Initiation Task

Before long, all the guests had arrived—only a dozen or so in total. As the host, Wang Hong raised the first cup of spirit wine.

Then, as they savored the spirit wine, everyone exchanged insights from their cultivation. Cultivators usually cultivated alone, and it was all too easy to end up building carts behind closed doors. An occasional exchange with others was worthwhile; after all, stones from other hills could polish one's jade.

After that, they spoke of various strange tales and curiosities from the cultivation world.

"In another five years, the great sects of the cultivation world will be issuing initiation tasks again and recruiting disciples. Do you have any plans?" a young man in white asked. His name was Zhu Weisheng, and he usually made a small living trading spirit herbs.

He had some business dealings with Wang Hong and the others, and over time, they had gradually become acquainted.

Wang Hong now knew that the cultivation world they inhabited was called the Eastern Continent Cultivation World. Tens of thousands of miles farther west stood an enormous mountain range called Pillar Mountain, stretching across the land from north to south. Pillar Mountain marked the boundary: east of it was the Eastern Continent, humanity's territory. West of Pillar Mountain was called the Western Continent. The Western Continent, meanwhile, was occupied by the Demon Race and was their territory.

The Eastern Continent Cultivation World had six great sects: Taihao Sect, Qingxu Sect, Beast Spirit Gate, Hunyuan Sect, Qianqiao Pavilion, and Putuo Temple. Together with a number of small and medium-sized sects and cultivation lineages, they formed the Eastern Continent Cultivation World.

As for the great sects recruiting disciples, Wang Hong had only heard a few scattered details before. He did not know much about it.

"I'm old now. There's no hope for me anymore. But when I was young, I took part several times. Each time, I barely escaped death, and I nearly died more than once—let alone gained anything," an old man said at this point.

The old man was named Feng Xin. He was an old Rogue Cultivator who had spent many years scraping by in Qingxu City, a true old hand. He often set up a stall over at Free Market and knew Qingxu City like the back of his hand.

Wang Hong also wanted to join a sect. His younger brother was in Taihao Sect, so naturally, it would be best if he could join Taihao Sect as well. If not, joining another sect would do.

For now, the various cultivation techniques of the Qi Refinement Realm could still be bought with some Spirit Stones. But once one reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, cultivation techniques and secret arts of all kinds were no longer things Spirit Stones could buy.

More importantly, the secret realms that produced the ingredients for refining Foundation Establishment Pills were all controlled by the great sects. Without joining some faction, there was simply no way to obtain Foundation Establishment Pills.

Without Foundation Establishment Pills, given his aptitude, he had not the slightest hope of achieving Foundation Establishment. Since he had already embarked upon the great path of cultivation, how could he be willing to stop at the Qi Refinement Realm?

If possible, he hoped even more to obtain spirit herbs, grow the herbs needed for Foundation Establishment Pills in his space, and refine the pills himself.

With his aptitude, he was not confident that a single Foundation Establishment Pill would be enough for him to achieve Foundation Establishment. If possible, he also wanted to cultivate some of his subordinates into Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators.

And if he joined a sect, with the sect standing behind him, would the Lin Family still dare hunt him down so openly?

Hearing Old Feng say that he had gone several times, Wang Hong asked, "You have such extensive experience, Elder. Could you offer me some guidance?"

They said a hero did not boast of his former glory, but once a person grew old, he loved talking about the brave deeds of his youth. Cultivators were no exception. When Old Feng heard Wang Hong's question, he began explaining in a flood of words.

Every ten years, the six great sects opened their mountain gates wide and went to the major immortal cities to recruit disciples. Though Qingxu City lay within Qingxu Sect's sphere of influence, all six great sects could come here to recruit disciples.

At that time, the six great sects would each issue initiation tasks. The first fifty people to complete a task could enter the corresponding sect and become formal disciples.

In addition, those with a special skill—such as pill refining, artifact refining, or talisman crafting—or those who offered spiritual items of sufficient value could also join a sect as registered disciples. If they performed well afterward, they could become formal disciples as well.

West of the Qingxu Mountain Range lay a vast marsh called Black Dragon Marsh, spanning more than ten thousand miles. It had originally been a blessed land of immortals with extraordinarily dense spiritual energy, but excessive exploitation had caused its spirit veins to vanish. Coupled with the breeding of all manner of venomous insects and savage beasts, the place became shrouded in poisonous miasma all year round, and its environment turned exceptionally harsh.

The tasks issued by the great sects each time required people to venture deep into Black Dragon Marsh and search for the designated spiritual items. These included spirit herbs, spirit wood, Spirit Fruit, spirit ore, and certain specific demon cores. They varied from year to year.

Wang Hong asked, "They vary? Does that mean there are some items that are listed as task items every time?"

Old Feng said, "Exactly. Black Dragon Marsh was once a blessed land of immortals, after all, and a small number of the spirit herbs used to refine Foundation Establishment Pills still remain there. Though there are not many—at most one or two plants appear each time. As for other spiritual items, there may occasionally be repeats, but the chances are slim.

Whenever the sects issue initiation tasks, it is the time of fiercest competition among Qi Refinement cultivators. Who knows how many young talents have perished because of it.

When I was young, I entered Black Dragon Marsh several times. If I, Feng, had not possessed a bit of skill at fleeing for my life, I would have long since become a pile of dry bones.

When the time comes, nearly every late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator in the city—at least tens of thousands of people—will take part in the selection tasks. Countless experts will be among them.

With such a number of experts competing for just over two hundred spots, one could well imagine how brutal the competition will be.

If your cultivation has not reached the late stage of the Qi Refinement Realm, entering it will only make you cannon fodder. It is best not to participate.

Black Dragon Marsh is filled with poisonous mist and countless venomous insects. You must prepare sufficient antidote pills.

If you intend to enter as a team, it is best to find cultivators you know well. In Black Dragon Marsh, people are more dangerous than Demonic Beasts. Some cultivators even specialize in ambushing travelers, killing them and seizing their treasures.

And there's more..."

Wang Hong committed every word Old Feng said to memory.

The others also said they would take part in the Immortal Sect selection tasks. After chatting about everything under the sun for a while longer, they dispersed.

After returning to his residence, Wang Hong was still pondering the Immortal Sect selection tasks.

After repeated consideration, he concluded that what he currently needed to do fell into several areas: first, raise his cultivation; second, improve his overall combat strength; third, develop a skill; and fourth, familiarize himself with Black Dragon Marsh in advance.

With his current fifth-layer Qi Refinement cultivation, he had no hope at all. He probably was not even qualified to serve as cannon fodder.

However, there were still five years left. Reaching the seventh layer of Qi Refinement by then should not be a problem. But in the eyes of the many ninth- and tenth-layer cultivators, he would merely be slightly tougher cannon fodder.

Even among late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators, there were strong and weak ones. As for his current combat strength, there was truly nothing worth mentioning.

A person's combat strength was determined by many factors, including cultivation realm, cultivation techniques, magical artifacts, talismans, and more.

At present, the only cultivation technique that could increase his combat strength was the "Body Tempering Art." It was practically a cultivation technique tailor-made for him.

It did not demand much of one's spirit roots, but it required the consumption of enormous resources—swallowing vast quantities of medicinal pills or heavenly treasures, refining the spiritual energy within them, and tempering the physical body.

For other Rogue Cultivators, the vast resources it consumed were a burden they could not bear. This also directly led to slow cultivation progress.

Hu Qing, who had previously beaten Wang Hong until he was looking for his teeth all over the ground, had cultivated for ten years and only raised this cultivation technique to the second layer.

But Wang Hong possessed the space, which could help him obtain enormous quantities of resources. What he lacked least were spirit-herb resources. All he needed to do was turn those resources into his own cultivation and strength.

Wang Hong took three Qi Gathering Pills every day, causing his progress in the Body Tempering Art to advance at breakneck speed. In less than a year, he completed the first layer of the Body Tempering Art.

In addition, Wang Hong planned to focus on improving his pill-refining skill. He was not confident he could stand out among the many late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators, or even peak Qi Refinement cultivators. He had no confidence in that at all.

If his pill-refining skill was exceptional, he could also use it to enter a sect. It would count as preparing another fallback for himself.

And improving pill-refining skill was nothing more than practicing again and again.