Chapter 84: Xingyun Valley

The Mortal World

The Moon-Crossing Raft carried Luan Shan, Yu Hua, Zhao Yan, and twelve new disciples, including Qin Sang, back to Yuanzhao Sect. The other rogue cultivators who failed to secure a spot among the top twelve were dismissed on the spot.

Besides Qin Sang and Ruan Nanfeng, a senior sister named Wu Liuyue also secured a spot, though her cultivation was only at the sixth level of the Qi Refining stage.

If Liu Yi had not died, disciples from the Kuiyin Sect would have accounted for one-third of the total.

Qin Sang also saw several unsuccessful senior brothers and sisters leave the Bagua Forbidden Land, looking troubled and uncertain about their future.

However, Qin Sang was even more concerned about himself.

"From now on, you are disciples of Yuanzhao Sect," Yu Hua lectured them, "You must abide by the sect's rules and never commit acts of betrayal, or you will be killed without question!"

Yu Hua continued to eloquently explain Yuanzhao Sect's rules, his face radiating righteousness, yet to Qin Sang, it felt incredibly ironic.

"Upon entering the sect, you must first serve as chore disciples to temper your character," Yu Hua continued. "The assignment of these duties should have been personally handled by your Uncle Du, but he had an unexpected engagement today and couldn't attend, so I will take his place."

As he spoke, Yu Hua produced twelve blank waist tokens made of spirit wood from his spatial pouch. His gaze swept over the group, he paused in thought for a moment, then selected one. Using spiritual energy to form a brush, he quickly inscribed the token and tossed it to Ruan Nanfeng.

"Ruan Nanfeng, since you cultivate the Yin Fire True Method, you are assigned to the Fire Refining Chamber to oversee the furnace."

"Kun Li..."

"Wu Liuyue..."

Yu Hua proceeded to assign each disciple a role, and no one dared to voice an objection.

At that moment, Qin Sang suddenly heard his own name called.

"Qin Sang, as you cultivate a water-attribute technique, you will go to Xingyun Valley to tend to the spiritual fields. Take this."

Under Yu Hua's gaze, Qin Sang obediently replied, "Yes," and reached out to catch the waist token. He flipped it open to see several lines of text inscribed upon it.

Yuanzhao Sect Introductory Disciple, Xingyun Valley, Qin Sang.

Ultimately, the twelve disciples were assigned to various locations. Ruan Nanfeng went to the Fire Refining Chamber, and Wu Liuyue was sent to the Demon Nurturing Ridge. None of these assignments sounded particularly important, and from Yu Hua's tone, these chores seemed quite arduous.

Qin Sang recalled the disdainful tone of the young man in the tight-fitting suit when he had mentioned chore disciples, and couldn't help but smile bitterly. He had joined an immortal cultivation sect to seek immortality, yet he was now tasked with such duties. Not only were they laborious, but most of his cultivation time would be consumed. He wondered how long it would be before he could escape this predicament, which explained why the young man had looked down on such positions.

"Do your best in your assigned tasks, and the sect will take notice," Yu Hua encouraged them. "If you are diligent enough, it is common for a senior brother in the Foundation Establishment stage to take you as a true disciple."

Yu Hua offered a few more words of encouragement, and by the time he finished speaking, the Moon-Crossing Raft was already nearing Yuanzhao Sect's main gate.

Just then, a streak of light shot forth from the nearby mountain forest. A thin old man, appearing to be in his fifties or sixties, with a somewhat anxious expression, wearing a blue Daoist robe and standing on a green bamboo pole, flew rapidly towards them.

"Senior Brother Du!"

Luan Shan quickly brought the Moon-Crossing Raft to a halt, and together with Yu Hua, he respectfully greeted the approaching figure.

Zhao Yan addressed him as "Uncle Du," and Qin Sang and the others followed suit, offering their greetings. They had already heard Yu Hua mention that this was likely Du Siye, the one originally responsible for assigning chores to introductory disciples.

"Senior Brother Du, weren't you attending to family affairs?" Yu Hua asked curiously. "Why the hurried return?"

Du Siye shook his head and replied with some indignation, "I apologize, Junior Brother Yu, for showing such a scene. My clan's younger generation is simply useless; they cause a huge fuss over minor inconveniences and nearly jeopardized my important affairs. I have already ordered them to reflect on their actions."

Yu Hua consoled him, "Senior Brother Du, as a clan head, it's not easy to manage a household. Don't let minor matters upset you. Please rest assured, Senior Brother, I have already arranged these disciples as you instructed. Feel free to check if there are any omissions or adjustments needed."

"Oh?"

After the old man surnamed Du inspected everyone's waist tokens, his expression softened, and he praised, "Junior Brother Yu, your assignments perfectly match each person's characteristics; no adjustments are needed at all. I only mentioned it casually before, and I didn't expect to trouble you to personally handle it. I, Du, sincerely thank you."

After complimenting Yu Hua, the old man surnamed Du turned to Qin Sang and the others. With a wave of his hand, countless diverse items flew out from his spatial pouch, so numerous they almost obscured half the sky.

"Take these introductory magical artifacts. Some are for cultivation, and others are for use during your chores."

Qin Sang saw several streams of light heading directly towards him and quickly reached out to catch them.

Among them were a dusty spatial pouch and a book containing Five Elements Incantations.

The magical artifacts included a very ordinary spiritual sword, merely a low-grade artifact. This sword was actually a flying artifact, distinct from a sword cultivator's sword manipulation; it was simply a flying artifact crafted in the shape of a sword, and its speed was far inferior to that of Ping Xu Feng.

There was also a blue Daoist robe, likewise a low-grade artifact. While it would be impossible to rely on it for combat, it was quite practical as it could repel dust and dirt when worn.

A meditation mat woven from bamboo leaves. Uncle Du explained it was made from the leaves of a spiritual bamboo called Water Heart Bamboo, and sitting on it during cultivation had an excellent calming effect.

There was also a magical artifact resembling a white cloud. Qin Sang looked around and noticed he was the only one who had received this particular item.

With an armful of various miscellaneous items, Qin Sang carefully sorted and placed them into his spatial pouch.

By this point, the Moon-Crossing Raft had entered Yuanzhao Sect, and Luan Shan disembarked them in front of a dormitory.

It was said that Yuanzhao Sect's Sect Master was not one of the two Golden Core Venerables, but rather a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Du Siye and others, having reached the Foundation Establishment stage with no further breakthroughs in sight and advanced in age, had taken on the sect's secular affairs.

Qin Sang had initially expected to meet Yuanzhao Sect's Sect Master, but to his surprise, they received no audience. As soon as they landed, Du Siye handed them over to a few senior brothers and promptly departed.

Dozens of scenic spiritual peaks, large and small, encircled the solitary, cloud-piercing peak in the center. This was Yuanzhao Sect's main peak, Yuanzhao Peak.

Qin Sang, standing on his spiritual sword, followed a senior brother surnamed Zhu, nodding frequently as he listened to instructions regarding their entry into the sect.

It was said that the main peak was the convergence point of the mountains' spiritual veins, and the spiritual energy within the sect was even denser than that in Kuiyin Sect.

Senior Brother Zhu led Qin Sang on a lengthy detour. Yuanzhao Peak and the surrounding mountains were filled with forbidden areas. When they eventually turned to a mountain behind, a large expanse of grand halls came into view.

"Junior Brother Qin, this is the Lecture Hall," he explained. "Uncle Masters and Senior Brothers frequently come here to deliver lectures, discussing cultivation and providing guidance on practicing spells and controlling magical artifacts. Attending these sessions requires spirit stones, with the cost varying based on the lecturer's cultivation level. Though your work may be demanding, your monthly stipend is quite generous, allowing you to attend several lectures each month."

Following Senior Brother Zhu's directions, Qin Sang gazed intently for a few moments from afar, then Senior Brother Zhu hastened to depart.

"I've explained all the important locations within the sect to you. Now, I will lead you to Xingyun Valley. You're quite fortunate; Xingyun Valley is located in the inner sect. While the chores there are slightly more demanding, the spiritual energy is far denser than in the outer sect, and it's very close to the Lecture Hall. Furthermore, you'll have more opportunities to encounter senior sect members, and who knows, you might even be chosen as a personal disciple and escape this arduous path."