Born with immortal seed

Chapter 45 The Mountain Gate Opens Wide
Wei Dao, dressed in a plain Taoist robe without any adornment, sat down in the central seat.

"I have wasted my hundred years of life without achieving much, and I am deeply honored that so many fellow Daoists have graced this banquet with their presence!"

Wei Dao served as the head of Qingfeng Sect for forty years, wielding absolute power. No one in the sect dared to disobey him, and his authority was profound.

At this moment, he raised a jade cup, offered a toast to the guests in the room, and drank it all in one gulp.

May Sect Leader He Wei enjoy eternal youth and live as long as the heavens!

The guests immediately stood up, raised their glasses, and offered their congratulations in unison.

Even the Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Myriad Beasts Sect, who had maintained an indifferent expression, raised a toast after everyone else had raised their glasses.

"Let's have a party!"

After a round of toasts and laughter, Wei Dao clapped his hands, and one exquisite spiritual dish after another was served.

For a time, the guests and hosts were all in high spirits.

At the end of the birthday banquet, Wei Dao took the stage again to share his insights on Taoist cultivation.

During a monk's birthday banquet, he shares his cultivation experiences to entertain guests, a tradition that has lasted for thousands of years in Mizhou.

It does not involve cultivation techniques or spells; it is merely the defender of the Dao's understanding of the Great Dao, which is profound and mysterious.

Everyone in the room was completely confused, except for the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect and a few late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators who listened attentively with serious expressions.

It is said that in ancient times, Foundation Establishment was considered the beginning of the path to immortality, while Core Formation was a leap in the essence of life, touching upon the superficial aspects of the Great Dao.

What Wei Dao is explaining is his own partial understanding of the Great Dao; those who do not reach that level will find it as if they are listening to a celestial book.

……

Time flies, and four months have passed since the 100th birthday of the Qingfeng Sect leader.

For the rogue cultivators of Black Mountain County, these few days are the life-changing days.

The Qingfeng Sect opens its gates once every ten years to recruit disciples from across the county, and the day is coming soon.

As long as you have a clean background and no criminal record, you are eligible to run for office.

Every year, nearly a hundred lucky rogue cultivators become menial disciples, completing what they call the "leaping over the dragon gate" process.

Outside the Qingfeng Sect, groups of three to five independent cultivators could be seen on each mountain peak, probably numbering no less than a thousand.

Some clever independent cultivators have already occupied prominent spots, set up stalls, and started selling their goods.

With such a large flow of people, dozens of stalls quickly sprang up, with a constant stream of people coming and going, making business extremely lively.

However, everyone was short of spirit stones, so they mostly bartered.

"I heard that there are several hundred more rogue cultivators who have signed up this year than usual. I wonder if the Qingfeng Sect will even consider my meager cultivation level."

Across from this makeshift market, a tea stall had been set up, where four people sat at a wooden table. They had all come because the Qingfeng Sect had opened its gates, hoping to switch allegiance and become disciples of the Qingfeng Sect.

The man who spoke looked to be in his thirties, with average features, except for his thick eyebrows which were particularly striking.

He was wearing a Taoist robe that was neither new nor old. Although it was very clean, the embroidered cleansing runes on the hem were coming undone, revealing his poor financial situation.

"Young friend Lu, why worry? Although a large number of cultivators from other counties have moved in this year, I think the sect will understand the hard work of us local cultivators from Black Mountain and will give more consideration to the allocation of quotas."

An elderly man with gray hair sitting opposite them curled his lip in disdain, gesturing for them to look across.

"A bunch of out-of-towners trying to steal our spots!"

Outside the teahouse, a dozen or so wandering cultivators walked by, each carrying a magical artifact and exuding a bloody and murderous aura. They were wandering cultivators who had moved from other counties.

"Uncle Tong, you don't need to worry. I have a skill in cultivating spiritual plants. I was once employed as a spiritual farmer in a cultivation family and have experience in independently managing ten acres of spiritual fields."

Lu Song sighed, his anxious mood causing his thick eyebrows to almost meet.

"Rogue cultivators with a skill are most welcomed by the Qingfeng Sect, and becoming a menial disciple is a sure thing. Unlike me, I'm over thirty and only at the fourth level of Qi Refining, and I haven't mastered a single skill... If I were a Qingfeng Sect immortal master, I wouldn't even recruit such a useless person!"

The newly arrived rogue cultivators who had moved out of the area were mostly at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, and some were even at the late-stage of Qi Refining. Several people sat in the teahouse for half an hour and met two of them.

Those with lower cultivation levels basically died on the escape route and couldn't make it to Black Mountain County.

Lu Song's cultivation level was not outstanding, and he was not young. In previous years when the competition was not so fierce, he would have had a chance to become a menial disciple.

However, at this year's mountain gate disciple recruitment ceremony, he was not as competitive as Old Man Tong, who was only at the third level of Qi Refining.

A cultivator like Lu Song can't create any value for the Qingfeng Sect at all, and at his age, he doesn't have much potential left.

Unlike Old Man Tong, who could play a role as soon as he entered the sect and take care of the spirit fields.

"Haha, I'm almost sixty. If I can really become a menial disciple of a high-ranking sect, my life will have been worthwhile!"

Old Man Tong stroked his few goatee hairs, finding a sense of superiority in them.

The four of them had only met three days ago on their way to Qingfeng Sect. Because of the gathering of rogue cultivators, the crowd was chaotic. Although the Qingfeng Sect's signboard served as a deterrent, and sect disciples patrolled the area on their swords, there was still a chance of encountering audacious cultivators. That's why the four of them decided to travel together.

Two days ago, Lu Song, relying on his mid-stage Qi Refining cultivation, looked down on Old Man Tong's cultivation level and spoke disparagingly of him.

After all, in the most lenient periods in the past, a rogue cultivator could easily become a menial disciple based on this level of cultivation.

Lu Song originally still had a sliver of unrealistic delusion about ascending to heaven, but when he arrived near the mountain gate and saw the cultivators covering the entire mountainside, as well as the rogue cultivators in the mid-stage of Qi Refining everywhere, he instantly became a deflated eggplant.

Even when recruiting the most basic menial disciples, Qingfeng Sect seems to have countless better options than him.

However, when Old Man Tong turned his gaze to the sides, that sense of superiority immediately vanished.

"Of course, the most reliable one here is still Brother Bai! He's not even seventeen years old and he's already at the fourth level of Qi Refining! I really don't know how you cultivate, Brother Bai. Did you start cultivating in the womb?"

Old Man Tong shouted exaggeratedly, puffing out his beard and glaring.

This young man surnamed Bai had regular features and a slender figure. Although he could not be described as particularly handsome, he had a calm demeanor and his manner of speaking and acting was very pleasant.

Looking at the young man, Lu Song sighed repeatedly, "Yes, Brother Bai is only this young and he has the same cultivation level as me. He might be able to become an outer disciple directly... If he becomes successful in the future, he must help us out."

"Fellow Daoists, you're exaggerating. I see many hidden talents among the registered cultivators. How could I possibly stand out?"

Bai Zichen sipped his bland, ordinary tea and said with a smile.

A week ago, he packed his belongings, bid farewell to his elders, and set off for Qingfeng Sect to become an inner disciple, as agreed upon that day.

It was Bai Zichen's first time venturing out alone. While wandering around, he saw a group of rogue cultivators not far from Qingfeng Sect. He simply lowered his sword and changed his identity to disguise himself as an ordinary rogue cultivator.

According to him, he had been practicing cultivation with an elder since childhood, traveling all over the country without a fixed place to live.

His cultivation level is only at the fourth level of Qi Refining.

However, given his age, his cultivation level was still enviable among rogue cultivators, and the three companions believed that he could easily secure a spot as a disciple of the Qingfeng Sect.

As for whether they will be menial disciples or outer disciples, that depends on the specific recruitment details of Qingfeng Sect's grand opening of its gates this time.

(End of this chapter)