8: Chapter 8 Ye Fan!

Following Elder Zhuge Cong—who had a face longer than a horse's and a name that was surprisingly down-to-earth—dozens of newly recruited matrilocal sons-in-law walked along the bluestone path of the floating immortal mountain.

Along the way, immortal cranes danced, exotic flowers and herbs emitted refreshing fragrances, and occasionally, disciples wearing the Zhuge Family attire could be seen riding magical artifacts, streaking by like flowing light, drawing gasps of amazement from the youths.

However, this fairyland-like scenery did not last long.

Zhuge Cong led them through many twists and turns, walking further and further into remote areas where the surrounding spiritual energy seemed less concentrated. Finally, they stopped in front of a... massive cliff.

This cliff was as steep as if carved by a knife, and its face was densely covered with countless cave openings. Looking at it from afar, it truly resembled a giant anthill or a beehive formed by some supernatural power.

These openings were uniform in size and neatly arranged, but overall, they gave one a sense of... a collective dormitory, specifically one with rather harsh conditions.

Elder Zhuge Cong turned around, his stern old face appearing even more majestic against the backdrop of the cliff. He pointed to the densely packed cave openings, his voice devoid of emotion:

"From now on, you will live here."

The group of youths looked at the towering cliff and the countless cave openings, their hearts pounding with unease.

This was quite a big... difference from the dwellings of immortal disciples they had imagined.

"The number on your storage bag represents the number of the cave dwelling you will inhabit," Elder Zhuge Cong added.

Li Guidai, hearing this, hurriedly took out his storage bag—which had previously held spirit stones and pills but was now completely empty—and searched it inside and out. Sure enough, he found a small number branded with spiritual energy in the corner of the bag: 250.

"Two hundred and fifty?" Li Guidai paused, then chuckled, muttering to himself: "Heh, this number... it really has a connection to me. It's just so... outstanding."

Someone nearby heard him and couldn't help but snicker, but upon seeing the icy gaze swept over by Elder Zhuge Cong, they immediately covered their mouth tightly, holding back their laughter until their face turned red.

Elder Zhuge Cong didn't seem to care about this small episode and continued to introduce the place with his rasping voice: "This place is called Qingling Pass. Don't be fooled by its appearance; beneath this cliff lies a large composite spirit-gathering array constructed from countless small spirit-gathering arrays. The closer the cave dwelling is to the front, the denser the spiritual energy."

He paused, seemingly giving everyone time to digest the information, and then dropped an even more shocking piece of news: "The Zhuge Family has hundreds more of these cliff-dwelling complexes."

Hundreds? Everyone gasped! The foundation of the Zhuge Family was truly unfathomable! Just the place to house them, these "reserve" matrilocal sons-in-law, was of such grand scale.

"As matrilocal sons-in-law of the Zhuge Family, you must observe some rules." Elder Zhuge Cong's voice suddenly turned cold, carrying an unquestionable authority.

"First, without permission, you are not allowed to leave the Qingling Pass area, much less intrude into the inner courtyard of the Zhuge Family." His gaze was as sharp as an eagle's. "Violators will be heavily punished! At the lightest, you will face wall-facing contemplation and deduction of resources; at the worst... hmph, go experience the Punishment Hall for yourself!"

The youths shrank their necks, as if they could already see the cold-gleaming torture implements in the Punishment Hall.

"Second, private fighting between you is strictly prohibited!" Elder Zhuge Cong emphasized. "If you have any conflicts, you can report them to be adjudicated by the family's Law Enforcement Team. If you dare to fight privately, once discovered, there will be no leniency! Your cultivation will be crippled, and you will be expelled from the Zhuge Family!"

Cripple cultivation! Expel from the family! This punishment was undeniably severe! Everyone felt a chill in their hearts, and the minor friction that had just arisen from competing to be the "Eldest Miss's husband" was instantly suppressed.

"Third, and most importantly." Elder Zhuge Cong's gaze swept over the crowd, lingering for a moment on the lower waist areas of certain individuals. "Your responsibility is to branch out and spread leaves for the Zhuge Family! The family will arrange wives for you, and what you need to do is work hard at cultivation, and give birth to descendants!"

He specifically emphasized: "Those with good spiritual roots will be heavily rewarded!"

These words were spoken with such bluntness that many of the thin-skinned youths instantly blushed deeply.

Li Guidai, on the other hand, listened with great interest, even subconsciously straightening his back, feeling that his Ancient Kidney Physique was already raring to go.

Just at this moment, a somewhat hurried figure ran over from the distance; it was the young disciple who had been responsible for registration on the flying boat and whom Li Guidai had "bribed."

He ran to Elder Zhuge Cong's side, bowed respectfully, and whispered a few words.

Elder Zhuge Cong, after listening, had his gaze fall upon Li Guidai once more; the look seemed to carry a bit of... inquiry? And a trace of imperceptible helplessness? He cleared his throat and said to the group:

"This is Senior Brother Zhuge Ming, who will be your direct manager here at Qingling Pass from now on. He will live here and be responsible for your daily routines, resource distribution, task arrangements, and various other trivial matters."

Senior Brother Zhuge Ming nodded slightly to the group, acknowledging them. He looked to be in his early twenties, with an ordinary appearance, but his eyes were clear, revealing a sense of competence.

"If you don't understand anything, or have any needs in your daily life, you can look for him." After finishing, Elder Zhuge Cong exchanged a few more whispered words with Senior Brother Zhuge Ming, then flicked his sleeves, transformed into a streak of green light, and hurried away, as if staying for even one more second was a bother.

Having sent off the "gatekeeper" elder, the atmosphere seemed to lighten a bit. Senior Brother Zhuge Ming clapped his hands, attracting everyone's attention, and said loudly:

"Alright, junior brothers, line up now and come to me one by one to register."

"You need to register your name, age, place of origin, and spiritual root grade. Afterwards, each of you will be issued an identity token. Only by holding your own token can you enter your corresponding cave dwelling; otherwise, you will be blocked or even attacked by the cave's defensive formation."

Hearing this, the group hurriedly formed a long line. Although they were a bit disappointed with the environment of the cave dwellings, the thought of the identity tokens and future "tasks" perked them up again.

The line moved slowly, and one after another, six or seven people completed their registration and received their tokens.

At this moment, it was the turn of the youth from Nan Village who possessed a Grade 5 high-tier Wood Spiritual Root and was at the sixth level of Qi Refining. He walked up to Senior Brother Zhuge Ming, head slightly raised, carrying an undisguisable air of arrogance, and clearly announced:

"My name is Ye Fan, I am twenty-two years old, from Nan Village, and my spiritual root grade is Grade 5 high-tier Wood Spiritual Root."

As his voice fell, a low sound of envious exclamation arose from the surroundings. Grade 5 high-tier! Among this group, he was truly standing out from the crowd.

However, Li Guidai, who was standing at the back of the line, was struck by a bolt of nine-heaven mysterious thunder to his crown the moment he heard the name "Ye Fan." He shuddered, his eyes widened into circles, and he roared frantically in his heart:

"What the f*ck?! Ye Fan?!"