Daoist Competition
Chapter 74 - 1 Long View Cave Heaven Dragon Abyss Marsh_2

Chapter 74: Chapter 1 Long View Cave Heaven Dragon Abyss Marsh_2

He sighed deeply, a trace of melancholy in his expression. Though the young man had already walked away, he still adhered to decorum, bowing his head in respectful obeisance. When he finally stood up, he noticed four graceful, cloud-like characters silently appearing upon the jade stairs beneath his feet.

"Observe his conduct."

The day after appraising his meridian state, Zhang Yan was meditating in the mountains when he suddenly felt a subtle ripple. He lifted his gaze and saw two cultivators standing atop a Cloud-climbing Flying Boat. One of them made a gesture toward him and said, "Zhang Yan, since you’ve opened your meridians, you are now an Upper Court disciple. Today, you shall come with us."

The man stretched out his palm and grasped at the air, and Zhang Yan immediately felt a pulling force. Understanding that this person was sent by the Upper Court to guide him, he did not resist and allowed himself to be drawn onto the Flying Boat. As this happened, he thought to himself, "Could this be the Second Realm of the Ming Qi Stage—’Summon Clouds’? It’s said that at this stage, the Qi Mechanism throughout one’s body solidifies, allowing not only the ability to form walls of energy and manipulate objects from afar but also to move hundreds of pounds relying solely on the refined Ming Qi within."

After boarding the Flying Boat, the pair spoke no words, steering the vessel southward.

One day and one night later, they left the territory of the Eighteen Peaks of Cangwu Mountain. Ahead stretched an endless expanse of marsh and lake; this was Dragon Abyss Marsh, one of the Ten Great Spirit Caves of East Splendor Continent and the site of the Mingcang Sect’s main court.

As Zhang Yan gazed below at the mountains, he realized that Cangwu Mountain resembled a Heavenly Gate’s imposing barrier blocking the outward passage of the marsh beyond. In front of the gate, a meandering stream akin to a jade ribbon was wedged between side peaks on either bank, forming an entryway. Even from atop the Flying Boat, the sound of rushing water could clearly be heard.

During his time cultivating on Cangwu Mountain, Zhang Yan often overheard his fellow disciples speak of the saying, "Treacherous Cangwu leads atop the immortal path; Dragon Abyss Marsh leaps through the heavenly gate." Now that he saw it firsthand, the imagery felt truly fitting.

The Flying Boat traveled onward for another ten days. Beneath the water’s surface ahead, an immense, unfathomable shadow emerged. Upon its vast back sprawled rows of residences, with pavilions and towers appearing intermittently, resembling a State City of the human realm. Above the scene hovered islands suspended in the air with waterfalls cascading down, creating a celestial landscape. Now that he had opened his meridians, Zhang Yan’s eyesight was extraordinarily sharp—he could faintly see cultivators riding Flying Boats and cloud cranes, journeying together in pairs—a true display of immortal grandeur.

But as Zhang Yan looked more closely, he couldn’t help but be profoundly astonished—the colossal shadow beneath the water was, in fact, a Mystical Turtle of unmeasurable size!

When Mingcang Sect was first established, their founding ancestor used Great Dharma Power to capture this ageless Mystical Turtle from Beiming Continent, then transported nine towering, famed mountains from South Cliff Continent to pile atop the turtle’s shell, forming peaks and encircling lakes, constructing halls and cities.

From afar, Zhang Yan could see that the grand palatial complexes and tower clusters stretched endlessly. They were built around the Nine Peaks—specifically, the nine cities, one of which was Jiuyi City.

He nodded silently in admiration, thinking, "Shifting mountains and overturning seas, now this is the work of immortals!"

In Mingcang Sect, cultivators dwelled either on the Nine Peaks or in the Water Mansion Cave Heaven within Dragon Abyss Marsh, while the cities served as homes to their family members and clans, numbering in the tens of thousands. Witnessing such a spectacle was truly an eye-opening experience for Zhang Yan.

After another half-day of traveling, the boat descended toward a verdant hill surrounded by water and came to rest atop a mountain. One of the cultivators pointed toward a pier below and said, "Zhang Yan, make your way to this dock and board a vessel. Seek out Junior Master Wu at Yue Tian Pavilion. We will return to report back; apologies for not accompanying you further."

Having given their instructions, the two departed without further conversation, steering the Flying Boat away on their own.

In ordinary circumstances, these two cultivators were supposed to escort him directly into Yue Tian Pavilion to complete their duty. However, they discriminated against Zhang Yan for not being of noble Xuanmen Family lineage, and indifferent to the specifics of his situation, they did not bother explaining further. In their eyes, bringing him here was sufficient—they cared little about what happened next.

Zhang Yan identified the direction and descended the mountain. Walking past the woodlands, he arrived at the pier. It bustled with activity, including a small market. After locating the dock manager, he inquired, "Manager, is there a Ferry heading toward Land Continent?"

The dock manager, a man of around fifty, with graying hair and a face etched with wrinkles, was clearly a mortal, having perhaps practiced only rudimentary Qi Refining Methods. He eyed Zhang Yan briefly, noting his plain clothing and lack of attendants, then raised his head arrogantly and said in a patronizing tone, "Which peak are you from? Which noble family are you related to?"

Zhang Yan shook his head and replied, "None of the above."

The manager snickered derisively and waved his hand dismissively multiple times, saying, "Today we’re receiving quite a few distinguished guests. You’ll need to wait for a while."

In Mingcang Sect, once cultivators opened their meridians, they were permitted to bring their family members or hometown acquaintances into the sect’s cities to reside. These individuals, often mortals or cultivators below the Ming Qi stage unable to master the Flying Escape Technique, had to travel first from outside of Cangwu Mountain by boat, entering Dragon Abyss Marsh at Heavenly Gate Bay. The water journey involved multiple stops at islands and villages to replenish supplies, with the final destination being smaller islands deeper inside. There, the manager coordinated their transfer to a Ferry, ultimately taking them to the Land Continent atop the Mystical Turtle’s back.