Poor Beyond Measure, Rich Beyond Belief

Zhang Yang looked at the few people in the square, somewhat surprised that the little fatty had arrived first.

This was one nimble fat man!

He took out a sheet of paper and a pen, handed them to the little fatty, and instructed, "I have a task for you. Register everyone's names in the order they arrive at the square. Once everyone is here, I'll explain the matters concerning entering the sect. By the way, what's your name?"

The little fatty grinned. "Reporting to Senior Brother, my name is Wang Baole! I was also the first to arrive!"

"Very good!" Zhang Yang nodded and handed the paper and pen to Wang Baole.

Then, he took out the Azure Cloud Sect's account book and began examining it.

His foremost task, naturally, was to figure out exactly how many assets the Azure Cloud Sect still possessed.

Holding the paper and pen, Wang Baole asked everyone for their names in order of arrival and began registering them.

The instant Zhang Yang opened the account book, his expression changed.

"The patriarchs of every generation really were useless!" Zhang Yang muttered inwardly, shaking his head again and again.

He had always believed that the Azure Cloud Sect was so poor that all it had left were a few mountains.

Yet he had never expected the very first sentence in the account book to leave him stunned.

"Centered on Azure Cloud Peak, everything within a radius of three hundred li belongs to the Azure Cloud Sect."

Zhang Yang from the Past knew best what a radius of three hundred li meant.

That was the size of an entire major province!

With such a vast territory, they had no money? They were so poor they did not even dare accept disciples? How incompetent did one have to be to pull that off?

Most importantly, there was not a single record of the industries within those three hundred li.

Zhang Yang clearly remembered that Azure Cloud Market was only a few li from the Azure Cloud Sect and lay within its territory. That was an Azure Cloud Sect industry.

What was even more outrageous was that he had visited Azure Cloud Market, where businesses such as inns and apothecaries actually paid taxes.

Where had all those taxes gone?

The more Zhang Yang read the account book, the angrier he became. Had these cultivators used all their brains on cultivation and understood nothing else?

When he reached the end of the account book and saw the remaining balance—one hundred and three Spirit Stones—lying there all alone, Zhang Yang completely lost it.

The mighty Azure Cloud Sect, a sect with a five-thousand-year legacy, had only one hundred and three Spirit Stones left...

No wonder whenever he wanted to buy medicinal pills to consume, Seventh Martial Uncle would earnestly persuade him: "Zhang Yang, using pills to cultivate is an inferior method. Moreover, the spiritual energy cultivated that way is impure, and it leaves impurities in the body. That is extremely detrimental to cultivators like us. The finest method of cultivation is to refine the spiritual energy of heaven and earth..."

What inferior method? They simply had no money!

After all, even the cheapest Qi-Nourishing Pill cost two hundred Spirit Stones!

Aside from Spirit Stones, they had no artifact-refining materials, no spirit herbs for alchemy... they had nothing of any kind!

Across the entire Azure Cloud Peak, Azure Cloud Master and his six fellow disciples would enter seclusion at the drop of a hat.

As for Zhang Yang himself, he could indeed search the Azure Cloud Seven Peaks for medicinal herbs to sell, but how much could one person possibly gather?

Was he supposed to cultivate or not?

That was why Zhang Yang had lived in such frustration over the past ten years and had long wanted to reform things.

Still, speaking in good conscience, the several elders had treated him quite well.

Ever since they had brought him up the mountain ten years ago, they had immediately equipped him with a full set of gear, even including high-end items such as a Spatial Ring.

That entire set could not have been obtained without spending hundreds of thousands of Spirit Stones.

From this alone, the Azure Cloud Seven Sons truly had done their utmost to nurture their disciple. They were responsible and admirable elders.

Of course, that was also why Azure Cloud Master and the others reacted as if the world were ending the moment they heard that Zhang Yang had accepted dozens of disciples.

"Senior Brother, the registration is complete. There are eighty-seven people in total!" Wang Baole presented the list before Zhang Yang. "Please give your instructions, Senior Brother. What should we do next?"

Zhang Yang closed the account book, took the list from Wang Baole, gave it a glance, and put it away.

He rose to his feet and looked toward the eighty-seven youths in the square.

The youths instinctively straightened their backs as well, waiting for Zhang Yang to announce what came next.

They were now members of the Azure Cloud Sect, so naturally they would have to follow the Azure Cloud Sect's Rules from now on.

Zhang Yang swept his gaze over them and said, "First, congratulations to all of you for entering the Azure Cloud Sect!

My Azure Cloud Sect was founded over five thousand years ago. Throughout its history, no fewer than seventeen people successfully ascended to the Immortal Realm. Thus, joining the Azure Cloud Sect is an honor for all of you.

But have you noticed a problem?

Where will all of you live from now on?"

The crowd could not help looking around. Apart from the grand hall before them, there were only several tower buildings.

Everything else was forested mountain land, with no houses whatsoever.

But now that they had joined the sect, should not the sect be the one to solve the issue of housing?

Zhang Yang's expression turned solemn as he continued, "You may have heard that over the past several decades, my Azure Cloud Sect has accepted only one person—me. By our usual practice, we would also have selected disciples very strictly this time.

However, our sect has encountered a great upheaval unseen in a hundred years.

This upheaval is closely tied to every person present here.

That is precisely why I opened the gates wide and brought all of you fellow disciples up the mountain, so that we may face this once-in-a-century upheaval together.

If we handle it well, there will be a place for us in the Future of this world. Perhaps even among those who ascend to the Immortal Realm, there will be some of us.

If we fail to handle it well, we will be doomed beyond redemption.

Fellow disciples, do not think of fleeing. This is something you simply cannot escape.

I want to ask you all: are you willing to face it together with me?"

The people in the square looked at one another.

From Zhang Yang's words, they could sense the gravity of the situation.

But what, exactly, had happened?

Wang Baole swallowed and asked, "Senior Brother, what should we do?"

Zhang Yang said slowly, "As for what to do, we can discuss that gradually afterward. What you need to do first is hurry and build yourselves somewhere to live. The seven mountain peaks behind the main hall already have sect elders at their summits. Apart from the summits, you may choose suitable places on the mountains to construct houses. Get moving, everyone, and resolve the housing issue as soon as possible. I'll give you two days. Gather here again in two days, and I will teach you the method of cultivation."

After a pause, Zhang Yang's tone turned cold. "Remember, you are fellow disciples now, and fellow disciples should care for one another. If anyone dares bully another, the consequences will not be something you can bear."

Having said that, he leaped into the air and flew away.

The people in the square were somewhat dumbfounded.

They felt that something was off, but this was their first time joining a sect, so they had no idea what other sects were like.

After standing there in a daze for a while, everyone still decided to build somewhere to live.

After all, they were already here. They could not exactly sleep on the ground, could they?

At the summit of Azure Cloud Peak, Azure Cloud Master, who had claimed he was entering seclusion, sat together with the other six.

Through a treasured mirror, they watched the situation before the grand hall.

"Senior Brother, what do we do now?" Third Brother Danchენzi frowned deeply as he looked at Azure Cloud Master. "I can say for certain that more than half of these eighty-seven disciples are spies sent by other sects. Now that Zhang Yang has accepted them all, how should we deal with this?"

Azure Cloud Master said irritably, "Would this situation have happened if you had not been so lazy?"

Danchენzi gave a bitter smile. "I never expected Zhang Yang to pull something like this... We were not allowed to leave the sect freely to begin with, and all the sect's Spirit Stones have been used on the grand formation... Keeping this group of disciples fed is already a problem, let alone the fact that there are spies among them. Why not just find an excuse and drive them all down the mountain?"

"Nonsense! We accepted them onto the mountain only to drive them down again right away—does the Azure Cloud Sect not care about its reputation?" Azure Cloud Master glared at Danchენzi. "Even if we are going to do that, we should at least wait a while!"

Azure Cloud Master's face was full of worry. The people had already been accepted onto the mountain. If the Azure Cloud Sect could not support its disciples and starved them to death, its reputation built over thousands of years would be utterly ruined!

What were they supposed to do?

Suddenly, Second Martial Uncle Ling Yunzi's expression changed. "Not good. That brat Zhang Yang is coming to find me!"

At a time like this, could him coming to the door possibly mean anything good?

The others all looked at Second Martial Uncle, their faces full of malicious delight.

"Go on, quickly! Don't drag us down with you!" they urged in unison.

Second Brother flew back to the summit of his own peak with a miserable expression.