Chapter 12: Baiyun Sect

Cheng Buzheng saw that within the sect lay seven massive mountain peaks, surrounded by over a dozen other mountains and more than twenty canyons. A vast expanse of land, spanning a full thousand miles, was shrouded in a layer of white mist.

Between the peaks and within the canyons, streaks of spiritual light flashed from time to time. Every mountain and canyon was densely packed with palaces, pavilions, and houses.

In the blink of an eye.

The white jade boat was already hovering above the White Cloud Peak plaza. Uncle Ding spoke in a cold tone.

"Once we descend, do not move around for the time being. I will give the instructions later!"

With that, Uncle Ding waved his sleeve, and the youths were enveloped in multicolored specks of light, which carried them downward to land.

The eight senior brothers each employed their supernatural powers to descend to the ground, while Uncle Ding landed as lightly as a feather.

As the youths landed on the plaza, they saw seven powerful cultivators already waiting there. The powerful auras emanating from them naturally filled them with a sense of reverence.

Seeing everyone had landed, Uncle Ding made a sweeping motion with his hand. The massive white jade boat hovering above shrank rapidly in the blink of an eye, flying toward him. It grew smaller and smaller until it was only the size of a palm when it reached his hand.

With a flip of his palm, the white jade boat vanished.

Then, Uncle Ding cupped his fists toward Sect Leader Fang and said

"Senior Brother Sect Leader, the immortal seedlings have all been recruited. There are one hundred and six in total: two with aberrant spiritual roots—one wind and one ice; five with dual spiritual roots; twenty-seven with triple spiritual roots; and seventy-two with quadruple spiritual roots!"

Hearing this.

Sect Leader Fang and the various Hall Masters showed expressions of satisfaction. Sect Leader Fang spoke quite warmly

"Junior Brother Ding, you have worked hard on this trip. This recruitment mission shall be recorded as a great achievement for you. Go aside and rest for a moment; I will need you to make another trip later."

Sect Leader Fang took two steps forward, looked at the hundred-plus youths, and his expression shifted to one of solemnity. He said

"You are but one step away from joining the sect, but this single step is the difference between the immortal path and hell."

After a moment of contemplation, Sect Leader Fang spoke slowly

"If anyone here has ulterior motives, if you step forward now, I will grant you an opportunity to redeem your fault with merit."

Cheng Buzheng was also quite curious; there was actually such a step to joining the sect. His gaze involuntarily swept across the surrounding youths, and he simultaneously understood the true meaning behind Uncle Ding's words: "Wait until you have officially joined the sect before I call you!"

"Is there no one?

Fine... I hope so. Once we enter the Heart-Inquiry Array, the truth will be known!

After entering the Heart-Inquiry Array, it is only a few questions; do not worry!"

As soon as he finished speaking.

Sect Leader Fang reached for a small pouch at his waist, and eight dark little flags along with a miniature compass appeared in his hand.

With a flick of his right hand, the eight dark flags expanded against the wind, becoming black flags over ten feet tall in an instant. The surfaces of these eight dark flags emitted a soul-chilling, eerie light as they dispersed in all eight directions.

At this moment, the compass, which had already undergone a great transformation, hovered in the center of the eight dark flags.

As Sect Leader Fang continuously cast hand seals, the eerie light grew stronger and stronger. With the casting of the final seal, the eerie light reached its peak.

In a flash, the eight dark flags and the compass vanished, replaced by a space enveloped in black light, measuring approximately twenty feet in diameter.

Seeing the formation take shape, Sect Leader Fang spoke

"Line up. Begin!"

"Where are you from?"

"Shiku County!"

"Who told you to join the sect, and what is your purpose?"

"My parents told me to join, to become an immortal."

"Do you harbor any ill intentions toward the White Cloud Sect?"

"No..."

"Next."

Seeing this.

Cheng Buzheng breathed a soft sigh of relief; he did not want to expose the secrets of his past life.

Half an hour later, the person in front had exited the formation. Without hesitation, Cheng Buzheng strode into the Heart-Inquiry Array.

"Where are you from?"

As if unable to control himself, Cheng Buzheng spoke involuntarily, "Ping'an County!"

He thought to himself that this array was truly formidable, actually forcing one to reveal their true origins.

"Who told you to join the sect, and what is your purpose?"

"No one told me to join; I wanted to join on my own!...To become an immortal."

"Do you harbor any ill intentions toward the White Cloud Sect?"

"No!"

An hour later.

Sect Leader Fang showed a satisfied expression, his solemnity melting into a gentle demeanor. He said

"You are the new blood and the new hope of the White Cloud Sect!

To look after you and to help you familiarize yourselves with the sect, you will not be required to perform handyman duties for one year."

Hearing this.

The youths were quite happy in their hearts. Although they did not know what handyman duties were, they knew from the name that it wasn't a pleasant task.

Then, Sect Leader Fang spoke again.

"The Heart-Inquiry Array is a secret of the sect. You must forget this formation; no one is permitted to discuss it! If the sect discovers otherwise, do not blame the sect for being heartless and applying the sect rules! Also, I hope you will walk further on the immortal path.

Junior Brother Ding, I must trouble you to make another trip to settle the immortal seedlings."

"Yes!

Senior Brother Sect Leader, I will take them down first."

Uncle Ding stepped forward and cupped his fists.

Then, with a wave of his hand, the youths were enveloped in multicolored specks of light and carried away into the distance, but seven youths remained on the plaza.

Cheng Buzheng turned to look at them, thinking to himself

"Those seven youths on the plaza must be the ones with the best aptitude—two with aberrant spiritual roots and five with dual spiritual roots.

As expected, there are classes everywhere. Absolute fairness is laughable; at most, it is merely relative fairness."

Time flowed like water, and in a flash, two months had passed.

White Cloud Sect, Canyon Basin.

A dense cluster of houses sat in an orderly fashion within a canyon. This canyon basin was precisely where the outer disciples resided.

These orderly houses were arranged so that youths who were familiar with each other or part of the same team gathered together as neighbors.

Cheng Buzheng's house was located at the edge of this cluster, with only four other houses inhabited nearby—the quarters of his teammates.

Inside Cheng Buzheng's house, there was only simple furniture: a wooden bed and a wooden bucket filled with clear water.

At this moment, he was sitting cross-legged on the bed, eyes slightly closed, his mind emptied, striving to sense the spiritual qi in the air.

After a long time, his mind became completely still, and he sensed multicolored specks of light in the air. Among them, the golden, red, and yellow specks were the strongest, almost equal to one another, while his perception of the other colors was very weak.

Through the "Encyclopedia of Cultivation" provided by the sect, he learned that he possessed the gold, fire, and earth triple spiritual roots, which corresponded to the golden, red, and yellow specks in the air.

His spiritual root aptitude was neither good nor bad; he was not like those with single or dual spiritual roots who could guide qi into their bodies within a day or half a month, nor was he like those with quadruple or quintuple spiritual roots who could only step onto the immortal path after half a year or a year.