Entering Yun Ge Sect

A flying sword cut through the air, bringing with it a whistling wind. Su Shi'er stood at the very end, curiously peering downward, watching as the village below rapidly shrank into a tiny black dot.

As far as the eye could see, the land rose in great swells, mountain ranges crisscrossed in every direction, and a hundred rivers converged into one—a truly magnificent sight.

Su Shi'er's pupils contracted. Only now did he realize just how vast this world truly was. Thinking of that nameless Man in Black, his heart filled with rage, mingled with a sense of uncertainty about the future.

At the front of the flying sword, Han Yu stood tall with his chest puffed out, appearing mature and steady. But his tightly clenched fists were enough to show that he, too, was a bit nervous.

In comparison, the other three were far worse off. They crouched on the flying sword, huddling their bodies, trembling one after another. After all, they were still half-grown children. This kind of high-altitude flight, with just the sound of the wind roaring past their ears, was enough to terrify them.

Seeing this, the woman smiled and began telling them about the Yun Ge Sect, helping to ease their tension.

From her words, they learned that the sect they were joining was a cultivation sect on the outskirts of the Cangshan Mountain Range—the Yun Ge Sect.

Within the Yun Ge Sect, there were seven peaks: Tianshu, Tianhua, Tianyin, Yuntai, Chaoyang, Luoyan, and Luofu. Externally, the Yun Ge Sect was a single entity, but internally, it was divided into seven factions based on these peaks. Each peak had its own Peak Master, who managed it independently.

Among them, Tianshu Peak was the main peak and rarely recruited disciples. The other six peaks, every three to five years, would go to the mortal world to take in disciples with spiritual roots.

The old man before them was named Lu Mingshi, the Peak Master of Luofu Peak in the Yun Ge Sect. After entering the sect, they would all become his disciples. As for the woman, her name was Xiao Yue, Lu Mingshi's granddaughter. She was also their Martial Sister.

The content Xiao Yue spoke of was only half-understood by the group, the oldest of whom was no more than twelve. Yet it clearly helped calm their emotions.

Su Shi'er pricked up his ears, silently memorizing everything Xiao Yue said. He knew well that his talent was lacking, so he could only be more diligent and attentive than others.

What did strike him as odd, though, was that Xiao Yue and Lu Mingshi were clearly grandfather and granddaughter, yet they had different surnames.

Could it be... they weren't blood-related?

Su Shi'er, with his limited experience, could only make wild guesses in his mind.

Time flew by, and the flying sword carried them for a full two days.

Three days later, early in the morning, the flying sword pierced through a thick fog, bringing them back to the Yun Ge Sect.

Gazing into the distance, below them lay countless majestic mountains, thousands of peaks stretching and winding endlessly.

The peaks were hidden within the thin mist, appearing and disappearing. Among them, the tallest were seven peaks, arranged like the stars of the Northern Dipper.

At the summit of each of these seven peaks stood a grand and magnificent building, with some unknown energy flowing through them, occasionally emitting dazzling light.

Such a sight stirred their hearts, instantly washing away the bitterness of parting.

Su Shi'er stared without blinking, immediately realizing that these must be the main peaks of the seven factions Xiao Yue had mentioned. But which peak corresponded to which name, he didn't yet know.

On the flying sword, Lu Mingshi and Xiao Yue both visibly relaxed, smiles spreading across their faces. Though they had recruited disciples for many years, every time they left the sect, they couldn't help but worry.

The world of cultivation was far from peaceful.

Lu Mingshi, smiling, manipulated the flying sword, heading toward the farthest peak.

Just then—

"Martial Sister, what's that?" Su Shi'er

pointed at a black dot in the distance, asking quickly.

The moment his words fell, the black dot rapidly approached. In the blink of an eye, a hundred-meter-long Crimson Great Ship came speeding through the air.

At the bow of the ship stood a lean man in a crimson robe, his gaze sharp. Behind him on the deck, a crowd of heads was clearly visible—children around the same age as Su Shi'er and the others.

There were over a hundred of them!!!

Before Xiao Yue could answer, the figure at the front of the ship spoke first to Lu Mingshi.

"Martial Brother, I don't eat people, you know. Why do you have to run so fast when you see me?"

"Run from you? Fu Boren, who do you think you are? Have some shame, will you!" Lu Mingshi said with a pout.

As he spoke, his gaze quickly swept over the hundred figures on the ship, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

Fu Boren was the Peak Master of Tianhua Peak, and Tianhua Peak had never gotten along with Luofu Peak. Now, the other party had managed to recruit so many disciples at once. Lu Mingshi didn't say it aloud, but inside, he was filled with envy, jealousy, and hate.

For a cultivation sect, disciples were the foundation of development. A faction with many disciples would inevitably see its strength grow significantly over the years.

"Hehe, I still need my face, Martial Brother. Whether you're deliberately avoiding me, I think you know in your heart."

Fu Boren chuckled, his gaze quickly sweeping over the flying sword.

"But Martial Brother, your Luofu Peak really gets worse every year! This year, you only recruited five people? At this rate, I reckon within a hundred years, your Luofu Peak might just die out!"

Lu Mingshi's face darkened, and he retorted irritably, "Pah! You can't spit out an ivory from a dog's mouth. In the pursuit of immortality, quality matters over quantity. Even if you had five hundred more of those misshapen melons and cracked dates you recruited, it'd still be useless."

Lu Mingshi had a hot temper. Hearing that, he couldn't hold back and shot back directly.

For so many years, the Luofu Peak he led had always been the weakest. In the past, saying such words would have lacked confidence.

But this time, with Han Yu—a genius with a Supreme Dual Spiritual Root—joining, Lu Mingshi was full of confidence.

"Oh? Quality over quantity, you say? Then it seems Martial Brother's Luofu Peak is brimming with confidence for the Newcomer Trial Assembly five years from now!" Fu Boren sized up Lu Mingshi, a grin on his face.

Lu Mingshi retorted, "Tch, I was just letting you win before, understand?!"

Given Luofu Peak's situation, even with the addition of a peerless genius like Han Yu, Lu Mingshi didn't hold much hope for the Newcomer Trial Assembly.

But no matter what, in front of a rival, he couldn't lose face! And besides, nurturing such a genius well would be enough to make him proud.

"Oh? It seems Martial Brother has found a good seedling this year? Why not tell me about it, so I can broaden my horizons too?" Fu Boren caught the pride in Lu Mingshi's words, lowered his voice, and slyly scanned Su Shi'er and the others.

"Impressive? Dream on, Fu Boren. Don't think I don't know what you're plotting—trying to poach from me? No way!"

Lu Mingshi rolled his eyes, then finished speaking and steered his flying sword into a streak of light, charging toward the farthest peak.

At the bow of the flying boat, Fu Boren stared at the dissipating sword shadow in the sky, a thoughtful gleam flickering in his eyes.

Then, the corner of his mouth curled up slightly as he smiled and drove the flying boat toward the second peak. The flying sword cut through the air with a howling wind. Su Shi'er stood at the rear, curiously peering downward, watching the village below quickly shrink into a tiny black dot.

As far as the eye could see, the land rose in undulating terrain, mountain ranges crisscrossing, rivers converging into one—a truly magnificent sight.

Su Shi'er's pupils contracted. Only now did he realize just how vast this world truly was. Thinking of that nameless Man in Black, his heart filled with anger, mingled with uncertainty about the future.

At the front of the flying sword, Han Yu stood tall with his chest out, appearing mature and steady. But his clenched fists were enough to show he was still a bit nervous.

In comparison, the other three were far worse. They crouched on the flying sword, huddled up, trembling one after another. After all, they were just half-grown children; this high-altitude flight, with the wind roaring in their ears alone, terrified them.

Seeing this, the woman smiled and began telling them about the Yun Ge Sect to help ease their tension.

From her words, they learned that the sect they were joining was a cultivation sect on the outskirts of the Cangshan Mountain Range—the Yun Ge Sect.

Within the Yun Ge Sect, there were seven peaks: Tianshu, Tianhua, Tianyin, Yuntai, Chaoyang, Luoyan, and Luofu. Externally, the Yun Ge Sect was a single entity; internally, it was divided into seven factions based on these peaks. Each peak had its own Peak Master, who managed it independently.

Among them, Tianshu Peak was the main peak and rarely recruited disciples. The other six peaks, every three to five years, would go to the mortal world to recruit disciples with spiritual roots.

The old man before them was named Lu Mingshi, the Peak Master of Luofu Peak in the Yun Ge Sect. After entering the sect, they would all become his disciples. As for the woman, her name was Xiao Yue, Lu Mingshi's granddaughter and also their Martial Sister.

What Xiao Yue said was only half-understood by the group, the oldest of whom was no more than twelve. Yet it clearly helped calm them down considerably.

Su Shi'er pricked up his ears, silently memorizing everything Xiao Yue said. He knew well that his talent was lacking, so he had to work harder and be more attentive than others.

One thing that struck him as odd, though, was that Xiao Yue and Lu Mingshi were clearly grandfather and granddaughter, yet they had different surnames.

Could it be... they weren't blood-related?

Su Shi'er, with his limited experience, could only guess wildly in his mind.

Time flew by, and the flying sword carried them for a full two days.

Three days later, early in the morning, the flying sword pierced through a thick fog, bringing them back to the Yun Ge Sect.

Gazing into the distance, below lay a vast expanse of towering mountains, thousands of peaks stretching and winding endlessly.

The peaks were hidden in the thin mist, appearing and disappearing. Among them, the tallest were seven peaks, arranged like the stars of the Big Dipper.

Atop each of these seven peaks stood a grand and magnificent building, with unknown energies flowing through them, occasionally emitting dazzling light.

Such a sight stirred everyone's hearts, instantly washing away the bitterness of parting.

Su Shi'er stared without blinking, immediately realizing that these must be the main peaks of the seven factions Xiao Yue had mentioned. Which peak corresponded to which name, however, he didn't yet know.

On the flying sword, Lu Mingshi and Xiao Yue both visibly relaxed, smiles spreading across their faces. Though they had recruited disciples for years, every time they left the mountain, they couldn't help but worry.

The world of cultivation was far from peaceful.

Lu Mingshi smiled as he controlled the flying sword, heading toward the farthest peak.

Just then—

"Martial Sister, what's that?" Su Shi'er

pointed at a distant black dot and asked quickly.

No sooner had he spoken than the black dot rapidly approached. In an instant, a hundred-meter-long Crimson Great Ship came speeding through the air.

At the bow of the ship stood a lean man in a crimson robe, his gaze sharp. Behind him on the deck, a crowd of heads was clearly visible—children around the same age as Su Shi'er and the others.

There were over a hundred of them!!!

Before Xiao Yue could answer, the figure at the front of the ship spoke to Lu Mingshi first.

"Martial Brother, I don't eat people, you know. Why run off so fast when you see me?"

"Run from you? Fu Boren, who do you think you are? Have some shame, will you!" Lu Mingshi pursed his lips.

As he spoke, his gaze swept quickly over the hundred-plus figures on the flying boat, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

Fu Boren was the Peak Master of Tianhua Peak, and Tianhua Peak had never gotten along with Luofu Peak. Now, the other party had managed to recruit so many disciples at once. Lu Mingshi didn't say it aloud, but inwardly he was burning with envy and resentment.

For a cultivation sect, disciples were the foundation of growth. A faction with many disciples would inevitably grow stronger over the years.

"Heh, I still need my face, Martial Brother. Whether you're deliberately avoiding me—I think you know that yourself," Fu Boren said with a sly grin, his gaze quickly sweeping over the flying sword.

"But Martial Brother, your Luofu Peak really is declining year by year! This time, you only recruited five people? At this rate, I reckon within a hundred years, your Luofu Peak might just run out of successors!"

Lu Mingshi's face darkened, and he snapped back irritably, "Pah! You can't spit out anything good from that dog mouth of yours. In the pursuit of the Dao, quality matters over quantity. All those misfits you recruited—even five hundred more wouldn't make a difference."

Lu Mingshi had a hot temper too; hearing that, he couldn't hold back and shot back directly.

For years, his Luofu Peak had always been the weakest. In the past, saying such things would have lacked conviction.

But this time, with Han Yu—a genius with a Supreme Dual Spiritual Root—joining, Lu Mingshi was brimming with confidence.

"Oh, quality over quantity, is it? So that means Martial Brother's Luofu Peak is brimming with confidence for the Newcomer Trial Assembly five years from now!" Fu Boren sized up Lu Mingshi with a teasing grin.

Lu Mingshi retorted, "Tch, I was just going easy on you all before, got it?!"

Given Luofu Peak's situation, even with the addition of a peerless genius like Han Yu, Lu Mingshi didn't hold much hope for the Newcomer Trial Assembly.

But regardless, in front of a rival, he couldn't lose face! Besides, if he nurtured such a peerless genius well, it would be enough to bring him glory.

"Oh? It seems Martial Brother has found some good seedlings this year? Why not tell me, so this junior brother can broaden his horizons?" Fu Boren caught the pride beneath Lu Mingshi's words, lowered his voice, and let his shifty gaze sweep over Su Shi'er and the others.

"Broaden your horizons? Dream on! Fu Boren, don't think I don't know what you're plotting. Trying to poach from me? No way!"

Lu Mingshi rolled his eyes, then urged his flying sword into a streak of light, shooting toward the farthest mountain peak.

At the bow of the flying boat, Fu Boren stared at the fading sword shadow in the sky, a thoughtful glint flickering in his eyes.

Then, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly as he smiled and steered the flying boat toward the second mountain peak.