Cultivation of immortality begins with an eighty-year-old eunuch.

Chapter 517 Shangyun Sect! Rogue Cultivator Chen Mu!

Chen Fan put down his teacup, not rushing to make a decision, but instead asked, "What are the conditions for participating in the prefectural competition?"

"One must be a disciple of a sect," Ji Daozi replied. "Random cultivators are not qualified to participate. Therefore, if Master wishes to participate in the selection, the first step is to join a sect."

At this point, Ji Daozi's face showed a hint of difficulty: "However... most of the sects in the Desolate State are not strong enough, and the strongest are only at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm. If Master joins such a sect, it will inevitably be a bit of a humiliation."

Chen Fan waved his hand: "We're not going to be ancestors here."

He already had a plan in mind.

With his mid-Nascent Soul cultivation, he already stood out from the crowd in this desolate region.

However, he is currently being hunted down by the Wang family and other forces, so it is not advisable for him to reveal his true cultivation level. Joining a small sect would allow him to conceal his identity and participate in the state competition in a legitimate way, which would be a win-win situation.

What sects are there in the desolate state?

Ji Daozi had clearly inquired in great detail, and immediately recounted the events as if they were his own treasures:

"There are seven major sects in the Desolate State. The strongest among them is the Golden Sword Sect, whose leader is a sword cultivator at the peak of the early Nascent Soul stage. Next is the Hundred Herbs Valley, which excels in alchemy, and its leader is also at the early Nascent Soul stage. In addition, there are the Iron Sword Manor, the Wind and Thunder Pavilion, the Yellow Sand Sect, the Spirit Ruins Sect, and..."

He paused, a hint of disdain on his face: "There's also the Shangyun Sect. The Shangyun Sect is an old sect in the Desolate State. A thousand years ago, it produced a great cultivator in the late Nascent Soul stage, but unfortunately, it declined later. Now, the entire sect only has one ancestor in the early Nascent Soul stage, and there are only a few hundred disciples in the sect. Even the mountain gate is dilapidated."

"The leader of the Golden Sword Sect is said to be determined to win first place in the Desolate State Grand Competition. He has profound sword skills and is rarely matched among his peers."

Chen Fan didn't react much after hearing this.

"Shangyun Sect," he said calmly. "That'll do."

Ji Daozi was taken aback: "Master... Shangyun Sect is the weakest of the seven sects in the Desolate State. It is said that their Nascent Soul stage ancestor is nearing the end of his lifespan and is simply unable to compete for a spot in the State Grand Competition. If Master joins this sect, I'm afraid..."

"The weaker the better," Chen Fan interrupted him. "We're going to the sect for a title, not to borrow its power. The weaker Shangyun Sect is, the less attention it will receive, and the easier it will be for us to act."

Upon hearing this, Ji Daozi immediately understood Chen Fan's meaning and stopped trying to persuade him.

Chen Fan finished the last sip of tea in his cup, stood up, and left a mid-grade spirit stone on the table as payment for the tea.

"Let's go."

The two left the Sand Sea Tower and walked along the main street towards the outskirts of the city.

The streets of Qingyun City remained deserted. The few independent cultivators who had set up stalls had already packed up, leaving only the yellow sand swirling in the wind at the street corner.

After leaving the city gate, Chen Fan found a secluded spot, put the Extreme Dao Seed back into the golden bowl, and suppressed his cultivation aura from the mid-Foundation Establishment stage back to the late-Foundation Establishment stage.

Since you need to register at the sect, it would be inconvenient if your cultivation level is too low.

The late stage of Foundation Establishment is neither too high nor too low; it's a level where one stands out among the sect's disciples but doesn't attract too much attention.

After doing all this, he took out the jade slip map given to him by Baicaotang and found the location of Shangyun Sect.

Shangyun Sect is located in the northwest of Huangzhou, about two thousand miles from Qingyun City.

The sect is located in a mountain range called "Luoyun Mountain". The location is remote and the spiritual energy is far inferior to that of the famous mountains and rivers in the central part of the desolate state.

After confirming the direction, Chen Fan felt a flash of light beneath his feet and took to the air on his sword.

He didn't fly at full speed, but instead headed northwest at a pace befitting a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

The mountains and rivers beneath our feet unfold like a scroll painting.

Although the barren state is poor, it is not entirely covered by yellow sand and Gobi desert.

The further northwest we flew, the more undulating the terrain became, and gradually, continuous mountain ranges appeared.

The mountain vegetation is sparse, mostly low shrubs and drought-resistant pines and cypresses. Occasionally, you can see a few villages built against the mountainside, with wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys, creating a unique and charming scene.

As Chen Fan flew away, he spread his divine sense to explore his surroundings.

No trace of the Wang family's pursuers was found along the way.

It seems that the illusion created by the ten paper dolls was indeed effective; Wang Zhennan and the others are probably still searching in more distant places.

After flying for about an hour, a relatively dense white fog suddenly appeared in the mountains ahead.

The fog shrouded several mountain peaks and did not dissipate even under the midday sun.

Chen Fan probed with his divine sense and discovered faint fluctuations of array restrictions within the mist. Although the grade was not high, it was still quite well-formed.

Luoyun Mountain, Shangyun Sect.

Chen Fan landed in a mountain hollow several miles away from the mountain gate and switched to walking.

The path leading to the mountain gate is paved with bluestone, and the stone steps are covered with moss, indicating that few people usually walk on it.

Ancient trees towered on both sides of the mountain path, creating a serene and secluded atmosphere.

After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a stone archway appeared ahead.

The archway is about three zhang high and is carved from bluish-gray mountain stone. Although the workmanship is rough, it has a rustic charm.

The three large characters carved above the archway read: Shangyun Sect.

The handwriting was somewhat blurred, as if it had been eroded by wind and rain for too long, and it was covered with green vines.

Two Qi Refining stage disciples stood guarding the archway, one fat and one thin, both appearing to be in their early twenties.

Chen Fan's gaze lingered on the archway for a moment before he stepped forward.

"Stop! What are you doing?"

The fat disciple spoke first, his tone not particularly fierce, but rather somewhat lazy and perfunctory.

He looked Chen Fan up and down, and seeing that the newcomer was a cultivator in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, his attitude became slightly more respectful.

Chen Fan cupped his hands in greeting, his voice calm: "I am Chen Mu, a rogue cultivator. I heard that Shangyun Sect is recruiting disciples, so I have come to register."

Upon hearing this, the thin disciple's eyes lit up, and he exchanged a glance with the fat disciple, both showing a hint of unexpected joy on their faces.

"Register? Excellent! This way, fellow Daoist!" The thin disciple quickly stepped aside to make way, eagerly leading the way. "Fellow Daoist, you've come at just the right time. Today is the day of the test, and the elders are in the training grounds!"

Chen Fan nodded and followed the thin disciple through the archway, walking up the mountain path.

Along the way, his divine sense spread out silently, and he figured out most of the details of the Shangyun Sect.

The Shangyun Sect occupies a considerable area, stretching for more than ten miles from the foot of the mountain to the summit, with several palaces and pavilions faintly visible amidst the clouds and mist.

Upon closer inspection, however, the condition of those buildings was truly worrying. Many of the palace walls were cracked, the tiles were broken, and the spiritual light of the array was so dim that it was almost invisible.

The spiritual energy concentration within the sect was pitifully thin, not much better than that of Qingyun City.

The number of disciples is only three or four hundred, most of whom are in the Qi Refining stage, with only twenty or thirty in the Foundation Establishment stage, and very few in the Core Formation stage.

As for that ancestor in the early Nascent Soul stage, his aura was located in a solitary cave on the mountaintop, calm yet revealing an undeniable sense of decay.

This sect has indeed declined!