Chapter 67: The Sect of Five Elements

A crisp slap rang out—not only was Cao Chengyu stunned, but Ning Wenjun herself was taken aback.

Flushing red, she hurriedly dressed, her voice tinged with shyness as she spoke.
“No... not yet. At the very least, it has to wait until you marry me…”

With those words, her clothes still in disarray, she dashed to the adjacent room to wash up.

Cao Chengyu felt a hint of regret. Do cultivators concern themselves with marriage too? Perhaps Ning Wenjun was unique—or was it the influence of the Dayue Dynasty’s customs?

Taking a wife might prove difficult. He wondered if his other wives would be willing.
A cultivation partner, though, was possible. In his understanding, a cultivation partner was essentially a lover.

Her affection had paused at ninety-nine points—what a pity. Had he truly taken the final step just now, he would have gained a new treasure chest, and a high-grade one at that, with a chance for double rewards.

As for the intermediate-grade chest from Ning Wenjun, this was his reserve for unlocking the Yellow Court Sutra at the Purple Mansion stage—best not to open it just yet.

Of the three women he’d encountered, Lin Yunjiao’s treasure chest had already been opened; Luo Yuzhu and Ning Wenjun both lacked only the final step.

His sources were running dry—he needed to open new ones... a troubling thought.

Speaking of Luo Yuzhu, ever since she’d been expelled from Chunhua Pavilion, her affection for him had steadily dropped, from ninety-seven to ninety-one. He felt a sense of crisis.

Especially as the rankings now described his relationship with Luo Yuzhu as: “You and the spring breeze are but passing guests.”

That left him flustered.

The next afternoon.

This time, Cao Chengyu truly bade farewell to Ning Wenjun—he was off to find his own great sea.

He had no idea when they would meet again. After leaving the imprint of his lips on her rosy mouth, Cao Chengyu embarked on a new journey.

His destination: the Five Elements Sect!

——

[Cao Chengyu]
Age: 15.8
Cultivation: Early Dao Body Stage (12%)

Techniques: Yellow Court Sutra, Azure Dragon Yin-Yang Dao Canon
Skills: External Alchemy (Second Grade, 26%), Basic Weapon Refining (First Grade, Mastery)
Spells: Azure Flood Sleeve (High Grade, 26%), Five-Wheel Fiery Law (High Grade, 26%), Primal Water Shield (High Grade, 11%), Cloud Riding Technique (High Grade, 11%), Frostless Shadow Sword (High Grade, 11%), Hundred Beast Thunder Roar Body Tempering (High Grade, 11%)
Secret Arts: Venomous Eye (High Grade, 11%), Body-Scorching Fire Formula (High Grade, 35%), Minor Six Ren Palm (Medium Grade, 50%), Breath-Locking Quietude (Medium Grade, 6%)
Divine Power: Derivation (Unknown)
Magical Tools: Maple Leaf Sword (First Grade, Low), Bamboo Leaf Swim (First Grade, Low), Pure Jade Lotus Platform (Second Grade, Low), Jade Pearl Zither (First Grade, Medium)

[Appraisal]: Oh—oh—oh! You’re like a Biluochun tea: wanting to play the harlot, yet still set up an archway.

After half a month of investigation, even his subconscious appraisals had grown more irreverent.

He’d made significant progress in every area.

His spell grades were advancing steadily; his cultivation had improved seven percent—a respectable pace, though slower than before.

The most important aspect of this “physical exam” was that it gave Cao Chengyu a clear metric for growth, letting him see every step of his progress.

This was his motivation to persevere in cultivation.

After leaving the borders of Dayue, Cao Chengyu did not immediately return to Qingniu City to check on his family. Instead, he planned to head directly to the headquarters of the Five Elements Sect in the Wu Kingdom.

There was nothing urgent at home anyway.

It made more sense to join the Five Elements Sect first. With their support, he might have to move again, closer to the sect for safety.

Coincidentally, this decision put him out of sync with Luo Yuzhu, who was pursuing him into Wu. Perhaps fortune outweighed calamity.

Unconsciously, his luck was on the rise—partly due to the blessing from the vengeful spirits of the fishing village, and partly because, whenever great disaster loomed, fate seemed to place a chosen one in the path.

Whether such a person solved the crisis, or perished, was another matter.

At present, Cao Chengyu was the one closest to the truth behind the Dayue Dynasty. It seemed destiny had cast him in a pivotal role.

Now, our protagonist wandered cheerfully between the great cities of the Wu Kingdom.

Novel sights and new flavors delighted him, lifting his spirits.

After two days of travel and sampling local customs, Cao Chengyu finally arrived at the headquarters of the Five Elements Sect.

This was the Huanglong Circuit of Wu, nestled in the ancient Guwan Mountains.

A “circuit” was much like a province in his previous world, with “states” in Dayue serving a similar role—just different names for the same thing.

The Five Elements Sect, as he’d imagined of a true cultivation sect, was headquartered deep in the mountains.

——

The ancient Guwan Mountains stretched for a thousand miles, all under the dominion of the Five Elements Sect. The Wu royal family and the sect were so closely allied, one could say they wore the same pair of trousers. Though nominally the sect stood a rank below the royal family, in reality, its status was higher.

Wu was more like a subordinate force, though this was never stated outright.

It was more of an unspoken rule.

As for recruiting disciples, the Five Elements Sect differed from expectations. Their disciples came from three primary sources.

First: each year, they selected children of suitable age from Wu. Those with talent entered the sect for cultivation, so nearly all local cultivators were their own people.

Second: the sect’s personnel deacons—those at the Dao Body stage—traveled through five to ten neighboring kingdoms, searching for gifted disciples to join.

Third: the likes of Cao Chengyu—independent cultivators who had obtained fragments of the sect’s legacy deliberately placed in the outside world, granting them eligibility to join and train.

These three methods, seemingly ordinary, were in fact quite ingenious.

Wu was their stronghold. By recruiting local base-level cultivators and training them in the sect—as a kind of “academy”—they nurtured a massive force loyal to them.

This cut off any chance for the Wu royal family to rebel at its root.

The second approach scoured other regions for geniuses, expanding the sect’s upper echelons. Though this might offend native cultivators in other countries, strength was the foundation of the cultivation world, and the upper ranks were a sect’s true lifeblood—the key to enduring prosperity. Geniuses were invaluable to the sect.

The third method earned prestige among independent cultivators, at minimal cost—just a small outlay of resources and a bit of knowledge.

A good reputation was built little by little. With a high reputation, geniuses would come knocking of their own accord. Even cultivator clans and other “projects” would seek cooperation.

Moreover, those who managed to obtain a legacy by chance tended to be blessed with good fortune—bringing them into the sect would also enhance its collective destiny. (The protagonist is, of course, a harbinger of calamity.)

These were some of Cao Chengyu’s deductions.

There might be other factors he had yet to uncover, but clearly, his only path into the Five Elements Sect was the third one.

He was not a native of Wu, and with his notoriety in Dayue, his identity would soon be exposed, so he would need to display some extraordinary talent.

With his plan set, Cao Chengyu ventured into the Guwan Mountains. Not far from the entrance stood a sprawling complex of buildings.

This was the outer city of the Five Elements Sect, home to the relatives of certain disciples, servants, and laborers, all providing various services for the deeper inner sanctum of the sect.

Ordinary folk who worked here for ten years would be eligible to join the sect as labor disciples, regardless of their aptitude.