Damned Healer

After Darian stepped away from the High Elder, all the nearby Elders moved in sync. They captured everyone involved in that mess and dragged them away. As for the High Elder, he was escorted off by them to make sure he didn't do anything stupid.

In just a few minutes, everything was handled and the hall was empty, leaving only Elder Aberrant, who stared silently at Darian.

Darian turned to him without showing any emotion: "What is it? You told me to go in and look for the instructor... but I saw the commotion with this exam and went to ask. In the end, I ended up registering. I don't think I broke any rules, right?"

The Elder sighed. Who could've predicted that a brand-new disciple would be dumb enough to try becoming an instructor? There was no precedent... but technically, any disciple could try.

At that moment, a figure quickly entered the hall. It was a short Fiendgod with a humanoid look and a sturdy build.

"Institute Commander," the Elder greeted him respectfully, since that Fiendgod was also a High Elder of the sect's highest power class.

"I heard the message..." he said, staring hard at Darian. Then he snorted and nodded: "I don't see a reason not to do it..."

Then that Fiendgod explained things to Darian. In the sect, there were five different status levels. The lowest was, obviously, disciple. Then came Instructor, Elder, High Elder, and at the very top, the Sect Leader.

Starting from Instructor status, they were further divided into four power classes: beginner, intermediate, senior, and master.

In the instructor exam, when you passed, everyone started as a beginner. But if someone got top marks in an exam, they were promoted straight to intermediate. Since Darian had gotten top marks in all three exams, the Institute Commander agreed to promote him three times in a row, raising him straight to master class.

"Hmm... what do I need to do to become an Elder?" Darian asked right away after hearing everything.

The two stayed silent for a few seconds. But they didn't dare call him arrogant or crazy.

The High Elder answered: "Every year, the sect promotes new Elders based on their contributions. There's no test or anything like that."

"I see, pretty simple." Darian murmured calmly.

The fact that this sect was the weakest made things a lot easier. Anything useful he did would already be considered a big contribution. Besides, it wouldn't take long before opportunities showed up anyway, since the eruptions happened so often.

"You'll receive a good amount of points as an instructor..." the High Elder went on to explain calmly.

The sect wasn't a charity. Everything in it required points. Without points, it was hard to even take a single step forward. Everyone ended up working for the sect to get points, then trading them for benefits.

The sect had a vast stock of weapons, pills, and useful items for everyone, plus a library with countless techniques, all taken from desert ruins and left behind by former members.

On top of that, Darian was told that for every point earned, even after spending and losing it, the record of his earned points would stay as a running total. That total number was used to define the sect members' ranks.

The reason for that system was a secret. But Darian was sure it was tied to the special mission. Once his status went up in the sect, he'd check it out properly.

The title of "instructor" wasn't just symbolic. Besides receiving a fixed amount of points per month, there were also bonuses for giving extra classes or similar activities for disciples.

Every month, the sect offered only two free classes to disciples. If they wanted to learn more, or felt a specific teacher's instructions weren't clear enough, they could pay with points to get training from any other instructor.

That could be done individually or in groups. Group classes were more profitable since the cost was split among several people. This was another great way for instructors to rack up points, which was why every disciple wanted to become one.

"Hmm... I've got a question." Darian said thoughtfully: "Is there any rule that stops me from being an instructor in other institutes too?"

"What?!" The High Elder was caught off guard by that question. "No... there's no precedent for that, so technically it's not forbidden. The three institutes are really specialized in their own areas of skill, nobody manages to stand out in such different fields."

Darian listened and showed a faint smile.

"Great. I heard the other institutes will still be running exams for three more days. I want to try and see just how far my limits go."

...

It was the start of the night when an Aberrant, alongside a "hybrid," got close to the entrance of the Nature Institute.

Darian turned to the Aberrant, gave him a quick wave goodbye, and walked in alone.

Inside, he spotted nine people gathered in the back. The moment they saw him, all of their eyes lit up.

"You came for the exam?" asked a man with a light appearance, radiating a natural aura. His body was just a metamorphosis, and Darian could tell he belonged to a race connected to the World Tree.

"Yeah." Darian replied casually, stepping closer.

The nine immediately stood up, excited, and another figure soon came out from the back. It was the Elder examiner, who looked at Darian and asked for his emblem.

Darian had chosen this institute first because he'd heard it was the emptiest and most lacking in people. That was because only races deeply tied to nature could enter here, and they were extremely rare—though not as rare as the Heavenly Elemental Spirits.

Actually, in the sect, there were only the nine thousand Heavenly Elemental Spirits that Darian had brought in. The few that were born otherwise usually ended up joining the Great Chorus sect, which was ranked second in this world.

As for the Nature Institute, exams were held in groups of ten. No fewer than that, since the test consumed valuable resources and it'd be a waste otherwise. The whole day had gone by without a single exam because there weren't enough candidates. That's why those nine had been waiting so anxiously for someone to show up.

"Registered. We'll begin right away," the Elder said calmly after handing Darian's emblem back.

The nine gathered with excitement and were led down a hallway.

They quickly passed through a door, and Darian took a deep breath, feeling the air filled with pure, natural energy. In front of him stretched a field of herbs almost a thousand meters wide.

"Everything will be simple and straightforward, divided into three tests. We'll be judging your perception, knowledge, and combined skills," the Elder examiner explained calmly.

"You'll have two hours to find, within the sect's field, herbs rich in life, mind, and spiritual energy. Three of each type, with low, medium, and high density."

"After two hours, we'll evaluate your picks. Then, in the second exam, you'll have to plant the herbs correctly. In the third exam, refine their energy. Each step will be graded from 0 to 10, and the scores will be added up. In the end, the one with the highest overall score will become the new instructor. If there's a tie, there'll be one last exam."

The nine nodded, looking tense and worried.

As for Darian... his eyes gleamed with excitement.