"Now that you're going up the mountain, Second Uncle won't be by your side. You must be careful in everything. That Spirit-Sensing Jade Pendant must never leave your body, and you must never reveal your female form in front of others. Only on the day you form your Golden Core and gain the power to protect yourself can you reveal your true identity. If you encounter difficulties in your cultivation, come down the mountain to ask Second Uncle. Do not get into disputes with your fellow disciples. Do you understand?"
Mo Tiange nodded, her face showing reluctance. "Second Uncle, you must also be careful alone down the mountain. If anything happens, send me a message. I'll come down immediately."
Ye Jiang nodded with relief and comforted her. "Don't worry. This place is a market town under the jurisdiction of the Yunwu Sect. There won't be any danger. Besides, Second Uncle is ultimately a Foundation Establishment Cultivator; no one would dare to provoke me. Also, don't come down the mountain too frequently. It wouldn't look good if you were seen. Once a month is enough."
"But..." Mo Tiange hesitated. "What about your healing pills when I'm not here?"
Ye Jiang smiled. "Since you are now a disciple of the Yunwu Sect, the shops affiliated with the sect can act as agents for your sales. You can take the formations from me here and have them sold on consignment for Spirit Stones."
This was indeed a benefit. Originally, as rogue cultivators, the Yunwu Sect shops bought their goods at very low prices, and the shopkeeper didn't recognize their value, refusing to offer high prices for their formations. Consignment sales would avoid that problem.
Mo Tiange brightened up. "Yes! Second Uncle, wait for me to reach Foundation Establishment. Then I can have my own cave dwelling, and we can be together."
Ye Jiang nodded with a smile. "Second Uncle will wait for you. It's almost the hour of Xu. You should go now."
"Alright, I'm leaving. I'll come back to see you in a while."
After packing her belongings, Mo Tiange activated her Lightness Technique and leaped towards the Yunwu Sect's mountain gate. Ye Jiang watched her receding figure and sighed softly.
Upon reaching the mountain gate, Mo Tiange saw disciples guarding the entrance. She approached with a smile, bowed, and asked, "Senior Brothers, I am here to report today. May I ask where I should go?"
Seeing her politeness, the two disciples also looked amiable. Pointing inside, they replied, "Junior Brother, please wait over there first. A senior brother will come to guide you shortly."
Mo Tiange looked in that direction and indeed saw several people already waiting. She bowed to them again. "Thank you, Senior Brothers." Then, following their guidance, she entered the mountain gate and obediently waited in an open area.
Second Uncle had said not to offend any Qi Refining cultivator lightly, not even those who fetched water or cooked meals. Even though they might not have great abilities, the small domains they controlled could make life most uncomfortable. Therefore, even though they were just two gate-keeping disciples, she still addressed them warmly as Senior Brothers.
Just as she was feeling bored, someone walked up to her and struck up a conversation. "Greetings, Junior Brother."
Mo Tiange turned and saw it was the only Qi Refining Level 8 cultivator who had qualified. This person was only in his twenties, with a proper appearance and a neat, clean overall look, which made him quite likable.
Mo Tiange returned the greeting. "Greetings, Senior Brother."
The man smiled, appearing very refined and elegant. "Junior Brother, to have reached the seventh level at such a young age and possess such outstanding strength, I'm afraid you'll surpass me soon. I am Xu Jingzhi. May I ask your esteemed name?"
"Ye Xiaotian." Since this person was so courteous, she naturally reciprocated the flattery. "Senior Brother, what are you saying? I merely consumed many pills to reach my current cultivation level and was fortunate to defeat a few opponents to be selected. In terms of actual strength, Senior Brother must surely be stronger than I."
Xu Jingzhi smiled and waved his hands repeatedly, then said to her, "Junior Brother Ye, since we are entering the sect in the same batch, we will likely be assigned to cultivate in the same area. We must look out for each other in the future."
"Is that so?" Mo Tiange didn't know how the Yunwu Sect arranged new disciples, but she still replied, "If that's the case, we should indeed take care of each other."
The two chatted for a while longer, and the others gradually arrived.
Mo Tiange noticed that the middle-aged Qi Refining Level 10 cultivator she had defeated was also among them. It seemed he had won on another platform, but his face was deathly pale, clearly still injured. Additionally, the young man she had seen on the first day, who cast spells as fast as talismans, was also present.
As the hour of Xu approached and the sun set in the west, two Qi Refining Level 10 cultivators came from the direction of the main hall. They bowed to the group and said, "Junior Brothers and Sisters, please follow us to meet the Sect Master."
The group responded respectfully and followed the two towards the main hall.
Upon entering the hall, they realized how grand and majestic it was. Inside, carved railings and jade inlays adorned the space, filled with abundant spiritual energy. At the highest point was a tall chair where a middle-aged man with a long beard was sitting, drinking tea.
Mo Tiange sensed that this person's aura was vast and powerful. It must undoubtedly be the Sect Master, the Golden Core Ancestor Fang Dingyue.
Sure enough, the two cultivators who had led them in stood on either side and said, "Junior Brothers, quickly greet the Sect Master."
The group hurriedly bowed. "Disciples greet the Sect Master."
Fang Dingyue set down his tea set, stood up, and raised his hand. "At ease."
He swept his gaze over them. Once everyone stood respectfully, he said, "Since you have joined our Yunwu Sect, you must abide by the sect's rules. The sect will also do its best to facilitate your cultivation. Having emerged victorious from among a thousand participants proves you are among the elite of Qi Refining cultivators. I hope you will cultivate diligently, advance to Foundation Establishment, and bring glory to our Yunwu Sect. Alright, it's getting late. Go to the Deacon Hall to register your names and receive your items. Starting tomorrow, you will cultivate alongside our Yunwu disciples."
After this brief address, the two Qi Refining cultivators led the group out of the main hall, wound around several places, and entered a courtyard.
This courtyard was simple, lacking the grand majesty of the main hall, resembling an ordinary secular small courtyard. In the main hall of the courtyard was a table, behind which a Foundation Establishment Cultivator was meditating.
The two guides entered the hall and respectfully called out, "Uncle-Master Yu, the disciples have brought the newly admitted disciples to report."
The cultivator didn't respond, continuing his cultivation. The two Qi Refining cultivators weren't anxious, simply waiting. After a while, the Foundation Establishment Cultivator finally opened his eyes, swept a glance over them, and said indifferently, "Hand over your tokens one by one to receive your items."
The two responded, "Yes." Then they turned to the group. "Junior Brothers and Sisters, come in one by one. After receiving your items, wait in the courtyard. We will take you to your residences shortly."
The group quickly nodded in agreement, then stepped forward one by one, not daring to rush.
Soon it was Mo Tiange's turn to enter. She presented her token. The Foundation Establishment Cultivator verified it, registered her name on another jade slip, then took out another Jade Token, instructing her to leave a spiritual sense imprint on both the token and the slip. He kept the slip and handed the Jade Token to her. Then, seemingly from nowhere, he tossed over a Qiankun Bag. Mo Tiange hurriedly caught it, bowed again, and retreated.
Soon, everyone had finished registering. Still following the two Qi Refining cultivators, they walked for an unknown length of time this time, winding all the way to the back of the mountain. After circling a distance further, they stopped at a mountain dwelling.
This was also a courtyard, but different from the Deacon Hall's courtyard. It consisted of bamboo huts surrounded by a fence. Immediately, someone came out—a middle-aged woman with Foundation Establishment cultivation.
The two Qi Refining disciples hurried forward and bowed. "Greetings, Uncle-Master Lin. We have brought several newly admitted Junior Sisters. We apologize for troubling you to arrange their accommodations."
The woman frowned and said coldly, "Why didn't you bring the female disciples separately? What's the meaning of bringing so many men to my women's courtyard?"
The two repeatedly apologized. "Yes, yes, we were careless. Please punish us, Uncle-Master."
The woman snorted. "Forget it. All female disciples, follow me inside."
The only four female disciples stepped forward and greeted in unison. "Greetings, Uncle-Master."
"Enough. You two, leave quickly." The woman led the female disciples into the courtyard, completely ignoring the others.
The two Qi Refining disciples exchanged bitter smiles, then led the remaining group quite a distance further before arriving at another set of bamboo huts.
"This will be your residence. The manager here is Senior Brother Zhou, but he is away on business, so we will arrange things for now. Each of you gets one room, with five people sharing one large hut. I will call out names. Choose your own room when you hear yours."
Soon, Mo Tiange was assigned a room. She bowed and went to the designated large hut. Xu Jingzhi was actually assigned to the same large hut as her.
For cultivators, tidying a room required only a few minor spells. Therefore, after a short while, the cultivators sharing the large hut gathered in the small common area to get acquainted.
In Mo Tiange's hut, besides Xu Jingzhi, there were three others: two at Qi Refining Level 10 and one at Qi Refining Level 9. The Qi Refining Level 9 cultivator was named Qin Xi—the young man she had seen yesterday who cast spells as fast as talismans. He appeared to be only in his early twenties, with handsome features, but seemed rather quiet. Of the two Qi Refining Level 10 cultivators, one was named Liu Yidao, a burly man who was very forthright. The other was named Jiang Shanghang, who seemed not yet thirty, with regular features but a cold, aloof demeanor, apparently a cultivator who practiced water-attribute spells.
In this hut, Mo Tiange was truly the youngest, both in cultivation level and age. Therefore, she straightforwardly acknowledged her position as the youngest, addressing everyone as Senior Brother.
The eldest was naturally Liu Yidao, who was thirty-two, treated others warmly, and had the demeanor of an elder brother, so he became the senior brother. Next was Jiang Shanghang, twenty-eight. Xu Jingzhi and Qin Xi looked about the same age, but Qin Xi claimed to be twenty-four, while Xu Jingzhi said he was twenty-three, so Qin Xi was considered the elder. After this arrangement, they realized the cultivation levels and ages aligned perfectly. Liu Yidao and Xu Jingzhi exclaimed at the coincidence, saying they should have a drink to celebrate. Unfortunately, everyone had just arrived at the sect, and it was nearly dark with nowhere to find wine, so they had to let it go.
Having just arrived, everyone needed to settle in. So, they only gathered briefly before returning to their rooms—some to cultivate, others to acclimate to the environment.
Returning to her small room and setting up a defensive formation, Mo Tiange finally let out a sigh of relief. Sitting on the bed, she felt utterly exhausted.
Even with the Spirit-Sensing Jade Pendant on her, she was still worried about being seen through. Fortunately, the pendant was indeed as Ye Jingwen had said—even Nascent Soul stage seniors couldn't see through her constitution, and disguising as a boy was much safer. Originally, she had thought entering the sect as a girl might be more convenient, but Second Uncle said that female disciples within the sect might be assigned cultivation partners early on. It was better to continue disguising as a boy. Since she wouldn't have to share a room, being careful should be fine. Now, within the sect, although she had her own room, she was ultimately living among many men. She would have to be extremely cautious from now on.