It was daytime in the Infinite Dao Sect.

Under the sunlight, the entire sect exuded a purity and beauty beyond compare.

Its mountain might not be as vast as the endless ranges of the more prosperous continents, nor its spiritual energy as intense, but in one vital aspect, none could match it… the atmosphere.

There, on that relatively humble mountain compared to the others, reigned a pure air, an environment free of impurities, without intrigue, violence, or fear.

There was no status of higher or lower, no contempt or servitude, but calm, peace, and civility—almost supernatural in a world plagued by chaos and conflict.

At first, many disciples had prepared for various hardships when entering the sect. They imagined having to walk with bowed heads, seeking strong backers, avoiding trouble, and trying not to get dragged into others’ problems as much as possible.

That was the cultivation world: a cannibalistic world, where people sought power not only to avoid being bullied but also to become the bullies themselves.

It had always been the rule, the reality. Wherever they went, danger lurked—especially for cultivators with mixed or low-quality roots, who made up the majority of those recruited by the sect, and who were already prepared to face the fate of being the intimidated.

Be cautious of companions, hide treasures, be discreet, hesitate not to kill one’s own brother, cut all roots so the spring wind would not make them sprout again.

All of this was true, all of it was right in a world immersed in a near-frenzied pursuit of power… but not in the Infinite Dao Sect.

On that tiny mountain before the vast cultivation world, they found a home.

A place where they didn’t need to lower their heads to walk the streets, where they didn’t fear showing treasures to their sect brothers, where they didn’t kneel to worship a passing powerful elder—on the contrary, they greeted him and even joked with him.

There, elders had their dignity that could not be stained, but they didn’t flaunt it as a banner. They didn’t wear expressionless faces or pressure disciples with their auras to make it clear. On the contrary, they were like family, kind and understanding, never sparing effort to instruct and guide.

Even though they were so different from the dignified and untouchable elders always spoken of in other sects, the respect for them didn’t diminish. On the contrary, it grew beyond measure. Disciples would even stand against anyone daring to slander their beloved elders and would give their lives for their precious sect.

The Infinite Dao Sect was unlike any other, and the disciples knew it.

It wasn’t just about power or a heritage capable of shaking the world, but about people.

Gentle and sincere elders, honest and good-hearted disciple brothers.

That was the greatest difference. In other powers, character was the least valued—what mattered was talent. As long as the disciple didn’t openly declare he would kill his master, destroy the ancestor, and annihilate the sect, no one cared if he was cruel or deranged, so long as he had the talent to elevate the sect’s strength.

But in the Infinite Dao Sect, while talent was important, character was the determining factor. Even if one was the child of destiny, without good character, he could forget the idea of joining.

And the best part was that the sect had means to measure this with precision. That was why so many disciples felt at home, without fearing betrayal. People there might not be perfect, but they wouldn’t stab their brothers in the back for any reason.

Together with the excellent cultivation environment and a heritage capable of turning even ants into immortals, the sect became the disciples’ little piece of heaven, and their loyalty and pride toward it reached the highest level.

That day, Xiao Ling, the sect’s first perfect single-element root and disciple of Bao Hui from the Treasure Pavilion, walked calmly. Her beautiful blue hair swayed gently in the wind, her steps steady.

Beside her hopped cheerfully the little girl Lin Xiaoxue, a core disciple and member of the Refinement Pavilion, with her two black ponytails bouncing with every step.

The two, who had become almost like true sisters in the months since they met, chatted as they walked.

“Sister Ling, gathering contribution points is really hard!” the little girl complained, puffing her cheeks as she remembered all the work it took to obtain her Golden Core cultivation technique.

Xiao Ling also made a bitter expression at the same thought.

“There’s nothing we can do. Earning points is hard, but spending them is easier than breathing.” She sighed, recalling her nearly empty token after following her master’s advice on what she had to buy.

Her power had indeed grown, and her Foundation had solidified with his guidance, so she couldn’t complain.

Her master had said she could even face some Golden Core cultivators, and easily kill those at the lower levels—something that still shocked her.

Foundation Establishment cultivators, for an ordinary cultivator from the desert continent, were beings of great power and respect, capable of easily destroying a cultivation city in their fury.

Golden Core cultivators were even more distant and terrifying, like gods, untouchable, wielders of power capable of shaking the world. Even the dreaded Foundation Establishments could only tremble before them.

But in just over a year since entering the sect, Xiao Ling already had the power to kill such gods—something that still unsettled her.

Even living among powerful elders and ten thousand Foundation Establishment disciple companions, time still hadn’t been enough to erase years of common sense about the cultivation world.

And she knew that this was only the beginning.

Xiaoxue, unaware of her senior sister’s complicated thoughts, continued the conversation.

“Yeah… but it’s also fun earning contribution points. I get quite a few by selling the artifacts I make at low prices in the exchange pavilion, but I enjoy going out and completing missions more. The last one, helping repair that dam, was really interesting. The faces of the mortals, wide-eyed as they watched us flying and fixing everything so easily, were so amusing.”

The little girl laughed happily behind her hands, remembering the stunned faces of the crowd.

Xiao Ling smiled softly as she looked at her.

‘Xiaoxue is still just a little girl, and she didn’t realize the true weight of what something as simple as fixing a dam represents. Those mortal kingdoms build such dams, but corruption, embezzlement, or administrative neglect during repairs often cause flaws and failures, leading to sudden collapses. So when they see signs of breaking, they summon thousands of poor, ordinary people and force them to work there, resulting in the deaths of many during the repairs — whether from extreme cold after being drenched for days, hunger, exhaustion, or work accidents… the list is long.’

The older girl’s eyes grew thoughtful.

‘And when a dam collapses completely, the tragedy is far worse. Hundreds of thousands die, entire regions are destroyed… everything buried under an unstoppable flood. Normally, cultivators don’t care about such things, nor do they lend any aid. After all, there’s no profit in it.’

She sighed.

Her eyes then turned toward the sect, where many disciples were smiling and chatting with excitement.

A smile appeared on Xiao Ling’s lips.

‘But not the Infinite Dao Sect. Others may remain indifferent, but we do not close our eyes and ears, even when saving lives brings us no benefit. This is the sect that I, Xiao Ling, will always protect.’

While she was lost in thought, beside her, Xiaoxue tilted her head, confused as to why her senior sister was smiling so brightly.

“Huh?” She looked in the direction Xiao Ling was staring, but saw only a few disciples. Then she looked back at her, then again toward the same spot, repeating the motion several times as she searched.

Xiao Ling awoke from her daze and saw her junior sister nearly twisting her neck with her silly antics.

Chuckling softly, she gently patted her head.

“Silly girl, I was just thinking about something. No need to keep looking.” She shook her head helplessly. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ ɴovelfire.net

“Oh!” The little girl simply nodded and quickly forgot, her thoughts already drifting elsewhere.

“Sister Ling, your master also told you to practice body refinement, right? It’s so hard and takes forever! I’m still at the 7th level of Qi Refinement after more than two months of cultivation. If my master hadn’t told me that I have too much free time and should save my contribution points, I would have invested in some medicinal baths, even if they’re so expensive.”

The girl complained as she remembered it.

Her normal cultivation in Qi Refinement had been so fast before, only slowed down by the need to stabilize the realm, adapt to each level, and refine her control — even so, it was fast, which only made her more dissatisfied seeing her body refinement — which didn’t even need stabilization — progress so slowly.

Xiao Ling laughed when she heard her words.

“Junior sister, our body refinement speed is quite similar. I’m at the 8th level of Qi Refinement because I started a month earlier. But far from being slow, this is extremely fast compared to body refiners outside the sect, and we don’t even spend resources to cultivate, unlike them,” she consoled her, and the little girl thought for a while before reluctantly accepting it.

Soon after, though, she had already forgotten about it and went back to chatting excitedly without pause.

It was at that moment, while they were talking, that they suddenly saw a dot coming from afar.

‘What is that?’ Xiao Ling’s heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively looked toward it.

In just a few moments, the dot grew and grew, approaching at a terrifying speed.

Xiao Ling, and in fact everyone in the sect, opened their mouths in shock as they saw what it was.

A massive and fearsome… snake? Dragon? It didn’t matter: it was enormous, majestic, and threatening.

ROOOOAAAARR!!

The creature let out a terrible roar that shook the mountain, but there was no real power or destruction in the gesture.

Everyone, feeling the pressure of the beast, panicked, but impressively and unbelievably, they unanimously prepared for battle. This was their sacred land, and they would fight for it.

But before they could even assume combat stances or understand what they were facing, the enormous serpent shrank, revealing several people floating alone in the air… except for a boy, who had a helpless look as he was held by the collar by an old man dressed in gold.

Embarrassed, he immediately summoned a sword and stood on it to spare himself the humiliation in front of so many eyes.

The disciples below soon recognized their elders among them and sighed in relief, realizing they were allies arriving.

Several figures then flew out from the mountain peak, rising into the sect skies.

Leading them was the incredible and imposing sect leader, clad in his black robes that swayed in the wind — Tian Zhu.

Though his face was always indifferent, this time his words, which calmed all who heard them, carried a faint tone of… familial warmth.

“Ancestral Bao, elders… welcome back.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep