Another sixty years passed.
In the year 1718 of Incense Accumulation, treasure ships streamed in and out of the harbor on Nine-Wan Island, bringing talented recruits and cultivation supplies from every direction.
Many cultivators on shore could not help casting envious glances their way. They knew those ships carried everything they had dreamed of.
"Another shipload of spirit materials. Looks like it came from Changzhou..."
"Those are treasures the Netherworld Sect accumulated over countless years."
"How wonderful. No wonder everyone wants to join this sect. If I hadn't already reached Foundation Establishment, I'd switch allegiances myself."
"Listen to you, fellow Daoist. We may no longer be able to join, but our disciples and descendants still have a chance, don't they? We just need to nurture them properly."
"You're right. Sometimes I truly envy these youngsters. Their prospects are boundless."
Cultivating immortality and seeking the Dao did not necessarily depend entirely on supplies, but there was no doubt that such resources provided an enormous boost in the early stages.
Without Foundation Establishment and Core Formation, how could there be Nascent Soul and Spirit Transformation?
Acquiring these things would therefore inevitably improve both the number and quality of lower-level cultivators, while also increasing the emergence of higher-level cultivators.
Although the vast majority would merely swell the numbers as part of the denominator, what if someone became that outstanding one among thousands?
The mere thought was enough to stir excitement.
Compared with the excitement of those outside the sect, the disciples of the Incense Accumulation Sect were far calmer.
After all, this had happened every year for sixty years. Anyone would gradually grow accustomed to it.
Many cultivators had already lived through most of their lives since joining the sect. Some of the shorter-lived ones had even died of old age.
By now,