"By the way, Senior Brother Liu, when Senior Brother Zhang passed his techniques to me, he used a jade slip. Why didn't you use one?"

Xu Changshou asked, a hint of confusion in his voice.

Liu Chuansheng scoffed disdainfully. "You have not yet cultivated to the seventh layer of Qi Condensation. Even if I handed you a jade slip, you wouldn't be able to read it."

"One must reach the seventh layer of Qi Condensation to use a jade slip?"

"Naturally. Only after reaching the seventh layer can a cultivator project their Spiritual Qi externally. This is a crucial watershed in the Qi Condensation realm."

"Projecting Spiritual Qi externally.."

Xu Changshou could not help but fall into deep thought..

So, those below the seventh layer were entirely incapable of reading a jade slip. He finally realized that his ability to use one back in the village was solely because Zhang Zhengyuan had actively guided the energy for him.

Wait, does that mean my Bloodline Jade Talisman also requires the seventh layer of Qi Condensation to open?

At this thought, a thrill of excitement coursed through him. Previously, he had tried countless mundane methods-soaking it in water, roasting it over an open flame, and even smearing his own blood on it. The jade talisman hadn't shown a single trace of a reaction.

Looking back, his attempts were laughably primitive.

Since it was an artifact of the cultivation world, it naturally required Spiritual Qi to unlock. Reaching the seventh layer of Qi Condensation would give him an eighty percent chance of uncovering the talisman's hidden secrets.

"Exactly!"

Liu Chuansheng continued, "When a cultivator reaches the seventh layer and can project their Qi, they can finally practice elementary techniques. Only then do they possess a modicum of lethal power. Kid, let me give you a piece of advice. Before you reach the seventh layer, absolutely never leave the Sect to seek out worldly experience. Otherwise, you won't even know how you died."

"Many thanks for the warning, Senior Brother. This Junior Brother understands."

"Store!"

Finally, Liu Chuansheng swept his large sleeve, seamlessly pulling the Spirit Stone, the Ten Daos Mantra, the Daoist robes, the Disciple Handbook, and the fine steel sword into the Storage Bag. He tossed the pouch to Xu Changshou. "Junior Brother Xu, these items are the starter provisions gifted by the Sect. Take note: this is the absolute last thing you will ever receive for free.

From now on, whatever you need, you buy with your own coin."

Xu Changshou nodded. He naturally understood that the 'coin' Liu Chuansheng mentioned was not mortal silver or copper, but Spirit Stones.

"Be off with you. Your assigned quarters are on Chuxiu Peak, Gengzi Courtyard, Room Ten."

Xu Changshou silently committed the address to memory. He glanced down at the Storage Bag, wanting to ask how to properly access it, but catching the deep irritation brewing on Liu Chuansheng's face, he swallowed the question. Turning on his heel, he walked out of the grand hall.

Stepping out of the Affairs Hall, Xu Changshou looked around at the unfamiliar, sprawling immortal peaks, a sudden wave of profound isolation washing over him.

He had left Xu Family Village far behind, his 'Master' Zhang Zhengyuan had vanished to who-knows-where, and for a fleeting, absurd second, he actually missed the shrill screaming of the landlord's wife.

Since I'm already here, I'll carve out a place to stand.

Xu Changshou gave his head a slight shake to clear the gloom and marched briskly toward the pavilion where the public flying boats docked. At present, three to five other disciples were waiting beneath its sweeping eaves.

Every single one of them wore a mask of tense, brooding ambition. None showed the slightest desire for idle chatter.

By now, Xu Changshou had pieced together a basic understanding of the public ferry system.

Zhang Zhengyuan had mentioned it on the way in: the Green Immortal Sect operated a fleet of six public ferries, ensuring that at least two boats passed by any given peak within the span of a quarter of an hour.

Since his ride had yet to arrive, Xu Changshou began to cautiously inspect his new Storage Bag.

This particular pouch contained an internal space roughly one meter cubed-vastly inferior to the spacious bag Zhang Zhengyuan carried.

Soon enough..

Xu Changshou figured out the trick to its operation. To retrieve an item, he simply needed to picture it in his mind, channel a sliver of Spiritual Qi into his palm, and slap the bag. The desired object would materialize instantly.

Storing items was even simpler. Merely bringing an object close to the mouth of the pouch would cause it to be automatically swallowed by the spatial pocket.

Not long after, a flying boat smoothly descended from the clouds.

Xu Changshou boarded the vessel, finding an empty corner to pull out his Disciple Handbook.

The thin manual primarily detailed the Sect's absolute laws and provided a geographic overview of the various peaks.

He carefully reviewed the unforgiving Sect precepts:

Those who betray the Sect shall be executed without mercy.

Those who violently defy their elders shall be executed without mercy.

Those who engage in unauthorized internal slaughter shall be executed without mercy.

..

There were over a dozen ironclad laws, but as long as one kept their head down and acted with caution, they were easy enough to avoid.

Stowing the handbook away, Xu Changshou leaned against the railing, his gaze sweeping across the churning sea of clouds and the majestic peaks piercing through it.

The public ferry route consisted of roughly twenty designated stops. Originating at Zhishi Peak, it wound its way past Fengdu Peak, Bagua Peak, Tianji Peak, Green Ink Peak, Chihuo Peak, Danxia Peak, Taiyi Peak, Lingxiu Peak, and Chuxiu Peak.. terminating finally at the Front Gate Peak.

One critical detail noted in the manual was that the ferries traveled in fixed directional loops. Boarding a vessel heading the wrong way would cost a disciple hours of wasted time.

Xu Changshou, however, had intentionally boarded a ferry traveling in the opposite direction of his destination. He wanted to take the long way around, using the detour to quietly scout out the true scale and layout of the Green Immortal Sect.

"Approaching Fengdu Peak. Anyone disembarking?" a senior disciple called out from the bow.

"I'm disembarking!"

A young man with a sickly, deathly pale complexion stepped off the boat.

Fengdu Peak..

Xu Changshou raised his eyes. Looming before him was a jagged, sinister mountain radiating an overwhelming aura of death. Thick, inky black mist coiled around the crags like spectral serpents, painting a scene of absolute terror.

Yet, as expected of one of the seven main summits, the ambient Spiritual Qi suffusing the air was palpably denser-several times richer than what he had felt at the administrative halls of Zhishi Peak.

If only I could cultivate in an environment this saturated with Qi.

The greedy thought flashed through his mind, but he instantly shivered and shook it away. Forget it. That place looks like a literal graveyard.

The flying boat surged forward again. One by one, the majestic silhouettes of Bagua Peak, Tianji Peak, Green Ink Peak, Chihuo Peak, and Danxia Peak drifted past.

"Approaching Taiyi Peak."

The vessel glided toward the absolute largest and most spiritually saturated mountain in the entire Sect. The colossal peak acted as a pillar upholding the heavens, its summit completely lost in the highest heavens.

High within the swirling mists, silhouetted figures with flowing sleeves could be seen riding the winds.

Scattered across the sheer cliffs were breathtaking, palatial structures seamlessly integrated into the natural rock. Grand pavilions and towering pagodas radiated blinding, multicolored treasure light.

The towering colossus emanated an overwhelming aura of divine wealth and boundless providence.

Xu Changshou even caught a glimpse of a blinding streak of light tearing across the sky, vanishing as fast as lightning. He couldn't even fathom what kind of mighty entity or artifact could move so fast.

Truly a paradise worthy of immortals.

Xu Changshou was secretly awestruck.

This was merely the view from the foot of the mountain. He couldn't even begin to imagine how impossibly dense the Spiritual Qi must be near the summit.

The ferry continued its relentless circuit..

"Fellow Daoists, Chuxiu Peak is just ahead. Prepare to disembark."

Chuxiu Peak..

Xu Changshou's heart skipped a beat as he leaned over to inspect his new home.

It looked as though a supreme titan had swung a heaven-cleaving sword and lobbed the top half of the mountain clean off. Upon this impossibly massive, flat cross-section, an endless sprawl of buildings had been erected.

Looking down, he saw hundreds of densely packed, cramped wooden shacks. Compared to the divine, crystalline palaces of Taiyi Peak, staring at Chuxiu Peak felt exactly like stepping into a mortal slum.

It was painfully obvious that this sprawling shantytown was designed specifically to warehouse the Miscellaneous Disciples.

In addition to the barracks, there were numerous massive, open-air courtyards. Some reeked with a gut-wrenching stench of slaughter and rot, while others were piled high with literal mountains of firewood, raw textiles, or jagged heaps of scrap metal. Xu Changshou even spotted a series of massive, utilitarian structures that looked identical to mortal granaries.

In short, the absolute dregs of the Sect-the filthy, the unrefined, and the menial-were all dumped exclusively onto Chuxiu Peak.

"We have arrived at Chuxiu Peak! Move it, get off!"

Rustle, rustle..

There had been several dozen passengers aboard the vessel. A staggering ninety percent of them filed off at this stop.

Swept along by the tide of grim-faced laborers, Xu Changshou stepped foot onto Chuxiu Peak.

The residential compounds were all systematically numbered, organized according to the ancient Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches. Jiazi Courtyard, Yichou Courtyard, Bingyin Courtyard, Dingmao Courtyard..

Following the logical progression, Xu Changshou quickly navigated the slums and located his assigned dwelling: the Gengzi Courtyard.