4: plundering the five major forces

After the smoke cleared, it left behind a world where only Chen Yuan was heartbroken.

Hong Momo hurried over to check Chen Yuan's injuries, feeding him a few pills in the process.

At this moment, Chen Yuan's hair had turned into an afro, and the clothes on his upper body were shredded into rags.

"Junior Brother Chen, do you still want to continue the test?"

At this time, Mu Qingyue took out another dao inquiry stone and handed it over.

Chen Yuan, as if seeing some great horror, immediately waved his hand.

"I passed, I passed! No need to test anymore."

"Just try one more time."

Mu Qingyue shoved the dao inquiry stone into Chen Yuan's hand; Chen Yuan shuddered, dropped the stone, and bolted away.

Seeing this, Mu Qingyue burst into laughter.

Then, she looked at the shards of the dao inquiry stone scattered on the ground.

"How could this batch of dao inquiry stones change for no reason?"

"Even though they were brought out from *that* place, they shouldn't be unable to withstand the true essence of the Qi Refining Realm."

"Forget it, I'll just bring them back to the sect and let the elders decide."

With a wave of her arm, the scattered stones on the ground flew into the pouch at her waist.

Next, she looked at the youths who had passed the dao inquiry stone assessment and spoke slowly.

"Congratulations on passing the preliminary test and gaining the qualification to join our Cloud Heaven Sect."

Suddenly, her tone shifted.

"However, if you truly wish to join the Cloud Heaven Sect, you need to undergo one more assessment."

"You have three months to make your own way to our sect's headquarters."

"Those who miss the Sect Disciple Assembly in three months will be deemed to have forfeited their qualification to join our sect."

"Do you understand?"

Regarding the Cloud Heaven Sect's recruitment process, it wasn't just the dao inquiry stone stage; there was a second stage, which involved traveling to the Cloud Heaven Sect through countless hardships.

This was a test and, more importantly, a trial; thus, this stage was also known as the Disciple Trial.

Often, nearly fifty percent of the candidates were eliminated at this stage, making it an important method for screening new disciples.

Because the Cloud Heaven Sect didn't just want Immortal Seedlings; they needed Immortal Seedlings who could withstand tempering.

When the Cloud Heaven Sect was founded, the Ancestral Master established a peculiar rule: no reception would be arranged for new disciples; they had to reach the sect's location on their own.

For thousands of years, the Cloud Heaven Sect had strictly adhered to this rule.

At this, Qin Dong couldn't help but complain inwardly.

Huangxuan City was truly far from the Cloud Heaven Sect, but fortunately, with three months to travel, there was no immediate rush.

With a flick of her fair hand, Mu Qingyue sent eleven white jade tokens into the hands of the crowd.

"With this token, you can enter our sect's mountain gate. I will wait for you at the Cloud Heaven Sect."

After speaking, Mu Qingyue and her two companions stepped onto the white crane.

Mu Qingyue glanced at Qin Dong in the crowd below and once again gave a knowing, 'auntie' smile.

It was as if she were saying, 'I'll be waiting for you.'

The white crane let out a long cry, spread its wings, and flew into the clouds.

"We respectfully see off the Immortals!"

The crowd knelt down in unison, their eyes filled with yearning as they watched the departing figures.

Play it safe?

Impossible. Since I've transmigrated to another world, I, Qin Dong, must live a grand life. How could I be content staying subordinate for long?

I want Spirit Stone! I want to become stronger and stronger.

If one were to ask which power in Huangxuan City had the deepest foundations, it would undoubtedly be the City Lord's Mansion.

With this thought, Qin Dong's gaze shifted toward the smiling old man in luxurious robes present—the City Lord of Huangxuan City.

That night, under the brilliant stars, everyone drank until they were dead drunk. The old man, the City Lord of Huangxuan City, made a rare appearance at the banquet.

His aged yet sharp eyes looked warmly at the eleven youths before him. Besides him, many high-ranking members of the major families were also in attendance.

Tables were laden with rare delicacies seldom seen, and as cups were exchanged, many of the youths became intoxicated and left the scene one after another.

However, quite a few with impressive alcohol tolerance were still 'battling' with the City Lord and others.

Outside the City Lord's Mansion, several guards were dozing off.

Today was the moment when the City Lord's Mansion was at its most vulnerable. Not just here, but even the major families had sent out all their high-ranking members to accompany the eleven people who had passed the Cloud Heaven Sect's disciple assessment.

That was a supreme immortal sect; a disciple from such a power would be extraordinary.

Being able to enter was naturally an infinite honor. Take the Qin Family, for example.

The current generation of the Qin Family had only recently moved into Huangxuan City. What was the reason they could join the ranks of the city's four great families?

Wasn't it because they had a Family Head in the Foundation Establishment Realm?

"It's just hard on us brothers, still stuck here miserably guarding the gate."

As one of the guards lamented, a blurry figure approached from ahead, causing his expression to freeze.

"Who's there!"

He shouted, and the other guards immediately became alert. However, when they looked closely, there was no figure to be seen.

"Could I be seeing things?"

...

Scaling the wall, Qin Dong stepped into the City Lord's Mansion. What met his eyes was a garden of precious medicinal herbs.

Any one of these herbs would be considered top-tier in Huangxuan City, yet in the City Lord's Mansion, they were merely ornamental plants.

"What a waste of God's gifts."

As an outstanding youth of the 21st century with all-around development, Qin Dong felt it was necessary to correct this unhealthy trend. He reached out, uprooted a large patch of precious herbs, and stuffed them into a large sack.

Soon, the originally beautiful and pleasant garden looked like it had been chewed by a dog. With a thought, he stored the sack in the system space.

Then, Qin Dong's figure flashed as he seized a servant of the City Lord's Mansion.

"I ask, you answer. Where is the Grand Steward of the City Lord's Mansion right now?"

"He... he's in the study in the West Courtyard..."

Having obtained the answer, Qin Dong knocked the person out with a hand-chop, tossed them into the bushes, and quickly arrived at the steward's location.

"Who are you!"

The Grand Steward was frowning while writing a letter when his heart suddenly tightened as if sensing something unusual. He looked up and barked.

His wrist suddenly moved to his waist, resting on the hilt of his sword.

Standing before him was a figure cloaked in black, though not particularly tall.

Yet for some reason, despite being at the ninth level of the Qi Refining Realm, he felt a tremor of fear that made him afraid to draw his sword.

"I did not know a senior had arrived. Is there anything Chu can do for you?"

"Take me to your treasury."

"Senior, this is our Huangxuan..."

Qin Dong took a step forward. The steward's pupils shrank as a terrifying wave of true qi surged toward him. In that instant, a towering fist shadow appeared in his eyes.

I'm going to die!

The steward's face turned ashen. This mysterious person before him possessed supreme power even in a simple punch.

Bang.

A dull sound rang in his ears. Qin Dong intentionally missed, but it was enough to make the other party completely abandon any thought of resistance.

"Take me there immediately, or I will slaughter everyone here."

"This junior understands. Senior, this way please."

The steward set aside all his schemes. Before such a cultivator, they were like lambs to the slaughter; unless the City Lord intervened, they had no power to resist.

Now that he was controlled, he couldn't even summon the City Lord.

"Steward Chu, why have you come here?"

"The City Lord has ordered that no outsiders are allowed here."

In front of the City Lord's treasury, two cultivators serving the mansion had barely asked two questions before being instantly taken down by Qin Dong.

Seeing this, the steward gave a bitter smile, and then he too was knocked out by Qin Dong.

Stepping into the treasury, a brilliant golden light first shone forth, followed by silver bricks covering the floor.

Qin Dong skipped over these mundane items and walked straight toward the center of the treasury.

In the center of the treasury, there were rows of jade shelves on the left and right, storing cultivation techniques and weapons respectively. In a delicate small box in the middle, Spirit Stone were packed to the brim.

With a glance, Qin Dong knew there were no fewer than five hundred of them. Additionally, many precious herbs were piled in the corners.

He casually opened a cultivation technique, and his eyes immediately lit up with joy.

Yellow-rank Mid-grade technique: Mountain Splitting Fist.

He looked at the other two techniques in turn; they were also Yellow-rank Mid-grade.

In this world, cultivation techniques were divided into Mortal, Yellow, Black, Earth, Heaven, and Saint ranks.

Within these, there were four grades: Peak, High, Mid, and Low.

As a newcomer to Huangxuan City, the Qin Family had little foundation. What he practiced was only a single Yellow-rank Low-grade mental cultivation method and a few common Mortal-rank techniques.

The reason Qin Dong hadn't broken through to the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment in fifteen years was precisely because the grade of his mental cultivation method was too low.

The City Lord's Mansion truly lived up to its name as the overlord of Huangxuan City; such techniques were undoubtedly the core of their foundation.

With a grand wave of his hand, Qin Dong swept all the items in the treasury into his system space.

"Next target: the Lin Family."

...As the morning light rose, dawn broke.

When the City Lord returned to his mansion, he was dumbfounded on the spot.

"Is this my f*cking medicinal garden?"

"Ah! City Lord, please forgive us! This lowly one doesn't know what happened either."

The servants of the City Lord's Mansion knelt in a mass, none of them daring to breathe loudly.

"Mmm, I slept so comfortably last night."

Just then, a servant crawled out from the bushes. Seeing the scene before him, he also hurriedly knelt on the ground.

"You, tell me exactly what happened!"

The City Lord flashed forward, eyes seemingly spitting fire. He grabbed the servant with his withered arm and pulled him close, demanding an answer.

"Re... Reporting to the City Lord, while I was on patrol last night, I was attacked."

"He said... he said he was looking for Steward Chu, and then he knocked me out."

"What?!"

Suddenly, a terrifying thought surfaced in the City Lord's mind. He led everyone in a frantic rush toward the treasury.

After a short while, the commoners living near the City Lord's Mansion all heard roars of fury.

Not long after, the Lin, Zhang, Tang, and Qin families—the four great families of Huangxuan City—also emitted similar roars of anger one after another.

Inside the empty treasury of the Qin Family's warehouse.

"Family Head, what do we do? What is our Qin Family going to eat this month?"

With a face terrifyingly dark, Qin Su glared at the elder who had spoken.

He was extremely depressed right now. Looking at the empty treasury, he felt more miserable than words could say.

Fortunately, they had kept copies of their cultivation techniques; otherwise, the Qin Family would truly be on a downward spiral.

Decades of hard work, only to return to poverty overnight.