39

Clutching the black token, Qingchen followed the group from the seven kingdoms down the mountain.

The moment he took his first step, he felt a lightness in his feet.

His legs, which had ached from the ascent, suddenly felt lighter, and even his breathing became easier.

He looked down at the token; it was warm in his palm, as if a current of energy was coursing through his fingers and into his arm.

An invisible force seemed to pull them forward, making them as light as swallows.

It was as if they possessed the lightness skill of a top-tier martial arts master, floating gracefully like swallows.

"Is this the method of the immortal sects?" Qingchen thought to himself, secretly astonished.

After walking for about half an hour, the path suddenly turned into a bamboo forest.

Before them stood a towering peak, thousands of feet high, its base shrouded in mist.

Just then, a sharp shout suddenly came from behind the bamboo forest: "Halt! Who are you, daring to trespass into the outer sect's territory?"

Qingchen's heart tightened, and he looked up.

A tall, thin man in a grey Taoist robe stood at the entrance of the bamboo grove.

His brows were furrowed, and his gaze swept over the crowd with a sharp, piercing intensity.

Xie Yu quickly stepped forward, cupping his hands in greeting, and said:

"Senior brother, please calm down. We are newly initiated disciples, led into the sect by Senior Brother Gu from the inner sect. The tokens we hold are the ones we received earlier at the General Affairs Hall."

The tall, thin man took the token, examined it closely, and muttered to himself:

"These people in the General Affairs Hall are becoming increasingly lax. They don't even personally guide the newly entered disciples, letting them proceed solely based on their tokens. This is truly inappropriate."

Senior Brother Gao tossed the token back to Xie Yu, his expression softening slightly:

"Fine, since Senior Brother Gu led you in, you're not outsiders. My surname is Gao, you can just call me Senior Brother Gao. Today it's my turn to guard the outer sect."

He pointed to the towering peak shrouded in mist ahead: "You've just entered the sect, and the sect's protective formation has already recorded your presence, which is why they used a lightness technique to guide you to the outer sect peak."

"The cave dwellings have all been assigned. The one in front is the outer peak, where thousands of outer disciples live. Follow the guidance of your tokens to find your cave dwellings. Affix the token to your cave door, and the restriction will be lifted."

At this point, Senior Brother Gao suddenly raised his voice: "Remember this! The guiding force won't dissipate for the first three days. During these three days, you must go to the Transmission Hall to receive the cultivation method and the fasting pills.

These are rewards for newcomers. You also need to listen to the Transmission Hall steward explain how to practice the method, and then quickly return to your cave to cultivate and break through to the next level.

If you miss these three days, the guiding force will be gone. With your mortal bodies, even if you travel around the mountain all day, you won't reach the Transmission Hall!"

Qingchen's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly memorized everything; he didn't want to make a mistake so soon after entering the sect.

Following the others towards the outer peak, just past the bamboo forest, his token suddenly felt slightly warm, and his wrist felt like it had been gently tugged, guiding him to the left.

The others also dispersed, some to the right, some towards the mountainside.

Qingchen watched as the people around him left one by one.

After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a dark cave entrance appeared ahead. Above the entrance were carved several characters:

"Number 5533."

The characters were carved with a knife, and the edges of the strokes were somewhat worn, indicating that it had been there for quite some time.

Qingchen reached out and touched the stone wall of the cave entrance; it was cool to the touch.

"So I'm the owner of Cave Number 5533..."

Qing Chen couldn't help but smile, a wave of emotion washing over him.

From a thug in a brothel on Immortal Island to an outer disciple of a major cultivation sect, only he knew the hardships he had endured along the way.

He affixed the token to the cave door.

With a soft "click," the restrictions on the door rippled away, revealing the space inside.

Qing Chen stepped inside, examining the space by the light filtering in from the entrance.

The cave wasn't large, only about seven or eight zhang square, divided into three small compartments:

The left was a training room, paved with a bluestone slab;

The middle was a rest area, with a stone bed and a stone table;

The right was a reception area, furnished with two stone stools.

Qing Chen had no intention of resting. He pulled an old futon from his robes, one he had taken from a secret chamber in Beiman Mountain.

He placed the futon on the bluestone slab of the training room, sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and tried to circulate his internal energy.

The moment he concentrated, he felt a spiritual energy many times richer than that of 'Immortal-Slaying Island' enter his body through his nostrils.

His dantian felt like it was being soaked in warm water, pleasantly soothing; the stagnation he had experienced during cultivation was completely gone.

Qingchen suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze filled with excitement, and he couldn't help but burst into laughter!

Fortunately, the cave had a soundproof barrier, otherwise the other disciples would definitely think he was crazy.

"A top-grade level three island truly lives up to its reputation! With this concentration of spiritual energy, if I cultivate here, I'll definitely reach the second level of Qi Refining within a year!"

Qingchen clenched his fists, his heart pounding with excitement.

This was truly boundless freedom.

He took a deep breath, calming his excitement, and reached into his robes to pull out the storage bag given to him by the sect.

He probed inside with his divine sense.

Inside the storage bag were three items:

Three pale blue spirit stones;

Two pills wrapped in a pale yellow wax coating;

A gray Daoist robe and a palm-sized short sword.

Qing Chen picked up the pills first, a thought striking him. Wasn't this the kind he'd obtained after breaking the jade bottle on Mount Beimang?

So this was the Qi-Nourishing Pill that Senior Brother Gu had mentioned!

He remembered Senior Brother Gu saying that outer disciples only received two pills a year, each worth the mana of ten days of arduous cultivation, and worth two or three spirit stones.

Then he picked up the gray robe, understanding dawning on him—this was the standard attire for outer disciples.

Although it wasn't a magical artifact, just an ordinary trinket, wearing it signified his formal membership in the sect.

Inner disciples wore black robes, which were low-grade magical artifacts.

Then he picked up the short sword. The scabbard was made of wood. Upon drawing it, he saw the blade gleamed coldly, its edges sharp—this was a low-grade magic weapon!

Qingchen quickly calculated that a low-grade magic weapon was worth at least twenty or thirty spirit stones. Adding the three spirit stones, two Qi-Nourishing Pills, the Daoist robe, and the storage bag itself, this set of rewards was worth at least fifty spirit stones!

It's certainly good to have a powerful backer!

"According to the *Xuanyou Records*, a typical mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator only earns fifty or sixty spirit stones a year..." Qingchen clicked his tongue, feeling that he had made the right move.

He then touched another storage bag he kept close to his body.

He had found this in Beiman Mountain. It was empty, a low-grade storage bag that could hold about three feet square, worth a little over twenty spirit stones. He hadn't been willing to use it.

After packing his things, Qingchen didn't dare delay and headed towards the Transmission Hall with his token in his hand.

The token was still warm, guiding him towards the mountaintop.

His steps were swift, but his mind was racing: the *Changchun Inner Landscape Technique* he practiced before was only a Yellow-level technique; now that he was in the Ningxuan Sect, he was sure he could choose something better!

As he walked, he remembered Senior Brother Gao's "eight-year deadline," and his heart tightened.

Eight years—if he couldn't reach the mid-stage of Qi Refining, it meant he would have to serve the sect like a slave for life, with no hope of ever rising in rank.

Qingchen secretly pondered; he was still willing to give up this opportunity to serve the sect to someone else.