Chapter 10: The Gate of Tianxuanzong Sect

For Su Che, among all his gains, what delighted him the most were those nine spirit herbs.
Spirit stones and pills were certainly valuable as well, but at this moment, it was these spirit herbs that would be most helpful to Su Che.
He could hand these herbs over to the sect in exchange for a certain amount of contribution points. Since Su Che had already reached the first level of Qi Cultivation, as long as the sect’s contribution value met the requirements, he could take the initiation exam and become an official outer disciple.
Becoming a sect disciple brought many benefits, especially in a super sect like Tianxuanzong.
This was the top priority—there was no time to delay. In three months, Su Che’s bone age would exceed fifteen.
“All other matters can be put aside for now. I must hurry back to Tianxuanzong to become an outer disciple, and then use the sect’s resources to investigate the cause of that disaster.”
No matter what, Su Che would never forget the disaster that destroyed his hometown and took away his loved ones—those terrifying red shockwaves capable of annihilating everything…
After eating some fresh bear meat, some delicious pastries from his Qiankun Bag, and putting on new clothes, Su Che emerged from the cave and continued on his journey.
The three Qiankun Bags contained everything one could need—food, drink, clothing, and supplies—making life extremely convenient. To avoid unnecessary trouble, Su Che wore plain martial robes instead of Tianxuanzong’s official robes.
After all, if he pretended to be a sect disciple and was caught, he would be labeled a spy with no chance to defend himself.
He also didn’t dare wear the three Qiankun Bags openly around his waist, as that would be admitting guilt outright—essentially telling others, “I killed three Tianxuanzong disciples and looted them.”
So, Su Che wrapped the three bags in a piece of cloth and tied it around his waist, making it much safer.
One more thing worth mentioning: the pastries he had eaten earlier were incredibly delicious—far beyond anything described as “delicious food in the mortal world.” He had never tasted anything like it in his memories from either life.
It was said that the food for Tianxuanzong’s disciples was provided by the sect, with each dish crafted with the highest standards. Calling it top-tier immortal cuisine was no exaggeration—even emperors in the mortal world couldn’t enjoy such food. Not only was the taste excellent, but the nutritional value was also highly valued, with every dish required to benefit the disciples’ cultivation.

After eating those pastries, Su Che hurriedly continued his journey, crossing several high mountains. He still could taste their fragrance on his lips and teeth. It was precisely because of this delightful experience that he felt even more eager to become a disciple of Tianxuanzong…

With a map of the Blood Curtain Mountain Range in hand, he avoided taking detours. In just over a day, Su Che left the mountainous area. After another two days of trekking across the vast plains, he arrived at the nearest town to the Blood Curtain Mountain Range.

Upon entering the town and asking around, Su Che learned that this was the eastern region of the Great Xia Kingdom, thousands of miles away from his ruined hometown, Cai Shi Town in Yan’an Kingdom.

“Sigh! It’s already thousands of miles away…”

With a sigh, Su Che recalled those heart-wrenching scenes—watching his beloved wife turn to ashes, along with the child in her womb…

News about that disaster had not yet reached this town. It seemed he still had to follow his own plan, using Tianxuanzong’s organizational strength and resources to try to uncover information related to it.

…

After another three days on the plains, he finally saw a magnificent sight on the distant horizon. The vast Lanfeng Plain seemed to end there, with towering mountains stretching endlessly into the sky, like sheer cliffs that blocked out the entire world visible below.

Even though he had memories of such scenes before, Su Che was still stunned by this spectacle.

“Such a sight truly exists in the world…”

The enormous mountains that connected heaven and earth were so high that it was impossible to estimate their height. The phrase “tens of thousands of feet high” was no longer just a description but a factual statement.

Mist swirled around the mountain slopes. Ordinary people with ordinary eyesight could never see where the foundation of Tianxuanzong’s sect lay. All they could see was a huge city standing on the plain in front of the mountains.

This city was the temporary residence for Tianxuanzong’s outer sect members. At least over a million seekers of immortality gathered here, trying every means to get into Tianxuanzong.

Every day, countless young people, driven by their desire for immortality, entered that city. Similarly, countless failures, with shattered dreams, were mercilessly expelled by the enforcement teams.

Those under 15 years old whose bone age did not reach the first level of Qi cultivation were expelled!
Those over 20 years old whose bone age did not reach the fourth level of Qi cultivation were expelled!
Those who failed to meet the sect’s contribution requirements for three consecutive months were expelled!
Those who provoked trouble and started fights among sect members without reason were expelled!

In short, Tianxuanzong did not support the useless, tolerate the lazy, or allow the wicked. Of course, it also showed no sympathy for those unfortunate enough to suffer misfortune…

This is “Xuanji City.” The former “Su Che” fought hard here for over three years. If he still failed to meet the entry requirements after another three months, he would be mercilessly expelled from the city.

As they got closer to the city gates, countless young people passed by Su Che along the way. Many of them were the losers who had been expelled that day. Some had vacant expressions and dull eyes, staggering along as if they were zombies; some cried bitterly, their youthful faces showing an age beyond fifteen; others had gloomy expressions, cursing under their breath, showing a prideful attitude as if they could find another place if this one rejected them, unaware of the deep regret inside them.

Su Che guessed that some of them might have originally been high-ranking outer disciples, but because their bone age exceeded twenty and they still hadn’t reached the fourth level of Qi Cultivation (mid-stage Qi Cultivation), they lost their status as outer disciples and had to start over as self-study disciples. They hoped to reach the seventh level of Qi Cultivation (late-stage Qi Cultivation) before the age of thirty, hoping to avenge themselves and return to the mountain sect…

Of course, this was like falling from heaven to hell. Many couldn’t bear such a huge drop and couldn’t stand the mocking looks from their former peers, so they chose to escape, leaving Xuanji City temporarily, or even forever.

“Escaping is just a poor choice. One should get back up where they fell.” At this moment, Su Che realized something: “These rules of Tianxuan Sect may seem heartless, but in fact, they are also a form of training for disciples. If one can’t even bear such setbacks, the dream of reaching the immortal path is nothing but empty talk!”

Looking up at the sky, he saw streams of colorful teleportation lights cutting through the sky. Some were entering the mountain sect, while others were leaving. Intersecting with each other, they looked as spectacular as a meteor shower.

Su Che knew that each teleportation light represented a powerful cultivator—someone who must have reached the seventh level of Qi Cultivation to be able to fly using magical devices.

The vast gates of Tianxuan Sect, stretching for countless miles, were covered by a protective array. When disciples entered or left the sect, they were affected by this array, causing their teleportation to emit various colors of light—bright and diverse, like fireworks in the sky, truly beautiful.

Su Che believed this was both to verify each disciple’s identity and to inspire all those self-study disciples in Xuanji City who couldn’t fly: Work hard, young generation. I hope you’ll soon become one of those countless teleportation lights…

Standing at the foot of Tianxuan Sect’s mountain, in front of Xuanji City, Su Che finally truly realized his own insignificance. The scenes in his memory were after all vague; it was this overwhelming sensation right now that truly reached deep into his soul. Not only him, but many others also stood on the plain outside the city, looking up at the sect’s mountain gate that resembled a sky wall, dumbfounded and stunned… Most of these young people had arrived in Xuanji City for the first time and seen this magnificent sight for the first time. Initially, they all had lofty aspirations, but now they realized their hearts were not that high after all—seemingly never able to surpass the towering wall of Tianxuan Sect! Finally, they had arrived. From here on, it was the world of cultivators.