"On the other hand, the potential gained from accepting the S-grade invitation of the other Sects can help you live longer because you get to transcend more mortal coils."
"But it could also lead to your death at the hands of a member of the Blood Skull Sect because you're weaker. That is a definite possibility and it happens a lot. So nothing is certain, and I don't have all the answers."
He spread his hands in defeat when he said,.
Then he said, "What is certain is what the different grades of invitations mean. With the S-grade invitation, you will get the best techniques and resources from the sect. With the A-grade invitation, you will get access to the best techniques but only great resources."
"Things go downhill from there. With the B-grade invitation, you are only entitled to the normal techniques of the sect and average resources."
"As for the C-grade invitation, they will get the normal techniques and barely any resources. Any resources that the menial disciples get have to be earned with their blood and sweat."
"But do not lose hope. It is still possible to reach the level of A grade disciples and even S grade disciples in the future. You just have to show that you are worth it."
Then he clapped and said, "That is all. I have said all that I need to say. But you can ask me any question that you have about the decision you have to make. I'll make sure to give you the best advice that I can."
The other children already knew about the five sects from their parents and the other adults in their families. So they didn't gain much from Calcetti's earlier lesson. But all of them took this questioning section seriously.
All of them had received at least one invitation. Some of them had received two invitations. For those with two invitations, they had a decision to make and would like Patriarch Calcetti's input for the decision.
They presented their case and asked the patriarch what was best for them. Arthur's situation was the opposite of theirs.
He doesn't have any problem with deciding where he will go. But he was genuinely interested in information about the Sects. He was especially interested in the information of the Blood Skull Sect.
But even though it is very easy for him to decide which sect he will go to, he found the questioning section very informative too because in answering the questions of the children and advising them, Calcetti revealed more information about the other sects.
For example, the techniques of the Poison Flower sect rely on the path of energy refining. So their techniques are more like spells, not martial arts that require the body to execute.
Their reliance on the path of energy makes them unfeeling and cold. Even though members of the Poison Flower Sect are beautiful, they don't care for love or romance. Anyone who gets involved with them will eventually be poisoned and die.
The matter of how the disciples of the Poison Flower Sect don't truly believe in love was a tangent by Calcetti. The patriarch told a short story of someone who was fooled by their beauty.
His main point was that anyone who didn't have the necessary talent for energy gathering, which is basically energy affinity, shouldn't become a member of this sect.
As he listened, Arthur learned that the techniques of the Black Bones sect are divided into two. Being the oldest sect, they have a set of techniques for both the path of energy refining and body refining.
He also learned that the talent requirement for the techniques of the Black Bones is the lowest. But it also comes with the disadvantage of turning someone into an undead.
Patriarch Calcetti said, "It is easy to start with the corpse techniques, but you will have to pay the price of talent by turning into a corpse yourself. Once you become an undead, you will lose interest in material pleasure. You will be unable to eat and drink. You will also lose interest in sex."
"Not that it is so bad. That is just the side effect of using their body-refining techniques. You won't become a corpse if you just use their energy-refining techniques. But your state of mind will still change. At the very least, you will become cold and unfeeling. In severe cases, you might go crazy because of the effect of corpse energy on your mind."
"There is also the matter of the low survival rate of the Black Bones sect. Their corpse techniques are dangerous. They can cause death in their disciples. So even though they accept the highest number of examinees every round of the sect examination, the size of their sect cannot compare to the size of the Blood Skull Sect."
"Nothing is ever free. The requirement for talent might be low and the power might be strong, and their techniques might be versatile, but there is the price of mental sanity and dying to pay."
"This is why I often advise people to avoid the Black Bones sect if you have an alternative. If there is no alternative, you can go for it. After all, power and longevity are still the ultimate pleasure. You won't lose out on those if you join the Black Bones sect and manage to survive the initiation process."
Patriarch Calcetti spoke a lot about all the sects, including the Blood Skull Sect. He said that the Blood Skull Sect has techniques that use either the path of energy refining or body refining. But they also have techniques that combine the two pathways.
The patriarch said, "Usually, cultivators choose either the pathway of body refining or energy refining. But I hear that the techniques of the Blood Skull sect can combine the power of the two powers. This is apparently the reason why they are very strong."
"As usual, this advantage comes with a massive disadvantage. The disadvantage is that it has a high threshold for talent. It is the opposite of the disadvantage of the Black Bones sect."