Reaching the Sect

"Is this the Five Mountains Sect..." Zeng Fan murmured to himself. Before him, five colossal mountain peaks floated in the sky. Each mountain had a different color, and two stood out from the other three. One was shrouded in mist, exuding a fragrance that refreshed the mind and spirit. Another was entirely black, its summit covered in dense thunderclouds, with countless bolts of lightning that seemed capable of pulverizing anyone who got too close.

Countless buildings were densely packed on the giant mountains, with innumerable figures moving among them. From the base to the summit, the number of buildings decreased, while their exquisiteness and luxury increased. The higher one went, the higher their status presumably was. Beneath the five floating mountains, there was a smaller mountain on the ground. Each giant mountain was connected to this small mountain by a chain bridge. Though called a small mountain, compared to the five giant mountains in the sky, this one could be considered a mountain range, capable of housing tens of thousands of people. Outside the five mountains, a white energy barrier enveloped the entire Five Mountains Sect, with countless figures entering and exiting.

"Welcome to the sect." Shi Yun's voice rang out, tinged with pride. Every time he saw the awe-struck expressions of the new disciples witnessing the sect for the first time, he was reminded of his own youthful shock. The sight of these five giant mountains suspended in the sky always filled him with emotion and pride.

"These floating mountains are where disciples of the Spirit Control Realm and higher cultivate. Disciples like you, in the Body Tempering Realm, will cultivate on the mountain below first. I'll take you there," Shi Yun said to the group. He then piloted the spirit boat towards the lower mountain. As they approached the white energy barrier, Shi Yun took out a token from his robes. The barrier rippled, scanned the token, and then opened a passage for them to pass through.

As soon as he entered, Zeng Fan immediately felt the difference. "The spiritual energy concentration here is comparable to when I cultivate using spirit stones." Zeng Fan was astonished. If the spiritual energy concentration was this amazing just at the entrance, how incredible must the mountains below and the giant peaks above be? Zeng Fan felt a strong desire surge within him, wishing he could immediately fly up to the giant mountains and absorb the endless spiritual energy to his heart's content. His cultivation would surely grow at an astonishing rate.

Shi Yun led the group to a palace in front of the lower mountain. "Wait here for a moment," Shi Yun said before entering the palace.

Zeng Fan looked around. Not far away, some other young men and women were waiting, likely fellow "cultivation seeds" selected from other places. Judging by the cultivation fluctuations emanating from them, they were around the same level as Zeng Fan's group. Disciples walked by in the distance, pointing and chattering amongst themselves as they saw the newly arrived disciples, discussing something unknown.

"Follow me." Shi Yun emerged from the palace, accompanied by a smiling old man.

Seeing the group, the old man addressed Shi Yun, "Where is the Earth Vein you mentioned?"

Shi Yun pointed at Murong Xue. "Elder, this is the one. She is a descendant of the Murong lineage from the Profound Spirit Dynasty."

"Good, good, good! Young Shi Yun, you've found a disciple with Earth Vein potential this time. I'll report it to the Mission Hall. Little girl, come with me. Earth Vein disciples have separate arrangements," the old man said to Murong Xue with a smile.

"I will obey the Elder's commands," Murong Xue replied respectfully. Her previously haughty demeanor, displayed in front of Zeng Fan and the others, had vanished completely. She looked like a well-behaved child as she walked behind the Elder.

The old man nodded in satisfaction and led Murong Xue into the palace. Shi Yun, meanwhile, led the rest of the group in another direction.

Shi Yun stopped in front of a certain area. A disciple spotted Shi Yun and hurried over.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Shi Yun. Are these the new disciples?"

Shi Yun nodded. "I'm entrusting this batch of new disciples to your care."

"Please rest assured, Senior Brother. I will definitely arrange things well for these new junior brothers and sisters," the disciple said to Shi Yun with a smile.

"Follow me." With that, the disciple led the group inside.

Shi Yun hesitated for a moment and then called out, "Zeng Fan, wait a moment."

Zeng Fan, who was about to follow the group, paused and looked at the leading disciple. When the disciple heard Shi Yun's words, his eyes also turned to Zeng Fan. He waved at Zeng Fan. "You can follow us in a bit." Then he led the group inside. Yuan Jin glanced at Zeng Fan. Zeng Fan nodded at him, signaling him not to worry. Seeing Zeng Fan's assurance, Yuan Jin had no choice but to enter first.

Zeng Fan bowed to Shi Yun. "May I ask why Senior Brother Shi Yun called me here?" Now that they were in the sect, they were all disciples, so Zeng Fan could rightfully call Shi Yun "Senior Brother."

Shi Yun hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, "This is my communication jade slip. If you encounter any trouble within the sect, you can use it to contact me. Consider it building good karma. Don't be too nervous." He then handed Zeng Fan a jade slip.

Zeng Fan was somewhat surprised. From the selection process to entering the sect, he hadn't had much interaction with Shi Yun. Why would Shi Yun suddenly give him a communication jade slip? He didn't seem to possess anything particularly special that would warrant the attention of a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator. However, the priority now was to thank Shi Yun.

With that thought, Zeng Fan smiled at Shi Yun. "Junior Brother thanks Senior Brother here. If there's ever anything Senior Brother needs my help with in the future, please don't hesitate to ask."

Seeing Zeng Fan accept the jade slip, Shi Yun's expression softened slightly. He also smiled upon hearing Zeng Fan's words, as he had intended to leave a good impression on Zeng Fan. "Certainly, certainly. You go in now. I also need to attend to some matters."

After speaking, Shi Yun nodded at Zeng Fan and ascended into the sky. Zeng Fan bowed towards the sky. After Shi Yun's figure disappeared, he turned and hurried to catch up with Yuan Jin and the others.

When Yuan Jin saw Zeng Fan catching up, he threw him a questioning look. Zeng Fan shook his head.

"We'll talk about it later. We need to go get our identity tokens now. With this token, we can enter and exit the sect's formation. Without it, approaching would result in instant death," Yuan Jin told Zeng Fan.

Zeng Fan's heart grew serious. He nodded at Yuan Jin. Upon receiving the token, it was a black piece of material, with Zeng Fan's name engraved on it. He could feel a slight warmth in his palm. After fiddling with it for a while, Zeng Fan tucked it into his robes.

Afterward, the disciple who led them announced the rules. Those with Profound Grade Spiritual Veins would become ordinary disciples upon entering the sect. However, those with Yellow Veins would temporarily be laborers. Only after advancing their cultivation and passing the sect's assessment could they become ordinary disciples. The living quarters for laborers and ordinary disciples were different. Wang An, being a Yellow Vein disciple, was assigned to a different area. Zeng Fan and Yuan Jin, however, were assigned to the ordinary disciples' living quarters.

Even though they were ordinary disciples, their accommodation was just a thatched hut, furnished with a bed, a table, and a stool. According to the leading disciple's introduction, if an ordinary disciple advanced to become an inner disciple, their residence would be a cave dwelling, which was much better than these thatched huts.

However, Zeng Fan was already very satisfied. He had come to cultivate, and without strength, how could he enjoy luxuries? Moreover, the spiritual energy concentration in the areas where Zeng Fan and Yuan Jin were housed was likely the highest, indicating that the leading disciple had made special arrangements.

Zeng Fan knew it was likely due to Shi Yun's influence. After settling in, he specifically thanked the disciple who arranged their accommodation, conveying his gratitude without words.

After settling down, Yuan Jin entered Zeng Fan's room. "What did Shi Yun call you for earlier?" Zeng Fan explained the reason. Yuan Jin scratched his head. Having a Foundation Establishment disciple looking out for him was naturally a good thing. As an ordinary disciple, he had nothing valuable for them to covet, so he decided not to dwell on it for now.

"The pressing matter now is to cultivate as quickly as possible. Ordinary disciples receive a monthly stipend of 20 spirit stones and can also receive a pill to accelerate cultivation. Everything else must be obtained on your own. You need to reach the Spirit Gathering Realm to take missions from the Mission Hall, and we are still far from that," Yuan Jin said to Zeng Fan. Although entering the sect meant increased opportunities and resources, his current cultivation was still too low.

"The requirement to be in the Spirit Gathering Realm to take missions is also a form of protection. Body Tempering realm disciples would likely die if they went out. What could they do to help the sect? Besides, with such high spiritual energy concentration here, our breakthrough to the Body Tempering Realm won't be too slow," Zeng Fan comforted Yuan Jin.

"That's true. Tomorrow, we'll go get the pills and spirit stones and focus on breaking through!" Yuan Jin gritted his teeth, then got up and returned to his own room to cultivate.

Zeng Fan sat down quietly and closed his eyes, sensing the spiritual energy concentration. He was very satisfied. The current location's concentration was even higher than when he had used spirit stones in the Profound Spirit Dynasty, which was sufficient for cultivation.

Zeng Fan closed his eyes and began to absorb the spiritual energy. Under the guidance of his consciousness, the spiritual energy continuously permeated the meridians in his body, bringing him closer to breaking through the Body Tempering Muscle stage.

In the early morning, Zeng Fan opened his eyes. His cultivation had improved significantly after a night of cultivation. "If I cultivate for a few more days, I should be able to break through. I wonder if adding the pill I'll receive today will allow me to..." Zeng Fan felt a slight anticipation. Indeed, with the increased spiritual energy concentration, his cultivation speed had greatly accelerated.

After practicing a set of Fish Dragon Fist, he felt much more energetic. Zeng Fan then called Yuan Jin and headed towards the disciple hall, where each disciple received their monthly stipend.

After explaining their purpose to the registering disciple, both of them received their spirit stones and pills without any complications. Zeng Fan looked at the pill in his hand. This was the second time he had encountered a pill; the first was the Pulse-Breaking Pill. However, the pill received by ordinary disciples was clearly not as good as the Pulse-Breaking Pill. It looked more like a medicinal lump than a proper pill. Still, for Zeng Fan, who lacked everything at the moment, anything was good.

The two walked out of the disciple hall, discussing the effects of the pill and sharing some cultivation insights. Just as they were nearing their living quarters.

"Two Junior Brothers, please wait a moment!" a voice called out. Zeng Fan and Yuan Jin turned around. A stranger with a thin face and small eyes, now looking at them with a smile, had stopped them. Beside him stood a huge, fat man.

"May I ask why Senior Brother has called us?" Zeng Fan politely returned the greeting.

"I just saw you two collecting your monthly stipends from the disciple hall, didn't I?" the man said with a smile.

"No, Senior Brother must have mistaken us. We were just asking some questions," Zeng Fan replied, his smile unchanged, but his mind became alert.

"Don't try to fool us, kid. We heard you talking just now. Senior Brothers, we'd like to borrow some spirit stones from you guys. Five spirit stones each. We'll pay you back when we have the chance, how about it?" the burly man next to the thin one said in a deep voice.

"Not happening. You borrow spirit stones, and you'll pay them back? Don't be ridiculous," a voice answered for Zeng Fan.