Chapter 7

Yonglu Mountain lay deep within the heart of the Yonglu Mountains, but this location was merely the admissions office, not the actual sect itself.

In truth, the vast expanse of the Yonglu Mountains encompassed numerous small sects under its protection, besides Yonglu Mountain. Langyuan City, situated beyond the mountains, enjoyed similar shelter.

“Look, just down this path lies Langyuan City. Doesn’t it seem quite bustling?” Bian Chunzhou pointed out.

Wen Xu had managed to maintain his dignity by keeping his clothes on, despite the stress and urgency earlier leaving him little concern for appearances. Now, prompted by Bian Chunzhou’s remark, he realized how unbearable his situation had become. Upon closer thought, he hadn’t changed these garments for over ten days. With bloodstains and sweat added to the mix, it truly was remarkable that Bian Chunzhou had tolerated it so far.

However, asking him to strip down to only his inner robes felt no different from running around naked.

“Still hesitating? Didn’t we agree already? We’ll head down the mountain, find a nearby village, and purchase a cloak there. I can lend you the money now; you can repay me later.”

The common currency in the cultivation world was undoubtedly spirit stones—but this applied primarily to cultivators. On the Hengze Continent, with its vast human population, cultivators constituted only a tiny fraction. Most people lacked spiritual roots and could not cultivate, relying instead on the protection afforded by cultivators. Compared to the Mortal Realm, the cultivation world here boasted numerous sects and clans, lacking centralized imperial rule.

Thus, ordinary people primarily used gold, silver, and copper coins. It’s worth mentioning that spirit stones have astonishing purchasing power; one low-grade spirit stone could be exchanged for ten taels of silver.

“Ten taels of silver? That much?” Wen Xu recalled how, when he was studying to become a xiucai scholar, his monthly stipend as a government-sponsored student amounted to only six taels of silver.

Bian Chunzhou couldn’t help but chime in nostalgically, “Right? So if you do the math, traveling to the Heaven Breaking Sword Sect costs a thousand taels of silver! What kind of wealthy families can afford such exorbitant one-way fares!”

Wen Xu remained speechless.

The pair swiftly descended the mountain. Upon learning they were participating in Yonglu Mountain’s disciple selection, the villagers below not only waived any fees but also offered to lend Wen Xu new clothes. However, Wen Xu declined, accepting only a plain black cloak with the agreement to return it the next day.

With the cloak concealing them, the two managed to smoothly enter the city. Langyuan City bustled with prosperity, featuring numerous cultivation shops established by various major sects. These included auction houses like Jinding Pavilion’s, along with spiritual treasure stores and establishments like Wan Cao Hall, specializing in spirit pills and plants. All these shops were designed extravagantly, akin to celestial palaces, effectively preventing commoners from inadvertently entering.

Despite Wen Xu’s lack of knowledge about the cultivation world, even he could plainly see the elevated social status afforded to cultivators.

As for more accessible establishments, they didn’t differ much from those found elsewhere.

Being novice cultivators, Wen Xu and Bian Chunzhou were not well-versed in basic spells or talismans. Upon entering the city, their first stop was to purchase new clothes before heading straight to a nearby bathhouse. After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, Wen Xu emerged, his features glowing with freshness.

Naturally, he discreetly kept some distance from Bian Chunzhou.

“Hey, you’re avoiding me like I’m the plague! Fine, next time I won’t scrub your back!” Bian Chunzhou waved dismissively but couldn’t resist moving closer. “Wen Xu, just tidying up a bit makes you positively radiant. Where did you get that cloth strip over your eyes? It matches your outfit too—did you tear another piece from your skirt?”

Wen Xu reached up to touch it, then shook his head. “The shopkeeper at the clothing store noticed my blindness and kindly included it as a gift.” He had initially considered confessing everything to Bian Chunzhou, but it seemed being blind might not hinder him significantly in cultivation. After all, jade slips could be read using spiritual energy, and training focused more on one’s spiritual roots and physical constitution. In this realm, there were no academic titles, worldly gains, or bureaucratic rivalries. Having spent a day as a blind person, he even felt somewhat liberated.

At least now, standing amidst a crowd, he wouldn’t look up only to see everyone with identical faces.

“She must have given it to you because of your good looks,” Bian Chunzhou remarked casually.

Bian Chunzhou appeared carefree but was actually quite attentive. Walking beside Wen Xu, he slightly quickened his pace to give him ample space to navigate. He knew that cultivators had heightened senses, and even without sight, Wen Xu’s connection to his sea of qi allowed him to perceive the world and avoid obstacles. However, having agreed to serve as Wen Xu’s eyes, how could he do nothing? “After this stretch, we’ll reach Chenyang Street. It’s where cultivators and mortals live together, primarily inhabited by their descendants.”

As they walked, Bian Chunzhou described the city layout and the shops lining the streets. Occasionally, struck by enthusiasm, he would pull Wen Xu inside for a browse. Despite having just emerged from the secret realm, it seemed Bian Chunzhou possessed boundless energy.

Thanks to Bian Chunzhou, Wen Xu rapidly absorbed information about the cultivation world. For instance, he learned that it was exceedingly difficult for cultivators to have offspring, leading to few marriages among them—especially among female cultivators, who rarely indulged in emotions unless absolutely necessary. Additionally, the largest trading company in the cultivation world was called Jinding Pavilion. This powerful entity controlled a major spiritual vein and operated an extensive network of stores catering to all aspects of cultivation. Rumor had it that when the young master of Jinding Pavilion ventured out, he traveled in lavish golden-feathered carriages, casually bestowing high-grade spirit stones as tips.

“Ah, why don’t they ever mention his whereabouts alongside these rumors? With such a lucrative opportunity for spirit stones, where is this young master? What’s his contact information? This humble servant merely wishes to assist him.”

Wen Xu was taken aback by Bian Chunzhou’s audacity—since when did anyone refer to themselves as “this humble servant”? Unable to resist, he said, “Chunzhou, you’re quite capable; there’s no need to belittle yourself like that.”

Bian Chunzhou grinned and leaned closer. “I’m just teasing you. The young master wouldn’t lack for attendants anyway. Wen Xu, I must say, you have a hint of old-fashioned stiffness about you.”

Wen Xu couldn’t help but explain, “It’s simply…a gentleman restrains himself and adheres to propriety.”

”…Ah, nope, not listening—that sounds like gibberish from a tortoise reciting scriptures.”

“Besides,” Bian Chunzhou continued, “Jinding Pavilion is vast and influential; even their guards start at Gold Core stage. I’m far from qualified.” Rumors circulated that Pi Mingshan, the young master of Jinding Pavilion, possessed extraordinary innate abilities yet could not cultivate. Despite being untrained, he was reputedly astoundingly cunning, making it unthinkable for anyone to cross him.

Naturally, according to Bian Chunzhou’s logic, regardless of whether the young master were intelligent or as useless as a pig, holding such a prestigious position meant no one would dare offend him.

Once again, Wen Xu was vividly reminded that making it big in the cultivation world would not be easy.

The pair walked and talked, stopping along the way for a meal before finally arriving at Langyuan City’s market district established by Yonglu Mountain. This market allowed only Yonglu Mountain disciples to set up stalls and trade goods; although Wen Xu and Bian Chunzhou had yet to officially join the sect, having passed the initial trial entitled them to enter once with their test tokens.

An Outer Sect disciple guarding the entrance inspected their tokens and promptly waved them through.

“The prices here really are twenty percent cheaper than the shops outside!” Bian Chunzhou exclaimed delightedly. His goal on this trip was to purchase some blood restoration pills and Qi-Replenishing Pills. If he was lucky, he’d also buy a couple of talismans for self-defense—nothing picky, anything from Fire Talismans to Wind Control Talismans would do, as long as they covered both combat and escape scenarios. He’d heard that weapons were not banned during the mountain trials, and since each year’s examination questions changed, there wasn’t much point in gathering intel beforehand.

Besides, any information he could gather might not be entirely accurate anyway. Take the Broken Clouds Secret Realm, for instance: those in the know were aware of the existence of Pill Fragrance King Grass, but only because Wen Xu happened to meet him did they serendipitously obtain it.

“Excuse me, Shixiong, how much for these Wind Control Talismans? Can you give me a discount?”

The Yonglu Mountain disciple manning the stall lifted his head and instantly recognized Bian Chunzhou as penniless. “No bargaining, but if you were among the top ten in the preliminary round, I could give you a twenty percent discount.”

Bian Chunzhou seized the opportunity to flatter him. “Shixiong has keen eyes indeed; I just barely passed the preliminaries.”

For a Qi Refinement newbie, he sure knew how to butter people up. Unfortunately, sweet words had no effect on this vendor. “Looks like not top ten then. Are you still buying?” As he spoke, the disciple caught sight of the young man behind Bian Chunzhou out of the corner of his eye.

How rare, he thought. Is the first-place candidate personally browsing the market? Could it be to flaunt their achievement?

“Are you friends?” Seeing them nod, the disciple promptly suggested, “Since you’re friends, why not have him cover your expenses? If he’s the top scorer, we can offer a ninety percent discount.”

After all, securing first place at Yonglu Mountain likely meant becoming an Inner Disciple, and cultivating goodwill with an Inner Disciple would make this sale worthwhile.

“What? Shixiong, how did you know he was first?”

The elder disciple couldn’t resist rolling his eyes. “Anyone observant would see it immediately. When the two of you entered here, everyone must have glanced at you—didn’t you feel that?”

Bian Chunzhou thought to himself, I assumed it was because there are no blind people in the cultivation world, so everyone couldn’t help but stare.

“Is it due to the token?” Wen Xu had sensed something upon entering, though he walked with his eyes closed. Since opening his sea of qi, he could distinctly perceive the flow of air currents and information carried by the wind. Despite not seeing the world around him, he navigated effortlessly, appearing far from visually impaired.

In other words, absorbed in exploring the pros and cons of pretending to be blind, he hadn’t paid attention to others’ gazes.

“What else? The tokens for the top ten differ, with the first-place being most distinctive. Not just Yonglu Mountain disciples, even ordinary cultivators aware of this tradition would recognize it at a glance. As they say, ‘The tallest tree catches the wind.’ Those exceptionally gifted naturally draw attention. If one can’t handle such honor, why strive for first place?”

Ah, that made sense. However, considering Wen Xu obtained the Pill Fragrance King Grass, securing first place was undoubtedly deserved. Bian Chunzhou did worry, though; his new friend, fresh from the mortal realm, might face unwanted scrutiny if targeted solely for achieving first in the mountain trials. That could prove quite troublesome.

With this thought, he decided to lend all his spirit stones to his friend. After all, with a ten percent discount, it would be practically sinful not to take advantage.

**

Elder Zhan returned to the sect with the preliminary round’s roster and the Pill Fragrance King Grass to fulfill his duties. Due to the rarity of this herb, he directly reported to Sect Leader Gu Wufang—though it was also because the sect leader had taken a particular interest in this year’s recruitment of new disciples.

“This year, someone actually managed to gather the Pill Fragrance King Grass? When did such an exceptionally gifted individual emerge within the cultivation world?” Or perhaps they were simply extraordinarily lucky?

“Sect Leader, allow me to report: His name is Wen Xu, and he stumbled upon the Broken Clouds Secret Realm from the mortal realm,” Elder Zhan briefly recounted Wen Xu’s background before continuing, “Although his spiritual roots have yet to be assessed, his aptitude must undoubtedly be exceptional. Thus, I took the liberty of placing him first.”

Now, Gu Wufang was genuinely astonished—but quickly turned delighted. “That’s excellent news. I’m quite eager to see how he performs during the mountain trials.”