Four Seasons Valley, the Twenty-Four Solar Terms!

"Jiang Xuan, I've already found out quite a bit about the various peaks of our Divine Firmament Sect."

While Jiang Xuan's thoughts ran wild, Dong Hao leaned closer and told him everything he had learned yesterday.

He first explained the overall structure of the Divine Firmament Sect. "Our Divine Firmament Sect has always been said to possess three halls, nine peaks, thirty-three mountains, and eighty-one blessed lands."

"Of these, the nine peaks are the Upper Branch, the thirty-three mountains are the Middle Branch, and the eighty-one blessed lands are the Lower Branch. As for the three great halls—the Divine Firmament Hall, Enforcement Hall, and Profound Origin Hall—they stand apart from all else and form the core center of our Divine Firmament Sect."

"The three great halls each have their own duties. Divine Firmament Hall is where the sect master cultivates in seclusion, as well as the highest hall for discussing and deciding sect affairs. Enforcement Hall oversees the sect's laws and punishments, correcting elders' misconduct above and investigating disciples' violations below; even the sect's external grudges and disputes fall under its jurisdiction. Profound Origin Hall, meanwhile, is where the sect's highly respected senior elders reside. Those elders assist Divine Firmament Hall in deciding the sect's major policies, while also serving as a check upon the sect master's authority..."

As Dong Hao explained, Jiang Xuan gained a thorough understanding of the sect's power structure and operating rules. At last, he understood why the Divine Firmament Sect, though divided into Upper, Middle, and Lower Branches with gaps as vast as heaven and earth between them, had never fallen apart.

It was because beyond the three branches stood the three great halls, the absolute center that steadied heaven and earth.

Moreover, these three great halls resembled the three departments and six ministries of a mortal dynasty. They cared not for one's origins, only one's ability. No matter which peak a disciple or elder came from, so long as they passed the assessment, they could enter a hall, assume an office, and wield authority.

Even the supreme position of master of Divine Firmament Hall—the sect master himself—could be contested by mountain masters from the Middle and Lower Branches under sect rules.

Of course, that was what the rules said. In reality, it was obvious that the Middle and Lower Branches had virtually no chance of producing a sect master, and even fewer of their people entered the three great halls—or rather, if an unmatched prodigy truly possessed the ability to become sect master, their branch would already have risen step by step from the Middle or Lower Branch into the ranks of the nine Upper Branch peaks through that person's strength alone.

Since the Divine Firmament Sect revered the principle that the Great Dao had to be fought for, there was naturally no exception within the sect. Every sixty years, the sect held a grand competition among its peaks and branches, reevaluating the ranks and standing of every peak and mountain.

At this point, Dong Hao lowered his voice. "They say the waters run deep here. The rotations among the Middle and Lower Branches are still relatively orderly, but once changes among the nine Upper Branch peaks are involved, every time, it ends in blood rain and foul winds."

Shaking his head, unwilling to touch further upon such sect taboos, Dong Hao abruptly shifted the subject to the matter most urgent for them. "Matters like changes among the peaks and branches aren't for two newly admitted disciples like us to worry about. What we should be considering now is how to choose a peak, enter a peak, and find ourselves a stable place to cultivate."

"I asked around about the benefits Instructor Song Zhou mentioned yesterday. That was an edict from Divine Firmament Hall. With that token, disciples from every great academy may enter the inner peaks to cultivate."

"But you should also know that an order is an order, while whether it is carried out—and how far it is carried out—is up to each peak."

"With your circumstances, most of the eighty-one blessed lands will set assessment thresholds. Only by passing them can you enjoy the corresponding sect benefits. Of the thirty-three Middle Branch mountains, only a handful will disregard Spirit Root grade and give you an opportunity to take an assessment..."

Dong Hao did not say a word about the nine great Upper Branch peaks that came after, but Jiang Xuan understood perfectly well. With his current Spirit Root grade, the nine great Upper Branch peaks would not even spare him a second glance.

Jiang Xuan felt no ripple in his heart over that.

He had seen too many scenes where worth was determined by talent and status by Spirit Root.

Naturally, the information Dong Hao wanted to tell Jiang Xuan was not limited to this ordinary intelligence that could be gathered merely by putting in the effort.

After a brief pause, he revealed without reservation several secret pieces of information that circulated only within small circles.

"Among the Lower Branch's eighty-one blessed lands, I screened through them and found three places most suited to you: Five Organs Temple, Mayfly Valley, and Spirit Butterfly Mountain."

"Five Organs Temple takes nurturing the five qi within one's chest as its foundation. It aligns at its root with the One Qi Sword Art you cultivate, but I do not recommend that you go there. Their lineage follows the path of using five qi to achieve Spirit Transformation. They excel at spellcraft and deduction, but have not delved deeply into the sword Dao. Going there would instead delay your gift for sword cultivation."

"Your talent in the sword Dao is outstanding. The places truly best suited to you are Mayfly Valley and Spirit Butterfly Mountain. The former's lineage-defending sword art, Heaven and Earth, a Mayfly, is a supreme sword canon capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with Middle Branch inheritances. However, this lineage takes an unorthodox path, staking everything on cultivating only that ultimate sword strike that decides life and death in an instant. Its other Dao Foundations and cultivation are neglected. Because of this inherent flaw, it has remained trapped in the Lower Branch, unable to advance into the Middle Branch."

"Spirit Butterfly Mountain also focuses on the sword, following the path of nimble and ethereal swordsmanship. It also possesses a secret technique called Breaking the Cocoon, Becoming a Butterfly. The most crucial reason I strongly recommend this lineage is not merely that its cultivation methods suit you—Spirit Butterfly Mountain's current branch master not only has solid cultivation, but also possesses deep connections within the sect. He received guidance from a senior elder of Profound Origin Hall and is comprehending a method of second transformation based on Breaking the Cocoon, Becoming a Butterfly. It is said that once this technique reaches completion, Spirit Butterfly Mountain is highly likely to rise straight to the heavens in the next peak-and-branch competition and directly join the Middle Branch."

Dong Hao truly was capable, and his information network was broad enough. Every one of the three branches he had selected for Jiang Xuan struck directly at Jiang Xuan's obvious strengths.

Five Organs Temple and Mayfly Valley excelled in their high compatibility with the cultivation art he was currently practicing. Spirit Butterfly Mountain, meanwhile, not only suited his cultivation method, but also bet on its future opportunity for advancement. Joining it would be equivalent to grasping a ticket from the Lower Branch into the Middle Branch ahead of time.

One had to know that the difference in status between the Lower and Middle Branches was like heaven and earth. The cultivation resources available to disciples, and their future prospects, were as different as clouds and mud. Naturally, the difficulty of joining them could not be mentioned in the same breath.

Yet Spirit Butterfly Mountain was still part of the Lower Branch, and its entry threshold was far lower than those of the Middle Branch mountains. Such top-secret intelligence about "entering the Lower Branch and ascending through the Middle Gate" would fetch at least a hundred Lower-Grade Spirit Stones from anyone else. Yet Dong Hao had told him everything without holding back. Jiang Xuan understood the sincerity and goodwill behind it perfectly clearly.

However, although Dong Hao had considered matters for him at every turn, Jiang Xuan did not wish to choose any of the three options he had offered.

"Dong Hao had gotten the most important thing wrong. He only thought my sword Dao talent was exceptional, but he did not know that I possessed a profession panel. I can set foot upon every Dao beneath heaven; there is no need for me to remain trapped on the road of the sword cultivator."

"And right now, the path that can let me grow the fastest and bring my advantages to their fullest is not a sword Dao lineage at all, but the Food Cultivator Lineage that specializes in spirit cuisine."

"Cultivation is the root of everything, and the key to Spirit Pivot Aperture Opening lies in the four words: Refining Essence into Qi!"

Preparing to become a Kitchen Apprentice and then change professions into a Gourmet, Jiang Xuan could only perfectly align his profession system with his cultivation path by joining a lineage that deeply studied spirit cuisine and the Dao of the kitchen hearth. One step ahead meant every step ahead.

Dong Hao naturally noticed Jiang Xuan's hesitation and embarrassment. But he did not know about the profession panel, and thus mistook Jiang Xuan's hesitation for something else.

"Brother Jiang, could it be that you want to take a gamble and challenge the Middle Branch?" he blurted out. Without waiting for Jiang Xuan to explain, he showed an expression of understanding and patted Jiang Xuan's shoulder. "That is only human nature. The Middle Branch has an extremely high threshold for entry, but once you enter, its cultivation resources and sect status are beyond anything the Lower Branch can compare to. Given such an opportunity, if one did not even dare to try, I too would feel unwilling to accept it."

As soon as his words fell, he poured out everything he had learned about the Middle Branch mountains as well.

"Among our Divine Firmament Sect's thirty-three Middle Branch mountains, only seven accept cultivators below Earth-grade Spirit Roots. But do not think that makes them easy to enter." At this point, Dong Hao spread his hands, his face full of helplessness. "Their thresholds are actually even higher. They do not restrict Spirit Roots, but instead demand those elusive things—comprehension, spiritual sensitivity, and even... luck."

"Take Illusory Moon Lake. This lineage specializes in the Dao of dreams and the laws of the moon. It requires its disciples to possess clear spiritual sensitivity and an inborn affinity for dreams. Their assessment requires disciples to use their reflections in water to stir a resonance with the moonlight above, condensing a unique mark of the moon. Out of a thousand cultivators, perhaps not even one succeeds."

"Void Profound Realm specializes in the great Dao of space. Its assessment tests inborn spatial perception, something even rarer—one in ten thousand."

"Star-Eye Observatory is the most mysterious of all. It specializes in stellar deduction. Its assessment tests not only whether you have the comprehension to deduce heavenly secrets, but also whether your personal fortune is tough enough. To put it bluntly, you need destiny wrapped around you."

"Four Seasons Valley's requirements are not strange. It is simply difficult. Their assessment requires disciples to taste grains appropriate to all four seasons, then comprehend from them a thread of the primal resonance of the turning seasons. This depends entirely on comprehension. There is not the slightest room for tricks."

As Dong Hao spoke, Jiang Xuan also realized that these Middle Branch lineages, which did not restrict Spirit Roots, seemed to give disciples from humble backgrounds an opportunity, but in truth imposed even harsher requirements in other areas.

Of all these lineages, the one that most caught Jiang Xuan's attention was Four Seasons Valley, the last one Dong Hao had mentioned.

"To comprehend the resonance of the four seasons by tasting seasonal grains... Could this lineage possibly follow the Dao of the spirit chef?" He could not help asking, a trace of urgency in his voice that even he failed to notice.

"You could say it is somewhat related." Dong Hao froze for a moment. After pondering briefly, he explained, "Four Seasons Valley's Dao inheritance takes the turning of the four seasons and the Twenty-Four Solar Terms as the core of cultivation. The growth of grain depends entirely on the season and climate, so it perfectly accords with their inheritance. As a result, most disciples of this lineage also cultivate the Dao of spirit plants. With more grain and ingredients in their hands, naturally some follow that road and switch to spirit-chef food cultivation."

As those words fell, Jiang Xuan's eyes immediately lit up. The thought buried deep in his heart had finally found its most fitting destination.

"This is it. This is the place I have truly been looking for."

Just as Jiang Xuan made up his mind and prepared to visit Four Seasons Valley, Dong Hao glanced around. Only after confirming no one was nearby did he whisper to Jiang Xuan, "I advise you not to set your sights on Four Seasons Valley. It is said that this lineage's core cultivation art has a fatal flaw, and no one dares cultivate it at all. Any cultivator who enters Four Seasons Valley can ultimately only practice peripheral, inferior methods, whose power is no different from lower-grade Dao lineages."

After spending every effort to squeeze into a middle-grade Dao lineage, only to end up cultivating the methods of a lower-grade Dao lineage—it was no wonder Dong Hao tried to dissuade him.

Yet even knowing the pros and cons, after weighing the matter in silence, Jiang Xuan still decided to make the trip.

"The choice of Dao lineage is something for a hundred days... no, ninety days from now. What I should be concerned with now is how to open a few more apertures and steadily raise my cultivation. If my cultivation is insufficient, I will not even have the qualifications to choose a Dao lineage. On that point alone, Four Seasons Valley, which possesses ten thousand acres of spirit grain and excels at the Dao of spirit chefs, is the place best suited for me at present."

First visiting Four Seasons Valley, then exploring Spirit Butterfly Mountain—this was the route Jiang Xuan settled on after considering all the information.

But Dong Hao truly thought highly of Jiang Xuan. Or rather, he hoped Jiang Xuan would owe him many favors, so that during the Hundred-Day Grand Examination, Jiang Xuan would be able to give everything he had to lend him a hand.

At that moment, he gave Jiang Xuan an enormous "surprise."

"I knew long ago that you would not be willing to accept things as they were. So before coming here, I spoke with Xie Hanyan. She is also skilled with the sword and plans to enter Star Sword Peak. With her talent and potential, she can secure an opportunity for you to take an assessment."

Jiang Xuan did not doubt that.

Ever since learning of the Divine Firmament Sect's system, Jiang Xuan had known that it was not only Outer Disciples who faced competition. The Divine Firmament Sect's nine peaks, thirty-three mountains, and eighty-one blessed lands all felt the same pressing urgency.

If they did not strive hard enough, the rating of their Dao lineage would be lowered, and their corresponding resources, rewards, and status would decline as well. Jiang Xuan believed that this was something no lineage within the Divine Firmament Sect could possibly endure.

Therefore, they too had to fight.

And cultivating the Dao was both cultivating truth and cultivating one's true self.

Thus, talent was the most important thing in the cultivation world. Prodigies were scarce wherever one went, and sufficient talent gave Xie Hanyan the right to negotiate terms with Star Sword Peak.

Of course, she was ultimately not Heaven-grade Spirit Rooted, merely top-grade Earth-grade. Therefore, all she could bring Jiang Xuan was an opportunity for assessment, rather than directly taking him into Star Sword Peak.

As for why a person as talented as Xie Hanyan associated with Dong Hao and the others, Jiang Xuan had long seen through it.

She was clearly unwilling to settle for the status of a lower-grade Dao lineage Inner Disciple, and instead aspired to a middle-grade—or even upper-grade—Dao lineage.

With such ambition, naturally the more support she had, the better.

Dong Hao's willingness to put in such effort and pave the way for him was indeed rare. But Four Seasons Valley was Jiang Xuan's first goal at present, and it truly was not worth spending this favor on an assessment slot.

With that thought, Jiang Xuan immediately waved his hand in refusal. "Thank you for your kind intentions, Brother Dong, but my ambitions lie in..."

Before he could finish, Dong Hao patted his shoulder again. Smiling with an expression that said I understand everything, he said, "Brother Jiang, I know you do not wish for me to spend favors on your behalf. It is fine. I already settled this matter with Senior Sister Xie."

"Besides, you need not have any concerns. I said long ago that the stronger you are, the more secure our second-round assessment will be."

"I am still hoping that you will earn another excellent result in the second-round assessment, so that we brothers can enter the Inner Sect together."

Whether he meant it sincerely or not, his words truly made Jiang Xuan feel comfortable. At the same time, they made it difficult for Jiang Xuan to say anything further.

Jiang Xuan was also somewhat interested in Star Sword Peak.

Although Four Seasons Valley suited him, its flawed core inheritance ultimately placed a limit on it. Moreover, its assessment was exceptionally difficult—comprehending Four Seasons Dao Resonance by tasting seasonal grains was something even Jiang Xuan had no confidence in.

Star Sword Peak was different. It was a complete middle-grade Dao lineage and was better suited to him now that he had become a Clear-Heart Sword Disciple.

"If the assessment tests swordsmanship, with the Heart: Sincerity talent, my chance of passing can increase by at least thirty percent."

As for spirit cuisine—Jiang Xuan's mind turned quickly, and he instantly came up with a flexible solution.

"If I can truly enter Star Sword Peak, then as a disciple of a middle-grade Dao lineage, my status within the sect will not be low. I can take another route—cultivate the sword Dao at Star Sword Peak while asking Dong Hao to make introductions and finding a cultivator who joined a spirit-chef Dao lineage, then hitching a ride to observe and learn within it."

"With the status of an intern from a middle-grade Dao lineage, they will most likely not refuse."

Having found a solution that served both ends, Jiang Xuan stopped agonizing over it and nodded in agreement.

Seeing him agree, Dong Hao immediately led Jiang Xuan to meet Xie Hanyan.

What made Jiang Xuan's brows knit slightly was that Zeng Jun was there as well. From the look of things, he had the same plan as Dong Hao.

The difference was that he was not paving the way for someone else. He intended to use Xie Hanyan's connections to join Star Sword Peak himself.

"...Troublesome."