The Wuyun Sect was nestled in the Wumeng Mountain Range.

In the early morning, standing on the Flying Sword, one could see an endless expanse of mountains even from above the clouds.

The peaks rose and fell in magnificent, overlapping layers, a majestic sight that stretched between heaven and earth and filled the Heart Spirit with awe. Mist coiled around the mountainsides, draping the peaks in a light veil that made the entire range seem to flicker in and out of view. Strange lights from Arrays bloomed over the mountains, too brilliant to look at directly.

But Yu Wanyi was in no mood to enjoy the scenery, because...

She looked at Jiang Man and the others, who were cultivating, and asked, "What are you all doing?"

"Cultivating," Jiang Man replied honestly.

"We’re on a Flying Sword," Yu Wanyi said. She meant that there was no need to cultivate while they were traveling.

"It would be a shame to waste such precious time," Jiang Man said.

Yu Wanyi had read Jiang Man’s file before. It said he stayed up all night cultivating and refused to sleep, which she had thought was an exaggeration.

Now she believed it.

Luckily, he was only at the Qi Refining stage. If a fellow disciple closer to her level had been cultivating here, she would have found it too disruptive to maintain Sword Control.

Taking a deep breath, Yu Wanyi reminded them, "We’re about to descend. Stop cultivating."

As they descended, Jiang Man sensed a strange energy—gentle and nourishing to the body.

"Is this Spiritual Qi?" Li Yuan asked in astonishment.

"It is. Only the Sect has Spiritual Qi; you won’t find it anywhere else," Yu Wanyi explained.

At that, Jiang Man began to take deep breaths.

"Now what are you doing?" Yu Wanyi asked curiously.

"Taking a few extra breaths. I’m trying to get used to the changes brought by the Spiritual Qi and get a head start on everyone else," Jiang Man explained.

He could feel that the Spiritual Qi wasn’t perfectly compatible with his body; it would take an adjustment period.

’I should absorb some now while I have the chance, just to get a feel for it. That way, I won’t be fumbling around when I start cultivating for real.’

Yu Wanyi fell silent for a moment, at a complete loss for words.

’The poor really have a way of challenging one’s perceptions. A normal person would just buy an Elixir to adapt.’

Fang Tiancheng and the others stood there, stunned. They weren’t sure if they should start inhaling it too.

The memory of Jiang Man’s methods gave them pause.

’Surely we don’t have to pull all-nighters to cultivate now that we’re in the Sect, do we?’

As they hesitated, they suddenly noticed people arriving via Sword Control from all directions in the sky.

Just like them.

They were all being escorted.

"The people on each of those Flying Swords are the top five from their respective cities. Your group is the first to check in, so you could say you’re receiving special treatment."

"By the same token, you are all each other’s biggest obstacles on the path to Foundation Establishment," Yu Wanyi explained.

Jiang Man took one last deep breath, holding a wisp of Spiritual Qi in his body. He hesitated, then said, "Senior, could you raise my sponsorship a bit? Just more than Fang Yong’s would be enough. I swear I won’t disappoint you. I’ll be able to reach Foundation Establishment very soon."

"I can’t. My authority is limited, and I only have this one slot. Cultivate diligently. If you reach Foundation Establishment within three years, then I can increase it for you." Yu Wanyi casually refused, pointedly ignoring his last sentence.

After a pause, she added, "Once you’ve entered the Sect, you can’t call me Senior anymore. Just call me Senior Sister like everyone else."

Then she turned to Jiang Man again. "You may be fast at Qi Refining, but Foundation Establishment is also a crucial threshold. You must guard against arrogance and impatience. You can also improve your Promotion Skill during your Reincarnation, but you must wait until after the Seventh Layer before considering Foundation Establishment."

"Also, remember what I told you: it’s best to steer clear of certain people."

"Your major courses are worth a lot of points, but your Minor has points too. Pay attention, or you’ll end up not earning any Spiritual Source and losing points besides."

"You must reach Foundation Establishment within three years, or my entire investment will go down the drain."

"If that happens, I’ll be so mad I’ll hunt you down and beat you up."

"Also, don’t get a partner. It will hinder your Cultivation."

Jiang Man froze for a second, then fell silent.

Seeing this, Yu Wanyi also went quiet.

Her mouth fell open. "You already have one?"

Jiang Man nodded.

The woman fell silent again for a moment. She looked as if she wanted to ask for her sponsorship back, but in the end, she just sighed and said, "Many people have suffered greatly because of that. You should think about it carefully."

After that, Yu Wanyi dropped them off at the Sect’s main gate and left.

From there, they had to go in by themselves.

As they entered, the crowd around them grew.

Most looked around, full of curiosity about this new place.

Judging by their attire, most were from wealthy backgrounds.

Of course, that didn’t exclude the poor who might have bought themselves respectable clothes specifically to celebrate joining the Sect.

It wasn’t that Jiang Man was unwilling; he just didn’t dare waste any Spiritual Source with his Fate Chart breathing down his neck.

His main priority now was to find out when he could enter the Secret Realm.

Yu Wanyi had only said there should be one soon, but the exact timing was uncertain.

This was because the Secret Realms opened at different times each year.

However, one would always open within ten days of the first batch of new disciples joining the Sect.

Seeing the people gathered in small groups all around, Jiang Man knew that his first-place ranking from the Yunqian Bureau wasn’t so impressive here.

Still, he had received the corresponding benefits—at least two thousand Spiritual Source per month.

There were also discounts on resources.

Most importantly, he had obtained the Promotion Skill.

As soon as he found a place to live, he could start his Cultivation.

Then, he would wait for the Secret Realm to open and use his Token to enter.

At the edge of the square stood five rooms.

People were queuing in front of each room.

Li Yuan went to ask around and came back to report, "Everyone has to go into one of the rooms to state their circumstances and choose where to go. The senior brothers and sisters inside will help give advice."

Afterward, all five of them chose a room and got in line.

Cheng Ning looked at Jiang Man and asked, "Young Master Jiang, which peak are you planning to go to?"

The others had actually already decided which of the Outer Sect Seven Peaks they would go to.

Only Jiang Man had not.

"I’ll see what the situation is and then decide," Jiang Man replied.

He felt that it wouldn’t make a difference where he went.

After a long wait, it was finally Jiang Man’s turn.

Three people sat inside the room. In the middle was a middle-aged-looking man.

He was flanked by two young women.

"Have a seat," the middle-aged man said.