White Cloud Mountain Range

The White Cloud Mountain Range is located in the southeast of the Jin Kingdom. Stretching for thousands of miles, it is a vast expanse of primeval forests, dense jungles, and deep canyons, home to countless spirit beasts and spirit birds.

Occasionally, rumors of woodcutters and hunters claiming to have seen immortals or demons circulate among the common folk, casting a mysterious veil over the White Cloud Mountain Range.

A century ago, a wave of "immortal seeking" swept through the mortal world, and the White Cloud Mountain Range caught the eyes of the ambitious. Countless commoners ventured into the mountains, but the results were shocking; only a few hundred managed to escape.

According to the survivors, the deeper one ventured into the White Cloud Mountain Range, the more demons and monsters there were. From that point on, the mountain range became a place of terror in the eyes of the common folk, a gathering ground for demons that no one dared to mention without fear.

The White Cloud Mountain Range became a place where commoners dared not tread. Only woodcutters and hunters, who relied on the mountains and waters for their livelihood, dared to operate along its fringes.

In reality, this mountain range had been occupied by the White Cloud Sect for a thousand years. The "immortals" and "demons" seen by the woodcutters and hunters were, naturally, the cultivators and spirit beasts of the White Cloud Sect.

Outside the White Cloud Mountain Range, nestled within a canyon, lies a massive city called White Cloud City. It is a city ruled directly by the White Cloud Sect, and its inhabitants are not commoners, but cultivators.

This city serves as a convenient trading hub for the sect's cultivators and a gathering place for a large number of rogue cultivators. At the same time, it provides the White Cloud Sect with a vast amount of spirit stones and spirit materials every year.

The interior and exterior of the White Cloud Mountain Range appear no different—both are lush and verdant—but the interior is home to far more spirit beasts. This is because the deeper one goes, the more concentrated the spirit energy becomes.

The central part of the White Cloud Mountain Range is covered by a massive array. Everything visible from the outside is merely an illusion; inside lies the true seat of the White Cloud Sect, where dense clusters of pavilions and palaces are built, with rays of light occasionally streaking across the sky.

The White Cloud Sect possesses one main peak and six secondary peaks. The main peak is White Cloud Peak, while the secondary peaks include Spirit Herb Peak, Spirit Beast Peak, and Immortal Spring Peak.

These seven peaks are the locations of the sect's most important structures and its spirit veins, where the spirit energy is naturally very rich.

Additionally, there are over a dozen other surrounding mountains and more than twenty canyons and basins. While the spirit energy of the surrounding mountains is not as potent as that of the seven peaks, it is still much richer than the basins within the canyons.

The canyon basins are mostly residential areas for Qi Refining Stage cultivators. Although they are the places with the lowest concentration of spirit energy within the sect, compared to the outside of the White Cloud Mountain Range, the spirit energy is still far more abundant.

On White Cloud Peak, inside a rather archaic hall known as White Cloud Hall, the Sect Master, Fang Hong, sat at the head of the room. He appeared to be a middle-aged man, though his cultivation had already reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment Late Stage. He was usually calm and rigorous, managing the sect in an orderly fashion.

At this moment, the six Hall Masters sitting on either side of the hall did not display their usual imposing manner, instead listening quietly to the Sect Master's teachings in the solemn and dignified hall.

Glancing at the Hall Masters sitting below, he spoke slowly:

"Do you all know? Spirit Pill Valley, one of the three great sects of the Jin Kingdom, has already recruited an immortal seedling with an Ice Spiritual Root this year. Yet, I wonder how many seedlings with excellent aptitude our sect will be able to find this year?"

The beautiful middle-aged woman sitting on the right smiled and offered comfort:

"Sect Master, there is no news yet. I believe Junior Brother Ding will certainly not let us down!"

The thin, elderly Taoist sitting below the middle-aged woman followed up:

"Junior Sister Lu is quite right. It is too early for the Sect Master to worry about this matter!

Besides, Junior Brother Ding is usually reticent; even if there were good news, he wouldn't send word back in advance!"

Sect Master Fang Hong, sitting above, sighed softly and said:

"I hope so!

I'm just afraid that no news is bad news."

"Senior Brother Sect Master, will the recruitment of disciples this time follow the old rules?"

The middle-aged cultivator sitting in the first seat on the left, his face bearing an air of majesty, suddenly asked.

According to the old rules, he had priority in selecting disciples this year, which was why he was so anxious to ask.

"Junior Brother Qu, no matter how good the aptitude of the seedlings is this time, I will not be taking on any more disciples. I am preparing to go into seclusion to attempt the Golden Core Stage! The rules remain the same," Sect Master Fang Hong said, glancing at the stern-faced middle-aged cultivator.

"Furthermore... in two years, the 'Seed Trial,' which occurs once every twelve years, will begin!

At that time, Uncle-Master will lead the team. Do not be reluctant to part with your precious disciples. If there are no excellent disciples participating, it will make Uncle-Master look bad, so don't blame me for not warning you.

By then, I don't know if I will have emerged from seclusion. The registration method remains the old rule: tasks will be issued by the Command Token Pavilion!"

Sect Master Fang Hong saw that the atmosphere in the hall was quite gloomy. He knew that these precious disciples were the apples of their eyes and were closely tied to their own interests; it was normal for them to be reluctant, and he felt the same way.

Suddenly.

A red light shot in from the distance, passed over the crowd, and hovered in front of the Sect Master sitting above. The cultivators present, however, were not surprised.

A moment later.

"Alright, don't think about trying to pass off fish eyes as pearls; you won't be able to escape Uncle-Master's discerning eyes!

Let's go!

Junior Brother Ding is already outside the mountain gate. Let's go receive the Immortal Seedlings! It's the perfect time for you to select your disciples."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Sect Master stood up, walked down the steps, and led the sullen Hall Masters out of White Cloud Hall.

Cheng Buzheng, who was lying on the edge of the boat looking at the scenery outside, suddenly saw a city built in a valley below. Thinking they would be stopping for a long time again, he took a casual glance.

It made him think of his experiences over this period. Along the way, whenever they encountered a city, the White Jade Boat would stop there for six or seven hours. In the blink of an eye, it had been over a month since Cheng Buzheng boarded the jade boat.

Suddenly, Cheng Buzheng realized that the jade boat had actually bypassed the city. This caught him off guard. The jade boat continued to move forward, flying over a massive mountain range.

Half a day later.

The flying White Jade Boat suddenly veered slightly, flying toward the slope below, and came to a stop between two enormous mountain peaks.

Uncle Ding, whose expression remained cold, glanced at the crowd and said to the youths on the White Jade Boat, "Before your eyes is the entrance to my sect, the White Cloud Sect. From now on, you must have an exit token to enter or leave the sect. If you do not follow the sect rules and die inside, don't blame me for not warning you."

As he spoke, he sent out a Sound Transmission Talisman, muttered a few words, and flicked his right hand. A red streak of light shot forward, but it mysteriously vanished after flying less than thirty feet. At the same time, he took out an Identity Token and cast a Spell Technique. In the blink of an eye, a massive entrance flashed into view.

Cheng Buzheng looked out. The White Jade Boat was hovering between two enormous mountain peaks. The area ahead was completely empty, with not a shadow of the sect to be seen. In the distance, there were only rolling mountains, no different from any others.

He scrutinized the area carefully, but it remained the same, forcing him to sigh in admiration.

"The Sect Protection Formation is truly miraculous; it's invisible even to the naked eye."

Cheng Buzheng did not doubt Uncle Ding's words. The sect was definitely here; it was just that he was a mortal and naturally could not perceive the wonders of cultivators.

The youths on the White Jade Boat could not help but exclaim, discussing it among themselves.

"It's truly amazing! We can't see a thing!"

"We're all mortals, so of course we can't find it. If we could all see it, it wouldn't be called a Sect Protection Formation."

"It's breathtaking! Immortals are truly this powerful!"

The youths were all filled with wonder, marveling at the miraculous nature of immortals. At the same time, the thought of becoming an immortal themselves made them look radiant with excitement.

The massive White Jade Boat passed through the giant gateway and entered the sect. Standing at the edge of the boat, Cheng Buzheng realized that what he saw now was completely different from what he had seen before, as if they were two entirely different worlds.