Chapter 67: News from the Hidden Realm
On the way to Kaiyang Peak, a Mystic Cloth doaist introduced Qingxu Sect and the basic situation of Kaiyang Peak to the group.
"Our Qingxu Sect has been established for tens of thousands of years, renowned in the Cultivation World for the art of Alchemy. However, not all members of Qingxu Sect are Alchemists; Kaiyang Peak, in particular, is known for its combat prowess, with a relatively smaller number of Alchemists. The peak's master is a cultivator in the later stage of Golden Core, unmatched in strength, surpassing others of the same tier."
As the Mystic Cloth doaist spoke, a look of reverence appeared on his face.
Along the road they walked, on either side, stretched vast spirit fields filled with various Spiritual Medicines.
Mostly first-tier Spiritual Medicines, with a few fields containing second-tier Spiritual Medicines.
"Senior brother, do these spirit fields belong to our Kaiyang Peak?" asked a fellow disciple.
"From the foot of the mountain to the midsection, these spirit fields belong to the sect. The sect distributes batches of Elixirs and Spirit Stones every month. Additionally, the sect sells some Elixirs to the outside world in exchange for Spirit Stones or other resources, all relying on the production of these spirit fields."
"As for the spirit fields above the midsection, they belong to individual peaks. Every official disciple can receive three acres of spirit fields."
Upon hearing this, many felt a burning excitement. Three acres of spirit fields would be sufficient to barely sustain a small family in Azure Void City.
After two hours of travel, they reached the peak. With each ascent, the Spiritual Qi became denser.
The registered disciples had already stayed below the midsection, where a large cluster of houses stoodresidences for these registered disciples.
Official disciples resided above the midsection, and further up were the cave mansions of Foundation Building cultivators, followed by those of Golden Core cultivators.
In daily terms, the area below the midsection was habitually referred to as the foothill, and above the midsection was called the mountaintop.
Through this explanation along the way, Wang Hong gained a rough understanding of the sect's situation.
Registered disciples wore uniform blue clothes, receiving one Condensing Qi Pill and three Spirit Stones per month. They also had to perform various sect tasks daily.
Official disciples wore uniform black clothes, receiving five Condensing Qi Pills and ten Spirit Stones per month. They were required to complete at least one sect task each month, earning sect contribution points, which could be exchanged for many items not easily found outside.
Reaching the Foundation Building stage marked the backbone strength of the sect, earning a respected status. They could participate in specific sect matters.
Foundation Building disciples wore purple robes, receiving five hundred Spirit Stones per month. However, Elixirs were no longer provided, as second-tier Spiritual Medicines were rare and hard to cultivate. The sect could not supply them, and they could only be obtained using sect contribution points.
Golden Core cultivators held a senior position within the sect, and the specifics were not known to disciples of the mere Qi Cultivation stage.
Wang Hong received a set of dark robes, surprisingly a Low-Quality Magical Weapon with dust removal and resistance to heat and cold.
He also received a token representing his identity, requiring a blood oath for recognition.
Each person could have an independent small courtyard with only four rooms. Wang Hong planned to use one as a living room, one for cultivation, one for alchemy, and one for rest.
Wang Hong thought it was good this way. Having Foundation Building cultivators nearby might make eating uncomfortable.
Entering the first floor, they found that regular meals were provided for free by the sect, while Spirit Meals had to be purchased with Spirit Stones.
As Body Refining cultivators, Spirit Meals were more beneficial for their cultivation.
They bought two large portions of Spirit Meals, each estimated to weigh around ten catties, made from a black-haired Spirit Lamb raised by the sect, costing ten Spirit Stones each.
However, ten catties of Spirit Beast meat would only be enough to fill the gaps between their teeth. If they ate openly, considering the tier of the meat, Wang Hong alone could consume hundreds of catties at once.
Of course, the higher the tier of the meat, the more Spiritual Qi and essence it contained, and the less quantity was needed.
After finishing their meal, they felt even hungrier and bought a roasted Cow leg, placing it on the table and cutting and eating it with a small knife.
"I heard that a new female cultivator has arrived at Yao Guang Peak, with extraordinary beauty that has captivated the talents of various peaks," the conversation of several cultivators at the neighboring table reached Wang Hong's ears.
"I also heard that this woman was directly recruited based on her aptitude with two Spiritual Roots. Upon entering Yao Guang Peak, she was taken as a disciple by a Golden Core Elder of Yao Guang Peak. These people are visiting not only because of her beauty but also due to her aptitude and status."
"I've heard something similar. I heard that Pan Yuan from our Kaiyang Peak also went."
"What's Pan Yuan, just a mediocre talent. He's just joining the crowd. Look at his conduct; he bullies lower-cultivation level junior disciples within the peak when the senior brother is absent, and when he sees stronger cultivators from other peaks, he tries to please them like a sycophant."
At this point, a bearded man spoke, "Zhang Yi, you better be careful with your words. Although this person has a bad character, he does have real strength. Among the thousands of Qi Cultivation cultivators in our Kaiyang Peak, he is also ranked in the top twenty."
Shifting the topic, another cultivator said, "I heard that Senior Brother is about to return to the mountain. He is going to open the secret realm next year, and Senior Brother should return early to prepare for next year's trial in the secret realm."
"If Senior Brother leads the team, I also plan to participate," the bearded one said.
"Our peak has the strongest Senior Brother in terms of strength. Besides him leading, I can't think of a second candidate."
...
Hearing this, Wang Hong guessed they were talking about the secret realm that grew Foundation Building Dan Spiritual Medicine. He didn't expect to catch up with this event right after joining the sect; he needed to inquire more about it.
Unconsciously, the two had finished eating a Cow leg, spending over a hundred Spirit Stones, and they were only half-full.
They couldn't eat more, not because they lacked Spirit Stones, but eating more would attract attention. Only Body Refining cultivators could eat so much. They didn't want to reveal their cultivation level for now.
They could only go back and eat the processed Spirit Meals they brought with them. They had cooked Spirit Beast meat soup, meat jerky, and Spirit Wheat-made pancakes.
It seemed like they would have to cook their own meals in the future.
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