Entry-Level Mission

It wasn't long before guests from all sides arrived, numbering only a little over a dozen. As the host, Wang Hong first offered a cup of Spirit Wine.

Then, while savoring the Spirit Wine, everyone exchanged their cultivation experiences. Cultivators often practice alone, which can lead to being out of touch. Occasional exchanges with others are beneficial, as the saying goes, "Other mountains' stones can polish jade."

Afterward, they chatted about interesting and unusual happenings in the cultivation world.

"In another five years, the major sects in the cultivation world will release their entry missions to recruit disciples. Do you have any plans?" a young man in white asked. His name was Zhu Weisheng; he usually made a small living by trading spiritual herbs.

He had some business dealings with Wang Hong and his companions, and they had gradually become familiar with each other.

Wang Hong now knew that the cultivation world they were in was called the Eastern Continent Cultivation World. Tens of thousands of miles to the west lay a massive mountain range called Pillar Mountain, stretching across the north and south. With Pillar Mountain as the boundary, the east was known as the Eastern Continent, the territory of the human race. To the west of Pillar Mountain was the Western Continent, which was occupied by Demonic Beasts and was their territory.

The Eastern Continent Cultivation World had six major sects: Taihao Sect, Qingxu Sect, Beast Spirit Gate, Hunyuan Sect, Qianqiao Pavilion, and Putuo Temple. In addition, there were various smaller and medium-sized sects, as well as cultivation families, which together formed the Eastern Continent Cultivation World.

Regarding the recruitment of disciples by the major sects, Wang Hong had only heard snippets of information and didn't know much.

"I'm old now and have no hope. But when I was young, I participated a few times. I nearly died several times, and apart from that, I gained nothing," an old man said at this moment.

This old man was named Feng Xin. He was an old rogue cultivator who had been active in Qingxu City for many years, a seasoned veteran. He often set up stalls in the Free Market and was very familiar with Qingxu City.

Wang Hong also had the idea of joining a sect. His younger brother was in Taihao Sect, so joining Taihao Sect would naturally be ideal. If not, joining another sect would also be fine.

At the Qi Refining stage, various Cultivation Techniques could still be purchased with Spirit Stones. However, once one reached the Foundation Establishment stage, various Cultivation Techniques and secret arts would no longer be available for purchase with Spirit Stones.

More importantly, the secret realms for refining Foundation Establishment Pills were controlled by the major sects. Without joining a faction, it was impossible to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Without a Foundation Establishment Pill, given his aptitude, he had no hope of reaching Foundation Establishment. Since he had embarked on the path of cultivation, how could he be content to stop at the Qi Refining stage?

If possible, he hoped to obtain spiritual herbs and cultivate the necessary spiritual herbs for the Foundation Establishment Pill in his Mysterious Space, thereby refining the Foundation Establishment Pill himself.

With his aptitude, he wasn't confident he could achieve Foundation Establishment with just one Foundation Establishment Pill. If possible, he also wanted to nurture some of his subordinates to reach the Foundation Establishment stage.

Furthermore, if he joined a sect and had their backing, would the Lin Family still dare to openly hunt him?

Hearing the old man Feng mention his past experiences, Wang Hong said, "You have rich experience, old sir. Could you offer some guidance?"

As the saying goes, a hero doesn't boast of his past deeds, but when people get old, they love to talk about their younger days. Cultivators were no exception. Old Feng, hearing Wang Hong's question, began to explain with great enthusiasm.

Every ten years, the six major sects would open their gates wide and travel to various immortal cities to recruit disciples. Although Qingxu City was within the sphere of influence of Qingxu Sect, all six major sects could come here to recruit disciples.

At that time, the six major sects would each release entry missions. The top fifty individuals who completed the missions could enter the corresponding sect and become formal disciples.

Additionally, if one possessed a special skill, such as alchemy, artifact refining, or talisman crafting, or offered a certain value of spiritual items, they could also join a sect as registered disciples. If their performance was outstanding in the future, they could be transferred to formal disciples.

West of the Qingxu Mountain range lay a vast marsh called Black Dragon Marsh, spanning over ten thousand miles. It was originally a blessed land with extremely rich spiritual energy, but due to excessive exploitation, the spiritual veins disappeared. Coupled with the proliferation of poisonous insects and fierce beasts, the area was constantly enveloped in poisonous gas, making the environment extremely harsh.

The missions released by the major sects each time involved venturing deep into Black Dragon Marsh to find the spiritual items required for the missions. These spiritual items included spirit grass, spirit wood, Spirit Fruit, spirit ore, and some specific Demonic Beast cores. The requirements varied slightly each year.

Wang Hong asked, "Slightly different? Does that mean there are some items that are always listed as mission items?"

Old Feng replied, "Precisely. Black Dragon Marsh was once a blessed land, and a few spiritual herbs for refining Foundation Establishment Pills remain. Although not many, at most one or two appear each time. As for other spiritual items, they occasionally repeat, but the probability is low.

Whenever the sects release entry missions, it becomes the most competitive time for Qi Refining cultivators. Countless young talents have perished because of it.

When I was young, I entered Black Dragon Marsh several times. If I didn't have some skill in escaping, I would have become a pile of dry bones long ago.

At that time, almost all late-stage Qi Refining cultivators in the entire city, at least tens of thousands, would participate in the selection missions. Among them were countless masters.

With so many masters competing for over two hundred spots, the intensity of the competition can only be imagined.

If one's cultivation doesn't reach late-stage Qi Refining, entering would only make them cannon fodder; it's best not to participate.

Black Dragon Marsh is filled with poisonous fog and countless poisonous insects, so sufficient antidote elixirs must be prepared.

If you plan to enter as a team, it's best to find cultivators you know. In Black Dragon Marsh, people are more dangerous than Demonic Beasts. Some cultivators even specialize in ambushing other cultivators to kill and steal their treasures.

Also..."

Wang Hong took note of everything Old Feng said.

The other guests also indicated their intention to participate in the sect selection missions. After chatting about various topics for a while, they dispersed.

Wang Hong returned to his residence, still contemplating the sect selection missions.

After careful consideration, the tasks he needed to accomplish currently fell into several categories: first, improving his cultivation; second, enhancing his overall combat strength; third, improving a skill; and fourth, familiarizing himself with Black Dragon Marsh in advance.

With his current cultivation at the fifth level of Qi Refining, he had no hope. He probably wouldn't even qualify as cannon fodder.

However, there were still five years left. By then, reaching the seventh level of Qi Refining should be achievable. But in the eyes of the numerous cultivators at the ninth or tenth level, he would merely be slightly stronger cannon fodder.

Even among those at the same late-stage Qi Refining, there were strengths and weaknesses. His current combat strength was truly lacking.

The factors that determine a person's combat strength include cultivation realm, Cultivation Techniques, Magic Artifacts, talismans, and many other aspects.

Currently, the only Cultivation Technique that could enhance his combat strength was the Body Tempering Art. It was practically a tailor-made technique for him.

It didn't have high requirements for spiritual roots but consumed a large amount of resources, requiring the ingestion of numerous elixirs or rare heavenly treasures to refine their spiritual energy and temper the physical body.

The massive amount of resources consumed was an unbearable burden for other rogue cultivators, directly leading to slow progress in cultivation.

Hu Qing, who had previously beaten Wang Hong to a pulp, had only cultivated this technique to the second level after ten years of practice.

However, he possessed the Mysterious Space, which allowed him to obtain vast resources, and he never lacked spiritual medicine resources. What he needed to do was convert these resources into his own cultivation and strength.

Wang Hong took three Qi Gathering Pills daily, which allowed his cultivation of the Body Tempering Art to progress rapidly. In less than a year, he completed the first level of the Body Tempering Art.

In addition, Wang Hong planned to focus on improving his alchemy skills. He wasn't confident he could stand out among the many late-stage or even peak Qi Refining cultivators. He had no confidence at all.

If his alchemy skills were superb, he could also join a sect based on this, serving as an additional backup plan.

Improving alchemy skills, in the end, was nothing more than diligent practice.