Wei Dao, dressed in an unadorned, plain Daoist robe, took the seat of honor in the center.

"I have idly passed a hundred years with little to show for it. To have so many fellow Daoists attend this banquet today is a profound honor!"

Wei Dao had been the Sect Leader of the Qingfeng Sect for forty years. He wielded absolute authority, and no one in the Sect, from top to bottom, dared to defy him. His presence was one of deep gravitas.

At that moment, he raised a Jade Venerable, toasted the guests from afar, and drained it in one gulp.

"Congratulations to Sect Leader Wei! May your Great Dao be evergreen and your longevity match the heavens!"

The guests in the hall quickly rose, lifted their cups, and offered their congratulations in unison.

Even the perpetually indifferent Foundation Establishment Cultivator from the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect raised his cup in a toast after everyone else.

"Let the banquet begin!"

Amidst the clinking of cups and lively conversation, Wei Dao clapped his hands, and one exquisite dish of Spiritual Cuisine after another was served.

For a time, everyone, host and guest alike, was in high spirits.

As the birthday banquet drew to a close, Wei Dao once again took the stage to share some insights on the cultivation of Daoist Techniques.

It was a thousand-year-old tradition in Mizhou for Cultivators to share their cultivation insights at their birthday banquets as a way to thank their guests.

It did not involve any specific Cultivation Techniques or Magic, but was merely Wei Dao’s own understanding of the Great Dao—profound and esoteric.

Most people in the hall were completely baffled, listening in a fog. Only the Foundation Establishment Cultivator from the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect and a few Late-Stage Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators maintained serious expressions, listening with rapt attention.

It was said that in Ancient Times, Foundation Establishment was merely the entry point to the Immortal Path. Core Formation, however, was a fundamental leap in one’s very essence of life, touching upon the barest surface of the Great Dao True Intent.

What Wei Dao was explaining was his personal understanding of the Great Dao. For those whose Realm was insufficient, it was as incomprehensible as a celestial book.

...

「Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, four months had passed since the Qingfeng Sect Leader’s hundredth birthday celebration.」

For the Loose Cultivators of Black Mountain County, the next few days were the most important, life-changing days.

The Qingfeng Sect opened its Mountain Gate wide once every ten years to recruit disciples from the entire county, and that time was near.

As long as your background was clean and you had never committed any crimes, you were eligible to apply.

Every year, nearly a hundred fortunate Loose Cultivators would become servant disciples, completing what they called "crossing the Dragon Gate."

Outside the Qingfeng Sect’s Mountain Gate, groups of three to five Loose Cultivators could be seen on every mountain peak. In total, there were probably no fewer than a thousand people.

Some clever Loose Cultivators had already occupied conspicuous spots to set up stalls and sell their wares.

With such a large flow of people, dozens of stalls quickly appeared. The area was bustling with a constant stream of visitors, and business was booming.

However, everyone was short on Spirit Stones, so most transactions were done through barter.

"I hear there are several hundred more Loose Cultivators signing up this time than usual. I wonder if the Qingfeng Sect will even look twice at someone with my meager cultivation."

Across from this small, temporary marketplace, a tea shed had been set up. At one of the wooden tables sat four people, all of whom had come for the opening of the Qingfeng Sect’s Mountain Gate, hoping to change their allegiances and become a Qingfeng Sect Disciple.

The man who spoke looked to be in his thirties, with average features, distinguished only by a pair of extremely prominent, thick eyebrows.

He wore a worn Daoist Robe that, despite being washed very clean, was fraying at the corners where the Runes of a Cleaning Talisman were embroidered, revealing his dire financial situation.

"Little Friend Lu, why worry? It’s true that a large number of cultivators have migrated from other counties this year, but I’m sure the Upper Sect will take the hardships of us local Black Mountain cultivators into consideration when allocating the spots."

An old man with graying hair sitting opposite him curled his lip in disdain and gestured for him to look across the way.

"A bunch of outsiders, and they think they can steal our spots!"

Outside the tea shed, a group of more than ten Loose Cultivators walked past together. Each held a Magical Artifact, and they all exuded a murderous, blood-soaked aura. They were clearly the Loose Cultivators who had migrated from other counties.

"Of course you don’t have to worry, Elder Tong. You have a skill with Spirit Plants. You were once hired by a Cultivation Family as a Spirit Farmer and have experience independently managing a ten-mu Spirit Field."

Lu Song sighed, his anxiety causing his two thick eyebrows to nearly merge into one.

"Loose Cultivators with a practical skill are the most welcomed by the Qingfeng Sect. Becoming a servant disciple is a sure thing for you. Not like me... I’m in my early thirties and only at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer, and I haven’t mastered a single trade... ’If I were a Qingfeng Sect Immortal Master, I wouldn’t recruit a good-for-nothing like me either!’"

The newly migrated Loose Cultivators mostly had a Mid-Stage Qi Refining Cultivation. In the half-hour they had been sitting in the tea shed, they had even seen two great experts at Late-Stage Qi Refining.

Those with lower Cultivation had mostly died on the road while fleeing; they couldn’t make it all the way to Black Mountain County.

Lu Song’s Cultivation wasn’t outstanding, and his age offered no advantage. In previous years when competition was less fierce, he might have had a chance to squeeze in as a servant disciple.

But at this year’s recruitment ceremony, he was actually less competitive than Elder Tong, who was only at the Qi Refining Third Layer.

A Cultivator like Lu Song could bring no value to the Qingfeng Sect, and at his age, he had little potential left.

Unlike Elder Tong, who could be useful the moment he joined the Sect by tending to the Spirit Fields.

"Haha, I’m almost sixty! If I can really become a servant disciple of the Upper Sect, this life will have been worth it!"

Elder Tong stroked his sparse goatee, feeling a sliver of superiority.

The four of them had only just met three days ago on their way to the Qingfeng Sect. The gathering of Loose Cultivators made the crowds chaotic and messy. Although the Qingfeng Sect’s reputation served as a deterrent and Sect Disciples patrolled the area on their swords, there was no guarantee against audacious Tribulation Cultivators. That was why the four had agreed to travel together.

For the past two days, Lu Song, relying on his Mid-Stage Qi Refining Cultivation, had looked down on Elder Tong’s Cultivation and had been rather condescending in his remarks.

After all, in the most lenient recruitment years, a Loose Cultivator with his Cultivation was guaranteed a spot as a servant disciple.

Lu Song had originally harbored a sliver of an unrealistic, soaring ambition. But upon arriving near the Mountain Gate and seeing the hills swarming with cultivators and Mid-Stage Qi Refining Loose Cultivators everywhere, his spirits instantly plummeted.

Even for recruiting the most basic servant disciples, it seemed the Qingfeng Sect had countless better options than him.

However, when Elder Tong’s gaze shifted to the two people beside him, that trace of superiority vanished instantly.

"Of course, the one with the surest chance here is Brother Bai! Qi Refining Fourth Layer before the age of seventeen! I really don’t know how you cultivate, little brother. Did you start in your mother’s womb?"

Elder Tong exclaimed dramatically, his beard twitching and eyes wide.

This young man with the surname Bai had pleasant features and a slender build. While not strikingly handsome, he had a calm and composed demeanor, and his conduct and conversation were very agreeable.

Lu Song looked at the young man, sighing with emotion as well. "That’s right. Brother Bai has the same Cultivation as me at such a young age. He might even become an Outer Sect Disciple directly... When you make it big in the future, you have to give us a hand."

"You fellow Daoists exaggerate. I see there are crouching tigers and hidden dragons among the applicants. It’s hardly my turn to stand out."

Bai Zichen said with a gentle smile, sipping the bland, mortal tea.

A week ago, he had packed his belongings, bid farewell to his elders, and set out for the Qingfeng Sect on his own, ready to become an Inner Sect Disciple as per their prior agreement.

It was Bai Zichen’s first time traveling alone. He took his time, and when he saw the numerous groups of Loose Cultivators not far from the Qingfeng Sect, he simply dispelled his Sword Light and assumed the identity of an ordinary young Loose Cultivator.

According to his story, he had been practicing Cultivation with an elder since he was a child, traveling far and wide with no fixed home.

As for his Cultivation? He had just reached the Qi Refining Fourth Layer.

But this level of Cultivation, combined with Bai Zichen’s age, was still enviable among Loose Cultivators. His three companions all believed he could securely claim a spot as a Qingfeng Sect disciple.

As for whether he would be a servant disciple or an Outer Sect Disciple, that would depend on the specific recruitment situation when the Qingfeng Sect opened its Mountain Gate this time.