My construction materials are weird

"Have you heard? The Dreamworld preliminaries this time were even more exciting than the first grand finals. The hundred people selected this time are truly capable."

At the edge of the plaza, it was already packed with cultivators watching the event.

It happened to be the end of the year. Although it was the age of cultivators, some important festivals were still being celebrated.

After all, even cultivators needed these festivals, which had been established over thousands of years.

Whether they were members of major forces or rogue cultivators, they would try to return to Qingyun Mountain at the end of the year, just like going home for the New Year.

Coinciding with the second Centennial Arts Competition, there were many cultivators watching the excitement.

In front of the plaza, there was already a sea of people, witnessing a grand occasion.

"That's for sure. After all, with nearly ten years of accumulation, and even many 'obsessives,' how could it not be exciting?" a companion replied.

The so-called obsessives referred to people like the master and apprentice from Nan City.

They were impoverished for the sake of the Centennial Arts Competition, just waiting for this opportunity to prove themselves.

"There's also the matter of Luo Feng's transcendent will. What do you all think?" A cultivator brought up the major event that had happened in the past two days.

This was the first cultivator with a transcendent will, which naturally caused quite a stir.

"What else can we think? Fellow Daoist Luo Feng is mighty, greatly boosting the morale of us rogue cultivators. Even the four Sect Leaders couldn't achieve a transcendent will, but we rogue cultivators did it. Congratulations!"

Some rogue cultivators felt honored.

This was a reciprocal relationship.

Rogue cultivators previously lacked cohesion. Although their current cohesion still couldn't compare to that of true forces, they were no longer as loose as before.

The reason was the leadership of the rogue cultivators from the Three Thousand Cave Abodes, especially the top ten. They would really step up when something happened.

They greatly maintained the interests of the rogue cultivator group.

After all, they were experts, and many meetings held by the Merit Hall would invite them to participate.

Whenever issues involving rogue cultivators arose, these people would always argue reasonably, winning many benefits for the rogue cultivator group.

In turn, because these people fought for the interests of rogue cultivators, the rogue cultivators naturally supported them.

Although there was no alliance, they had cleverly come together.

Upon learning that Luo Feng's will was transcendent, the rogue cultivators were all very happy.

Perhaps in the beginning, there was some envy, jealousy, and hatred, envying those Cave Abode cultivators for defeating them.

But as time passed, the hatred had disappeared. First, because of time; time could smooth out all complexities.

Second, because of their vastly different abilities, the Cave Abode cultivators' abilities had already surpassed them; they were no longer on the same level of strength.

As a result, envy, jealousy, and hatred had dissipated a lot.

Currently, the true major forces on Qingyun Mountain were still the Four Superpowers and the Eight Great Families, these twelve forces with their own bases.

Apart from these twelve, no other small or medium-sized force could be called the thirteenth force.

This was because the strongest sect masters and leaders could only barely gain a foothold on Qingyun Mountain, and could not form an advantage in numbers.

Therefore, when talking about major forces on Qingyun Mountain, there were only these twelve.

Of course, this rogue cultivator was the Qingyun Mountain term. Many sect leaders, elders, and clan heads of small and medium-sized forces were also included.

As mentioned before, the difference between the strengths of small and medium-sized forces outside was how many people could gain a foothold on Qingyun Mountain. This was the greatest proof.

Some busybodies even said: A force with five people seeking Dao on Qingyun Mountain could be considered a medium-sized force, and a force with one person seeking Dao on Qingyun Mountain could be considered a small force.

If an entire force did not have a single person who could gain a foothold on Qingyun Mountain, it could only be said that this force was not even in the mainstream.

No one knew who said this, but it was accepted by everyone.

There were indeed many cultivators who thought so, believing that this was how small and medium-sized forces were divided.

For ten years, not counting the Four Superpowers and the Eight Great Families, there were at least 30,000 to 50,000 forces, large and small.

But how many forces could truly have one person gain a foothold on Qingyun Mountain?

Suddenly, these forces were all labeled as non-mainstream forces. Although it was the truth, it still made people hate it.

Many forces were offering rewards to find out who was so foul-mouthed to say that a force with one person gaining a foothold on Qingyun Mountain could be considered a small force.

Good heavens, we used to call ourselves medium-sized forces outside, but now, we're directly labeled as non-mainstream. This is too much!

Unfortunately, after so many years, they still haven't found this 'most foul-mouthed person'.

Instead, the imprint of this idea had become deeply rooted, and everyone had accepted this standard.

People hated it so much that their teeth itched, but they had to accept reality.

They no longer dared to call their forces randomly, and there was a simple division.

And the forces with people gaining a foothold on Qingyun Mountain were very happy. Had someone finally discovered our strength?

Before, any Tom, Dick, or Harry could call themselves a medium-sized force, and you couldn't refute it because there wasn't a fixed standard, even though you looked down on some braggarts?

But there was nothing you could do about them. You couldn't just go to their door and start a fight to prove your strength, right?

It wasn't worth it, and it would also make you enemies. It was really unwise.

Now, there was finally a clear division, and many treasure forces had become very popular as a result.

Everyone took a look. Good heavens, this XX clan, this XX sect, they were so strong, with three experts gaining a foothold on Qingyun Mountain.

And then they looked at the forces that had boasted so much before, and saw that not a single person had gained a foothold on Qingyun Mountain.

It was simply a mirror that revealed the truth. Which force to join was clear at a glance.

In the past five years, because of this change, the forces with cultivators gaining a foothold on Qingyun Mountain had developed by leaps and bounds.

On the other hand, those forces that had advertised themselves as very strong before, but whose true strength was insufficient, had gradually declined.

In order for their own forces to gain a foothold on Qingyun Mountain, for the past five years, the cultivators on Qingyun Mountain seemed to be saying: Five years, five years! Do you know how we've been living?

It was already competitive before, but who would have thought it would be even more competitive now?

The strongest people from a group of forces were eyeing them covetously, wishing they could defeat them and gain a foothold on Qingyun Mountain.

In short, it was even more competitive, as competitive as a cabbage being rolled into a roll.

All for the sake of a spot on Qingyun Mountain.

Therefore…

Don't look at a group of cultivators who look like ordinary spectators, pointing and commenting in front of the plaza.

They may look like passersby, but behind each person is a moving and magnificent experience. None of those who can gain a foothold on Qingyun Mountain are simple.

With 30,000 people, the number of rogue cultivators greatly exceeded that of the major forces. This was an important sign.

There were actually reasons why the major forces could make concessions.

The major forces were not easy to bully either. Even if they united, Sun Tong would have a headache.

It wasn't easy to make them step back.

Currently, there were the Four Superpowers and the Eight Great Families, each with its own mountain headquarters.

It seemed that the headquarters of the Four Superpowers only had 2,000 people, but the actual number was far more than that.

This was the reason for their concession. Qingyun Mountain was too large. Two thousand people at the main peak of the headquarters were a drop in the bucket. Sun Tong also gave their four families a quota of 10,000 people who could be stationed at the main peak.

However, they would not be included in the 30,000 legends of Qingyun Mountain.

Not being included in the 30,000 legends meant they wouldn't share in Qingyun Mountain's fortune.

They could be service personnel, experts, rising stars, or even servants.

The Four Great Sects could arrange it however they wanted; it was up to them.

After some calculation, the Four Great Sects realized this was a worthwhile deal. Trading 1,000 people for 10,000, even if they couldn't share in Qingyun Mountain's fortune, was still a gain.

Fortune was just one of the benefits of a sacred ground; there were many more.

Therefore, they conceded, each family giving up 1,000 slots in exchange for the freedom to arrange 10,000 people as they wished.

In any case, Qingyun Mountain's spiritual energy came from a natural spiritual vein and was inexhaustible. There was so much that even cultivators couldn't enter the core areas because it was too dense. Too much spiritual energy was toxic to those with lower cultivation levels.

Even a million people wouldn't make a difference, let alone ten thousand.

The Four Great Sects could finally barely operate their main peaks. Before, everyone was an expert whose primary goal was to become stronger. Asking these experts to handle operations was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut—a waste.

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Now, things were very different.

Even if not all 18,000 rogue cultivators could return, there would still be over 10,000 by the end of the year.

Everyone who could come gathered in front of the entire plaza.

"Look, it's Bishop Wei Qiancheng. He's here? Does that mean his trouble is resolved?"

An eagle-eyed cultivator spotted Wei Qiancheng.

Wei Qiancheng was being very flamboyant this time, unlike his usual low-key demeanor.

He had come to observe the Hundred Arts Competition in a very high-profile manner.

"It should be. Otherwise, how would he dare to appear so openly? He would have been blocked by cultivators long ago," someone responded.

Wei Qiancheng's change from his usual low profile was intentional.

He wanted to use this to prove that he had resolved his previous troubles.

Not long ago, Lao Cheng and others had besieged him, demanding the compensation promised by the Hall of Merit. They wouldn't leave until it was resolved.

Wei Qiancheng hadn't sworn any oaths, but he paid a considerable price to barely appease the public's anger.

At least the cultivators who had suffered losses were no longer besieging him.

The Divine Cultivators had been very suppressed recently. Don't underestimate the siege by the rogue cultivators. Were only the rogue cultivators suffering losses?

The Four Great Sects and Eight Great Families were also affected.

The major powers couldn't besiege him like the rogue cultivators, but the pressure they exerted in secret was significant.

Offending all the legends of Qingyun Mountain at once created immense pressure.

The Divine Cultivators had been facing obstacles everywhere recently. An invisible hand was making it difficult for them to move forward.

Now that the matter was finally resolved, he needed to stand up and let everyone see that the Divine Cultivators hadn't collapsed, that they were still here and had survived this tribulation.

That was the purpose of his flamboyant appearance.

"Oh, so it's resolved!" Long Shi and Long Yue naturally saw him as well.

"I heard he paid a considerable price," Han Wu said.

"Fortunately, our Spiritual Cultivators are prioritizing the conversion of cultivation methods and haven't been overly competitive for the origin of the realm. Otherwise, we would have suffered losses too, and we would have needed to target the Divine Cultivators, which wouldn't have been good," Long Shi said.

Currently, only Long Shi and Han Wu were in Qingyun Mountain from the Town Protectorate.

Bi Xia had already led Zhao Zheng, Tang Zong, and other experts down the mountain to personally lead the team to resolve the issue of internal corruption.

"Yes, we still need to support each other with the Divine Cultivators," Han Wu agreed.

The arrival of the Town Protectorate naturally required making more friends. The Four Great Sects and Eight Great Families were definitely not on their side.

They had previously courted rogue cultivators and Divine Cultivators.

This was to jointly resist the Four Great Sects and Eight Great Families.

If the Town Protectorate also pursued the origin of the realm, then Wei Qiancheng's previous actions would have created irreparable wounds between the two sides.

The alliance would have stalled.

Fortunately, the Spiritual Cultivators didn't need the origin of the realm yet. Their top priority was to convert their cultivation paths.

"Long Shi, let's not talk about him. Do you think we should participate in this Hundred Arts Competition?" Han Wu asked.

"Ah!" Long Yue sighed. "In theory, we should participate. It's embarrassing to say, but we are the roughnecks of Qingyun Mountain. Even the Martial Alliance has its own Hundred Arts talents, but we Spiritual Cultivators are useless in everything."

Long Shi smiled wryly, and Han Wu's face also looked unpleasant.

"Spiritual Cultivators are useless in everything" was a widely circulated saying.

Spiritual Cultivators were just that—Spiritual Cultivators. They couldn't refine pills, make spiritual talismans, set up formations, or anything else…

They couldn't do anything. Who would dare to use their bizarre abilities to learn these things?

That would be courting death. Using strange abilities was self-harm. It was said that Spiritual Cultivators cherished their lives and were fragile, and that was the truth.

Although there were Divine Pearls that could absorb distorted souls, they cost money.

They really couldn't be as proficient in the Hundred Arts as true cultivators.

Bi Xia and Long Yue also wanted to expand their own Hundred Arts talents, at least so they wouldn't have to buy everything.

What if they couldn't buy something when it was critical? What if someone refused to sell it to them?

If you were a small power or a rogue cultivator, it would be fine; no one would target you.

But the Town Protectorate was a major power comparable to the Four Great Sects. It couldn't lack its own foundation; it would be naturally inferior to others.

"Let's wait and see. If the plan succeeds, we won't need these things. If the plan fails… we'll talk about it then," Long Shi said.

Han Wu understood his meaning.

If the plan succeeded and they became a part of Qingyun Mountain, then they wouldn't need to cultivate their own talents.

They could just buy them. Who would dare not sell to the Town Protectorate? And at that time, they would be one family with the Hall of Merit, and the Hall of Merit would also supply them.

Therefore, there was no need to cultivate their own Hundred Arts talents.

If it didn't succeed, if they couldn't be as transcendent as the Hall of Merit, then they would talk about it then.

Compared to that goal, building their own Hundred Arts team was insignificant.

"Yes, there should be an answer soon, like after Master Xuan emerges from seclusion," Han Wu said.

When Master Xuan finished his seclusion, that would be the moment of truth.

Once Master Xuan recognized the Town Protectorate as the Qingyun Mountain Town Protectorate, everything would be easy.

If he didn't agree… then they would continue to work hard.

[Grand and mighty, through ten years of wind and rain, Master Xuan opened the heavens and saved living beings from fire and water… He preached to the world, opening the Great Dao for living beings… The prosperity of the cultivation world and the Hundred Arts of cultivation are indispensable… Nine years ago, under Master Xuan's rule of law, under the guidance of General Manager Sun of the Hall of Merit, under…]

[Fellow Daoists, I am Wang Zihua. I have received Master Xuan's grace and will continue to preside over the Second Hundred Arts Competition, carrying on the past and opening up the future… This competition has over 170,000 participants. After fierce elimination rounds in the Dream Realm, the top 100 in the Hundred Arts have now been determined… ]

… (End of Chapter)