Chapter 1: Zheng Tuo's Blacklist

Eastern Region.

Luo Xian Sect.

The foot of the mountain was packed with people.

Today was the big day for the Luo Xian Sect, which held its disciple recruitment once every ten years.

The crowd formed a long, continuous dragon, stretching from the distance all the way to the mountain peak.

It was a vast and magnificent sight.

"Senior Brother, there really are a lot of newcomers this year. I’m afraid there are at least tens of thousands."

The Junior Sister in charge of welcoming guests held her head high and chest out, hands behind her back, looking like she thoroughly enjoyed the admiring gazes cast her way.

"What does that count for?" the Senior Brother replied. "I’ve heard that in the center of the Eastern Region, there are super immortal dynasties. When they recruit disciples, it’s not just tens of thousands—it’s hundreds of thousands, millions, tens of millions. If they all lined up, they could circle the Eastern Region and still have enough left to make a turn."

"Millions, tens of millions? Is that true, Senior Brother?"

The Junior Sister looked at her Senior Brother with eyes full of adoration.

Feeling the worshipful gaze of his Junior Sister, the Senior Brother immediately felt himself grow a few inches taller.

He raised his hand, patted her fragrant shoulder, and said meaningfully, "Junior Sister, do not envy other sects. You must know that our Luo Xian Sect once had an immortal descend upon it. Such nobility—how could other mortal sects compare? Cultivate well. Judging by your physiognomy, the heavy responsibility of the Luo Xian Sect’s rise rests upon your shoulders. Keep it up!!!"

"Really? Senior Brother."

The light in the Junior Sister’s eyes grew even brighter.

"Of course. Your Senior Brother may not have other skills, but when it comes to reading physiognomy, if I claim second place, no one in the entire mortal realm dares to claim first. Come to my cave dwelling later; I’ll take a good look at your physiognomy and, while I’m at it, check if your cultivation has made any progress."

"Mm, thank you, Senior Brother."

The Junior Sister’s pretty face flushed red, her expression full of anticipation.

The two of them watched the endless stream of people climbing the mountain to seek apprenticeship, chatting about sect matters.

Meanwhile.

About 520 meters away, behind a brown rock, a young man was holding his breath. His eyes were like a hawk’s, his body as still as a boulder, hiding himself in the shadows.

The youth’s name was Zheng Tuo. A transmigrator, he had been in this world for sixteen years.

Ever since he learned this was a world with immortals, he began to investigate, research, and study...

Finally, after ten years of preparation, he decided to join the Luo Xian Sect and become a cultivator.

As for why it took ten years to prepare, that was, of course, due to caution.

As for why he was cautious, it was because after his parents died in a car accident, he developed a mental illness.

Paranoid personality disorder.

Simply put, he always felt that there were treacherous people out there plotting against him.

This made him extremely careful and cautious.

It reached the point of being a perversion: he was nitpicky, always looking for faults, testing his food for poison, and refusing to let anyone watch him use the restroom.

Remembering his condition, Zheng Tuo pulled a small black notebook from his jacket pocket.

The notebook was densely packed with a great deal of important information.

He flipped to the twentieth page, where it was clearly recorded

Name: Luo Xian Sect. Level: Intermediate Sect. Sect Master: Yun Wanli. Strength: Late Yuan Ying stage. Status: Travels abroad year-round. Last seen three hundred years ago at the Western Region’s Golden Battlefield participating in a holy war; rumored to have kicked the bucket. Because the Sect Master is unreliable, all affairs of the Luo Xian Sect are handled by the Vice Sect Master, Yun Yangzi.

Name: Yun Yangzi. Strength: Early Yuan Ying stage. Status: A "good old man" dedicated to nurturing disciples. Winner of the 536th Eastern Region Outstanding Sect Master Competition, recipient of the Top Ten Eastern Region Cultivation Sect Master Award, winner of the "Sect Master with the Best Popularity in the Eastern Region" award...

Aside from the Vice Sect Master, the Luo Xian Sect is divided into five peaks. The five Peak Masters all have varying levels of Golden Core cultivation, serving as the backbone of the Luo Xian Sect. Under the five peaks, it is claimed there are 100,000 disciples. According to relevant personnel, this is pure bragging and remains to be verified.

Zheng Tuo had long since memorized this information in his notebook.

But for the sake of caution, he took it out to read whenever he had time, striving to reach the point where he could recite it backward.

After reviewing the common knowledge of the Luo Xian Sect, Zheng Tuo put away the notebook and waited peacefully.

The Luo Xian Sect’s recruitment lasted for three days, and today was the final day.

For the sake of caution, Zheng Tuo had been hiding here for three days.

For one, there was no point in going up the mountain early; it was all just waiting. Furthermore, with so many people and so many mouths, if he accidentally provoked someone he shouldn't, it would lead to endless trouble later. Trouble leads to fighting, fighting leads to danger, and danger leads to a threat to his life. He only wanted to cultivate and seek the Dao. Let the other protagonists handle the killing and fighting.

For another, he had used his pen to record everyone who might pose a problem for him—there were dozens of them. They might live under the same roof in the future, so being prepared was better than being sorry. And to be extra careful, he had forced himself to memorize the appearance and voice of these dozens of people, reviewing them over a dozen times until they were impossible to forget. He would have to be careful around these people in the future to avoid trouble.

The sun set, and the sky grew dark.

Zheng Tuo saw that the time was right and left his hiding spot.

He deliberately walked about a thousand meters away, and after confirming there was no one around, he stepped onto the main path.

Without any accidents, he successfully climbed the mountain.

"Strange!" "What did you say, Senior Brother?" "That kid who just went up the mountain—judging by his physiognomy, he gave me a sense of... a very handsome crisis." "How is that possible? You are the recognized number one handsome guy of our Luo Xian Sect, Senior Brother. That kid was very ordinary." "Junior Sister is right. Let’s go, let’s go to my cave dwelling; I’ll show you something even more handsome." "Mm."

——

Halfway up the Luo Xian Sect, on a platform, tens of thousands of people gathered.

People chatted with each other, trying to fit in. Others sat in meditation on the spot, adjusting their state.

Not long after.

"Swish, swish, swish..."

The sound of breaking through the air rang out.

Above the azure sky, five figures appeared.

The five figures stood in the air.

Under the sunlight, they looked like immortals descending to the world, dazzling to behold.

The five represented the five peaks of the Luo Xian Sect and were among the strongest contemporary disciples of their respective peaks.

They were the prominent figures of the current young generation in the Eastern Region. The future face of the Luo Xian Sect.

"It’s Senior Brother Lu Danchen of the Immortal Cauldron Peak." "I heard Senior Brother Lu’s cultivation has already broken through the Foundation Establishment stage and entered the legendary Qi Sea stage. He is one of the top ten outstanding youths in the Eastern Region; his future is limitless." "Look, it’s Senior Sister Ye Qingqing of the Ethereal Peak." "She is truly as beautiful and graceful as the legends say, gentle as water. The beauty Qingqing, one of the top ten beauties of the Eastern Region, truly lives up to her reputation. Seeing her today, I could die content."

Aside from Lu Danchen and Ye Qingqing, the pillars of the Luo Xian Sect, there were also the Tyrant Blade of Thousand Blade Peak, Lei Jiu of Luo Xian Peak, and Buxiu of Enlightenment Peak—all famous young heroes.

People spoke of the five in the sky as if they were family.

The five were considered top-tier figures among the young generation of the contemporary cultivation world.

"Write it down!"

In an inconspicuous corner of the square, Zheng Tuo took out his notebook and quickly recorded them, marking them as "key targets to avoid."

The five people before him were all heaven-gifted geniuses, and they were bound to have followers, especially Ye Qingqing.

The legendary national goddess.

In his ten years of investigation, he had heard this name so much his ears had grown calluses.

A woman of this level.

No matter how you looked at it, she seemed like the type of person pursued by overpowered characters in novels.

Staying far away only had benefits, no drawbacks.

He carefully recorded them and put away his notebook.

"Welcome, everyone, to the Luo Xian Sect."

On the distant horizon, an old man arrived, stepping on colorful auspicious clouds.

The incoming colorful spiritual energy seeped into everyone’s bodies with every breath, making them feel warm all over, an indescribable comfort.

The tens of thousands of people in the square cheered, realizing a big shot had arrived.

The Vice Sect Master of the Luo Xian Sect, Yun Yangzi.

Without the nonsense one might expect, what arrived was merely a dharma image of Yun Yangzi.

The sect entrance examination began immediately.

(End of chapter)