High above the Sky Heaven, a massive ship cut through the clouds with silent, predatory grace. It was the Void-Breaker Shuttle, a Primordial Treasure built for long-distance travel.
On its deck stood five envoys in quiet silence. Elder Zhao had been left behind, and no one cared.
Even with such a vessel, the journey from the remote Northern Domain to the prosperous Southern Domain would take a full month. The space between domains was ravaged by astral gales so violent that even Nascent Soul experts dared not cross them directly. The cost of sustaining protection against such forces was simply too great.
Within those gales, the air itself became a storm of invisible blades. Those unprepared would not survive long—their bodies torn apart, their essence scattered before they could travel any meaningful distance.
"Southern Domain holds nearly sixty percent of the Sky Heaven's luck," Wuji said, breaking the silence. His gaze swept over the prodigies. "You may have been the best in the Northern Domain, but this place is not lacking in geniuses. The competition here is on a different level. If you want resources, earn them with your own strength."
Wuji paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. "Once we arrive at the Sky Sect, you will be given three months to adapt to the environment. Three months later, the Mountain Selection Ceremony will take place."
He noted the focused looks on their faces. Wuji felt like an older brother to these young people, as he had gone through this exact same gauntlet decades ago. Seeing them now, he was in a particularly good mood and decided to be more forthcoming with information than usual.
He explained that the ceremony was the true gateway; only by passing it could one gain access to the Seven Peaks and become an official disciple of the sect. The failure rate was notoriously high, a filter designed to weed out those who could not handle the pressure.
Aside from Mu Chen and Shen Xi, every one of the new recruits frowned. They hadn't expected such a ruthless elimination rate right at the start. However, they also understood that a Super Sect would naturally invest its greatest efforts into the top talents of the heavens, making the struggle worth the potential reward.
"And what about the living and food facilities?" Mu Chen asked, his voice cutting through the heavy discussion of cultivation and competition.
Beside him, Nibi let out an insistent meow of agreement. The golden cat shifted in Shen Xi's arms, her eyes fixed on Wuji as if she, too, demanded a full report on the quality of the amenities. She had notoriously high standards for such things.
Mu Chen's question shifted the tense environment into one of awkward silence. Wuji and the others stared at him, genuinely confused. In a world where every young prodigy was obsessed with spiritual stones, cultivation techniques, and medicinal pills, who would ask about the menu and residence first?
"All of you new disciples will be divided into three distinct grades upon entry: first grade, second grade, and third grade," Wuji explained after a moment of stunned hesitation. "Naturally, each grade receives vastly different treatment to reflect their potential and status."
He began to detail the perks of the higher ranks. Firstly, regarding the living quarters, first-grade disciples were granted separate, private residences. These were not mere houses; each was outfitted with complex formations designed to gather the surrounding spiritual energy, allowing the occupant to cultivate at a pace much faster than their peers.
In addition to the superior housing, first-grade disciples received weekly rations of Nascent Soul-level spiritual food. The ingredients were rare, and the effects of consuming such food could significantly increase the rate of spiritual Qi cultivation while refining the meridians.
"With such high grade food item, it should be possible to make a decent wine," Shen Xi remarked, her eyes brightening. She idly licked her lips, her mind already cataloging the possible fermentation processes.
"I hope the ingredients are up to par," Mu Chen added. "The Northern Domain's highest quality was only at the Golden Core level. I've been looking for something better."
Both of them seemed to agree that wine made with such potent spiritual items would be far more fragrant and smooth than anything they had sampled recently.
"Oh..." Wuji was once again left speechless. Nascent Soul-level spiritual food was considered a rare and excellent object for cultivation, a treasure that most disciples would consume with religious reverence to ensure not a single drop of energy was wasted.
Yet, these two were discussing it as if they were merely planning to stock a cellar. While it was technically possible to use such items for winemaking, it seemed incredibly extravagant, even by the standards of a Super Sect.
...
After a month of travel through the void, the shuttle finally breached the atmospheric barriers of the Southern Domain. The spiritual energy here was far more majestic, profound, and abundant than anything found in the Northern Domain. It truly lived up to its reputation of possessing sixty percent of the Sky Heaven's luck. The very air seemed to shimmer with potential.
Nibi let out a long, comfortable yawn in Shen Xi's arms, stretching her paws as the rich energy washed over her fur.
"Looks like Nibi finds the air here pleasing," Shen Xi said to Mu Chen with a soft smile.
"Well, it is," Mu Chen replied, taking a deep breath. "The air feels much more refreshing here. It's certainly a step up."
The other cultivators on the ship could also sense the difference. Their internal Qi moved with newfound vigor, and it was clear to everyone that cultivation speed in this domain would be significantly faster than what they were used to.
Wuji summoned a large green cloud. Mu Chen and Shen Xi bid a brief farewell to Yun Er, Xiao Li, and Li Chen as the group split up toward their respective destinations. The three would be heading toward their own sects.
After another half-month of travel they reached the borders of the sect. Wuji turned to them with a proud, sweeping smile.
"We have arrived."
Before their eyes appeared a vista of countless ancient mountain ranges. They were shrouded in perpetual clouds and mist, with faint, glittering glimpses of grand pavilions and sprawling palaces perched precariously on cliffs and peaks. It felt as if they had stepped from mortal realm into a completely different world.
The enormous, shimmering formation that surrounded the sect's territory immediately piqued Shen Xi's interest. Based on the complexity she suspected such a formation must have been laid by Tian Cang himself in the distant past.
"This is only the exterior of the Sky Sect," Wuji explained, noting their interest. "Only after you pass the Mountain Selection Ceremony will you be permitted to pass through the inner gates and see the true face of the sect."
Wuji led the group toward a large, bustling plaza located at the base of the outer mountains. Upon seeing Wuji, a younger disciple immediately approached, bowing low.
"Uncle Master Wuji, you have finally returned! Your group is the very last of the new disciples to arrive."
"There was no other option," Wuji replied helplessly. "The Northern Domain is simply too far away."
Wuji didn't linger in the plaza. He led Mu Chen and Shen Xi toward a cluster of administrative buildings located behind the square.
"Who is the new disciple administrator for the outer mountain this time?" he asked the disciple.
"It is Uncle Master Chen of Thunder Peak," the disciple replied.
Wuji's brow furrowed at the name, and he fell silent. It was clear that he held no great affection for the man in question.
Inside the administrative hall, they found a thin, middle-aged man sitting behind a large mahogany desk. He looked up as they entered, a smile spreading across his face that didn't quite reach his eyes—the classic look of a "smiling tiger."
"Old Mu, how efficient you are! You're the last one to return," the man said, his tone carrying a subtle, mocking edge.
"You could have gone yourself if you were in such a hurry," Wuji replied, showing no sympathy for the man and skipping the usual courtesies. "These two are new disciples from the Northern Domain. They have already secured two first-class disciple slots based on their performance."
Wuji didn't give the administrator, Chen, a chance to argue. "Soul in the middle realm of Spirit, and cultivation at the Late Nascent Soul stage."
Elder Chen had been about to say something—likely a bureaucratic excuse to withhold the premium slots so he could exchange them for personal benefits—but upon hearing their cultivation levels, his expression turned incredibly grim.
He had planned to sell those first-class positions to the highest bidder, but Wuji's sudden move had taken him completely by surprise.
Reluctantly, Elder Chen took out the jade tokens, recording Mu Chen and Shen Xi's information with a flick of his spiritual brush. With the paperwork finalized, they were officially designated as first-class disciples.
When the procedure was done, Mu Chen looked at the tokens and then at Wuji. "Okay, so we are going back to our rooms now?"
He was starting to feel genuinely sleepy. The same went for Shen Xi, and Nibi had already drifted off again. Although they had been traveling in the luxury of the Void-Breaker Shuttle, Mu Chen found himself exhausted by the constant yapping of the sect officials and the blubbering of the crowds.
He had already decided that the first thing he was going to do upon arriving was find the bedroom and close the door. Preferably for a month
"Well, I am too exhausted for any more of this," Shen Xi added.
"Just a moment," Wuji said, shaking his head. "Next, they will announce names of all disciples and their ranking quota."
Although these procedures had no practical effect on their actual strength, the Sky Sect carried them out every time they recruited a new batch of disciples to establish a hierarchy and stoke the flames of competition.
"Another boring thing," Mu Chen muttered.
He didn't want to wait. He waved his hand slightly in the air.
The current timeline appeared before him, manifesting as a shimmering lattice of branching moments — each layer a different possible sequence of events, each column a different outcome.
Mu Chen saw the next hour unfold in seconds. He saw the plaza where an arrogant young master from a prominent Southern Domain family tried to approach Shen Xi, likely intending to "greet" the new beauty. It was a classic, cliché scene that Mu Chen had seen play out a thousand times across a thousand worlds.
Then, the vision showed Shen Xi delivering a sharp, effortless slap that sent the youth spinning, her revealed strength shocking the entire crowd of onlookers.
The sequence moved on. Elder Chen stood upon a podium, announcing the names of the new first-class disciples to the silent, awed crowd. Finally, the vision showed the moment all the disciples were dismissed to their respective residences.
Mu Chen selected that specific point in time and dismissed the vision with a flick of his wrist.
Suddenly, the administrative office was gone. Mu Chen and Shen Xi were standing at the entrance of a high-end, private courtyard surrounded by a spiritual gathering formation.
Shen Xi blinked, looking around at the serene gardens and the elegant house. "Let us go, Mu Chen. It's finally over."
She didn't know what had happened, and neither did anyone else in the sect. Around them, other disciples were just arriving at their own nearby residences, still excitedly discussing the events in the plaza.
They spoke in hushed, reverent tones about Mu Chen and Shen Xi—the two newcomers whose strength had just been proven to rival even the greatest geniuses of the Southern Domain.
"Yes," Mu Chen said, a small, satisfied smile appearing on his face as he walked toward the bedroom. "Let us go."