“The world is vast, its boundaries unknown; the Great Sui is but a corner of this land. Ethan Hill, Banhu Zhai, Yujian Manor, Tianshui Stronghold, Chenbing Gate, Bolong Dao, and Xianqiao Sect are the seven righteous sects of the Great Sui. It is said that hundreds or thousands of years ago, the ancestors of these seven sects joined forces, braving countless dangers, to drive the demonic cultivators out of the Great Sui, winning peace for the common people.”

“Yet the demonic cultivators’ evil ambitions never died. They fled into the ghostly Rong territory in the northwest, supporting the Rong in their repeated border incursions. Every time war breaks out, our seven sects secretly send people to the border to aid the army in victory. Without the protection of our seven sects, the Great Sui would have long since fallen to the demonic cultivators, and the people would be living in misery.”

He kept boasting about the great merits and hard work of the seven sects, and repeatedly elevated the status of Ethan Hill among them. Brian Carter, listening on the side, gained a general understanding of Ethan Hill’s situation, which could be considered a small gain.

Matthew Clark complained, “This guy talks a mile a minute—most of it is just hot air, not to be trusted at all…”

Samuel Grant’s talisman couldn’t last long. After the carriage flew for about a hundred li, it had to land. Although talismans are a common method in the cultivation world, they’re not as common as cabbages in the field, and Samuel Grant wasn’t extravagant enough to use them just for travel.

So, after a hundred li, the carriage landed. The skinny horse seemed a bit dissatisfied, snorted loudly, and began to pull the carriage at a slow pace.

Ethan Hill is about two thousand li from Andrew Clark, separated by two provinces. To ordinary people, this distance is almost unreachable, but for cultivators, it’s only a matter of a few days’ journey.

Along the way, Samuel Grant and his fellow disciple subtly tried to build a relationship with Edward Foster, the future rising star, and paid little attention to Brian Carter. When Brian Carter was thirsty, he would ask the two for some water; when hungry, he ate the dry rations he brought himself.

As for Edward Foster, he no longer seemed as averse to Brian Carter as before, and would chat with him a bit every day.

Edward Foster had his own thoughts. Once he joined the sect, he would be a stranger in a strange place. According to Samuel Grant and his fellow disciple, he was destined for great achievements.

But no matter how great the achievements, he would always need a few people by his side to help him—in other words, subordinates.

Brian Carter was from the same village as him, of average talent, and had always seemed honest and simple. In Edward Foster’s view, he would be easy to control and cultivate loyalty. So, in his heart, Edward Foster was actually grooming Brian Carter as part of his future “team.”

Brian Carter of course had no idea about Edward Foster’s calculations.

When Edward Foster spoke to him, he would respond with a few words; if not, he couldn’t be bothered to start a conversation. The “grudges” from their childhood seemed rather laughable now that they were older.

And so, after four days of being treated as invisible by Samuel Grant and his fellow disciple, a vast and winding mountain range appeared ahead of the carriage. The mountains stretched like a dragon across the wilds, grand and imposing. The mountains were lush and verdant, steady and massive—Ethan Hill had arrived.

Ethan Hill is renowned within the Great Sui, ranking fifth among the ten famous mountains. Three hundred years ago, the then head of Ethan Hill, Master Jifeng, slew an evil flood dragon at the Nu Cang River, halting a flood that plagued half a province. After that, Ethan Hill was granted an imperial decree by the Great Sui emperor, officially becoming a court-recognized immortal sect.

Don’t underestimate this imperial decree. Those who think cultivation is completely detached from the mundane world are laughable. If nothing else, just this imperial recognition brings a host of benefits.

The emperor’s dragon aura has always had a suppressive effect on cultivators. But after receiving the imperial decree and becoming an immortal official of the court, the entire sect gains an additional cultivation path: the Dragon Court Support.

Some talented cultivators disdain this method, but for those of average aptitude who have no hope of breaking through by normal means, it is a last lifeline.

Only with the imperial decree does one qualify for the Dragon Court Support.

Moreover, it makes things much easier in every province. For example, when selecting disciples, local officials will do their utmost to help.

The carriage entered Ethan Hill, traveling deep into the mountains. Many places were so treacherous that even monkeys would struggle to climb and birds to fly over, but the skinny horse’s abilities became apparent—it traversed all these places as if walking on flat ground, pulling the carriage smoothly along.

The first time the skinny horse pulled the carriage and leapt lightly up a massive waterfall thirty zhang high, Brian Carter was stunned, marveling in his heart: Truly the work of immortals!

At the same time, Jason Clark let out a disdainful “hmph,” not even bothering to explain to this country bumpkin Brian Carter: This is what you call immortal means?

The carriage traveled through the mountains for two days, arriving at a secluded valley rarely visited by people.

The mouth of the valley was wide, with towering peaks on both sides, and the alpine meadows were covered in white and yellow wildflowers. William Grant smiled and said, “Junior Brother Tian, we’ve arrived. Let’s get out.”

Brian Carter was the last to get off, looking around and feeling that this place didn’t seem much different from Andrew Clark.

All around, the mountains were empty—where was the entrance to the Ethan Sect?

Seeing the confusion in the eyes of Brian Carter and Edward Foster, a trace of pride flashed in Samuel Grant’s eyes. At his senior brother’s signal, William Grant took out a shield-shaped jade token from his robe, held it up, and channeled a faint glow from his body into the token.

“Zzz—”