After reading the message, Jian Po almost burst out laughing. The teleportation hall's array keeper had been ruthless. He sent that Kong clansman straight to the mortal realm.
With the barrier in place, the man could neither send a flying-sword letter nor a transmission talisman. He would have to return to the cultivation world before alerting his clan. That window was more than enough for Zūnshàng to handle the Kong family.
She then regrouped with Liuli and Jin Ai and headed to the city gate to receive the Heavenly Sword Sect teams.
Near the end of the You hour, a formation of flying boats appeared beyond Tianquan City. As each vessel descended in order, its cultivators disembarked with their newly recruited disciples and formed ranks to enter the city.
Jian Po saluted only Wu Siyuan and Jian Wu, then smiled. "Wu Siyuan Zūnzhǔ, hard work. Senior Brother Jian Wu, hard work. The two Zūnshàng are already waiting at the Xianlai Inn. We have booked the entire inn. Have Liuli handle the entry procedures for everyone, then bring them in. The two of you, please come with me to meet Zūnshàng."
"As we should."
Wu Siyuan and Jian Wu followed her lead. They gave a few instructions to the ten squad captains, then went ahead.
Xianlai Inn
Shopkeeper Wan's face bloomed like a flower. He had known his instinct was spot on. The Heavenly Sword Sect had booked the whole place.
For the few guests who had already checked in and not yet left, the sect cultivators visited politely. Those willing to move to another inn received compensation in spirit stones. Those unwilling were not forced out. Everything was handled with courtesy, and Shopkeeper Wan did not need to strain himself.
He had the courtyards tidied top to bottom. Learning there were mortals among the arrivals, he immediately ordered the kitchen to prepare simple spiritual meals suitable for ordinary folks. He was rewarded with a superior-grade spirit stone, which doubled his enthusiasm.
Jian Dan and Jian Jing had already returned to Feixian Pavilion and were discussing insights on refining artifacts.
Jian Po brought Wu Siyuan and Jian Wu inside.
"Greetings to the two Zūnshàng."
"Sit." Jian Dan smiled. "Was the journey smooth?"
"Thanks to Zūnshàng's blessings, everything went well." Wu Siyuan answered respectfully. With this mission complete, his cyan Zūnzhǔ assignment was done. He could focus on cultivation without worrying about sect tasks.
"Thanks to Zūnshàng, I also found a few promising disciples." Jian Wu reported cheerfully, sharing his good news.
"Good. Your seedlings are already on Jian Po's mind." Jian Dan exposed Jian Po's little scheme without hesitation.
Jian Wu rolled his eyes toward Jian Po before grinning. "My choices are naturally good. It is normal for others to covet them. However, War Hall chooses first."
"You are generous."
Jian Dan laughed, then added, "Your master, Jian Li, has come out of seclusion."
Jian Wu straightened at once. "Zūnshàng, has Master stabilized his realm?"
"Solid as can be. Tian Hong Zhēnzūn kept him under pressure a while longer to consolidate. Only after he emerged could I leave the sect to handle matters."
The note of grievance in Jian Dan's voice was clear. Jian Wu pretended not to hear and changed the subject quickly. "Zūnshàng, will you personally lead the disciples selected for War Hall this time?"
Jian Dan shook her head. "I will not have the time. After we return, I will give the nine team captains of War Hall a round of special training. The recruits will enter the trial illusion realm together. Your master has assigned me another task, to refine a trial artifact, and I have not even begun."
Back to Jian Li again. Jian Wu could only chuckle helplessly. Zūnshàng plainly had a stockpile of complaints, and his master kept picking her for the tough jobs.
"Hehe. I feel your aura is even more forceful than before. Are you close to another breakthrough?"
"Yes. Precisely because I have no time, I am suppressing it for now." Jian Wu had nothing to add to that. He wisely stood aside and became the background.
Listening to the exchange, Jian Jing's smile never faded. Her Junior Sister could not take it out on Senior Brother Jian Li, so she used his disciple as a stand-in. Wu Siyuan, meanwhile, took it as light banter. He knew Zūnshàng never muddled the big things.
Once the jokes were done, Jian Dan returned to business. "Jian Wu, have each squad captain take their new disciples around Tianquan City. Give each child one inferior-grade spirit stone to buy whatever catches their eye. Tonight I will test them."
Wu Siyuan understood at once. This was the real reason Zūnshàng had ordered a mid-journey rest.
"A test? I thought evaluations would be at the sect." Work mode on, Jian Wu asked directly.
"Consider it a preliminary screen. These disciples come from the mortal realm, blank pages, yet temptations abound. In two hundred years there will be war. They will carry the sect's legacy. What I care about most right now is temperament. The rest can be assessed after we return."
"Yes, Zūnshàng. Understood. I will arrange it."
After Jian Wu and Wu Siyuan left, Jian Po stepped forward and reported the matter of the Kong family cultivator being teleported to the mortal realm.
"Good. Plenty of time."
Jian Wu then handed one hundred inferior-grade spirit stones to each of the ten captains and set them loose.
Soon Tianquan City was full of scenes of cultivators guiding mortals from stall to stall. Fortunately the city was vast. Five thousand children dispersed like rivulets into a river and vanished among the crowds.
Each child had received an immortal stone from an immortal master. Excitement bubbled over. Told that this was the cultivation world's currency, they cherished it all the more and hid it in what they believed were the safest places.
Their guides explained they could use the stone to buy whatever interested them, then led them on a day's tour of Tianquan City. The children were beside themselves.
They clung to the cultivators' heels, eyes wide with curiosity, taking in everything. A single rock on a street stall could hold them rapt for half a day, to say nothing of a bustling market street.
Every shop was a new lesson. Their eyes and ears were not enough. They memorized every word the immortal masters said.
The Heavenly Sword Sect disciples on this mission were at least Golden Core stage, so there was plenty they could explain. As they walked, they taught the basics of the cultivation world, letting the children feel the sect's heritage early.
The shopkeepers recognized them as newly recruited disciples. Even if no purchase was made, hospitality flowed freely.
The sharper children saw through it. These bosses were not truly easygoing. Even if they cultivated later, they would be, as the immortal masters said, low-ranked cultivators. It was the face of the immortal masters they were honoring. The cleverest realized it was the face of the sect behind them.
By dusk they returned to the inn, chattering in clusters until the moon climbed high. Only then did sleep come.
At that hour, all one hundred sect cultivators on this mission gathered within Feixian Pavilion.
Jian Dan and Jian Jing sat in the courtyard. They traded a glance. Jian Jing spread a barrier. Blue light flickered rapidly in Jian Dan's eyes, and in an instant every child in the inn was drawn into a dream.
Jian Dan swept her hand. Before each cultivator appeared a plum-blossom-shaped water mirror, each mirror divided into ten panes, each pane showing the dream of one child.