Entering the Sect (Please Recommend)

Whoosh!

Amid the howling gale, a Green Leaf Boat tore through the clouds and shot toward the interior of Jade Island.

On the deck, Fang Qing gazed at the layer of green protective barrier enveloping the flying vessel. He could not feel the slightest wind blade against his face, and could not help clicking his tongue in wonder.

A little tail followed behind him—Zhu'er.

It was now the third day after the Immortal Destiny Assembly.

The Azure Sea Sect disciples had given these spiritual-root candidates who had passed the test one day to settle their family affairs before setting off for the Azure Sea Sect's mountain gate.

The cost of pursuing immortality truly defied imagination.

Fang Qing sighed inwardly as he recalled what had happened the previous night. The moment word spread that Zhu'er and I possessed spiritual-root aptitude, Dahua Fishing Village immediately responded—Ruan Qi had already been sacrificed to the Sea Dragon King. They said his father and brothers had even done it themselves!

Of course... Zhu'er was probably the greater factor here. After all, she has superior aptitude.

He looked at the delicately sculpted little girl behind him, a faint smile touching his lips.

Zhu'er had left her family behind to head for the sect. Naturally, she was frightened, and it was only natural for her to cling to him, the only familiar person she knew.

Thanks to that, he could also gain a little face before disciples such as Gong Susu, Wei Gutong, and Kan Zimeng.

"Little Sister Zhu'er."

At that moment, Gong Susu walked over. "We'll soon reach our sect's mountain gate... Among all the spirit-seeking envoys this time, I'm afraid very few have done better than our group. That is all thanks to you."

"There are many routes for the spirit-seeking envoys?"

Fang Qing was somewhat surprised.

"Of course. Our Azure Sea Sect has been guarded by Core Formation ancestors for generations, its might shaking all directions... Even those Foundation Establishment factions beyond the island send their direct-line disciples to our sect."

Gong Susu answered proudly, then gave Fang Qing a meaningful glance.

Clearly, Fang Qing's household registration was no secret, but the Azure Sea Sect did not care.

"Senior Sister Gong, Zhu'er and I still know little about cultivation... Could you perhaps clear up our confusion?"

Fang Qing clasped his hands and asked sincerely.

"Of course. I will tell you all I know. Once you enter the sect, corresponding books will naturally be issued, but I can tell you some things beforehand..."

After considering it, Gong Susu said, "Heaven and earth contain spiritual energy. We cultivators possess spiritual roots, allowing us to absorb spiritual energy and cultivate... Spiritual roots are divided into different grades. For example, Junior Brother Fang, yours may be called a middle-grade water spiritual root, while Junior Sister Zhu'er possesses a high-grade water spiritual root... The better the spiritual root, the faster one cultivates, and the less likely one is to encounter bottlenecks when breaking through in the future... As for the legendary heavenly-grade spiritual roots, it is said they encounter no bottlenecks before Core Formation."

"As for the realms of cultivation, there are Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, and so on... Great cultivators of the Nascent Soul Realm have long vanished from the Lesser Vast Sea. Core Formation cultivators are the ancestors of a sect... Our sect has seven great inner islands, and the island masters of each are all great cultivators at Foundation Establishment Late Stage or above... If disciples like us can enter one of those islands and become true disciples, we will have hope of Foundation Establishment in the future. Once one establishes a foundation, one may enjoy three jiazi of lifespan. Core Formation ancestors live as long as five hundred years..."

After Gong Susu's explanation, Fang Qing finally gained a rough understanding of the cultivation world of the Lesser Vast Sea and the Azure Sea Sect.

"Little Sister Zhu'er and I thank Senior Sister for clearing up our doubts."

He thanked her earnestly, then asked, "But the immortal path is fraught with hardship. I hope Senior Sister can point us through the maze."

This was actually rather shrewd, effectively tying himself and Zhu'er together.

Gong Susu smiled with an unreadable expression and said, "After you enter the sect, you will first pay respects to the patriarch and receive your disciple identity tokens and other miscellaneous items. Then you will choose cultivation techniques... Most disciples begin in the outer sect as menial disciples, then advance to the inner sect and finally become true disciples. However, Senior Sister has a route here that can allow you to directly enter Pill Island and become inner sect disciples... You must know that among the hundred arts of cultivation, minor paths such as talismans are studied by countless wandering cultivators and have long become as common as dirt. Only great paths such as alchemy, artifact refinement, and formations can accumulate sufficient cultivation resources..."

Fang Qing summed it up. The general meaning was that competition among Azure Sea Sect disciples was just as fierce. If one wanted to cultivate, one needed to possess a specialized skill.

Skills such as talisman drawing, spiritual plant cultivation, and raising spirit beasts had far too many competitors and had long become a sea of red.

Alchemy, artifact refinement, and formations, on the other hand, were high-value and high-demand skills... As long as one was willing to delve deeply into them, one could earn vast amounts of spiritual resources after producing results, aiding one's cultivation.

"Thank you, Senior Sister, for granting us this opportunity. Little Sister Zhu'er and I will certainly remember this favor."

Fang Qing hurriedly thanked her. Being able to learn alchemy was always a good thing.

Though he also knew perfectly well that he was merely an add-on. Gong Susu only truly cared about Zhu'er!

Rumble!

At that moment, the Green Leaf Boat arrived above an expanse of emerald-green lake.

The lake was like a bright mirror, deep and vast, as though countless flood dragons and serpents churned within it.

At the center of the lake stood seven great islands arranged in a particular formation. Some were covered in magnificent golden buildings, while others were shrouded in a thin mist. It truly looked like a sacred paradise of immortals.

"This is the mountain gate of our Azure Sea Sect."

Gong Susu landed the flying vessel in a white jade plaza. She lifted her chin, fairer and more delicate than the white jade itself. "Now... immortal seedlings with inferior aptitude will go to the outer sect for the entry ceremony... Immortal seedlings with middle-grade aptitude, follow several senior brothers. Little Sister Zhu'er, wait here."

After Fang Qing and the other disciples had left, Gong Susu looked at the timid Zhu'er, and the smile on her face grew gentler still. "How about it? That brother you picked up halfway merely wants to use you as a pretext to gain benefits... You must understand that after entering the sect, the only people you can truly rely on are your master and senior sisters... Also, I have already arranged for someone to bring your grandfather over. He will arrive a little later than us."

"Grandfather?"

Zhu'er's eyes immediately lit up. "As long as you bring my grandfather here, Sister, I'll agree to anything."

"Good, very good."

Gong Susu was overjoyed. Looking again at Fang Qing's retreating figure, her smile became increasingly playful. "Since I promised you, I will naturally help you become an inner sect disciple and enter Pill Island... But alchemy is not an easy matter. Especially in the beginning, ruining several batches of pills can bankrupt a family. You chose this yourself—it is not Senior Sister setting you up..."

"Middle-grade aptitude is not bad, but the chance of Foundation Establishment in the future is still too low... Zhu'er, however, has quite a bit of hope."

"Since that is so, I must make her grow even closer to me, while cutting away her worldly ties!"

Naturally, Fang Qing had no idea that Gong Susu was badmouthing him behind his back.

He followed the group of middle-grade aptitude disciples to a great hall.

The hall was lofty and majestic, guarded on either side by Qi Refinement disciples, carrying an air of solemn authority.

Above the plaque were written three large characters: "Vast Sea Hall."

Upon entering Vast Sea Hall, they saw several cultivators standing atop the steps. Each stood as still as an abyss and as firm as a mountain. When Kan Zimeng and the other disciples saw them, they immediately bowed. "Greetings, Sect Master and Elders..."

They then turned to the newly admitted disciples. "This is our sect's master—Martial Uncle Linghu—and these are Elders Myriad Treasures and Heavenly Punishment... Hurry and pay your respects!"

"Greetings, Sect Master and Elders."

The disciples hurriedly followed suit and bowed.

"That will do... Your aptitudes are not poor. After entering the sect, you must cultivate diligently and not fail your cultivation..."

The Sect Master Linghu, dressed in blue and with a lean, refined face, offered a few words of encouragement. He then had Elders Myriad Treasures and Heavenly Punishment lead the group of fledglings through the initiation ceremony, which chiefly involved paying respects to the founding patriarch.

Within the enormous ancestral hall, rows upon rows of memorial tablets stretched upward, many of them still gleaming with spiritual light.

At the very top hung a scroll painting.

On the silk painting stood a young man in blue robes, with a face as fair as jade beneath a crown. His hands were clasped behind his back as he faced the sea.

Within the sea, a savage green flood dragon bowed its head in submission.

"Our sect's founding patriarch was the Azure Sea True Person. Back then... the True Person came to the Lesser Vast Sea and slew the third-rank high-grade savage flood dragon that had stirred up wind and waves. Only then did he establish the foundation of our Azure Sea Sect..."

Elder Myriad Treasures had a ruddy complexion, three strands of long beard hanging naturally from his chin. He looked every bit the enlightened master with crane-white hair and a youthful face. After routinely praising the Azure Sea Sect's predecessors, he continued, "Every disciple of this sect may, after entering the sect, use their identity token to receive one basic cultivation technique and several miscellaneous items from the Heavenly Books Pavilion on Myriad Treasures Island... In addition, you will be issued one hundred contribution points. Cultivation and daily life in our Azure Sea Sect mostly require contribution points, so you must use them carefully..."

After Elder Myriad Treasures came Elder Heavenly Punishment, whose expression was stern and whose authority needed no anger. "Our sect's rules contain seven great prohibitions and eighty-six articles. The first prohibition is deceiving one's master and destroying one's ancestors; the second is fellow disciples slaughtering one another..."

Fang Qing listened carefully, but his gaze could not help falling upon the painting of the Azure Sea Patriarch subduing the flood dragon.

To subdue a third-rank high-grade demon king, the Azure Sea Patriarch was probably at the peak of Core Formation, wasn't he? I wonder whether he ever broke through to the Nascent Soul Realm and gained a thousand-year lifespan?

And if cultivators from here went to the Land of Ancient Shu, what sort of performance would they show? Could those mid-stage and late-stage Qi Refinement disciples destroy the Luo Family... Or would it require a great Foundation Establishment cultivator?

The cumbersome initiation ceremony continued for several hours before Fang Qing finally arrived at the lakeside with his entry gift package.

This was where low-level disciples lived and cultivated. The spiritual energy was thin, inferior to that of the seven islands at the lake's center, but the area was extremely vast. Many lakeside villas had been built here, and even newly admitted disciples could receive an independent dwelling.

After entering the wooden house, Fang Qing first examined his newcomer's gift package.

Inside were an identity token, two sets of blue Azure Sea Sect uniforms, a bottle of fasting pills, a green leaf artifact, and a refined steel dagger...

"These entry benefits are fairly decent."

Just as he was about to lie down and rest, he heard a knock at the door. When he stepped outside, he saw a graceful young girl standing there.

"Senior Brother, my name is Yu Taohua. I have a middle-grade earth spiritual root... We are both newly admitted disciples and neighbors as well. Senior Brother Hua Lianhua happens to be hosting a gathering. Would you be willing to honor us with your presence?"

The young girl smiled sweetly as she invited him.

"Senior Brother Hua? Of course I'll go."

Fang Qing considered it, then agreed directly.

After arriving in a new environment, the rise of all sorts of small circles was simply human nature.

Even universities had hometown associations.

He followed Yu Taohua to a small pavilion, where several newly admitted disciples were already seated, along with a table of wine and food. Waves of fragrance drifted continuously through the air.

To get a table full of fine wine and delicacies right after entering the sect, this Senior Brother Hua seems to have some connections...

Fang Qing understood. The other party was displaying his own strength.