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“It’s not that I don’t want to give you a discount, but there have been too many people coming to the Immortal Cloud City recently. If you wait a few more days, this courtyard will probably be rented out,” the tooth man chuckled.

In the end, Chen Fei still managed to rent the courtyard, albeit at a reduced price of 1,900 taels per year. Even if Chi Defeng tried to negotiate, the rent couldn’t be lowered any further.

After purchasing some basic furniture, the two of them officially moved into Immortal Cloud City. Chi Defeng went to gather information about medicinal herbs in preparation for future pill refinement.

Meanwhile, Chen Fei explored the city, visiting various shops and restaurants. In addition to learning about the prices of pills in Immortal Cloud City, he also inquired about the recruitment process of the Celestial Cloud Sword Sect.

Half a day later, Chen Fei returned to the courtyard with a troubled expression.

“What’s wrong?” Chi Defeng looked at Chen Fei, feeling puzzled.

“It’s nothing major. I just heard some news about the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect’s disciple recruitment process. They’ve changed the rules again,” Chen Fei whispered.

During his time in the caravan, an old man had mentioned the rules for accepting disciples, which were set many years ago.

Over the years, especially with the increasing influx of people into Immortal Cloud City, the method of accepting disciples in the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect had changed almost every month, but the general principles remained the same.

“What are the new rules?” Chi Defeng asked curiously.

The last time he heard about the requirement of reaching the Marrow Tempering realm before the age of 20, he was already shocked. He had been cultivating all his life and had only reached the Bone Tempering realm. The Marrow Tempering realm was still far beyond his reach.

The fact that the base requirement was the Marrow Tempering realm was already a heavy blow to his self-esteem.

“The new rule for the first two months is that if you haven’t been exposed to martial arts before the age of thirteen, you can join the sect if you pass the test based on your Innate Ability and Comprehension. If you are accepted as a disciple, you should reach the Bone Tempering realm by the age of 15 and the Marrow Tempering realm by 18,” Chen Fei explained, looking up.

Chi Defeng was momentarily stunned, thinking he must have misheard. Then, his mouth hung open wide. The original rules were already stringent enough, but now he realized that he was still far too weak. The new rules were even more demanding.

“Even in Immortal Cloud City, it’s incredibly difficult to reach the Marrow Tempering realm before the age of 18,” Chi Defeng couldn’t help but ask.

A person’s martial arts talent, apart from factors like family background and having martial artist parents, would mostly depend on innate talent. In a city like Immortal Cloud City, genius martial artists would undoubtedly be far superior to those from rural areas.

However, reaching the five realms of body tempering and the Marrow Tempering realm was no easy task.

“Yes, that’s why most of those who join the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect are still young.”

“Of course,” Chen Fei nodded. “By training them from a young age, they will be more loyal and adaptable compared to those who bring their existing skills to the sect.”

“Has the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect been accepting many new disciples recently?” Chi Defeng asked, wondering if the sect had tightened its recruitment criteria due to the influx of people.

“Yes, many people have sought refuge here,” Chen Fei nodded, sighing slightly. With so many choices available, the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect naturally selected the cream of the crop. Rumor has it that the recruitment rules might change again this month.

Despite being a behemoth, the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect still needed instructors and resources to distribute. Expanding the sect so rapidly had likely exhausted them to some extent.

However, this made it more challenging for older martial artists like Chen Fei to enter the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect.

This month, the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect would begin accepting disciples in five days. There were also rumors that the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect might change their recruitment frequency from once a month to once every three months or even half a year or a year.

Over the next two days, Chen Fei and Chi Defeng gathered information in Immortal Cloud City. Chi Defeng found a reliable source of medicinal herbs, while Chen Fei extensively explored more than half of the city, especially areas with a high concentration of shops.

Compared to Apricot Fen City, the prices of medicinal pills in Immortal Cloud City had dropped further. Light Spirit Pills were typically sold for ten taels of silver, Eternal Floating Pills for twenty-five taels, and Flying Ascent Pills for ninety-five taels.

The price decline was minimal for Flying Ascent Pills since they were consumed by those in the Visceral Tempering realm, making them relatively more valuable. Unfortunately, Chen Fei had yet to master the art of refining them.

As for pill formulas, Immortal Cloud City had a wide variety available. Even the formula for Light Spirit Pills wasn’t too expensive. The formula for Eternal Floating Pills was still relatively confidential.

If one wished to learn, one could join a medical hall or a medicine shop and sign a long-term contract to receive training. The requirements for Flying Ascent Pills were even stricter.

Immortal Cloud City also had street stalls set up by itinerant cultivators, which were larger in scale compared to Apricot Fen City and bustling with activity. A wide variety of peculiar items were sold there, with over 20 vendors selling medicinal pills, leading to fierce competition.

This indicated the considerable number of people and talented individuals who had flocked to Immortal Cloud City from various places. Only those skilled in alchemy could survive in such a competitive environment.

On the morning of the third day, Chi Defeng brought a bag of medicinal herbs to Chen Fei filled with the ingredients for Light Spirit Pills.

Due to the simplified version of Eternal Floating Pills, refining Light Spirit Pills would provide valuable experience points.

Chen Fei estimated that by putting his full effort into refining Light Spirit Pills, he could perfect his proficiency in Eternal Floating Pills in about a month.

Moreover, since he had just arrived in Immortal Cloud City, it would be more appropriate to start by selling Light Spirit Pills.

Light Spirit Pills were common in Immortal Cloud City, and while the profit margins were decent, it wasn’t an item that would make others envious. The city’s market dynamics were different.

By controlling the quantity, Chen Fei could test the market to some extent.

Of course, it would be ideal if he had a strong backing, such as the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect. However, Chen Fei was unsure if he would have the opportunity to join the sect under the current conditions.

On the morning of the fourth day, Chen Fei handed Chi Defeng 100 Light Spirit Pills. Some of them were refined in Apricot Fen City and stored in Chen Fei’s space grid.

There were also some preserved food items from Pingyin County in the space grid, which Chen Fei didn’t consume, keeping them as emergency rations.

At noon, Chi Defeng returned with a smile on his face. Chen Fei looked at him in surprise.

“This big city is truly different. A person tested the authenticity of our pills by pricking them with a needle and ended up buying all of our Light Spirit Pills,” Chi Defeng said with a smile, handing over the silver notes to Chen Fei. Chen Fei was also pleasantly surprised. He didn’t expect Immortal Cloud City to have such advanced methods of testing medicinal pills.

In the afternoon, Chen Fei dedicated his time to refining elixirs and practicing swordsmanship and archery. He couldn’t deny feeling nervous about his visit to the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect the next day. If he could enter the sect, it would mark a significant milestone in his martial path.

However, considering the current requirements of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect, Chen Fei couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. The standards were incredibly high.

Early in the morning on the fifth day, Chen Fei woke up and bid farewell to Chi Defeng before setting out. Many others in Immortal Cloud City were also awake early, filled with excitement as they gathered near the foot of the mountain where the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect was located.

They chatted animatedly, their faces brimming with anticipation as their gazes intermittently drifted toward the sect’s gate on the mountain..