Chapter 544: Finally Reaching the Immortal Sect

The next day.

As the final toll of the bell slowly dissipated.

When everyone walked out of the Cultivation Room, the Flying Boat had already begun to descend slowly.

It must be said, Spirit Qi truly has an excellent effect on Martial Dao cultivation.

Cheng Feng realized that diligent cultivation could also be directly converted into points on the Panmian.

Is this the happiness of hard work?

Below the boat, the sea of clouds churned like boiling silver broth, but further away, a massive silhouette gradually emerged from the clouds; at first, it was just a blurry dark cyan, becoming clearer as the Flying Boat lowered.

That was a mountain.

No, that was a range of mountains, stretching endlessly, layer upon layer of peaks, like a sleeping giant dragon lying across the sea of clouds.

Where the peaks were scattered, pavilions hung from sheer cliffs, waterfalls draped from the clouds, and long bridges spanned between two peaks like rainbows.

The main peak in the very center towered into the clouds, its summit covered by a faint golden light barrier, within which one could vaguely see jade towers and palaces, with an imposing grandeur that did not seem like a thing of the mortal world.

"Shangqing Immortal Sect." Zhou Tieyi stood beside Cheng Feng, his voice trembling slightly, whether from excitement or awe, he did not know.

"Damn it, just for this sight alone, this trip was not in vain."

Cheng Feng did not speak.

He had never been a person easily moved by scenery, but at this moment, he had to admit that the scene before him had exceeded all his previous imagination of the word "sect."

Compared to this place, the golden throne halls of secular dynasties were nothing more than a pile of dirt and tiles.

The Flying Boat began to decelerate, the sea of clouds on both sides parted by the airflow, revealing a vast white stone plaza below.

The plaza was built against the mountain, measuring several hundred zhang square, the ground paved with finely textured cyan-white stone bricks, with dense Spirit Patterns embedded between them, shimmering faintly in the sunset.

In the center of the plaza stood a nine-story high platform, each level featuring upturned eaves, with bronze wind chimes hanging beneath them, ringing lightly with the wind; the sound was clear and resonant, echoing the bell toll from the top of the boat.

The figure of the female cultivator surnamed Zhao appeared at the bow of the boat, her voice not loud, yet clearly reaching everyone's ears: "The Flying Boat is about to land, you need not be alarmed. After disembarking, each of you shall follow a Deacon to the Outer Sect Courtyard for temporary residence.

The rankings are set, and the benefits will be officially implemented starting tomorrow. Those in the top three will have other arrangements."

As her voice fell, everyone packed their belongings and gathered toward the bow of the boat.

Some could not hide their joy, some had somber expressions, and some looked back at the place where they had fought for three days, their expressions complex.

Cheng Feng put away his Jade Tablet and looked at Zhou Yanran.

Her injuries had recovered by eighty percent, and she could walk without hindrance, but her face was still somewhat pale.

"Finally arrived at the Shangqing Immortal Sect," Zhou Yanran said softly.

The Flying Boat slowly landed on a high-platform berth on the west side of the plaza.

The hull steadied, the gangplank was lowered, and a surge of Spirit Qi, several times denser than on the boat, rushed toward them, almost making one's spirit soar.

Cheng Feng took a deep breath, feeling every pore on his body relax, and the speed of the True Qi circulating within his body increased by thirty percent out of thin air.

He was secretly startled; this was only the plaza outside the mountain gate, yet the Spirit Qi was already denser than when the Flying Boat's Cultivation Room was fully powered.

Once he reached the actual place of cultivation, he did not know how dense it would be.

A middle-aged Deacon wearing gray-blue Daoist robes stepped forward, his face lean and his gaze like lightning; he swept his eyes over the crowd and said in a deep voice: "Those in the top twenty-five, follow me. The rest follow Deacon Wang to the Great Communal Courtyard of the Outer Sect."

A stir ran through the crowd. Those on the fourth level who had failed to squeeze into the top twenty-five showed expressions of unwillingness on their faces, but they could only watch helplessly as those called out filed out.

Cheng Feng noticed that several people who had been meditating on the communal bunks on the fourth level the day before now had ashen faces, their eyes filled with unwillingness and envy.

Cheng Feng was not moved by this.

The process of struggling and competing had already been gone through once.

If one's skills were inferior to others, what else was there to say!!!

It wasn't as if they were children who needed their feelings taken care of...

"Let's go." The middle-aged Deacon turned and walked toward a flight of stone steps on the north side of the plaza.

The stone steps were extremely wide, wide enough for four carriages to run side by side. Each step shimmered with a warm, gentle cyan light.

Stepping on them felt as stable as flat ground.

The top twenty-five people marched in line behind the Deacon, passing three memorial archways along the way, each several zhang high, the characters on the plaques glowing faintly in the twilight.

The first one read "Shangqing," the second "Qingyun," and the third "Outer Sect."

"So this is what counts as the Outer Sect," Zhou Tieyi muttered in a low voice. "I thought the plaza we just landed on was the sect."

"Far from it," Zhou Yanran replied softly. "It is said that the true Shangqing Immortal Sect covers a vast area; the plaza where we landed is only the Reception Platform, not even counting as the Outer Sect.

The Outer Sect is where newly entered disciples live, and further up are the Inner Sect, where Core Disciples and True Disciples reside.

Our current location is likely only on the outermost periphery."

Cheng Feng asked: "With your status, are you also in the Outer Sect after entering the sect?"

Zhou Yanran shook her head gently: "Once you enter here, your secular status is no longer important.

Unless one possesses a rare Different Body, the sect will not look at you differently.

Although I am a Wang Ji, whether I can enter the top ranks of the Outer Sect depends only on the ranking."

Cheng Feng nodded and did not ask further.

At the end of the stone steps was a cluster of courtyards built against the mountain.

The courtyard walls were not high, with green tiles and white walls, and overlapping eaves, hidden among the green pines and cypresses.

The courtyard gate was open, and on the screen wall inside, two large characters were carved: "Separate Courtyard."

The middle-aged Deacon stopped and turned to face the crowd. His gaze lingered for a moment when it swept over Cheng Feng, Zhou Zhong, and the gray-clothed youth.

"From today on, you will settle here first. All benefits will be implemented according to the Flying Boat rankings starting tomorrow.

Spirit Qi supply, Bigu Pill distribution, and the use of the Cultivation Room are all linked to your Jade Tablet."

He paused and added, "The Jade Tablet must not be lost or damaged; otherwise, it will be counted as zero points, and you will be cast into the Great Communal Courtyard."

Everyone gripped their Jade Tablets tightly. Cheng Feng looked down at his palm; the Jade Tablet with the character "Three" still shimmered with a warm white light in the twilight.

"The top three," the middle-aged Deacon suddenly called out, "your living quarters are the Jia-Rank Courtyard, with each person having an individual courtyard."

The top five each have their own courtyard, where the Spirit Qi is more abundant, and each courtyard is equipped with an independent Cultivation Room.

Those ranked sixth to twenty-fifth will move into the Yi-Rank Courtyard, two people to a courtyard."

Zhou Tieyi's face immediately fell: "I'm only eighth, who am I going to have to squeeze into a courtyard with?"

The middle-aged Deacon glanced at him: "Your shared courtyard has already been assigned; someone will lead the way shortly."

"For now, return to your rooms. Tomorrow morning at the hour of Mao, assemble at the Outer Sect Martial Arts Arena. Someone will come to take your Jade Tablets and re-engrave the sect's mark."

After speaking, he beckoned to the side, and several young disciples filed out from behind the courtyard, each leading a group of people in different directions.

Cheng Feng was led by a round-faced youth to an independent small courtyard halfway up the mountainside.

The walls were built of bluestone and surrounded by bamboo fences; in the courtyard stood a maple tree, and beneath the tree was a small well, with Spirit Qi rising from it like mist.

"Senior Brother Cheng, this is the Jia-3 Courtyard," the round-faced youth said with a respectful smile. "I am the Outer Sect Servant Zhao Xiaoan. If there are any errands in the future, just give the order."

Cheng Feng glanced at him: "Have you practiced martial arts?"

Zhao Xiaoan was taken aback for a moment, then laughed sheepishly: "I know some crude techniques, nothing worth looking at."

Cheng Feng did not press further and pushed the door open to enter the courtyard. The Spirit Qi inside was denser than outside, almost condensing into white mist visible to the naked eye.

He stood under the maple tree and took a deep breath, feeling the exhaustion from the fights on the Flying Boat over these past few days slowly fading away.

The sky had turned completely dark, and the lights on the distant main peak lit up one after another, as brilliant as a galaxy.

Cheng Feng stood in the courtyard, looking up at those lights, and gripped the Jade Tablet in his hand tightly.

Third place; arriving at the Shangqing Immortal Sect was only the starting point.

The path he had to walk was still very long.

However, it was a good start nonetheless.