Far to the north, in the rugged borderlands of Liang State, dozens of disparate groups of cultivators stood at the foot of a massive gate. They waited. The gate, carved from some ancient, dark wood, towered over them. Its surface was etched with intricate engravings of swirling clouds and crossed swords. It exuded an aura of immense resilience. It felt harder than any forged metal.

The people gathered there looked upon the gate with a spectrum of emotions. Some gazes held reverence, a look of worship for the power that lay beyond. Others were filled with a raw, naked expectation. The hope of a brighter future shone in their eyes. A few people simply watched with neutral, patient expressions.

Among the many groups stood a small party of six. There were four men and two women. Their leader was a handsome man in his early twenties. His dark, intense eyes swept over the people around him, studying their clothes, their attitudes, and the direction of their gazes. He noted how some arrogant-looking cultivators, clad in high-quality spiritual robes, would occasionally glance towards the two young women in his group.

One girl, who appeared to be in her late teens, had a mischievous glint in her eyes. She gave off an aura that seemed to evoke a desire for protection. The other was a composed beauty. Her calmness was a charming counterpoint to the vibrant energy of youth.

"Big Brother Li, some of these people are not good," the mischievous-looking girl whispered, leaning closer to the leader. "We have to be wary of them."

"Ling'er, don't worry." The man’s voice was low but steady. It was a calm anchor in the tense atmosphere. "I will make sure you and Shang Yu are safe."

Suddenly, the massive gate began to move. A deep groan of ancient wood echoed through the valley as it slowly swung open, drawing everyone's immediate attention. Two old men emerged. They were dressed in robes of gray and blue, their hems patterned with embroidered blue clouds. Their gazes swept over the crowd, sharp and assessing, before they nodded to each other.

"You will all be given temporary courtyards," the first old man announced, his voice devoid of warmth. "However, I must inform you that while the Sect will cover most of the travel fee to the warfront, you will be required to pay a portion of it yourselves. If you cannot, your journey ends here." He finished his statement. He walked away without another word.

A low murmur rippled through the groups. Some people exchanged frowning glances. The sudden fee was unexpected. Others, from wealthier families, remained relaxed.

The second old man waited for the noise to die down. "The fee is two hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones per person," he added. "You have one week to prepare if you do not have the funds now."

The murmuring intensified. Hundreds of cultivators began to speak at once, their voices a mix of outrage, anxiety, and frustration.

"Brother Li, what are we going to do now?" a sturdy young man with a practical, worried expression asked. His brow was furrowed with deep concern. It was Heng Tian. "After spending so much to get here, I don't think many of us have that many spirit stones left." His worried question hung in the air. It echoed the anxiety of the entire group.

Ling'er, frowned. "Two hundred thousand each? That's robbery! We have six people. That’s one million, two hundred thousand stones!"

"How many do we have with us?" asked a lean young man with sharp eyes. It was Mingyu.

They pooled their resources. They counted the contents of their storage rings. The final tally was grim. "Just over eight hundred thousand," Mingyu announced, his voice tight.

A burly youth with a square jaw and an honest, straightforward face sighed heavily. "We wouldn't have to worry about this if Senior Brother Su Kang had come with us." Several others nodded in agreement. They all believed that with the Su Clan's backing, Su Kang would never have been sent on such a journey without ample resources.

Li Fang nodded as well. A flicker of something unreadable crossed his intense eyes. He thought of his mother's face, of her kindness and the deep, hidden pain he sometimes saw there. This would be the first time he wouldn't see her for years. Without him, she would be lonely and sad. I just hope she takes care of herself well, he thought, a familiar ache in his chest. I wish Su Kang will help her to get along with some people in the Su Manor. If she is preoccupied with something, she will not keep worrying about me. He knew it was the right decision to place her in the Su family. This journey would be a struggle without Su Kang, but it was not impossible for him to manage.

He let out a long breath, pushing the thought aside. "We have to find another way," he said, his voice firm as he took command. "We'll have to sell some spiritual artifacts or weapons that aren't essential." He had a few valuable items that would fetch some spiritual stone, closing the gap. Thɪs chapter is updated by novel·fire·net

The second old man, who had been watching the crowd's panicked reactions with a detached gaze, spoke again. "If you lack the spiritual stones," he stated, his voice flat, "you have one week. You can complete tasks for the sect to earn the required amount. If you wish to do so, come with me."

He gestured for the crowd to follow. Some cultivators hesitated, a new wave of uncertainty rippling through them. What if we fail to earn enough? Is there no consequence for failure? But with no other options, the entire crowd began to move forward. It was a river of hopefuls and desperates, flowing into the sect's domain.

"Let's go," Li Fang said to his group. "We'll see what kind of tasks they have. I don't think they will make it impossible for us."

They passed through the ancient gate. The world inside was different. The Cloud Sword Sect was a sprawling complex of courtyards and elegant, upturned-roof buildings that climbed the mountainside. Disciples in the sect's gray and blue robes were busy with their daily sect life. They just glanced at the newcomers. Nothing more. They had seen such sights a few times before.

The old man led them to a large, open plaza dominated by a massive stone stele. Dozens of notices were carved into its surface, each glowing with faint spiritual light.

"These are the available tasks," the old man announced. "They range from hunting spiritual beasts to assisting our alchemists with herb processing. Each has a listed reward. Take a jade slip, accept a task, and report to the registry hall when you are finished. You have one week." He turned and left without another word. He left them to their own devices.

The crowd surged towards the stele. It was a chaotic mess of cultivators trying to find the most profitable and least dangerous tasks.

"This is a mess," Heng Tian grumbled. He watched some people grew desperate already.

Mingyu's sharp eyes were already scanning the stele from a distance. "Most high-reward tasks require a team of ten or a late-stage Foundation Building cultivation. The beast hunting missions are too time-consuming."

"What about that one?" Ling'er pointed. "It says we need to find spiritual ingredients for a 'Sun-Quenching Yang Pill'."

Mingyu glanced at the task and frowned a little. "Do any of us know how to identify a 'Crimson Sunpetal' from a 'Scorched Weed'?" Mingyu asked dryly. "Alchemy ingredients are notoriously difficult to find if you're not an expert."

Li Fang shook his head. "He's right. It's too slow and too specialized. We'd waste the week searching and in the end we might not be able to finish in a week."

"What we need," Mingyu said, his gaze locking onto a notice near the bottom of the stele, "is something high-risk, high-reward, that can be done quickly and close by."

He pushed his way through the crowd. The others followed. The notice he pointed to was one most others had ignored.

Task: Clear the Shadowfen Caves of Gold-Skinned Vipers. Danger Level: High. Reward: 350 thousand low-grade spirit stones, plus the right to keep any materials harvested from the vipers.

Shang Yu frowned. "Gold-Skinned Vipers? They live in groups. A single one could be easily equivalent to a late-stage Foundation Building cultivator. It's really dangerous."

"But," Li Fang said, a determined glint in his eyes, "I'm already a Core Formation cultivator. Leave it to me. I can handle them alone." The reward was exactly what they needed. Their venom sacs and hides were valuable materials themselves.

He looked around at his team. He looked at Shang Yu, who nodded at his words, her trust absolute. He looked at Heng Tian and Hu Jianhong, whose faces showed a mix of apprehension and resolve. He looked at Mingyu, whose gaze had already deemed this the most efficient path. He looked at Ling'er, who was nervous but also excited by the challenge.

"We'll do this," Li Fang declared. "And we will continue our journey together."