A sect like Mount Hua Immortal Sect would be considered an upper-tier immortal sect.

Sects like Wuling Immortal Sect were mid-tier; though far inferior to Mount Hua Immortal Sect, the sheer strength of Wuling was certainly not beneath that of North Peak.

The origins of the Wuling Immortal Sect were rather peculiar.

It was said that the founding ancestor of the Wuling Immortal Sect called himself the Great Dream True Man. This Great Dream True Man, in his youth, was merely an ordinary scholar. By chance, while drifting downstream, he stumbled into the Peach Blossom Spring. Within that Spring, there was no governance, no quarreling; everyone lived and worked in peace, filled with boundless joy.

When the Great Dream True Man first entered this place, he wished only to remain there forever. However, later on, he reflected that he still had some matters to settle back home. Thus, he left the Peach Blossom Spring, returned to his home, settled his affairs, and then intended to go back to the Spring. Yet, the second time he tried to enter the Peach Blossom Spring, no matter how he walked, he could not find the way in.

The Great Dream True Man searched for decades, transforming from a vibrant young man of twenty to an aged elder of fifty, yet the Peach Blossom Spring remained elusive.

Finally, one day, the Great Dream True Man experienced a profound realization.

If I cannot find the Peach Blossom Spring, can I not create one myself? With the Great Dream True Man’s abilities at that time, forging an entire Peach Blossom Spring was an endeavor of immense difficulty. However, humans possess an innate talent: the ability to dream. Within dreams, one can conjure countless things.

Therefore, the Great Dream True Man began to dream in earnest.

This dreaming lasted another twenty years.

The Great Dream True Man, now seventy years old, was nearing death as a mere mortal. He could not bear the thought of dying, for death meant an end to dreaming of the Peach Blossom Spring. Thus, in his dreams, he vividly imagined cultivation methods and practiced them within his slumber. The consequence of this dream cultivation was that the Great Dream True Man’s cultivation level soared continuously, far surpassing the pace of normal practitioners.

As the Great Dream True Man's power grew, he used his own methods as the basis to create a profound technique: the Great Dream Art.

And the Great Dream True Man’s sword technique was named the Thousand Year Sword Art.

The Great Dream True Man’s sword was named Fang Jue Xiao Immortal Sword—yes, an Immortal Sword. The Great Dream True Man was a figure of notable renown in those days; only such an individual was worthy of wielding an Immortal Sword.

Thus, the Great Dream True Man’s three supreme skills emerged: the core technique, the Great Dream Heart Method; the sword art, the Thousand Year Sword Art; and his long sword, the Fang Jue Xiao Immortal Sword.

Great Dream, Millennium, Fang Jue Xiao.

That the Great Dream True Man, originating as a mere scholar, could establish the Wuling Immortal Sect—though it could not compare to the five supreme sects—was nonetheless a singular achievement.

The highest cultivation method of the Wuling Immortal Sect was also a dream-type method, a lineage exceptionally unique and bizarre to the extreme. Although the dream lineage was ultimately categorized under the Water-elemental Heart Methods, truthfully, no one was entirely certain what elemental category it truly belonged to; it was merely placed there for administrative convenience.

Having introduced the Wuling Immortal Sect, we now turn to the incident that recently transpired among them.

The matter was straightforward: the Wuling Immortal Sect’s territory lay quite close to the South Sea. The previous Sect Master of Wuling had ventured into the South Sea. The South Sea, whose depth was unknown and whose breadth immeasurable, brought calamity upon the Sect Master, a figure revered as the pinnacle of Wuling. He returned severely wounded. With injuries so grave that recovery seemed impossible, the transfer of leadership naturally needed to occur.

Consequently, the Wuling Sect Master, Venerable Wu Hai, intended to pass his position to his biological younger brother, Venerable Ling Hai.

Naturally, the succession of the Sect Master in Wuling Immortal Sect, one of the ten mid-tier immortal sects, was a monumental affair.

For the cultivation world, it was an event of considerable magnitude.

Although its influence did not rival the changing of the guard in the five great immortal sects, it still carried significant weight.

Mount Hua Immortal Sect had always maintained close ties with Wuling Immortal Sect, so they were naturally obliged to send representatives.

While other immortal sects dispatched a single contingent, Mount Hua had long since divided into three major branches, and in any matter, each branch would send its own delegation.

This time, the renowned Sword Immortal leading the contingent from North Peak was none other than the Gentleman Sword, Fang Ru, accompanied by several Ninth Generation Elders, a few core disciples, the First Disciple Yun Yi, Second Disciple Yun Ping, Third Disciple Ling Yu Zhu, Fourth Disciple Fang Dan, Fifth Disciple Sima Bo, and Sixth Disciple Lu Yuan—a total of six individuals.

The Underworld clashed constantly with demons and fiends, but thanks to the protection of the Five Immortal Alliance, the surface world enjoyed an era of profound peace.

Along the journey, they did not encounter even a single ill-advised bandit.

Throughout the travels, Fang Ru offered guidance to the core disciples. Naturally, when instructing Lu Yuan, his advice focused on the cultivation of the Heart Method; there was no need to comment on swordsmanship. Fang Ru knew that in swordsmanship, he could no longer surpass Lu Yuan, so he refrained from critiquing that aspect. Under Fang Ru’s tutelage, Lu Yuan felt he gained significant benefit; the seasoned experience accumulated over so many years by Fang Ru was invaluable. Indeed, Lu Yuan had encountered difficulties in his own magical energy cultivation over the past year. He had occasionally sought advice from the other Sword Immortals, but he had never visited them too frequently. Traveling alongside Martial Uncle Fang Ru this time, he naturally asked many more questions, resolving several vexing dilemmas that had troubled his mind.

Receiving guidance from a master made a profound difference compared to navigating challenges alone.

In the Great Jin Kingdom’s cultivation world, if one already has a master, that person is honored as a father for life; one cannot simply take a second master. However, in a case like Lu Yuan’s, where his master had passed away, it was perfectly legitimate and reasonable to seek tutelage under another Sword Immortal.

Lu Yuan’s innate talent was too astonishing. Reaching this level at such a young age meant that if he consented to study under another Sword Immortal, even Venerable Yuan Yuan would likely be overjoyed. Taking on an exceptional disciple was always a source of happiness, and Lu Yuan’s exceptional aptitude and character were visible to all.

However, taking on a disciple required the individual’s consent.

And unfortunately, Lu Yuan himself had no desire to take another master. Simply put, Lu Yuan did not wish to serve a second teacher.

This naturally disappointed the Sword Immortals of North Peak immensely. Yet, it also solidified their view of Lu Yuan as a virtuous child, pure in his filial piety, leading them to value him even more highly. Of course, no matter how highly they regarded him, it wouldn't surpass the regard they held for their own direct disciples—after all, one's own students were always the best; others’ talents, however great, could never fully compare to one’s own lineage.

Finally, they reached Mount Wu Ling.

Mount Wu Ling was situated in the southern reaches of the Great Jin Kingdom. Compared to the sheer perilous grandeur of Mount Hua, Mount Wu Ling was considerably flatter and somewhat lower in altitude. The mountain’s slopes were gentle, and its scenery breathtakingly beautiful, forming various peculiar topographies such as deep gorges, flat-topped mesas, craggy peaks, and sheer stone walls and columns. The views of Mount Wu Ling were enchanting, featuring landmarks like Golden Whip Rock, Arhat Rock, the Three Sisters Peaks, and the Immortal’s Bridge. These formations resembled jade shoots, brush rests, stone forests, sharp blades, celestial gates, arched bridges, jade screens, castles, and lighthouses, and even more strikingly, figures of men, birds, and beasts.

The Gentleman Sword, Fang Ru, along with the entourage of Mount Hua elders and disciples, arrived at the base of Mount Wu Ling. After presenting their calling cards, it was noted that Fang Ru of Mount Hua’s North Peak was a figure of considerable stature. A well-known Sword Immortal from Wuling Immortal Sect soon came out to greet them, escorting Fang Ru and his party inside. Since the grand ceremony for the transfer of the Sect Mastership was still a few days away, they would need to reside on the mountain for a period.

“Hey, Little Lu Zi, now that we’re here, I’m treating tonight…” A hearty laugh echoed from a young man clad in white silk. “That’s what being the host means…”

“Little Meng Zi, you said it! I’m going all out on the feast,” retorted a young man dressed in green silk. These two youths, one in white and one in green, ate and drank their fill in a bustling tavern before finally strolling out. Upon exiting, Lu Yuan asked, “Right, I heard there’s a rather large cultivator market near Mount Wu Ling—is that right?”

“Yes,” Meng Bai confirmed with a nod. “There is a Wuling Market, situated next to Wuling Prefecture. It’s a mid-sized cultivator marketplace. Why are you asking? Looking to buy elixirs?”

Since Lu Yuan’s arrival at Wuling Immortal Sect, he had naturally encountered his childhood friend, Meng Bai. Their relationship remained warm. Last time, Meng Bai had stayed for a period at North Peak of Mount Hua Immortal Sect, where Lu Yuan had played host; now, it was Meng Bai’s turn. The two were immensely pleased to reunite.

Lu Yuan’s reason for inquiring about the cultivator market was not without purpose.

He possessed a significant collection of spoils of war, including items like the Asura Horns he had accumulated over the years but never sold, as well as the Crimson Sand Sword, Sand-elemental spirit beasts, and Earth-elemental spirit beasts—all still unsold. Selling these would yield a massive influx of wealth, which he could then use to acquire more Wind-elemental spirit beasts, accelerating his cultivation speed.

This was a tremendous hoard of battlefield gains; anyone else seeing it would likely be stunned speechless.

How many Wind-elemental spirit beasts could this haul fetch?

Of course, when Meng Bai heard Lu Yuan planned to sell some spoils, he assumed it was just a few items and paid it little mind, unaware of the sheer scale of the collection.

The cultivator market bore a striking resemblance to towns in the mortal realm.

In mortal towns, one found shops selling grain, wine, cloth, and pawnbrokers.

But in a cultivator market, the function of the establishments differed somewhat from their mortal counterparts. There were dedicated shops for exchanging spirit stones, places to trade spirit beasts, others for rare minerals and medicinal herbs, and stalls selling all manner of weaponry—various treasured swords and flying swords. Naturally, a cultivator market would never be complete without vendors peddling countless sword techniques and diverse cultivation methods.

Although the function of the various stalls varied, the basic layout was similar.

Before visiting the Tenth Branch of the Five Immortal Alliance, Lu Yuan had visited a smaller cultivator market. This current market was at least ten times larger than that small one; this place even traded in Spirit Swords, swords meant for those in the Longevity stage were available for sale—it encompassed everything one could possibly imagine. How grand, then, must the largest cultivator market in the Great Jin Kingdom be?

Lu Yuan mused internally as he walked through the bustling cultivator market, the noise of vendors and traffic filling the air on either side.

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