Chapter 97: Chapter 96: Joining the Immortal Sect

A chance at immortality!

Zhu Ju felt a rush of excitement as he touched the letter tucked inside his robes.

The world was in chaos, and refugees were everywhere. Unable to bear the suffering of the masses, the Immortal Sects had opened their gates wide, seeking those with fate.

Anyone under the age of thirty with a clean background and exceptional talent was welcome to try their luck.

Before,

the Immortal Sects only accepted disciples who had reached the Innate realm.

But now,

the requirements had been relaxed to include those below the Innate realm!

Who wouldn’t want to join an Immortal Sect?

Setting aside the power and backing, just reaching the Innate realm and living for over a hundred years was enough to drive anyone mad with desire.

Of course,

by cultivating his body through Qi Blood Martial Arts, Zhu Ju also had a chance to live past one hundred.

But a Mortal living for a hundred years and a Qi Refiner living for a hundred years were two entirely different concepts.

Ancient Northern Town.

This town, the closest to the Ancient Northern Pass—one of the three great strategic passes of Dazhou—was usually sparsely populated. Aside from passing couriers, few people ever came here. Recently, however, for some unknown reason, many strangers had appeared.

There were wealthy merchants, distinguished nobles, and heroic figures from the Martial World...

These people, who should have been high and mighty, were now all suppressing their noble airs and quietly blending into the town.

They tipped generously when buying food, were humble and polite when lodging with innkeepers or residents, and never cared about the price when having their clothes washed.

For a time,

this actually spurred a boom in the local economy.

But no one knew why these ’outsiders’ had come to Ancient Northern Town, and no one was telling.

Everyone was quietly waiting for something.

「Dawn.」

The air was hazy with fog.

At some point, a number of figures had gathered in the northeast corner of town, and they were walking in an orderly fashion into the fog-shrouded area.

Zhu Ju was among them.

His vision blurred for a moment.

The dense fog had vanished.

A palace-like hall, about thirty to forty feet high, appeared before their eyes, drawing a continuous stream of low murmurs.

’So this is the work of an Immortal Family?’

’To think such a massive building could be hidden within a town inhabited by Mortals, with no one ever noticing.’

’Unbelievable!’

Before the great hall’s entrance stood a man and a woman in white robes, swords on their backs. Their sharp auras blocked everyone’s path.

Innate!

Zhu Ju’s eyes flickered.

Judging from their projected auras, these two Qi Refiners were likely even stronger than Jiangg Ke, who had died such a pathetic death at his hands.

"Do you have a token?"

The man asked, looking at an old man and a young boy before him.

"Yes, yes, we do." The old man took an object from his robes, presented it respectfully, and nudged the boy forward.

"Immortal Masters, my boy here is just twelve, and he is already Nurturing Inner Qi. His Martial Arts Talent is excellent."

"Mm." The man inspected the token and handed it to the boy.

"Go in!"

The man was clearly unimpressed that the boy was Nurturing Inner Qi at twelve, or at least he didn’t consider it particularly special.

The boy took the token and instinctively looked back at the old man.

"Go on," the old man urged.

"Remember what Grandpa told you. Find the Immortal Masters from the Celestial Yu Sect and give them the token. Don’t join the wrong Immortal Sect."

"Yes," the boy replied.

"Grandpa, I’m going in."

"Immortal Masters." Following right behind, a group of three men walked up side-by-side, presenting a token with fawning expressions.

"We’d also like to join an Immortal Sect."

"There is only one token," the woman said, her voice cold and clear.

"Who is going in?"

"Can’t... can’t we all go in together?" one of the three stammered, his face pale.

"Hmph!" The woman scoffed.

"Do you think the Immortal Sects are places you can just enter as you please?"

"One token admits only one person. And that only gets you inside. Whether you can actually succeed in joining an Immortal Sect is another matter entirely."

She said this with a disdainful sneer.

Clearly,

in her eyes, even if these three chose one person to go in, it was impossible that he would successfully join an Immortal Sect.

The three huddled together, whispering amongst themselves. None could convince the other two, and they gradually started to argue.

"Silence!"

The man’s expression darkened, and he waved his large sleeve forcefully.

"No clamor is allowed here! Come back when you’ve made a decision!"

WHOOSH...

A fierce gust of wind swept past. The three men, whose Cultivation was clearly not weak, were caught in the gale and thrown involuntarily into the dense fog.

In the blink of an eye, they were gone.

The next person to step forward was a white-haired old man. When the male gatekeeper took his token, his expression sank abruptly.

"Courting death!"

SHING!

A flash of Sword Light streaked past.

The old man’s head slowly slid from his neck. The wound was sealed by ice crystals, not a single drop of blood spilling out.

GASP...

The faces of everyone present changed drastically, and they all retreated in unison.

"All of you, remember this!"

The man put away the token and spoke, his voice icy.

"The Immortal Sect Tokens issued this time each have a designated owner. If anyone dares to impersonate them, they will be killed without mercy!"

Impersonate?

Zhu Ju stroked his chin.

’The token was probably stolen from someone who was murdered,’ he thought. ’But how do the people from the Immortal Sects know that the token and the person’s identity don’t match?’

The token he held was one of the ones distributed by San Fen Hall.

It was anonymous!

A nervous stir went through the crowd.

Several figures quietly slipped away, their own tokens clearly of dubious origin. They didn’t dare to step forward.

After waiting a few more moments, Zhu Ju presented his token.

"Go on in."

The woman took the token, gave Zhu Ju a somewhat surprised look, and then waved her hand.

"Make sure you find the right Immortal Sect."

Hm?

’What does she mean by that?’

Zhu Ju, though puzzled, stepped inside.

Inside the hall were seven long tables. A person sat behind each one, and behind each person stood a massive stone pillar.

The names of the various Immortal Sects were carved on the pillars.

Profound Clarity Sect, Celestial Yu Immortal Sect, Fengxia Pavilion, Bright Void Sect...

San Fen Hall was a faction established in the Mortal World by an Outer Sect Disciple of the Profound Clarity Sect, so naturally, he walked toward the table for the Profound Clarity Sect.

"Senior."

Presenting his token to the elderly man behind the desk, Zhu Ju cupped his fists.

"This junior is Zhu Ju. My father was a former Elder of San Fen Hall. Having received an Immortal Sect Token, I have come to seek a master."

"Mm."

The old man stroked his beard and casually placed the token to one side.

"Age, Cultivation?"

"I am nineteen. My Cultivation is..." He hesitated for a moment, then said:

"Qi Circulation."

Hm?

The old man raised his eyebrows slightly. A faint smile appeared on his face, his bored expression replaced by a hint of interest.

"Not bad!"

"To reach Qi Circulation before the age of twenty in this secular world... you could be called a prodigy."

CLANG...

Before he could finish speaking, a commotion erupted to the side.

"On what grounds?"

"I have an Immortal Sect Token! I am the son of the King of Qii! I reached Qi Circulation at thirty-seven! Why won’t you accept me?"

"You relied on medicine to cultivate your body. Your Talent is too poor," the Immortal Master from the Celestial Yu Sect said with a cold expression.

"Even if we gave you Spirit Pills, you would struggle to reach the Innate realm. Admitting you to an Immortal Sect would be a waste of resources. Leave at once."

"No!" the man roared.

"I refuse to accept this!"

BOOM!

With a light wave of the Celestial Yu Sect’s Immortal Master’s Duster, the man who called himself the son of the King of Qii was blasted out of the hall.

"How noisy!"

"Did you really think that just because the Immortal Sects opened their gates, any stray cat or dog could wander in?"

Zhu Ju looked away, a cold sweat breaking out on his back.

That single flick of the Duster had mobilized the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi within a radius of several dozen feet. The sheer power of the pressure it generated was terrifying.

Terrifying!

’Even with my Water and Fire Immortal Robe, I could never have blocked that!’

"Do not be afraid."

The old man from the Profound Clarity Sect spoke with a light chuckle.

"It is true that the Immortal Sects have opened their gates wide and relaxed the conditions. And... with your Cultivation and Talent, it wouldn’t be difficult for you to join an Immortal Sect even in a normal year."

"Of course,"

"that is, if you haven’t falsified anything!"

As he said the last words, his voice deepened slightly, and an invisible pressure descended upon Zhu Ju.

The Inner Qi in his body circulated automatically, and his Protective Gang Force erupted from his body.

Two feet, four inches!

Since he understood this was a test from the Immortal Sect, he naturally wouldn’t hide his abilities. Besides, there was no need to hide this level of strength.

"Excellent!"

The old man’s eyes lit up.

"Your Inner Qi is abundant and pure, and it circulates smoothly. It wasn’t achieved entirely through taking medicine. Your Talent is truly astonishing."

"Wait a moment!"

Just as he took out a register to record Zhu Ju’s name, a voice suddenly came from the side.

"Young man, I think you’ve come to the wrong Immortal Sect."

At the Bright Void Sect’s table, a burly man stood with his arms crossed, a faint smile on his face as he looked over.

Hm?

Zhu Ju froze, turning his head to look.

"Senior, why do you say that?"

"Heh..." The burly man pointed a finger at the stone pillar behind him and said,

"Don’t you find the pattern on this pillar a little familiar?"

Familiar?

Zhu Ju focused his gaze and saw some inconspicuous patterns carved on the pillar. They were indeed very familiar.

His heart skipped a beat, and he hastily pulled a bronze plaque from his clothes.

An Immortal Sect Token!

This was the item Ye Chongshan had given him before his death, saying that with this token, he could join a certain Immortal Sect.

But neither Ye Chongshan nor he knew which Immortal Sect it was for.

He never imagined...

that he would encounter it here.

No wonder!

’No wonder that gatekeeper reminded me to find the right Immortal Sect when I came in. So that’s why.’

"As I thought." The burly man nodded.

"You have a token from my Bright Void Sect. You should be joining my Sect."

"Young man."

The old man from the Profound Clarity Sect chuckled upon hearing this.

"You should think carefully. The Profound Clarity Sect is one of the three great Immortal Sects of Dazhou. The Bright Void Sect... was merely founded by a disciple of the Void Sect."

"The path to immortality is long. One wrong step can lead to a lifetime of mistakes."

"Old Songx, what’s the meaning of this?" the burly man’s face darkened.

"The Profound Clarity Sect is strong, but it’s a massive establishment. How many resources can they spare for their low-level disciples?"

"But my Bright Void Sect is different. We have few people and plenty of resources, more than enough to go around."

"Kid!"

He called out to Zhu Ju.

"You hold a Bright Void Sect token. If you join my Sect, I will immediately give you one Innate Pill."

"An Innate Pill?" Zhu Ju’s eyes lit up.

"Is that the Spirit Pill that can help one reach the Innate realm?"

"That’s right!" The burly man beamed.

"My name is Shen Youx, a disciple of the Dragon Head Lineage in the Bright Void Sect. If you join my Sect, you’ll be my junior brother."

"Old Songx!"

"You can’t try to steal him from me!"

The old man from the Profound Clarity Sect just chuckled and didn’t say much more. To him, it didn’t matter whether he recruited one more or one less disciple.

"Senior."

Zhu Ju thought for a moment, then turned to Elder Songx and asked:

"If I were to join the Profound Clarity Sect, could I get an Innate Pill?"

"To get an Innate Pill, you would normally need to complete missions for the Sect to earn merit, which can then be exchanged for it." Elder Songx stroked his beard.

"However, with your age and Talent, you have a good chance of reaching the Innate realm before thirty, which would earn you a reward from the Sect."

In other words,

he could still get an Innate Pill by joining the Profound Clarity Sect; it would just be a bit more troublesome.

It was obvious.

The Profound Clarity Sect was a Major Immortal Sect, while the Bright Void Sect was far inferior. In fact, in all this time, Zhu Ju hadn’t seen a single person join the Bright Void Sect.

No wonder the man was so eager to recruit him.

For the sake of his future, the Profound Clarity Sect was the more suitable choice. After all, he wanted to see the scenery beyond the Innate realm.

A more powerful Immortal Sect meant a stronger foundation, which would help him go further on his path.

"Kid."

Although Zhu Ju hadn’t spoken, Shen Youx could already read his thoughts from the change in his expression and sneered.

"Do you know why the Immortal Sects have opened their gates so wide this time?"

"Because the situation on the front lines is dire. The Demon Dao has invaded, and all the major Immortal Sects are short on manpower and in urgent need of reinforcements."

"If you join the Profound Clarity Sect, you’ll inevitably be sent to the front lines to fight and kill those demon spawn. But with our Bright Void Sect, you won’t have to."

Hm?

Zhu Ju’s expression changed.

’The front lines?’

’No, thank you!’

After some thought, he asked,

"Immortal Master Shen, how did you know I had an Immortal Sect Token from the Bright Void Sect?"

"That’s a simple matter!" Shen Youx waved his hand dismissively.

"An Innate Qi Refiner has plenty of ways to sense the aura of things on another person. I could naturally detect the Immortal Sect Token you carry."

"It’s not just Immortal Sect Tokens. Magical Artifacts, Spirit Pills, and the like can all be detected if you don’t take measures to conceal them."

So that’s how it is!

Zhu Ju understood now. He immediately cupped his fists and bowed.

"I am willing to join the Bright Void Sect!"

"Haha..." Shen Youx laughed heartily.

"Good!"

"Very good!"

Zhu Ju also grinned, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.

’Thank goodness!’

’Thank goodness I left that unopenable storage pouch from Jiangg Ke in the Otherworld. Otherwise, wouldn’t it have been discovered long ago?’

’If the fact that I killed a disciple of the Profound Clarity Sect were exposed, forget about joining an Immortal Sect—I’d be lucky to even stay alive.’

’Of course I have to join the Bright Void Sect!’