Tianfeng City.
Within a radius of three thousand li, it was the largest cultivation city.
Its scale surpassed Qingyang City by more than tenfold.
Its towering walls pierced the clouds, built from an unknown black stone. Their surfaces were carved with profound runes that shimmered with faint spiritual light beneath the sun. Clearly, they formed an enormous defensive formation.
At the city gates, people flowed like an endless stream, and carriages crowded the roads.
There were scions of great families clad in splendid robes, riding luxurious carriages drawn by demonic beasts.
There were Rogue Cultivator warriors carrying greatswords on their backs, their auras fierce and imposing.
There were also mortal peddlers pushing carts and selling all manner of trinkets.
Cultivators and mortals had formed a peculiar harmony here.
Standing amid the crowd, Chen Chen raised his head to gaze at the majestic city, and a trace of awe rose in his heart.
This was the true world of cultivation.
Compared to it, Qingyang City was no more than a remote little village.
He pressed down the brim of his conical hat and followed the crowd through the city gates.
To enter the city, one had to pay a Low-grade Spirit Stone.
For an ordinary Rogue Cultivator, that was no small expense.
But to the now wealthy Chen Chen, it was merely a drop in the ocean.
He paid the Spirit Stone and entered Tianfeng City without issue.
The sights within the city were even more prosperous than those outside.
The broad streets were paved with smooth bluestone slabs, wide enough for ten carriages to travel side by side.
On either side stood rows upon rows of shops, taverns, and pill halls. Every building was richly carved and magnificently painted, grand and imposing.
Even the air was suffused with a faint trace of Spiritual Energy.
Chen Chen had no mind to admire any of it.
He had come for only one purpose.
—Azure Cloud Sect.
Wang Teng!
According to the information he had obtained earlier, the Azure Cloud Sect's once-every-three-years Disciple Recruitment Ceremony would take place in one month, right here in Tianfeng City.
What he needed to do was find a way to infiltrate the Azure Cloud Sect within that month.
Then, he would find Wang Teng and erase him, along with the entire Wang Family behind him, from this world!
However, the Azure Cloud Sect was the number one sect within three thousand li. Its rules were strict, and experts gathered there like clouds.
Infiltrating it would be easier said than done.
He needed intelligence.
The most detailed intelligence concerning the Azure Cloud Sect.
Chen Chen found an inconspicuous inn to stay in, then headed to Tianfeng City's largest intelligence-trading center—the Sky Listening Pavilion.
As its name implied, the Sky Listening Pavilion could hear all matters beneath heaven.
It was said that so long as one could afford the price, there was no information they could not uncover.
The moment Chen Chen entered the Sky Listening Pavilion, a youth dressed as a blue-clad attendant came up to greet him.
"Honored guest, are you here to buy information or sell information?"
"Buy information."
"What kind of information would you like to buy? People, sects, ruins, or treasures?"
"Sects." Chen Chen replied blandly. "Information about the Azure Cloud Sect. The more detailed, the better."
A professional smile appeared on the blue-clad attendant's face. "Honored guest, we have plenty of information about the Azure Cloud Sect. What exactly would you like to know? The sect's history, its internal structure, or perhaps... the upcoming Disciple Recruitment Ceremony?"
"The Disciple Recruitment Ceremony."
"Certainly." The blue-clad attendant nodded. "Public information about the Azure Cloud Sect's Disciple Recruitment Ceremony costs ten Low-grade Spirit Stones. If you wish to know some internal information, such as the assessment content, the preferences of the presiding elders, and so forth, that will be priced separately."
"I want it all." Chen Chen was concise.
"Certainly!" The blue-clad attendant's eyes lit up, and his smile became even warmer. "Honored guest, please come to a private room on the second floor. We have a dedicated steward who will serve you."
Chen Chen followed the attendant to a private room on the second floor.
Before long, a middle-aged man in black robes with a cold, sinister bearing entered.
His cultivation was astonishingly at the Qi Condensation Fifth Layer!
"You must be the distinguished guest seeking information about the Azure Cloud Sect?" The black-robed steward got straight to the point.
Chen Chen nodded.
"Public information costs ten Spirit Stones. Internal information ranges from one hundred to one thousand Spirit Stones, depending on its value. How 'internal' would you like the information to be?" There was a probing note in the black-robed steward's voice.
Chen Chen said nothing. He merely flicked a finger.
A storage bag containing one hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones landed on the table.
"Start with an appetizer. Let me see what your Sky Listening Pavilion is made of."
A sharp glint flashed through the black-robed steward's eyes. He picked up the storage bag and swept it with his Spiritual Sense, then a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
"Honored guest, you are forthright!"
He took out a jade slip from his robes and handed it over.
"This contains all the public information regarding the Azure Cloud Sect's Disciple Recruitment Ceremony, along with the backgrounds, personalities, and preferences of the three presiding elders, as well as analyses of the assessment content from previous years. Its value is one hundred Spirit Stones."
Chen Chen accepted the jade slip and sent his Spiritual Sense into it.
A vast flood of information instantly surged into his mind.
The Azure Cloud Sect's Disciple Recruitment Ceremony was divided into three trials.
The first trial was the Path of Heart's Inquiry. It tested a disciple's temperament and perseverance.
The second trial was the Cloud Ascending Ladder. It tested one's innate physique and potential.
The third trial was the Combat Assessment. Only this tested a disciple's true strength.
Only by passing all three trials could one become an Outer Sect Disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect.
Becoming an Inner Sect Disciple was even harder than ascending to heaven.
The jade slip also recorded detailed information on the three presiding elders.
Grand Elder Li Xuan was rigid by nature and valued rules above all else.
Second Elder Zhang Fan had an easygoing personality and favored geniuses most.
Third Elder Zhao Yue was a female cultivator, meticulous as strands of hair, and hated those of improper character most.
"These intelligence reports are worth one hundred Spirit Stones." Chen Chen put away the jade slip and spoke blandly.
"So long as you are satisfied, honored guest." The black-robed steward smiled. "Would you like deeper intelligence? For example... a way to pass the assessments with absolute certainty, or even become an Inner Sect Disciple directly?"
"Oh?" Chen Chen was intrigued. "Let's hear it."
"There are only two ways to take a shortcut." The black-robed steward raised two fingers.
"First, possess extraordinary talent and be one in ten thousand. If you possess the legendary Heavenly Spirit Root, then not only becoming an Inner Sect Disciple—even becoming a Personal Disciple—would not be impossible."
Chen Chen shook his head inwardly. He knew that he possessed only an ordinary Five Elements Mixed Spirit Root. This path was blocked.
"What about the second?"
"The second..." The black-robed steward smiled and lowered his voice. "Is... the Azure Cloud Token!"
"The Azure Cloud Token?" Chen Chen raised a brow.
"That's right." The black-robed steward explained, "The Azure Cloud Token is a token bestowed by the Azure Cloud Sect's upper ranks upon those who have rendered great service to the sect, or upon close friends and old allies. Holders of this token may skip the first two trials and enter the third directly. Furthermore, they will receive extra consideration during the third trial. So long as their performance is not too poor, becoming an Inner Sect Disciple is practically a nail driven into the board."
"Does your Sky Listening Pavilion sell Azure Cloud Tokens?" Chen Chen asked.
Hearing this, the black-robed steward gave a bitter smile and shook his head. "Honored guest, you jest. Azure Cloud Tokens are exceedingly precious. Every one bears a unique mark and serial number, making them impossible to forge. Even if our Sky Listening Pavilion possessed boundless ability, we could not obtain such a thing."
He paused, then changed the subject. "However... while we do not have an Azure Cloud Token, we know who does."
Chen Chen's eyes narrowed at once.
"Who?"
"The Liang Family of Tianfeng City." The black-robed steward slowly uttered the four words.
"The Liang Family is a local cultivation clan of Tianfeng City and has deep ties with the Azure Cloud Sect. According to our information, Liang Hu, the Liang Family Head, possesses an Azure Cloud Token. In his early years, he rendered great service to the Azure Cloud Sect, and the sect awarded it to him."
"He has always wanted his son, Liang Feng, to enter the Azure Cloud Sect. Unfortunately, Liang Feng is a worthless wastrel, mediocre in cultivation, mud that cannot be plastered onto a wall. Thus, the Azure Cloud Token has remained unused."
"You mean for me to steal it?" Chen Chen's voice turned several degrees colder.
"Honored guest, you misunderstand." The black-robed steward hurriedly waved his hands. "Though the Liang Family cannot compare to the Azure Cloud Sect, it is deeply rooted in Tianfeng City, with experts gathered like clouds. Liang Hu, the Family Head, is even a Qi Condensation Ninth Layer Peak expert. Trying to steal it would be no different from seeking death."
"However, we have also uncovered another piece of information."
"Though Young Master Liang Feng is an idle good-for-nothing, he has one fatal weakness."
"—He loves gambling!"
"In Tianfeng City's South City, there is a gambling house called Immortal's Abode. Liang Feng is a regular there, and he goes almost every night. Moreover, his gambling skills are abysmal; whenever he gambles, he loses."
"A few days ago, he lost until his eyes turned red. He pawned every valuable item on him and still owed the gambling house a huge sum of Spirit Stones."
"We suspect that if he is driven into a corner, he may very well... set his sights on that Azure Cloud Token."
Having said this, the black-robed steward stopped and looked at Chen Chen with a half-smile.
The meaning could not have been clearer.
Chen Chen's mind immediately came alive.
Go to the gambling house and win the Azure Cloud Token from Liang Feng!
This was indeed a feasible method!
"How many Spirit Stones for this information?" Chen Chen asked.
"Five hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones." The black-robed steward opened his mouth like a lion.
Chen Chen did not so much as furrow his brow. He directly tossed over a storage bag.
"Deal."
"Honored guest truly is a forthright man!" The black-robed steward was overjoyed. After putting away the storage bag, he added, "Oh, and one more piece of information for free. The Immortal's Abode is an enterprise of the City Lord's Mansion. Once inside, do not even think of causing trouble."
"I understand."
Chen Chen rose to his feet, turned, and left the private room.
Watching his departing back, the smile on the black-robed steward's face gradually faded, replaced by a profound gleam in his eyes.
He muttered to himself, "Only at the Qi Condensation First Layer, yet he possesses such wealth and boldness. His Spiritual Power is even stranger and more unfathomable... Just where did this boy come from?"
"Looks like Tianfeng City is about to see the winds rise again."
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