"Is this the Five Mountains Sect...?" Zeng Fan murmured. Before him, five enormous floating peaks appeared. Each of the five mountains was a different color, and two of them were clearly unlike the other three. One was shrouded in mist, with what seemed to be the fragrance of medicine drifting from it, refreshing anyone who breathed it in. Another was entirely black, and its summit was covered in dense thunderclouds. Countless bolts of lightning coursed through them, each one seemingly capable of reducing a person to dust.
The enormous mountains were packed with countless buildings, with innumerable figures weaving among them. From the foot of the peaks to their summits, the number of buildings steadily decreased, while their elegance and luxury constantly increased. The higher one went, the higher their status should be. Beneath the five floating mountains stood another small mountain. Each great mountain was connected to it by an iron-chain bridge. Although it was called a small mountain, compared with the five giant mountains in the sky, it could still be considered an entire mountain range, large enough to accommodate tens of thousands of people. Beyond the Five Mountains was another layer of white light, enclosing the entire Five Mountains Sect. Countless figures were entering and leaving it at that moment.
"Welcome to the Sect." Shi Yun's voice rang out, carrying a hint of pride. Whenever he saw these young men and women, who had just entered the Sect, witness its scenery for the first time, he would recall the shock he had felt when he first saw it as a youth. The sight of these five enormous mountains floating in the sky made him feel awe and pride every time he saw it.
"These floating mountains are places where Spirit Control Realm disciples and those above them can cultivate. You Body Tempering Realm disciples will cultivate on the mountain below for now. I'll take you there." Shi Yun addressed the group. He then piloted the Spirit Boat toward the mountain below. As they neared the white light, Shi Yun took a token from his robes. The light rippled as it swept over the token, then opened a gap for them to pass through.
The moment they entered, Zeng Fan immediately sensed the difference. "The concentration of spiritual energy is comparable to the environment when I cultivated with Spirit Stones." Zeng Fan was astonished. The concentration of spiritual energy just inside the entrance was already so astonishing—how incredible would the mountain below and the giant peaks above be? A powerful longing arose in Zeng Fan. He wished he could fly to the giant mountains at once and freely absorb the endless spiritual energy. His cultivation would surely increase by leaps and bounds.
Shi Yun brought everyone to a palace on the mountain below. "Wait here for a moment." After saying this, Shi Yun entered the palace.
Zeng Fan looked around. There were also some young men and women waiting not far away, probably cultivation seeds like them, selected from other places. Judging from the fluctuations of cultivation around them, they were about on the same level. Some disciples passed in the distance. Upon seeing these newly arrived disciples reporting in, they pointed and whispered, though no one knew what they were discussing.
"Come with me." Shi Yun had already emerged from the palace, with a smiling old man following behind him.
Upon seeing everyone, the old man turned to Shi Yun and asked, "Where is the Earth Vein you mentioned?"
Shi Yun pointed at Murong Xue. "Elder, it's this girl. She's a descendant of the Murong line of the Profound Spirit Dynasty."
"Good, good, good. Shi Yun, you brat, you've found a disciple with Earth Vein aptitude this time. I'll report it to the Mission Hall. Little girl, come with me. You Earth Vein disciples have other arrangements." The old man smiled warmly at Murong Xue.
"I'll follow the Elder's instructions." Murong Xue answered respectfully. The haughty manner she had displayed before Zeng Fan and the others vanished completely. Like an obedient child, she walked behind the Elder.
The old man nodded in satisfaction and led Murong Xue into the palace. Shi Yun, meanwhile, took everyone in another direction.
When they reached a certain area, Shi Yun stopped. A disciple spotted him and ran over.
"Greetings, Senior Brother Shi Yun. Are this batch the new disciples?"
Shi Yun nodded. "I'll leave this batch of new disciples for you to arrange."
"Rest assured, Senior Brother. I'll make proper arrangements for these new junior brothers and sisters." The disciple smiled at Shi Yun.
"Come with me." As soon as he spoke, the disciple led everyone inside.
Shi Yun hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Zeng Fan, wait."
Zeng Fan, who had been about to follow the others, froze. He then looked toward the leading disciple. When that disciple heard Shi Yun, he also looked at Zeng Fan and waved at him. "Just come in later." He led the others inside. Yuan Jin glanced at Zeng Fan, and Zeng Fan nodded, signaling him not to worry. Seeing this, Yuan Jin had no choice but to enter first.
Zeng Fan saluted Shi Yun. "May I ask why Senior Brother Shi Yun called me?"
Now that they had entered the Sect, everyone was a disciple, so Zeng Fan could naturally address Shi Yun as Senior Brother.
Shi Yun hesitated before smiling. "This is my communication Jade Slip. If you run into any trouble in the Sect, you can use it to contact me. Consider it the forming of a good connection. Don't be so tense." With that, he handed Zeng Fan a Jade Slip.
Zeng Fan was somewhat surprised as well. From the selection until entering the Sect, he had barely interacted with Shi Yun. Why had he suddenly given him a communication Jade Slip today? He did not seem to possess anything special that could attract the attention of this Foundation Establishment cultivator. Still, thanking Shi Yun was the priority.
With that thought, Zeng Fan smiled at Shi Yun. "This junior thanks Senior Brother. If there's anything this junior can do for you in the future, Senior Brother need only ask."
When Shi Yun saw Zeng Fan accept the Jade Slip, his expression softened somewhat. Hearing Zeng Fan's words, he smiled as well. After all, he had only wanted to leave a good impression on each other. "It's nothing, it's nothing. Go on inside. I have some matters to deal with as well."
After speaking, Shi Yun nodded at Zeng Fan, rose into the air, and flew upward. Zeng Fan saluted toward the sky. Once Shi Yun's figure disappeared from sight, he turned and hurried after Yuan Jin and the others.
When Yuan Jin saw Zeng Fan approaching, he threw him an inquiring look. Zeng Fan shook his head.
"We'll talk about it later. Right now, we have to go collect our identity tokens. With these tokens, we can enter and leave the Sect's great formation. Without one, we'll be instantly obliterated the moment we approach it." Yuan Jin told Zeng Fan.
Zeng Fan's heart tightened. He nodded at Yuan Jin. Once they received their tokens, they saw that they were black, with each person's name engraved on it. A faint warmth could still be felt in his palm. After fiddling with it for a while, Zeng Fan tucked it into his robes.
The disciple who had brought them in then announced the rules. Those with Profound Grade Spiritual Veins became ordinary disciples upon entering the Sect, while Yellow Vein disciples were temporarily assigned as Labor Disciples. Only after their cultivation advanced and they passed the Sect's examination could they become ordinary disciples. Labor Disciples and ordinary disciples lived in different places. Since Wang An had a Yellow Vein, he was sent elsewhere, while Zeng Fan and Yuan Jin were assigned quarters for ordinary disciples.
Although they were ordinary disciples, their quarters were merely thatched huts. Inside were a bed, a table, a stool, and a few other simple furnishings. According to the leading disciple, if an ordinary disciple advanced to become an Inner Disciple, his quarters would be a cave abode, whose conditions were far superior to this thatched hut.
Zeng Fan was already extremely satisfied. After all, he had come to cultivate. Without strength, how could he enjoy anything? Moreover, the concentration of spiritual energy in the two huts assigned to Zeng Fan and Yuan Jin seemed to be the highest here. The leading disciple should have arranged it deliberately.
Zeng Fan knew it was probably because of Shi Yun. After the arrangements were finished, he deliberately thanked the disciple. The rest was left unspoken.
After settling in, Yuan Jin entered Zeng Fan's hut. "Why did Shi Yun stop you just now?" Zeng Fan told him what had happened. Yuan Jin scratched his head. Having a Foundation Establishment disciple look after them was naturally a good thing. As ordinary disciples, they had nothing worth coveting, so they could set the matter aside for now.
"The most important thing now is to cultivate as quickly as possible. Besides receiving a monthly stipend of twenty Spirit Stones, ordinary disciples can also receive a pill that speeds up cultivation. Everything else has to be obtained on our own. The Mission Hall only accepts missions from Spirit Gathering Realm disciples, and we're still far from that." Yuan Jin spoke to Zeng Fan. Although entering the Sect had increased their opportunities and resources, their cultivation was still too weak.
"Requiring the Spirit Gathering Realm to accept missions is also a form of protection for us. A Body Tempering Realm disciple would probably die the moment he went out. What could he possibly do for the Sect? Besides, the spiritual energy here is so dense that our breakthroughs from the Body Tempering Realm shouldn't take too long." Zeng Fan comforted Yuan Jin.
"That's true. Tomorrow, we'll go collect the pills and Spirit Stones. Let's hurry and break through!" Yuan Jin gritted his teeth, then rose and returned to cultivate.
After calming his mind and sitting in meditation, Zeng Fan closed his eyes and sensed the concentration of spiritual energy. He was very satisfied. The concentration where he was now was even higher than when he had used Spirit Stones in the Profound Spirit Dynasty. It was more than enough for cultivation.
Zeng Fan closed his eyes and began absorbing spiritual energy. Guided by his consciousness, the spiritual energy continuously seeped into the meridians throughout his body. He was drawing closer and closer to breaking through the Body Tempering Muscle stage.
At dawn, Zeng Fan opened his eyes. A night of cultivation had improved his cultivation considerably. "A few more days of cultivation should be enough for me to break through. I wonder if adding the pill we're collecting today will let me..." Zeng Fan was faintly expectant. Sure enough, once the concentration of spiritual energy increased, his cultivation speed accelerated tremendously.
After practicing a set of Fish Dragon Fist, he felt much more energetic. Zeng Fan then called Yuan Jin and headed toward the Disciple Hall. This was where every disciple collected his monthly stipend.
After explaining their purpose to the registering disciple, the two received their Spirit Stones and pills without any trouble. Zeng Fan examined the pill in his hand. This was only his second time coming into contact with a pill—the first had been the Pulse-Breaking Pill. Clearly, the pill ordinary disciples received was nowhere near as good as the Pulse-Breaking Pill. It only looked like a pill; perhaps it was merely a lump of medicine. Still, Zeng Fan was short of everything at present, and anything was better than nothing.
The two left the Disciple Hall, discussing the effects of the pill as they walked and exchanging some insights on cultivation. Just as they were about to reach their quarters, a voice called out.
"Wait, you two junior brothers!" Zeng Fan and Yuan Jin turned around. An unfamiliar man had called out to them. He had hollow cheeks and slightly narrow eyes, and he was currently looking at them with a broad smile. Beside him stood a huge, fat man.
"May I ask why Senior Brother called us?" Zeng Fan politely returned the salute.
"I just saw you two collect this month's stipend from the Disciple Hall, didn't I?" the man asked with a sly smile.
"No, you must have seen wrong, Senior Brother. We merely went to ask some questions." The smile on Zeng Fan's face did not change, but he had grown alert inside.
"Quit talking nonsense with us, kid. We heard what you two were discussing just now. Senior Brother, we want to borrow some Spirit Stones from you to spend—five Spirit Stones each. We'll return them once we have time. How about it?" The burly man beside the skinny one spoke in a booming voice.
"How about no? You think you'll return those Spirit Stones after borrowing them? Cut the act." A voice answered for Zeng Fan.
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