Chapter 589: with translation of chapter title

After Yan Buji left Zhongtian City, he arrived at Zhong Tian Zhi Yu.

Zhong Tian Zhi Yu has the saying of "Three Sects, Four Lands, Five Gates, Six Schools, Seven Cities, Eight Families, Nine Provinces Ten Realms, Thousand Mountains Myriad Waters," referring to the distribution of the major powers in Zhong Tian Zhi Yu.

Among them, the Paolong Sacred Land that Yan Buji wants to go to is among the Four Lands.

However, the Clear Bright Sect they are going to this time obviously belongs to the Thousand Mountains Myriad Waters category, backed by a spiritually exquisite peak, with a constant stream of cultivators coming and going.

Fortunately, with the teleportation point of the Chamber of Commerce, Yan Buji's distance to the Clear Bright Sect is not great; he arrived after flying for half a month.

"There are indeed many cultivators."

Yan Buji gazed at the spirit peak before him; pavilions and towers stood thick at its base, immortal birds soared high above, cultivators came and went below, and nearby many Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators hurried to and fro, their goal seemingly not the Clear Bright Sect at the foot of the peak but a wasteland beside it.

Yan Buji's purpose was clear, so he went straight to the gate of the Clear Bright Sect.

"Halt, fellow cultivator, are you here to participate in our sect's disciple recruitment convention?" asked the Golden Core cultivator guarding the mountain.

Yan Buji bowed and said, "I am Yan Buji, introduced by your sect's cultivator Chu Yun; I have come to observe the ceremony."

"Oh? Senior Brother Chu Yun invited you? Do you have any proof?"

Yan Buji produced the letter and handed it over; the two Golden Core cultivators opened it, nodded, and said, "Indeed it is Senior Brother Chu's handwriting; Huang Yan, take this fellow cultivator Yan Buji into the sect."

"Yes, Elder."

A female Foundation Establishment cultivator approached, bowed to Yan Buji, and said, "I am Huang Yan of the Clear Bright Sect; I greet you, Senior Yan Buji."

"You're welcome."

Yan Buji nodded in acknowledgment, took back the letter, and followed Huang Yan into the Clear Bright Sect.

Along the way, Yan Buji asked, "Does your sect have any rules? As a newcomer, I hope you, Junior Huang, will give me plenty of guidance."

Huang Yan quickly replied, "Senior, you're too polite; during this period our Clear Bright Sect is recruiting disciples, and there are not a few seniors coming to observe. As long as you follow me and stay out of the sect's interior, you'll be fine."

Yan Buji nodded and said, "Come to think of it, I've seen many Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators outside; they don't seem to be coming here."

Huang Yan chuckled, "Because the Clear Bright Sect is near the Medicine King's Legacy, most people still go there."

"The Medicine King's Legacy... has any cultivator of the Clear Bright Sect ever received the inheritance?"

Huang Yan shook her head, "Senior, you are unaware; the Medicine King's Legacy is not the inheritance of a single person, but comes from the ancient magical cultivation sect, the Medicine King Sect. The Medicine King Sect once claimed 'All spiritual medicines of the world come from within it,' so naturally it had countless inheritances of spiritual pills and medicines. However, over the years those spiritual pills and medicines have long been taken away, leaving only the Medicine King Sect's alchemy method."

Yan Buji nodded; this matched roughly what he had heard.

However, Yan Buji was also curious and asked, "What is so remarkable about the Medicine King Sect's alchemy method?"

"Senior, are you also an alchemist?"

"Not bad; I am also an alchemist."

Huang Yan suddenly realized, "No wonder you came here; in fact our sect also possesses part of the Medicine King Sect's inheritance of alchemy technique, though the elders say it is incomplete and fragmented, and no one has ever obtained the genuine Medicine King Sect alchemy technique. Nevertheless, our sect's founding ancestor relied on this very alchemy technique to successfully refine eight‑turn celestial pills, firmly establishing our sect's foothold in Zhong Tian Zhi Yu."

Yan Buji's face showed astonishment.

"Is it really that powerful?"

There are many kinds of incomplete alchemy techniques; the steps involved in alchemy are naturally clear to Yan Buji. A complete alchemy technique must include refining spiritual materials, melting the medicinal liquid, and fire‑tempering to form the pill—these three steps. Some alchemy techniques even further subdivide these three steps into finer steps to guarantee the pill‑formation rate and quality.

Even an incomplete alchemy technique can produce eight‑turn celestial pills; aside from the cultivator's own factors, what the Clear Bright Sect masters might be is the final step of the Medicine King Sect's alchemy technique—fire‑tempering to form the pill—since improving pill quality mainly depends on this last step.

"Then, speaking of which, if the Medicine King Sect possessed such a powerful alchemy technique, how could it have been destroyed?" Yan Buji asked curiously.

Huang Yan pondered, "According to our sect's elders, it seems the last sect master of the Medicine King Sect attempted to refine a pill that could seize the workings of heaven and earth, and thus incurred Heaven's Punishment."

Yan Buji thought carefully; that is not impossible.

If, during the Medicine King Sect's existence, its top alchemists could casually refine eight‑turn celestial pills, then the legendary nine‑turn celestial pill would indeed be a pill that seizes the workings of heaven and earth.

If Yan Buji himself reached that level and did not strive to improve, he would be unworthy of his own alchemy skills.

"Senior, the sect's square is just ahead," Huang Yan said, pointing forward with a smile.

Yan Buji looked over and saw a huge platform on the mountainside, now crowded with people; many ordinary folk and low‑level cultivators stood together, some excited, some nervous, gazing around.

"Senior, I'll take you over."

"Alright."

Yan Buji followed Huang Yan all the way to the observation platform not far from the summit, where many Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators were seated, and several Clear Bright Sect cultivators were presiding over the proceedings.

Upon seeing Yan Buji arrive, a Clear Bright Sect cultivator rose and said, "Huang Yan, who is this fellow cultivator?"

Huang Yan bowed and said, "This is Senior Yan Buji, invited by Elder Chu Yun to come observe the ceremony."

Yan Buji bowed to the crowd and said, "I am Yan Buji; I greet you all, fellow cultivators."

A Clear Bright Sect cultivator cupped his fists and said, "I am Ren Dong of the Clear Bright Sect; I greet you, fellow cultivator."

"Fellow cultivator Ren, this is the letter of introduction from Fellow cultivator Chu…" Yan Buji produced the letter of introduction and handed it over with a smile.

"No need," Ren Dong said with a wave and a smile, "Since you have entered the mountain gate, please take a seat and observe the ceremony."

"Thank you."

A cultivator beside them looked at Yan Buji with doubt, cupped his fists, and asked, "Fellow cultivator Yan Buji, where are you from?"

"I am not a local cultivator; I come from the Dongxing Sea Region."

"No wonder your accent sounds a bit off; you're a fellow cultivator from Dongxing."

"Speaking of which, wasn't the Dongxing Sea Region in great turmoil before? Fellow cultivator Yan Buji, are you aware of this?"

"It has already been resolved, and the Dongxing Sea Region has returned to normal; this time I came out intending to travel around and find a place to settle," Yan Buji said with a smile.

Ren Dong beside him raised his eyebrows, naturally knowing that Chu Yun would not invite an outsider for no reason; it must be that Yan Buji possesses some special quality.

Immediately, Ren Dong said, "Fellow cultivator, did you come this time to go see the Medicine King's Legacy?"

"I do want to go, but I also admire your sect's grandeur; I came especially to witness it," Yan Buji said with a smile, his words flawless.

"Hahaha, Fellow cultivator Yan Buji, you speak well," Ren Dong laughed heartily; hearing others praise his own sect naturally made him happy.

Subsequently, Ren Dong pointed to the lower square and said, "Our Clear Bright Sect recruits disciples, primarily looking at aptitude, secondarily at skill. In fact, our Clear Bright Sect also possesses part of the Medicine King's Legacy, which is no secret. Many newcomers join our sect because they value that, but recruiting disciples is not limited to just a few criteria; please observe."

"Hmm?" Yan Buji was somewhat curious.

"If they don't look at aptitude, don't look at innate quality, and don't look at ability, then what do they look at?"

Who looks good?