he listened to the crackling fire, the running water, and the crying birds in the forest he could feel the day's fatigue slowly catching up to him. In but a few short minutes, his tight grip over his consciousness let go, and he drifted off to sleep.