"Finally, I've reached the fourth level of the formation building."
Chen Fan slowly opened his eyes, a look of satisfaction evident in his gaze as he acknowledged his growing strength. With his current abilities, leaping to the top of the tallest building in a single bound would be effortless.
He glanced at his phone, checking the competition details.
"The competition starts in three days. Registration ends in two days, and one day to reach Jade Spirit Sect." Chen Fan stood up, determination settling in. "It's time to go."
Chen Fan quickly cleaned himself up, grabbing only his clothes and smartphone before locking his door. As he stepped outside, he spotted a familiar figure—Xu Jianhong, the cultivator from next door.
"Hello, Uncle Xu, planning to feed some birds again?" Chen Fan greeted him with a smile as he walked toward him.
Startled by the sudden voice, Xu Jianhong turned to look at Chen Fan, sensing his cultivation. "Did you have a breakthrough?" he asked, amazed at Chen Fan's rapid progress.
"Yeah, after waking up, I found my cultivation suddenly advanced," Chen Fan joked.
"Haha! If a breakthrough comes just from waking up, maybe I should start taking more naps myself," Xu Jianhong laughed, and both of them chuckled together. Chen Fan walked alongside Xu Jianhong as they headed toward the main road.
"Are you going to Jade Spirit Sect?" Xu Jianhong asked, his tone direct.
"Yes, Uncle Xu."
"Then, let's go together."
Chen Fan was slightly surprised by the sudden invitation. "Do you want to falsify your age to get in?" he teased with a smile. "Looks like this competition might be tougher than I thought."
"Haha, well, I hope to meet you in the first round so I can quickly humble you," Xu Jianhong replied, laughing.
Their banter continued as they walked, talking and laughing all the way. It was rare for Chen Fan to meet someone who could come up with quick replies, and he enjoyed this rare moment of camaraderie with the man beside him.
---
Arriving in front of a modest clock shop with a sign reading "We Clock," Chen Fan glanced at Xu Jianhong, waiting for an explanation.
"Let's go in," Xu Jianhong said with a slight smile, his gaze on Chen Fan. "You'll understand soon enough." After talking with the young man, Xu Jianhong had concluded that, aside from cultivating, Chen Fan seemed to know little about the broader cultivator society and its norms.
Chen Fan silently followed Xu Jianhong and entered the store.
Inside, the 15x15 meter square room was lined with a variety of clocks ticking steadily on the walls. In the center of the room sat an elderly man with long white hair, a long beard, and a mustache. His appearance, aside from his attire, resembled that of a mystical cultivator straight out of a novel. He wore a worn leather jacket, the dark material contrasting with a faded band t-shirt underneath, and ripped jeans that were shredded at the knees. Around his neck, a collection of silver chains clinked softly as he moved, with a small skull pendant catching the light. It was clear the style he was trying to emulate. Remembering the name of the shop, Chen Fan couldn't help but twitch his mouth slightly.
"What can I do for you?" the man asked with a warm smile, casually stroking his beard as if everything were perfectly normal.
"Jade Spirit Sect," Xu Jianhong replied succinctly.
"That'll be five mid-grade spirit stones," the man said. Upon hearing the mention of spirit stones, Chen Fan instinctively glanced at Xu Jianhong. He had, of course, heard about spirit stones before—his master had explained their significance and how they could store qi. But he had never seen one in person, and the idea of such a magical object filled him with curiosity.
However, what happened next left Chen Fan completely stunned. Xu Jianhong nonchalantly took out his phone, aimed its camera at a black-and-white pattern on the table, and scanned it. For a moment, Chen Fan stood frozen, his mind blank as he processed the absurdity of what he had just witnessed.
"All right. Follow me," the man said, standing up and walking toward a door on the far side of the room.
Chen Fan stood frozen for a moment before quickly snapping out of his daze and hurrying to follow the two men. Whether it was the oddly dressed shopkeeper acting as if everything was perfectly normal, the bizarre transaction he had just witnessed, Chen Fan couldn't wrap his head around it. Reluctance to accept this reality bubbled within him.
To be honest, as someone who had spent his entire life cultivating and learning techniques from his master, Chen Fan had always imagined the world of cultivators to be ancient, mysterious, and filled with an air of grandeur. He had expected a sense of mystique to permeate every corner of it, offering an awe-inspiring experience to his amateur self. But this? This was far from anything he had envisioned.
As he trailed behind them through the door, an odd sense of disappointment weighed heavily on Chen Fan. For the first time since descending the mountain, he felt completely disillusioned. The hidden excitement and anticipation he had carried were thoroughly extinguished, leaving him unexpectedly disheartened. At this point, he wouldn't even be surprised if the so-called hidden sect turned out to be a modern skyscraper.
Stopping near the door, Chen Fan quietly observed the old punk's actions. He watched as the man placed his palm against the door, which immediately began to glow with an abstract pattern, six distinct lines in different colors standing out prominently. Chen Fan's eyes widened slightly, his gaze sharpening. Nascent Soul cultivator... or perhaps even higher, he speculated silently.
Next, he saw the man channel his qi to the tip of his index finger, causing it to glow with a radiant golden light. With remarkable precision and astonishing speed, the man traced along the golden-colored line in the door's intricate pattern. Despite the swiftness of his movements, his accuracy was flawless.
Moments later, the other colored lines in the pattern faded away, leaving only the golden hue. The door emitted a faint hum before it slowly swung open. Watching this sequence of actions, Chen Fan's curiosity and anticipation reignited. Truthfully, he had half-expected the old man to pull out some electronic gadget to operate the door. But after witnessing such an impressive display of skill, a faint smile crept onto Chen Fan's face.
As the door fully opened, Chen Fan's eyes gleamed slightly. He saw a golden light flood the doorway before Xu Jianhong stepped through and disappeared from view. Chen Fan quickly followed, stepping inside the door, and was immediately met with a blinding golden light that caused him to instinctively close his eyes.
When he opened them again, he found himself in an entirely different place. The room was vast and enclosed, made of smooth white stone. Chen Fan took in the surroundings, estimating the room's dimensions to be about 200 meters in length and 10 meters in height. Behind him, the door he had entered from was now closed, and to its side, there were countless other doors, stretching out in rows, numbering in the hundreds.
He watched as people emerged from half of the doors, walking briskly toward the far side of the room. At the end of the space stood a massive gate, surrounded by dozens of armed guards clad in armor. They stood beneath the gate, where a golden light beamed down on them before they continued their march down the corridor.
"Hm?" Chen Fan's thoughts momentarily halted as he noticed something. His cultivation had been suppressed to the level of a mortal. He looked at Xu Jianghong and realized that his cultivation had been reduced to the same level. "A suppression array?" he murmured.
Xu Jianghong nodded, affirming his assumption. "It can suppress even Soul Formation and Foundation Building," he explained, then turned his attention to the large gate. "The golden light is part of the identification process. If the light stays unchanged, you're good to go. If it turns white, you're unidentified. If it turns black, you're flagged as a criminal."
Chen Fan stared at the gate, his curiosity growing as he absorbed Xu Jianghong's explanation.
Without delay, Xu Jianghong began walking toward the gate, with Chen Fan following, his gaze fixed on the magical structure. If this place was built with arrays, then he was certain the gate must be some kind of artifact.
As they reached the gate, Chen Fan was immediately bathed in light, which slowly shifted to white. He saw Xu Jianghong speaking with the guards, but due to the suppression of his cultivation, he couldn't hear their conversation. Moments later, the light turned golden.
"Let's go," Xu Jianghong said, walking down the long, dim corridor, with Chen Fan following behind. He could already feel his cultivation beginning to recover.
When they reached the end of the corridor, Chen Fan stopped, his gaze shining as he looked ahead at the scenery that lay before him.