If any descendants possess a Dao Seed, they would have the advantage of proximity to resources, making it easier to be selected. Although not quite a 'cultivation family,' most of the children serving the True Man closely are selected from these well-known villagers.

If three or four generations in a row have someone who joins the Inner Sect and receives the True Inheritance, the family's rise would naturally follow as a matter of course.

Additionally, every month, prominent families like the Pei Family form groups to enter the mountain to provide tributes and trade for necessary provisions, so they are not entirely isolated from the world. Every sixty years, the previous generation of disciples will have formed their Elixir, passed through their tribulations, and the mountain gate will open again for a large selection, choosing a new batch of newbies. Over generations, as the numbers grow, they ascend from village to town to city-state.

To put it more bluntly, these mountain villagers are pretty much the Mystic Sect's version of 'nobles.' This model is akin to the ancient Immortal Palace's Guardian Immortal Soldiers, little by little expanding their territory, colonizing the Nine Borders as a standard template. Except, one side is practicing Gang Fist Body Refinement, serving in the army for generations, while the other side is cultivating Qi Refining, attaining immortality.

Of course, though most Mystic Sects can be traced back to this or that branch of the Immortal Palace, after thousands of years of evolution, they have truly developed into entirely different civilizations. Most mountain people have little regard for royal law, are unaware of royal customs, do not bow to the Immortal Venerable, and only worship Xuan Nu. They have no recognition for the 'Demon Palace,' which used to invade the mountains, destroy temples, massacre villages, and decapitate.

The former Immortal Palace considered recovering lost territories in Qianzhou, but in these times, even the Three垣 Ministers can't protect themselves, let alone care for the rebels in the mountains. It's been these mountain people's turn, now forming gangs, taking advantage of chaos in Genzhou and Sizhou to reap rewards every now and then.

Fortunately, there are still too few mountain people, and they are busily focused on cultivating Qi Refining, crossing tribulation successfully, with their main targets being Heavenly Materials and Treasures, Divine Skill Secret Manuals; they hold little interest in gold and silver jewelry, otherwise, the Immortal Palace would be difficult to handle.

"Are you going to Nine Yin Mountain? I've heard of the Sword Sect's great name, and that Sword Immortal is truly extraordinary, being willing to carve their own True Inheritance Technique on the mountain for outsiders to see. If I hadn't been hit in the knee by an arrow back then, I might have wanted to try my luck too."

When Huangfu Yi inquired about the location of Nine Yin Mountain, the village chief wasn't surprised. After all, the Sword Sect's great name had spread throughout the Central Plains over the sixty years, Qianzhou was originally Mystic Sect territory, where immortals and mortals lived together, and was very well-known. He casually drew a map on the ground for guidance.

This inquiry also revealed to Huangfu Yi that he had ventured too far off course.

Nine Yin Mountain is approximately in the southwest of Qianzhou, northwest of Sizhou, and east of Dui State, at the junction of the three states. The original plan of the Pei Family was to head south along Xuan Nu Mountain, travel west along the densely populated border of Qian and Si states, investigate the situation in the Central Plains, find a relatively safe place to cross the river, and trade supplies along the way.

However, they were interrupted midway by a Bat Monster, which caused many disruptions. Now, Huangfu Yi had arrived at Yuqian Village, deep in the mountains of central Qianzhou, and turning back east could lead to getting lost in the mountains for an unknown number of days. Hence, the village chief suggested continuing west, first reaching the former Qian King City, Qianyang City, then heading south along the Qian River, following the former Qian Country Chidao, reaching Hedong County.

Once across the Gen River, you would be in the Central Plains, and there you could naturally find Nine Yin Mountain.

"Thank you, elder, for your guidance."

The village chief also knew that a young man like Huangfu Yi, with great ambition, seeking immortality and pursuit of the Dao, couldn't be persuaded otherwise, but being old and chatty, he still reminded him,

"That may be so, but the Sword Sect's Qi Technique is notoriously perilous and difficult to cultivate. Some have the life theory but not the life refining; without the guidance of a clear master, you may suffer anything from injuries to bones or worse, pierced heart and abdomen.

Furthermore, they are currently experiencing internal strife, with annual tribulations and sword fighting, leaving little resources for disciples, necessitating self-reliant cultivation, instead of truly being part of the mountain gate for cultivation.

Thus, although many went upon hearing the news initially, over the years, more died from learning, practicing, and fighting with the sword. Gradually, many lost interest; it sufficed to learn a few moves for self-defense, with fewer being able to persist long enough to become apprentices."

Curious, Huangfu Yi asked,

"What exactly happened with this Nine Yin Sword Sect? Why the infighting?"

The village chief, drinking tea while chatting, responded,

"There are many tales. I heard the common saying among mystic cultivators is about the current Sword Sect Leader, that…"

"The Nine Heavens Profound Lady True Inheritor, Nine Luminaries Sword Pavilion Leader, Beichen Sword Sect Leader, Supreme Infinite Sword Master, Xuantian Ruyi True Monarch?"

"Ah, you remembered quite well. Right, this Sword Sect Xuantian Leader was actually not an inheritor from the main mountain lineage but was a disciple from an outer mountain branch. Consequently, he faced much oppression and bullying from the main mountain, fostering resentment.

Later, during the Mystic Sect high trials sixty years ago, while most Sword Sect Sword Monarch True Man were out for Demon Extermination, he suddenly acted, assassinated the former sect leader who was recuperating in the Sword Pavilion, and handed over the Cloud Platform Immortal Peak originally guarded by the Sword Sect, as well as the treasure swords and Heavenly Materials Treasures in the pavilion to the Nine major sects' leaders as a trade for acquiescence and recognition from the mystics.

Afterwards, he utilized a Sword Array to seal Nine Yin Mountain, blocking other Sword Monarch True Man of the Sword Sect outside the mountain. It's likely he went into closed cultivation, preparing for when his Divine Skill reaches great success, to deal with the remaining enemies seeking revenge.

And to prevent Sword Sect disciples from collectively attacking the mountain to break the array, he intentionally carved all the Divine Skill Secret Manuals onto the mountain walls, so that outer mountain Sect members couldn't learn the secret manuals without intruding, and main mountain Sect members couldn't stop their secrets from leaking, thus forcing them into mutual strife, too preoccupied to break the array."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.