Chapter 522: Trying To Make A Living

A thin, elderly Heavenly Immortal with a face full of deep wrinkles hovered above the city with twelve True Immortals. The male and female immortals behind him varied widely in appearance. Some were young, some old. The most striking among them was a half-human, half-serpent woman with a pair of rare, pale-blue double pupils and a veil on. Her aura was second only to the Heavenly Immortal elder's.

Wang Sheng had heard of her more than once. She was a peak True Immortal Realm fiend cultivator and the vice sect master of the Xinghai Sect. Rumors had it that her innate divine ability allowed her to fight a Heavenly Immortal head-on.

The elder took three steps on a white cloud, cupped his hands, and greeted, "I am Yao Xingzi, sect master of the Xinghai Sect. Thanks to the support of my fellow cultivators over the years, our sect has secured a firm foothold in this realm. Hence, starting today, the Xinghai Sect will be recruiting talents for the next three months.

"We hope to befriend the cultivators of the nine heavens, welcome all who share our path, advance together, and wander the world in harmony. All capable immortals with ambition and strength may visit any of the cities and markets under our sect's control, where our disciples will guide you. Anyway, I've used up too much of your time already. I ask for your understanding, fellow cultivators."

The elder shook his fly whisk, and he and the twelve behind him bowed to those watching. They then rode their clouds away.

The Xinghai Sect's territory spanned two qi planets and included more than ten cities, which meant these important figures still had to visit other places. Moreover, this city was tiny to begin with. They naturally wouldn't stay to handle the recruitment themselves.

Wang Sheng blinked.

The Xinghai Sect has started recruiting? Their sect master even came in person to show how eager they are to gather capable people and strengthen their sect.

"Looks like the Xinghai Sect is having difficulties withstanding the combined pressure from the Celestial Wind Sect and the Fengli Sect," Wang Sheng muttered to himself.

His mind began to race. Ever since Spiritless departed, he had only focused on understanding the Dao of the Undying True Spirit and formulating a development framework for Earth's cultivation world. Having thought about it deeply, his ideas had steadily taken form, allowing him to draft several plans.

Among them, the best was to borrow an existing "shell." He would secretly seize control of a small but somewhat reputable immortal force and, through recruitment, allow Earth's cultivators to join it little by little. They would keep building their strength until they could rise, seize a qi planet or two, and use those as the bridgehead for Earth's cultivation world.

A slightly worse plan was to establish his own faction and then take similar steps afterward. The worst was to simply wait until Earth's cultivators stepped into the endless space before forming a faction, which would create far too many variables and loopholes. The sudden appearance of countless immortals would be difficult to explain as well.

Of the three, the easiest for Wang Sheng was the last, and the most troublesome was the second. The most stable was the first. Hence, he saw the Xinghai Sect's open recruitment as his window of opportunity.

Originally, he had planned to choose one of the three methods once he had fully broken through to the True Immortal Realm and started constructing his intelligence network. However, plans never kept up with change, and he had just been presented with an excellent opportunity.

Coincidentally, in all of the thirteen solar systems near the ancient battlefield, the Xinghai Sect had a pretty good reputation. Its sect master was a Heavenly Immortal, and its vice sect master was quite powerful as well.

Looking at the greatsword before him, he couldn't help but mutter, "Shall I give it a try?"

He had promised Yaoyun that before Spiritless returned, he would not stir up trouble anywhere. However, this opportunity was already right in front of him, and infiltrating the Xinghai Sect did not necessarily mean he would be drawn into inter-sect conflicts.

If push came to shove, he could always just fake his death to slip away. He would make sure to always have the initiative.

In the end, he decided to just focus on studying the sword technique in the greatsword for now.

He was a peak Primordial Immortal who was just half a step away from the True Immortal Realm, which meant his power and potential would draw serious attention from the Xinghai Sect. He found no need to rush to join and attract unwanted eyes.

Wang Sheng calmed down and resumed comprehending the sword technique that the Eastern Kang Star Deity had left. Without realizing it, he sank again into his Dao of the Sword.

***

Two days later, Wang Sheng stood up, gripped the greatsword's hilt, and took a step to the side. Immortal power flowed under his feet, and wind roared around him. In one stride, he crossed eighteen meters.

He then sealed his immortal power within him, dragged the greatsword with his right hand, and swept it outward. The sword hummed as the dense primal qi in the courtyard rolled in waves.

At that moment, he unleashed a bold and expansive sword technique.

Though it was his first time using it and its style differed completely from the sword arts he had learned before, Wang Sheng's solid foundation in the Dao of the Sword allowed him to smoothly transition from one move to the next.

This sword technique was called the Thirty-Six Dragon-Slaying Slashes, or Dragon Slayer for short. Long ago, before joining the Heavenly Court, the Eastern Kang Star Deity had comprehended it while wandering the mortal world. He had been fighting a fierce draconic fiend when he had created it, hence the name.

It differed from the Heavenly Ziwei Sword, which encompassed all things and commanded the stars; and the Pure Yang Sword Song, which emphasized precision and purity while focusing on spirit over form. Unlike the two, the Thirty-Six Dragon-Slaying Slashes was a path of boldness and unstoppable force.

Defense? What need was there for that if its wielder could just swing down their greatsword and send the enemy flying, thereby breaking their enemy's offense?

Wang Sheng jestingly thought.

In truth, his understanding of the Dao of the Sword was not so shallow.

There were many different types of swords, and his greatsword was the type to focus on brute force and dominance. It stood on equal footing with the Pure Yang Sword Song, though the latter was naturally more refined. In terms of quality, though, Wang Sheng could easily tell that the Thirty-Six Dragon-Slaying Slashes was inferior to the Heavenly Ziwei Sword.

After all, the Heavenly Ziwei Sword was Ziwei's Daoist heritage, while the Pure Yang Sword Song was Chun Yangzi's. Compared to the two, the Eastern Kang Star Deity's cultivation realm had been slightly lacking, and his understanding of the Great Dao had been a little shallower.

After practicing the sword for nearly three months, Wang Sheng had almost forgotten about the whole matter involving the Xinghai Sect. He only remembered that he still had other things to do when he finally stopped for a moment and missed his senior sister.

Finally, he had broken free from his comprehension of the Dao of the Sword. His fifth sword intent had not yet taken shape, but he found no reason to rush it. He put away his celestial swords, changed into a simple Daoist robe, deliberately changed his appearance, and stepped out of the courtyard.

The Xinghai Sect's "immortal-recruitment platform" was easy to find. After all, it was right in the exact center of the city. As Wang Sheng walked through the market, his spiritual perception spread outward. Most of the discussions he overheard were about the sect's recruitment drive.

There was still a day and a half before recruitment ended.

Wang Sheng took his time. He wandered the market for a while, then entered a shop selling artifacts. Due to the slick persuasion of a "black-hearted" immortal merchant, he spent fifty mid-grade Immortal Stones on a broad-bladed greatsword that barely counted as an immortal treasure. He strapped it to his back.

Afterward, he visited a teahouse near the marketplace entrance to gather information. Half a day of eavesdropping later, he finally headed toward the recruitment platform, which was simply a pavilion-like loft.

The third floor was open on all sides, like a breezy pavilion. Inside was a table with two Xinghai Sect disciples, a male and a female, sitting behind it. An Immortal Record was right in front of them.

Around the pavilion was an array that had been crafted with clever precision. Those weaker than Primordial Immortals or lacking deep mastery of formations would have difficulty entering.

Wang Sheng stopped on the street for a moment, walked into the loft, and climbed the stairs.

Since the recruitment was about to end, the platform felt somewhat quiet, with only a few curious bystanders lingering nearby to see whether the Xinghai Sect would still recruit one more expert.

The moment Wang Sheng appeared, many gazes instantly turned toward him.

Most unaffiliated practitioners noticed that he climbed the stairs slowly instead of leaping straight onto the third floor. A few shades of disdain immediately showed in their eyes, but when they realized that the array had no effect on him and that his steady pace remained undisrupted, they felt a surge of silent astonishment.

Wang Sheng reached the third floor with casual ease. The two Xinghai Sect disciples immediately stood and greeted him.

"Senior, please take a seat."

The two were both at the early stage of the Ascended Immortal Realm. They could not see through his cultivation, yet the word "Senior" came naturally to them.

Looking calm and serious, Wang Sheng cupped his hands. "No need to be so formal."

He then sat across from them.

The male disciple smiled. "I take it you're here to join the Xinghai Sect? On behalf of our sect, I'd like to thank you for your interest, Senior. However, according to the sect master's rules, we must ask a few questions about you first. Please do not take offense."

Wang Sheng nodded. "Of course. That's only natural."

"May we know your name, Senior?"

"My surname is Pi, and my Daoist name is Kachew. I'm a late-stage Primordial Immortal who specializes in the Dao of the Sword. A century ago, I arrived on the ancient battlefield. Now, I stay in a small courtyard in this city."

Late-stage Primordial Immortal?

The two disciples immediately became more solemn. The female immortal asked softly, "Senior Pi, how did you reach this region?"

"I traveled through a primal qi passage that dropped me to the edge of Tianfeng. It took me more than ten years to get here. When I arrived, I heard that ancient treasures appear often all over the ancient battlefield, but in the last hundred years, I've done nothing but catch celestial insects."

The two disciples couldn't help but smile.

Wang Sheng wasn't familiar with primal qi passages, but he often heard unaffiliated practitioners mention them. They formed a kind of transportation network throughout the endless space.

Unlike the wormhole linked to the Realm of Exiled Immortals, one had to fly for years upon years before reaching the exit on the other side of a primal qi passage. It was one of the cultivators' two known ways of crossing vast galaxies.

Wang Sheng had yet to investigate their nature. He only knew that among the thirteen qi planets of the ancient battlefield, there were three primal qi passages that were connected to other nearby regions.

The disciples asked Wang Sheng a few more questions as the female immortal wrote "Pi Kachew" into the Immortal Record.

Finally, the male disciple asked, "Senior, what do you hope to gain by joining the Xinghai Sect?"

Wang Sheng thought for a moment. "I just want to make a living and cultivate in peace."

The two disciples froze, then chuckled softly. Their eyes warmed with a hint of friendliness. After all, everyone shared the same goal. Did they not join a celestial gate, enter an immortal sect, and seek protection all for the sake of cultivating in peace?

The female disciple scanned the written record with a jade talisman. It then flashed green.

"Senior Pi, please follow me. I will take you to the celestial gate to meet the vice sect master."

Clearly, a sword cultivator at the late-stage Primordial Immortal Realm was valuable to the Xinghai Sect.