[A Flourishing Facade]
Qingshi City, at the break of dawn.
Lin Ye walked along the blue-stone-paved streets, surrounded by a bustling crowd. Shouts of vendors, laughter, and the roars of spirit beasts echoed one after another, painting a scene of prosperity. Pill shops, weapon pavilions, talisman stores—mortals and cultivators coexisted, shops lined both sides of the road, glittering in dazzling hues.
But Lin Ye’s gaze passed beyond this noisy scene, landing instead on a few elderly men sitting silently in corners, heads bowed, and on a cultivator by the roadside in the distance, cracking a whip to scold a child.
Such prosperity was a glossy surface of oil and water—beneath it festered unseen sores, throbbing with hidden pain.
He murmured to himself, “A place that’s too quiet… is even more dangerous.”
[Tianyuan Sect’s Oppression]
“Out of the way! Are you blind, you filthy mortals?”
Suddenly, a commotion erupted on the street.
A few young men in silver-trimmed blue robes walked arrogantly down the middle of the road, expressions haughty. Jade pendants inscribed with the words "Tianyuan" hung from their waists. Behind them, attendants respectfully carried spirit tools and pill bottles. Wherever they passed, the crowd scattered as though avoiding a deadly plague.
Lin Ye stood to the side, his expression calm, though a heaviness settled in his heart.
These were nothing more than ordinary outer disciples of the Tianyuan Sect, yet they strutted through the city so tyrannically. It showed just how deeply the sect’s control had embedded itself into every bone of this place. The common folk kept their heads low, not daring to look directly, and even the city patrols stayed far away, not intervening.
He recalled what the elder of the Spirit Fox Tribe had said: “The Tianyuan Sect has ruled this region for many years. Their methods are far from noble.”
[Recruiting Disciples]
By evening, Lin Ye arrived at the martial arena on the western edge of the city.
It was packed with people, banners fluttering in the wind. The “Grand Disciple Selection Ceremony” set up by the Tianyuan Sect was in full preparation, and the square was crowded with youths lining up to register.
“I heard even someone with average talent can enter the outer sect. If an inner elder notices you, you might get to cultivate in the sect directly.”
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. My family spent twenty spirit stones to bribe a steward… maybe I can pull some strings.”
The crowd buzzed with longing, bribery, jealousy, and fear.
Lin Ye listened quietly, growing ever more certain: this disciple selection ceremony might just be his chance to infiltrate the Tianyuan Sect.
Suddenly, a system notification rang out: “Tianyuan Sect disciple identity detected to hold special permissions. Successfully infiltrating the sect will significantly expand data access and growth pathways.”
Lin Ye’s eyes lit up.
ns216.73.216.168da2
and then Add to home screen.