Chapter 762: Arriving at the Sect

Chapter 762: Arrival at the Sect

"After I leave, you must keep paying the interest on Yu Debt without fail—never fall behind, and absolutely do not tamper with it for profit."

"Every single payment of Yu Debt interest has already become essential for countless people’s survival."

"I don’t expect you to raise salaries after I’m gone—but don’t lower them either…"

Zhang Yu glanced once more at the final message he’d sent to his company’s management and sighed softly. He had no idea what would become of his enterprises once he entered the sect.

Especially without his direct oversight—and yet still within the sphere of influence of Yun Zhiguang and other sect disciples—it felt even harder to predict.

Aboard the flying vessel, Zhang Yu lifted his gaze toward the distant horizon, where a towering spire pierced through the clouds. He knew that was the so-called Fajie Transmission Node.

Nowadays, such nodes were being erected everywhere across the campuses of Wanfa University, laying groundwork for the future construction of the Fajie.

The spatial technology Zhang Yu had previously promoted had become a powerful pillar accelerating this very effort, dramatically hastening progress.

It wasn’t just Wanfa University—Youming University, Xianbing University, Tianmo University… all institutions were launching post-war reconstruction plans under the sect’s guidance.

Zhang Yu could already envision a future far more frenzied, far more Kunxu-like—a version of the Ten Universities he found increasingly distasteful.

Yet if he wished to shape that future, Zhang Yu understood clearly: for now, he must endure. Endure while climbing higher, growing stronger, amassing greater wealth…

“Yu-zi,” Bai Zhenzhen approached him curiously. “What are you looking at?”

Zhang Yu shook his head. “Nothing.”

He turned to her and handed over a Taixu Cloud Vault. “Ah Zhen, I heard it gets cold in Tianjian Sect—I made some extra socks for you to take along.”

“Cold? I’m already at Nascent Soul stage—how could I possibly fear the cold?”

Though puzzled by his odd remark, Bai Zhenzhen was delighted with the gift.

Infusing it with her spiritual power, she peered into the vault—and her eyes widened as she saw its contents.

Seven pairs of silk stockings, each dyed a different hue, shimmered within like enchanted artifacts.

“When did you make these?” she asked, astonished.

“Ah Zhen,” Zhang Yu said gently, “do you remember our first trip to Xiandu back in high school?”

Bai Zhenzhen’s eyes flickered with memory. “Of course. We wandered around the station, couldn’t afford anything… and saw those external spirit-root stockings priced at fifty million…”

Zhang Yu’s thoughts drifted back to that day—they’d been eighteen, standing in Xiandu Station like insignificant nobodies, staring helplessly at those fifty-million stockings, convinced they’d never own such luxury in their lifetimes.

“Back then, I promised you—if I ever got rich, I’d buy you seven pairs in different colors, one for each day of the week.”

He looked at her now. “Those old ones wouldn’t suit you anymore, so I took some time recently to forge these seven specially for you.”

Time had been tight, though—these stockings only reached Golden Core grade. Their primary function was cleansing; their support for cultivation or combat remained limited.

But Bai Zhenzhen didn’t care about that. To her, what mattered was that Zhang Yu had crafted them himself—that gesture meant everything.

Her Extreme Emotion Sword Qi surged within her, and she beamed: “Yu-zi! These are the finest cultivation resources I could ask for. Just holding your stockings—knowing my best friend gave them to me—will surely boost my sword cultivation!”

“Why don’t you try wearing them again?” she added eagerly. “If they’ve been forged by your hands and worn by your feet, they’ll pack even more punch! My sword cultivation will soar!”

What the hell… “my stockings”? And just how exactly do you plan to use them?! Zhang Yu groaned inwardly. You Kunxu folks—I’ll never understand you.

At that moment, the flying vessel accelerated sharply, piercing through layer after layer of sky until, soon enough, they arrived at Kunxu Layer 10.

Watching the vessel continue its ascent, Zhang Yu felt a faint tremor of nervousness rise in his chest. “So… I’m finally heading to the sect.”

Just then, he felt his hand tighten—Bai Zhenzhen had taken it in hers.

Their eyes met, resolve flashing between them. Through high school, Foundation Establishment exams, university, the Ten-School League, the University War—and now the sect—they would face it all together.

Beside them stood Yu Xinghan, Ye Xingli, Le Mulan, Starfire True Lord, Li Xuelian, Wen Wuya, and Kuang Tianqing.

Wen Wuya, notably, had once again reverted to her standard youthful girl form.

Unlike Zhang Yu’s group, however… Kuang Tianqing had brought no one with him to the sect.

Meanwhile, Yu Xinghan, visibly tense, tried to lighten the mood: “So we’re about to cross from Layer 10 to Layer 11, right?”

Starfire True Lord explained: “The boundary between Layers 10 and 11 isn’t truly a barrier—it’s a spatial teleportation mechanism.”

“If the original construction of Kunxu treated Layers 1 through 10 as barren lands forcibly stacked like flatbreads, then Layers 11 through 20 consist of countless exquisitely chosen sacred sites.”

“To preserve each site’s unique environment, every one is sealed off using spatial techniques, forming isolated pocket dimensions accessible only via teleportation.”

Zhang Yu nodded in understanding, mentally rephrasing it in his own terms: “If Layers 1–10 resemble open-world games—where you can fly freely across entire maps—then Layers 11–20 are like separate, self-contained mini-maps. Travel between them requires loading screens… or rather, teleportation.”

“These pocket worlds are like meticulously carved cubes, assembled into the layered structure known as the Sect Tiers—Layers 11 through 20.”

“The Sect Tiers” was the common shorthand for these upper layers.

“At the center of each Sect Tier lies its largest and most expansive world—the place where most sect members spend the bulk of their time.”

“This central realm is called… Zhongji Heaven.”

As light and shadow flickered before them, a brand-new world suddenly unfolded.

Kunxu Layer 11. Zhongji Heaven. Wanfa District.

Timber-like pavilions twisted and intertwined, rising like snow-capped divine peaks, stretching endlessly toward the heavens.

One thousand meters? Ten thousand? One hundred thousand?

Zhang Yu slowly grasped the truth: “Each Sect Tier’s central zone is Zhongji Heaven. From here, one can access every region and pocket dimension within that layer.”

“In fact, Zhongji Heavens from Layers 11 through 20 are fundamentally interconnected.”

“And the vertical distance from Layer 11’s Zhongji Heaven to Layer 20’s spans one hundred thousand kilometers.”

Which meant…

Zhang Yu stared up at the seemingly infinite towers—those wooden-looking structures stretched continuously from Layer 11 all the way to Layer 20, a full one hundred thousand kilometers tall.

Yet Zhang Yu, well-versed in sect lore, also knew that every ten thousand kilometers marked a tier boundary. Without proper clearance, passage was impossible.

Right now, they could ascend no higher than ten thousand kilometers—Layer 12 remained beyond their reach.

Gazing upon this architectural marvel spanning one hundred thousand kilometers, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but muse: “No wonder they’ve stopped hiring civil engineers—they’ve basically built everything there is to build.”

His mind drifted to Wanfa University’s Layer 2 campus cityscape. “That design must’ve been inspired by this endless upward expansion.”

Meanwhile, everyone aboard felt an abrupt shift in ambient spiritual energy. Their cultivation efficiency surged, their mental clarity sharpened, and their comprehension of techniques and Dao deepened instantly.

Zhang Yu understood—it wasn’t just about denser spiritual qi…

“From Layers 11 to 20, spiritual qi grows richer by the tier—and even traces of immortal essence begin seeping into the very air.”

“Sunlight and moonlight here carry threads of Dao-wisdom, enlightening the mind and enhancing insight.”

“The higher you go, the faster your cultivation—of body, mind, and spirit—accelerates. Comprehending techniques, researching immortal arts… all becomes exponentially more efficient.”

“And only above can one find certain essential elements crucial for future breakthroughs.”

Beside him, Yu Xinghan gasped in awe: “The air in the sect is incredible! Do people really cultivate here all the time?”

He couldn’t fathom how rapidly his cultivation would advance if he trained constantly in such an environment.

Ye Xingli frowned worriedly: “Why isn’t there any pricing notice?”

Le Mulan also tensed, halting both breath and cultivation mid-motion. “Could it be… expensive?”

Wen Wuya racked her brain for anything in the sect entrance exams about environmental spiritual qi fees—but recalled nothing.

Before arriving, they’d learned the sect’s universal currency was called Immortal Coins—currency anchored to actual immortal essence, personally minted by immortals, usable across all sect-affiliated zones.

It was also a currency forbidden from circulating downward into the lower realms.

And now, Zhang Yu and his companions faced a dire problem: together, they possessed exactly zero immortal coins.

Bai Zhenzhen thought inwardly, “At this very moment, with zero cash on hand… perhaps we are at our weakest. Just a small mishap would plunge us into debt.”

Just as everyone grew anxious, Starfire True Lord sighed, “It’s all free—use it however you like, absorb as much as you want. No charge.”

Everyone was stunned by these words, utterly unprepared for such an exceptional cultivation environment to be offered without cost.

Yu Xinghan couldn’t help but muse inwardly, “Is this what belonging to a sect truly means? A free environment that already rivals the finest cultivation chambers down below.”

While they pondered, the flying vessel accelerated sharply and arrived before a floating island.

The island housed the new recruits’ training academy—their destination. All newly hired Sect Administrators of Wanfa Sect and their accompanying outsourced personnel would undergo two weeks of intensive, closed-door training here.

Zhang Yu, Yu Xinghan, and Starfire True Lord disembarked from the vessel, accompanied by Ye Xingli, Le Mulan, and Li Xuelian.

Zhang Yu turned back toward Bai Zhenzhen, still standing aboard the ship, and waved gently. “Ah Zhen, be careful.”

Bai Zhenzhen replied, “Yu-zi, you too.”

On the other side, Kuang Tianqing and Wen Wuya exchanged a brief glance with Zhang Yu and nodded silently.

As the vessel sailed off toward its next destination, Bai Zhenzhen and the others gradually vanished from Zhang Yu’s sight.

Upon reaching the entrance of the training academy, Zhang Yu and the others saw lines of text projected outward from within the school, hovering in midair:

“Work four hours per day.”

“Eliminate pointless overtime; focus on innovative tasks!”

“Charge ahead boldly—the Sect has your back.”

Reading these slogans, Yu Xinghan grew increasingly astonished. “Is this really Wanfa Sect’s training academy? Or some demonic cult’s base?”

“It’s too sinister,” Ye Xingli murmured involuntarily. “Was the academy attacked? Why are they broadcasting slogans like this?”

Beside them, Starfire True Lord sighed again. “These… are the Sect’s old mottos. It’s just that time has passed—few places still project these slogans nowadays.”

Hearing this, the group exchanged glances. Yu Xinghan thought to himself, “Do Sect members… live so leisurely and decadently in such a privileged environment?”

As they spoke, beams of light swept over their bodies, verifying their identities.

Immediately afterward, a notification materialized in the air before each of them:

Connection failed… Connection failed…

After several repeated failures, a humanoid projection descended directly through the Spirit Realm.

“How is it that you can’t even connect to the Dharma Realm?”

The newcomer frowned as he looked at Zhang Yu and the five others. “From the lower strata? So you’re the ones who passed the exams from below? No wonder…”

“I’m one of the instructors overseeing this training session. First, connect to the Dharma Realm, then install the Wanfa Steward.”

“Without these two, you won’t be able to participate in the training at all.”

As he finished speaking, a prompt appeared before them:

“Initiate Dharma Realm connection?”

Seeing the “Yes” and “No” options beneath the message, Zhang Yu knew he had no choice.

Nearly every area within the Sect Layer under Wanfa Sect’s jurisdiction was now blanketed by the Dharma Realm. To work, study, or cultivate within the Sect, connecting to the Dharma Realm had become the only viable path.

Fortunately, Zhang Yu had already applied a Law-Severing Talisman, allowing him to exploit loopholes in the Dharma Realm to conceal his own data.

With a light tap on the “Yes” option, a progress bar instantly appeared and swiftly climbed from 1% to 100%.

In that instant, Zhang Yu felt the world before his eyes burst into vibrant life. Where the academy gates had once seemed barren and empty, dazzling, multicolored images now swirled everywhere—

Ads for “Wanfa Newcomer Loans,” “Celestial Backup Cultivation Power,” “Secondhand Cultivation Purchases”—all manner of advertisements, some comprehensible, others utterly baffling.

Meanwhile, beside the instructor’s Spirit Realm projection, an almost identical figure materialized. Zhang Yu recognized it immediately as the Dharma Realm projection.

He suddenly recalled the first time he’d used his Eye Relic to glimpse the second layer of the Spirit Realm—how the drab, gray university district had transformed in an instant into a dizzying spectacle. How strikingly similar it was to this moment!

Just then, the instructor lightly tapped his finger, and another notification floated before Zhang Yu:

“Install Wanfa Steward?”

Zhang Yu selected “Yes” once more.

“Installation complete?” the instructor asked, looking at the group. “Once it’s done, run your first self-diagnostic using the Wanfa Steward and send me the report.”

As the installation progressed, a series of prompts appeared before Zhang Yu:

“Meridian Access Request.”

“Wanfa Steward requires access to your body’s meridians for physical diagnostics, identity verification, technique downloads, remote guidance, and other functions.”

Zhang Yu sighed quietly and reluctantly chose “Allow.”

Then came requests for Blood-Qi access permissions, Organ access permissions, Cultivation Energy circulation permissions—one after another, each more intrusive than the last.

Having thoroughly studied Sect-entry materials, Zhang Yu understood this was inevitable upon joining the Dharma Realm. Only by granting these permissions could he access the Realm’s services and function properly within Wanfa Sect.

Refusing would be like rejecting the Eye Relic and Spirit Realm down below—rendering him utterly helpless.

With each successive “Allow,” Zhang Yu felt as though pieces of his own body were being handed away, bit by bit, until he no longer fully controlled himself.

Organizing an outline took far too long—he hadn’t finished yet. The remaining words will be added later.

(End of Chapter)