In fact, the rules also stated that it is possible to quit the sect for various reasons. They would just have to pay threefold of whatever resources they had enjoyed since they joined the sect and have to keep the secrets of the sect for the rest of their lives.
The list of rules was long and informative. He got the feeling that the oath was mostly to protect the interests of the sect, not to bind the sect members to a life of servitude and slavery.
He thought he spent five minutes reading it, but in reality, he had only been standing for less than five seconds. He didn't know this, but he still decided to read the rules all over to make sure that he didn't miss anything.
He didn't want to quit after coming so far, but he had to make sure that joining the Blood Skull sect was safe before he joined it. But no matter how picky he was, he couldn't find a fault or a predatory rule in the terms and conditions.
This made him snicker and say, "How ironic that a behemoth like the Blood Skull sect would have a lax oath of allegiance compared to a tiny power like the Dyson family. One would think the Dyson family has something more grand than what the Blood Skull sect possesses."
He can understand why the Dyson family would be strict with their oath of allegiance despite being weaker than the Blood Skull sect, but that only made him feel amused.
The Dyson family doesn't have more than the Blood Skull sect, but they don't want to lose the little they have, so they are strict with their resources. Compared to the Blood Skull sect, the Dyson family is like a child holding on tightly to the small amount of candy in their hands.
He chuckled for a while as he imagined this. When he was sure that there was nothing wrong with the oath of allegiance, he decided to swear it.
"I, Arthur, swear on this day that I will abide by the rules of the Blood Skull sect, uphold their precepts, preserve their integrity, help to advance the interest of the sect when I can, never betray the sect even in death, and always do my best to grow stronger. I swear all of this with the great Ethera tree as my witness."
The Ethera tree heard his oath and responded. One of its golden leaves appeared and imprinted itself on his body. Then it disappeared.
This signified that the oath had been completed. The black stele also changed. He could see more of it now that he had become a member of the sect and had formed a blood connection to the sect.
The stele grew larger in his vision. As it grew, the words on its surface changed too. The words became names.
The stele grew to be as large as the skyscrapers in his previous life. On its immense black surface were many names written in red.
He saw his name on its surface. His eyes were drawn to the word, and he knew it was his name immediately he saw it.
Elder Bloodhound reminded him and others, "Step to the side after you're done and let others have their turn."
He heard this and moved aside to create space around the stele for others. After ten minutes, everyone was done with the oath.
Elder Bloodhound said, "Good. That makes another 1,000 of you who have joined the Blood Skull sect and have become my brothers and sisters."
"This year, we will be accepting 50,000 new members. About 100 will be through the S-grade invitation. 1,000 will be through the A-grade invitation. 10,000 will be through the B-grade invitation. The rest will be menial disciples."
"Whichever grade you use to enter the sect, I welcome you again into the brotherhood of killers. Now, let us resume our tour. Follow me to see the sights and learn more about the sect."
They followed the levitating elder and began climbing the mountain. The mountain was short. It was just a little over 1,000 meters tall. It also had a gentle slope.
The path took them to the very top of the mountain. When they got there, it offered them a terrific view of the outer sect.
The mountain they were on was like the gateway into the sect. The path they took to reach its top split into three and led to three other mountains.
Before them was a large mountain range with many short mountains connected together by paths and overhead bridges. The area between the mountains was full of vegetation. The forests were inhabited by humans and animals alike.
Some places between the mountains had been cleared and cultivated into farms. These farms were large and sprawling. They were so large, even from where he was standing, that he estimated that they were the size of cities.
At the center of it all was the tallest mountain he had ever seen. It was so tall that he couldn't see all of it. About a third of it was obscured by clouds.
From where they stood, they saw many people running across the mountains and even more flying between them. All of these people were wearing robes of different colors, but all the robes had skulls on them.
Another thing that everyone had in common was red hair and red eyes. The new disciples glanced at Arthur again when they saw this.
Elder Bloodhound chuckled when he noticed this. He said, "The red hair and red eyes are caused by the techniques that we practice. It is a physical mutation that mostly everyone in the sect acquires when they reach the second mortal coil with our techniques. But I cannot cross out the possibility that he is a descendant of one of us."
He said to Arthur, "Maybe an elder of the sect produced some descendants outside and you're one of them after a few generations. It is possible. But it doesn't matter. What matters is that you are here now."