61: He has the air of an emperor, but he's not very bright!

The Eastern Wastelands, Qingzhou, a remote little village named "Niu Family Village."

Under the crooked-neck willow tree at the village entrance, a group of half-naked children were gathered around a storyteller.

"...It is said that in the Myriad Dao Divine Sect, there are Immortals who come from the Nine Heavens, and with a single sword, they can cleave a great river!"

The storyteller's spit flew everywhere as he gestured wildly with his hands and feet.

The children were enthralled, their eyes twinkling like stars.

"Brother Ergou, do you think there are really Immortals in this world?"

A snot-nosed kid tugged at the hem of a slightly older boy's clothes.

The boy called Ergou was about thirteen or fourteen years old. He was thin and dark-skinned, but his eyes were startlingly bright.

He didn't answer, but instead tightly gripped the glowing stone in his bosom that he had picked up from a mountain stream.

Just then, the village chief came hobbling over with a cane, holding a notice that had just arrived from the county seat.

"Quiet down! Everyone, quiet down!"

The village chief cleared his throat, his voice trembling with excitement.

"Wonderful news! A grand Immortal opportunity!"

He posted the notice on the bulletin board at the village entrance.

"The Myriad Dao Divine Sect is opening its gates to recruit Disciples! Regardless of background or status!"

The whole village instantly erupted into a frenzy.

Everyone crowded around, those who could read reciting it for those who couldn't.

Ergou squeezed to the front of the crowd. He looked at the notice, at those words that seemed to possess magic, and his heart pounded.

He thought of his parents who had died young, and the pitying looks the villagers gave him.

He didn't want to spend his whole life in this tiny Niu Family Village, farming, herding cattle, and eventually dying of old age.

He wanted to go and see.

To see the Immortals who could cleave a river with a single sword.

That night, he secretly dug out the only three taels of silver his parents had left him and stuffed two hard cornbread buns into his clothes.

He looked back at the small village that had raised him, and then, with firm determination, he stepped into the boundless night.

He had only one destination.

The Tianqiong Mountain Range... There were thousands upon thousands of youths like Ergou in every corner of the Eastern Wastelands.

They traveled in groups or set out alone.

They were Mortals, low-level Loose Cultivators, and neglected collateral descendants of small Families.

They were the most inconspicuous dust on this vast land.

Yet this decree from the Myriad Dao Divine Sect was like a beam of light shining into their ordinary, even humble lives, giving them a reason to dare to dream.

For a time, the entire Eastern Wastelands was in motion.

Every main road leading to the Tianqiong Mountain Range became extremely crowded.

Immortal-seeking convoys, spontaneously formed by various small Families and Sects, streamed by incessantly.

Atop a magnificent flying vessel.

Wang Teng, the eldest son of the Wang Family from Tianshui City, stood leaning against the railing, brimming with high spirits.

Only twenty years old, he had already reached the Foundation Establishment Late Stage. In Tianshui City, he was the undisputed number one Prodigy.

"Brother, you will definitely be chosen during this Myriad Dao Divine Sect recruitment!"

Beside him, a pretty young girl looked at him with eyes full of admiration.

Wang Teng smiled proudly.

"Naturally."

"I, Wang Teng, possess a Heaven Rank Root Bone. Even in the entire Eastern Wastelands, I am one in a million."

"Those Prodigies on the hidden dragon ranking might not be much stronger than me."

"On this trip, I will not only enter the Immortal Sect, but I will also make the entire Eastern Wastelands hear the name Wang Teng!"

Ambition burned fiercely in his eyes.

He believed that he was the child of destiny for this era... Unlike these hopeful young people.

The powers truly standing at the top of the pyramid in the Eastern Wastelands were now showing a surprising consensus.

The Surging Waves Sect, Discussion Hall.

Sect Master Xiao Polang looked at the ten most outstanding Disciples of the Sect below, who were ready to set out, his expression serious.

"Do you all remember?"

"We remember!" the ten Disciples answered in unison.

"I will repeat it once more!" Xiao Polang's voice carried an unquestionable authority.

"Your trip this time is not to compete for dominance, nor is it to show off the prestige of our Surging Waves Sect!"

"You are going to observe the ceremony! You are going to offer congratulations!"

He pointed to the mountain of gift boxes outside the hall.

"Thousand-year Eastern Sea Aloeswood, Ten-thousand-year Deep Sea Cold Iron, one hundred Merfolk Tears..."

"These are half of the Surging Waves Sect's entire fortune!"

"What you must do is deliver these gifts, intact and with the utmost respect, into the hands of the Myriad Dao Divine Sect!"

"When you see someone from the Myriad Dao Divine Sect, whether they be an Elder, a Disciple, or even just a sweeping servant, you must lower your heads and maintain a proper attitude!"

"If anyone dares to cause even the slightest trouble, do not blame this seat for cleaning out the Sect!"

"Yes!"

The ten Prodigies bowed in unison, cold sweat soaking their backs... The Zhao Kingdom Palace.

Su Linger sat on the cold jade chair, watching Zhao Wuji handle government affairs.

She felt that being the State Preceptor was much more interesting than counting Spirit Stones at the Myriad Dao Merchant Guild.

She liked the feeling of establishing order and controlling the overall situation.

"Senior Sister, look."

Zhao Wuji presented a map before her.

"This is the 'Immortal-Seeking Route Map' recently launched by the Myriad Dao Merchant Guild. It not only marks the most convenient route to the Tianqiong Mountain Range but also establishes dozens of supply points to provide Medicinal Pills and protection for Cultivators along the way."

"Third Junior Brother certainly knows how to do business." A rare, faint smile appeared at the corner of Su Linger's mouth.

"Indeed," Zhao Wuji said with emotion. "Senior Brother Wang's move not only fills his pockets to the brim but also makes the world's Cultivators indebted to the Myriad Dao Merchant Guild. This Junior Brother admires such methods."

Su Linger nodded, the silver bell on her wrist jingling softly.

She thought of her Third Junior Brother, who was always grinning cheekily but could play the abacus better than anyone.

She also thought of her Eldest Senior Brother, who acted heroically in the Jianghu, elusive as a divine dragon.

And her Fourth Junior Brother, who was hunting down powerful enemies in the Northern Border, sustaining himself through battle.

They were all walking their own Daos... Qinghe City, a small courtyard.

Chu Xuanjin lay on a rocking chair, checking in on them one by one via his transmission token.

"Duojin, your business is doing well. However, don't forget your cultivation."

"Don't worry, Revered Master! I call this cultivating in the Mortal World! Every transaction is a gamble, a drill for Formations and calculations!" Wang Duojin's voice came from the other end of the token, full of mercantile pride.

Chu Xuanjin smiled and then connected with Su Linger.

"Linger, how is the matter of the Zhao Kingdom being handled?"

"Reporting to Revered Master, the demons and monsters no longer dare to intrude. The West Border Great Canal is also more than half excavated. It's just..."

"Just what?"

"It's just that this Disciple feels governing a country is even harder than cultivation." Su Linger's voice held a hint of confusion.

"Then learn slowly."

Chu Xuanjin's voice carried a hint of a smile.

"When you feel that governing a country is simpler than eating or drinking, your Dao will be complete."

He then contacted Zhao Wuyou.

From the other end of the token came only the sound of fierce wind and the humming of the dragon emperor halberd tearing through the air.

"Revered Master, I'm being targeted by a Number Six, he's about to die."

Zhao Wuyou's voice was calm but thick with the scent of blood.

Chu Xuanjin nodded and didn't disturb him further.

Finally, he contacted his first Disciple, the one who gave him the least and the most worry.

"Chenfeng."

"Revered Master."

Ye Chenfeng's voice came from a very distant and unfamiliar place.

There seemed to be wind, snow, and the howling of wolves.

"Where are you?" Chu Xuanjin asked.

"The border of the Western Desert, an Ancient Battlefield."

Ye Chenfeng's voice carried a trace of desolation.

"This Disciple is here, observing the slaughter of ancient war souls."

"Mhm," Chu Xuanjin responded.

"In three months, the Sect will hold its grand opening ceremony."

"This..." On the other end of the token, Ye Chenfeng's voice held a hint of hesitation.

"This Disciple is afraid... I won't be able to make it back."

"This place is more than a hundred thousand miles from the Tianqiong Mountain Range. This Disciple wishes to undergo seclusion here for a while."

Chu Xuanjin fell silent after hearing this.

He leaned back in his rocking chair, looking at the osmanthus tree in the courtyard, his gaze becoming somewhat strange.

This Disciple... he usually seemed quite clever, so why did his brain stop working at such a critical moment?

Had he forgotten what the token at his waist was for?

Never mind a hundred thousand miles; even if he ran to another world, with just a single thought, he could teleport directly back to the Divine Mountain.

Chu Xuanjin rubbed the space between his eyebrows, feeling a bit weary.

This Disciple was good in every way.

It's just, is there something wrong with his brain?

---

PS: It feels like I've been set up by capital. When my last book debuted, I had thousands of readers a day, but this one only has a few hundred and it's getting lower. It feels like I'm not getting any recommendations. (O_o)??

There's another chapter coming later; I'm out of backlog and only have time to write now.