A Perfect Professional Match

Chen Xun and Black Bull lay beside the flying vessel, gasping in wonder. Their bodies even felt weak from the shock—it was simply too breathtaking.

"Old Bull, this is the world of immortals... What did Nine-Star Valley even count for?"

Chen Xun's voice trembled as he stared eagerly down at the ground. Those buildings were utterly unlike anything in the Mortal Realm—grand, imposing, and high-class.

"Moo..." Black Bull's eyes trembled, and even its moo stretched out. There were so many cultivators down there.

Bzz—

Bzz—

Several massive vessels came to a steady stop on the ground. This was an open-air platform, like an enormous plaza. Over a hundred disciples stood ahead, holding robes and magical artifacts in their hands.

The elders aboard the vessels floated away atop their respective artifacts, chatting nonstop along the way as laughter rang out.

Only a little over forty Rogue Cultivators disembarked from the vessels. They looked timidly at these Immortal Gate disciples, unsure of what they were supposed to do.

Chen Xun led Black Bull to the edge of the Rogue Cultivators and looked around. Why was there not even an initiation ceremony?

"Everyone."

Yin Jun stood at the very front, his spirits high. He was completely different from how he had been in Nine-Star Valley. "Receive your sect belongings. From this day onward, we are martial brothers!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the disciples behind him all stepped forward. The Rogue Cultivators hurried over to collect their robes and identity tokens.

"Dust-Cleansing Technique, Sword Flight Technique, Five Aggregates Formula, Sect Rules... There's even a storage bag..."

Chen Xun grinned so widely his mouth could not close, chuckling under his breath as he looked at the disciple standing before him.

That disciple frowned slightly. He did not particularly like Rogue Cultivators. "After receiving them, proceed to the Sect Main Hall and choose your respective posts. Contribution points determine your future within the sect."

"Thank you, thank you."

Chen Xun nodded with a smile and hurriedly changed into the azure robes. His whole bearing transformed. "May I ask..."

Before he could finish, the disciple turned and left. He did not want to waste a single extra word on Chen Xun.

"So cold?"

Chen Xun raised a brow. How was he supposed to get to the Sect Main Hall? He looked at Black Bull, then spun around. "Old Bull, hehe, do I look like an Immortal?"

"Moo moo~" Black Bull cried out in amazement. Clothes truly made the man; Chen Xun looked far more presentable than before.

"But we can't throw away our old clothes either."

Chen Xun carefully put away his hemp garments and tucked them into the pouches on either side of Black Bull. He had sewn those stitch by stitch himself. The quality was excellent.

"Moo." Black Bull nodded, its eyes shining with joy and excitement. The spiritual energy within this sect was vastly better than that of the Ningyun Mountain Range.

"Junior Brother Chen."

Ji Kun had also changed into his robes and hung his token at his waist. "Let's go to the Sect Main Hall."

Seeing Chen Xun's helpless appearance, he guessed that Chen Xun had failed to ask for directions. These sect disciples seemed quite arrogant and unwilling to speak much with them.

"Alright, thank you for leading the way, Senior Brother Ji." Chen Xun led Black Bull and followed behind Ji Kun, heading down from the platform.

"You're too polite, Junior Brother Chen. We all came from Nine-Star Valley, so naturally we should look after one another." Ji Kun spoke in a clear voice, carrying the air of an elder brother.

Chen Xun nodded, unable to help forming a favorable impression of Ji Kun. Though the man looked like a skinny monkey and his expression could be somewhat gloomy at times, there was nothing to criticize about his character.

The Five Aggregates Sect's Sect Main Hall had been built halfway up the mountain. The place buzzed with activity, Five Aggregates Sect disciples constantly streaming in and out.

The great hall was ancient and elegant, yet immensely majestic. Standing before it, Chen Xun and Black Bull were like ants—utterly insignificant, able only to look up.

The several black pillars outside the hall were carved with unknown spirit beasts. Their scales and claws danced, their twin whiskers fluttered, as though they might soar into the sky at any moment. They looked lifelike.

"Junior Brother Chen, I'll head in first."

Ji Kun looked at Chen Xun, who was still lost in astonishment, and added, "But you should still consider what I said, Junior Brother Chen."

"Alright, definitely. Senior Brother Ji, go ahead." Chen Xun immediately came back to his senses and cupped his hands.

Ji Kun said nothing further. He turned and walked toward the Sect Main Hall, hope in his eyes and excitement surging in his heart. His wish of many years had finally come true.

"Old Bull, look at this architecture. This is the foundation of a great sect."

Chen Xun praised it as he led Black Bull closer, reaching out to touch it. "Artifact-refined material!"

"Moo?" Black Bull became interested as well and rubbed it with its head. It felt so cold.

Compared with the sect disciples, the two of them were somewhat less driven by profit. Instead of entering, they actually began admiring the Sect Main Hall from the side, commenting on it without end.

Chen Xun and Black Bull's horizons broadened greatly. Delight filled their eyes as they kept touching here and there.

Batch after batch of disciples entered and left the hall, with more batches arriving after them, yet Chen Xun and Black Bull were still circling around the great hall.

"Junior Brother."

A righteous-looking man approached, his presence formidable. "What are you doing here, leading a cow around?"

Chen Xun was startled. Looking at the newcomer, he saw that the man was a cultivator at the Qi Refining Ninth Level. He cupped his hands. "Greetings, Senior Brother. We were admiring the Sect Main Hall."

"Admiring the Sect Main Hall?"

The man froze, then looked toward the enormous pillars. "Junior Brother, I am a disciple of the Law Enforcement Hall. Time slips away like running water. You should not waste it on such things."

"I've learned my lesson, I've learned my lesson." Chen Xun cupped his hands, sweating profusely. Damn it, you really are such a good man.

"Mm, you're a newly arrived disciple of the Five Aggregates Sect, aren't you?"

The man smiled slightly. Not only was this man's sect token hanging backward, he was even clutching a storage bag in his hand.

This Black Bull also had quite a few travel items hanging from both sides. At a glance, they were clearly Rogue Cultivators who had only just arrived at the sect.

"Senior Brother has sharp eyes." Chen Xun felt uncomfortable all over.

"Come, I'll accompany Junior Brother into the hall and introduce you to the various halls of the sect."

The man was remarkably familiar and outgoing, like an enthusiastic elder brother. With one hand, he grabbed Chen Xun; with the other, he took hold of the cow rope.

"Alright, alright, Senior Brother, slow down!"

"Moo~"

Two startled cries rang out from outside the hall as they were forcibly dragged into the Sect Main Hall by their warmhearted senior brother.

This enthusiastic senior brother was exceedingly talkative. Year-round, he had persuaded countless junior brothers within the sect to turn back from the wrong path. It was said that he had even talked quite a few disciples into weeping bitterly and crying, "I was wrong! Spare me!"

His name was Le Feng. He was an exceptional hand in the Five Aggregates Sect's Law Enforcement Hall and was deeply "respected" and "beloved" by his fellow disciples.

Outer sect disciples had a great many choices in the Sect Main Hall: the Alchemy Hall, Artifact Refining Hall, Talisman Hall, Spirit Beast Hall, Law Enforcement Hall...

However, the Outer Sect Deacon Hall had the largest system of all, with all kinds of tasks—slaying demons and eliminating devils, managing the sect's markets outside the mountain gates, recruiting various disciples, and more.

Yet one position was the most unpopular of all: managing the sect's medicine gardens. It was regarded as the most thankless and exhausting work.

Spirit Medicine was extremely difficult to grow. Every day, it needed to be watered with spiritual water and cleared of weeds, among other things. Every year, one also had to hand over the required portion of Spirit Medicine from the spirit fields under one's management.

At first, every disciple had thought the job sounded far too easy, scrambling to sign up. In the end, they discovered that not only did they have no time left to cultivate, but they could not even hand over enough Spirit Medicine. Rather than earning contribution points, they were met with a torrent of scolding.

Growing Spirit Medicine was entirely a technical craft. Without time and accumulated experience, how could Qi Refining Realm disciples like them possibly manage it?

Even after the contribution rewards were raised, only a handful of people went, and the sect still had to personally assign some older hands there.

"Senior Brother Le, that's the one! I'll grow Spirit Medicine!" Chen Xun said excitedly. It was a perfect professional match—far too perfect.