Chapter 1: The Inn of Chai

  Cangxi Prefecture is high and steep, with continuous mountain ranges. However, if someone asks about the location of the highest peak in this land, people will unanimously point to one place.

  A mountain that stands like a sword, piercing through the clouds and standing upright on the plateau. In the mountains, there is a sect called the Lingjian Sect, which is the number one sect in the Xianxia world. It occupies the resources of an entire state, and this mountain is also named after it as Lingjian Mountain.

  On the summit of Lingjian Mountain, in a delicate bamboo-made small room, an old man with a sword-shaped hairpin gazed at the clear starry sky. He held a silver long sword in his hand, and the sword body reflected the starlight. The intricate patterns on it flowed like ripples, from the hilt slowly upwards, but stopped abruptly halfway up.

  The old man's eyebrows furrowed, and in his heart he secretly thought it was an ominous sign.

  "The sword light is broken, this is an ominous sign! Are you fortune-telling for yourself, Master Palm?" Along with the sound of footsteps behind him, a woman in white robes and bare feet appeared behind the Stargazer. She was holding a yellow earthenware wine jug in one hand and a green bamboo sword upside down in the other, exuding an air of smoke and alcohol.

  The old man's observation of the stars was interrupted, and he had no choice but to stop work and take a break, exhaling a mouthful of turbid air.

  "Eldest sister of five, remember to knock next time."

  "I knocked when I went out."

  "I'm talking about my door, not your door."

  "Zhang Men sighed again: 'What are you looking for me for?'"

  "Borrow money."

  "If I'm not mistaken, you still owe me 20,000 spirit stones that haven't been repaid." The sect leader said, his eyes serious and solemn.

  The woman sighed heavily and said, "Alas, it's all because our Lingjian Sect is too poor. I'm one of the five elders, the second most powerful person in the sect, yet my monthly allowance is only 500 spirit stones. How many years will it take to pay off our debts? Why don't you let me take your place, brother? That way, I can embezzle public funds to repay the debt..."

  "Sister, if you really want to be the leader of this sect..."

  "Then you'll yield to me? Brother Shifu, you're indeed magnanimous!"

  "I was going to say that if you want to be the leader, first quit your vices of wine, lust, wealth and anger, retreat and cultivate in solitude for three to five years. Once you have achieved the accomplishment of the primordial infant stage, then it's not too late to discuss it."

  The woman in white immediately pretended nothing had happened: "Senior brother, lend me some money."

  “……”

  "...by the way, who were you just telling fortunes for? You have a face that foretells an early and short life."

  "The Sect Master's brother said in a low voice: 'Ling Jian Sect'."

  Fifth Sister's face changed, and she put down her wine: "What?! The Spirit Sword Sect is going to be annihilated?!"

  "It's not just the Lingjian Sect, I'm afraid the sword light is pointing to the entire Xianxia realm. Do you still remember the legend of the End Times? Alas, the sword light broke off at one-third of its length, I fear that the peaceful days of the Xianxia realm will only last three to five years. Could it be that we really need to contribute 1 billion Ling stones to support the Wanxian Alliance in repairing those five Hongyuan divine ships?"

  "The Star Chant of the Lingjian Sect is one of the few derivations in the Xianxia world, and Shixiong is even more exceptional and won't make mistakes. However, the immortal sword that Shixiong used just now to deduce seems not to be the Nian Sword."

  The sect leader's brother was taken aback: "Isn't that Year Sword?" He hastily lowered his head to take a closer look, and indeed the hilt of the sword did not have the word "Year" on it, but rather...

  The next moment, the old man who had been cultivating his Tao for a long time and was known as the "God of Transformation" let out a terrified cry: "How can it be Teasword!? Isn't it said that the end of the law is only three to five cups of tea away!?"

  The fifth sister was also frightened, the wine gourd fell to the ground with a thud, and the golden wine flowed out, but she didn't care at all.

  "Master, I've told you countless times to wear glasses for your myopia. You can't even tell the difference between years and tea, what's wrong with you... Never mind, now that there are only a few cups of tea left, it's time to start the End Times. Master, hurry up and pass on the position to me, let me die in peace."

  "Even if I die, I will never let the Ling Jian Sect be humiliated."

  "I'd rather die than work for a monthly salary of 500 spirit stones! What a way to go, with eyes wide open in regret!"

  In the midst of quarrels, time flies, and the last three cups of tea quietly slipped away.

  Lingjian Mountain peak, the place closest to the starry sky, the starry sky is exceptionally dazzling. The stars and constellations slowly and steadily revolve, each star trembling like pollen grains in water observed under a microscope, an extraordinary phenomenon that has never occurred on the Nine Provinces continent for thousands of years.

  The siblings looked at each other, both having the same shocking thought in their minds.

  The Xingchen Dayan technique is indeed true, and the Dharma Ending Era has arrived so carelessly in the nine states, preparing to ruthlessly erase everything in the cultivation world.

  At the last moment, the master's brother spoke in a low voice with a hint of unusual tone.

  "Sister, there's something I've wanted to say for a hundred years but never had the chance. Now that the end of the law is near..."

  As the patriarch's aged yet magnetic voice conveyed words full of true emotions to the other person's ears, the starry sky shook even more violently.

  "I think it's time for me to tell you my true feelings."

  In the last moment, the stars rotated and shifted, their light bursting forth like flowers, illuminating the night sky as bright as day. A broom-like meteor streaked across the sky.

  That is the vanguard of the doomsday legend, Halley's Comet. The comet falls to the ground, the heaven and earth are exhausted, and the era of the end of the law arrives... The spiritual sword array on the top of the mountain trembles violently, as if the sky is about to collapse.

  A woman in white clothes, with bright eyes that shone like gold, her gaze swept back and forth, as if reflecting the inverted image of a golden elixir. The bamboo sword she dragged behind her was lazily slanted upwards, yet it brought up a dazzling light screen, as if to prop up the collapsing sky itself.

  But the sky remained unchanged, the meteor and the continent of Jiuzhou just grazed past each other, and after the stars shifted, all things returned to silence.

  The fifth sister was uncertain and drove the bamboo sword to swing back and forth, feeling the changes in the heaven and earth's primal energy as if it were at her fingertips.

  "Seems like... nothing's wrong?"

  The woman immediately turned her head to ask the senior brother for verification, and the senior brother's cultivation was two realms higher than hers - although in a real fight, the woman was not afraid at all - but he was more authoritative about the changes in heaven and earth.

  The sect leader's brother had a disappointed look on his face: "At least it's not the end of the law era."

  "Oh, so Da Yan Shu can also go wrong? But it's okay, why do you look so disappointed, Master?"

  "It doesn't matter."

  "It's rare to escape a disaster, so let's celebrate by reducing some debt."

  “……”

  The crisis is over, and the sect leader's heart only has a long sigh when thinking about the passion that was about to burst out just now. Apart from this, there are more doubts.

  The Great Shift was not absolute, but the premonition of that doomsday was not wrong. Just now, the Nine States Continent barely escaped the destruction of heaven and earth.

  For this crisis that came suddenly and left even more suddenly, the master of the house was full of confusion.

  But it can be certain that its impact is slowly permeating the nine continents.

  The old man gazed up at the vast starry sky, sighed, and once again began to manipulate the Star Sword in his hand. After a long moment of contemplation: "Great difficulties do not die must have good fortune, after this crisis passes, it is very likely that the cultivation world will usher in its golden age... Ah yes, when was our last Immortal Ascension Conference?"

  Fifth Sister's eyes widened: "Fresh, Fresh Food Festival?" As she spoke, her mouth began to water uncontrollably.

  The old man didn't bother with her, pinched his fingers to calculate: "At least it's been over a hundred years, the next time will be in twelve years, by then the heaven and earth will have changed and should have some signs, don't ask for too much, if we can once again see the prosperous world of a hundred years ago, the Ling Jian Sect may have a chance to revive."

  When it came to the revival of the sect, Wu Zong's smile faded away, and she let out a long yawn. The old man could only respond with a bitter laugh.

  "We missed the heyday of a hundred years ago. The golden generation is left with only us ten people in this generation, and no matter what... "

  The Fifth Young Miss couldn't even let out a yawn, and instead let out a cold snort before turning around and leaving.

  At the same time, under the Lingjian Mountain, in a nameless corner of Cangxi Province, a baby was born into the world with a loud cry.

  ————

  Time flies, the news that Halley's Comet passed over the mainland of China has become a legend, and few people know that their world was once on the brink of destruction.

  The people of Cangxi State are concerned about only one thing, the Ascension Conference of the Lingjian Sect, which has been interrupted for nearly a hundred years, will be held next month. I wonder where the outstanding talents will emerge from.

  The so-called Ascension Conference is actually the grand ceremony of the Xianmen School recruiting new students, joining the school and starting their cultivation journey, directly pointing to the path of immortality. From then on, the paths of mortals and immortals diverge, this is what is meant by ascension. However, in today's era, which is no longer the ancient mythological era, only the grand ceremonies of the five top-level sects in the Xianmen world have the qualifications to be called Ascension Conferences.

  The first major sect of the Immortal Realm, Shengjing Xianmen, which occupies a state in Zhongzhou; Kunlun Xianshan, known as the birthplace of immortals; Wanfa Zhi Men, the first collection of immortal registers and also known as the Museum of Immortal Arts; Jun Huang Shan, occupied by the strongest military force in the nine states; And then there's Lingjian Sect, which is listed as one of the five major sects by the Wanshen Alliance, but has no people, no money, no foundation, and no heritage!

  The Lingjian Sect's Ding Xishao is rare, and his actions are low-key. When it comes to the power of the sects, let alone compared to those four top-level sects, even compared to ordinary first-rate sects, there is still some disparity. However, the signboard of the Five Great Sects shines brightly with golden light, making it impossible for people to look directly at it. Moreover, the Xianxia world has not held an Ascension Conference for a very long time.

  The news of the Lingjian Sect's Ascension Conference has been circulating throughout the nine states for three years. The age limit is twelve, and all other conditions are disregarded, which is surprisingly lenient compared to other sects that scrutinize one's ancestry up to eighteen generations. As a result, ambitious young men from all over the world have flocked to join, including villagers from remote mountain villages, sons of wealthy families, and even princes... The allure of the Immortal Path is simply too strong, making everything in the mortal world seem dull and flavorless by comparison.

  At this time, there is still more than a week before the conference, and Lingxi Town at the foot of Lingshan Mountain is already overcrowded. As a transit station between Lingshan Mountain and the mortal world, Lingxi Town has only a few hundred permanent residents, but now the floating population has broken through tens of thousands. At this time, not to mention the handful of inns that can be counted on one's fingers, even the public toilets have been set up with tents as temporary shelters.

  Many people and little land, it's inevitable to have some conflicts, especially the only decent hotel in town, Ru Jia Hotel, is a must-fight place for everyone.

  Bang!

  Three figures flew out of the inn and rolled around on the ground. Two of them, tall and burly, were covered in blood and cursing nonstop.

  "You little wench! My master is the State Preceptor of the Canglan Empire. How dare you be so rude to us?!"

  He was helped up by two people, a young man with a head of brown short curly hair, obviously the young master, who was bleeding from his nose and staring at the innkeeper's wife with an incredulous gaze.

  He heard that Baozhang was so big, even his father had never hit him, and unexpectedly he was slapped by the owner of a guest house!

  The young woman who was in charge didn't look old at all, seemingly only fourteen or fifteen years of age. She wore a coarse linen robe and an apron stained with oil, but her expression was proudly like that of a princess.

  "Isn't the national teacher amazing? Your emperor has come and is still being beaten! I said here that the guests are full, can't you understand human words?! Now the princes of the great Ming dynasty are all squatting honestly in the woodshed, do you think the aborigines of this small country want to live in a big house?! Isn't it owed or what?! Is the entire Canglan country so poorly educated?!"

  Wen Bao was a man of great national dignity, his hair standing on end in anger, shouting loudly: "How dare you insult our Changlan country!? Don't think that just because you live in Lingxi Town we're afraid of you! You..."

  "Stop making a scene in front of my store!"

  Before Wen Bao could finish speaking, the boss's wife suddenly frowned and kicked out with a swift motion. The two bodyguards were caught off guard despite their impressive martial arts skills, and they watched in shock as Young Master was kicked flying like a sandbag, rolling down the slope with a rumbling sound.

  The boss's wife was a businesswoman, and businesspeople were kind to others and didn't resort to violence. This kick seemed heroic but was actually gentle, and Wen Bao didn't feel much pain, but his whole body felt numb and he couldn't move. He could only roll down the narrow slope outside the store, rolling and rolling...

  ——

  Wen Bao, with the bodyguard's support, returned to the inn entrance with a bruised nose and swollen face. Although he was furious and wanted to chop up the old landlady into pieces, he remained silent and yielded.

  It's unacceptable.

  Lingxi Town is a transit station between the Lingjian Mountain Gate and the mortal world. Under the protection of the mountain gate, not a single blade of grass or tree can be damaged by outsiders, let alone the owner of the inn. In recent days, it's not that no one dares to cause trouble, but the head of the bodyguards of the Yan State prince got drunk and caused a disturbance, only to be beheaded by a passing Lingjian swordsman with one sword strike. The prince himself was also kicked back to his country, never to be employed again. Compared to the Great Yan State which occupies half of Youzhou, the Canglan State is indeed just a small country. Moreover, the son of the national teacher is far inferior to a state prince.

  Wen Bao felt both hatred and regret in his heart. He had known the rules of Lingxi Town beforehand, that before the conference started, everyone would gather at Lingxi Town, family members of the applicants were not allowed to follow, each person could have a maximum of two bodyguards, then... they had to obey all the rules of the town.

  If it weren't for the fact that several people had traveled thousands of miles and were exhausted to the point of dizziness, the boss's wife wouldn't have looked like a rustic and fierce village girl, and they wouldn't have gotten into a commotion in the store. Now it is unknown whether the Lingjian Mountain Gate has been informed, but the future will inevitably be shrouded in a layer of gloom.

  Two bodyguards wanted to speak but stopped, Wen Bao sighed in his heart, thinking of advising himself to apologize, but as the son of the national teacher, his status in the country was even higher than that of the crown prince, and now he had to lower his head to a village girl, it was really hard to accept!

  Standing at the entrance of the store, Wen Bao took a few deep breaths, and his emotions gradually calmed down. He didn't think about the humiliation he had just suffered, nor did he look at the malicious gazes of ridicule from the surrounding young men who were also from noble families. Usually, they would be able to put on a good show in front of their elders, but now that they were away from adult supervision and surrounded by rivals, they didn't hold back in attacking their competitors.

  When Wen Bao walked into the inn, a smile had already appeared on his face, but the smile only lasted for a moment.

  The shop owner's wife, who was standing behind the counter, was also smiling, with a more genuine smile than his, and her smile was directed at a boy who looked like he was eleven or twelve years old, wearing ordinary clothes.

  "Alright, one room on the upper floor, please wait a moment, I'll have someone bring the key."

  Wen Bao immediately felt a sense of betrayal and anger, what's with this upstairs room!? Didn't they just say the guest rooms were full, even the prince of Da Ming Guo had to stay in a thatched hut? What's going on with this upstairs room now?

  However, this time without waiting for Bao to speak up, others in the hall were also indignant: "Boss's wife! What do you mean?!"

  "Didn't you say there was no room upstairs? I, the young master, spent a thousand taels of silver and couldn't even get a place in the thatched hut. What qualifications does he have to live upstairs?"

  "Even if it's the Lingjian Sect, shouldn't you still speak reasonably?"

  "Hey boss lady, give me an explanation!"

  "What's all the commotion about? If you don't want to stay, then get out! Do you think I'm willing to serve a bunch of useless people like you?"

  The boss's wife's bad attitude immediately triggered public outrage, and a mass incident was about to occur. A kind-hearted local passerby pointed at the sign outside the door: "You outsiders, if you're not blind, take a closer look."

  At once someone ran out to watch, and saw that next to the four characters of "Rujia Guest House", the signature of the calligrapher was prominently written as Feng Yin.

  Feng Yin, as a term alone, is just a slightly artistic name, but if you add the words "True Person" after Feng Yin, it becomes a legendary and renowned figure in the world of cultivation.

  How high is it? The Lingjian Mountain is so high that it is home to the Wind Whispering True Person, who lives at the top of the mountain and is revered as the leader of a sect.

  With the protection of the Youling Sword Sect's motto, the crowd of princes immediately became a group of losers, and they all looked disheveled and lost their courage to speak out.

  However, the fire in his heart was hard to calm down, and the focal point of his anger shifted to that young man. As they say, "thousand people pointing at him", the young man who was doing registration at the counter had a sharp edge behind his back. When he turned around, all he saw was that person with clear eyebrows and eyes, elegant temperament, and a silk long shirt that was not very luxurious but clean and neat, which complemented the person perfectly.

  However, when it comes to temperament, the princes present are not inferior. After a brief astonishment, resentment surged again.

  The young man raised an eyebrow, sensing that something was off, and cleared his throat.

  "Things aren't as you imagined."

  He paused for a moment and then continued speaking.

  "I didn't have an affair with the boss's wife."

  As soon as this was said, almost everyone's mind turned over an idea: Could it be that this person and the young shopkeeper's wife had an illicit affair?

  This time, the princes' anger dissipated a bit, because if there's an affair, then nothing can be done about it.

  The boss behind the counter had rosy cheeks and a volcanic eruption.

  Fortunately, the young man changed the subject in time.

  "Lingxi Town is hosting an Ascension Congress with rewards for guests, one of which is a voucher for a stay at Rujia Hotel."

  The boss's wife also followed up and confirmed: "That's right, they came with a prize ticket, you bunch of trash just shut your mouths."

  The hall fell silent for a moment before someone got up and started looking for the troublemaker.

  "The activities in Lingxi Town are clearly written on the flyers distributed at the town entrance, and I've also taken a close look, but there's never been any mention of accommodation vouchers."

  Another person chimed in, "What you said about the rewards, everyone has received them before, just some wooden carvings and talismans as souvenirs. I've never heard of anyone getting a hotel voucher. There are dozens or even hundreds of people in this hall, why is he the only one who got a prize?"

  The boss's wife didn't even bother with this kind of question, tilted her head and showed a contemptuous smile that was not worth discussing.

  The young man explained patiently: "Because this reward is hidden and will not be given to you on the spot."

  That prince who was looking for trouble let out a cold laugh: "Then you'd better say it, how would it be given to us?"

  "Oh, the process is like this. First, talk to the old man handing out flyers at the town entrance. He will tell you the story of this town and inform you about the facilities in the town, including hotels, inns, general stores, etc... You need to listen patiently to trigger the next step."

  The princes in the main hall were stunned, and the old man at the gate was speaking vaguely and repeatedly. Just introducing a town gate could take half an hour, who had the time to listen to him tell the whole story of the town!

  However, Lin is big, and there are all kinds of chickens.

  "At that time, I also finished listening."

  The crowd of princes turned their heads to look, and many people took a cold breath, because they had already recognized that it was the second prince from Yunzhou's Yuntai Empire, Haiyun Fan.

  Yun Tai Empire is the strongest country on the continent of Jiuzhou, and Hai Yunfan is one of the most outstanding among the many children of the emperor. At the age of ten, people already believed that one day he would drive his elder brother out of the position of crown prince.

  Who would have thought that this Second Prince would abandon an empire and come here seeking immortality!

  Hai Yunfan's eyes were stern: "I've heard the old man's story, but there is no next link."

  The young man burst out laughing: "Why would I clearly tell you what's next? You need to figure it out yourself. When the old man finishes telling his story, he'll cough a few times and say he's thirsty, that's when you should offer him water."

  Hai Yun Fan shook his head: "At that time, I also gave him water."

  The young man continued: "Then the old man would say that after drinking water, he felt even hungrier."

  Hai Yunfan: "That's right, so I had someone divide a portion of the dry rations I brought with me and give it to him."

  Boy: "He says thank you, but obviously doesn't enjoy eating it."

  Hai Yunfan furrowed his brow: "......And then?"

  Then comes the question, what's wrong? The old man would say, nothing is wrong, just suddenly remembered the thousand-layer cake of Zhen Dong Liu Ji.

  "Then... are you going to buy him a thousand-layer cake? And he'll give you an accommodation voucher?"

  "It's not that simple, afterwards you need to go to the Liu Ji's pastry shop, the owner will tell you that the thousand-layer cake is already sold out, continue asking and find out that the tea house boss bought ten servings of thousand-layer cake in one breath. Go to the tea house, the boss is busy playing chess with customers, at this time do not bother him with the matter of the thousand-layer cake, secretly help him win, afterwards you will get a free serving of thousand-layer cake, give the thousand-layer cake to the old man at the door, the old man will give you a letter of recommendation, take the letter of recommendation to find the town mayor, the town mayor wants you to collect materials... afterwards go to the tailor's shop... then to outside the village... and after that... finally, hand over the copper ring to the old man at the town gate, you can get an accommodation voucher."

  ……

  As soon as he finished speaking, the grand hall fell silent, with only the sound of the anxious heartbeat of a group of princelings remaining.

  Many people came from all over the world, holding high positions, and although they were young, they had seen and heard many new things. However, when they listened to the young man talk about the origin of this accommodation voucher, they couldn't help but feel incredulous.

  If this accommodation voucher is a deliberate design of Lingxi Town, then the designer must be an idiot, at least with brain damage. Who can think of such a complicated and outrageous program? Even someone as clever and meticulous as Haiyun Fan only followed it to the second step before giving up, but there are still more than a dozen steps waiting to be completed! One is more unbelievable than the other!

  And that young man was not a normal person, for this accommodation voucher, he ran at least a whole day in and out of the town! Moreover, from beginning to end, no one told him that persisting would have a return! What made him do so?

  Even Hai Yunfan couldn't help but ask: "Did you know all of this beforehand?"

  The young man raised his eyebrows: "What's the need to know in advance? With a huge task chain unfolding before our eyes, any qualified adventurer would see it through to the end!"

  After finishing speaking, he turned around and followed Xiao Er up to the second floor, his back figure was effortlessly elegant.

  Hai Yunfan furrowed his brow, the young man's tone was so matter-of-fact, as if only an idiot wouldn't understand, but... he really didn't understand.

  But that's no longer important, a voucher for accommodation on the upper floor is actually not very important, what's important is, who exactly is this young man?

  At this time, the young talents gathered in Lingxi Town, anyone with some reputation or special talent, Hai Yunfan had their information in his mind, but this young man was unheard of. According to reason, relying solely on this incredible reasoning and puzzle-solving ability, he shouldn't be an unknown person... Thinking of this, Hai Yunfan felt that this person was even more unfathomable, it was said that among those gathered here, besides the sons of worldly aristocrats, there were also descendants of immortal families, could it be...?

  Hai Yun Fan was not far from the counter, his eyes quietly glanced at the registration book, just in time to see the person's name.

  "Wang Lu......? Never heard of him."

  "Wang Lu?"

  In the grand hall, there were many people with piercing eyes, and Wang Lu's name quickly spread quietly.

  "Isn't it the Wang family from Lingnan Prefecture? I've heard that family produces a lot of strange people, which fits perfectly."

  "No, I've heard that Lingnan State and Lingshen Sect have a deep grudge, the immortal families will never let their descendants join Lingshen Sect."

  "Or is it the Shengjing royal family?"

  "Leaving the Shengjing Xianmen untouched, you come to the Lingjian Sect to pay respects? Although the Shengjing Xianmen has not held an Ascension Conference for a long time, it's not that easy for the descendants of the Shengjing royal family to join the sect."

  "Alas, you're discussing something based on one-sided wishes, without even knowing if the other person is using their real name."

  ……