Immortal Cultivation: Starting as a Fortune Cultivator - Chapter 13

After handing Ye Qingxuan and Ye Qingxiao over to their family’s Ancestor, Ye Yuhong left the Profound Heaven Sect.

While the Profound Heaven Sect was excellent, as the Patriarch of the Ye Family, he had many affairs awaiting his attention back home. It wasn’t convenient for him to stay at the sect for long.

Once Ye Yuhong departed, Ye Zhaoyang led Ye Qingxuan and the other deeper into the Profound Heaven Mountain Range, heading towards that massive, cloud-piercing peak at its very center.

It was then that Ye Qingxuan learned this tallest and most majestic peak within the range was named Profound Heaven Peak!

Profound Heaven Peak was also the gathering place for the majority of the sect’s powerful experts. Essentially, all the major Elders of the Profound Heaven Sect, including the Sect Leader himself, had established their personal Dao Fields on this peak.

The stronger one’s cultivation and the higher their status, the closer their Dao Field or cave dwelling was to the summit.

Upon reaching the foot of Profound Heaven Peak, Ye Zhaoyang found a white-haired elder and said cheerfully, “Steward Mo, these are two juniors of my family who wish to join the Profound Heaven Sect. One of them is a prospective Fortune Cultivation Disciple. I’ll be troubling you to look after them from now on.”

As he finished speaking, Ye Zhaoyang discreetly passed a small pouch to Steward Mo.

Steward Mo took the pouch with practiced ease, stowing it away naturally. A smile graced his features as he replied, “Junior Brother Ye, you’ve had quite the luck, securing a Fortune Cultivation slot. Heh, rest assured, you can leave these two in my hands!”

Noting that Steward Mo addressed him as ‘Junior Brother’, a sign of wanting to build rapport, Ye Zhaoyang smoothly adapted his own address: “In that case, I’ll be troubling you from now on, Senior Brother Mo!”

Steward Mo’s cultivation level was inferior to his own, but a Steward’s status within the Profound Heaven Sect was equivalent to that of a Core Disciple.

Furthermore, most Stewards were former Core Disciples who had lost hope of further breakthroughs. After a certain period, the sect assigned them to handle miscellaneous duties in various departments, thus becoming Stewards.

Therefore, Steward Mo technically had more seniority than an average Core Disciple like Ye Zhaoyang, so addressing him as ‘Senior Brother’ was perfectly appropriate.

Ye Zhaoyang then turned to Ye Qingxuan and Ye Qingxiao, introducing them, “Qingxiao, Qingxuan, this is Steward Mo Tian. From now on, follow Steward Mo’s instructions.”

Hearing this, Ye Qingxuan and Ye Qingxiao bowed respectfully in unison, “Qingxuan, Qingxiao, pay our respects to Steward Mo!”

Seeing their respectful demeanor, Mo Tian nodded in satisfaction, stroking his beard.

With that settled, Ye Zhaoyang left Ye Qingxuan and Ye Qingxiao in Mo Tian’s care and returned to his own cave dwelling for secluded cultivation.

After Ye Zhaoyang departed, Mo Tian looked at the two youths and said with a smile, “You two have good timing. The sect’s annual initiation ceremony is just a few days away. I’ll take you to the Reception Compound first, where you can stay until then.”

As it turned out, the Profound Heaven Sect was vast and had countless subordinate forces. Every year, these forces sent their talented disciples to the sect.

Additionally, sect elders occasionally brought back exceptionally gifted disciples they encountered during their travels.

But as a hegemon-level power in the Di Xuan Realm, the Profound Heaven Sect couldn’t handle disciple admissions casually or without proper regulations.

To manage this influx and for the sect’s development, the Profound Heaven Sect had decreed an annual, smaller-scale initiation ceremony, and a grand recruitment event held once every century.

The Profound Heaven Sect wasn’t short on people; it was short on peerless talents capable of supporting the sect in the future.

Typically, the annual initiation ceremony was a convenience for certain individuals within the sect itself, with lowered requirements, as the sect always needed people to handle mundane affairs anyway.

The centennial recruitment grand ceremony, however, was a spectacle facing all twenty-one major provinces under the Profound Heaven Sect’s jurisdiction, and even the entire Di Xuan Realm.

This wasn’t unique to the Profound Heaven Sect; all hegemon-level forces in the Di Xuan Realm operated under a tacit agreement, simultaneously opening their recruitment grand ceremonies every hundred years.

This centennial event was incomparable to the annual initiation ceremony. It was the channel the Profound Heaven Sect truly valued for recruiting elite disciples who would become the sect’s core.

The difficulty of the entrance tests increased significantly, and many sect elders would emerge from seclusion specifically to take on personal disciples.

Under Mo Tian’s guidance, Ye Qingxuan and Ye Qingxiao arrived at the Reception Compound, which already housed quite a few people.

Thanks to Mo Tian’s personal arrangements, the two were quickly settled into a small courtyard within the compound.

After finishing these arrangements, Mo Tian addressed them, “Just stay here for the next few days. After you formally join the sect, I’ll make further arrangements for you.”

With these final instructions, Mo Tian left.

Inside the small courtyard, Ye Qingxuan looked at the unfamiliar surroundings and had no intention of venturing out. He planned to stay put quietly within the courtyard, waiting for the initiation ceremony to begin.

Ye Qingxiao, however, couldn’t stand the idleness. Before long, he slipped out of the courtyard alone to wander around the Reception Compound.

That very afternoon, Ye Qingxiao managed to befriend several others also waiting for the initiation ceremony.

The next day, dragged insistently by Ye Qingxiao, Ye Qingxuan reluctantly went along to meet these new acquaintances.

They arrived at another courtyard where three youths of varying builds sat around a stone table in the center.

Seeing the person Ye Qingxiao had brought, one of them asked curiously, “Brother Qingxiao, who is this?”

Hearing the question, Ye Qingxiao, acting familiarly, pulled Ye Qingxuan to sit at an empty spot around the table and introduced, “Brother Li, this is my cousin, Ye Qingxuan.”

He then introduced the three to Ye Qingxuan: “Qingxuan, these three are friends I met yesterday: Brother Li Xuan, Brother Zhu Dafu, and Brother Long Tian.”

While the three were sizing up Ye Qingxuan, he was equally assessing Li Xuan, Zhu Dafu, and Long Tian.

Although, as a future Fortune Cultivator, forming friendships might not hold much significance, he didn’t want to reject Ye Qingxiao’s well-intentioned efforts. So, he took the initiative to speak, “Qingxuan pays his respects to the three gentlemen.”

Upon hearing this, Zhu Dafu smiled slightly and nodded. Long Tian, however, didn’t even glance at Ye Qingxuan, sipping his tea indifferently.

Li Xuan, who seemed to be the leader of the group, smiled and said, “Heh, there’s no need for such formality, Brother Qingxuan. I heard you obtained a Fortune Cultivation slot. To have the great determination to become a Fortune Cultivator is something Li Xuan truly admires.”

Hearing this, Ye Qingxuan instinctively glanced at Ye Qingxiao, but seeing his look of shock and confusion, he knew Ye Qingxiao hadn’t been the source.

So, Ye Qingxuan replied lightly, “Brother Li Xuan, your sources of information are quite efficient. We brothers just arrived yesterday, yet you’ve already investigated our backgrounds so thoroughly.”

Having said that, he looked at Li Xuan with a playful expression.

Seeing Ye Qingxuan’s look, Li Xuan remained unflustered, shaking his head and smiling as he cupped his hands, “Not at all, not at all! Brother Qingxuan misunderstands. It’s merely a hobby of mine to inquire about minor bits of news, nothing worthy of proper mention. If I have caused any offense, I hope Brother Qingxuan will forgive me!”

Seeing this, Ye Qingxuan’s expression softened slightly, but before he could speak, Long Tian, who had been sitting to the side, put down his teacup.

He looked askance at Ye Qingxuan and said disdainfully, “Brother Xuan, why bother currying favor with someone who has low talent and no future as a Fortune Cultivator?”

“Heh, Fortune Cultivators? Aren’t they just a bunch of hopeless farmers of a different sort? Apart from being able to provide some meager resources for their backers and the sect, what value do they have that’s worth currying favor for?”

For the better part of the past year, Long Tian couldn’t understand why Li Xuan and Zhu Dafu wasted their time trying to win over so many prospective Fortune Cultivators. A complete waste of time!

Feeling scornful, Long Tian paid no heed to the slightly darkened expressions of the others present.

Ye Qingxiao, especially, couldn’t contain his anger. “What kind of crap are you spouting, you punk? Do you want to taste my fists?” he roared, already rolling up his sleeves, ready to teach Long Tian a lesson, only to be stopped by Ye Qingxuan who was beside him.

After restraining Ye Qingxiao, Ye Qingxuan gave a cold laugh. “What? Are you questioning the sect’s judgment? The Fortune Cultivators, whom the sect painstakingly trains in the early stages and who cultivate vast quantities of low-level resources for the sect—in your eyes, they are worthless farmers? How utterly ridiculous!”

While Ye Qingxuan preferred a quiet life, that didn’t mean he would tolerate insults lying down!

Hearing Ye Qingxuan’s words, Li Xuan and the previously silent Zhu Dafu both had a change in expression. Seeing Long Tian, still unconvinced, about to speak again, Li Xuan rebuked him sharply, “Long Tian! This is the Profound Heaven Sect, not your Long Family.”

Faced with Li Xuan’s scolding, Long Tian’s face darkened. He suppressed his original retort and said discontentedly, “Keeping company with a bunch of Fortune Cultivators… I don’t know what the two of you are thinking. Hmph! Suit yourselves. This young master won’t keep you company.”

Having said that, he abandoned Li Xuan and Zhu Dafu, leaving by himself.

Watching Long Tian leave, Li Xuan could only offer an apology to Ye Qingxuan, “Brother Qingxuan, please forgive us! This matter was our fault.”

Facing Li Xuan’s apology, Ye Qingxuan shook his head slowly. “Brother Li Xuan, there’s no need for that. This matter has nothing to do with you. Qingxuan has other matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave now.”

After speaking, Ye Qingxuan led Ye Qingxiao away from the place.

After the two left, Zhu Dafu asked, “Brother Xuan, given the situation, should we still try to win over Ye Qingxuan?”

Hearing Zhu Dafu’s question, Li Xuan let out a light laugh, his tone indifferent. “He’s just a single first-rank Fortune Cultivator. It doesn’t affect the bigger picture. In the past year, the number of prospective Fortune Cultivators we’ve managed to win over is already sufficient.”

Hearing this, Zhu Dafu glanced in the direction Ye Qingxuan had left and merely nodded, remaining silent.

“Besides,” Li Xuan continued calmly, “as long as that Lin Fan doesn’t run into any problems, the others are inconsequential.”

At the mention of the name ‘Lin Fan’, a flicker of envy passed through Zhu Dafu’s previously calm eyes.