White Cloud Mountain Range

The White Cloud Mountain Range lay in the southeastern part of the Jin Kingdom. It stretched for thousands of miles, its primeval forests thick and abundant, its woodlands, rivers, and canyons teeming with countless Demonic Beasts and Spirit Birds.

Now and then, rumors spread among ordinary people of woodcutters and hunters claiming to have seen immortals and demons. These tales only lent the White Cloud Mountain Range an even more mysterious air.

A hundred years ago, a wave of immortal-seeking swept through the mortal world. The White Cloud Mountain Range caught the eye of those with ulterior motives, and countless ordinary people ventured into it. But the outcome left everyone dumbfounded: only a few hundred made it back out.

According to those who escaped, the deeper one went into the White Cloud Mountain Range, the more demons one encountered. From then on, ordinary people came to regard it as a gathering place for demons and monsters, and even hearing its name made them blanch.

The White Cloud Mountain Range thus became a place ordinary people dared not enter. Only woodcutters and hunters, who lived off the mountains and drank from the rivers, could venture into its outskirts.

The mountain range had been occupied by the White Cloud Sect for a thousand years. The immortals and demons the woodcutters and hunters saw were, naturally, White Cloud Sect cultivators and Demonic Beasts.

Outside the White Cloud Mountain Range, in a canyon, stood a massive city called White Cloud City. It was directly governed by the White Cloud Sect, and its residents were not ordinary people at all, but cultivators.

The city existed to facilitate trade among White Cloud Sect cultivators. It was also a gathering place for countless Rogue Cultivators, while providing the sect with vast quantities of Spirit Stones and Spirit Materials each year.

The inner and outer reaches of the White Cloud Mountain Range looked much the same, both lush with forests and vibrant with greenery. The only real difference was that the interior held far more Demonic Beasts. That was because the deeper one went, the richer the spiritual energy became.

The central interior of the White Cloud Mountain Range was already covered by a colossal formation. From the outside, all one could see were illusions. Within lay the White Cloud Sect's grounds, where dense clusters of towers and palaces had been built. Beams of light occasionally streaked past overhead.

The White Cloud Sect had one main peak and six subsidiary peaks. The main peak was White Cloud Peak; the subsidiary peaks included Spirit Herb Peak, Spirit Beast Peak, and Immortal Spring Peak.

These seven peaks housed the sect's most important structures and its Spirit Veins, so their spiritual energy was naturally exceptionally rich.

Besides these,

there were more than a dozen mountains nearby, along with over twenty canyons and basins. The spiritual energy in the surrounding mountains was naturally inferior to that of the seven peaks, but it was still much richer than that in the canyon basins.

The canyon basins were mostly home to Qi Refining Stage cultivators. Though they had the weakest spiritual energy in the sect, it was still far richer than that of the White Cloud Mountain Range beyond.

On White Cloud Peak stood an ancient-looking great hall called White Cloud Hall. At that moment, Sect Master Fang Hong was seated at the head of the hall. He appeared to be a middle-aged man, yet his cultivation had already reached the peak of Foundation Establishment Late Stage. Usually steady and meticulous, he kept the sect running like clockwork.

The six Hall Masters sat on either side below him. In the solemn, imposing hall, none of them showed their usual commanding airs as they quietly listened to the Sect Master.

He glanced at the Hall Masters seated below and slowly began,

"Do you all know that Spirit Pill Valley, one of the Jin Kingdom's three great sects, has already recruited an Immortal Seedling with an Ice Spiritual Root this year? Yet we still don't know how many promising seedlings our sect will find."

The middle-aged beauty seated on the right smiled reassuringly.

"Sect Leader, we haven't heard anything yet. I'm sure Uncle Ding won't disappoint us!"

The thin, elderly Daoist seated below her quickly chimed in:

"Junior Sister Lu makes a good point. It's too early for the Sect Master to worry about this.

"Besides, Uncle Ding is usually a man of few words. Even if he had good news, he wouldn't send word back in advance!"

Sect Master Fang Hong, seated at the head of the hall, gave a quiet sigh.

"I hope so.

"I only fear that no news means bad news."

"Senior Brother Sect Master, will we be following the usual rules for taking on disciples this time?"

The dignified-looking middle-aged cultivator seated first on the left suddenly asked.

According to the usual rules, it was his turn to choose disciples first this year. That was why he was so eager to ask.

"Junior Brother Qu, no matter how talented this year's seedlings are, I won't be taking on any more disciples. I intend to go into seclusion and attempt the Golden Core Stage. We'll follow the usual rules!" Sect Master Fang Hong said, glancing at the stern-faced middle-aged cultivator.

"Also... in two years, the Seed Trial, held once every twelve years, will begin!

"Martial Uncle will lead the team. Don't be stingy with your treasured disciples. If no outstanding disciples take part, Martial Uncle will lose face. Don't say I didn't warn you.

"By then, I may or may not have come out of seclusion. The registration process will follow the usual rules: the Command Token Pavilion will issue the missions!"

Seeing how somber the atmosphere in the hall had grown, Sect Master Fang Hong understood that these treasured disciples were their pride and joy, bound up with their own interests. It was only natural that they would be reluctant to let them go. He felt the same way himself.

Suddenly,

a streak of red light shot in from afar, passed over the gathered cultivators, and hovered before the Sect Master seated at the head of the hall. No one present seemed surprised.

A moment later,

"All right. Don't think you can pass off fish eyes as pearls; Martial Uncle's Dharma Eye will see right through you!

"Come on!

"Uncle Ding is already outside the mountain gate. Let's go welcome the Immortal Seedlings! We can choose our disciples while we're at it."

As soon as he finished speaking,

the Sect Master rose, descended the steps, and led the dispirited Hall Masters out of White Cloud Hall.

That day, Cheng Buzheng was leaning over the rail of the boat, gazing at the scenery below, when he noticed a city in a canyon. Thinking they would be stopping for a long while again, he gave it an indifferent glance.

He couldn't help thinking back over everything that had happened recently. Whenever they came across a city along the way, the White Jade Boat would stop there for six or seven hours. In the blink of an eye, more than a month had passed since Cheng Buzheng first boarded the boat.

Suddenly, Cheng Buzheng realized that the boat had actually passed over the city. Caught off guard, he watched as it continued onward, flying over a vast mountain range.

Half a day later,

the White Jade Boat, still in flight, suddenly veered and descended diagonally, coming to a stop between two enormous peaks.

Uncle Ding, his expression still cold, looked over the crowd and addressed the boys aboard the White Jade Boat:

"Before you lies the entrance to our sect, the White Cloud Sect. From now on, you must have an exit token to leave the sect. If you break the sect's rules and die inside, don't say I didn't warn you."

As he spoke, he sent out a Sound Transmission Talisman and murmured a few words into it. Then he flicked his right hand, sending a streak of red light toward the space ahead. It flew less than a hundred feet before mysteriously vanishing. At the same time, he took out an Identity Token and formed a Spell Technique with his hand. In the blink of an eye, a massive entrance appeared.

Cheng Buzheng looked out. The White Jade Boat had stopped between two enormous peaks, but the space ahead was empty. There was no sign of the sect at all. In the distance, only mountain ranges stretched on and on, no different from any others.

He studied the view closely, but it still looked the same. He couldn't help marveling,

"The Sect Protection Formation is amazing. You can't even see it with the naked eye."

Cheng Buzheng didn't doubt Uncle Ding's words. The sect was certainly here; he was only a mortal and naturally couldn't perceive the wonders of cultivators.

The boys aboard the White Jade Boat couldn't help exclaiming in amazement and chattering among themselves.

"That's incredible. We can't see it at all!"

"Of course we can't. If we could see anything, it wouldn't be called a Sect Protection Formation."

"It's truly breathtaking! Immortals really are that powerful!"

The boys were all astounded, marveling at the wonders of the immortals. And as they thought about how they would soon become immortals themselves, their faces lit up with excitement.

The enormous White Jade Boat passed through the gigantic gateway and entered the sect. Standing by the rail, Cheng Buzheng found that what he had seen before and what he saw now were completely different—like two separate worlds.