The Eight Orthodox Sects and the Six Demon Sects

Bright light rippled in rings beneath the shade of the trees, countless tiny motes of dust drifting through it, swaying to and fro whenever the wind stirred.

Outside, the snow had stopped, but cold rain still drifted through the air, chilling one to the bone.

Yet within this modest Divine Domain, the breeze remained warm and gentle, like the balmy spring days of March, as though the turning of the seasons had nothing to do with it.

Chen Heng had once asked out of curiosity why the Divine Domain was so bright when there was plainly no light from the sun, moon, or stars within it.

But Tu Shan Ge had hemmed and hawed for a long while, failing to explain anything and only tying himself in knots, until he could do nothing but shut his mouth in dejection.

The divine cultivation method he practiced had been obtained by his former master after slaying an evil mountain deity. It was hardly some great scripture of the divine path, and its terminology and underlying principles were incomplete and obscure.

Moreover, shortly after Tu Shan Ge obtained this method, his former master died, and he himself was expelled from the Vermilion Luminescence Sect.

There was no one left to explain the crucial points he did not understand, nor any way to verify them...

"Weren't you the one who insisted on comparing swordsmanship with me? You said you'd seen several formidable sword cultivators in the Vermilion Luminescence Sect and had picked up a few sword techniques yourself, making you the finest swordsman among its three thousand spirit pets."

Chen Heng drew back his peach branch and said mildly, "We've only exchanged a few moves. How have you already run out of steam?"

Seeing his inflated boasts punctured, Tu Shan Ge chuckled, not the least bit embarrassed.

"Master, though your sword art comes from the mortal world, it has quite a few extraordinary qualities. There's a real depth of artistic conception to it."

Tu Shan Ge picked up his magic sword and sheathed it. "I imagine your attainment in it has gone beyond minor mastery, Master?"

"Intermediate mastery."

"Ah, so that's it! Master, you truly have the makings of a divine prodigy!"

Tu Shan Ge sighed.

Over these past days, he had gained some understanding of Chen Heng's talent.

This man was truly a born seed of cultivation!

No matter the method, no matter the technique.

He learned it at once! He mastered it at once!

In just a few short days, he had brought the recently acquired Qi Armor Technique to intermediate mastery... Such comprehension was rare even among disciples of the Vermilion Luminescence Sect. Perhaps only those True Disciples destined to inherit its lineage could measure up to him.

"It's only intermediate mastery. What does that amount to beside my senior brother? He's already comprehended Ten Steps, One Kill. This paltry attainment of mine..."

At Tu Shan Ge's flattery, Chen Heng shook his head.

The two put away their swords. Seeing Chen Heng's expression, Tu Shan Ge guessed he had something to ask. Without waiting for him to speak, he led him into the main building, seated him, and served tea.

"What would you like to ask me, Master? Please, go ahead."

Tu Shan Ge chuckled. "I did spend more than ten years in the Vermilion Luminescence Sect, after all. In one of the Eight Orthodox Sects, even idle chatter over tea can count as an incredible secret in the outside world!"

At this, Tu Shan Ge could not help feeling a little proud.

"You're clever indeed. Before I even explained why I came, you'd already guessed I had something to ask."

Chen Heng smiled, lifted his teacup, and gently blew across it.

The reason he had made this rare visit to Tu Shan Ge's Divine Domain today instead of cultivating Dao Arts within the One True Dharma Realm was precisely that he had something to ask.

But having only just arrived, he felt it would be awkward to come straight to the point. Instead, Tu Shan Ge had drawn him into a bout of swordplay.

Still, this fox had indeed become a spirit creature. Though his cultivation was unimpressive, he was well versed in worldly affairs, and had raised the subject himself before Chen Heng could speak.

"Master, you usually stay in your cave abode cultivating diligently and seldom go out. You even forget to eat the meals I have Ningning deliver."

Tu Shan Ge smiled smugly and clapped his hands. "Yet today you found the time to visit my Divine Domain. You must have something important to ask!"

"Correct. It is important. You know the Mysterious Truth Sect is a small establishment, without a foundational scripture or any blessed lands or grotto-heavens. Having spent some time in the Vermilion Luminescence Sect, you must have seen and heard far more."

Chen Heng slowly set down his teacup, fixed his gaze on Tu Shan Ge, and said:

"I want to ask how someone of my background might enter a major sect."

"..."

Tu Shan Ge froze.

The smug look on his face abruptly stiffened.

Only after a long while did he clear his throat awkwardly and scratch his head.

"Well... there are very few precedents... Great powers that rule Xudu Heaven, such as the Eight Orthodox Sects and the Six Demon Sects, mostly raise their disciples from childhood, ensuring their backgrounds are unblemished. Occasionally, an elder takes a disciple while traveling, but that is exceedingly rare. It depends on stumbling into an immortal affinity, so there's little point discussing it!"

Now Tu Shan Ge was genuinely too ashamed to look at Chen Heng. He merely said sheepishly:

"Master, if that's what you're asking, I'm afraid I really have no solution..."

The Eight Orthodox Sects-

The Jade Dawn School, the Vermilion Luminescence Sect, the Pivot Dipper Sect, the Grand Talisman Palace, the Zhongyi Sword Sect, the North Pole Garden, the Yinjing School, and the Nine Truths Sect.

The Six Demon Sects-

The Huzhao Sect, the Divine Control Sect, the Blood River Sect, the Xiantian Demon Sect, the Plague Blight Sect, and the Dark Feng Grotto.

These were the true masters of Xudu Heaven. The countless sects, great and small, throughout the Nine Provinces and Four Seas had to live at their mercy to preserve their existence.

Nor did their influence stop at Xudu Heaven. They also maintained separate establishments and branch lineages in other heavens and continents. They were titans of the immortal path in the truest sense!

Precisely because their standing was so exalted and distinguished.

These great powers were exceptionally strict in accepting disciples. Not only did they nurture them from childhood, they also examined their Root Bone, temperament, Origin Spirit, aptitude, and Dao Heart. Not a single one could be lacking.

Eastern Maitreya Province was home to the Jade Dawn School, the Huzhao Sect, and the Vermilion Luminescence Sect.

These two orthodox sects and one demon sect defined the province's current cultivation landscape.

Yet across the vast expanse of Eastern Maitreya, besides these three supreme titans of the immortal path, there were also nine second-tier sects and hundreds of small sects like the Mysterious Truth Sect.

Though Tu Shan Ge had no good solution, after racking his brains he did tell Chen Heng one piece of privileged information.

"You mean the Flower God Manor holds a 'Flower-Gathering Banquet' at irregular intervals to admit rogue cultivators?"

"Exactly, exactly. Attending a 'Flower-Gathering Banquet' costs considerable resources, and only the final three survivors can enter the Flower God Manor, but it is a genuine second-tier sect! It has a Primordial Spirit True Person presiding over it!"

Tu Shan Ge added, "But to attend a 'Flower-Gathering Banquet,' you must pay a tribute, and that tribute is a considerable sum."

"How considerable?"

"Master, that I don't know... But my former master said that every time a 'Flower-Gathering Banquet' is held, rogue cultivators sell their wives and daughters to attend. It must be no small amount."

"So not only must you pay tribute, only the final three survivors can become disciples? That hardly sounds easy."

Chen Heng sighed.

If he had no other path to take, the Flower God Manor could serve as a fallback.

But he would have to pay tribute...

It seems I'll have to risk my life a little more on this trip to the Earth Abyss. At the very least, I must gather a few more Yin Horse plants.

Chen Heng considered this inwardly.

In truth, if possible, he still wanted to join a true orthodox sect such as the Jade Dawn School or the Vermilion Luminescence Sect.

But exactly how to go about it would require further careful thought.

"Thank you for clearing things up for me, Brother Tu Shan. But there is one other question I have this time."

Chen Heng hesitated for a moment, but recalling that the fox before him had already entered into a Spirit Contract with him, and that his life and death rested on a single thought of his, he concealed nothing.

"Brother Tu Shan, have you ever heard the honorific 'Divine House Pivot Splendor Dao Lord'?"

He said:

"Or primordial beginning true origin?"