Su Lun had only three choices for advancing to a second-tier professional: the Inner City, guilds, or the black market.
Dismissing the Inner City for the time being, that left only the black market and the guilds.
Advancement for professionals in the Outer City was entirely haphazard; you took whatever opportunity you had and moved up, with no systematic approach.
Often, even if one's profession and talent weren't a match, there were no other options, resulting in wasted potential.
If Su Lun wanted to rely on the resources within the Cross Society to advance, he would first need to become a team leader, step by step gaining contributions and resources.
However...
Even the team leaders of the Cross Society had limited options for advancement. They were stuck cycling through the same twenty or thirty methods of advancement that the officials had, most of which were common, ordinary professions.
A Puppet Master?