Chapter 257 – Joining the Azure Cloud Sect, the Extravagant Senior Brothers and Sisters!

【Ordinary Elders wouldn’t recognize this token, but True Immortal Danfire, as a third-generation direct disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect, had naturally seen one before!】

【Because his master, the second-generation direct disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect, the illustrious Fire Cloud Golden Immortal, possessed an identical token!】

【And due to certain circumstances, he had once been fortunate enough to see this symbol of supreme glory…】

【The Azure Cloud Sect second-generation direct disciple identity token!】

【This token had no special functions — it was merely a symbol of supreme status and glory!】

【And within the Azure Cloud Sect, only two or three individuals had the authority to issue such tokens…】

【So the moment he saw this token, he was already seventy to eighty percent convinced of your identity!】

【True Immortal Danfire hurried forward, his attitude toward you doing a complete one-eighty.】

【He then requested to examine the token in your hand.】

【You handed the token to True Immortal Danfire. After examining it three times over, he confirmed that this was indeed an Azure Cloud Sect second-generation direct disciple’s token!】

【This meant that in terms of seniority, you were True Immortal Danfire’s martial uncle!】

【Then, before all eyes, True Immortal Danfire cupped his fists and bowed to you, addressing you directly as “Martial Uncle.”】

【You were somewhat surprised by this, not expecting True Immortal Danfire to lower himself so readily, addressing a mere Mahayana stage cultivator like you as “Martial Uncle.”】

【And this scene was witnessed by the millions of people in Lesser Azure Cloud City… Within a month, the news that the Azure Cloud Sect had gained another second-generation disciple would sweep across the entire Lesser Azure Cloud Realm like a tidal wave!】

【Every cultivator present looked at you with nothing but respect and envy in their eyes.】

【Becoming a second-generation direct disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect — in the Lesser Azure Cloud Realm, this was undoubtedly a figure of the highest status imaginable.】

【And below, the “young nobleman” who had been arrogantly watching the spectacle earlier now had a deathly pale face, trembling and unable to speak a word.】

【In this dog-eat-dog cultivation world, offending a second-generation direct disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect was tantamount to forfeiting one’s path to immortality — or even being targeted unto death.】

【You wouldn’t even need to issue any orders. Opportunists would naturally uncover the recent events, and those cultivators seeking to curry favor with you would ensure that this “young nobleman” and his entire clan vanished without a trace from the cultivation world…】

In the Real World, Su Xing let out a soft sigh at this sight.

“So this is the true cultivation world!”

“Even someone who appears to be a young nobleman in ordinary people’s eyes, whose ancestors produced Body Integration and Mahayana stage cultivators… in the eyes of a top-tier power like the Azure Cloud Sect, how is he any different from an ant?”

Su Xing once again experienced the harsh reality of the cultivation world.

But this had nothing to do with Su Xing. What he cared about now was — after joining the Azure Cloud Sect, how many benefits could he gain?

Could his cultivation advance further? Could he simulate for longer?

Or even… could he save Earth?

With these questions in mind, Su Xing turned his gaze to the simulation panel.

【Before all eyes, True Immortal Danfire performed the rites of a junior to you and brought you into his grotto-mansion within Lesser Azure Cloud City.】

【True Immortal Danfire then activated a shielding technique, Shielding Heavenly Secrets. You furrowed your brows slightly, wondering if he intended you harm.】

【However, True Immortal Danfire genuinely believed you were a senior martial uncle!】

【He asked how many tens of thousands of years ago you had been taken as a disciple by Grandmaster Qingyunzi…】

【As it turned out, Qingyunzi had been in seclusion for ten thousand years and had never emerged.】

【True Immortal Danfire assumed you were a disciple Qingyunzi had taken in while traveling the Three Thousand Worlds ten thousand years ago.】

【And to his senses, you were merely a Mahayana stage cultivator. Though your body tempering cultivation was somewhat higher, it still hadn’t reached immortal levels.】

【Therefore, he naturally filled in the gaps himself, assuming your cultivation far surpassed his own — at least at the Mystic Immortal or Golden Immortal level — which was why he couldn’t see through your true cultivation…】

【Hearing True Immortal Danfire’s words, you rubbed your forehead with a wry smile, privately noting that his assumptions weren’t far off the mark.】

【After some hesitation, you decided to tell the truth, explaining that you really were just a Mahayana stage cultivator, and that you had been taken as a disciple by Qingyunzi roughly a hundred years ago.】

【You had come to the Lesser Azure Cloud Realm simply hoping to rejoin your sect…】

【Hearing your words, True Immortal Danfire was stunned.】

【His expression became somewhat unnatural, and then he revealed a secret to you.】

【As it turned out, Qingyunzi had been in closed-door seclusion for ten thousand years without revealing any trace of himself. Let alone third-generation direct disciples like him — even Qingyunzi’s own direct disciples hadn’t seen him in ten thousand years…】

【Hearing this, you explained that you had likely been taken as a disciple by one of Master Qingyunzi’s clones, and it was definitely no more than two hundred years ago.】

【After your repeated confirmation, True Immortal Danfire could no longer contain his excitement.】

【Because at this moment, the Azure Cloud Sect was in decline. Even the Lesser Azure Cloud Realm had been gradually carved up by other cultivators.】

【A major reason for this was that Qingyunzi had entered a death seclusion and refused to emerge… Never mind other factions — even within the Azure Cloud Sect itself, there were disciples who believed Qingyunzi had met with misfortune and had already perished, his soul dispersed.】

【And the news you brought — that Qingyunzi had appeared within the last hundred years — was undoubtedly a shot in the arm for the entire Azure Cloud Sect!】

【True Immortal Danfire immediately took out a jade slip and sent a voice transmission to his master, Fire Cloud Golden Immortal, reporting this matter.】

【After the message was sent, True Immortal Danfire informed you that he would return to the Azure Cloud Realm in five years, and could bring you along at that time.】

【In the meantime, he would provide you with sufficient cultivation resources and an appropriate cultivation environment…】

【You were quite satisfied with True Immortal Danfire’s arrangements, so you settled into a grotto-heaven within Lesser Azure Cloud City.】

【Although you were Qingyunzi’s direct disciple, you had not yet formally entered the sect, and thus could not claim your own salary and cultivation supplies.】

【Therefore, your cultivation resources, aside from what you earned yourself, came from True Immortal Danfire’s support.】

【As a second-generation direct disciple, True Immortal Danfire treated you well, guaranteeing you one million spirit stones per year for your daily cultivation needs.】

【You had no interest in spirit stones — what you needed was more flesh and blood essence.】

【So True Immortal Danfire provided you with one hundred jin of Human Immortal Realm demon cultivator flesh and blood essence per year instead…】

【This wasn’t exactly a windfall for you, but getting it for free was better than nothing.】

【So you remained in Lesser Azure Cloud City, cultivating steadily and advancing your cultivation.】

【In the blink of an eye, five years passed…】

【Year Thirty: Your body tempering cultivation advanced to Grand Accomplishment Seventh Layer Peak, just one step away from reaching Grand Accomplishment Eighth Layer!】

【The grotto-heaven was rich in spiritual energy, and with your occasional use of spirit liquid for cultivation, your cultivation also advanced to Mahayana First Layer Peak.】

【One day, True Immortal Danfire came to find you. He informed you that he was returning to the Azure Cloud Sect and asked if you wished to travel with him.】

【Hearing this, you naturally wouldn’t refuse and readily agreed.】

【That day, True Immortal Danfire produced a small boat-like magical artifact and tossed it into the air.】

【You and True Immortal Danfire sat upon the flying vessel, and its formation array quickly activated…】

【Violent spatial fluctuations emanated from the flying vessel as it soared through the void.】

【True Immortal Danfire told you that his comprehension of the spatial Dao was insufficient, making him unable to traverse worlds and roam the Three Thousand Worlds on his own…】

【However, this flying vessel treasure was a gift from his master, Fire Cloud Golden Immortal — a supreme post-celestial treasure capable of traversing the void and crossing between worlds…】

【True Immortal Danfire told you that the distance between the Lesser Azure Cloud Realm and the Azure Cloud Realm was immeasurable, but traveling by flying vessel along established routes would take approximately one month to arrive.】

【You nodded slightly, staying in your cabin aboard the flying vessel, curiously observing the void around you.】

【The scenery while traversing the void somewhat resembled your previous life’s experience of traveling through the cosmos. The twinkling points like stars were the coordinates of various minor thousand worlds.】

【However, since the flying vessel was traveling too fast, all you could see were blurred streaks of white light…】

【After watching for a few days, you found it uninteresting and returned to closed-door cultivation.】

【Soon, one month passed…】

【As the flying vessel gradually decelerated, True Immortal Danfire woke you and informed you that you had arrived at the Azure Cloud Realm.】

【Your heart stirred with some anticipation. Upon arriving in the Azure Cloud Realm, you clearly sensed that the spiritual energy throughout this world was far more abundant than in the Lesser Azure Cloud Realm — at least twice as rich as that barren place!】

【And the closer you got to the Azure Cloud Sect’s domain, the more abundant the spiritual energy became.】

【Aboard the flying vessel, True Immortal Danfire enthusiastically introduced you to the Azure Cloud Sect’s power and influence.】

【The entire Azure Cloud Realm fell under the Azure Cloud Sect’s direct jurisdiction, spanning an area of countless billions of miles. Other factions could only establish organizations and open cities for trade within this realm with the Azure Cloud Sect’s permission.】

【The Azure Cloud Sect’s lineage of disciples had been passed down through well over a thousand generations.】

【The only ones you needed to know were the direct disciples within four generations.】

【The Azure Cloud Sect had three founding patriarchs. One had already perished, while the other two — including Qingyunzi — had been in long-term seclusion.】

【The Azure Cloud Sect had eighteen second-generation disciples, six of whom were Qingyunzi’s direct lineage.】

【These second-generation direct disciples were, in name, your senior martial brothers.】

【Currently, the Azure Cloud Sect was managed by Fire Cloud Golden Immortal and several other second-generation direct disciples.】

【As for third-generation disciples, their numbers were even greater — two hundred and eight in total.】

【Fourth-generation disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect numbered over a thousand, making it impossible to know them all…】

【As for those beyond the fourth generation, in True Immortal Danfire’s words, there was little chance of interaction, and there was no need to know them.】

【You nodded slightly, silently committing True Immortal Danfire’s words to memory.】

In the Real World, Su Xing sighed at this.

“The Azure Cloud Sect, a colossal entity that has stood firm across the Three Thousand Worlds for multiple cosmic cycles, hundreds of thousands of years without falling… The strength of this sect is truly terrifying!”

“But from what I saw in the Luo Tian dungeon… the Luotian Sect didn’t seem anywhere near this formidable?”

Su Xing felt somewhat puzzled.

The information he’d obtained before indicated that the Luotian Sect at its peak had seventy-two Golden Immortals… yet in the Water Moon Illusion Realm Su Xing had witnessed, there were barely any cultivators above the immortal level!

“However, with Qingyunzi in seclusion and not emerging, I don’t need to worry about my secrets being discovered…”

“I can even leverage the Azure Cloud Sect’s resources to accelerate my cultivation growth.”

“I just wonder what the Azure Cloud Sect’s resources are actually like?”

With these thoughts, Su Xing turned his gaze to the simulation panel.

【The flying vessel descended slowly, finally coming to rest upon the Azure Cloud Sect’s mountain gate plaza…】

【This was also the first time you had ever beheld such a magnificent sect, grand as a river and majestic as an ocean.】

【Beyond the mountain gate, treacherous peaks and sheer cliffs stood in rows, with the occasional cry of a bird echoing through the air…】

【Within the Azure Cloud Sect’s mountain gate, hundreds of peaks rose tall, wreathed in white mist on all sides, dreamlike and ethereal…】

【Faintly, you even heard the cries of rare and exotic beasts, the roars of dragons…】

【A spirit dragon, its entire body jade-like and immaculately white without a speck of dust, rode the clouds and mist toward you, a hint of curiosity in its eyes.】

【You were shocked — this was a spirit vein dragon!】

【And a fully mature spirit vein dragon at that!】

【The Spirit Vein Dragon sized you up briefly, then circled around a few times before playing by itself amid the clouds high above.】

【The plaza where the flying vessel landed was the main peak of the Azure Cloud Sect, stretching over ten thousand zhang in both length and width… Its entire surface was paved with white jade-like tiles, extravagant to the extreme.】

【This towering main peak looked as though someone had cleaved it open with a single sword stroke — flat, grand, and imposing…】

【Under Fire Cloud True Immortal’s guidance, you quickly arrived at the great hall behind the sect’s rear mountain. Only direct disciples within three generations were permitted to enter.】

【Here, you saw many cultivators of your grand-disciple generation, their cultivation unfathomably deep, yet they all gazed at you with curiosity.】

【At this time, most of the second-generation direct disciples were in seclusion.】

【Only two of Qingyunzi’s personal disciples were not in seclusion — Fire Cloud Golden Immortal and Fairy Ziling.】

【One was your Third Senior Brother, the other your Fourth Senior Sister, both mighty cultivators at the Golden Immortal realm!】

Su Xing couldn’t help but sigh at this.

“As expected of a colossal power in the Three Thousand Worlds. Even their second-generation direct disciples possess Golden Immortal cultivation…”

“With two such powerful cultivators… the greeting gifts shouldn’t be small, right?”

Anticipation surged in Su Xing’s eyes as he looked toward the simulation panel.

【Your two senior siblings were extremely warm toward you. They told you that your master Qingyunzi was in seclusion but had already received news of your arrival, and would successfully emerge within a few decades at most.】

【Until then, you would enjoy the treatment of a second-generation direct disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect.】

【Furthermore, your two senior siblings also gave you greeting gifts.】

【Third Senior Brother Fire Cloud Golden Immortal gave you a jade-like, fiery-red sword treasure — a top-grade immortal sword of boundless power.】

【Fourth Senior Sister Fairy Ziling prepared a Dao robe for you that could ward off heat and cold, resist spells and curses… a defensive treasure of top-grade immortal treasure quality.】

【You politely declined on the surface while secretly rejoicing as you accepted both immortal treasures, your heart filled with delight.】

【With these two treasures on you, you’d dare to challenge even an Immortal realm cultivator!】

【You received a cave dwelling, rich with spiritual energy, situated atop one of the Azure Cloud Sect’s spirit veins. The spiritual energy concentration was about the same as your spirit field grotto-heaven.】

【But the one thing that left you somewhat disappointed was that aside from the two greeting gifts and a cave dwelling, you didn’t receive many other substantial benefits.】

【Because the Azure Cloud Sect had countless cultivators and no fewer than tens of millions of direct disciples, they employed a “contribution system” — one had to make certain contributions to the sect before receiving corresponding treatment and resources.】

【As a second-generation direct disciple, the basic welfare you could claim each year was merely ten million low-grade spirit stones…】

In the real world, Su Xing sighed softly at this.

“Second-generation disciples are probably all mighty cultivators near the Golden Immortal level… They wouldn’t rely on this meager stipend.”

“Most of them hold positions within the Azure Cloud Sect and have cultivated for tens of thousands of years — their contributions must be considerable… In the entire Azure Cloud Sect, I’m probably the only one with such high seniority but such low cultivation and contribution…”

“It seems that even in a cultivation sect, if you want to obtain resources, you still have to fight for them yourself!”

Though Su Xing also wished he could obtain hundreds of millions of spirit liquid in one go and instantly transform into an Immortal realm cultivator on the spot.

But that was clearly unrealistic.

The vast Azure Cloud Sect, despite its deep foundations, had an even greater number of disciples — direct disciples alone numbered in the hundreds of thousands, and branch disciples likely numbered in the tens of millions…

If everyone simply claimed salaries based on seniority without regard for contributions to the sect, things would have descended into chaos long ago.

“However… my seniority within the Azure Cloud Sect is extremely high, so obtaining resources should still be relatively easy. My growth speed within the Azure Cloud Sect should be somewhat faster…”

A smile hung on Su Xing’s face. So far, the Azure Cloud Sect had given him a good impression.

It didn’t seem like there were any traps waiting for him either.

After all, a group of Golden Immortals had no reason to scheme against a mere Mahayana stage cultivator…

With that thought, Su Xing turned his gaze to the simulation panel.

【And so, over the next year, you stayed in the Azure Cloud Sect, continuously learning about this colossal power of the Three Thousand Worlds.】

【Of course, what you mainly studied were the methods for earning contribution points and exchanging them for cultivation resources.】

【The Azure Cloud Sect had many ways to earn cultivation resources.】

【Powerful second and third-generation direct disciples would typically go to various minor thousand worlds to manage them or conduct trade.】

【Managing a minor thousand world for a few hundred years could earn a massive amount of contribution points, and one could even skim some extra benefits along the way.】

【But you immediately ruled out this approach. Though your status was sufficient, your strength had yet to reach the Immortal realm. If you ventured out and encountered demonic cultivators, you might even lose your life.】

【Beyond that, other ways to earn contribution points included finding resources needed by the sect’s upper echelon (second and third-generation disciples) and earning contribution points from them.】

【Or slaying demonic beasts and exchanging the materials for contribution points.】

【There were also powerful individuals who went to the various “Chaotic Realms” to fight foreign races and earn massive contribution points.】

【But for you, you chose the most reliable method.】

【Growing spirit plants, selling pills, earning contribution points… then exchanging them for the supplies you needed.】

【In the thirty-first year, you stayed in your cave dwelling, growing Spirit-Gathering Flowers while diligently cultivating.】

【With the abundant spiritual energy in your cave dwelling, you needed only three years to cultivate a thousand Spirit-Gathering Flowers.】

【You grew Spirit-Gathering Flowers while consuming pills to raise your body tempering cultivation.】

【And so, three years passed…】

【In the thirty-fourth year, you took out the thousand Spirit-Gathering Flowers you had grown and went to find the sect’s affairs Elder to exchange them for contribution points.】

【The sect affairs Elder was a third-generation disciple at the Mystic Immortal realm. He treated you with great respect, addressing you as “Junior Granduncle” with every breath.】

【In the outside world, you wouldn’t dare casually take out a thousand Spirit-Gathering Flowers, but within the Azure Cloud Sect, your status was transcendent, so naturally you could bring them out to exchange for resources.】

【The affairs Elder was startled when he saw you produce so many Spirit-Gathering Flowers at once. He then kindly informed you that Fairy Ziling was currently seeking Spirit-Gathering Flowers to improve her cave dwelling, and if you could trade with Fairy Ziling, you would certainly get more contribution points.】

【You accepted the affairs Elder’s goodwill and took out a communication jade slip to contact Senior Sister Ziling.】

【Senior Sister Ziling was cold by nature, wearing an aloof expression that kept others at arm’s length, but toward you, her junior brother, she had still left her contact information — though you had never reached out to her before.】

【Upon hearing that you had a large quantity of Spirit-Gathering Flowers for sale, Fairy Ziling immediately took interest and came to your cave dwelling personally to find you.】

【You handed over one thousand Spirit-Gathering Flowers to Fairy Ziling. Seeing them, she was greatly astonished and immediately offered 1.3 million sect contribution points to purchase the entire batch.】

【The Azure Cloud Sect’s contribution points were extremely valuable — one contribution point could easily be exchanged for one high-grade spirit stone… or one hundred low-grade spirit stones.】

【This meant that for each Spirit-Gathering Flower, you had earned the equivalent of nearly 130,000 low-grade spirit stones — a staggering fortune.】

【Moreover, contribution points had many uses and were more practical than spirit stones, capable of being exchanged for many rare materials… even supreme secret arts!】

【Overall, Fairy Ziling had not leveraged her superior cultivation to pressure you at all. She had even shown you extra consideration in this transaction, which couldn’t help but stir a few sparks of goodwill in your heart.】

【After the transaction, Fairy Ziling hesitated slightly before asking where you had obtained so many Spirit-Gathering Flowers. She wanted to purchase this intelligence from you and promised you wouldn’t be shortchanged.】

【After a moment’s thought, you frankly admitted that you had grown these Spirit-Gathering Flowers yourself.】

【Fairy Ziling was deeply shocked.】

【After all, Spirit-Gathering Flowers were miraculous creations of heaven and earth, extraordinarily difficult to cultivate.】

【Out of a hundred seeds, even after ten years of painstaking cultivation, the survival rate was only ten to twenty percent… This was precisely why Spirit-Gathering Flowers grew ever rarer and their price ever higher.】

【You stated that you were exceptionally skilled in the Dao of planting, that growing Spirit-Gathering Flowers took you only five years, and that your success rate exceeded fifty percent — which was how you were able to sell them.】

【Fairy Ziling was pleasantly surprised. She had a long-term need for Spirit-Gathering Flowers to enhance the spiritual energy concentration in her cave dwelling.】

【She requested that you supply her with Spirit-Gathering Flowers on a long-term basis, and she was willing to pay a premium.】

【This was a mutually beneficial arrangement, and naturally you wouldn’t refuse. You agreed to provide Fairy Ziling with one thousand Spirit-Gathering Flowers every ten years, with Fairy Ziling purchasing each batch at 1.3 million sect contribution points.】

In the real world, Su Xing sighed softly at this:

“As expected, even in the Three Thousand Worlds, even in the eyes of Golden Immortals, Spirit-Gathering Flowers are rare treasures!”

“The higher one’s cultivation, the slower their advancement, and the more they need abundant spiritual energy… Spirit-Gathering Flowers are specifically for enhancing their cave dwellings’ quality. For these mighty cultivators, that means faster cultivation speed, so naturally the more the better!”

But this was absolutely good news for Su Xing.

In the entire Three Thousand Worlds, cultivators who could grow Spirit-Gathering Flowers as effortlessly as Su Xing were virtually nonexistent.

This meant Su Xing had a near-monopoly!

As long as he had Spirit-Gathering Flowers in hand, he’d never lack money!

“On the path of cultivation, wealth, companions, techniques, and land…”

“Now that I have wealth, the next step is to further raise my cultivation…”

His gaze turned to the simulation panel.

【After concluding your trade with Fairy Ziling, you obtained 1.3 million contribution points!】

【This sum of contribution points was something ordinary Azure Cloud Sect disciples might toil for centuries without accumulating.】

【So you spent these contribution points to purchase several hundred jin of blood essence at the Human Immortal Realm Peak level, aiming to break through to Body Tempering Grand Accomplishment Realm, Eighth Layer in one push!】

【In the blink of an eye, another year passed.】

【In the thirty-fifth year, your body tempering cultivation advanced to Grand Accomplishment Eighth Layer!】

【With sufficient contribution points in hand and no shortage of cultivation resources, what you needed next was to convert resources into cultivation.】

【And so you continued your secluded cultivation…】

【In the blink of an eye, another five years passed.】

【In the fortieth year, your cultivation advanced to Grand Accomplishment Eighth Layer, mid-stage!】

【During these years, several of your same-generation senior brothers and sisters successively emerged from seclusion, and they all presented you with greeting gifts.】

【Among them, your favorite was a flying vessel comparable to a top-grade immortal treasure. Powered by spiritual energy, it could even let your escape speed rival that of a Heavenly Immortal realm cultivator!】

【The value of these greeting gifts alone was no less than a hundred million spirit stones!】

【The only thing that somewhat vexed you was that Qingyunzi had yet to emerge from seclusion. Once Qingyunzi came out, you would likely receive even more precious items!】

【But cultivation knows no passing of years, and during this time at the Azure Cloud Sect, you felt at ease.】

【The anxious, fearful life from before was gone for good. All you needed to do each day was seek the Dao and pursue immortality.】

【You planned to wait until your master emerged from seclusion, then tell him about Earth and see how he would react.】

(There will be another chapter tomorrow at noon~ Please vote with your monthly tickets)