Spiritual Elegance Peak

The Immortal Boat moved steadily onward.

On the deck, the disciples had vaguely formed into three groups.

The group first established by Wang Tao had the most members. Next came a group of geniuses who had not joined Wang Tao, yet had gathered together all the same.

Last were Li Huai'an and Bai Jing.

The former's talent was simply too outstanding. He had no need to join any group, and his future accomplishments would certainly not be lacking.

As for Bai Jing, he had plans of his own.

His Talent Tree currently had only one blank branch. But once he entered the Dao Platform Realm and cultivated true immortal arts, the Morning Glow Spiritual Tide would naturally absorb even more. When the talent branches began to grow again, pill refinement and talisman crafting were also in his plans.

The advantages of a group meant nothing to him.

There was no need for him to join one.

Time slowly passed.

"We're here!"

No one knew who cried out first, but all the disciples rose to their feet and looked ahead.

Before them stood a stone gate built from massive boulders. It stood upon a mountaintop like a gateway to heaven, a hundred zhang tall.

Everyone felt as though they had entered the immortal realm. Rosy clouds and violet qi reflected all around them, while lines of immortal cranes soared across the horizon.

"Shangqing Mountain," Bai Jing murmured, his gaze settling on the enormous horizontal plaque above the gate.

"We've finally arrived!" Excitement shone in many disciples' eyes.

"Everyone, please remain calm!" At that moment, a figure appeared. It was Fang Wenze, one of the senior brothers assigned to receive them on this trip.

Smiling, he said, "We have not yet arrived. This is merely the boundary of Shangqing Mountain."

Before long, everyone understood what he meant.

After the Immortal Boat passed through that gate, another half hour went by, yet they still had not reached their destination.

"Shangqing Mountain truly deserves to be the foremost immortal sect of the Southern Territory. These spiritual mountains are actually only the outer region." Bai Jing gazed at the towering immortal mountains below and could not help sighing.

Not long afterward, the Immortal Boat finally reached the core region of Shangqing Mountain.

Five immortal mountains that rose straight into the heavens came into view. The spiritual mountains they had seen before could not compare to the grandeur of these Five Mountains.

"This is our Spiritual Elegance Peak!" Fang Wenze said, pointing to one of them.

"Spiritual Elegance Peak?" Everyone's eyes lit up.

"At Shangqing Mountain's most glorious height, there was a saying: Five Mountains, Seven Meridians. Since the second-generation Patriarch failed in his attempt to break through to True Saint, our fortune suffered great losses, and many talents withered away. Now, only the Five Meridians remain prosperous."

Fang Wenze pointed at three of the immortal mountains, as well as two valleys connecting the mountains.

"But do not underestimate Spiritual Elegance Peak. We still occupy one of the Five Mountains, and are the strongest peak beneath the Five Meridians," he added.

Those words greatly lifted everyone's spirits, and anticipation appeared on every face.

Bai Jing looked over the five mountains and realized they were not arranged in a row, but formed a circle.

Then he looked toward the mountain ranges farther out and found that they were the same, ring upon ring surrounding the center.

No—more like a Bagua!

Could all of Shangqing Mountain be a gigantic formation? he thought.

Boom!

At that moment, the Immortal Boat began to slow, gradually approaching Spiritual Elegance Peak.

As they drew nearer and nearer, everyone finally understood just how enormous the immortal mountain was.

The hundred-meter Immortal Boat looked like a tiny speck before it.

"This mountain must be tens of thousands of meters tall," someone exclaimed.

Before long, the Immortal Boat came to a stop on a flat stretch of land at the foot of Spiritual Elegance Peak.

"Everyone, disembark," Fang Wenze said.

A moment later, Bai Jing and the others stepped off the boat and began surveying this unfamiliar place.

Setting everything else aside, the place possessed a profound ethereal charm. They felt as though their fields of vision had broadened, leaving them refreshed and at ease.

Clusters of violet qi gathered in the sky. Some well-informed disciples explained that it was spiritual qi condensed after growing dense to a certain degree.

From that alone, one could see just how rich the spiritual qi here was.

"Please follow me." Fang Wenze stepped off the boat as well.

The disciples then followed behind this senior brother, walking in a certain direction.

Before long, clusters of buildings appeared, like pavilions among immortals, layers of violet qi emanating above them.

Disciples rode the wind and flew on swords, coming and going through the air, stirring boundless yearning in everyone who watched.

"This is the dining hall, where all kinds of Spiritual Meat are sold. Over there is the Scripture Repository, where disciples such as yourselves may select immortal arts and divine abilities."

Fang Wenze introduced the place as he led them along.

It was more like an enlarged outpost, with every kind of immortal building available.

At last, they stopped before a magnificent pavilion.

"Follow me inside to register," Fang Wenze said, leading everyone into the building.

"Steward Yu!"

At Senior Brother Fang's call, Bai Jing saw a red-haired middle-aged man descend from the second floor.

"Junior Brother Fang, these are the new arrivals, I presume?" The middle-aged man gave everyone a brief glance, then took out a register from the counter on the first floor.

"Yes. There are quite a few promising seedlings among them." Fang Wenze nodded.

One after another, the newcomers began registering.

"This is your identity Jade Pendant. Drip a drop of blood on it," Steward Yu said to Bai Jing.

Bai Jing immediately squeezed out a drop of blood, but the Jade Pendant showed no reaction.

Only after Steward Yu took out an ancient mirror and made several gestures across its surface did Bai Jing feel some sort of connection form between himself and the Jade Pendant.

"Fifty Immortal Merit?" He looked at the information within the Jade Pendant, somewhat surprised.

"Senior Brother, what is this Immortal Merit?" a disciple registering behind him asked.

"These are the immortal sect's contribution points. Many things in the immortal sect cannot be bought with Spirit Stones alone. Some require Immortal Merit as well," Fang Wenze explained with a smile.

"Alright, my task is complete. If you have any questions, you may ask Steward Yu. From now on, you should all focus on cultivating diligently."

With that, he was about to leave the pavilion.

"Senior Brother Fang, if I need to find you for something, where should I go?" Wang Tao, the leader of the Ascension Team, could not help asking.

Yet Fang Wenze merely smiled faintly. Then he rode the clouds and mist, transforming into a streak of light as he departed.

"If you wish to see him, wait until you enter the Inner Core Realm and become a disciple of the upper peak," Steward Yu said coldly, answering everyone's question as well. "Spiritual Elegance Peak is divided into the upper peak and lower peak. No matter how talented you are, you must begin as lower-peak disciples. Only when your cultivation reaches the Inner Core Realm and you meet a certain condition may you enter the upper peak. That is the core of Spiritual Elegance Peak, the platform from which you may reach a broader world."

He glanced at Wang Tao and added, "If you want to cling to connections, you are still far from qualified."

Wang Tao's face flushed red at those words.

Before long, everyone had completed their registration.

"Little Hai!" Steward Yu called out, and a clever-looking youth stepped forward.

"Their residences have already been assigned. Lead them there," the steward instructed, handing him a map.

Zhou Hai accepted the map and skimmed through it before saying, "Wang Tao, Ye Fan, Chu Feng, Shi Hao—come with me first. The rest of you, wait here for a moment."

PS: This is my first time writing this kind of story. I was afraid that rushing the pace would make it fall apart, so I slowed it down quite a bit. It may make everyone feel that it is somewhat padded, but I will absolutely not be vague where the exciting parts are concerned. Please look forward to it.