Qian Kingdom, Zhiyang Province—Five Elements Sect

Aboard the flying vessel, Elder Ao looked over the crowd. It seemed their emotions had mostly settled.

"Elder Ao."

The rogue cultivators lowered their heads and cupped their fists. They had all felt that gaze.

"The sect has paid such a great price and is willing to deploy a flying vessel to bring you all here because it hopes each of you will keep a scale in your heart."

Ao Gu spoke solemnly. Some ugly words had to be said upfront. "No matter the size of a sect in the Cultivation World, every person must contribute. I hope you will not squander your time and will abide by the Sect Rules."

"We shall heed Elder Ao's teachings."

A group of rogue cultivators shuddered inwardly. The rules of killing for treasure and every man for himself, with heaven and earth condemning those who did not, no longer applied within a sect.

Understanding flashed through Chen Xun's eyes. A sect was not a place for loafing about; this was what they called yearly contributions.

Since the sect had given them a grand platform where they could cultivate in peace, they naturally had to give back to it. Everyone understood this in their hearts.

They had clawed their way up step by step as rogue cultivators. None of them were fools.

Ao Gu swept his eyes over the crowd and nodded lightly. Though these rogue cultivators were not especially gifted, they were the main force in the Southern Dipper Mountain Secret Realm every twenty years. They dared to fight and kill, and they possessed quite a few tricks.

The elders could not bear to send the sect's promising seedlings off to gamble with their lives. This was why every sect recruited powerful rogue cultivators every year, no matter the cost—solely to clear the path for those fine seedlings.

"Good."

Ao Gu nodded expressionlessly, then said no more. He sat cross-legged at the very front, while those few Five Elements Sect Disciples sat behind him and began cultivating.

"Fellow Daoist."

A skinny, monkey-like man walked toward Chen Xun. His face was fair and clean, his features quite handsome, and his cultivation was at the Qi Condensation Eighth Layer.

Chen Xun and Big Black Ox sat at the stern of the vessel. He looked at this future Senior Brother and nodded with a smile.

"My name is Ji Kun. From now on, we will be fellow disciples. I hope you do not mind my intrusion, Fellow Daoist."

Ji Kun gave a cupped fist salute and smiled. He glanced around. The other rogue cultivators were either highly cultivated or radiated an air of keeping strangers away. This one seemed easier to get along with.

"My name is Chen Xun. So it is Senior Brother Ji. I have long admired you, long admired you. Please, sit."

Chen Xun patted the space in front of him and spoke openly. Then he looked at Big Black Ox. "This is my family's ancestral Big Black Ox, Qi Condensation Stage 2."

"Moo~~" Big Black Ox abruptly rose from its crouched position and mooed at Ji Kun.

"It is actually a spirit beast. Greetings, Junior Brother Ox." Ji Kun sat down cross-legged with a smile. He did not really understand the sect's rules, so he simply called it whatever came to mind.

Yet hearing Chen Xun call him Senior Brother gave him an oddly floating sensation. After being a rogue cultivator for so long, he had finally joined an organization.

"Moo~~" Hearing someone call it Junior Brother, Big Black Ox's eyes lit up with delight, and it mooed again.

"Hehe, I wonder which hall Junior Brother Chen intends to join? The Five Elements Sect has an enormous structure and many factions, but while Sect Rules may be written wrong, we cannot choose the wrong road in life."

"Oh? Does Senior Brother Ji have some insider information? I know absolutely nothing about the Five Elements Sect."

Chen Xun looked at Ji Kun with an awestruck expression. Good fellow, it was obvious someone was backing this man in the sect.

"Junior Brother Chen thinks too much. I merely asked the Five Elements Sect Disciples who invited me. It is not worth mentioning."

Ji Kun hurriedly waved his hands, though an unconscious smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Does the Five Elements Sect have many people?" Chen Xun asked doubtfully. He had seen those martial sects in the jianghu, and they only had a thousand or so people.

Ji Kun raised his hand and mysteriously held up five fingers.

"Five thousand people?!" Chen Xun cried in shock, looking at Big Black Ox. It was staring back at him in equal astonishment.

So many cultivators. In all their years of life, the cultivators they had seen combined did not number this many.

"Haha..." Ji Kun felt incomparably pleased at Chen Xun's expression, then shook his head.

"Five hundred? That is a little too few." A trace of disappointment appeared in Chen Xun's eyes.

"Junior Brother Chen, it is over fifty thousand people."

Ji Kun drew a deep breath and spoke slowly. Who would have thought that after hearing it, Chen Xun rolled his eyes back and fainted.

"Junior Brother Chen!!"

"Moo~~!!"

Not long after, Chen Xun came around. Great waves surged in his heart as he said in shock, "Senior Brother Ji, fifty thousand cultivators?!"

"That is indeed so. When I heard it, my reaction was not much different from Junior Brother Chen's."

"Then have the Ten Great Immortal Sects of the Qian Kingdom not reached the heavens?"

"Of course. And not only the Qian Kingdom—rumor has it that cultivators from other countries are also among the Ten Great Immortal Sects."

Ji Kun spoke with feeling. It could be said that all the outstanding cultivators in the Qian Kingdom were within the Ten Great Immortal Sects. Who knew how magnificent it was there?

"Old Ox, did you hear what Senior Brother Ji said? This is knowledge, this is vision!"

Chen Xun spread open one hand as he spoke. Big Black Ox was already stunned senseless and kept nodding. It had thought Nine Stars Valley was the sky of cultivators.

"However, for Outer Sect Disciples like us, without any backing, joining the Outer Sect Elder Hall is the best choice."

Ji Kun said solemnly, "Though we will carry out some dangerous missions, the contributions are quite high. We can exchange them for many treasures, gain practical combat experience, and rapidly raise our cultivation."

Chen Xun understood. After saying so much, Ji Kun had come to recruit him. They were already forming a clique so quickly.

"Good. I will definitely consider Senior Brother Ji's words. If I decide to join the Outer Sect Elder Hall, you will be the first person I seek out."

Chen Xun gave a cupped fist salute and spoke solemnly, his eyes full of sincerity.

"Good. Then I will not disturb Junior Brother Chen and Junior Brother Ox." Ji Kun returned the salute with a smile, then departed in a carefree manner to look for other fellow Daoists.

"Moo~" Big Black Ox mooed at Ji Kun's retreating back.

Chen Xun's expression was calm. He would not make any decision based solely on Ji Kun's words, and the Outer Sect Elder Hall also clashed with his own principles.

He had Big Black Ox with him and did not want to spend his days fighting and killing in the sect. After finally finding an orderly place, he only wanted to live happily.

Still, everything would have to wait until they reached the Five Elements Sect.

Buzz—

The entire flying vessel continued onward through the sky, and the hearts of all the rogue cultivators aboard grew increasingly uneasy.

Zhiyang Province lay in the northern reaches of the Qian Kingdom. Its lands were largely plains and great rivers, with countless wild beasts. Its people were valiant and fierce, and there were many chivalrous souls.

Yet within Zhiyang Province stood several grand and mysterious mountain ranges. The Jade Bamboo Mountain Range was one of them, ranked second in the province.

It lay in the western part of Zhiyang Province, while the province's most grand and majestic range—the Cold Cloud Mountain Range—lay to the east.

The Jade Bamboo Mountain Range stretched for ten thousand miles, its end invisible to the eye. It was shrouded in thick fog year-round. Countless commoners had become lost within it, and upon returning, claimed they had seen traces of immortals.

Though the mountain range was enormous, it was rarely visited by people. Countless folk legends had arisen from this place, and even the authorities had issued notices forbidding mortals from entering.

Within the range, lofty mountains and majestic peaks rose and fell without end. Cliffs and precipices were wreathed in clouds and mist, ancient trees pierced the heavens, and mountains nestled against waters, adding layer upon layer of mystery.

Yet none of the province's common people knew that this was actually where the great cultivation sect—the Five Elements Sect—was located.

The boundless, wondrous grand formation had been continuously reinforced and improved by generation after generation of Five Elements Sect elders, and it had long since ceased to reveal itself to the mortal world.

Within the grand formation, pavilions and towers stood throughout the mountain range. More than a dozen majestic halls had been built atop the various peaks, overlooking the entire Jade Bamboo Mountain Range.

Amid the lofty mountains and majestic peaks, densely packed cave abodes could be found everywhere. Divine light also flashed from time to time within the range, and spiritual energy pressed heavily upon the air.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Countless uniformly dressed Five Elements Sect Disciples rode flying swords through the low sky. Their expressions were tense, and they seemed exceedingly busy, racing against time within their limited lifespans.

High above in the heavens, several flying vessels passed through the air. After a month of travel, Chen Xun and the others had finally arrived.