Chapter 842: Small Immortal Sect Beginnings

Another year passed.

On this day, after finishing a meeting, Chen Mobai returned to his courtyard. He had converted one of the rooms into an artifact refining chamber. After informing Shi Wanyu, he once again entered seclusion.

A simple, reddish-bronze bell settled into Chen Mobai's palm. This was his Natal Artifact, the Morning Bell. Because he had previously devoted all his time to improving his cultivation realm, the Morning Bell had only been nurtured to the peak of the third-tier by this day. This was quite uncommon in the Immortal Sect. This was because many cultivators capable of breaking through would cultivate to the extreme of their current realm early on, then, during the long wait for elixirs, they would channel their spiritual energy and essence into their Natal Artifacts to pass the time. Sometimes, the Natal Artifact would even break through before the cultivator. However, for Chen Mobai, the process was reversed. He cultivated so quickly that the Morning Bell hadn't even caught up; he had already successfully formed his Nascent Soul.

Now, what Chen Mobai needed to do was to directly upgrade it using higher-grade materials. For other cultivators in the Immortal Sect, this process was extremely difficult, not only requiring fourth-tier spiritual materials but also advanced artifact refining skills. But for Chen Mobai, it posed no problem at all.

Under the promotion technique of the Can Tong Qi, he focused his mind and channeled his energy, using Doushuai Fire to melt pieces of spiritual materials gleaming with various lights, gradually replacing the third-tier red copper within the Morning Bell's main body. About one-tenth of these spiritual materials were acquired by him from the Immortal Sect. The vast majority of the rest were found in the Xuanyao Dao Palace's treasury, and he was even somewhat dazzled by the sheer abundance of fourth-tier spiritual materials available to choose from. Ultimately, he matched the current set of materials for upgrading based on what was available in the Immortal Sect.

Given Chen Mobai's current realm, upgrading his Natal Artifact from third-tier to fourth-tier was not easy, but it presented no difficulty either. As the last piece of third-tier material in the Morning Bell was replaced by fifth-tier Profound Gold, a strong, deep bell chime resonated throughout the artifact refining chamber. Fortunately, Chen Mobai had put considerable effort into the refining chamber's restrictions, considering that many materials used in artifact refining should not be seen by others. All the bell chimes were contained within the room. Otherwise, perhaps half of the Wangwu Cave Heaven would have heard the sound.

Under the influence of the Can Tong Qi and Doushuai Fire, the Morning Bell gradually assimilated these spiritual materials, undergoing a complete transformation. During this process, Chen Mobai also multitasked, employing the Lamp-Lighting Technique to purify and refine his divine sense, which had grown after he cultivated the Soul Devouring Art. After an unknown period, with a clear bell chime, the Morning Bell finally completed its upgrade.

Chen Mobai opened his eyes, and with a gesture, the Morning Bell floated above his palm, emitting a faint reddish-gold luster. The bell's body was wider and thicker than when it was third-tier. A gentle shake produced a clearer, more prolonged chime, and his already refined divine sense seemed to become even more lucid. Chen Mobai showed a look of satisfaction. This Natal Artifact now primarily needed its spirituality to be nurtured. It could then be continuously upgraded to the peak of the fourth-tier, and even potentially become a fifth-tier artifact due to the inclusion of fifth-tier Profound Gold.

After completing the Morning Bell's upgrade, he did not rest. He then took out the Haotian Mirror, preparing to upgrade this artifact as well. The spiritual materials obtained from Xuanyao Dao Palace were simply too abundant, and there was even fifth-tier Profound Gold, so he decided to upgrade all the artifacts he possessed. Since the Haotian Mirror was already a fourth-tier artifact and possessed a faint spirituality, Chen Mobai effortlessly upgraded it from low-grade fourth-tier to mid-grade fourth-tier. Once the Haotian Mirror thoroughly assimilated these new spiritual materials, it would quickly advance to high-grade fourth-tier. However, moving from fourth-tier to fifth-tier was no longer just a matter of materials. The main requirement was to cultivate the artifact's spirituality.

After upgrading both of his Natal Artifacts, Chen Mobai then took out the Azure Frost Sword. Although this sword was not his own, it had played a crucial role in his refinement of Doushuai Fire. Now that he had the means, Chen Mobai certainly wouldn't treat it poorly.

"Master!" As soon as the Azure Frost Sword appeared, it charmingly called out. This made Chen Mobai feel awkward, and he repeatedly shook his head. He indicated that he had merely borrowed it from Pei Qingshuang, and its nominal master was still Pei Qingshuang.

"Alright, Master!" The Azure Frost Sword's reply was completely contrary to Chen Mobai's correction.

Chen Mobai, shaking his head helplessly, took out the last piece of fifth-tier Profound Gold scrap. The Azure Frost Sword immediately vibrated gently, transforming into a stream of azure light that began circling him. Chen Mobai reached out to soothe it, then used Doushuai Fire to melt the fifth-tier Profound Gold... The Azure Frost Sword's spirituality was only inferior to that of the Purple Lightning Sword. The process of absorbing the Profound Gold didn't even require Chen Mobai's constant attention; after initial guidance, it was able to refine it by itself.

After upgrading all three artifacts, three months had already passed. After checking the time, Chen Mobai clicked on the Turtle Treasure to go to the Heavenly River Realm. Gu Yan quickly came over and was asked about recent events. However, both the Eastern Barren Lands and Dongyi were calm and peaceful. The Five Elements Sect, guided by his new policies, had begun to steadily develop and improve. Currently, the total number of Qi Cultivation disciples across the five factions of the Five Elements Sect had reached nearly 30,000. This scale was now comparable to that of Xuanyao Dao Palace, and it continued to grow.

Because the traditional decade-long interval for recruiting sect disciples often missed many individuals with spiritual roots, Chen Mobai decided to change it to annual recruitment. Of course, they weren't directly admitted into the Five Elements Sect. Instead, emulating the model of the Longevity Academy in Beiyuan City, new academies were established in the counties where the five factions of the Five Elements Sect were located. Any disciples with spiritual roots who met the conditions could enroll for free. Those with less talent in spiritual roots could also enroll at their own expense.

Sheng Zhaoxi, who had long coveted Beiyuan City's real estate, was the first to answer the call. She established the Huozhen Academy in Yan County, mimicked the model of selling school district housing, and made a fortune. However, the spirit stones she earned, according to Chen Mobai's wishes, were to be used to establish an Immortal City.

With the high level of societal development, urbanization was an inevitable process. It could not only broaden the horizons of cultivators but also promote economic development and prosperity, making resource flow in the Eastern Barren Lands more convenient and creating more opportunities. Beiyuan City served as an excellent example. Because this Immortal City gathered nearly half of the cultivators in the Eastern Barren Lands, virtually all first to third-tier resources could be purchased there. Last year alone, seven family cultivators and three rogue cultivators successfully established their foundations in Beiyuan City. In the past, let alone Foundation Establishment Elixirs, their breakthrough process itself might have been disturbed and failed. The existence of Beiyuan City gave rogue cultivators the confidence to enter seclusion and break through in peace. It was precisely for this reason that all rogue cultivators in the Eastern Barren Lands took pride in owning property in Beiyuan City. With property came a sense of security. This sense of security came from the two Nascent Soul cultivators of the Five Elements Sect!

Chen Mobai wanted to extend the success of Beiyuan Immortal City to the entire Eastern Barren Lands. The five factions of the Five Elements Sect fully supported this. After all, Beiyuan City was located in the northernmost part of the Eastern Barren Lands, and its influence couldn't reach many remote areas. Chen Mobai planned to first establish five Immortal Cities, with the five factions of the Five Elements Sect as their core. This would require many spirit stones; the Five Elements Sect would sponsor a portion, and the advance collection from selling school district housing through the newly established academies would largely cover the rest. If this initial step succeeded, it would then be gradually expanded, establishing secondary cities and more academies in the remaining fourteen counties. Ultimately, the entire Eastern Barren Lands would be transformed step by step towards the Immortal Sect model. Chen Mobai wasn't sure if this idea would succeed, but he intended to try his best within his capabilities. If he could transform the Eastern Barren Lands into a miniature Immortal Sect, he might be able to cultivate a new Dao Law Fruit here, one that was uniquely his and perfectly suited to him.

After inquiring about the construction progress of the five new academies and Immortal Cities, Chen Mobai first went to Tianpeng Mountain. Yun County, where Tianpeng Mountain was located, was precisely the chosen site for the Water Vein's academy and Immortal City. Because the Fengyu Dock area was constantly at war and too dangerous, Nujiang inspected five counties along the edge of Yunmeng Lake and ultimately chose this central Yun County. The name of this academy and Immortal City would be 'Yunmeng'. As for Juling Ridge, according to Chen Mobai's wishes, a Divine Wood Academy was built, and the Immortal City would be centered around Divine Wood City, needing only further expansion. The Earth Vein already had the existing Hunyuan Immortal City; they only needed to build an Wutu Academy.

However, the Metal Vein found it troublesome; even with Chen Mobai's orders, they procrastinated, and their work efficiency was low. Chen Mobai could only send people over to help the Metal Vein complete this task. Upon hearing they didn't have to do anything, the Metal Vein immediately rejoiced and handed all their current tasks over to Ding Ying and Qi Rui, whom Chen Mobai had sent. Ding Ying's seniority in the Longevity Academy was second only to Jiang Zongheng. Although it was difficult to establish an academy from scratch in Feng County, she was willing to accept the task. As for Qi Rui, he had served in Beiyuan City for decades and was highly experienced. Both were Chen Mobai's direct subordinates. Entrusted with this important responsibility, both aimed to perform well, accumulate contributions, and prepare for exchanging them for Core Formation elixirs in the future.

After Chen Mobai finished inspecting Yunmeng Academy and Immortal City with Qing Nü, he went to Beiyuan City. This was because his senior disciple, Liu Wenbai, had sent a communication talisman stating that Xue Ting, representing the secluded Chui Xue Palace, had delivered a letter. Zhu Jinyu wished to lead Chui Xue Palace in surrendering to the Five Elements Sect. Chen Mobai was quite surprised by this. However, upon closer thought, he realized it was the only choice Zhu Jinyu could make.