Chapter 9: Competing with Cultivation Families

The mountain forest was serene, shrouded in heavy fog, and streaks of sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves above, creating visible slanting beams.

Zhou Xue walked at the front, Fang Wang and Fang Hanyu at the very back, nine people in total, trekking on foot, having been on this journey for nearly two days.

The mountain paths in the forest were difficult to navigate, muddied and often frequented by snakes, rodents, spiders, which kept the Fang Family Disciples on edge, careful with every step.

"It's hard to imagine a Cultivation Sect hidden in such deep mountains."

Fang Hanyu whispered in amazement. The Grand Qi Kingdom was vast, with countless uninhabited mountain ranges like this one, roaming with wild beasts, bandit hideouts, places where even a martial artist like himself rarely set foot.

Fang Wang could feel the richness of nature's spiritual energy in this region, growing more abundant the further they ventured, making him even more eager for the Great Abyss Gate.

At that moment.

A cry came from up ahead, sounding like a woman, yet also like a child, giving Fang Wang and the others goosebumps, but seeing Zhou Xue continuing without pause, they followed suit.

Fang Wang turned to look back, seeing only dense fog where nothing could be distinguished beyond seven steps away.

He had felt something following them, a sensation that began after the cries ahead had started.

He was not panicked, continuing on with calm resolve.

Soon, the mist ahead grew thinner and the terrain flattened out. They came upon a woman seated under an ancient tree, in simple clothing, disheveled and dirty, clearly a village woman of the mountains. She was cradling a child and sobbing softly.

"Should we ask her what happened?"

The youngest, Fang Xin, asked. She was a year younger than Fang Wang, frail, carrying two bundles, drenched in sweat.

Another girl, Fang Ziqing, pulled at her, shaking her head.

All eyes turned to Zhou Xue. She had become their leader throughout the journey, after all, it was she who taught them the Qi Gathering Technique, and even the strongest Fang Wang followed her lead.

Zhou Xue didn't stop, but walked straight up to the woman.

The woman heard the footsteps and looked up with tears streaming down her face and eyes red from crying. She seemed to see a lifeline and stretched out her hands to Zhou Xue, crying out, "Miss, please save my child, he's been bitten by a poisonous snake..."

Upon hearing this, some of the Fang Family Disciples wanted to step forward to help, but then they saw a dagger slip from Zhou Xue's right sleeve into her hand.

The woman saw the dagger as well and turned pale. Before she could speak, Zhou Xue suddenly hurled the dagger, aiming straight for her head.

Boom!

The woman suddenly turned into a puff of white mist. The dagger cut through the mist and lodged into the tree trunk.

When the mist cleared, the clothes fell to the ground, revealing two weasels, one large and one small, leaping to a tree trunk in the distance. This spectacle left the Fang Family crowd gaping; had that woman been a transformed weasel?

Zhou Xue's expression didn't change as she eyed the two weasels perched on the tree, her gaze indifferent.

"Good skills, you're at least at the fifth level of the Qi Cultivation Realm. Young girl, if you really want to join the Great Abyss Gate, why not go to Taiyuan City?" the weasel spoke, its voice identical to the woman's from before.

Zhou Xue replied, "Taiyuan City is too far; it's more convenient to visit the Great Abyss Gate directly. We are sincerely here to cultivate, and I hope the senior will not play tricks on us anymore."

The weasel chuckled, almost human-like, and waved its paw to signal them to continue on their way.

Zhou Xue looked back, gave her companions a glance, and then continued to lead the way. As they passed under the tree where the weasels perched, everyone was tense, fearing a sudden attack.

After walking a distance, Zhou Xue finally began to explain, "Those were two Spirit Demons. The forests around the Great Abyss Gate are home to many such creatures. There are wild ones and some raised by Disciples of the sect. Demons on the periphery discourage mortals who stray in, cultivating legends of ghosts to keep them away."

A Fang Family youth couldn't help but ask, "Is it just to scare them off?"

"They might also get eaten. While the Great Abyss Gate is considered a righteous sect, in the Cultivation World, there's a gray area between good and evil. You all must be cautious in your actions in the future," Zhou Xue said with a smile, but her smile seemed sinister to the others.

After saying this, Zhou Xue continued to lead the way.

Fang Wang kept walking at the end of the group, but his attention was on what was behind them. Even after passing the two Spirit Demons, he felt like he was still being watched, making him remain on guard.

After half a stick of incense, the feeling of being watched still lingered in Fang Wang's mind.

"Don't be nervous, he dares not act rashly."

A voice reached Fang Wang's ears. He looked up at Zhou Xue, who was far ahead, with a puzzled look.

It seemed that only he could hear Zhou Xue's voice. The others didn't glance aside or look back as they moved on.

"This is the Sound Transmission Technique. Once you've entered the Great Abyss Gate, you can learn it too. The person following us must be connected to the Cultivator you killed. I've been hiding deep in the forest these days, pretending to study the Soul Burning Banner, while leaving traces for them to follow."

Zhou Xue's words reached him again, causing Fang Wang to frown, not understanding what she was planning.

"That fellow holds two Magic Artifacts; there must be someone behind him. I fear the Fang Residence might face further threats, so I deliberately attracted that person to investigate. If they find out we've entered the Great Abyss Gate, they wouldn't dare make a move. No matter how important that person is, they are just in the Qi Cultivation Realm. Offending a behemoth like the Great Abyss Gate for his sake would be a loss not worth the gain."

So that was it.

Fang Wang felt it made sense, but another confusion arose in his mind.

Was the other party so audacious to have followed them here, not fearing that the Great Abyss Gate might discover them?

Zhou Xue stopped using the Sound Transmission Technique, and Fang Wang did not let his guard down, remaining vigilant.

By evening, that feeling of being watched finally disappeared; it seemed the other party did not dare to advance any further.

In the woods, the group stopped beside a stream, a fire had been lit, and Fang Wang sat next to Zhou Xue to rest, while the others also sat around together.

"We'll reach the valley town in front of the Great Abyss Gate by tomorrow, I'll explain to you now. The Great Abyss Gate has nine veins, and in about six or seven days, the entrance assessment will be conducted. With your talents, it won't be difficult to pass. I hope each of you will join a different vein, and not to cluster together," Zhou Xue said softly.

There were more than just them in the Fang Residence capable of cultivation; Zhou Xue had only chosen the most outstanding disciples to come and secure a foothold first.

Upon hearing that they should join a vein on their own, Fang Xin's face turned pale, and she became nervous, whereas the other youths showed no cowardice, feeling more excitement instead.

Zhou Xue glanced at Fang Wang and Fang Hanyu, saying, "When the two of you enter the assessment, do not hold back. You must show off your talents as much as possible, as this will determine the treatment you receive after joining the Great Abyss Gate. Those with average aptitude can only become ordinary disciples and will need many years of effort to advance."

"Especially you, Fang Wang, don't try any tricks like pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger this time."

Zhou Xue was very concerned about Fang Wang, because this kid was too good at hiding. After her rebirth, she had learned that it was not just her, but the entire Fang Residence, including Fang Wang's parents, who did not know he possessed such high martial skills.

She had also wondered why she had not seen Fang Wang make a move in her previous life and later realized that on the night of the clan's destruction, she was powerless and had fled that very night, only catching a glimpse of the Qingyi Daoist once. She had not seen the fights between many Fang Family Disciples and the Qingyi Daoist; without the Sword Control Technique, Fang Wang would have died by the hands of the Qingyi Daoist, however strong he might have been.

Resigned, Fang Wang said, "I understand."

As if he were being tolerated.

Zhou Xue continued to give warnings; she did not specifically mention the content of the assessment, either to temper them or for fear of being overheard by the higher-ups in the Great Abyss Gate.

The night passed uneventfully.

As the moon set and the sun rose, when the first rays of morning light shined down, Fang Wang and the others continued their journey.

Along the way, they saw many strange creatures: spiders as big as human heads, man-eating trees flailing about, wild mountain goats with human-like faces, and black cats with five tails, among others. According to Zhou Xue, these were the lowest level of monstrous creatures, not yet reaching the level of spirit demons, which are characterized by their ability to speak human language.

In addition to monstrous creatures, they also saw many brightly colored flowers and fruits that looked extraordinary, but after Zhou Xue warned them of their deadly poison, they dared not touch them.

Finally, after noon, they reached the valley mentioned by Zhou Xue. A giant gate stood at the entrance to the valley, with a sign hanging above it:

Taiyuan Town!

The valley was filled with layered buildings, and columns of smoke rose slowly, surrounded by majestic mountains that oddly reminded Fang Wang of Five Fingers Mountain, with Taiyuan Town trapped within it.

The mountain gate was unguarded, so Fang Wang and the others entered the town directly. On the streets ahead, many people came and went, all of them looking extraordinary, not mere mortals, and some even ascended on cranes, flying out of the town and quickly towards the high mountains, igniting the excitement and longing of the Fang Family Disciples.

In that moment, they truly felt like they were coming into contact with the way of cultivation.

As they went, Fang Wang also observed his surroundings; both sides of the street were lined with various shops selling elixirs, magic artifacts, talisman papers, cultivation techniques, spells, and more. There was even an oddities pavilion. Although most shops were not overcrowded, they still displayed a strong cultivation atmosphere.

Zhou Xue led them to an inn to stay. After paying with silver, the attendant led them upstairs to their rooms. Except for Fang Xin and Fang Ziqing, the others each had a separate room.

"Tsk tsk, even the Great Abyss Gate accepts silver?"

Fang Wang reflected in his mind, finding it odd, but seeing Zhou Xue handing over a substantial amount of silver indicated that the Great Abyss Gate also needed engagement with the secular world.

Fang Wang entered his room, closed the door, and sat down on the bed. After a simple tidy-up, he began to meditate.

With six or seven days left, he did not want to wander around aimlessly, opting instead to enhance his cultivation level as much as possible.

His Solaris Scripture had reached Great Perfection, but spiritual power needed time to accumulate, and since Zhou Xue had told him not to conceal his skills, he had to strive with all his might.

Fang Wang thus shut himself in, and the other Fang Family Disciples did not dare to disturb him easily.

After six days.

At the hour of Si, the sky was bright, and a series of bell tolls resounded through the valley, deafening and waking Fang Wang.

"Has it come?"

Fang Wang thought silently, a smile appearing on his face.

Just the night before, he had finally made a breakthrough to the seventh level of the Qi Cultivation Realm. With the power of the Solaris Scripture at Great Perfection, it had taken him over a month to reach the seventh level of the Qi Cultivation Realm. If he had started from the first level of the Solaris Scripture, it was hard to imagine how much time it would have taken to reach this realm.

"Hurry out, the entrance assessment is upon us!"

Zhou Xue's voice came from outside the door as Fang Wang picked up his treasured sword and stepped off the bed.

With the Qi gathering and body refining, he needed no washing or eating, so he required no further preparation, looking clean and refreshed.

After a short while, under Zhou Xue's lead, Fang Wang and the others left the inn and saw that many people were doing the same, with groups on the streets heading in the same direction.

Curiously, Fang Wang asked, "You mentioned Taiyuan City before. What's the difference between Taiyuan City and Taiyuan Town?"

Zhou Xue replied, "Taiyuan City is the city run by the Great Abyss Gate for the entire Cultivation World, while Taiyuan Town is a mortal town cultivated by the Great Abyss Gate itself. The mortals living here are responsible for mining various resources for the disciples of the Great Abyss Gate. Almost everyone who comes to Taiyuan Town has a cultivation background, coming from cultivation families all over, without background and information. It is impossible to discover this path."

"Simply put, in Taiyuan City, we compete with mortals, but here, we are competing with some cultivation families with cultivation backgrounds. Of course, passing the assessments from here brings more benefits."