The starting point is auspicious; the fiancée will not call off the engagement.

Fang Zhou stayed in Cheng'an City for three days and had a more comfortable time than he had imagined.

The small building left by Ye Ninghan is in an excellent location, quiet amidst the hustle and bustle. Turning left and walking half a street leads to the most prosperous main road in Cheng'an City, while turning right and passing through a small alley leads to a riverside walkway lined with evergreen spiritual trees on both banks.

Fang Zhou's daily routine is very simple. He gets up early in the morning, washes up, and then goes out to find food.

He went to all the restaurants recommended by Ye Ninghan. Yun Keju's dishes were indeed a bit too oily and salty, but the taste was not bad. He guessed that Ye Ninghan was not used to strong flavors.

The congee and side dishes at the congee shop were surprisingly good. Although they were light, they were still a good breakfast option. I went there two days in a row, and the owner already knew me.

After finishing our meal, we strolled around the city, familiarizing ourselves with the layout of each area.

The market in Cheng'an City was where he spent the most time; it sold everything from pills and magical artifacts to talismans and fragments of cultivation manuals.

Although the truly good things are mostly not displayed openly, just browsing around broadened his horizons.

However, what surprised Fang Zhou the most were the residents of Cheng'an City.

According to Ye Ninghan, most of the city's residents were homeless people rescued by Wansheng Sect disciples during their training trips, as well as people from all over the country who came to study.

The former settled down in the city, made a living, and regarded Cheng'an City as their home.

The latter mostly lived in the "Study Abroad Hall" in the east of the city, diligently cultivating themselves every day, hoping to be selected to enter the Wansheng Sect.

When Fang Zhou strolled around the east of the city, he often saw groups of young cultivators gathering together to discuss their cultivation experiences, or sparring and competing on the martial arts stage by the street.

That drive reminded him of his college entrance exam in his previous life.

That morning, Fang Zhou went to the porridge shop for breakfast as usual.

The shop wasn't big, with only six or seven tables, but it was kept very clean. The owner, surnamed Bai, was an old man in his fifties, just an ordinary person, but his skill in making porridge was truly remarkable.

Fang Zhou chose a seat by the window and ordered a bowl of plain porridge and two small dishes. Just as he was eating, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the shop.

Fang Zhou looked up.

A group of people walked down the street, led by a young man in his early twenties, dressed in a brocade robe with jade pendants at his waist, and quite handsome.

However, his overall demeanor was completely out of place with the casual and carefree atmosphere of Cheng'an City. He was followed by five or six people, some dressed in close-fitting clothes and others in scholar's robes.

The young man stood at the entrance of the porridge shop, looked up at the signboard, then looked down at Fang Zhou sitting inside, and suddenly his eyes lit up.

"Excuse me, sir, could we share a table?"

Fang Zhou, still chewing on his food, mumbled an "Mmm."

The young man didn't stand on ceremony and sat down opposite Fang Zhou. Behind him, a group of people stood in a row at the door, making quite a show of force.

The shopkeeper was startled and quickly came over to greet him. The man waved his hand: "The same as this gentleman's will do."

When the congee and side dishes were served, the man didn't rush to eat. Instead, he looked at Fang Zhou with great interest.

"My surname is Zhou, and I've only recently arrived in Cheng'an City. May I ask your name, sir?"

"Fang." Fang Zhou's words were concise and to the point.

"Brother Fang, you look unfamiliar. Are you here to study as well?" Young Master Zhou asked.

"I guess so," Fang Zhou replied casually, too lazy to explain his identity.

Upon hearing this, a barely perceptible glint flashed in Young Master Zhou's eyes. He lowered his head, stirred the porridge in his bowl, and smiled:

"Cheng'an City is truly a wondrous place. Towering buildings stand tall, spiritual arrays are densely packed, and cultivators and mortals live in harmony. I have never seen such a city anywhere else. Brother Fang, do you know who built Cheng'an City?"

"An ancestor of the Ten Thousand Saints Sect, perhaps."

Fang Zhou answered casually. He had been wandering around the city for the past three days and had heard some things from people.

Cheng'an City was planned and built during the reign of the third generation sect leader of the Wansheng Sect. It was originally just a temporary camp for refugees, but it gradually developed into what it is today.

"Exactly."

Young Master Zhou nodded, his tone filled with undisguised longing.

"The Wansheng Sect covers an area of ​​50,000 li, and there are more than a hundred such cities. Each one is well-ordered, prosperous and stable. The people in the city live and work in peace and contentment, and the cultivators perform their respective duties. The spirit arrays, markets, communication halls, martial arts arenas... work together seamlessly. It is a complete system."

Fang Zhou looked up at him. This man's words were quite interesting, unlike the usual spoiled brat.

Young Master Zhou seemed to have opened up and continued, "I have traveled to many places and seen many cities. Some were the capitals of mortal dynasties, magnificent and resplendent, but poorly managed; others were the residences of cultivator sects, rich in spiritual energy, but impossible for mortals to survive in."

Only in the cities ruled by the Ten Thousand Saints Sect can cultivators and mortals each find their place under the same set of rules. The intricacies of this are worth studying for a lifetime.

Fang Zhou didn't reply, but simply drank his porridge quietly. He had already vaguely sensed that this young master Zhou was not someone he had met by chance.

Sure enough, Young Master Zhou changed the subject: "I've heard that Brother Fang has quite a connection with the Ten Thousand Saints Sect?"

Fang Zhou ate a meal with chopsticks.

coming.

"I have taken the liberty of inquiring about this,"

Young Master Zhou didn't hide anything and laughed frankly.

"Brother Fang's fiancée is Ye Ninghan, an inner disciple of the Ten Thousand Saints Sect. This news has already spread in the Study Hall, but Brother Fang has been staying at home these past few days and probably doesn't know it himself."

Fang Zhou genuinely didn't know. But that wasn't surprising; Cheng'an City was only so big, and since Ye Ninghan had personally brought him here, someone was bound to see him.

"So?" Fang Zhou put down his chopsticks, his expression unchanged.

Young Master Zhou leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice: "Brother Fang, please don't misunderstand. I have no ill intentions. It's just that I come from a remote dynasty and have come here to study, hoping to pass the Wansheng Sect's examination and become a disciple of the sect. But the Wansheng Sect's examination content is never leaked. I've been in the study hall for two months and still don't know what the examination is about."

He paused, then looked earnestly at Fang Zhou: "If we could know the direction of the assessment in advance, we could prepare accordingly. If Brother Fang could help with this, what would be the reward…?"

"Young Master Zhou," Fang Zhou interrupted him.

"Since you've spent two months at the Study Hall, you should know the rules for the Myriad Saints Sect's admissions process. The specific content of the assessment changes every year, and is decided on the spot by the sect elders. There are no fixed questions."

Fang Zhou picked up his teacup and took a sip. "Even if someone wanted to leak it, they wouldn't have a chance."

Young Master Zhou's expression remained unchanged; instead, he smiled and said, "Brother Fang is describing the usual situation. However, the selection process for disciples by the Myriad Saints Sect is ultimately traceable. For example, the format of the assessment, the scoring standards, the elders' preferences... these are all extremely valuable pieces of information."

Fang Zhou glanced at him but didn't say anything.

"Of course, I'm not taking this for nothing." Young Master Zhou took out a brocade box from his sleeve, placed it on the table, and gently opened it a crack.

A rich spiritual energy gushed out from the cracks, and the cultivators in the porridge shop all looked up in surprise.

Inside the brocade box lay a pill, entirely emerald green, with naturally formed patterns and a faint glow.

Fang Zhou recognized it at a glance as a Spirit Ascension Pill. One pill was enough to allow a Spirit Aperture Realm cultivator to break through a small realm directly. He had taken quite a few of these pills at home.

Young Master Zhou closed the brocade box and gently pushed it in front of Fang Zhou.

"This is just a small token of our appreciation. There will be a greater reward after the matter is settled."

Fang Zhou was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed.

He stood up, took out the spirit card Ye Ninghan had given him from his sleeve, and waved it at the shopkeeper: "Uncle Bai, check please."

Then he looked down at Young Master Zhou, his smile unchanged: "The porridge is good, drink it while it's hot. As for the assessment, Young Master Zhou, you should work harder on your own."

After saying that, he turned and left the porridge shop with a composed gait.

What rotten fish and shrimp? Which cultivator can't withstand this test?

Behind him, the smile on Young Master Zhou's face slowly faded, and his gaze became heavy as he watched Fang Zhou's departing figure.

The guards behind him approached silently, one of them whispering, "Your Highness, should we...?"

"No need," Young Master Zhou raised his hand to stop him, a smile returning to his lips. "This Brother Fang is quite interesting."

He put the brocade box back into his sleeve, his expression returned to normal, and he picked up his chopsticks to slowly and methodically drink his porridge.

"The Wansheng Sect is not open to anyone who is not a disciple of the sect."

Young Master Zhou muttered to himself, his gaze fixed on the street outside the window, his voice barely audible.

"But he has a fiancée who will become the future peak master of Saint Cold Peak, so he can't be considered a complete 'outsider'. He came here to get to know her anyway, so it's okay if it doesn't work out."

"Anyway, that's not my purpose." Young Master Zhou turned to look outside the shop, as if he was waiting for someone.