Chapter 16

The Yonglu Mountains contained an entire spiritual vein running through them, with Yonglu Mountain situated at the point where its spiritual energy was most concentrated. Cultivating within the sect increased one’s absorption rate of spiritual energy by at least twenty percent compared to outside, not to mention the benefits from the spirit eye covered by the sect’s grand array.

Why else would cultivators fiercely vie to enter the Five Great Sects? There were compelling reasons indeed. Even as Outer Sect disciples, their treatment and resources might fall short of Inner Sect standards, but stepping foot within the mountain gates already placed them ahead of eighty percent of low-rank cultivators in the cultivation world.

Sect Leader’s Peak, located amidst the richest spiritual energy within the sect, served as compensation for the sect leader’s administrative duties, which inevitably detracted from personal cultivation time.

Surrounding Sect Leader’s Peak, several peaks were arranged according to the five elements: Artificing Peak in the southwest, Symbol Peak directly south, Pill Peak in the southeast—also overseeing plant cultivation, hence it had the largest area—and the renowned Hall of Discipline in the northwest, connected to the trial-by-fire secret realm at the rear mountains. This secret realm was rumored to be exceedingly perilous, accessible only to Foundation Establishment disciples. Lastly, Beast Taming Peak stood in the northeast, second in size only to Pill Peak, housing numerous eccentric and rare beasts.

Apart from these, numerous other peaks, both large and small, existed within the sect. For instance, there was Origin Peak, where sect missions were assigned and merit points earned; Six Teachings Peak, where disciples attended lectures; Sword Peak for sword training; Blade Peak for mastering blades; Seven Stars Peak for array studies, and so on. Essentially, once a cultivator reached Gold Core stage, they could establish their own peak with any name they desired. The sect had very lenient policies regarding this, allowing anyone to choose any available peak as long as they had sufficient merit points.

As the name suggests, merit points represent the contributions made by disciples to the sect. Examples include harvesting spirit plants, tending to spirit beasts, exterminating demons outside the sect, eliminating rogue cultivators, guarding specific secret realms, representing the sect in competitions and winning accolades, among others—all of which earn merit points. However, tasks within the sect typically yield fewer points than those undertaken externally.

Origin Peak, where sect missions are announced, is named after an upper-grade spiritual artifact. This artifact, forged by Yonglu Mountain’s founding ancestor, automatically assesses the difficulty of each mission and determines the corresponding merit points upon completion. For example, feeding spirit beasts for a day earns 60 merit points, while cultivating one acre of spirit fields grants 80 merit points.

Each elder seated at this negotiation meeting holds no less than a million merit points under their name.

In other words, these individuals were the backbone of the sect, and now they all expressed interest in taking on Wen Xu, with his rare wind elemental spiritual root, as their direct disciple. The sheer number of contenders was causing the sect leader immense headache.

Gu Wufang felt overwhelmed, even considering throwing down his responsibilities and quitting altogether. Damn it—let whoever wants this shitty job have it! He had been cursed by bad luck in the draw back then; despite being the last to join the sect, logic dictated that he should never have ended up as the leader!

“Everyone, please stop arguing,” Gu Wufang implored. If they continued at this rate, they might just tear the roof off Sect Leader’s Peak.

“Well, who do you think is most suitable to take Wen Xu as their disciple?”

After a moment of silence, Gu Wufang thought, Then you might as well keep arguing.

To put things bluntly, Yonglu Mountain’s recent recruitment had strikingly fortunate results, yielding a disciple with a rare variant wind elemental spiritual root. Without any surprises, this individual would undoubtedly become the standout among the current generation of disciples.

Based on the three days of testing, Wen Xu excelled both in character and aptitude, leaving no room for criticism. Accepting such a promising disciple would be every shizun’s ultimate dream. Even Gu Wufang himself entertained thoughts of taking him under his wing, let alone others’ ambitions.

For the moment, setting aside Wen Xu’s personal preferences, wind elemental spiritual roots were exceedingly rare. Currently, there were no powerful cultivators within the sect possessing wind elemental roots. Since specialization wasn’t possible, the next best options would be cultivators from the wood or earth elements, or alternatively, those with dual wood-earth spiritual roots.

Yonglu Mountain was teeming with talented individuals; even after narrowing down their options, there were still…too many choices.

Seeing that another heated argument seemed imminent, Gu Wufang couldn’t help but turn to his most dependable shixiong, Du Qiujin, for assistance. This senior disciple had a steady temperament and would have been an ideal candidate for sect leader, if not for being too honest—easily taken advantage of by cunning old foxes from other sects.

Du Qiujin, always considerate towards his little shidi, promptly took over the conversation. “Everyone, might I offer some thoughts?”

“Well, go ahead then.”

“Currently on Hengze Continent,” Du Qiujin began, “the most renowned wind elemental cultivator is undoubtedly clear to all present.”

It was indeed unmistakably clear—the prime elder of Huhe Sect, Jun Zhaoying. As the foremost cultivator below the Transcendent Stage, her mastery of wind manipulation remained unparalleled. With her flamboyant demeanor and high seniority, she was more than capable of swooping in to snatch disciples.

At this mention, everyone’s expressions turned grave.

“Therefore, I believe we should find Wen Xu a Shizun who can…hold their own against Jun Zhaoying, at least deterring her from openly contesting him.”

His words left the assembly silent.

After a long moment, someone grumpily spoke up, “Are you suggesting we must summon our Transcendent Ancestor out of seclusion?”

In the cultivation world, cultivators progressed through stages of Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, Gold Core, Primordial Infant, Soul Transformation, and Fusion. At the pinnacle stood those at the Transcendent Stage, also known as being “half-step ascended.” The Transcendent Stage granted power to move mountains and part seas. However, due to their immense strength, these beings were restrained by the forces of heaven and earth, unable to intervene unless faced with significant events.

Typically, Transcendent Ancestors remained in seclusion, cultivating and comprehending life’s great truths. Yet despite their isolation, they stayed well-informed; some even divided their consciousness to traverse the world, seeking opportunities for ascension—though this was exceedingly rare.

“Actually…there might be someone suitable.”

Amidst the silence, a voice suddenly spoke while stroking its beard: “Have you all forgotten? We have a young grand uncle.”

The mention of ‘young grand uncle’ dropped like a heavy weight, deepening the hush. Even Du Qiujin, usually straightforward, couldn’t help but flinch inwardly, questioning himself fiercely: Is it absolutely necessary to secure this wind elemental spiritual root from Yonglu Mountain? Wouldn’t letting Jun Zhaoying have him be acceptable?!

But Gu Wufang, living up to his role as sect leader, broke the silence decisively: “Very well, I shall go…and consult our young grand uncle immediately.”

Everyone fell silent once more.

The next day, thirty-five new disciples—including Chen Zui—had diligently prepared themselves early in the morning. In fact, the disciple leading them barely recognized Chen Zui; his appearance had changed so drastically. Fortunately, the knife in his hand and the spiritual energy around him confirmed his identity.

Soon, the group arrived outside Juyong Hall. This grand hall was typically reserved for significant matters within the sect, situated atop the first major peak upon entering Yonglu Mountain. For many Yonglu disciples, it was a place they would visit only once in their lifetime.

Even just this single opportunity made outsiders envious beyond measure.

Following the lineup order, Wen Xu found himself at the very end, with Xia Ying and Lin Congcong ahead of him. Clearly, the sequence was determined by the difficulty of cultivating each disciple’s spiritual roots.

The first person swiftly entered and exited, followed closely by the second, then the third. Some emerged smiling, while others looked solemn. However, as blind as Wen Xu currently was, he could only sense the line steadily moving forward. With his level of cultivation, he dared not use even a fraction of his spiritual power under such circumstances.

“Are you nervous? I saw your good friend Bian Chunzhou go inside,” whispered a voice nearby.

The speaker was Lin Congcong, with his youthful face and boyish voice. Though they hadn’t interacted much, Wen Xu recognized him immediately. “No, you must be mistaken.”

“He has both water and fire twin spiritual roots—could it be that you…”

“Silence! If you don’t want to find a master, why not leave right now?!”

Lin Congcong’s expression faltered; he was aware of Xia Ying’s influential background and dared not offend her further. Suppressing his frustration, he decided that…after today, once Bian Chunzhou joined the Outer Sect, Chen Zui—with all his talent but lacking social skills—would pose little threat. Among the new disciples entering today, only Xia Ying and Wen Xu were potential rivals.

Xia Ying had substantial connections, so he wouldn’t dare scheme against her. But Wen Xu—if Lin Congcong could become his close friend while he was still inexperienced, Wen Xu would undoubtedly prove invaluable as they navigated their future paths.

As they waited, Bian Chunzhou felt quite nervous. However, when the hall doors opened for him, guiding him inside with a beam of light, his anxiety surprisingly…subsided.

Inside the hall, vibrant colors shimmered amidst an atmosphere of solemn grandeur. The spiritual energy in the air was so dense it seemed almost viscous. With each step on the crimson tiles, Bian Chunzhou suddenly felt like an obscure, small-town internet celebrity stepping onto an international stage.

Ah, what a fitting analogy! Bian Chunzhou couldn’t help but mentally pat himself on the back.

By the time he stood firmly before the solitary prayer mat on the floor, all traces of nervousness had vanished from his mind.

“Disciple Bian Chunzhou greets the sect leader and elders.”

Momma mia, all you Buddhas, Bodhisattvas Guanyin, Jesus Christ, Holy Mother Mary—please bless my entry into the Inner Sect!

“Twin elemental spiritual roots, water and fire? Am I seeing this correctly?”

“When you think about it, these roots might be even rarer than wind elemental ones. Perhaps…”

“It’s not entirely out of the question. Since we haven’t found any with wind affinity, admitting someone with such unique roots could be interesting…”

Thus, events began to unfold in an increasingly absurd direction. Bian Chunzhou initially feared no one would want him, only to discover—to his utter shock—that they were actually vying for his acceptance! All mentors turned for me; damn, my irresistible charm strikes again!

“Well, um, disciple isn’t particularly skilled with weapons, so I’d like to study paper talismans instead.” Facing the scrutiny of numerous high-ranking figures lining the walls, Bian Chunzhou spoke confidently, neither overly deferential nor arrogant.

In truth, Bian Chunzhou had always yearned to learn swordsmanship, but alas, he simply lacked the talent for it. Over these past three days, he had dedicated two whole days to practicing at the Sword Training Grounds, narrowly avoiding injury each time. Being self-aware, Bian Chunzhou promptly and cheerfully gave up on wielding swords.

“Paper talismans, excellent choice. If that’s your decision, why haven’t you sought apprenticeship yet?”

The representative from Symbol Peak this year was a female cultivator named Chang Ruoshui. Zunzhe Chang Ruoshui had recently ascended to the Transcendence Stage, specializing in talisman studies with near-obsessive dedication. Cultivators typically could accept disciples upon reaching Primordial Infant stage, but she had never bothered with such matters. This time, with no way to avoid it, she reluctantly came to Juyong Hall—never expecting…to encounter such a promising seedling.

She had long wished to explore water and fire element talismans, and serendipitously, here appeared someone with dual water and fire spiritual roots. Upon hearing his desire to study talismans, she swiftly claimed him as her own.

Bian Chunzhou, seeing a beautiful elder sister before him, immediately bowed low. “Disciple Bian Chunzhou greets Shizun.”

For centuries afterward, a certain remorseful cultivor who preferred not to disclose his full name—though initial B would suffice—regretted hastily agreeing to apprenticeship, leading to… Well, let’s just say, it brought forth endless tears.