The Wuxiang Heavenly Master said to Chen Guan, "You have two choices now: One is to become my apprentice and stay in the Wuxiang Divine Palace for cultivation. I can provide you with resources so that you can reach the Ninth Awakening within a hundred years, or even attain the Ninth Awakening Peak. The other choice is that you can choose not to become my apprentice. You can still live here in the Wuxiang Divine Palace, and I will provide you with protection, but if you need resources, you must seek them on your own."

"If I choose the first option, what must I give in return?" Chen Guan asked directly.

The Wuxiang Heavenly Master smiled upon hearing this and said, "Communication with humans is indeed easier. If you become my apprentice, there are no other requirements, but you must remember one thing: no matter the time, you cannot leave the boundaries of Wuxiang Divine Palace without my permission."

"To gain the protection of the Heavenly Master, I am already very grateful." Chen Guan bowed and expressed his thanks immediately.

The Wuxiang Heavenly Master was slightly surprised and looked at Chen Guan, saying, "Do you know that the Wuxiang Celestial Palace is located in one of the most powerful regions of the Secret Spirit? Within the region of the Wuxiang Celestial Palace, hunting and mining are not allowed. Outside the Wuxiang Celestial Palace, terrifying Secret Spirits abound. Given your current Level, if you don't secure resources to increase your Level, advancing in the future will be very difficult."

"If I understand correctly, if I become your apprentice, it means I can't return to the Divine Land, right?" Chen Guan said.

"So, does the Divine Land still hold something or someone very important to you?" The Wuxiang Heavenly Master seemed to realize something.

Chen Guan nodded, "I still hope to have the opportunity to return to the Divine Land."

"In that case, you may first settle in Wanxiang City." The Wuxiang Heavenly Master said no more and instructed the Immortal Soldier to lead Chen Guan to his place of residence.

If one is a direct disciple of the Heavenly Master, they can live in the Wuxiang Divine Palace.

But since Chen Guan did not become an apprentice to the Heavenly Master, he could only live in the city at the foot of the mountain.

The Secret Spirits living here mostly hope to become apprentices to the Heavenly Master, but for various reasons, they have been unable to achieve their wish.

The houses here are built quite well. The place where Chen Guan is staying is a small independent building. Although not large, it has all the necessary facilities.

The fact that the Wuxiang Heavenly Master could arrange such accommodation for him even though he didn't become an apprentice is indeed quite gracious.

Chen Guan did not ask the Wuxiang Heavenly Master why one must stay in the Wuxiang Divine Palace if they become an apprentice and cannot go elsewhere, nor did he plan to violate the agreement and sneak away after apprenticeship.

With a person like the Wuxiang Heavenly Master, breaking promises would likely not result in anything good.

As Chen Guan was pondering, a little white creature emerged from his clothing, forming a large question mark in the air.

Chen Guan understood its meaning, knowing that Little White was asking why he did not become an apprentice when he had the chance.

Patiently, Chen Guan explained to Little White, "Previously, I thought the Wuxiang Heavenly Master was a Secret Spirit, so becoming an apprentice didn't matter. But now that I know the Wuxiang Heavenly Master is human, I can't just become an apprentice casually."

The question mark morphed by Little White swelled and then quickly contracted, seemingly asking why.

"This question is very complex, and I can't explain it to you right away. However, rest assured, even if I can't become an apprentice, I will find a way to obtain the Mountain Shifting Order to rescue your master." Chen Guan tried to reassure Little White.

Yet Little White was not so easy to appease, and the question mark it formed grew significantly larger and didn't shrink back this time.

"This Little White is stubborn. Without a convincing reason, it's hard to make it continue to obey." Chen Guan thought for a moment and said to Little White, "You heard it just now, both the Heavenly Master and I are human. He accepts Secret Spirits as disciples without conditions, but there are conditions if he accepts me. Do you know why?"

The question mark that Little White shaped shrunk a bit; evidently, it didn't know.

"Because humans understand humans. Although it was our first meeting, I discovered a secret about the Wuxiang Heavenly Master. He doesn't want me to spread this secret, which is why he set the condition that I cannot leave the Wuxiang Divine Palace."

The question mark formed by Little White fluctuated wildly, indicating its curiosity about the secret. It seems Secret Spirits are quite curious, and at least Little White is a very curious Secret Spirit.

"I can't tell you this secret. The Heavenly Master hasn't acted against me yet because he believes I won't divulge the secret. But if I did, he wouldn't let us go, and how would I obtain the Mountain Shifting Order to save your master?"

Chen Guan continued, "Rest assured, even if becoming an apprentice doesn't work out, I'm certain I can find a way to obtain the Mountain Shifting Order and rescue your master."

Though still somewhat skeptical, Little White had to trust Chen Guan for the moment.

Chen Guan needed to first understand the matters in the city, decipher the rules for survival here, and figure out what he could and couldn't do.

This city at the foot of the holy mountain is called Wanxiang City.

Aside from following the rules of the Wuxiang Divine Palace, there are no other chaotic elements here.

It's generally safe here; no Secret Spirits will attack humans unless provoked, at least.

Safety is relatively assured, but for this reason, there's no way to acquire Secret Spirit resources within Wanxiang City.

Not only in Wanxiang City, but throughout the entire region of the Wuxiang Divine Palace, is considered a no-hunting zone. To hunt Secret Spirits, one has to leave the boundaries of the Wuxiang Divine Palace.

However, even without hunting Secret Spirits, there are other ways to obtain resources.

In Wanxiang City, there are regular competitions held by the Wuxiang Divine Palace every month. Ranking in these competitions can earn you some prizes established by the Wuxiang Divine Palace.

The top ten can receive substantial resources, and the second place winner, besides receiving resource rewards, is also granted an opportunity to enter the Nine Heavens and tame a Celestial Cloud.

"This is indeed an unexpected delight." Chen Guan had been thinking about how to enter the Nine Heavens to obtain a Celestial Cloud pet without becoming an apprentice, and the opportunity presented itself.

The competitions organized by the Wuxiang Divine Palace are categorized by Level, and he can participate in the Seventh Awakening Level competition, securing second place shouldn't be too difficult.

Of course, Chen Guan didn't plan to participate himself.

The Secret Spirits who come to Wanxiang City might only be Seventh Awakening, but they aren't ordinary Secret Spirits, and who knows what strange abilities they have.

Chen Guan would not risk fighting by himself—it's not a good idea if he ended up unexpectedly defeated.

Chen Guan planned to have his pet participate and see if it could secure second place.

As for the first prize, it offers an opportunity for a private lesson with the Wuxiang Heavenly Master.

It's said that any Secret Spirit receiving personal guidance from the Heavenly Master experiences a remarkable boost in strength. Many Secret Spirits remain in Wanxiang City, fighting to the bitter end for this opportunity.

Chen Guan had some speculations about the Wuxiang Heavenly Master, but he wouldn't involve himself in these matters without a complete or verified chain of evidence.