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As Elder Liu Yunan introduced the elders of Lingxian Sect one by one, the new disciples below respectfully saluted each of them as they took the stage.

That continued until a gigantic wild chicken, as tall as a grown man, strutted onto the stage with its bulging chest held high and its enormous claws marching forward with an imposing air.

Although the disciples below remained silent and saluted respectfully, Liu Yunan could not help feeling that the air seemed to freeze for a brief moment.

When Little Luan took its place beside the other elders, it did not simply smile at the disciples as the others had done before standing there.

Instead, it drew in a deep breath.

A loud crow, booming like thunder, burst into the ears of the new disciples.

Then Little Luan gave its head a slight shake, raised its right wing, and proudly patted the identity token hanging before its chest. Only after that did it stand still, making no further movement.

The new disciples below were left thinking: Although we have no idea what this Chicken Elder is saying, it feels so fierce! What if we offend it someday? Will it eat us? Waaah!

When Yang Jinshu, the head of the Enforcement Hall, stepped onto the stage, an elderly woman below instantly became so agitated that she tightly gripped the arm of the young man beside her.

Looking at that gentle, confident, and unyielding figure on the stage, the old woman’s eyes filled with tears.

Her dry, wrinkled lips moved, but in the end, she held back and did not call out.

She had seen her. That was enough. Her daughter was doing well. She really was doing well.

She gently touched the storage pouch at her waist, the one containing her husband’s ashes, and silently said in her heart:

“Old man, our daughter is fine. She’s living well.”

Not far from the old woman, Xuanyuan Haoyue saw Mo Yuanjiao on the stage and lowered his eyes with a faint smile.

Among this hundred-plus group were people Lin Xiao had met outside, students of Sun Yigao, and many others who had been drawn to the bearing of Lingxian Sect after seeing the sect go out each year to aid ordinary people.

Standing below the stage, they watched one immortal elder after another being introduced. Some of those elders they had met before, while many others were complete strangers.

They were excited and full of anticipation.

From this day onward, their lives as cultivators were about to begin!

After introducing all the elders, Liu Yunan was very pleased to see that the new disciples below had remained orderly and quiet. Calmly, he began the next stage of the proceedings.

“Next, please follow me to the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall to collect your sect supplies.”

He had carefully planned the entire welcoming ceremony.

First came the introductions, followed by the distribution of each disciple’s basic supplies and identity token.

That would help everyone develop a sense of belonging to the sect.

Liu Yunan organized the new disciples into four groups of thirty-three, then led them in a grand procession toward the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, located on a mountain peak beyond one of the residential areas.

Meanwhile, the longtime members of Lingxian Sect returned to their respective posts according to the arrangements they had made earlier.

Since many facilities, including the Finance Hall and Enforcement Hall, had been moved onto the floating island, the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall had undergone an expansion some time ago.

The hall was divided into a front section and a rear section.

The front section was further divided into three areas.

The central area was for exchanging contribution points. There was also a contribution-point deduction counter there. A disciple only needed to place their identity token on the counter, and it would display the items that token could be used to exchange for, along with the contribution-point cost of each item.

Once the disciple selected an item, the counter would automatically deduct the corresponding number of contribution points from the identity token. The successfully exchanged item would then be delivered through the item outlet beneath the counter.

The areas on the left and right sides of the front section were respectively used for accepting sect missions and collecting the disciples’ regular stipends, as well as handling other miscellaneous matters.

These miscellaneous matters included applying for or resigning from various positions, registering a disciple’s destination when reporting an excursion outside the sect, and other similarly trivial affairs.

While the several other disciples working in the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall handed out the sect supplies one item at a time, Liu Yunan took the opportunity to explain the hall’s functions.

When they reached the identity tokens, Liu Yunan brought out his own token and demonstrated how to use the exchange counter.

The new disciples held their freshly issued identity tokens and watched the demonstration, finding the whole process extremely novel.

Knowing that their daily expenses within the sect would henceforth be managed through this small token, they listened especially attentively to Elder Liu’s explanations.

After finishing the introduction to the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, Liu Yunan led the newcomers—who ranged from children to elders—to the next location in the sect.

At every site along the mountainside, aside from the novelty of learning how to use the identity tokens in the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, the new disciples were greeted by astonished cries.

Since everyone knew that today was the newcomers’ tour, places such as the Alchemy Chamber and the Artifact Refining Hall had gone all out. Whether they had production assignments or not, and regardless of how urgent those assignments were, everyone worked at full speed.

Even Sun Yigao, normally so indifferent and composed, had remained in the Alchemy Chamber under everyone else’s enthusiastic urging, refining one batch of low-grade pills after another.

As for why he was refining low-grade pills, the answer was obvious.

Low-grade pills could be made quickly.

And for newcomers who currently knew nothing about alchemy, what could be more impressive than watching one batch of pills after another emerge in rapid succession?

The group of newcomers whom Liu Yunan had just led into the Alchemy Chamber was staring at Sun Yigao in utter amazement.

Before long, with a gentle wave of his sleeve, Elder Sun lifted the lid from the steaming pill furnace. Dozens of smooth, translucent pills immediately shot out from within.

The freshly finished pills then flew obediently into the jade tray before Sun Yigao.

The tray had been specially made to hold newly refined pills. It could seal in their medicinal properties for a short time and prevent them from dissipating, though long-term storage still required special jade bottles.

The next moment, Sun Yigao beckoned, and the medicinal materials prepared nearby rose into the air. Wrapped in spiritual power, they were refined to varying degrees in midair before being placed into the pill furnace one after another. He then began a new round of alchemy.

The newcomers watched Elder Sun’s entire series of movements, dumbfounded. They were so mesmerized that they forgot even to blink.

At the perfect moment, Liu Yunan began explaining:

“This is the Alchemy Chamber of our Lingxian Sect. The Elder Sun refining pills here is the same Elder Sun you met earlier. The pills required by the sect’s disciples are generally refined and supplied by the Alchemy Chamber. Not only that, our pills are also sold throughout the cultivation world…”

These new disciples had all passed the rigorous Trial of the Heart. Therefore, Liu Yunan had already confirmed matters concerning the sect’s operations with Lin Xiao, and there was no need to conceal anything from them.

“If any of you are interested in alchemy, you may come to the Alchemy Chamber to study and take up a position in your spare time after you begin cultivating. The sect provides alchemists with additional stipends based on the quantity and quality of the pills they produce. In this way, you can improve your alchemy skills while earning spirit stones.”