Flying south for about ten minutes—at Li Jinzi’s speed, it was no more than ten miles—through layers of white clouds, Shui Miao suddenly spotted an enormous floating mountain. Judging by sight alone, the mountain must have been at least several dozen miles in diameter. Towering and majestic, it was adorned with neatly arranged peaks, countless palaces, and caves. Immortals flew back and forth busily, making the place appear very lively.
“Hehe, impressive, right? Our Yuxu Sect is the largest sect in the Ninth Heaven. We have no fewer than one hundred thousand immortal disciples and over two hundred thousand demon immortals. However, disciples from the mortal world are few, only about a few hundred, and most of them are demon immortals,” Li Jinzi explained, clearly well-versed in the Yuxu Sect. As a native immortal of the Ninth Heaven, this was basic knowledge for him.
Over one hundred thousand immortals, more than two hundred thousand demon immortals, yet only a few hundred cultivators from the mortal world, most of whom were demon immortals.
It wasn’t hard to see how vast the Immortal Realm truly was, and how the majority of its inhabitants were demon immortals.
The mortal world was clearly inferior, producing only a minuscule number of immortals—far too few.
Shui Miao gained a lot of insight from Li Jinzi’s words.
He hadn’t expected the Immortal Realm to house so many immortals and demon immortals.
As he marveled at the sight, he noticed a grand palace in the center of the mountain. Gilded and resplendent, it was magnificent to behold. “Is that the headquarters of the Yuxu Sect? It looks so magnificent!”
“Yeah, that’s the main hall. But the director doesn’t reside there—he’s in a tower at the very edge,” Li Jinzi pointed toward a small, unremarkable tower at the foot of the mountain before flying toward it with Shui Miao in tow. “Brother, you don’t know—immortals who ascend from the lower realms are far more valued here than us native immortals. It’s said that in the past, immortals often visited the mortal world because the Immortal Realm was so desolate, practically devoid of any immortals. Now, it’s better—everywhere is filled with demon immortals and human immortals, making our lives increasingly difficult. And those demon immortals keep reproducing, giving birth to little demons. If this continues, I don’t know what we’ll do.”
Li Jinzi complained, clearly frustrated by the overpopulation of demon immortals.
But Shui Miao thought Li Jinzi was ungrateful. Thinking back to the people in the mortal world, many lived in misery, some even struggling to get enough to eat. “Brother Li, is it the same in the Seventh and Eighth Heavens?”
“The Eighth Heaven isn’t easy to enter. Not only are the passes expensive, but you must also undergo trials. If you pass, it’s fine. But if you fail, you die. Because of this, most people won’t risk it unless they’re absolutely sure. As a result, the Eighth Heaven is much quieter than the Ninth. Of course, the Seventh Heaven is even better…” Li Jinzi released Shui Miao’s arm and flew toward the small tower. At the rectangular entrance stood two muscular human immortals wielding long spears.
Li Jinzi exchanged a few words with one of the immortals before the latter entered the tower.
Soon, a black-robed immortal emerged from the tower. He appeared slightly thin, but his eyes were especially bright. Accompanied by guards, the immortal approached Li Jinzi and Shui Miao. After glancing at Shui Miao, he asked in confusion, “You really don’t want to become a disciple? You just want a job?”
“Yes, Director!”
Shui Miao quickly replied. Compared to the judge under the City God of the underworld, this director looked much better and spoke in a much more courteous and friendly manner.
“With your qualifications, I can recommend you to the Sect Leader of the Ninth Heaven as a direct disciple. You’d receive many benefits, and if the Sect Leader is pleased, he might even reward you with a mid-grade immortal artifact—a tremendous honor. Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider?” The director looked at Shui Miao earnestly, his sincerity evident in his expression.
Honestly, Shui Miao was tempted.
Lingshuai, a senior immortal of the Fifth Heaven, had only given him a jade pendant.
But this Sect Leader would not only make him a direct disciple but also grant him a mid-grade immortal artifact. Such generous terms excited even Li Jinzi and his bodyguard uncle.
Shui Miao hesitated slightly. “Director, to be honest, I offended a thousand-year-old female ghost in the mortal world, and she’s coming for my soul tonight. So right now, I really can’t think about becoming a disciple.”
Not wanting to become a disciple, but wanting to find a job?
His words contradicted themselves.
Fortunately, the director didn’t dwell on it, though the mention of a “thousand-year-old female ghost” did startle him slightly. “A thousand-year-old female ghost? That’s impossible. Such a being shouldn’t exist in the mortal world. But since you say so, there must be a reason. How about this—I’ll have someone investigate the matter for you?”
“That would be wonderful! Thank you so much, Director!”
Shui Miao felt a surge of excitement. It really was easier to get by in the Immortal Realm! If the Yuxu Sect’s director could really help him deal with the thousand-year-old female ghost, then he would reveal the truth and ask if they could help him remove the jade pendant from his soul. The Yuxu Sect’s Grand Director must be powerful enough to contact Lingshuai without any issues.
“Hehe, it’s a small matter. For now, I’ll assign you to work as an assistant in the alchemy hall,” the director smiled gently, summoning a young Taoist apprentice from thin air. “Xiao Jiu, take this young cultivator to the alchemy hall and teach him how to organize and manage it.”
“Yes!”
The young apprentice nodded and, grabbing Shui Miao’s hand, flew into the main palace hall atop a cloud.
As soon as Shui Miao left, Li Jinzi’s bodyguard uncle looked at the director in disbelief. “Director, you’re not serious, are you? The alchemy hall is a restricted area—never before have we needed assistants. And you’re placing this young kid there? It seems a bit inappropriate.”
“Hehe, you guys…” The director shook his head, pulling out a supreme-grade spirit stone and handing it to Li Jinzi. “This kid is a rare talent, a once-in-a-thousand-years find. Now that he’s come to the Yuxu Sect, I’ll do everything I can to keep him. Assigning him to the alchemy hall is just a deliberate flaw I’m creating for him—I’m sure he won’t be able to resist the temptation of so many pills.”
The director was determined to keep Shui Miao, going to great lengths to do so.
“Thank you, Director! Thank you, Director!”
Li Jinzi was overjoyed, tightly clutching the supreme-grade spirit stone. It was worth a fortune—at least three years’ worth of wages working at the Spirit Herb Mountain.
“Go on. From now on, you’re the head manager of Spirit Herb Mountain.”
In a good mood, the director rewarded Li Jinzi with a promotion.
Seeing this, Li Jinzi’s uncle wanted to show off and gain some favor, so he stepped forward with a smile. “Director, about the matter of the thousand-year-old female ghost, perhaps I could go to the mortal world to investigate?”
“No need. This matter doesn’t require investigation—I just want to force him to stay here.” The director smiled faintly and handed Li Jinzi’s uncle a supreme-grade spirit stone as well. “Work hard. This time, I owe it to your excellent grandson. If anything comes up, come find me at the alchemy hall.”
“Yes, yes! Thank you, Director! Thank you, Director…”
The bodyguard uncle received better treatment, but even a supreme-grade spirit stone was worth about a year’s hard work for him.
※※※
The director arrived outside the alchemy hall and transformed himself into a cute little Taoist apprentice.
Shui Miao was led into the alchemy hall by the apprentice Xiao Jiu—in reality, Xiao Jiu was a manifestation of the director, a transformation of a life-token pendant.
Entering the alchemy hall, Shui Miao noticed the grayish copper walls and iron barriers everywhere. Inside, it was completely empty. As he walked deeper, he saw countless differently colored gourds hanging on the walls, each marked with the Bagua symbols. Each gourd radiated intense, distinct immortal energies!
The further in he went, the more gourds he saw.
After walking about a hundred meters, Shui Miao sensed a surge of powerful immortal energy ahead. On stone tables were many purple gourds, and beside them, a cauldron filled with purple, bean-sized pills. Judging by sight, there were at least ten thousand of them.
Xiao Jiu waved his hand and said indifferently, “Pack the pills into the gourds—nine pills per gourd. Once you’re done, hang them on the wall. Watch how it’s done for now. Later, Xiao Liuzi will come and help you pack.”
After saying this, Xiao Jiu turned and left, leaving Shui Miao alone inside the alchemy hall.
After exiting, Xiao Jiu transformed into a jade pendant that flew into the hands of the director, who had taken the form of a child. Pretending to be a young boy, the director began humming a tune and skipped into the alchemy hall…
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