Chapter 7

Though the town of Qingling was situated halfway up the mountain, it was several miles high, and the higher one went, the stronger the mountain wind became. The paper crane he was riding was only of inferior quality and would be damaged if it exceeded a height of a hundred feet, making it impossible to fly up.

It seemed that he could only stop at the foot of the mountain and then walk up.

When Chu He finally reached the foot of the mountain, what he saw made him a bit dumbfounded.

It turned out that the mountain from the foot upwards was at a steep angle of fifty to sixty degrees. The rocks and soil seemed to have been ground by a thousand-pound millstone, making the surface extremely smooth, dense, and hard.

From the faint earth elemental runes that occasionally appeared, it was clear that this half of the mountain had been reinforced by a high-level cultivator using an earth elemental array, making it as solid as a fortress.

The ability to use such a large array to reinforce the base of the mountain showed the grandeur of Qingling Mountain, truly demonstrating the style of a major sect.

With Chu He's cultivation, his Spirit Essence could shatter ordinary granite, but today, a single punch couldn't even create a dent in the ground.

It seemed that the only way to go up was to climb. The earth elemental array would generate some suction, making every move more strenuous than usual. The injury to his right hand, which couldn't be used, was also a headache.

Looking at the elegant lights flying in the high sky, Chu He couldn't help but grit his teeth.

"Little brother, are you here for the opening of the sect's gate? Just three low-grade spirit stones, and I'll guarantee a comfortable ride to the town gate of Qingling." A rough voice came from behind.

Chu He turned around and saw a burly man riding a flying sword flying over from not far away, with a blue-robed youth behind him.

To be able to ride a flying sword and carry someone, one's cultivation must be at least at the Seventh Layer of the Qi Condensation Realm.

The burly man's invitation made the blue-robed youth behind him unhappy: "Hey, old man, there aren't many seats left up there."

Chu He glanced back and indeed, as he said, if he went up, it would be quite crowded.

At this moment, another voice called out: "Qingling Town gate, mid-grade magical tool shuttle, two low-grade spirit stones, go or not? If you go, hurry up."

As the voice came, a flat black flying boat stopped a few dozen feet to the left, with five people already standing on it.

"Qingling Town gate, eco-friendly natural ride, one and a half low-grade spirit stones, hurry up!!" A sudden gust of wind brought a large green bird to a stop a few dozen feet to the right.

This green bird was indeed huge, with a specially designed wide back that stably held a dozen seats, most of which were already occupied.

For a moment, Chu He thought he had just walked out of a subway station and was surrounded by a group of rickshaw drivers eager for business.

"Little brother, come on up, rock-bottom price, one spirit stone!" The man with the flying sword, seeing Chu He's hesitation, shouted loudly.

"You big fool, that's not how you do business! Spit!" "You'll tire yourself out sooner or later!" Amidst the curses, the other two riders flew away on their boats and birds.

The original price had already caused some complaints from the passengers behind, and with the burly man lowering the price, they had no choice but to leave, unwilling to lose the bigger picture for a small gain.

Seeing the two depart with curses, Chu He knew the price was about right, so he took out a low-grade spirit stone and gave it to him, then jumped onto the flying sword.

"Old man, you're not being fair, I paid three low-grade spirit stones! How can he only pay one!" The person in the middle, who was squeezed in, was not very happy when Chu He squeezed in.

"Hey, little brother, don't complain. You're in the VIP seat, that young man's position isn't very comfortable." The burly man smiled foolishly, but Chu He detected a hint of familiarity in his tone.

He remembered that in the early stages of the game, he had also used similar tactics to confuse others to save money.

"Hmph!" The youth wanted to say more, but the cultivator had already raised the flying sword and started to ascend, and the strong wind made him swallow his next words.

The flying sword was indeed the best of magical tools, not only with high attack power but also with top speed. As they approached the town gate, they actually surpassed the two who had initially tried to snatch the passengers.

Unfortunately, Chu He was not interested in this. Throughout the process, he was in a state of fear: the speed of the flying sword was much faster than the paper crane, but standing on the hilt, even with the suction force holding him down, he still felt a bit wobbly, as if he might fall off.

It seemed that saving money was not worth the anxiety, and he should have taken the large bird or the flat boat.

The town gate of Qingling had a space of over a hundred feet, and Chu He and the other person were dropped off here.

The blue-robed youth spat lightly as he got off: "To dare come to the opening of the sect's gate with such cultivation!"

Unfortunately, Chu He treated him as if he were transparent and had already walked a few dozen feet away. The punch he threw missed, and the blue-robed youth felt a bit depressed.

The town of Qingling was meticulously planned, with wide streets and multi-story buildings.

On the way, there were many cultivators coming and going, making it quite noisy, living up to its reputation as the first major town within a thousand miles.

But at this moment, Chu He felt a bit oppressed: because the cultivation of most people was far above his own, and a considerable number were beyond his comprehension. The spiritual pressure they inadvertently revealed constantly surged from all directions, and besides the spiritual pressure, there was also some uncomfortable bloodthirsty aura.

Since his Spirit Body had been purified by the Cleansing Fire, his five senses had become much sharper, and he felt these things more intensely, no wonder he felt this way.

This also indicated from another perspective: those who came to Qingling Town all had extraordinary cultivation, and some were extremely bloodthirsty.

Of course, there were also young people with cultivation similar to Chu He, and there seemed to be quite a few.

Chu He didn't understand why someone with only the Third Layer of the Qi Condensation Realm would come to Qingling Town. After all, the minimum requirement for Qingling Mountain to accept disciples was the Fourth Layer of the Qi Condensation Realm. Surely not many were like him, who came here to run away.

When Chu He curiously approached to ask, he was met with a cold shoulder. These people's vigilance was really strong, treating strangers like a flood or a beast. Chu He couldn't help but feel frustrated: had they all watched "Don't Talk to Strangers"?

Fortunately, there was a way. After finding a decent inn and staying there, he spent ten iron coins as a tip and easily learned the truth from the innkeeper.

TV dramas and martial arts novels were not lying; the innkeeper was indeed the strongest, cheapest, and most talkative source of information in the area. But the prerequisite was that you had to give him money.

It turned out that this time, Qingling Mountain was not only recruiting outer and inner sect disciples but also spirit farmers and alchemy apprentices.

Those with the Fourth Layer of the Qi Condensation Realm and a low-grade Spirit Body could enter the outer sect, while those with a mid-grade Spirit Body could enter the inner sect.

Spirit farmers and alchemy apprentices only required the Third Layer of the Qi Condensation Realm. According to the innkeeper, these two positions were like servants, and they were very hard work.