A Perfect Professional Match

Chen Xun and Big Black Ox sprawled beside the flying vessel, their mouths constantly exclaiming in amazement. Their bodies had actually gone weak from the sheer shock.

"Old Ox, this was the world of immortals... What did Nine Stars Valley even count for?"

Chen Xun's voice trembled as he stared eagerly at the ground below. Those buildings were utterly unlike anything in the mortal world—high-end, grand, and first-class.

"Moo..." Big Black Ox's eye sockets trembled, and even its cry stretched out. There were so many immortal cultivators down below.

Bzz—

Bzz—

Several Giant Ships landed steadily on the ground. This was an open-air platform, like an enormous plaza, where over a hundred disciples stood ahead with clothes and magical artifacts in their hands.

The elders aboard the vessels drifted away atop their respective artifacts, still chatting as they went, their laughter unceasing.

Only a little over forty rogue cultivators descended from the vessels. They looked timidly at these disciples of immortal sects, not knowing what they were supposed to do.

Chen Xun led Big Black Ox and stood at the edge of the rogue cultivators, looking around in every direction. Why was there not even an initiation ceremony?

"Everyone."

Yin Jun stood at the Very Front, his face radiant. He was completely different from how he had been in Nine Stars Valley. "Come collect the sect's items. From this day forth, we are martial brothers!"

As soon as his words fell, the disciples behind him all stepped forward. The rogue cultivators hurried over to receive clothes and identity tokens.

"Dust Removal Spell, Sword Control Technique, Five Elements Art, Sect Rules... There's even a Storage Bag..."

Chen Xun grinned so widely his mouth would not close. He kept chuckling under his breath as he looked at the disciple standing before him.

That disciple frowned slightly. He did not much like rogue cultivators and said coldly, "After receiving them, head to the Sect Main Hall and choose your respective posts. Contribution points will determine your future in the sect."

"Thank you, thank you."

Chen Xun nodded with a smile and hurriedly changed into the green robes, his whole bearing transforming. "May I ask..."

Before he could finish, the disciple turned and left, unwilling to waste another word on Chen Xun.

"So aloof?"

Chen Xun raised an eyebrow. How was he supposed to get to the Sect Main Hall? He then looked at Big Black Ox and turned around once. "Old Ox, hehe, don't I look like an immortal?"

"Moo moo~" Big Black Ox cried out in amazement. Clothes truly made the man; Chen Xun looked far more presentable than before.

"But we can't throw away our old clothes either."

Chen Xun carefully put away his Linen Clothes and placed them into the pouches on both sides of Big Black Ox. He had stitched them himself, stitch by stitch. The quality was superb.

"Moo." Big Black Ox nodded, its eyes filled with delight and excitement. The spiritual energy within this sect was far better than that of Ningyun Mountain Range.

"Junior Brother Chen."

Ji Kun had also changed into his robes and hung his token at his waist. "Let's go to the Sect Main Hall."

Seeing Chen Xun's helpless appearance, he guessed that he had failed to ask for directions. These sect disciples seemed quite arrogant and did not wish to say much to them.

"Alright, thank you for leading the way, Senior Brother Ji." Chen Xun led Big Black Ox behind Ji Kun and headed down from the high platform.

"You're too polite, Junior Brother Chen. We all came from Nine Stars Valley, so naturally we should look after one another." Ji Kun spoke in a loud voice, carrying himself with the air of a big brother.

Chen Xun nodded, unable to help feeling favorably toward Ji Kun. Though the man looked like a skinny monkey and his expression was sometimes somewhat gloomy, there was nothing to fault in the way he treated others.

The Five Elements Sect's Sect Main Hall was built halfway up the mountain. The place bustled with voices, filled with Five Elements Sect disciples coming and going.

The great hall was Simple and Elegant, yet exceptionally magnificent. Chen Xun and Big Black Ox stood before it like ants, utterly inconspicuous, able only to look up.

Several black pillars outside the hall were carved with unknown spirit beasts. Their scales and claws danced, their twin whiskers flew, and they seemed ready to soar into the sky. They were lifelike beyond compare.

"Junior Brother Chen, I'll head in first."

Ji Kun looked at Chen Xun, who was still lost in shock, and added, "But you should still consider what I told you, Junior Brother Chen."

"Alright, certainly. Senior Brother Ji, go ahead." Chen Xun instantly came back to himself and gave a cupped fist salute.

Ji Kun said no more and turned toward the Sect Main Hall. Hope filled his eyes, and his heart surged with excitement. His wish of many years had finally been fulfilled.

"Old Ox, look at this architecture. This is the foundation of a great sect."

Chen Xun praised it as he led Big Black Ox closer, even reaching out to touch it. "Something forged by artifact refinement!"

"Moo?" Big Black Ox grew interested as well and rubbed its head against it. What an ice-cold feeling.

Compared with these sect disciples, they were a little less driven by gain and ambition. They actually began admiring the Sect Main Hall from the side, continuously offering their comments.

Chen Xun and Big Black Ox had their horizons broadened. Delight shone in their eyes as they kept touching here and feeling there.

Batch after batch of disciples entered and left the hall, and then more batches came, yet Chen Xun and Big Black Ox were somehow still circling around the great hall.

"This Junior Brother."

A man with a face full of righteous energy approached, his aura imposing. "What are you doing here, leading a cow around?"

Chen Xun was startled. Looking at the newcomer, he found that he was actually a cultivator at the Qi Condensation Ninth Layer. He gave a cupped fist salute. "Greetings, Senior Brother. We were admiring the Sect Main Hall."

"Admiring the Sect Main Hall?"

The man froze and looked toward the Giant Ship-sized pillars. "Junior Brother, I am a disciple of the Law Enforcement Hall. Time slips away like water; you should not waste it on such things."

"I've been taught, I've been taught." Chen Xun gave another cupped fist salute, sweating profusely. Damn, you really are a good man.

"Mm, you're a new disciple of the Five Elements Sect, aren't you?"

The man smiled faintly. Not only was this man's sect token hanging backward, he was even clutching his Storage Bag in his hand.

This Big Black Ox also had quite a few traveling items hanging from both sides. One look showed that they were rogue cultivators who had only just arrived at the sect.

"Senior Brother has sharp eyes." Chen Xun felt uncomfortable all over.

"Come, I'll enter the hall with you and introduce the various halls of the sect to you."

The man was extremely familiar and easygoing, like a warm-hearted big brother. One hand pulled Chen Xun along, while the other held the cow rope.

"Alright, alright, Senior Brother, slow down!"

"Moo~"

Two cries of alarm came from outside the hall as the warm-hearted Senior Brother forcibly dragged them into the Sect Main Hall.

This warm-hearted Senior Brother was exceptionally talkative. All year round, he counseled countless Junior Brothers within the sect to return from their lost paths. It was said that he had even talked many disciples into weeping bitterly and shouting, "I was wrong! Spare me!"

His name was Le Feng. He was one of the finest hands in the Five Elements Sect's Law Enforcement Hall and was deeply "respected" and "beloved" by his fellow disciples.

For Outer Sect Disciples, the Sect Main Hall offered quite a wide range of choices: Pill Refining Hall, Artifact Refining Hall, Talismans Hall, Spirit Beast Hall, Law Enforcement Hall...

But the Outer Sect Elder Hall had the largest system of all, with every kind of task: slaying demons and vanquishing evil, managing the sect's marketplaces outside the sect, recruiting all kinds of disciples, and so on.

Yet one post was the most unpopular of all: managing the sect's medicinal gardens. It was considered the most thankless and exhausting job.

That was because spirit herbs were extremely difficult to grow. Every day, they needed to be watered with spirit water and cleared of weeds, among other things. Each year, one also had to hand over the required share of spirit herbs from the spirit fields under one's management.

At first, all the disciples thought it sounded far too easy and rushed to sign up. In the end, they found that not only did they have no time left to cultivate, they could not even submit the full quota of spirit herbs. Rather than earning contribution points, they received a scolding from head to toe.

Growing spirit herbs was entirely a technical craft. Without the accumulation of time and experience, how could Qi Condensation Stage disciples like them possibly manage it?

Even when the contribution rewards were raised, only a scant few people went. The sect still had to personally assign some older hands to the work.

"Senior Brother Le, that's the one! I'm going to grow spirit herbs!" Chen Xun said excitedly. It was a perfect professional match—absolutely perfect.