News that a Heavenly Spiritual Root had appeared in Shifang City spread throughout the city in less than a day, as though it had sprouted wings.
To prevent unforeseen complications, Huaiyu Zhenren made a decisive choice: they would leave immediately. Once that day’s testing had concluded, he gathered the recruits aboard a flying vessel and set off for Yuntian Sect. Who could guarantee that no powerful cultivator lived in seclusion within this little mortal territory?
Night had fallen. Faint moonlight filtered through the clouds, leaving everything below indistinct.
The flying vessel sailed steadily through the night sky. Huaiyu Zhenren activated its defensive formation, enveloping the craft so thoroughly that it was almost impossible to discern in the darkness.
The vessel was spacious, with two levels. Lin Chen and the other children gathered on deck. Including him, thirty-two recruits were traveling to Yuntian Sect, all younger than ten.
They sat cross-legged, their expressions varied. The departure had been so hurried that most had not even had time to bid their families farewell. Many worried privately, for none knew when they might return.
Yet they were children, after all. Having witnessed the thunderous power Huaiyu Zhenren could summon with a casual gesture, their homesickness gradually diminished, replaced by anticipation for the immortal path ahead.
“You’re the little Shidi with the Heavenly Spiritual Root, aren’t you? You certainly are a fine-looking young fellow.”
The speaker was Wang Xiu, one of three Foundation Establishment disciples. The other two were Luo Yun and Shuanghua. Shuanghua was controlling the vessel, so only Wang Xiu and Luo Yun stood beside Lin Chen.
Lin Chen did not know what standing Foundation Establishment disciples enjoyed within Yuntian Sect. Since he had not formally entered the sect, there could be no harm in showing respect.
“Greetings, Shixiong.” He rose and saluted them with clasped hands.
“There’s no need for such ceremony. My name is Wang Xiu. Where are you from, little Shidi?”
Wang Xiu had long wanted to approach him. Among the children, Lin Chen was conspicuous. While the others showed excitement, surprise, anxiety, or sorrow, he sat quietly without the slightest sign of unease.
“Shifang City.”
Shifang Village fell under Shifang City’s jurisdiction. He had merely given the broader location; it was hardly a lie.
“So that’s how it is! No wonder Xue Yi Shidi brought you over. You two must have known each other for quite some time.”
Lin Chen: “…”
Actually, not much longer than you’ve known me.
Xue Yi was accompanying Huaiyu Zhenren, and Lin Chen could not be bothered to correct the misunderstanding.
Through their conversation, he learned that Yuntian Sect dispatched disciples to mortal territories to recruit newcomers once every ten years. His timing had been exceptionally fortunate.
For ordinary mortals, reaching the cultivation world was exceedingly difficult. A hundred thousand strange mountains stood along the boundary between the regions. Even without the wild beasts roaming them, the distance alone discouraged ordinary travelers.
The preferential treatment Yuntian Sect extended to Lin Chen had not escaped notice. Most of the children looked on enviously, particularly the two with dual spiritual roots. Before Lin Chen appeared, such attention should have belonged to them.
They had yet to embark upon the immortal path and could not understand many things. In their eyes, the difference between one spiritual root and two was merely the difference between the numbers one and two. Why did the immortals seem to have eyes only for Lin Chen?
Even traveling without pause, the flying vessel would take seven days to reach Yuntian Sect. Naturally, the duration depended on the vessel’s grade. Huaiyu Zhenren’s was merely a Yellow-grade spiritual artifact, equipped with only the most basic defensive formation. A Profound-grade vessel would travel several times faster.
There was no ordinary food aboard, so Wang Xiu distributed a Fasting Pill to each child. Each pill would sustain its recipient for ten days.
When allocating rooms, Wang Xiu assigned Lin Chen a chamber of his own. The two dual-spiritual-root recruits shared another, while the remaining children slept three to five to a room, depending on its size.
The difference in treatment could scarcely have been more obvious.
As the days passed, the vessel entered the cultivation territories. Lin Chen immediately sensed a change: the air seemed incomparably fresh. Merely breathing it relaxed his taut nerves.
[Host, the reason you feel so comfortable is that we’ve entered the cultivation world. Spiritual qi here is far denser than in mortal territories. Combined with Host’s Heavenly Spiritual Root, that makes you exceptionally sensitive to it. Look at the others; they haven’t noticed much difference.]
Lin Chen glanced toward the children. Just as Dabai said, none seemed to have experienced any remarkable change.
During the voyage, Wang Xiu and the others had explained the most fundamental principles of cultivation. The first step was drawing qi into the body: through breathing and absorption, a cultivator gathered natural spiritual qi, circulated it through the body, and collected it within the dantian. Some people spent their entire lives unable to take this first step.
Dabai’s information was far more detailed. Qi Refining comprised twelve levels, with every four levels marking a significant threshold. Once the wispy qi within the dantian condensed into crystalline form, the cultivator reached Foundation Establishment. Beyond that lay Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Spirit Transformation, Tribulation Transcendence, and Mahayana.
From Foundation Establishment onward, each realm was divided into early, middle, and late stages. Beginning with Golden Core formation, every breakthrough into a new major realm brought a lightning tribulation.
Cultivating immortality was, by nature, an act of defiance against Heaven. Lightning tribulations were both trials and reckonings. Those who accumulated excessive bloodshed often perished beneath the judgment of tribulation lightning.
Fortune and calamity truly went hand in hand.
[As long as Host works hard at completing missions, ascending and becoming an immortal will be no problem at all!]
Lin Chen found this amusing. Dabai was unfailingly confident. The cultivation world might overflow with opportunities, but the accompanying dangers were far more numerous.
Even with his Heavenly Spiritual Root, without a sect’s protection, he might attract some ancient monster seeking to seize another body and be reborn. He doubted he would be lucky enough to transmigrate a second time.
[Host, don’t make it sound so tragic! We just need to keep our heads down and develop our strength steadily. This System might not have many practical functions right now, but I’m exceptionally well-informed! If danger approaches, I can warn Host. If we can’t beat someone, we can always run!]
[So you do know you’re useless.]
Dabai felt terribly wronged, but Dabai had something to say!
[Wasn’t all this System’s energy spent saving Host?! That’s why none of my functions work anymore! If this were my peak condition, I could take Host anywhere in the Qianyuan Great World, and we’d swagger around without fearing anyone!]**
Lin Chen laughed. He could almost imagine Dabai with a physical body, hands on hips and chin raised arrogantly.
[All right, all right. I know how amazing you are.]
[Of course this System is amazing!]
As man and System bickered, the vessel approached Yuntian Sect’s mountain range. Clouds and mist wound around peaks that pierced the heavens. Elevated terraces rose among them, creating a spectacle of extraordinary grandeur.
The children stared in astonishment. Lin Chen was no exception.
Wang Xiu was thoroughly satisfied by their reactions. He remembered his own first arrival, when he had been just as overwhelmed.
Flying vessels were forbidden within Yuntian Sect. With a mere lift of Huaiyu Zhenren’s hand, everyone found themselves standing safely before the mountain gate.
Wang Xiu and his two companions needed to report to their masters. After bidding Huaiyu Zhenren farewell, they departed on flying swords.
More than a hundred young children stood at the gate alongside Lin Chen. Some looked even younger than him. All had passed preliminary tests in various regions.
Suddenly, overwhelming pressure descended. Lin Chen’s heart jolted. He struggled against the nearly irresistible urge to fall to his knees.
“Greetings, Elder.”
Huaiyu Zhenren’s respectful tone made the newcomer’s high position obvious.
The Law Enforcement Elder appeared at the gate in an instant. He nodded slightly and tossed an object into the air, stopping it before Huaiyu Zhenren.
“Many thanks, Elder.”
Ever since discovering Lin Chen’s Heavenly Spiritual Root, Huaiyu Zhenren had sent word to the sect. Fortunately, the journey had passed without incident.
The Elder’s reward was a defensive spiritual artifact capable of withstanding three full-strength attacks from an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. Even for Huaiyu Zhenren, it was an exceptionally valuable treasure.
The other leaders dispatched to recruit in mortal territories looked on with burning envy. Why hadn’t such fortune fallen into their laps?
[Dabai, can you tell what cultivation realm that person has reached?]
[Of course! This System is the cultivation world’s walking encyclopedia. There’s nothing I don’t know! He’s an elder of Yuntian Sect’s Inner Sect Law Enforcement Hall, at the perfected late stage of Golden Core, just one step from forming his Nascent Soul.]
Among the kneeling crowd, Lin Chen was particularly conspicuous. The Elder withdrew his oppressive aura and appeared before him in the blink of an eye.
“Not bad. A fine young seedling.”
Several gray-robed stewards arrived shortly afterward. They had been instructed to test the newcomers’ spiritual roots once more. There had been no such procedure in previous years.
Wonderful. Lin Chen had once again become an innocent casualty of his own talent.
[Well, Host, you do have a Heavenly Spiritual Root. Naturally, they have to be extra careful!]
Hearing Dabai’s gleeful teasing, Lin Chen wanted to drag the System out of his head and give it a thorough beating.
Unsurprisingly, once the results were confirmed, he felt like a monkey on display at a scenic attraction. Everyone stared.
The Law Enforcement Elder’s stern face broke into a smile.
“Good! Good! Good!”
He repeated the word three times.
Nevertheless, he did not immediately take Lin Chen into the inner sect. Instead, he instructed the stewards to arrange accommodation as usual, though Lin Chen’s treatment would be considerably better than that of the other recruits.
New disciples underwent a six-month probationary period. During that time, they had to provide their own food and clothing. The real event came six months later: the Newcomers’ Competition. Those who failed to achieve satisfactory rankings would be reassigned. Anyone who believed they lacked an affinity with the immortal path could leave voluntarily; the sect would not interfere.
On every fifth day of the month, Yuntian Sect held lessons in the Hall of Cultivation Instruction, open to all. New recruits also received more detailed explanations from specially assigned instructors. How much they comprehended depended on individual aptitude.
At first glance, these arrangements seemed considerate. On closer examination, they were not quite so simple.
The recruits were children younger than ten, most carrying little money. Those from wealthy families could buy enough food for six months. Children from ordinary households, however, would have to find ways to support themselves. How much time would remain for cultivation?
[Among all the sects of the Eastern Region, Yuntian Sect is already considered quite decent. At least it gives newcomers time to adjust.]
Lin Chen compared this with the web novels he’d read in his previous life. Dabai had a point. In nine out of ten stories, the protagonist suffered terribly from the beginning. After finally entering an immortal sect, they were subjected to endless exploitation.
The steward led the children to a spacious courtyard. Several rows of elegant bamboo buildings stood within, while a small stream flowed behind the compound. The surroundings were peaceful and secluded.
Rooms were allocated according to cultivation talent. Naturally, Lin Chen received the finest chamber.
Before leaving, the steward handed him a storage pouch, explaining that it contained cultivation resources from the sect.
“Does everyone receive one?” Lin Chen asked, stopping him at the door.
“Naturally. It’s simply that Shidi’s allocation is somewhat more generous.” The steward’s attitude was pleasant.
Lin Chen thanked him. As long as everyone received something, that was fine. He was already attracting far too much attention. Any more conspicuous favoritism would only invite resentment, and he had no desire to make enemies without cause.
| 师弟 | shīdì | Junior male fellow disciple within a shared teacher’s lineage or sect. Junior status is generally determined by discipleship seniority, not necessarily by biological age. |
| 师兄 | shīxiōng | Senior male fellow disciple within a common master’s lineage or sect. Seniority usually reflects the order of discipleship or sect hierarchy rather than age alone. |
| 真人 | zhēnrén | Literally “true person” or “perfected person.” A Daoist designation for someone who has attained spiritual realization and cultivated harmony with the Dao. In cultivation fiction, a respectful title for an accomplished cultivator; the cultivation realm associated with it depends on the setting. |