Time hurried on, and blue seas turned to mulberry fields.
Before anyone knew it, a hundred years had passed, and the North Sea's Incense Accumulation Sect once again welcomed the season for recruiting new disciples.
"We immortal-seeking envoys were ordered to journey across the Four Seas and return with worthy talents. Here we set out the altar and offer incense in worship of our ancestor..."
"Bow..."
The crowd held a grand sacrificial ceremony on the beach. During the Incense-Burning Banquet, smoke spread for a hundred miles, and its fragrance reached the heavens.
The many disciples of mortal origin formed a long line to bow before the colossal statue on Old Ancestor Rock behind the mountain. Then, guided by the sect's stewards, they handed over their spirit incense. The stewards stepped forward and planted it in the incense burners on the offering tables at the front.
"The ceremony is complete..."
Before long, a dignified, middle-aged cultivator in brocade robes stepped forward and addressed them. "From this day onward, you are Outer Sect disciples of our Incense Accumulation Sect. The Nine-Wan Academy here shall serve as your Outer Sect residence. Here you will cultivate and learn your crafts. After ten years, you will be assessed, and the finest talents will be selected to enter the Inner Sect. Should you reach Foundation Establishment, you may earn the right to reside permanently in an immortal blessed land..."
Listening to the deputy academy head's speech, the new disciples were all excited, barely able to contain their delight.
Not far away, on the viewing platform, envoys from maritime powers such as the East Sea's Spirit Emperor Sect, the Immortal Alliance, Gathering Grotto Continent's Longevity Hall, the Demon Race's Heavenly Fox Merchant Association, the Hundred Flavors Gate, and the Misty Wave Kingdom of the West Sea, together