ID name represents my heart, "Steward Zhong. Hello!" Ye Wen always felt that the name Zhong Dajun was particularly familiar.

However, he couldn't recall it immediately, and he was certain this fellow wasn't some historical celebrity. "Perhaps it's just sharing a name with someone!" Thinking this, he stopped pondering further.

After exchanging greetings, he asked, "May I ask how the sect registration process should be handled?" Zhong Dajun waved his hand, his face still wearing that brilliant, slightly fake smile—the kind that seemed like a mandatory function of his job. "We can discuss that later.

For now, let's settle the entry registration for Sect Master Ye and all the members of your esteemed sect!" Only then did Ye Wen realize. His Shushan Sect not only needed to handle sect registration but also the entry registration for every single person who had ascended from their ranks.

Simply put, it meant that he, Ye Wen, along with his junior brothers and sisters, and all his disciples and grand-disciples, were all illegal immigrants in the Immortal Realm, having snuck in, and now they needed to legitimize their status. "This...

the entire sect, hundreds of people...," "Those aren't urgent!" Zhong Dajun realized Ye Wen had misunderstood and clarified, "We only need to register the few senior members of your sect for now. The rest can be archived slowly later!" Hearing this, he understood.

The Heavenly Court established such a department primarily to keep the cultivators of the Immortal Realm under its control. Since Immortal Realm cultivators were all essentially mobile, large-scale destructive weapons capable of moving mountains and draining seas, failing to manage them properly could lead to irreversible, massive trouble.

By securing the personnel files first, the Heavenly Court would at least gain a basic understanding of these individuals. If any issues arose later, they wouldn't be caught completely off guard.

As for the disciples? They weren't significant enough for the Heavenly Court to focus on yet, so there was no rush to archive them.

Following Zhong Dajun to a desk, Ye Wen sat down opposite him. Zhong Dajun then pulled out a thick ledger, picked up a brush, and rolled up his sleeves in preparation.

After Ye Wen relayed the basic situations regarding himself, Ning Ruxue, and Xu Xian, he watched the registrar write at lightning speed. It seemed as if several arms were moving incessantly, and his eyes appeared to hold three or five brush handles.

In the blink of an eye, the ledger was filled to capacity. Zhong Dajun continued writing with one hand and turning pages with the other, never pausing his speech.

Before the tea in Ye Wen’s cup had even cooled entirely, Zhong Dajun had finished asking everything he needed to know. Zhong Dajun set down the brush and handed the ledger to Ye Wen.

"Sect Master Ye, please review it. Are there any errors or omissions?" Ye Wen flipped through the pages starting from the first one and found no mistakes.

It had accurately recorded all the basic information he had just provided. What amazed Ye Wen was that Zhong Dajun had written with virtually no pause, turning pages without waiting for the ink to dry.

Yet, there was no smudging now; the characters were perfectly clear, as if they had been written there for a long time. "This is ink produced by the Tianji Sect.

It dries almost instantly upon writing," Zhong Dajun explained while tidying up, pointing to an inconspicuous inkwell beside him. After Ye Wen returned the ledger, confirming there were no issues, Zhong Dajun sat back down and started chatting with him.

The topics were random, but mostly, Ye Wen was the listener. Zhong Dajun spoke about local customs, gossip about various families, which sects had more beautiful women, and the most famous goddesses in the Immortal Realm.

By the end, Ye Wen felt he had benefited greatly. After some time, a minor clerk rushed in and whispered a few words into Zhong Dajun's ear.

Ye Wen tried to listen, but no sound reached him no matter how hard he focused his hearing. It seemed the Heavenly Court officials these days were wary of eavesdropping and used subtle techniques when speaking.

"Oh! Is that so!" Zhong Dajun waved his hand, dismissing the clerk.

Then he turned to Ye Wen. "Next, Sect Master Ye, we will need you to detail the situation of your sect..." Hearing this, Ye Wen immediately understood that Yang Jian must have reached some sort of agreement with the Jade Emperor.

Essentially, the Jade Emperor tacitly acknowledged the existence of the Shushan Sect, but the Heavenly Court would certainly not admit to any secret dealings with Shushan. Even Yang Jian wouldn't acknowledge it.

The official declaration would only state that the Shushan Sect was one among many sects in the Eastern Immortal Continent, nothing out of the ordinary. As for why they chose to establish their base in a buffer zone where no power should exist—that had to be asked of the Shushan Sect; it was Shushan's insistence on building their sect there.

As cultivators of the Eastern Immortal Continent, they had the right to establish their mountain gate anywhere in that region, a right the Heavenly Court could not dispute. "This is the right of cultivators!" This official narrative would serve as the response to any queries from the Western Buddhist Realm or the Olympus God Realm.

Of course, everyone knew these words were nonsense; they were merely for placating the other two powers. If those two were truly formidable, they could easily find an excuse—saying the Heavenly Court violated previous agreements and starting a fight.

But currently, the Western Buddhist Realm and the Heavenly Court were relatively friendly, and the Olympus God Realm was still recovering from the last great war; its effects hadn't fully dissipated, meaning they lacked the energy for an attack anytime soon. Thus, the matter had to be settled this way!

Although Ye Wen came from the Heavenly Court, he hadn't truly interacted with the ruling class of the Sword Immortal Realm or witnessed the wrangling between the major powers firsthand, yet he could generally guess the situation. He even shared his deductions with Dongfang Kui, but his words seemed to land on deaf ears.

Dongfang Kui, showing almost no interest in these matters, merely responded with an "Oh," and dismissed it. "True Lord Erlang needs to remain in the Heavenly Court for a while, likely to avoid suspicion, so he won't return with us.

We'll have to rely on ourselves for the journey back!" Ye Wen glanced back at the Heavenly Gate, which was already far away but still faintly visible. "This...

you still remember the way back, right?" "Not clearly..." Dongfang Kui shook her head. Although she could remember the routes inside the Heavenly Court because there were landmarks, the journey to the court had been nothing but blue sky and white clouds in every direction, with no discernible differences.

How could she remember the way? Ye Wen sighed and said, "Let's head in the general direction first.

If we really get lost, we can descend and ask someone!" After all, his Shushan Sect was located on the western frontier of the Eastern Immortal Continent; ordinary people should know the way. At worst, asking a fellow cultivator would be just as good.

Speaking of fellow practitioners, Ye Wen remembered Yang Jian had suggested he seek out suitable people from the Tianji Sect. Shushan now had teachers for array diagrams, but alchemy and artifact crafting were still unresolved issues.

So, as soon as Ye Wen left the Heavenly Court, he checked the direction and headed straight for the Tianji Sect. The Tianji Sect was one of the few sects located in the very center of the Immortal Continent.

It wasn't that this central area hosted only one sect, but rather that it was the only one that had managed to grow into a major power. Sects focused solely on cultivation and strengthening themselves preferred more remote locations.

In this central region, due to the high population density, they were less inclined to settle there. The Tianji Sect chose this location due to the nature of its primary industries.

Manufacturing magical artifacts and elixirs required constant interaction with various sects, so establishing their gate in a place with easy access in all directions was convenient. Legend held that the Tianji Sect's original gate was not here, and they moved here later.

To avoid frequent harassment from ordinary mortals, they expended the entire sect's power to transform a mountain peak into a floating mountain range, utterly inaccessible to mortals below. For this reason, Ye Wen did not descend to the peaks below to search for the Tianji Sect’s location.

Instead, after confirming the general direction, he flew above the cloud layer. Before long, he spotted the mountain peak floating in the clouds.

He also noticed a vast platform on one side of the peak, resembling an airfield. Beams of light periodically ascended from or descended onto the platform.

"That must be the main entrance specifically for arrivals and departures!" He wasn't wrong. As soon as he landed with Dongfang Kui, they saw many disciples dressed in Taoist robes standing nearby, explaining their sect's layout to fellow cultivators.

"Walk down this path and turn right to find the area selling our sect's elixirs and artifacts. If you go left, you'll find the section for array diagrams." These kinds of instructions echoed around, reminding Ye Wen of the concept of a shopping street.

Ye Wen casually stopped a disciple and asked, "Might I inquire how to find one of your honored elders?" The disciple paused, then looked Ye Wen up and down curiously. "May I ask the esteemed Daoist's name?

Which elder of our sect are you seeking?" Ye Wen replied, "I am Ye Wen of the Shushan Sect. I am here to find your sect's Immortal Cui of the Gourd, Senior Cui.

I wonder if he is currently in the sect?" "The Shushan Sect?" The disciple thought for a long time but couldn't recall ever hearing of such a sect. He inwardly mused, Perhaps it's a newly established sect trying to pull something from us?

His suspicion wasn't baseless. The Tianji Sect's fame resonated throughout the Immortal Realm.

Some smaller sects relied entirely on artifacts sold by the Tianji Sect as their supreme treasures or personal armaments. It was perfectly normal for newly founded sects to try and acquire some good items here; he had encountered many such individuals before.

However, since Ye Wen specifically asked for Cui Jun, he couldn't simply send him away. Who knew if that martial grand-uncle, who enjoyed drinking and throwing tantrums, actually knew this person?

Perhaps he owed this person a promise while drunk, or maybe even owed him money for wine? Despite his internal deliberations, his outward smile remained, and he treated Ye Wen with considerable politeness.

"Martial Uncle-Ancestor Cui is indeed in the sect, but Daoist Friend cannot just see him directly. Please wait a moment; allow me to make an announcement and then escort you in to help relay your message!" Ye Wen nodded in agreement, secretly praising, "The Tianji Sect truly lives up to its reputation as a great power.

Even the disciples guarding the entrance possess such demeanor." Having seen many juniors who, relying on their sect's might, looked down on others, Ye Wen gained a very good impression of this Tianji Sect disciple. His initial apprehension about the sect lessened considerably.

"It seems the Tianji Sect is quite upright. Even if I tell Cui Jun directly about Yu Shuang, he probably won't do anything to me!" At the same time, he understood why the Tianji Sect was the first choice for many sects in the Immortal Realm when selecting artifacts—just look at their attitude.

They treated customers with the utmost respect, like the concept of putting the customer first. Ye Wen only stood there for a moment before several other people arrived, asking nearby Tianji Sect disciples for information.

These disciples answered everything without reservation, always with smiles. If someone failed to understand, they would patiently explain in detail without showing any annoyance.

If requested, they would even personally lead the inquirer to the location where they could select artifacts, showing no sign of discontent. In just a short while, the disciple who had spoken to Ye Wen returned and respectfully gestured toward him.

"Please!" "Thank you for your trouble!" The disciple led the way, and Ye Wen followed behind, observing his surroundings. The area was dense with structures, almost all of which were shops and businesses, many bearing the signs of other establishments, which made Ye Wen even more curious.

"These shops don't belong to your sect, do they?" The disciple glanced in the direction Ye Wen was pointing and chuckled, "We have shops belonging to our sect here, but many people also set up stalls to sell their own goods. Apart from a very few items priced similarly to ours, most are cheaper.

Many cultivators who aren't wealthy and cannot afford our sect's artifacts or elixirs turn to buy their wares!" "And what conditions does your sect require to provide shop space?" The disciple replied, "Just a regular rental fee. This place is vast; it’s better to rent it out than leave it empty!" Ye Wen became even more intrigued.

The leader of the Tianji Sect was quite shrewd, implementing a commercial street model. This not only opened up a source of revenue but also significantly boosted the Tianji Sect's reputation and allowed them to build goodwill.

Based solely on this commercial street, the various sects of the Immortal Realm would be hesitant to move against the Tianji Sect. Ye Wen started hatching his own schemes.

It would be a lie to say he wasn't tempted; he even considered setting up such a commercial street himself. However, he understood that his Shushan Sect lacked the necessary conditions.

Firstly, Shushan's geographical location was poor. He would have to move the sect to the center of the Eastern Immortal Continent.

But doing so would invalidate his agreement with Yang Jian, wouldn't it? Furthermore, even if he moved Shushan, it might not yield the same results.

The Tianji Sect had accumulated its prestige over millennia, making everyone trust them when setting up shops here. Shushan clearly lacked that level of credibility.

"Perhaps I could create some small trinkets and then open a shop here?" This possibility seemed more likely. It could leverage the Tianji Sect's massive influence to raise Shushan's profile.

Ye Wen could even use unique small items to spread Shushan Sect products throughout the Sword Immortal Realm. "Hmm...

maybe I should also consider the market among ordinary mortals in the lower realms?" The disciples in the Immortal Realm were all selected from the mortal world. If Shushan could first establish its image in the minds of mortals, perhaps they could expand their influence from the bottom up?

"If that's the case, the items shouldn't be too high-end. They should preferably be common, everyday items, and not too expensive!" Looking around, he generally understood that the Tianji Sect primarily sold high-end goods.

While quality and efficacy were guaranteed, the prices were steep, catering only to a select few rather than the masses. Most cultivators came here to purchase elixirs and artifacts from smaller operations, with healing medicines being the best sellers.

Almost every small vendor had an indistinct crowd of cultivators squatting nearby. Since they had the reputation of the Tianji Sect backing them, merchants allowed to open shops here had a certain guarantee of trustworthiness, so the effects of these medicines were not too poor.

Even if some were stronger or weaker than others, their basic functions remained, allowing people to buy with confidence, without fear of counterfeits. This made elixirs very popular among cultivators who frequently encountered danger.

Artifacts, however, didn't sell as well. Those who came to buy artifacts were mostly younger cultivators, many of whom were new to this world.

Although they urgently needed good artifacts, their personal wealth was limited. Unless they came from a major sect, they could usually afford only one, even if they spent everything.

"In that case, should I really focus on elixirs?" Lost in thought as he walked, Ye Wen unconsciously passed through the bustling commercial street and arrived at a quieter area. The disciple leading him turned and said, "Daoist Friend, please wait here a moment.

I will go inside to announce you and then return to call you!" Ye Wen watched the disciple walk up to a courtyard entrance, speak briefly to the disciple standing guard there, and then the guard looked toward Ye Wen, glanced at him, and promptly darted into the courtyard. He intended to look further inside, but when the disciple entered the courtyard, although there were no visible obstructions, his sight could not penetrate the interior—it was like being shrouded in thick mist, preventing a clear view.

Surprised, he activated his Glazed Pupil, wanting to see exactly what was happening. However, cautious that this was someone else's residence, he dared not use his full power; only a faint glow flickered in his eyes, noticeable only if one looked closely.

But even so, ordinary deceptive spells should have been easily pierced. Yet, to Ye Wen's surprise, after that glance, the scene inside barely changed; he still couldn't see clearly into the courtyard.

At this point, he understood. This courtyard was protected by a highly profound array formation.

This realization sparked an idea in his mind: "Should I look for another array master?"