In the extraterritorial land, there were only a handful of immortal sects that operated on a significant scale. Aside from the Mystery Dao Sect which had Miao Yan Zhenren as its supporting pillar, there was also the Immortal Cloud Sect and their formidable leader, Xuan Yue Zhenren.
The Immortal Cloud Sect was slightly smaller than the Mystery Dao Sect. Another difference between the two sects was that the former consisted of more female immortals. Patriarchy was not just limited to the mortal world; even among immortals, the consensus was that women were weaker than men. That was the main reason why the Immortal Cloud Sect was viewed as inferior compared to other sects.
Inside the Immortal Cloud Sect, a female immortal was arguing with Xuan Yue Zhenren. She donned purple robes and her purple hair was tied up in a bun.
“Senior Sister, ever since our ancestors established this sect, we’ve been striving on our own. Even during the great tragedy, we’ve never sought the help of outsiders. Why are you making an exception this time? I’m worried that our disciples might start thinking our sect is no longer what it was before.”
The woman who appeared to be in her thirties was the second-in-command of the Immortal Cloud Sect. Her name was Immortal Piao Yun, and she was Xuan Yue Zhenren’s junior.
Immortal Piao Yun was a decisive character. She was always fond of doing things alone, and she was unsurprisingly a prideful person.
Xuan Yue Zhenren understood that aspect of her, so she merely smiled in response. “Junior Sister, you exaggerate. It was never the rule that our sect is forbidden to seek the help of outsiders. Moreover, we cannot ignore the problem with our Storm Beast Cave. It has been hundreds of years since a new storm beast was born. I think you understand that the strength of our sect is derived not from you, me, or any other immortal. No, our main powerhouse lies in the storm beasts. We’ve lost about thirty percent of our storm beasts whilst eradicating evil sects. If we don’t replenish the numbers, I fear that the foundation of our sect will be affected. That’s why I’ve invited Mr. Lin over to help us take a look.”
“This is absurd!” Immortal Piao Yun flung her sleeve with great disdain. “The Storm Beast Cave is the secret of our sect! How can we show it to a stranger so readily? I’ve been guarding the cave for over two thousand years now, so you can’t even compare to me when it comes to understanding storm beasts. I will find a solution to the problem myself! If I can’t solve the issue, no one else can! Not even unfettered immortals!”
Upon hearing this, Xuan Yue Zhenren came to a realization.
So the reluctance of her junior in accepting the help of an outsider stemmed from this reason? She was frantic because she was the one who was looking after the Storm Beast Cave all this while. Surely, her pride would be hurt if Xuan Yue Zhenren decided to rely on someone else to look into the problem. Everyone in the Immortal Cloud Sect knew of Immortal Piao Yun’s prideful nature.
Xuan Yue Zhenren realized that she had acted too hastily in inviting Lin Jin over. She failed to consider her junior’s feelings, but the problem had to be solved no matter what. After brief consideration, she decided to persuade her junior to accept her decision. It was a fact that no one in the Immortal Cloud Sect had any idea what happened to the Storm Beast Cave so they could not solve the problem no matter what.
Perhaps Lin Jin or even his master would fail to find a solution, but they still had to give it a shot.
After a round of persuasion, Immortal Piao Yun finally gave in. Of course, her reluctance remained. Although she agreed to Mr. Lin’s visit, she decided that she would give him a lot of trouble if he fails to find anything wrong with the cave.
Meanwhile, Lin Jin had no idea what was going on in the Immortal Cloud Sect.
He stayed in the Mystery Dao Sect for one more day.
He should have gone to the Immortal Cloud Sect yesterday, but his schedule was delayed by a day due to Dopey Bear’s incident.
In 24 hours, Lin Jin passed on many secret arts and cultivation methods to Dopey Bear. As he guided it through its cultivation, he could be considered Dopey Bear’s teacher.
Zuo Men was Dopey Bear’s owner and Lin Jin was its teacher. This relationship seemed rather appropriate. Both Zuo Men and Dopey Bear were grateful toward Lin Jin, so they always made sure to comply with Lin Jin’s instructions.
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Lin Jin had a selfish reason for helping the bear.
As a beast appraiser, he saw the potential Dopey Bear possessed, thanks to its unique bloodline. This was what pushed him to help the bear out. Secondly, by helping the bear, he was preparing a backup for himself.
Dopey Bear’s growth potential and talent exceeded that of Xiao Huo’s. It was one of the strongest creatures Lin Jin had ever come across. The probability of Dopey Bear achieving Rank 8 or even 9 was higher than Xiao Huo. If the fire wolf fails to advance to Rank 9, Dopey Bear would step into the picture.
No other beast could compare to it.
Lin Jin began preparations to take Dopey Bear in as his disciple. To do so, he needed one day to get everything in order.
After everything was settled, Lin Jin was sent off by the immortals of the Mystery Dao Sect.
He traveled to the Immortal Cloud Sect on a cloud. As their guest of honor, the Mystery Dao Sect ordered Chen Xuankong to escort Lin Jin on his journey. At the same time, the Immortal Cloud Sect sent Qin Yunshang to receive him.They were all acquainted with each other.
And so, the journey was a pleasant one. When they crossed into the territory of the Immortal Cloud Sect, Chen Xuankong took his leave while Qin Yunshang led Lin Jin up a flight of cloud stairs.
These stairs were the Immortal Cloud Sect’s trademark. Unlike other immortal sects, the Immortal Cloud Sect was situated among the clouds. However, the miasma which covered the extraterritorial land stretched up into the sky; even the clouds were covered in poison gas. This made it lose its ethereal appearance, and in its place was an ominous vibe.
Lin Jin looked up and saw he stairs winding upwards into the clouds. He caught a glimpse of large halls and pavilions.
‘That must be where the Immortal Cloud Sect is located,’ he thought.
Lin Jin couldn’t resist gasping at how majestic the Immortal Cloud Sect looked compared to the Mystery Dao Sect. At the very least, they looked more like an immortal’s sect.
From the perspective of mortals, immortal sects should at least be able to float in the sky.
As they walked up the stairs, Qin Yunshang couldn’t resist the urge to ask Lin Jin a question out of astonishment.
“Mr. Lin, are you truly just a mortal?”
Lin Jin smiled. “I’ll offer a guaranteed replacement if I’m a counterfeit!”
As there was no one around, Qin Yunshang leaned toward Lin Jin and whispered into his ear, “Mr. Lin, I’m a visitor of the Visitation Hall and I’m acquainted with Curator, so we’re on the same side.”
“I know.” Lin Jin continued smiling, but he wondered what Qin Yunshang was going to say because she couldn’t have mentioned their relationship for no apparent reason.
Sure enough, Qin Yunshang leaned closer and said softly “Mr. Lin, I have a martial aunt who’s known as Immortal Piao Yun. She… She might give you trouble after you arrive at our sect.”