Chapter 1258 - 16: Pan Chai Pill

A month after Zhang Yan took charge of the Immortal City, the Han Yuan Sect was bustling with construction at Cangzhu Peak, building halls and palaces, pavilions and cave mansions, and set up array formations and restrictions over a hundred miles outside the mountain gate, giving the sect a refreshed aura.

Atop the mountain, within a seven-story treasure pavilion, Zhang Yan sat alone in front of a desk, engrossed in a Daoist book.

This was a tome documenting the customs and figures of the East Splendor Continent. Since East Victory Continent is mixed with both immortals and mortals, with commerce exchanging between cities, it included detailed records of items used by cultivators.

To achieve the Primordial True Dharma Body, besides the Junyang Essence, he still needed the Moon White Ying Fruit. Even with his own efforts, searching the world could take an immeasurable amount of time. Luckily, after taking charge of the Immortal City, many common elixir materials need not be worried about and can be purchased from other countries.

However, there was still a difficult matter. Refining the Moon White Ying Fruit required numerous rare flowers and exotic herbs, and many of these were rare treasures of the world, which could only be found and obtained slowly by himself.

He thought to himself: "With my current cultivation, I could reach the Nascent Soul Second Realm in another thirty to forty years. After that, I’ll need the Qiankun Spirit Essence for cultivation. The few elixir pills that Senior Brother Zhou gave me are at most enough for a year. If I can’t gather everything by then, it will delay my cultivation and I need to plan early."

After pondering for a while, he set the jade scroll aside, rose, and walked to the window, gazing at the sea of peaks outside the mountain with his hands behind him.

At this moment, outside the door came Jing You’s voice: "Master, Daoist Chu requests an audience."

Zhang Yan replied, "Invite Junior Brother Chu in."

Chu Muran entered the pavilion, bowed respectfully, and then said, "Pavilion Master, recently many disciples have come to seek a master and the Dao. Since you were in seclusion recently, I did not dare to decide on my own and arranged for them to stay in the newly built annex at the foot of the mountain. How should we handle this? I await your guidance."

Zhang Yan turned and asked, "What kind of people are they?"

One who knows that the Immortal City has changed leadership is no ordinary person.

Chu Muran replied, "They are all noble disciples who frequently associate with various sects in the mountains."

The mountain realm is divided by Loduan Mountain into east and west parts. The Eastern Wilderness is scarcely populated, mostly residing in the western realm, divided into nine countries and seventy-six villages, with over twelve million people. They often associate with cultivation sects, mostly through marital ties. When the royal family nobility learned that the Immortal City had a change of leadership, they quickly sent their offspring to the mountain for cultivation.

Zhang Yan thought briefly, realizing that those who join the sect do so to establish a relationship with him, ensuring their families’ prosperity. This likewise aids in planting the Han Yuan Sect’s roots throughout the mountain realm, a mutually beneficial act indeed, and can be accepted.

In the past, Shen Baishuang believed that those of noble birth were accustomed to wealth and couldn’t endure the hardships of cultivation, so the sect only accepted disciples from poor families, like Chu Muran, whose ancestors were herbalists for generations.

However, in Zhang Yan’s eyes, since sects are formed for cultivation, all should be treated equally, regardless of birth. As long as one seeks the Dao, all should be given a chance, so he said, "I want to follow Mingcang’s example and establish an Upper and Lower Court. All disciples seeking the Dao will first enter the Lower Court to study the ’One Qi Cleansing Scripture.’ Those with excellent aptitude and strong Dao hearts can enter my Upper Court for cultivation. This matter can be arranged by Junior Brother Zhao."

Chu Muran pondered for a moment, then said happily, "Junior Brother Zhao is steady and generous. He can accomplish this task. I will go arrange it shortly."

He paused and added, "There is one more thing, among the thirty-seven sects on Divine House Mountain, seven have shell fields, providing over ten thousand spiritual shells annually. With the Immortal City’s change of leadership, by rule, we can collect the spiritual shells once. Should this be done?"

Zhang Yan turned back, raised his eyebrows, and asked, "So, only seventy to eighty thousand a year?"

Chu Muran laughed and said, "It seems small. East Victory uses a lot of sea shells, but these nurtured by spirit veins can often be tenfold in value. The amount is not small. Besides the thirty percent that can be retained, the rest must be submitted to the Immortal City."

At this, he added regretfully, "The E Mountain Sect, aided by the Immortal City, has had over a thousand disciples in two hundred years. If Han Yuan Sect sees no major changes, we might not surpass that number. Sadly, the Beimo Sea Realm was taken by outsiders, preventing further collection of sea shells. Otherwise, the sect could thrive further."

Zhang Yan laughed heartily, "As time goes by, things change. Junior Brother, how do you know it can’t be done? The Immortal City has just changed leadership, and people are still unsettled—let it go for now."