"Form a line! Form a line! It doesn't matter your status — noble, merchant, or commoner, mortal or cultivator — everyone is equal here. Form a line!"

Loud shouts echoed before the gates of a beautiful city surrounded by tall walls.

A long line of pedestrians and carriages stretched far into the distance before one of the entrances.

Above the gate, a wooden plaque with elegant cursive calligraphy read: "Divine Wind City."

The people in line stood obediently without causing trouble — after all, every now and then an example was made when a troublemaker was swiftly pinned to the ground and forced to comply.

The reputation of the peripheral cities around the Infinite Dao Sect's mountain was spreading slowly but steadily, further reducing cases of disorder.

Indeed, Divine Wind City was one of the eighteen cities established by the Infinite Dao Sect. As more people learned that these places offered an abundance of spiritual energy for Qi Refinement cultivators, along with safety and good opportunities for mortals, the cities became increasingly populated and attractive to both sides of the world.

In line, two men chatted about a common topic among newcomers, a conversation that could be heard from time to time even though it was always different people speaking.

"Brother, are you a cultivator as well?" a man asked, sensing a spiritual aura emanating from the person in front of him.

The other turned around, raised an eyebrow, and nodded silently.

"Heeh… so you've also heard about this marvelous region enhanced by the mighty Infinite Dao Sect and rushed here like me. Who would've thought that such a powerful sect would be willing to spend its precious resources improving a region for ordinary cultivators? I even heard they send disciples to help mortals..."

Even without a reply besides another nod, the man kept chattering, undisturbed by his companion's silence.

As usual, like other cultivators before them, neither of them seemed to grasp that no other sect—regardless of how many resources they poured in—could replicate something like the Infinite Dao Sect's Feng Shui domain, which enriched the entire surrounding environment. In the end, they were merely minor cultivators who believed that powerful sects, such as those of the Golden Core realm, were omnipotent.

The talkative one also seemed confused as to why such a mighty sect would help mortals and treat them as equals.

If it weren't such a majestic force, far above a simple Qi Refiner like him, he might have even mocked the sect's "naivety." Of course, even if he thought such things, he would never dare say them out loud.

As for his words, the man in front of him just nodded without paying much attention, which didn't discourage the chatterbox in the slightest, and he continued talking.

"Anyway, it's great for us poor cultivators. When I first arrived in this area and felt the spiritual energy, I considered living in the forest or digging out a cave to cultivate. But when I heard it only cost ten low-grade spirit stones to enter the city—and that everything else, including housing and lodging, could be paid with mortal coins—I decided to come right away."

"It's a pity we still have to pay, while mortals only use common currency to get in. But even so, just ten stones, and we can cultivate safely inside the city for as long as we want without spending anything else. I feel like I was living like a dog before, wasting my spirit stones in those cannibalistic cultivation mountains."

He complained and rejoiced at the same time, excited about the new prospects.

Meanwhile, the man ahead only nodded, his eyes gleaming. He too thought about how cheap it was to live in such a beneficial place. The thing a cultivator needed most besides talent was spiritual energy and safety for cultivation — and the eighteen cities of the Infinite Dao Sect offered exactly that.

As he drifted into thought, the man subconsciously looked up to the sky — and what he saw made him tremble in terror. His eyes widened, and his mouth fell open.

The chatterbox beside him stopped mid-sentence, confused, and followed his gaze — but almost wet himself in fear at what he saw.

"Spirit beast! A powerful spirit beast!" he shouted in panic, stepping back but tripping and falling on his rear. Fear was written all over his face as he kept pointing to the sky.

The scene drew attention, and soon many eyes turned upward in the direction he pointed.

Instantly, screams of horror echoed as a gigantic beastly crane descended from the heavens, majestic and intimidating.

"AHHH!!"

"A beast!! Guards, let us in, let us in, I don't want to die!!"

"NO, NO, NO!!"

Panic swept through the crowd before the gate; people fell to the ground, some too weak even to run.

Still, a few in line, though frightened, managed to remain somewhat calm — and even scolded the others.

"Idiot, stop screaming like a little girl! That crane is the mount of the immortal masters who live on Immortal Mountain. I've seen them many times before. Keep shouting like that, and you'll anger the master up there—he could kill you with just a glance."

A grumpy old man, holding the horse's reins, scolded a man who was shrieking and on the verge of fleeing.

The man froze, stopped yelling, and looked at the old man in surprise.

But soon, a nearby middle-aged woman poked her head out of a carriage window and rebuked him.

"Don't spread lies, you cranky old man! Everyone knows the immortal masters of the immortal mountain are virtuous and never harm those who don't deserve it."

She seemed grateful and respectful toward the Infinite Dao Sect and would tolerate no one speaking ill of it. She also appeared used to seeing the crane, as there was little panic on her face.

The old man rolled his eyes but didn't retort, simply lowering his head as if he couldn't argue against the facts.

To mortals, the cultivators of the Infinite Dao Sect were called "immortal masters," and their headquarters, the "immortal mountain." The idea that these beings were untouchable, almost divine, was deeply rooted in the hearts of common people — thus they never dared refer to them by name directly.

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Under the reprimands of those around them, the panic and horror in the line gradually subsided, especially when the guards came out to reassure the crowd.

The crane lowered its altitude, and under the admiring and fearful gazes of all, it landed gracefully. A powerful gust of wind spread from the flap of its wings, shaking the hair and clothes of many, even though it wasn't that close to them.

Two figures leaped down from the enormous and majestic crane as it calmly crouched.

One of them, a sturdier man wearing the robes of a core disciple of the Infinite Dao Sect, approached the beast's head and gently stroked its beak as it lowered its head, closing its eyes softly and obediently.

He then stepped back as the crane opened its eyes and lifted its enormous head.

It let out a soft cry and spread its gigantic wings, which seemed to cover the sun. With a graceful flap, it took off, flying toward the majestic and mystical mountain of the Infinite Dao Sect, visible far away on the horizon.

The young man accompanying the sturdier one kept watching the departing crane, full of admiration.

"Brother Brick, your beast companion is truly admirable," Shen He couldn't help but praise, with a touch of longing.

He also wanted such a majestic beast for himself.

But Little Brick turned to him and shook his head.

"Although Little Feather and I have a good relationship, she isn't my beast companion, but merely one of the sect's transportation beasts. Renting her isn't that expensive, and it's great for long trips, since I can cultivate on her back without wasting time. Though I'd like to buy her, I still have too few contribution points for such a reckless expense," he revealed helplessly, leaving Shen He stunned.

Over the past few days, Shen He had come to understand the true meaning of wealth. He had seen Little Brick calmly cultivating with a few colorful stones in his hands. At first, he didn't know what they were, but his master explained that they were low-grade elemental stones of the earth element, which Brick was using to refine his body.

Upon discovering how valuable those stones were, Shen He was shocked by the wealth of the Infinite Dao Sect.

Unknowingly, even his master had been impressed—not by the stones themselves, for such resources were never lacking in the Liu family, though it was indeed surprising for a sect from the desert continent to possess them. The real astonishment for old Liu came from the fact that the young Brick was refining his body solely through elemental and spiritual energy, with nothing else.

'How can such a body refinement method exist?! Shouldn't priceless treasures and resources, far above one's cultivation realm, be used just to protect the spiritual roots during the process and accelerate progress?! Could it be that, in the thousand years I've been dead, the world has developed this kind of economical and effective body refinement?!'

His mind boiled with shock, overwhelmed by countless questions.

He also discovered that the boy possessed only one high-quality spiritual root of the five elements, yet was still so powerful at such a young age, with an extremely solid and perfect foundation.

This completely shattered his common sense to the point that, even as a Tribulation Transcendent, he felt dizzy before such reality.

And finally, to drive the last nail in the coffin, he sensed the environment around the Infinite Dao Sect's mountain — to his astonishment, it was completely free of First-Level impurities, filled with spiritual energy where there should have been desert, and possessed an atmosphere pure and ideal for cultivation. He had no doubt that something was very wrong—extremely wrong.

Only then did he realize that things might not be as simple as he believed, and his caution multiplied several times, along with his curiosity and confusion.

Unaware of the chaos in his master's mind, Shen He scratched the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed.

"Ah! So it was a transportation beast from the sect. Honestly, the more I discover about the Infinite Dao Sect, the more I want to join it. Brother Brick, I'm really grateful for bringing me here. I hope that, if you learn anything about the recruitment, you won't forget about me," he spoke with a mixture of sincerity and helpless lies.

It was true that he was impressed by the sect's resources, but a lie that he wanted to join it. He knew that the chances of his master falling would be great once he did.

Unfortunately, he was powerless. His master had already made it clear that too much was at stake to retreat selfishly now.

"Don't worry." Little Brick nodded to him firmly and seriously.

During the past month he had spent with Shen He, he saw that this younger brother was hardworking and neither arrogant nor malicious, so he believed his chances of entering the sect were high. For that reason, he was willing to help him.

"First, let's find you a place to stay in Divine Wind City. I don't know when you'll be able to participate in the recruitment stage, so it's best to get settled and cultivate peacefully. The cities of my sect are very favorable for a Qi Refinement cultivator like you. I also have some business in this city, so let's go in," Little Brick advised calmly and began walking toward the city, skipping the line.

Shen He hurried to follow him.

People bearing the Infinite Dao Sect's symbol and those accompanying them didn't need to wait in line and could enter directly.

Even so, Shen He still had to pay ten spirit stones and answer a few questions about his intentions before being allowed to enter.

Aotian didn't mind giving privileges to the sect disciples, but he didn't want the city's administration to become chaotic due to negligence regarding the guests they brought.

"Brother Brick, if you don't mind me asking, what are you going to do in the city?"

Shen He asked after entering and admiring the wide streets and pavements, along with the beauty and symmetry that the city exuded — so different from the disorder of others he had visited.

The city was beautiful, full of freshness and novelty, in a way strange and unprecedented for the cultivation world.

"Umm… I'm going to sell some useless things to the Treasure Pavilion of Divine Wind City," Little Brick replied.

The sect didn't process all the junk that disciples brought, and neither did disciples want to buy most of the low-grade items that were useless in their eyes. Therefore, they were encouraged to sell such things to the treasure pavilions of the sect-controlled cities.

Thus, treasures valuable to ordinary cultivators became accessible. These customers would then buy them, hand over their spirit stones, enjoy the items, and later go out to gather more resources to buy again.

Some even processed the items they bought into talismans, pills, formations, or artifacts and sold them to earn stones.

The simple act of disciples discarding "trash" actually fueled the entire city's economy, bringing more spirit stones both to them and to the sect, creating opportunities for others, and benefiting everyone in the end.

As they walked, Little Brick stopped in front of a light wall created by formations. On its surface, several announcements were displayed, and a crowd had gathered around, chatting excitedly.

There, some men were reading the messages aloud for the illiterate and answering everyone's questions.

Little Brick examined with curiosity what was being shown.

[Education Incentive: Enroll now and secure your future! Note: Low-income students enrolled will receive financial support for continued attendance. Details: …]

[Serve in the City Army: Become strong, defend your home, family, and future! Details: …]

[District Examinations: Help the city grow and improve your future along with it! Note: Only literate individuals may apply to take the exams. Details: …]

Further ahead, another light screen displayed different announcements, but most of the people gathered there radiated the aura of cultivators.

[Annual Public Auxiliary Arts Competition: Refining, Alchemy, Talismans, and Formations. Note: Will be held one year from this announcement. Time remaining: 334 days. Details: …]

[Annual Public Combat Competition: Duel. Note: Will be held one year from this announcement. Time remaining: 334 days. Details: …]

[Annual Public Treasure Competition: Treasure Identification. Note: …]

[Annual Public Beast Competition…]

[Competition…]

And finally, the most prominent announcement made Little Brick's eyes light up.

"Brother Shen, it seems I don't need to ask anymore. The information's right there." Brick crossed his arms and pointed with his chin toward the light screen.

Shen He nodded seriously, looking at what he indicated.

[Infinite Dao Sect Recruitment. Note: Will be held after the conclusion of the annual public competitions. Time remaining: 344 days.]

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