Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Structure of the Spirit Realm

"Thank you, elder," Lin Yanghao said, bowing respectfully to the old man. With that, he prepared to seek out this so-called Know-it-all to inquire about the current state of the Spirit Realm. Lin Yanghao's respect for the old man was not without reason; among all the bystanders, only this elder had stepped forward to warn him, while the rest remained indifferent. Thus, Lin Yanghao felt the old man deserved his respect.

Following the elder's directions, Lin Yanghao soon arrived at Know-it-all's residence and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" came a voice from inside. Shortly, a stout man appeared before him, his fair and rosy skin, plump features, and large ears making him look almost identical to the legendary Pigsy. Lin Yanghao could hardly refrain from laughing and teased, "Is your real name Pigsy by any chance?"

"And who might you be? My surname is indeed Zhu, but I'm certainly not Zhu Bajie. Are you sure you've got the right person?" Know-it-all replied, puzzled.

"No, no, I'm not mistaken. You're the Know-it-all, aren't you? You're exactly who I'm looking for. I have some questions for you," Lin Yanghao said, suppressing his amusement.

"Come inside, then."

Once inside, Know-it-all got straight to the point. "So, what do you want to know?"

"I'd like to understand the current structure of the sects in the Spirit Realm and some details about the cultivators."

...

In the afternoon, Lin Yanghao stepped out from Know-it-all's place, having obtained all the information he sought. Of course, there is no such thing as a free lunch. At first, Know-it-all demanded a fortune—hundreds of thousands of gold coins. Lin Yanghao didn't even have a single coin to his name, let alone such a sum. He was not the sort to take advantage of others gratuitously, for that would make him no better than the local bullies and wastrels. In the end, he had no choice but to offer the only low-grade spirit stone he possessed. Know-it-all was sharp-eyed and immediately recognized its immense value, which was in fact on par with, or even greater than, the gold coins he had asked for. Thus, a deal was quickly struck.

From Know-it-all, Lin Yanghao learned that the number of sects in the current Spirit Realm was beyond counting—there were hundreds of various sizes. Yet, only a select few could be called the major sects: Ocean-Overturning Sect, Celestial Heart Sect, Blood Moon Sect, Divine Origin Sect, Falling Star Sect, Azure Sky Sect, Mountain-Splitting Sect, Seven Luminaries Sect, Scarlet Feather Gate, Extreme Fire Gate, Returning Origin Gate, and Beastmaster Gate. These were collectively known as the Eight Sects and Four Gates of the cultivation world.

The Eight Sects and Four Gates had established an alliance—though in truth, their so-called cooperation was tenuous, with frequent disputes among their disciples. Besides these sects, there were also four great noble families in the Spirit Realm: the Mo, Tan, Ye, and Meng families, all equally matched. Though none could rival the Eight Sects and Four Gates, the four families were still formidable powers.

Of course, these were only the orthodox sects of the Spirit Realm. As the saying goes, where there is light, there must be shadow; the two restrain each other. The demonic path also flourished, with its adherents notorious for their bloodthirsty and ruthless ways. The power of the demonic sects was no less than that of the righteous.

The demonic path had its own Eight Demon Gates, but unlike the righteous sects, their unity was remarkable, and internal strife was rare. These were the Netherworld Gate, Blood Demon Gate, Wind Demon Gate, Heavenly Fiend Gate, Evil Moon Gate, Dark Abyss Gate, Fierce Monster Gate, and Shadow Wind Gate.

Among the orthodox sects, Azure Sky Sect and Jade Pool Gate admitted only female disciples; the others took both men and women.

Now Lin Yanghao faced the question of which sect to join. Each sect was renowned for its unique cultivation methods, and Lin Yanghao needed to choose one best suited to him.

"The Celestial Heart Sect practices the Celestial Heart Frost Art—clearly tailored for women, not for me.

"Mountain-Splitting Sect’s Celestial Lotus Transference—just a bunch of brutes, not interested.

"Returning Origin Gate's Azure Flame Phantom Manual—they focus on illusions, not suitable.

"Scarlet Feather Gate's Crimson Flame Palace Scroll specializes in fire techniques. I detest fire, so that's out.

"Azure Sky Sect's Azure Cloud Treading Manual—ah, but they do not accept male disciples."

...

"This one seems right—Seven Luminaries Sect, with their Supreme Mystic Light Technique. That’s the one!"

After much deliberation, Lin Yanghao finally chose the Seven Luminaries Sect. It was, by comparison, the most suitable for him. The other sects’ techniques either didn’t suit him or required starting from scratch, but the Seven Luminaries Sect allowed for cultivation even if one joined midway. Moreover, the other sects were scattered across different continents, and given Lin Yanghao’s current circumstances, traveling that far was impossible.

Lin Yanghao was now at the ninth level of the Qi Refinement stage, close to reaching Foundation Establishment. With the aid of a Foundation Establishment Pill, which sects often provided to promising disciples, he believed success was within reach.

Yet, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of irony; he’d muddled his way up to the ninth level of Qi Refinement without even knowing how he got there, let alone having trained in any true cultivation techniques. If he had practiced anything, it was martial arts techniques at best.

The Spirit Realm was not a single, continuous landmass but was made up of five vast continents, each so expansive as to seem boundless. There were also many small islands scattered about. These five continents were named: Amethyst North Continent, Abyssal West Continent, Barbarian East Continent, Frosty South Continent, and Prosperous Central Continent. The sects were spread throughout these continents.

Lin Yanghao was currently on Amethyst North Continent, where the Seven Luminaries Sect was also located. Although they were on the same continent, the sect was still thousands of miles away, which made Lin Yanghao want to cry. A single continent in the Spirit Realm was many times larger than the Longwu Continent, itself many times the size of Earth. The immensity of the Spirit Realm was thus truly awe-inspiring.

He had no intention of making the journey on foot; otherwise, he’d arrive long after the discipleship recruitment period had ended. He calculated that there was just over a month left before recruitment closed, and if he traveled by carriage, the journey would take about a month—just enough time.

Only then did Lin Yanghao realize his dire straits: he was penniless, having traded his only spirit stone for information. He would need to find some money first. Given the likely astronomical cost of traveling such a distance, he decided to target the Wang family—the foremost household of Chiyang City—as his starting point.