Direct Disciples
"Within the Blessing Nature Sect, disciples are split among four ranks: outer disciples, inner disciples, core disciples, and direct disciples," Elder Ning explained. "Outer disciples are the lowest tier and there are thousands of them within the sect, while direct disciples are the highest rank. There are only a few of them within the sect."
"So… what exactly is the different between the ranks other than the population distribution?" I asked, urging her to get to the main point.
"Outer disciples are taught like in schools, split into large classes and taught by a single instructor each. Inner disciples are similar, but they have access to special facilities around the sect and various resources extremely useful for cultivation. Core disciples are grouped up in cohorts of roughly five, and taught by an elder of the sect. But direct disciples…"
She smiled wryly. "… They are taught by the patriarch himself or his two closest elders."