Among these three sects, the one that caught Han Li's eye first wasn't "Falling Cloud Sect," but rather "Hundred Skill Academy," renowned throughout the cultivation world for its artifact-refining prowess.
This sect, aside from having its own unique cultivation techniques, had disciples who were exceptionally skilled at refining magical artifacts of various grades. It even harbored several legendary methods for forging top-tier treasures.
The original form of the "Universe Tower" talisman treasure belonging to the Yan family — the foremost clan of the former Yue Kingdom — had been produced using one of their refining methods, and was a rather famous treasure as a result.
This had stirred Han Li's interest.
Unfortunately, this sect's recruitment process for outer disciples was quite similar to that of the Seven Sects of Yue — it primarily drew from various cultivation families and rarely accepted outside applicants. Moreover, the sect was essentially controlled by five of the most powerful cultivator families, occupying a stretch of mountains on the western side of Yunmeng Mountain.
This was a disappointment for Han Li, and he could only let it go.
"ancient Sword Sect," as the name suggested, excelled in sword-cultivation arts. Whether magical artifacts or treasures, they took the form of various swords of different sizes. Their signature technique, the "Taibai Sword Manual," was hugely famous in the Xi River Kingdom — sharp beyond compare.
The Ancient Sword Sect didn't exclusively recruit from cultivation families; it also accepted young independent cultivators from the outside world.
However, the sect's sword techniques placed extremely demanding requirements on innate talent. Anyone with even slightly inferior Spirit Roots would have no hope of practicing any of their arts. So despite the sect recruiting fairly frequently, it ended up with the fewest disciples among the three sects.
That said, once a disciple of the Ancient Sword Sect achieved some level of cultivation, their overwhelming offensive power as sword cultivators made them nearly unbeatable among peers of the same rank. As a result, it was the most powerful of the three sects and naturally occupied the main mountain range of Yunmeng Mountain.
The last remaining sect, "Falling Cloud Sect," was in some ways quite similar to the Hundred Skill Academy. This sect's cultivation techniques were broad but lacked specialization, yet it was well known for its pill-refining arts.
The legendary Soul-Stabilizing Pill could only be produced by a few elders within the Xi River Kingdom — and those elders all belonged to this sect.
Thus, despite trailing the other two sects significantly in overall strength, the Falling Cloud Sect had managed to carve out a foothold on the eastern side of Yunmeng Mountain.
And of the three sects, the Falling Cloud Sect recruited the most disciples, with the lowest barrier to entry.
Fundamentally, this sect had only two conditions for accepting disciples.
Either one's Spirit Root quality was decent with cultivation potential — in which case, like other sects, Falling Cloud Sect would be happy to take them in — or one already possessed a certain level of cultivation, having advanced one's basic techniques to a relatively high stage. In the latter case, even with poor Spirit Roots, they would still be accepted.
After all, beyond its reputation for pill refinement, the Falling Cloud Sect also dabbled in various other miscellaneous arts such as talisman crafting and formation arrays — all of which required a large number of low-level disciples to keep running.
Among independent Qi Condensation cultivators who had already reached a certain level of cultivation, those with mediocre Spirit Roots were well aware that entering a cultivation sect with their aptitude would lead nowhere — they would likely remain low-level disciples forever. But, thinking the same way Han Li did, they believed it was better to take shelter under a large tree. Quite a few of them ended up joining the Falling Cloud Sect.
Judging by this, the Falling Cloud Sect was the most lenient of the three in its recruitment, and with the lure of the legendary "Soul-Stabilizing Pill," it truly seemed like the most suitable sect to join.
After some hesitation, Han Li made a few inquiries and learned that this sect would soon be recruiting again. Without further deliberation, he parted ways with Zi Ling and the other woman, told them nothing of his destination or plans, made a few brief preparations, and flew straight to the area.
After waiting at the foot of the mountain for several days, as the appointed date drew near and Qi Condensation cultivators from all over began flooding in, Han Li finally appeared at a leisurely pace on the blue stone path leading up the mountain.
From the base of the mountain to this point, Han Li had been strolling along for about an hour.
This was not because the mountain was truly so immense — it was simply that the stone path had been layered with a simple illusory array. Presumably, the Falling Cloud Sect wanted to test the patience and temperament of those wishing to join.
After all, no matter how lenient the Falling Cloud Sect's recruitment was, it would never accept someone who couldn't even be bothered to finish walking this small path.
At this moment, the group of male and female cultivators walking ahead of Han Li had also noticed something peculiar about the path. They immediately huddled together and whispered among themselves, then apparently figured out the trick and, paying it no further mind, continued onward.
These people seemed to already know each other, and none of them gave Han Li so much as a greeting.