Dragon Monarch System

Chapter 1095:- Laying the Groundwork

The Night Rider Sect was built around ten main mountain peaks. Out of those ten peaks, three were dedicated exclusively to the Outer Court, Inner Court, and Core Court disciples. These three peaks were also the largest and most spacious within the entire sect. They served as both living quarters and training grounds for thousands of disciples.

Each peak contained numerous cultivation facilities, including massive training grounds where disciples could practice combat techniques, spar with one another, and improve their cultivation. In addition, every peak had its own library filled with cultivation techniques and hundreds of martial arts.

There were also large dining halls where free meals were provided to all disciples. Other essential facilities such as dormitories, medical halls, marketplaces, and various support buildings were also located throughout these peaks, ensuring that the disciples had everything they needed for daily life and cultivation.

From what Aditya observed and what Ramos explained to him, the sect heavily favoured its most talented disciples. While ordinary disciples received basic resources and accommodations, the top-ranked students in each court enjoyed significantly greater benefits. These privileges included private villas instead of shared housing, access to the most nutritious meals enriched with mana-rich ingredients, larger resource allocations, superior cultivation techniques, and personal guidance from powerful elders.

There were also many other benefits that ordinary disciples could only dream of obtaining. In essence, the Night Rider Sect invested the majority of its resources into nurturing its most talented members, believing that a single future powerhouse was worth more than hundreds of average cultivators.

Each Elder of the Night Rider Sect possessed their own mountain peak. However, unlike the massive peaks allocated to the Outer Court, Inner Court, and Core Court disciples, the Elders’ peaks were significantly smaller. Even so, they were still large by ordinary standards and contained more than enough space for a single person to live comfortably.

Most of these peaks featured private residences, cultivation chambers, gardens, training areas, and other facilities designed to meet the needs of a powerful cultivator. Since Elders spent the majority of their time cultivating, researching, or managing sect affairs, they had little need for the enormous amount of space available on the disciples’ peaks.

Some Elders chose to live together with their personal disciples, allowing them to remain on the mountain peak permanently so they could receive direct guidance and instruction. However, most Elders preferred a quieter lifestyle and valued their privacy.

These Elders usually lived alone and only permitted their disciples to visit during specific hours of the day for lessons, cultivation guidance, or other important matters. Once the lessons were over, the disciples would return to their own residences, leaving the Elder’s mountain peak peaceful and undisturbed once again.

”So, going to the Peaks of these Elders won’t be possible.” Ramos nodded his head.

”Yes! That would raise suspicion.”

Aditya just nodded his head and did not pursue this matter. For him, being able to come inside and take a look at the Night Rider Sect was already more than enough.

The grandest mountain peak in the entire Night Rider Sect belonged to the Sect Leader. Following Sophia’s death and Victor’s ascension, that prestigious peak had now become Victor’s residence.

As for Victor’s former mountain peak, it had been left vacant and reserved for a future Elder. The sect now possessed two mountain peaks that currently had no permanent owners. One of these peaks had gradually become the domain of the Alchemy Elder due to the nature of his work. Every day, hundreds of disciples gathered there to learn alchemy, attend lessons, or assist in various pill-refining tasks. The peak was constantly bustling with activity and had become one of the busiest locations within the entire sect.

In addition to teaching disciples, the Alchemy Elder also received a large number of visitors every day. Cultivators from both inside and outside the sect frequently came to request pills and alchemical services. Naturally, these services were not free. For every order he accepted, the client paid a substantial fee, and a portion of those earnings was taken by the sect as its share.

Beyond the payment itself, it was common for clients to provide extra materials to ensure a successful refinement. Any surplus pills produced during the process were usually kept by the Alchemy Elder, although some were handed over to the sect for sale. As for excess herbs, monster materials, and other alchemical ingredients, they were rarely wasted. Most of them were distributed among his students and used as practice materials, allowing the next generation of alchemists to gain valuable experience without draining the sect’s own resources.

”What about the defensive capabilities of the sect?” Aditya asked. ”I heard that there is an invisible defensive barrier surrounding the entire Night Rider Sect. Unless a 7th-order powerhouse personally attacks it, breaking through the barrier is said to be almost impossible.”

One of the Core Disciples from the Wind Dragon Clan nodded after hearing the question. Since she was an active member of the sect, she was much more familiar with its internal defences than most people present. ”That information is correct. The Night Rider Sect is protected by a large-scale defensive barrier that covers the entire territory of the sect. Under normal circumstances, it remains active at all times. It is designed to prevent enemies from infiltrating the sect and to provide an early warning system if an attack occurs.”

”However, that is only the first layer of defence. Each of the major mountain peaks also possesses its own independent defensive barrier. If the outer barrier is breached or the sect comes under attack, the barriers protecting the individual peaks can be activated immediately.”

”This means that even if an enemy somehow manages to penetrate the first line of defence, they would still have to deal with multiple additional barriers before reaching their intended target. The stronger and more important the mountain peak is, the stronger its defensive barrier tends to be. The Sect Leader’s peak and the Elders’ peaks are especially difficult to attack because their barriers receive the highest level of protection and maintenance.”

”The barriers are manually operated, or do they function through runes?” Aditya looked at the girl and asked. Since he was a Runemaster himself, understanding the sect’s defensive system was extremely important. If the barriers relied entirely on runes, then there might be weaknesses that could be exploited.

”They operate through runes.” The girl replied without hesitation. ”Under normal circumstances, nobody needs to manually activate them. The formations are constantly maintained and can function automatically. However, I have heard that certain individuals within the sect possess special Rune Keys that allow them to manually control parts of the defensive system during emergencies.”

Aditya’s eyes narrowed slightly after hearing this information. ”Do you know who those people are?”

The girl nodded. ”I don’t know all of them, but I do know one person. There is a senior Core Disciple within the sect who has access to one of the Rune Keys. He is a 5-star Runemaster from the Six Continents and is considered one of the most talented rune specialists among the younger generation. Because of his expertise, the sect trusts him with certain responsibilities related to the defensive formations.”

Hearing this, Aditya quietly fell into thought. If even a Core Disciple had access to a Rune Key, then there was a possibility that obtaining one would be much easier than directly targeting an Elder. More importantly, a Rune Key could potentially give him access to parts of the sect’s defensive network. That information alone was already more valuable than he had expected when he first asked the question.

”How well do you know this senior?” Aditya asked. If this person truly possessed one of the Rune Keys, then understanding his personality and relationships could prove extremely useful.

The girl thought for a moment before answering. ”I know him fairly well. From what I have heard from my friends, he has a crush on me. We share several mutual friends, and because of that, he often joins our gatherings whenever he has free time. Most of the time, he is looking for an excuse to spend time with us, so we have interacted quite a lot over the years.”

Aditya quietly listened before asking another question. ”Do you have any feelings for him?”

This was an important detail. If she genuinely liked the man, then involving her in any plan concerning him could become complicated.

Fortunately, she immediately shook her head.

”No.” There was not even a hint of hesitation in her answer.

”At most, I find him annoying.” A look of mild frustration appeared on her face as she continued.

”He isn’t a bad person, but he can be incredibly persistent. No matter how many hints I give him, he keeps trying to find reasons to spend time around me. If it weren’t for our mutual friends, I probably wouldn’t interact with him nearly as much.”

Hearing that, Aditya nodded thoughtfully. The situation was much better than he had expected. At the very least, he no longer had to worry about personal feelings interfering with whatever plan he might come up with next.

”I have a task for you, and you must finish that task within the next 24 hours.”

”Of course. I will be honored to do anything that you order me to do.”

”I will give you one of my most powerful subordinates. Make sure you complete this mission. Failure is not an option for me. Understood!” The girl nodded her head.

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