20: Second Life: First Steps on the Immortal Path (19)

"Foundation Establishment..."

Xu Yuan murmured to himself, his gaze directed toward the distant, continuous mountain ranges.

It was said that the world beyond those mountains was vast and boundless, filled with many Sects, where Heaven And Earth Treasures could be found everywhere, yet it was also fraught with hidden dangers and lethal intent.

Xu Yuan took a deep breath and took his first step toward truly leaving Thousand Cloud City.

The silhouette of Thousand Cloud City gradually faded behind him. Xu Yuan looked back one last time, seeing the familiar grey-tiled roofs swallowed by the encroaching mountains.

Upon first entering the wide world, Xu Yuan proceeded with caution. Along the way, he witnessed both the prosperity and the cruelty of the cultivation world.

Passing through several cultivation markets, Xu Yuan finally realized how vast the world outside Thousand Cloud City truly was.

Cultivators came and went in a constant stream. Magical Artifacts, Medicinal Pills, and Talismans were on display in a dazzling variety. There were even stalls selling Cultivation Techniques, though the prices made him hesitate.

Xu Yuan personally saw a Qi Condensation Cultivator get into a heated argument with a stall owner over a Spiritual Plant, only to be dragged away by the Market Enforcement Team, his fate unknown. He also saw two Cultivators develop a grudge over a bidding war; as soon as they left the market, they drew weapons against each other. The winner departed gracefully with the treasure, while the loser stained the wild grass with blood, left ignored by all.

Survival of the fittest—it was nothing more than that.

After traveling like this for over three months, Xu Yuan gradually adapted to the life of a traveler. Although his cultivation hadn't reached a Breakthrough, his understanding of the cultivation world was far beyond what it had been in Thousand Cloud City.

One day, Xu Yuan arrived at a fairly large cultivation market.

This market was located within the territory of a Sect called the "Crimson Flame Sect." It was bustling with people, far beyond the small markets he had passed through before.

Cultivators were as numerous as clouds in the market, with shops lining the streets. Occasionally, he could even sense the powerful aura of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator passing by.

Hearing that the Crimson Flame Sect was the overlord of the surrounding area, a glimmer of hope rose in Xu Yuan's heart.

"Perhaps joining such a Sect would be a more secure way to obtain resources and seek an Opportunity for Foundation Establishment?"

"The life of a Loose Cultivator is indeed free, but like rootless duckweed, it's not a long-term solution."

Xu Yuan immediately planned to try joining the Sect to seek cultivation resources and items for Foundation Establishment.

However, after inquiring a bit in the market, Xu Yuan's enthusiasm quickly cooled, turning into deep disappointment.

This was because the primary condition for the Crimson Flame Sect to recruit Disciples was not their current cultivation level, but their age and innate talent.

An old Loose Cultivator he happened to meet in a tea house in the market scoffed and threw cold water on his ideas: "Kid, looking at you, you're not exactly young, are you? And you still want to enter the Crimson Flame Sect?"

"Stop dreaming!"

"Those large Sects only like to pick 'unpolished gems.' You have to be young, have good talent, and a background as clean as a blank sheet of paper!"

"Only Disciples raised this way will be loyal to the Sect and willing to risk their lives for it."

The old Loose Cultivator took a sip of spiritual tea and continued, "People like you and me have grown wild outside; our minds are too complicated. The Sects don't trust us! You say you're at the 7th Layer of Qi Condensation? Hmm, that's decent strength."

"Unfortunately, it's useless!"

"Unless you were already a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, then you could become an Enshrined Guest Elder and get some resources."

"At the Qi Condensation Stage? Hmph, not a chance!"

Xu Yuan remained silent. Unwilling to give up, he went to observe the Crimson Flame Sect's recruitment point on the outskirts of the market from a distance for a while, which confirmed the old Loose Cultivator's words.

Those queuing there were all naive-looking boys and girls with innocent eyes, being tested for bone age and Spiritual Roots by Sect Deacons.

There wasn't a single person of his age.

The 7th Layer of Qi Condensation was a decent cultivation level among Loose Cultivators, but in the eyes of a Sect, it wasn't enough.

They didn't need "experts" who joined halfway through and carried the habits of a Loose Cultivator; they needed "their own people" who were trained from a young age and had a strong sense of belonging to the Sect.

Although Xu Yuan felt a sense of loss, he wasn't overly discouraged.

The path of immortal cultivation was already a Heaven-Defying journey; Opportunities were not found only within Sects.

Xu Yuan collected his thoughts and decided to purchase some essential supplies in the market before continuing his travels.

However, as he was preparing to leave, he keenly noticed that the atmosphere of the market was different from when he first arrived.

The pace of the passing Cultivators seemed much more hurried, and there was a hint of hard-to-detect excitement and tension in their conversations.

More obviously, the prices of several common Medicinal Pills and Talismans that Xu Yuan had inquired about a few days ago had quietly risen by ten to twenty percent. Especially those for healing, restoring Qi, and those with strong offensive or defensive effects showed even more significant increases.

"Shopkeeper, the price of this Qi Recovery Pill seems a bit more expensive than two days ago?"

Xu Yuan stopped in front of a Medicinal Pill shop and asked seemingly casually.

The shopkeeper looked up at him and said slowly, "Fellow Daoist, you must have just returned to the market, right? Everything has gone up now. Not just Qi Recovery Pills, but healing medicine, Explosive Flame Talismans, Vajra Talismans—which one hasn't? If you want to buy, you'd better do it early. In a few more days, I'm afraid the prices will be even higher, and it's uncertain if we'll even have stock."

"Oh? Why is that? Has something big happened nearby?" Xu Yuan followed up, suspicion growing in his heart.

The shopkeeper lowered his voice and said with a bit of mystery, "It seems you really don't know. The news came from the Crimson Flame Sect. Their Upper Sects—the Burning Sun Upper Sect—is about to make a big move!"

"Burning Sun Upper Sect?"

Xu Yuan's pupils constricted slightly.

What are Upper Sects?

Only a Sect with a Golden Core True Person presiding over it can be called Upper Sects!

And the Burning Sun Upper Sect was a large Sect that governed dozens of Lower Sects in this region, including the Crimson Flame Sect. Its power was not weak even in the entire Southern Region cultivation world.

"Exactly!" interrupted a burly man who was picking out Talismans nearby, his face showing an eager expression. "The Burning Sun Upper Sect has discovered a new Desolate Domain and is preparing to organize people to open it up! They are widely issuing Recruitment Orders right now!"

The shopkeeper took over the conversation, his eyes flashing with shrewdness. "Opening up a Desolate Domain is fraught with danger. I heard there's no shortage of powerful Yao Beasts and unknown perilous lands inside, but the opportunities are equally enormous!"

"Unknown lands often hide Spiritual Plants, ore veins, and even Ancient Cultivator Ruins. To gather enough people and attract Loose Cultivators, the Burning Sun Upper Sect has offered a sky-high reward this time!"

Xu Yuan's heart couldn't help but speed up a few beats. "What kind of reward?"

"Cultivation Medicinal Pills, High Grade Magical Weapons, Foundation Establishment Method—everything you can think of!"

"The Burning Sun Upper Sect has put out the word: anyone who earns merit during the opening can exchange it for rewards! Those with outstanding merit will even be granted an extra Foundation Establishment Pill!"

The man chimed in to answer, his voice rising slightly with excitement.

"Foundation Establishment Pill!"

These three words were like a clap of thunder, exploding in Xu Yuan's heart!

This was exactly the Foundation Establishment spiritual item that Xu Yuan had dreamed of but could not obtain during his travels in the cultivation world!

"No wonder the market prices are rising; it's the many Loose Cultivators who heard the news and are preparing in advance."

Xu Yuan understood. After all, if the Burning Sun Upper Sect was willing to use a Foundation Establishment Pill as bait, opening up the Desolate Domain would certainly be no easy task.

"Why does a behemoth like the Burning Sun Upper Sect need to recruit Loose Cultivators for the Desolate Domain? Are their own Disciples not enough?" a Cultivator who was hearing the news for the first time couldn't help but ask.

The burly man lowered his voice further. "Heh! The Desolate Domain is exceptionally dangerous, with Yao Beasts everywhere and even strange toxic miasmas and Forbidden Grounds. How could a great Sect be willing to let the Disciples they've carefully nurtured go to their deaths? Naturally, they want us rootless Loose Cultivators to lead the charge. If it succeeds, they get the land and resources; if it fails, it's not their people who die..."

Xu Yuan felt a chill in his heart. Even though the Loose Cultivators knew the Desolate Domain was dangerous, they still rushed toward it like moths to a flame.

After all, for a Qi Condensation Loose Cultivator, the temptation of a Foundation Establishment Pill was enough to make countless people take the risk.