Azure Cloud Sect Recruits Disciples

The Azure Cloud Sect recruits disciples in Spirit Province, Southern Region.

Rolling green mountains stretch for a hundred miles, with clouds and mist perpetually entwined around their waists. Ancient trees tower within the mountains, their lush, verdant leaves layered thick upon one another.

As the wind blows, the leaves rustle and sway.

This mountain is known as Azure Cloud Mountain.

Perched upon it stands the Azure Cloud Sect, a cultivation sect renowned throughout the entire Spirit Province.

Today, the foot of Azure Cloud Mountain is teeming with noise, a constant stream of carriages and horses flowing in.

The stone steps of the mountain path wind upward, and a dense crowd of people moves along them, inching toward the summit step by step.

Today is the Azure Cloud Sect's triennial grand recruitment ceremony.

From every town and village across the Southern Region, anyone with a child of the appropriate age—provided their circumstances allow—has rushed to this place.

Cultivation is the path that everyone in this world dreams of.

A mortal's lifespan is but a few short decades, filled with the inescapable suffering of birth, aging, sickness, and death.

Yet, if one can step through the immortal gate and have a spiritual root detected, one can inhale and exhale spiritual energy, practice cultivation techniques, and transcend the shackles of mortality.

They could soar through the skies, burrow into the earth, extend their lives, and move mountains or shatter stones with a mere wave of their hands.

Crossing the threshold of the immortal gate means truly soaring into the sky, completely leaving behind the muddy, mundane world.

On the mountain path, there are sixteen and seventeen-year-old youths everywhere.

Though the youths are dressed differently, their expressions are surprisingly uniform; their eyes burn with a heat that cannot hide their yearning for the immortal gate.

On both sides of the road, luxurious carriages can be seen everywhere, adorned with gold and inlaid with jade, featuring exquisite curtains.

Many children of wealthy families in fine silks and satins are followed by servants and guards, some accompanied by their parents, who fuss over them throughout the journey.

The crowd is noisy and boisterous.

"I heard the rules for testing spiritual roots are stricter this year. In previous years, those with miscellaneous spiritual roots had a chance to stay, but this year, I'm afraid they'll only accept those with low-grade spiritual roots."

"That's for sure. The Azure Cloud Sect has become increasingly prosperous over the years, and the number of people wanting to join the sect grows every year, so the threshold naturally has to be raised."

"My child is naturally clever; I'm certain they will be selected this time!"

All sorts of conversations erupt continuously within the crowd, and every face is filled with anticipation.

Amidst the flow of people, Su Yun is mixed in toward the back.

He is alone, with no family to accompany him and no servants in tow.

On his back, he carries a coarse cloth bundle washed until it has turned white, its edges frayed. Inside, there are only a few changes of clothes and a few hard, coarse-grain cakes.

The youth is thin, with a slender frame and a somewhat frail appearance.

He wears a common gray cloth jacket, the fabric rough and even sporting two inconspicuous patches.

His skin is pale from long-term malnutrition, and his cheeks are gaunt, but his eyes are pitch-black and bright, calm and clear.

Su Yun is not from this world.

He comes from Earth.

He has been transmigrated to this cultivation continent for exactly one month.

The original owner of this body was a lonely orphan whose parents died early. With no kin, he relied on the charity of kind-hearted villagers to barely survive until the age of sixteen, before finally succumbing to a high fever, allowing the modern-day Su Yun to take over this body.

During this month, Su Yun spent his time adapting to the unfamiliar ancient environment while gathering information about this world.

It was only when he confirmed that this was truly a world where one could fly and cultivate that he felt an irrepressible surge of excitement deep within his heart.

As someone who read cultivation novels for years in his past life, who hadn't dreamed of eternal life and cultivation?

Transcending life and death, wandering the world freely—this was a yearning carved into his very bones.

However, he quickly calmed down.

The first threshold of cultivation is the spiritual root.

Only with a spiritual root can one sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and embark on the path of cultivation.

Without a spiritual root, one remains a mortal with naked eyes for a lifetime; no matter how hard one tries, one can only stop at the level of a mortal.

In this world, without connections or money, trying to test for a spiritual root is as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Ordinary commoners have no chance to come into contact with cultivation in their entire lives.

Fortunately, heaven does not cut off all paths.

He accidentally heard that the Azure Cloud Sect holds an open recruitment every three years. The rules are simple: as long as one is under eighteen, regardless of status or background, one can climb the mountain to participate in the spiritual root test.

This year, he is exactly sixteen, perfectly meeting the requirements.

Without the slightest hesitation, Su Yun emptied his remaining savings, packed a simple bag, and traveled alone, crossing mountains and rivers to reach Azure Cloud Mountain.

As he continues upward, the stone steps beneath his feet are steep, and the higher he climbs, the more biting the cold mountain wind becomes.

Su Yun subconsciously tightened his arms, his footsteps not faltering in the slightest.

He remained silent the entire way, his gaze sweeping calmly over the diverse crowd around him.

Most of those surrounding him were youths from affluent backgrounds, dressed in fine silks and satins, their faces fair and clean, clearly accustomed to a life of luxury.

In contrast, Su Yun, with his shabby attire and frail frame, appeared completely out of place, standing out like a sore thumb in the crowd.

Strange gazes quickly fell upon him.

Not far away, three youths dressed in brocade finery walked side by side, followed by their servants.

The trio deliberately slowed their pace, their eyes fixed directly on Su Yun, making no effort to hide the contempt in their gazes.

One of the fair-skinned young masters curled his lips into a mocking smile and lowered his voice, intentionally making sure Su Yun could hear every word clearly.

"Look at that brat over there."

He tilted his chin, pointing toward Su Yun, who was walking alone.

The tall, thin youth beside him followed his gaze, looked Su Yun up and down, and let out a scoff.

"He's as thin as a firewood stick; a gust of wind could blow him over. And he dares to come and join the excitement at the Azure Cloud Sect?"

"These days, just about anyone dares to indulge in wishful thinking."

The third youth, who had a round face, crossed his arms, his tone sharp and mean.

"Every year during recruitment, there are these penniless brats with no self-awareness, thinking that just by walking up the mountain, they can strike it lucky and have a spirit root detected?"

The youth in brocade shook his head, his tone filled with disdain.

"I doubt he'll even make it past the first trial."

"Hahaha, indeed."

Many people nearby heard the conversation and turned to look, their eyes filled with scrutiny, contempt, and a hint of amusement at the spectacle.

Some whispered among themselves.

"That kid looks malnourished; his family must be in dire straits."

"Children from poor families, what kind of opportunity could they possibly have? It's a complete waste of effort."

"He should just accept his fate. Mortals are mortals after all; the Immortal Sect is not something ordinary people can touch."

The noisy chatter and mocking voices swirled around his ears.

Su Yun did not stop his pace and continued walking forward.

He was all alone, with no power, no influence, no money, and no background.

Each of these wealthy young masters before him had a family backing them up.

As he was now, he could not afford to offend anyone.

A war of words was meaningless.

Getting angry and talking back would only invite trouble for no reason, and he might even be deliberately harassed and driven off the mountain path before he could even reach the spirit root testing.

He had no family status, no backing, and not even the "golden finger" that every transmigrator was supposed to have.

When others transmigrated, they either came with a system, possessed heaven-defying cultivation techniques, or were born with special constitutions.

Only he was plain, ordinary, and had nothing.

Thinking of this, Su Yun could not help but let out a soft sigh in his heart.

It was too miserable.

He had transmigrated for a month with no golden finger, starting with the lowest possible configuration.

If he didn't have a spirit root during this test...

He dared not think about the worst-case scenario.

In this world where the strong were respected, being a bottom-tier mortal meant the end was visible at a single glance.