Immortality and cultivation begin at age forty, starting with Foundation Establishment.

Xuan Yang Sect is located at the southern end of the Red Dragon Mountain Range.

The mountain range stretches for hundreds of thousands of miles to the north, connecting to the legendary land of ten thousand demons.

Tens of thousands of years ago, in order to build the sect, the patriarch of the Xuan Yang Sect drove the great demon from the southern end of the Red Dragon Mountains 100,000 miles north and established the first Xuan Yang City.

Over the course of a long history, Xuanyang City has developed into the present-day Xuanyang Sect.

An elderly Qi Refining cultivator in the demon-hunting team recounted the relationship between the Xuan Yang Sect and the Crimson Dragon Mountain Range, while many disciples gathered around to listen.

Yu Lanhua and Lu Nian, two Foundation Establishment cultivators, were also nearby.

Although they had read many of the sect's classic texts and secrets, they were still interested in the Crimson Dragon Mountains mentioned by the Qi Refining elder.

Before the succession ceremony, every leader of the Xuan Yang Sect would travel deep into the Crimson Dragon Mountains to slay a third-tier demonic beast comparable to the Golden Core realm as a sacrifice, thus swearing to inherit the will of their predecessors.

Hunting demons is a tradition of the Xuan Yang Sect. However, in the last thousand years, the number of independent cultivators in the Jin Kingdom has been increasing day by day, causing the price of demon beast materials in the outside market to drop again and again. As a result, the sect disciples have gradually become unwilling to participate in the dangerous work of hunting demon beasts.

Even so, there is still a steady stream of independent cultivators who are willing to risk their lives to venture deep into the mountains to hunt demons.

The old man in the Qi Refining stage was named Zhou Wen. He voluntarily followed Chen An to hunt demons. Before coming, he said that he had killed demons all his life but could not see any hope of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage. In his final days, he only wanted to die on the road of hunting demons.

Zhou Wen's life was nearing its end, and he didn't care about death or the constraints of rules. His conversation gradually veered off course.

Compared to disciples of sects, independent cultivators have far fewer channels to obtain resources.

Until the last decade, the Xuan Yang Sect raised the purchase price of monster materials, which led to a tenfold increase in the number of independent cultivators going to the Monster Mountain Range to hunt monsters.

Disciples of the Xuan Yang Sect can also take the opportunity to make a fortune.

The demon-hunting team landed in a huge city called Qingyang Market. The two thousand disciples on the flying boat were tested by the formation and then dispersed into various corners of the city.

The existence of the market town has become a cradle for independent cultivators. For them, who live in a chaotic place full of intrigue and battles, this is a paradise. Only in Qingyang Market Town can they enjoy a moment of peace.

Even after leaving the market, the chaotic killings continued.

Most of the disciples of the Xuan Yang Sect have been to this market. They have their own experiences, and some have even participated in hunting monsters with the sect's monster-hunting teams.

However, for some sect disciples, risking their lives to hunt demons is less appealing than making money by doing business in the sect's name.

After all, the lives of rogue cultivators are cheap; no one cares if they die. Moreover, there will be a constant stream of rogue cultivators vying to enter the market to obtain cultivation resources.

Sect-affiliated demon-hunting teams and independent cultivators have different approaches to their work. Sect-affiliated demon-hunting teams tend to prioritize stability due to their environment and avoid confronting overly powerful demons.

The independent cultivators' demon-hunting teams were unscrupulous, killing not only demons but also people. Many of these teams lured people into the mountains under the guise of organizing demon-hunting operations, murdered them, and profited from the resources of the independent cultivators.

With the contrast of rogue cultivators, the reputation of sect-based demon-hunting teams is even greater, and they can often attract a large number of rogue cultivators to join them at the lowest possible price.

For their own safety, most independent cultivators would rather earn less spirit stones and join the sect's demon-hunting team.

In the market, there are also powerful demon-hunting teams that are nominally independent cultivators. These independent cultivators have rich experience in killing and fighting. Once they are integrated into a complete group, they will be more powerful than ordinary demon-hunting teams and can earn more spirit stones in the process of hunting demons.

However, after these demon-hunting teams became famous, most of them had several Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Xuan Yang Sect standing behind them.

Foundation Establishment Pills are the lifeblood of independent cultivators. If even one or two pills slip out of a sect, countless people will flock to them. These independent cultivator demon-hunting teams have mostly become tools for the Xuan Yang Sect to amass wealth.

The old man's conversation revolved around the changes over the past thousand years and the last decade.

Some of the disciples frowned as they listened, vaguely guessing what was going on, but dared not think any deeper. Others were simply shocked, realizing that the sect's golden age was about to begin.

"If this golden age had come fifty years earlier, I, Zhou Wen, might have been able to seize a Foundation Establishment opportunity. What a pity, what a pity."

"I, Zhou Wen, am ultimately just unlucky."

"You are lucky to have Uncle Chen's guidance. If you are even luckier, you might have another chance."

"As for the disciples who choose to stay in the sect, they will regret their choice."

The disciples pondered this for a moment.

Yu Peiyao was also in the crowd. Looking at the old man who was talking eloquently, a strange look flashed in her eyes. It turned out that he was not a fool in the sect.

Some people wait their whole lives, but still never get their chance.

Ultimately, he lived a mediocre and uneventful life.

Too many disciples in the sect die of old age at the Qi Refining stage.

The first thing Chen An and the others did upon landing was to summon more independent cultivators to participate in the hunt for demonic beasts in the name of their sect.

With an additional 300 recruits, the number of disciples in the demon-hunting team will reach 500, with a ratio of two to three between sect disciples and independent cultivators.

If there are too many independent cultivators, trouble is likely to arise.

Even if a major sect war breaks out in the future, there will still be independent cultivators. In the initial stage, independent cultivators will definitely be the main force.

Chen An doesn't need to get involved in the specifics.

With his Foundation Establishment cultivation level and status as a sect disciple, he was able to attract a large number of independent cultivators.

At this time, the disciples who had never participated in the demon-hunting operation before discovered that the demon-hunting operation was not just for them, but also for many independent cultivators.

If those who previously refused Chen An's offer of recruitment knew about this, they would probably be kicking themselves.

There are too many independent practitioners; we need to interview them one by one.

It is overseen by three vice-captains.

Chen An, Lu Nian, and Yu Lanhua sat in a restaurant, discussing the specifics of what would happen after they ventured deeper into the Monster Mountain Range.

Lu Nian offered his opinion, saying, "This is called a demon hunt, but it's actually a training exercise. We can find those gregarious demon beasts and let everyone get some blood on their hands to adapt to the environment in advance."

Yu Lanhua nodded and said, "That's fine, but the number can't be too large. After all, this is the first time we've hunted demons, and there are still three hundred rogue cultivators. If the team gets into chaos, even the three of us won't be able to control the overall situation. If that happens, it will be a loss that outweighs the gains."

Lu Nian nodded and said, "We need to let them taste the sweetness the first time, otherwise they won't really want to stay in the demon hunting team. It would be best if they could hunt a second-tier demon beast, and we wouldn't have to do it ourselves, but instead let all the members of the demon hunting team participate."

Yu Lanhua looked at Chen An and asked, "What are your thoughts, Junior Brother Chen?"

Chen An didn't think too much about it and just chuckled, "Senior Brother Lu, Senior Sister Yu, I don't think things are that complicated."

"We'll go into the mountains and send out scouts to search for themselves in the Monster Mountain Range. We'll then decide what kind of opponents they encounter."

"Weaker monsters can handle themselves. We can intervene when they really encounter trouble. If they are truly unable to deal with us, then it's just bad luck for them."

Lu Nian hesitated for a moment, then said with difficulty, "Will this work? A lot of people will die."

Chen An had seen many life and death, but he could understand Lu Nian. People who were participating in war for the first time were always a bit naive. Little did they know that a general leading troops should be wary of women's compassion.

Only a general who is decisive and ruthless can lead the strongest soldiers.

Chen An explained, "People are bound to die. The members of the demon-hunting team know that we're protecting them, so they can't make up their minds. If some people don't actually die, they'll think they're just enjoying themselves in the sect!"

Lu Nian continued, "If too many disciples of the Xuan Yang Sect die, it will be difficult to recruit other disciples in the future."

Chen An said slowly, "When I was in the mortal realm, I read a military book, and there was a very good sentence in it: 'An army is not about quantity but quality.'"

"Besides, joining a demon-hunting team means being prepared to face death."

"On the battlefields of the future, those who want to reach the Foundation Establishment stage will have to fight desperately, otherwise dying now or dying in the future will make no difference."

Lu Nian fell silent again. He recalled his journey to Foundation Establishment. Although he was an alchemist, his path to Foundation Establishment was just as arduous.

The only saving grace is that Lu Nian doesn't need to face the danger of death directly; he only needs to improve his alchemy skills and techniques to make himself more useful.

Thinking of this, Lu Nian's eyes narrowed, and he thought fiercely, "Then let the rogue cultivators die. No matter how many rogue cultivators die, we can recruit them again, so as not to destroy the integrity of the team."

Yu Lanhua didn't join the conversation; she was wondering what Chen An would choose.

Chen An looked into Lu Nian's eyes and said firmly, "The demon-hunting team serves us. If these people harbor any illusions on the battlefield, we will be in danger, or even die."

"Before we set off, we told them that this monster hunt would be life-threatening, that those who died would receive compensation, and that those who survived would not be treated unfairly."

"Moreover, the Yu family's equipment has already been given to them. If they can't survive even with this, then we don't need to keep such a burden on the battlefield in the future."