The cultivation world is divided into several major factions: orthodox and heretical, immortal and demonic, ghostly and monstrous.
Qing Province spans tens of millions of li.
Within Qing Province, thousands of sects, large and small, are entrenched. They constantly fight over cultivation resources, often turning on each other. One moment they are sworn allies, the next, enemies locked in a life-or-death struggle.
Therefore, in this vast expanse of Qing Province, peace is a rare commodity at any time or place. A single misstep could leave you without even your bones or soul.
Deep within the Vast Sky Mountain Range, there is a majestic peak called Qionghua Great Peak.
Shrouded by clouds and mist, a magnificent and awe-inspiring sight is faintly revealed...
A colossal mountain, soaring into the heavens and its summit lost to sight, is faintly discernible under the sunlight.
The peak is covered with densely packed, bustling palaces, pavilions, and towers.
Each palace, pavilion, and tower is enshrouded in a misty white veil. Occasionally, colorful clouds inexplicably rise, encircling various parts of the mountain. Upon closer inspection, one can see numerous cultivators standing within these clouds.
These palaces and pavilions are almost entirely constructed from fine, century-old jade. Galleries every five li, pavilions every ten li, and palaces every hundred li. There are eaves with upturned corners, courtyard walls, forests of red coral trees, and shimmering five-colored tiles.
Hundreds of varieties of immortal trees, spirit flowers, and exotic herbs and plants adorn the landscape. Crystal-clear emerald water flows, peculiar stones are scattered about, and immortal cranes dance in the air.灵 monkeys climb the trees. At first glance, it resembles the heavenly court of the immortal realm.
...
Deep in the night.
On the periphery of Qionghua Great Peak, hundreds of supporting peaks stand, appearing diminutive in comparison to the main peak and possessing a far lesser concentration of spiritual energy.
These hundreds of smaller peaks are devoid of pavilions and palaces. Instead, they are densely covered with cave dwellings and houses constructed from massive stones.
It is the dead of night, and though these dwellings are inhabited, no lights are visible, suggesting everyone has retired for the night.
...
However, on one inconspicuous peak among the hundreds, near the summit, a cave dwelling is unexpectedly illuminated by a dazzling light.
Upon closer inspection, the light is revealed to be a fist-sized Luminescent Moon Essence Stone, suspended in mid-air.
Luminescent Moon Essence Stones are unique illuminating artifacts found only in the cultivation world. They are not prohibitively expensive, costing only three spirit stones each.
By the brilliant light of the Luminescent Moon Essence Stone, a youth on the mountaintop can be seen in a deep horse stance, utterly still, gazing calmly forward.
...
Maintaining such a posture for an extended period is an extremely strenuous task.
Yet, the youth's face is one of profound composure, giving the impression that he is not squatting in a horse stance but rather resting leisurely on a chair.
The youth's eyes are half-closed, his breathing subtle and prolonged. His entire being is so restrained that he appears like a lifelike statue of rock, devoid of any vital signs. If not for the gentle rise and fall of his chest accompanying his steady breaths, an onlooker might genuinely mistake him for being dead.
Suddenly, the youth moves. He takes a step forward and unleashes a powerful punch!
A roar of exploding air, the vibration of the atmosphere, a howling gale. A visible surge of blood essence ignites, rising to the heavens. The youth's unparalleled and overbearing fist intent presses down on all directions.
"Hoo hoo hoo..."
A pair of massive iron fists swing up and down, like colossal celestial axes, stirring up monstrous gusts of wind. The sound of whistling breath accompanies the powerful wind, sweeping towards the sky as if to annihilate everything between heaven and earth.
He dodges and weaves, fists and feet unleashed, leaving multiple afterimages!
The sounds of the youth's martial arts practice erupt like a torrential storm in the silent night, continuous and unbroken.
...
Time trickles by. The youth, under the illumination of the Luminescent Moon Essence Stone, has practiced his martial arts for a full three hours. Perhaps due to the open space nearby, the sounds of his training do not disturb anyone.
"Hoo hoo..."
Shortly after, the youth ceases his movements. At this moment, his breathing rhythm is no longer under his conscious control.
He gasps for air like an exhausted bull, large beads of sweat seeping from every pore.
His sweat-soaked body makes him appear as though he has just been pulled from water.
He fetches a bucket of well water, washes away the sweat, and walks towards his cave dwelling.
"The circulation of blood essence for today is almost complete. Judging by the time, it's time to cultivate my own spiritual energy."
The youth murmurs softly to himself.
...
With a creak, the cave dwelling door is pushed open by the youth's hands. Upon entering, he does not immediately lie down to rest. Instead, he sits cross-legged on a meditation cushion, commencing his daily practice of cultivating spiritual energy.
Cultivation is never an easy task; it is a lifetime accompanied by boredom, monotony, and solitude for the practitioner.
The Great Dao is hard to attain; only with a sincere heart and steadfast will can one achieve success.
The youth is an orphan named Wu Tao. Unlike those born into cultivation families with wealth and power, whose resources like spirit stones, elixirs, and herbs are abundant, leading them to practice intermittently, these "favored children of heaven" are not like him.
From the moment he could understand, he has strived to cultivate diligently, meticulously completing sect missions to earn spirit stones, elixirs, and herbs, thereby strengthening himself.
...
The next morning.
Wu Tao rises early, washes himself, changes his clothes, and then heads to the Outer Sect disciple task hall of the Taiyi Immortal Sect.
"This month's task is to arrange and select new disciples. Compared to other tasks, this is quite a lucrative assignment. It seems my previous method of bribing the logistics hall attendant with spirit stones was effective."
Wu Tao walks along the road, his mind occupied with other thoughts.
"Senior Brother Wu?"
As he walks, a voice suddenly calls out from the side.
Wu Tao snaps back to attention and looks to the side.
A young man stands by the roadside. Observing Wu Tao's current reaction, the young man asks with some confusion, "Senior Brother, what is wrong?"
"Nothing!"
Wu Tao glances at the young man, then shakes his head and explains, "It's just that I've been cultivating for a long time recently, and I'm somewhat tired, so my spirit is a bit low."
"Senior Brother, cultivation requires balance. You cannot simply cultivate in seclusion all the time; you must also relax occasionally," the young man advises with a hint of worry.
"I know, Junior Brother. You are still as verbose as ever," Wu Tao replies with a smile.
The two walk on, conversing.
...
The young man is named Hua Chen. Like Wu Tao, he is also an outer sect disciple of the Taiyi Immortal Sect.
The two are on good terms for various reasons and can be considered friends within the same small circle.
"Heh heh, I heard that many new outer sect disciples will be joining this sect recruitment. I wonder if there will be any pretty Junior Sisters joining then?" Hua Chen suddenly says, a hint of wistfulness in his eyes.
"Junior Brother, you have the nerve to talk about me. You spend all day seeking out women and have been in the sect for over a decade, yet you are only at the eleventh level of Qi Condensation. If you don't work harder, how will you find your place in the sect later?" Wu Tao, seeing the wistfulness in Hua Chen's eyes, becomes angry and admonishes him.
Time flies, and it cannot be wasted by us.
If you are not harsh on yourself and force yourself to work hard now, in a hundred years, when your lifespan is exhausted, no matter how much you hate your past laziness, it will be too late to turn things around.
...
"Alright, Senior Brother, appetite and lust are human nature! I, your Junior Brother, have no grand ambitions. This is my only hobby in life. Please don't try to persuade me anymore."
Hua Chen waves his hand, clearly not wanting to continue this conversation with the indignant Wu Tao.
...
For a great power like the Taiyi Immortal Sect, which dominates a region, recruiting new disciples and refreshing its ranks is a very important matter for the sect.
Every three years, the Taiyi Immortal Sect opens its gates to recruit new disciples.
And this current period is precisely the time for recruiting new disciples.
Outer sect disciples like Wu Tao and Hua Chen have been busy with this matter recently.
...
The two continue walking and slowly arrive before the mountain gate of the Taiyi Immortal Sect.
At this moment, a considerable number of people are already queuing up.
"Outer sect disciples Wu Tao and Hua Chen are here to report."
Taking out his token from his storage bag, Wu Tao pulls Hua Chen and bows to the Foundation Establishment stage steward seated at a table.
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