Chapter 69: Conditions for Accepting Disciples

The next morning, after breakfast, Wang Changsheng followed Wang Mingzhan out to purchase materials for crafting puppet beasts.

Xianyuan City is a settlement built on the outskirts of the Hundred Beasts Mountain Range. From high above, the layout of the shops within Xianyuan City strikingly resembles a giant Bagua.

The Hundred Beasts Mountain Range is home to numerous demonic beasts and has existed for thousands of years. The Four Great Sects regularly clear out demonic beasts of Rank Three and above, leaving behind those of Rank One and Two for new disciples to gain experience. This also attracts cultivators to the area for resource exchange.

Xianyuan City was jointly established by the Four Great Sects. Trade thrives here, and it is protected not only by a Rank-3 Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams formation but also by a Core Formation stage cultivator. For many years, the city has remained peaceful.

The buildings on both sides of the streets are mostly commercial shops. The most common are those selling demonic beast materials, with a considerable number of alchemy shops and weapon stores as well.

Compared to White Dragon Valley, Xianyuan City is far less grand. However, when compared to Qingzhu Market, Xianyuan City is much larger.

In just over two months, it will be the Immortal Ascension Grand Assembly, held once every twenty years in the State of Song. Large numbers of cultivators are flocking to Xianyuan City from all over the state, making it even more prosperous. To attract customers, various merchants are either sending people to loudly hawk their wares or offering discounts to maximize their profits.

The Immortal Ascension Grand Assembly is not only a way for the Four Great Sects to recruit new talent but also a major trading event for the State of Song.

“A century-old artifact crafting shop! Come in and take a look! Buying our spiritual artifacts greatly increases your chances of joining a sect.”“High-grade Azure Origin Pills, refined by a Rank-1 high-grade alchemist! Affordable and of excellent quality.”“Fellow Daoists looking for spiritual talismans, come in and see! Our talismans are all crafted by disciples of the Purple Cloud Sect, guaranteeing their quality.”...The streets were teeming with people, like a surging tide. Shop assistants, holding amplification stones, loudly called out to customers from their doorways.

Wang Mingzhan had already asked Wang Yaolong and learned that the largest raw materials shop in Xianyuan City was the Thousand Spirit Pavilion.

The Thousand Spirit Pavilion is a shop established by the Azure Sun Sect, selling various raw materials. Bulk purchases offer a discount.

The hall was spacious and brightly lit, with shelves displaying various materials: spiritual herbs, ores, and talisman paper.

Wang Mingzhan, with his extensive experience, found Chen Feng, a deacon at the Thousand Spirit Pavilion. He purchased fifty sets of materials for crafting Rank-1 low-grade puppet beasts in one go, at a price of thirty spirit stones per set.

Back at the Wang Clan's Artifact Crafting Shop, Wang Changsheng immediately began crafting puppet beasts.

His success rate for crafting Rank-1 mid-grade puppet beasts was not high, likely related to his artifact crafting proficiency.

To quickly improve the shop's business, Wang Changsheng dedicated his cultivation time to crafting puppet beasts. In two days, he successfully created one Rank-1 low-grade puppet beast.

Upon learning of this, Wang Yaolong severely reprimanded Wang Changsheng and instructed Wang Mingcan to supervise him. Wang Changsheng was to spend four hours daily crafting puppet beasts, and once the time was up, Wang Mingcan would collect all the materials, ensuring Wang Changsheng focused on his cultivation.

Despite the severe reprimand from Wang Yaolong, Wang Changsheng felt a warmth in his heart.

Two months quickly passed, and Wang Changsheng rarely left the Wang Clan's Artifact Crafting Shop.

His days were fulfilling; he spent his time crafting puppet beasts and cultivating.

Once puppet beasts were available for sale in the shop, business indeed picked up. As soon as the puppet beasts were placed on the shelves, they quickly sold out.

The puppet beasts attracted many Qi Condensation cultivators to the shop to purchase spiritual artifacts.

With puppet beasts in high demand and short supply, Wang Mingcan began learning to craft them from Wang Changsheng.

To save costs, Wang Yaolong sent clansmen to fell a large quantity of ordinary wood for Wang Mingcan to practice carving puppets.

In addition to carving puppets, Wang Mingcan also began teaching Wang Changsheng how to craft mid-grade spiritual artifacts.

Through Wang Mingcan's careful instruction and repeated practice, Wang Changsheng was able to craft mid-grade spiritual artifacts, though his success rate was not high.

After learning to craft mid-grade spiritual artifacts, his success rate for crafting Rank-1 mid-grade puppet beasts indeed improved.

On this particular day, Wang Changsheng was crafting a puppet beast indoors.

Before him lay a lifelike tiger-shaped wooden puppet, its body covered in spiritual runes.

This tiger-shaped puppet was a Rank-1 mid-grade puppet, capable of spitting fireballs to attack enemies. Its selling price was higher than that of the black eagle puppet.

Wang Changsheng controlled the spiritual liquid with his divine sense, enveloping the tiger-shaped wooden puppet.

With a flash of red light, the spiritual liquid surged into the spiritual runes on the tiger-shaped wooden puppet, causing the runes to glow intensely red.

Wang Changsheng took out a black porcelain bottle, from which a cluster of green light flew out and headed towards the tiger-shaped wooden puppet.

Once the tiger-shaped wooden puppet absorbed the cluster of green light, the puppet beast was considered complete.

Wang Changsheng let out a long breath. It had taken him seven days and two failed attempts to finally craft this tiger-shaped puppet.

He put away the tiger-shaped puppet, went to the adjacent room, and handed it to Wang Mingcan.

Wang Mingcan was carving a wooden puppet, but his carving skills were rather poor. Despite multiple practices, the puppets he carved were quite crude.

“Not bad,” Wang Mingcan praised. “This tiger-shaped puppet beast can cast fireball spells. Selling it for one hundred and fifty spirit stones shouldn't be a problem.”

“Uncle Eleven,” Wang Changsheng said, “I heard that the Four Great Immortal Sects have issued notices for recruiting disciples. I'd like to go take a look.”

Wang Mingcan nodded. “Go ahead! Just remember not to leave Xianyuan City.”

Wang Changsheng acknowledged, then turned and went downstairs.

Arriving in the main hall, Wang Changsheng greeted Wang Yaolong, who was at the front desk, and then left.

Compared to the previous two months, there were even more cultivators on the streets.

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Wang Changsheng arrived at a street bustling with cultivators.

Four thick white stone pillars stood tall on the street, each engraved with golden characters that were particularly eye-catching.

These large golden characters detailed the disciple recruitment requirements of the Four Great Sects.

The State of Song had four major sects: the Azure Sun Sect, the Purple Cloud Sect, White Deer Academy, and Medicine King Valley.

To participate in the Immortal Ascension Grand Assembly, one had to meet three requirements: First, only cultivators with true spiritual roots were eligible, and their primary spiritual root's sensitivity had to be above seventy. Second, they must possess good character and have committed no evil deeds; a special examiner would use a Heart-Questioning Talisman to verify this, and spiritual beasts that could detect lies would be employed upon entry, making it impossible to bluff one's way through. Third, candidates must be under forty years old and at or above the sixth level of Qi Condensation.

Meeting these three requirements was only the first step; candidates also had to complete tasks issued by the Four Great Sects.

The Azure Sun Sect required candidates to collect five types of fifty-year-old spiritual wood and ten types of hundred-year-old spiritual herbs. The Purple Cloud Sect required five types of fifty-year-old spiritual grasses and the spiritual bones of three Rank-1 high-grade demonic beasts. White Deer Academy required three types of fifty-year-old spiritual bamboo, the hides of three Rank-1 high-grade demonic beasts, and the thorough study of ten Confucian classics. To join Medicine King Valley, one needed to collect the essence blood of five Rank-1 high-grade demonic beasts and ten fifty-year-old spiritual herbs.

Wang Changsheng read the recruitment conditions of the four sects and gave a bitter smile. His primary spiritual root's sensitivity was only sixty, meaning he didn't even qualify to participate in the Immortal Ascension Grand Assembly.