Jianzhou lay in the northern part of the Yue Kingdom, ranking second in size among the thirteen prefectures. Its terrain was dominated by mountains, hills, and ridges, and its population was sparse. It also shared a border with the neighboring Yuanwu Kingdom.
The Taiyue Mountain Range stretched across western Jianzhou for thousands of miles in every direction. Not only were all manner of wild beasts and birds of prey found there—it was a primeval wilderness seldom visited by humans—but woodcutters and hunters also occasionally spread rumors of having glimpsed immortals and demons, lending the place an aura of deep mystery.
Ordinary mortals could never have imagined that the central portion of this entire range had been claimed, thousands of years ago, by one of the seven great cultivation sects—Yellow Maple Valley.
Seen from above, the valley looked no different from any other mountain range: steep ridges, dense forests. In reality, however, it was blanketed by a massive and intricate grand formation array. Everything visible was illusion. Beneath the illusion, countless towers, pavilions, and great halls had been densely constructed, and cultivators riding leaf-shaped magical artifacts darted about in the lower sky, ceaselessly busy.
The current Sect Master of Yellow Maple Valley, Zhong Lingdao, was already over a hundred years old, yet he still had the appearance of a middle-aged man with three long strands of beard. His cultivation had reached the late Foundation Establishment stage, and he was naturally even-tempered and skilled at organization. He enjoyed enormous prestige within the sect; both the elders and his fellow disciples placed great trust in him.
Yet this usually composed and self-assured Grand Sect Master Zhong now sat with brows tightly knitted in the seat of honor of the great hall, watching helplessly as a middle-aged man and an old man argued heatedly before him. On either side of the hall sat over a dozen cultivators of various expressions—these were all the managerial personnel of Yellow Maple Valley.
"Senior Brother Murong! The Foundation Establishment Pills were already allocated months ago! Now you want to cancel my grandnephew's share and hand it to some wandering cultivator instead? This is absolutely outrageous!" the old man shouted at the clean-shaven, scholar-like middle-aged man, his face burning with indignation.
How astonishing—the old man was clearly far older than the middle-aged man, yet insisted on calling him "Senior Brother"!
"Junior Brother Ye, an unexpected situation has come up! When something like this happens—someone arriving with an Immortal Ascension Token to join the sect, something that only occurs once in several centuries—how can we simply ignore it? We have to set aside a Foundation Establishment Pill for the newcomer!" The middle-aged scholar's expression didn't change one bit as he replied in a slow, measured tone.
"But this man isn't even from a cultivation family—he's nothing but a wandering cultivator! And you'd give him a Foundation Establishment Pill? I think letting him join the sect should be more than enough. That alone would be a tremendous stroke of luck for him!" the old man shot back, his face flushed crimson.
"Junior Brother Ye, you really shouldn't put it that way! How do you know his ancestors weren't from a cultivation family? Perhaps the family simply fell into decline, which is why he ended up as a wandering cultivator! Besides, who can guarantee that their own clan will flourish forever? Perhaps the Ye family will decline one day as well, and when a descendant comes seeking entry with an Immortal Ascension Token, are we here at Yellow Maple Valley supposed to refuse him a Foundation Establishment Pill and only let him join? If you're willing to swear such a binding oath before everyone, I, Murong Shan, will turn on my heel and leave—I'll never bring up the Foundation Establishment Pill again."
The middle-aged man spoke with fluent eloquence, leaving the old man's face cycling between white and green, struck completely speechless.
How could the old man possibly swear such an oath with potentially endless consequences? And even if he did, it would only mean that this man who had always rubbed him the wrong way would step aside—there was no telling who else might jump into the fray!
"But why does it have to be my grandnephew's pill that gets sacrificed? Can't it be someone else's?" the old man demanded, unwilling to give in.
"That's because your grandnephew performed so poorly—he ranked so far at the bottom during the evaluation!" The middle-aged man shook his head with a look of exaggerated regret.
Seeing his counterpart putting on such an act, the old man's teeth ached with fury! But this was about his grandnephew's interests, and he couldn't afford to back down. He pressed on stubbornly: "My grandnephew's ranking was admittedly low, but he wasn't the very last among those scheduled to receive the Foundation Establishment Pill! There were still two others ranked below him!"
"You're correct, Junior Brother—there were indeed two people ranked below your grandnephew during the evaluation. But their circumstances are truly exceptional! We can only ask your grandnephew to bear with it," the middle-aged man said with great regret in his voice.
"Exceptional how? Unless you give me a reason that truly convinces me, I absolutely will not let this go!" The old man was desperate now and let his threat hang in the air.
"Enough! What is there not to accept?" Zhong Lingdao's face darkened as he rebuked the old man sharply. "Those two are indeed exceptional. It was I who agreed to skip over them and select your grandnephew in their place. As for the reason—whether you asked or not, I was going to explain regardless."
The old man felt a chill run through him at Zhong Lingdao's words. He had only known that there should have been two people ranked behind his grandnephew, but he had no idea who they were. That was the true source of his indignation! Could there really be exceptional cases powerful enough to make even this usually fair and impartial sect master show favoritism?
Zhong Lingdao waved his hand, signaling the middle-aged scholar to return to his seat. Then he sighed and said:
"Junior Brother Ye, I'm afraid this time your grandnephew truly will have to be inconvenienced. Of the other two—one is Granduncle Hongfu's only descendant in the mortal world. Although the girl originally failed the evaluation, I personally chose to include her in the Foundation Establishment Pill distribution list. Surely, Junior Brother, you wouldn't want to have her pill revoked?"