Building a sect from scratch.

Chapter 76 Senior Sister, I Want to Learn This

Chiyuan is 500 li away from Guangcheng Mountain and more than 400 li away from Taiyin Mountain. If the players flew there on their own, it would take them forever. Not to mention that this distance is already beyond the range of the puppets set by Fang Xianyu.

But don't panic, for the fish in the sky has auspicious clouds.

Logically speaking, auspicious clouds are the exclusive domain of immortals and gods, a symbol of status in the Guixu Realm, and a threshold for cultivators with powerful connections to interact with each other—upon meeting, one might think, "Hey, this fellow Daoist can't even ride an auspicious cloud, he must be a rogue cultivator."
"It's good to be a free spirit, doing whatever you want. Not bad at all." Those who are qualified to ride the clouds say such polite things, but then they turn around and have in-depth conversations with the second-generation cultivators. Birds of a feather flock together, after all.

In terms of cultivation level, the threshold for "riding the clouds" is very low; basically, as long as one has achieved the Golden Core stage, one can ride the clouds. The only limitation is actually "authority."

Even if you manage to latch onto a deity's coattails, whether they'll grant you the privilege of riding auspicious clouds depends on their mood, because those who receive such privileges are usually die-hard loyalists.

In Guangchengzong's case, only Guangchengzong himself was qualified to ride the clouds. It was a blue-green auspicious cloud bestowed by Jiaomu Star Lord, which was very imposing.

Although Fang Xianyu doesn't have the "permission" for a second playthrough, she can inherit the legacy from the first playthrough!

Auspicious clouds and rosy radiance are a kind of "privilege" that cultivators naturally perceive after achieving immortality. It's analogous to someone joining a group and actively participating; the group admin, moved by your efforts, grants you an administrator title, giving you a small, comforting privilege. Of course, if you use inappropriate language, the admin will remove your administrator status. But in the Realm of Returning to the Void, there's no such thing as revocation for this kind of "privilege." Perceiving it is simply perceiving it; it's your own ability. The Heavenly Dao can't just erase your memories because it dislikes you, can it? That would be far too underhanded!
Of course, while Heaven will not revoke its "authority," it can choose to erase you from existence—if you commit many evil deeds, the Heavenly Tribulation is no joke, and thus many immortals and gods have perished.

To get back to the point, Fang Xianyu, who had access to the game in the first playthrough, had some insights—meaning she bypassed the threshold of the second playthrough and directly gained "access"!
She hadn't used it before because of her cultivation level, but now that she's at the Golden Core stage, she can finally shake out the auspicious cloud that was almost gathering dust and she'd forgotten how to use it!
"Senior Sister! I want to learn this!"

Zhao Qing excitedly squatted on the auspicious cloud and reached out to touch it, which looked like a polarized cotton candy.

I couldn't touch anything. Reaching my hand into the clouds felt like reaching into a vortex. Apart from a slightly damp breeze, I couldn't feel anything.

But this visible yet intangible auspicious cloud can actually lift people up steadily, and stepping on it feels like stepping on a carpet—soft, but as smooth as walking on flat ground.

Baili Shuang smiled gently: "Once you reach the Golden Core stage, you will naturally have the opportunity."

The auspicious cloud was extremely fast; in just over ten minutes, Baili Shuang brought Zhao Qing to Chiyuan.

As its name suggests, the Red Plains are a continuous stretch of hills covered with Rhodiola rosea, turning the fields a vibrant red, which is quite a sight.

Before long, a woman arrived on a cloud and said politely, "Fellow Daoist, please wait here. This is the location of the Crimson Plains Cave!"

Baili Shuang greeted him and said, "I have come to pay my respects to the Chiyuan Sect."

The woman quickly returned the greeting: "My surname is Hu, and I call myself Zijun. May I ask your honorable title, fellow Daoist?"

"I dare not accept such praise. I am Baili Shuang, a disciple of the Taiyin Sect under the Guangcheng Sect. I have no Daoist title. I have come here seeking help. My disciples have been abducted to a place called Sanshi Cave. When we went to investigate, we found that there were red clouds hanging in the sky there. Therefore, we have come to visit you. I wonder if there are any missing fox spirits in your area?" Upon hearing this, Hu Zijun's face turned cold, but Baili Shuang quickly added, "Of course. Chiyuan Cave is under the jurisdiction of Xinyue Xingjun. There should be no evil people or evil deeds there. However, with so many disciples, there are bound to be some playful ones. I am afraid that they might encounter some danger."

This was already quite a generous gesture. Hu Zijun glanced at the auspicious cloud beneath Baili Shuang's feet, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Fellow Daoist Baili, please come into the cave with me. I don't know anything about this matter either. Let me ask my elders for some information and then I will give you an answer. How about that?"

Baili Shuang hurriedly replied, "I am extremely grateful!"

So, Hu Zijun led the two down to the ground. As soon as they landed, she made a hand seal. Zhao Qing felt a blur before her eyes, and a stone gate that seemed real yet unreal, like a dream, suddenly appeared in front of her.

The stone gate was several dozen feet high and incredibly thick, adorned with countless foxes carved on it. Some were chasing and playing, some were worshipping the moon and practicing meditation, some were reading at their desks, and others were carrying a sedan chair to marry off their daughters—each fox had a different posture and a different action. The foxes were carved with exquisite detail, their fur clear, their eyes delicate, every detail vividly portrayed, making them lifelike.

Above the stone gate are three characters: Chiyuan Cave.

On either side of the stone gate is a couplet: The upper one reads: "Immortal energy three thousand feet high, rising from the sun and clouds, smoke and mist nourish the path to immortality." The lower one reads: "Mysterious secrets a hundred thousand layers deep, supremely true and wondrous, pine and cypress soaring through the eternal heaven."

The entire stone gate was surrounded by colorful smoke and clouds, with rays of light and an ethereal atmosphere, resembling a celestial abode.

Zhao Qing was almost stunned. She frantically took screenshots of the stone gate, wishing she could compile each little fox on the stone gate into a separate book and show it off to her team in real time.

"Now I finally see what a truly magnificent sect's cave dwelling looks like. Even the gate is incredibly beautiful!"

Wang Ergou asked in confusion, "Didn't you go to Guangcheng Temple?"

"No, no, I'll send you screenshots to see. It's amazing! Although Guangcheng Sect is also quite grand, it's really low-key and doesn't have many special effects. This one, on the other hand, has full-on special effects from the moment it appears, as if it's afraid you won't know how awesome it is!"

After sending the text, Zhao Qing sent a series of screenshots—in "Ten Continents Chronicles", there are two modes for forming a team: a small team mode and a group mode.

Squad mode has more restrictions; you can't send emojis or screenshots, and you can only send voice messages and text, or communicate by speaking with your microphone on.

Team mode can be set by the raid leader, allowing members to send emojis and screenshots. However, voice communication requires the raid leader's control. If the raid leader sets it so that only the raid leader can speak, others will not be able to speak. This is for the sake of team command; otherwise, if everyone speaks, the raid leader will be unable to give instructions. After all, a raid of dozens of people is not as easy to manage as a raid of ten or twenty people, where you can rely on the members' self-discipline.

To facilitate communication, Wang Ergou switched the squad to team mode as soon as Zhao Qing applied to join the team.

So, after seeing the screenshot Zhao Qing posted, the group exclaimed in unison, using the standard Chinese curse: "Holy crap!"

(End of this chapter)