Exiting the tavern, Mo Tiange already had a destination in mind. She walked straight down the main street. Not far ahead, she indeed saw a very luxurious building named Bixuan Pavilion at the city center.
She entered the building, and immediately a waiter came forward to greet her, his face wreathed in smiles. "Perfected One, please go upstairs, please go upstairs."
Mo Tiange nodded and followed this person up to the third floor.
The moment she reached the third floor, she immediately felt several gazes fall upon her.
She subtly assessed her surroundings.
Compared to the floors below, the third floor was less ornate but possessed a more refined elegance. The spacious area held about five or six rosewood tables, each spaced far apart and separated by potted plants and flowers, creating an atmosphere of extreme elegance.
At present, three tables already had guests seated, all of whom were cultivators, uniformly male, and all at the Qi Refining stage.
Mo Tiange thought to herself that Bixuan Pavilion was indeed a small-to-medium sect after all. If a loose cultivator could reach the Foundation Establishment stage, they would likely have already been recruited, even if they were male.
The first table held two middle-aged men chatting animatedly. Seeing Mo Tiange, they gave her a surprised glance but then turned back to continue their conversation.
The second table had a mix of old and young, speaking intermittently. When she came up, their gazes all fixed on her, as if trying to guess her background.
The third table had three young men laughing and talking loudly. They seemed like disciples from certain cultivation families, not as down-and-out as loose cultivators.
"Perfected One, please." The waiter led Mo Tiange to an empty table, seated her, deftly served tea, and asked, "What would the Perfected One like?"
Mo Tiange pondered for a moment and said, "Just bring some tea and snacks."
"Yes, yes." The waiter responded repeatedly. "Perfected One, please wait a moment, they'll be right here."
After the waiter went downstairs, Mo Tiange picked up her teacup and took a slow, deliberate sip.
The tavern manager from earlier had told her that in Linhai City, cultivators often lived mixed with mortals. Mortals revered cultivators greatly, so cultivators enjoyed significant privileges here. Whether they were Bixuan Pavilion disciples or loose cultivators, mortals in Linhai City treated them with utmost respect. There were even facilities specifically prepared for cultivators, such as this third floor of Bixuan Pavilion.
This was the largest tavern in Linhai City. It was said the owner had good relations with the ladies of Bixuan Pavilion. The third floor of Bixuan Pavilion was open only to cultivators. Any cultivator, even if only at the first level of Qi Refining, could eat and drink here completely free of charge. Therefore, whether they were sect disciples, family disciples, or loose cultivators from around Linhai City, they would all come to Bixuan Pavilion to sit and exchange some news when they had nothing else to do.
Having learned all this, Mo Tiange hadn't asked further and came directly here.
The reason she didn't ask the manager directly was because the manager was, after all, a mortal. Some matters were more reliably heard from the mouths of cultivators themselves.
Now sitting here, her gaze had already swept over all three tables. With her Concealing Spirit Pendant and deliberately suppressing her cultivation, she made others perceive her as still in the Qi Refining stage, yet unable to gauge her depth. The highest cultivation among these eight or nine cultivators was only at the sixth level of Qi Refining, so they didn't sense anything amiss.
Shortly after the waiter went downstairs, the three young men at the third table exchanged glances. One of them stood up and walked towards her.
"Fellow Daoist, I am Wei Ziming. Greetings."
Mo Tiange pretended to have just noticed him, stood up, and returned the greeting. "I am Ye Xiaotian. Greetings, Fellow Daoist Wei."
Seeing her return the courtesy, a flicker of delight passed through Wei Ziming's eyes. He bowed again. "So it's Lady Ye."
Just now it was Fellow Daoist, now it was Lady. Mo Tiange smiled without changing her expression. "Fellow Daoist Wei is too courteous. Is there something you need?"
"Oh, it's like this." Seeing her amiable attitude, Wei Ziming also beamed. "I wonder if Lady is traveling alone? If so, since we've met, it must be fate. How about discussing the Immortal Dao together?"
Mo Tiange had sat here precisely waiting for someone to initiate conversation. Hearing Wei Ziming's words, she thought for a moment, then quickly smiled. "How could I refuse Fellow Daoist Wei's kind offer? Sitting alone is boring indeed, so I'll accept graciously."
Wei Ziming was overjoyed. "Lady, please come to our table." Then he called out loudly, "Waiter!"
A series of footsteps pounded up the stairs, and a waiter immediately ran up, carrying Mo Tiange's tea and snacks.
Wei Ziming waved his hand. "Clear our table and bring fresh, good dishes."
The waiter glanced over, understood the situation, and immediately nodded and bowed. "Yes, yes." He placed the tea and snacks to the side, cleared the three men's table, and went downstairs.
Since this third floor was specifically for cultivators, the waiters' attitude was naturally attentive. Soon, several others came up. They brought cold dishes, hot dishes, fine wine, and delicacies—cultivators only gradually ceased consuming food and drink after reaching the tenth level of Qi Refining. These people were all below the tenth level, so of course they still ate and drank like mortals.
"Lady Ye, please." Wei Ziming smiled, and the other two young cultivators at his table also stood up with friendly attitudes.
Mo Tiange raised her hand in a slight greeting to these few before sitting down.
As soon as she sat, Wei Ziming immediately poured wine for her attentively. "Lady Ye, let me introduce you. These are my two good friends, Huang Zhifeng and Yue Yang."
Mo Tiange looked up at these two. Wei Ziming had the air of a dashing young master. Huang Zhifeng was slightly less refined but more handsome. Yue Yang seemed very shy, looked the youngest, perhaps not yet twenty.
Among these three, the highest cultivation was Wei Ziming's, at the fifth level of Qi Refining. The other two were both at the fourth level.
She speculated inwardly; it seemed these three were undoubtedly disciples of cultivation families. By now, she had quite some experience and generally wouldn't misjudge.
"I am Ye Xiaotian. Greetings, Fellow Daoists." She politely raised her hand in greeting.
Her attitude seemed to somewhat fluster these two. They hurriedly returned the courtesy, repeatedly saying they didn't dare.
Mo Tiange found this strange. Even though her cultivation was higher than theirs, she was only suppressing it to around the seventh level of Qi Refining. There was no need for such a reaction.
After the four exchanged greetings, Wei Ziming raised his cup and smiled. "May I ask which Perfected One of Bixuan Pavilion Lady Ye studies under?"
Mo Tiange smiled faintly. "I am not a disciple of Bixuan Pavilion."
"Ah?" Her words stunned all three. Wei Ziming blinked, seeming not to believe it, and stammered, "Lady... you, with such cultivation, how are you not a Bixuan Pavilion disciple?"
Mo Tiange smiled. "To be honest, I am a loose cultivator from Kunwu who unintentionally arrived here but don't know how to leave."
While saying this, Mo Tiange subtly observed their reactions. She saw all three wore expressions of surprise.
Huang Zhifeng glanced at his companions and asked, "Lady Ye isn't from our Linhai?"
Mo Tiange nodded. "Correct."
The three exchanged glances, seeming pleasantly surprised. Finally, Wei Ziming spoke again, his attitude very enthusiastic. "Truly unexpected. Lady Ye is from the outside. Our Linhai rarely has outside cultivators, and it's hard for us to go out. Lady Ye, how did you come to Linhai?"
Mo Tiange smiled faintly. "I came via a Teleportation Array."
"Teleportation Array?" The three exclaimed in unison. Then Huang Zhifeng said urgently, "Lady knows where there's a Teleportation Array connecting Linhai and Kunwu? It's not Bixuan Pavilion's array, is it?"
"You misunderstand." Seeing their reaction, Mo Tiange had a grasp of the situation. "I came in through an external random Teleportation Array, not a fixed-point one."
"Oh..." Hearing this, disappointment appeared on their faces in unison.
Mo Tiange swept her gaze over them, thinking inwardly. At first, they thought she was a Bixuan Pavilion disciple, so they were both enthusiastic and polite towards her. Since Bixuan Pavilion held such dominant power in Linhai, female cultivators held much higher status than male cultivators. These three intended to curry favor with her. Also, because Bixuan Pavilion's female disciples were always arrogant and never so amiable to outsiders, they were somewhat flattered.
Then she said she wasn't a Bixuan Pavilion disciple. Far from being disappointed, these three were pleasantly surprised. She guessed this was likely because Bixuan Pavilion's female disciples all had very arrogant attitudes, yet in Linhai, almost all women with spiritual roots entered Bixuan Pavilion. These three rarely encountered a female cultivator they could approach, hence their delight.
Finally, they learned she was from outside. Their first question was about the Teleportation Array. Hearing there was no array in Linhai, they were disappointed. It seemed aside from Bixuan Pavilion, the cultivators here were also trapped in this small area, unable to come or go, hence their great interest in Teleportation Arrays.
From this, it seemed the cultivators of Linhai also had no means to leave. Returning to Kunwu without going through Bixuan Pavilion was probably impossible.
Having weighed this in her mind, Mo Tiange put on a perfectly measured expression of surprise. "Fellow Daoists, do you mean there's no Teleportation Array to leave here? Or any road out?"
Huang Zhifeng shook his head and smiled bitterly. "Lady Ye, we won't hide it from you. Our Linhai is a small place isolated in the East Sea by the Demonic Heaven Mountain Range. To our west is the demonic path, to the east is the great sea. There's simply no road out."
Mo Tiange's face showed even greater surprise, tinged with panic. "Then what should I do? I... I still need to return to Kunwu..."
Yue Yang, who hadn't spoken until now, said, "Lady Ye, don't worry. If you were a male cultivator, it would indeed be quite difficult, but since you're a woman, you can definitely seek help from Bixuan Pavilion."
"Hmm?" Mo Tiange wore a puzzled expression. "What does Fellow Daoist Yue mean? Does Bixuan Pavilion have a Teleportation Array to leave?"
Wei Ziming took over, not answering but asking instead, "Fellow Daoist Ye, do you know about our Linhai cultivation world?"
Mo Tiange nodded. "After arriving here, I inquired a bit and know some general information."
Wei Ziming continued, "In our Linhai, Bixuan Pavilion is the only sect, and it's a female-only sect." At this point, a trace of embarrassment appeared on his face. "Therefore, female cultivators' status is somewhat higher than male cultivators'. Female cultivators can enter Bixuan Pavilion as long as they have spiritual roots. But for us male cultivators, we either need excellent spiritual roots or high cultivation before we might be accepted as outer disciples of Bixuan Pavilion, and only after dual cultivation with a female disciple can we be considered true Bixuan Pavilion disciples. It's the same for outside cultivators who come here. Over the years, though very few, occasionally outside cultivators arrive. If they're female, they're either recruited by Bixuan Pavilion or pay a certain price for Bixuan Pavilion to send them out of Linhai. But male cultivators aren't so lucky. If they want to leave, they have to pay an even greater price. So, Lady Ye, you can definitely seek help from Bixuan Pavilion. Perhaps they'll be willing to let you leave."
Mo Tiange fell silent for a moment, then nodded. "So that's how it is. Thank you, Fellow Daoists, for telling me."
Huang Zhifeng hesitated, then asked, "Lady Ye, your cultivation is higher than all of ours. Bixuan Pavilion will surely recruit you. If you're just a loose cultivator in Kunwu, wouldn't it be better to join Bixuan Pavilion? Bixuan Pavilion is a female sect and takes very good care of its female disciples. If you join, you might even have a chance at Foundation Establishment."
Mo Tiange showed a troubled expression. "But I want to return to Kunwu..."
Wei Ziming said, "Lady Ye, if you don't want to join Bixuan Pavilion and want to return to Kunwu, I should warn you first." At this point, he paused, confirmed there was a soundproofing barrier around them, then continued, "Bixuan Pavilion holds immense power in our Linhai and has always had the final say. If they really recruit you and you refuse, angering them won't do you any good."
Wei Ziming spoke very tactfully, but Mo Tiange heard the warning in his words. It seemed her original guess was correct. Bixuan Pavilion was not only powerful but also acted domineeringly and was not to be easily offended.
She thought for a moment, then smiled at them. "Thank you, Fellow Daoists, for the reminder. Are you all local cultivators? Have you never been outside?"
Huang Zhifeng smiled bitterly. "To be honest with you, Lady, we're all from small local cultivation families. Not only have we never been out, none of our family elders have either. Ai, it's all because of Linhai's special terrain. Most cultivators in Linhai never leave in their entire lives. But what can we do? Only Bixuan Pavilion has a way out, and they refuse to open their Teleportation Array."
Wei Ziming sighed and added, "For people like us, our greatest wish is to cultivate to the tenth level of Qi Refining, enter Bixuan Pavilion, successfully establish our foundation, and undergo dual cultivation with a Bixuan Pavilion female disciple. Only then can we get a chance to leave."
Yue Yang said with a yearning expression, "My father told me that an ancestor of our Yue family once left Linhai. When he returned, he told his descendants that the outside world is vast. Just speaking of Kunwu, it's an entire mountain range spanning tens of thousands of miles from east to west. For Qi Refining cultivators like us, it would take over half a year to traverse! There are also many cultivation sects outside. My ancestor said that among high-level cultivators outside, male cultivators are more numerous, while female cultivators are instead..." At this point, Yue Yang stopped himself, glancing at Mo Tiange somewhat sheepishly. "Lady Ye, don't mind me, I was just speaking casually."
Mo Tiange smiled. "It's nothing. Fellow Daoist Yue speaks the truth. In Kunwu, there are indeed more male high-level cultivators."
Seeing she didn't mind, Yue Yang smiled gratefully and asked curiously, "Lady Ye, since you're from Kunwu, can you tell us some things about the outside?"
"Oh, this... What would you like to hear?"
Hearing she was willing to talk about the outside, all three lit up. Wei Ziming asked, "Lady Ye, how big is Kunwu? Are there really many cultivation sects? Which are the largest? Are there many Nascent Soul cultivators?"
Wei Ziming was truly impatient, firing off a string of questions at once.
Mo Tiange smiled. "Fellow Daoist Wei, don't rush. Let me think. Hmm... How big is Kunwu? I don't know either. If we calculate based on a Foundation Establishment cultivator's speed, flying from east to west would take about a month. For Qi Refining cultivators, it's indeed as Fellow Daoist Yue said—over half a year. Calculating this way, it's at least tens of thousands of miles, maybe even more. As for cultivation sects in Kunwu, there are probably hundreds, most of which are small cultivation sects. The entire sect might only have a few hundred people, with the highest cultivation being Foundation Establishment. But for major sects, they have thousands of Qi Refining disciples, over a hundred Foundation Establishment disciples, and several Nascent Soul cultivators."
"Wow, that many people!" Yue Yang exclaimed in wonder. "Bixuan Pavilion only has about a thousand disciples, and only a few dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators..."
"Is that so?" Mo Tiange seized the opportunity to ask. "Then does Bixuan Pavilion have Core Formation cultivators?"
Yue Yang nodded. "Bixuan Pavilion currently has three Core Formation cultivators."
"Oh, in that case, placed in Kunwu, it would be a small-to-medium sect." Three Core Formation cultivators weren't considered much in Kunwu. Back then, the Cloud Mist Sect also had seven or eight Core Formation cultivators and was only a medium-sized sect. Such a medium-sized sect, if it had a Nascent Soul cultivator, could develop into a major sect. If not, it could only maintain its medium-sized status.
Hearing her tone so casual, Wei Ziming and the others said in surprise, "Bixuan Pavilion isn't considered a major sect in Kunwu? Then what are the major sects in Kunwu like? Do you need Nascent Soul cultivators to count?"
Mo Tiange nodded. "Correct. Not to mention major sects, even the more powerful medium-sized sects in Kunwu have Nascent Soul cultivators overseeing them. I estimate there are about fifty or sixty Nascent Soul cultivators in the entire Kunwu, with the majority in the seven major sects."
"Seven major sects?" Huang Zhifeng said. "I've heard of them. The Seven Major Sects of Tianji, six are in Kunwu. They have immense power, and their sects also have many Nascent Soul cultivators."
Mo Tiange shook her head and smiled. "How could there be many Nascent Soul cultivators? Nascent Soul isn't so easily attained. The Tiandao Sect, hailed as the number one sect in Tianji, only has seven Nascent Soul cultivators, and that's during their peak period."
"Seven Nascent Soul cultivators..." All three wore expressions of yearning. For them, Nascent Soul cultivators existed only in legends. Bixuan Pavilion hadn't produced a Nascent Soul cultivator in many years. It was said aside from the founding patriarch, only one emerged a thousand years ago. After that patriarch passed away, no one had been able to break through to the Nascent Soul stage again, and even Core Formation wasn't too common.
"Lady Ye, can you tell us more about the seven major sects?" If their previous attitude was polite, now it carried closeness and ingratiation. Although these three were cultivation family disciples and Mo Tiange claimed to be a loose cultivator, they were trapped in Linhai while she came from Kunwu and had seen far more of the world than they had.
Mo Tiange smiled. "Of course, it's nothing."
"The Seven Major Sects of Tianji are: Tiandao Sect, Xuanqing Sect, Ancient Sword Sect, Zhengfa Sect, Biyun Sect, Spirit Beast Sect, and Pill Cauldron Sect. Among them, Zhengfa Sect is located in the Extreme North Glacier and only has a branch in Kunwu. Tiandao Sect is hailed as the number one sect in Tianji, has the most disciples—as many as six or seven thousand Qi Refining disciples..."
While telling them about the outside world, Mo Tiange gradually brought up Bixuan Pavilion. Seeing her forthrightness, these three also unreservedly told her about Bixuan Pavilion.
Linhai wasn't very large, with only this one major city and tens of thousands of fishermen and farmers living around it. Therefore, Bixuan Pavilion's scale wasn't large either.
Counting outer disciples, Bixuan Pavilion's total number of disciples barely reached a thousand. There were thirty or forty Foundation Establishment cultivators, three Core Formation cultivators, and no Nascent Soul cultivators had emerged for a long time. Among the three Core Formation cultivators, one was at the mid-stage, the other two at the early stage.
Bixuan Pavilion's conduct had always been very domineering. Because they were the only sect here, holding a monopoly, they were inevitably arrogant and often looked down upon loose cultivators.
"Ai!" Wei Ziming sighed. "It's a pity we can't leave. If we could, we'd definitely find a sect to cultivate diligently. How could we be oppressed by a group of women?"
Hearing this, Mo Tiange raised her eyes. "Fellow Daoist Wei feels oppressed by women?"
Realizing his mistake, Wei Ziming quickly smiled. "Lady Ye, don't misunderstand. It's just... Bixuan Pavilion's conduct is truly somewhat domineering. They always have the final say in Linhai. I'm just somewhat..."
Mo Tiange smiled, her tone indifferent. "What if Bixuan Pavilion wasn't a female sect? Whenever a force is powerful, it's inevitably domineering. It's not unique to women."
"Yes, Lady Ye speaks correctly." Wei Ziming smiled apologetically. "I misspoke."
Mo Tiange waved her hand. "It's nothing." After a pause, she sighed again. "Not to mention anything else, Bixuan Pavilion's founding patriarch is truly remarkable. Female cultivators are often hindered by emotions, lacking decisiveness. This founding patriarch actually established such a foundation here, which is already very rare."
These were her sincere words. Kunwu also had female sects, but none were as powerful as Bixuan Pavilion. Most were just small sects subservient to others. Bixuan Pavilion's monopoly here, though due to terrain factors, wasn't easy to establish.
"That's true." Huang Zhifeng's eyes showed admiration. "Although we disapprove of Bixuan Pavilion's conduct, when it comes to Bixuan Pavilion's founding patriarch, no one in Linhai City isn't convinced."
Not just Huang Zhifeng, even Yue Yang nodded. "Brother Huang speaks correctly. Bixuan Pavilion's founding patriarch is the guiding light and idol in the hearts of us Linhai cultivators."
"Oh?" Mo Tiange was quite interested. "Fellow Daoists, can you tell me about her?"
Huang Zhifeng said, "To speak of Bixuan Pavilion's founding patriarch, we must start from the origin of our Linhai. A hundred thousand years ago, the great war between the righteous and demonic paths in Tianji ended with the demonic path's defeat. They migrated north of the Demonic Heaven Mountains and no longer set foot in Kunwu. After migrating northeast, the demonic path operated in the mountain range north of the Demonic Heaven Mountains. This stretch of mountains was dense with forests, undulating peaks, and complex terrain. Coincidentally, there was this small area in the East Sea, sandwiched precisely between this mountain range and the East Sea, becoming an isolated land. East is the sea, west is the mountain range where the demonic path operates, and north and south have no accessible roads."
"...We people of Linhai have lived like this for tens of thousands of years, completely cut off from other parts of Tianji. Our cultivation methods are incomplete, resources scarce, and there are no high-level cultivators. Even if someone with high talent emerges, it's hard to achieve much. Even alchemy and artifact forging are slowly being lost. Occasionally, cultivators accidentally come to Linhai and pass down some cultivation methods and knowledge of alchemy and artifacts."
Huang Zhifeng drank a cup of tea and continued, "About ten thousand years ago, a female cultivator also accidentally came here. Different from those others, her cultivation was very high—she was a Nascent Soul cultivator! At that time, even Foundation Establishment cultivators were rare in Linhai, with only one or two remaining. Suddenly, a Nascent Soul cultivator arrived, so of course all Linhai cultivators revered her as supreme. This was Bixuan Pavilion's founding patriarch, the Bishui Primordial Sovereign."
"When we say the Bishui Primordial Sovereign was remarkable, it's not just because she established Bixuan Pavilion here. With her Nascent Soul cultivation, establishing a sect here was too easy. Her greatness lies in not only founding a sect but also establishing Linhai City, and even creating a Teleportation Array, finally allowing us people of Linhai to reach other parts of Tianji via Teleportation Array!"
"Correct." Wei Ziming nodded. "The reason it's a female sect is because, according to legend, the Bishui Primordial Sovereign rescued a group of female cultivators who were being used as cultivation furnaces by Kunwu cultivators and established Bixuan Pavilion with them."
"So that's how it was..." Mo Tiange pondered. No wonder Bixuan Pavilion revered female cultivators and male cultivators had low status. So there was such a reason. In that case, not only was the Bishui Primordial Sovereign worthy of respect, but other Bixuan Pavilion disciples weren't domineering bullies either. Their predecessors had been used as cultivation furnaces by male cultivators, so of course they had no good feelings towards male cultivators.
Thinking of this, Mo Tiange even felt some admiration. For these female cultivators to ultimately become self-reliant and strong was truly not easy.