In the span of half a day, the Azure Pill Sect had recruited its new disciples, including Ye Qin, leaving only a few final spots unfilled. Over ten Foundation Establishment cultivators were compelled to wait in the Immortal Fate Hall plaza, hoping for more aspirants to register.

Meanwhile, the twenty-odd newly admitted disciples gathered together, spirits high, exchanging greetings and engaging in lively conversation. Compared to the thousands of cultivators glaring enviously from around the plaza, they had every reason to feel proud.

Ye Qin quietly mingled among them, quickly noticing several surprising aspects.

Among the twenty-six new recruits of the Azure Pill Sect, two distinct cliques had already formed.

One group consisted of thirteen disciples bearing family crests marked upon their robes.

Ye Qin did not recognize the exact influence of these crests, but judging by their arrogant demeanor and effortless confidence—the very picture of favored scions—their backgrounds were clearly formidable. Furthermore, their attire spoke volumes: fine silks, jade belts, spirit swords and blades hanging from their waists; even the most casual accessories they possessed were high-grade spirit artifacts at the very least.

These dozen or so family cultivators were uniformly young, ranging from seventeen or eighteen to perhaps twenty-five, with cultivation levels hovering between the fifth and eighth layers of the Qi Condensation stage. Supported by substantial family wealth, their spiritual root aptitude was naturally not poor. Families strong enough to be considered major immortal cultivation houses often commanded tens or even hundreds of cultivators; those selected from such ranks to join a sect would certainly possess no mediocre spiritual roots.

The other group comprised seven cultivators, all at the advanced eighth or ninth layer of Qi Condensation, identifiable by the emblem of three crossed miniature swords on their clothing—a clear sign they had been affiliated with the Rogue Cultivator Alliance of Immortal Fate City. They were generally older, the youngest being at least thirty, some even approaching their mid-forties. Each bore a cold expression, exchanging only brief greetings amongst themselves and pointedly ignoring the family cultivators. The family disciples, in turn, paid them no mind.

Then there were two small boys, appearing barely fourteen or fifteen, whose single spiritual root potential both exceeded forty points, granting them direct entry into the Azure Pill Sect. They were also from cultivation families, nurtured from childhood, and already possessed cultivation at the sixth or seventh layer of Qi Condensation, viewing the other new disciples with disdain. Given their aptitude, they had nearly a fifty percent chance of achieving Foundation Establishment.

Ye Qin compared himself to these cultivators, growing ever more reserved and low-key.

He was at the fifth layer of Qi Condensation—the lowest among the assembled group. He felt utterly out of place. He wasn't from a prominent family to join their clique, nor was he affiliated with the Rogue Cultivator Alliance to join the high-level rogue circle.

There was one other cultivator much like him: the burly, rough-looking man, also a solitary rogue cultivator.

The burly man clumsily approached the family cultivators to introduce himself, only to be met with a barrage of cold sarcasm and ridicule.

"Oh my, isn't this our junior brother hailing from the pugilistic world? Out there, seniority is determined by age and experience, but in our world of immortal cultivation, only cultivation level dictates rank. Little 'junior brother,' you best remember that. Don't foolishly call anyone 'Big Brother' again! Otherwise, the sect rules might not be so accommodating." "Don't worry, little junior brother. Once you're in the sect, we senior brothers and sisters will look out for you. No one will dare bully you."

A richly dressed young cultivator, no older than seventeen, clapped the burly man on the shoulder with a mocking laugh.

The family cultivators roared with amusement.

The burly man blushed deeply in shame and retreated meekly from the circle of family disciples. He dared not approach the high-level rogue cultivators from the Alliance either, lest he invite further embarrassment.

Spotting Ye Qin standing alone, he quickly scurried over, his face beaming. "Ah, brother—no, Junior Brother—my apologies regarding the registration just now. I saw so few people here at the Azure Pill Sect entrance and assumed registration was about to close, so I took your spot. I never expected there would be several places left unfilled. Truly a misunderstanding. From this day forward, we are fellow sect disciples; no grievance is too great to dissolve. Let's just let this small matter fade away like the wind. Ah, Junior Brother, you look quite young; you're already at the fifth layer of Qi Condensation."

Ye Qin glanced at him but offered no reply.

The burly man, however, seemed utterly unbothered, buzzing with excitement. Having finally found someone to talk to, his mouth wouldn't stop moving as he rattled on.

It turned out this man, named Shen Bao, was a rogue cultivator from the Wulan Kingdom. He had stumbled into cultivation during his youth, his talent nothing special, yet somehow, in his thirties, he had managed to reach the seventh layer of Qi Condensation. Afterward, he came to Immortal Fate City. He had neither joined a family nor the Rogue Cultivator Alliance. He had spent five or six years in the city, venturing into the Great Canyon several times, accumulating quite a few useful items which he had carefully saved. He hadn't really expected to join an immortal cultivation sect; but today, upon checking his hoard of spiritual materials, he was shocked to find he had miraculously gathered the thirty spirit grasses required by the Azure Pill Sect. Overjoyed, he rushed to the Immortal Fate Hall plaza to register, thankfully arriving just in time.

Shen Bao sighed and lamented, praising his own incredible luck—that he had truly struck gold, with everything going smoothly. While other cultivators fought desperately just to enter a sect, he managed to "accidentally" join with ease.

Ye Qin remained silent, thinking to himself: These are your own words, who knows your true origins.

He had no intention of engaging with this frequently "lucky" fellow disciple. If he associated with Shen Bao, who so openly seemed to snatch away all the good fortune, wouldn't that just invite terrible luck upon himself?

Soon, more people arrived. The thirty spots for the Azure Pill Sect were all filled. The elder disciples sent by the Azure Pill Sect to welcome the new recruits completed the registration and cataloging process.

The young cultivator responsible for the registry addressed the dozen or so Foundation Establishment cultivators present:

"Senior Brothers, among this year's admitted disciples, eighteen are direct descendants of families established by Azure Pill Sect disciples after they left the main sect, and their lineage is verifiable and satisfactory. The other ten originated from the Rogue Cultivator Alliance and their backgrounds can also be traced.

Only two have slightly questionable origins. One is Shen Bao, over forty, a rootless rogue cultivator who drifted around the Wulan Kingdom; tracing his past is proving difficult. The other, even more suspicious, is Ye Qin, a rootless rogue cultivator from the Wu Kingdom. He is only seventeen and yet managed to gather thirty rare spirit grasses while at the fifth layer of Qi Condensation. I truly wonder how he achieved this. Senior Brothers, I suspect this Ye Qin might be a spy planted by another sect or a prominent family?"

The dozen or so Foundation Establishment cultivators all turned their gaze toward an elderly man dressed in white. Though they were all Foundation Establishment cultivators, the highest-ranking among them was this elder, a Vice Peak Master.

He had been placed in charge of the entire recruitment process this time.

The elder stroked his long beard, pondered for a moment, and then chuckled lightly. "Junior Brother Zhao, you are being overly cautious. Who would send a mere fifth-layer Qi Condensation cultivator to be a spy? I have observed this boy's spiritual roots; they are the most chaotic Five Spirit Roots. With such potential, the chance of reaching Foundation Establishment is likely slim. If he cannot advance, he will never gain access to any of our sect's core secrets. Even though he has joined the sect, he will only be a menial laborer, someone insignificant. Who would send him to our Azure Pill Sect as a spy? If someone truly intended to place an informant here, they would select someone with better aptitude."

The young cultivator named Zhao bowed respectfully to the white-robed elder. "I hope my concerns are unfounded. There are countless cultivators, and coincidences certainly happen. However, 'haste makes waste,' Senior Brother Zheng. Should we not inform the Sect Master of this situation so he can decide? Otherwise, should an error occur later, I, as the registrar, would bear the responsibility, and I truly cannot afford that."

The elder, surnamed Zheng, showed immediate displeasure. "It is a rule established over millennia by the immortal cultivation sects of the Spirit Mist Mountain Range: as long as a candidate fulfills the requirements listed in the documentation, they are accepted. This boy's spiritual roots are average, but since he completed the entry task, he has a destiny with our Azure Pill Sect, and there is no reason to push him away. With his cultivation level so low, there are at least eight thousand cultivators in our sect stronger than him; can he truly turn our sect upside down? If you remain worried, after he joins, simply assign people to watch him closely. Junior Brother Zhao, you shall be responsible for arranging Ye Qin within the Azure Spring Peak."

Elder Zheng settled the matter.

Junior Brother Zhao was startled and instantly regretted the arrangement, wishing he could pass the responsibility onto someone else. However, Elder Zheng offered him no opportunity to retract. The other Foundation Establishment cultivators exchanged glances, their eyes flickering, none speaking up; in fact, some seemed rather pleased by his misfortune.

"For the remaining disciples, let's draw lots for assignment!"

A moment later, the ten-plus Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Azure Pill Sect each mounted a flying sword artifact, taking two or three newly admitted disciples aboard. They departed Immortal Fate City, soaring over the Spirit Mist Grand Canyon and heading towards the vast expanse of the Spirit Mist Mountain Range.

The Spirit Mist Mountain Range spanned millions of li, a realm of primeval jungle, towering peaks, dense forests, and deep valleys, teeming with monstrous beasts and rare avian life. No secular nations existed within this immense territory, nor could any mortal reach this place.

This was the region spoken of by secular mortals in kingdoms like Nanliang—the mythical dwelling place of immortals, a place they dreamed of reaching. In reality, it was merely an area saturated with exceptionally rich spiritual energy, ruled by monstrous beasts, with only scattered locations occupied by immortal cultivation sects.

The Seven Great Immortal Cultivation Sects and the Twelve Minor Mountain Gates all maintained footholds within this mountain range.

The group flew for over ten days, resting several times within the Spirit Mist Mountain Range. They killed a few smaller beasts for sustenance before finally reaching the Azure Pill Sect's core territory—the Azure Pill Mountain Range.

During this journey, Ye Qin gathered a significant amount of information from the Foundation Establishment "Martial Uncles."

The Azure Pill Sect was one of the orthodox immortal cultivation sects with a long history, established tens of thousands of years ago. Its path of cultivation centered on the Dao of Pills, making it the sect with the most exquisite alchemy skills among all cultivation sects.

The Azure Pill Mountain Range featured one main peak, "Azure Pill Peak," and six subsidiary peaks: "Azure Spirit Peak," "Azure Mountain Peak," and "Azure Spring Peak."

These seven peaks primarily served as the residences for cultivators at or above the Foundation Establishment stage.

In addition, there were hundreds of smaller and larger mountains nearby, serving as areas for Qi Condensation cultivators to practice and reside, covering an area nearly a thousand li wide. Of course, compared to the millions of li constituting the Spirit Mist Mountain Range, this thousand *li$ expanse was insignificant. The major immortal cultivation sects were situated far apart, each occupying its own territory. While occasional conflicts arose, generally, they maintained a peaceful coexistence.

After entering the Azure Pill Mountain Range, the ten-odd beams of sword light dispersed.

The young cultivator surnamed Zhao, guiding his flying sword, his expression gloomy and filled with pent-up frustration, sped towards his assigned location, Azure Spring Peak, carrying Ye Qin, Shen Bao, and two other new disciples—four in total.

The Vice Peak Master Zheng, who oversaw the registration, had used an excuse to assign the Five Spirit Root Ye Qin to Azure Spring Peak. Later, when the seven peaks drew lots for disciples, Azure Spring Peak had also drawn Shen Bao and two other disciples with inferior potential. This year, Azure Spring Peak had failed to secure a single disciple with good spiritual root potential—making it perhaps the worst selection in recent years.

Ye Qin, Shen Bao, and the other two disciples had no idea what specific events had transpired, but they remained silent, not daring to provoke the currently enraged Martial Uncle Zhao.