Chapter 263 - 260: Entering the Spirit Realm
Although Master Wandering Dragon had left the Yuqing Immortal Sect Mountain Gate,
he had not actually been expelled from the Yuqing Immortal Sect. He still retained his status as a Direct Disciple and was still one of the Yuqing Seven Sons.
His name and status had not been expunged by the Yuqing Immortal Sect.
His arrival in the Tian Nan Domain to establish his own influence could only be considered a temporary departure from the sect to cultivate and develop his own path.
Moreover,
the disciples of the Dragon Cloud Sect he founded also practiced the Techniques of the Yuqing Immortal Sect,
so they were naturally an extension of the Yuqing Immortal Sect,
considered one of their own.
Sect influences like the Dragon Cloud Sect were not uncommon among the Thirty-Six Domains.
Some Disciples within the Yuqing Immortal Sect either grew tired of the day-to-day grind of Immortal Cultivation or felt their path on the Dao had grown dim, with no possibility of further advancement.
Thus, they would leave the sect, return to their homelands, establish their own influence to live out their years in peace, and, in the process, train some disciples to work for them.
If any outstanding prodigies appeared among their ranks, they could be recommended to participate in the Yuqing Immortal Sect’s decennial Entry Grand Competition.
If any of their disciples successfully joined the Immortal Sect, it would not only bring them great honor and provide a future connection, but the Immortal Sect would also grant them a certain reward.
As for this matter,
the Yuqing Immortal Sect itself approved of and actively encouraged it.
After all, the Southern Great Domain’s Thirty-Six Domains were simply too vast.
Even for a Cultivator at the Soul Emergence Realm flying nonstop, it would take at least ten years to cross the entire Southern Great Domain from south to north.
It was impossible for the Yuqing Immortal Sect to control such a vast and boundless territory with its own strength alone.
Therefore, they settled for the next best thing:
letting the Sect’s disciples scatter across the land, establish their own spheres of influence, and teach new disciples, then using a further screening process to bring the most talented prodigies among them into the Immortal Sect.
This greatly reduced the cost of recruiting new disciples.
Of course,
ensuring that the various subordinate factions were willing to send their geniuses to the Immortal Sect for cultivation, rather than hoarding them, involved many intricate systems,
but Shen Changchuan hadn’t looked into it in detail.
’It’s probably due to limitations in the cultivation techniques,’ he mused. ’To obtain the complete version, you have to enter the Immortal Sect. That, along with other means of supervision and management, must be how they ensure the loyalty of their subordinates.’
But Shen Changchuan wasn’t a founding Sect Leader like Master Wandering Dragon. All of that was too far removed from his own reality, and he had little interest in learning more.
He only knew one thing:
the decennial Entry Grand Competition was the pathway for the geniuses from the many subordinate factions under the Yuqing Immortal Sect to enter the sect for cultivation.
When Mo Lingfeng spoke of fighting again in five years,
this was what he was referring to.
’Mo Lingfeng may be the pinnacle of the younger generation in the Heisei Domain, but the Entry Grand Competition of the Thirty-Six Domains isn’t just for the younger generation. Geniuses from the previous generation who have already reached the Soul Emergence Realm will be there too... Anyone under fifty can participate in the Entry Grand Competition. That means the competition will be even more intense!’
’Even though I beat Mo Lingfeng, I’m still a long way off. This is no time to relax!’
At this thought,
the faint arrogance that had swelled in his heart after defeating Mo Lingfeng subsided.
Shen Changchuan naturally wanted to enter the Yuqing Immortal Sect.
Only from a higher platform could one see the scenery farther away.
The huge pitfall concerning the Spirit Body he encountered during his advancement from Qi Introduction to Soul Emergence had made him realize something:
if he didn’t want to fall into any more traps on the Path of Immortal Cultivation, then as someone with no foundation or inheritance, his best bet was to lean on a big tree.
Just like the matter of the Spirit Body, you never knew how many other pitfalls existed along the path of cultivation.
If he could join a top-level power like the Yuqing Immortal Sect, the road ahead would undoubtedly become much smoother.
But joining the Yuqing Immortal Sect was clearly not that easy.
The Entry Grand Competition selected only the top prodigies from every faction.
Moreover,
because of the under-fifty age limit, it wasn’t just the younger generation participating—prodigies from the previous generation, and even the one before that, would also appear!
Geniuses from sixteen Small Domains would gather to compete,
and just imagining the scene was enough to feel immense pressure!
Mo Lingfeng alone possessed such impressive strength,
so what heights would the peerless prodigies from the generation before him, or even two generations before, who had cultivated for another ten or twenty years, have reached?
’I have five years. If I can’t pass the Entry Grand Competition then, the next chance might not come for another fifteen years!’
’Even though at my age, I’ll have several more chances, as the saying goes, fall behind once, and you’ll fall behind at every step.’
’I have to do everything I can to get into the Yuqing Immortal Sect in the competition five years from now!’
These were the thoughts that arose in Shen Changchuan’s mind after hearing the message Mo Lingfeng had someone deliver.
Ever since he had been noticed by the Shen Family Ancestor, sent to join the Dragon Cloud Sect, and solved the problem of "survival," Shen Changchuan had not slacked off in the slightest.
In this world where the Path of Immortal Cultivation existed, Shen Changchuan looked to the future, and more ideas began to sprout in his heart.
He wanted, one day, to reach the end of the Path of Immortal Cultivation and see the view from the very peak.
He even dreamed of one day achieving Ascension, becoming an Immortal, transcending this world, and perhaps even finding the secret of his transmigration and returning to his distant homeland to see it once more...
At that moment,
for his future,
he had found a clear goal and purpose.
...
Mo Lingfeng’s unexpected intervention
had delayed the opening of the Spirit Realm by three days,
but the five major powers had no intention of delaying it further.
They decided to open the Spirit Realm two days after Mo Lingfeng’s departure.
「During this time,」
many factions, including the five powers, enthusiastically sent people to visit Shen Changchuan, attempting to curry favor and build a relationship.
After all,
after he defeated Mo Lingfeng, there was likely little opposition to Shen Changchuan’s new status as the number one of the younger generation in the Tian Nan Domain’s Immortal Cultivation Realm.
In fact, Shen Changchuan might even be the strongest prodigy—a true Demon—to emerge in the Tian Nan Domain since the devastating losses of the great war three hundred years ago!
Befriending such a peerless prodigy would be a massive gain!
However, Shen Changchuan paid little mind to all this.
He knew very well in his heart
that they were gathering around him only because his strength was sufficient and his performance had been outstanding.
If he were mediocre, they wouldn’t have given him a second glance.
Rather than waste energy on the social niceties of entertaining these visitors, he would rather focus on improving his own strength.
He had Shen Tingchu help receive them in his stead,
while he himself focused completely on digesting the gains from his battle with Mo Lingfeng.
Not long after,
the Spirit Realm opened,
and Shen Changchuan entered.