Chapter 1132: Chapter 1132

"Brother, I’ve admired the Cang Lan Sword Sect for a long time. It’s the largest sect among the hundreds of nearby dynasties. My dream since childhood has been to join the Cang Lan Sword Sect and become a mighty martial artist," Zhang Menglong babbled, "Can you tell me how to get to the Cang Lan Sword Sect?"

"Truthfully, I don’t know!" said the guard.

"No way? Even people from the Iron Sword Dynasty don’t know?" Zhang Menglong exclaimed in surprise.

"Like you said, the Cang Lan Sword Sect is the largest sect around. Countless people want to apprentice there. If their mountain gate were easy to find, they’d be overwhelmed just driving away all those hopefuls every day."

"True," Zhang Menglong nodded. When he made Jiangnan University of Science and Technology a world-class university, the admissions office’s phone was ringing off the hook. People with even a bit of talent rushed to apply. They had to set up a raft of hurdles before things improved slightly.

The population of a dynasty alone is massive, let alone people from these hundreds of dynasties. Blocking the entrance to the Cang Lan Sword Sect every day would indeed be troublesome.

But this posed a bit of trouble for Zhang Menglong. If the Cang Lan Sword Sect were easy to find, he could simply take his grand sword and go straight to their door.

However, if they’re hidden in some secret place, he’d need to figure out their location first before sneaking in to exact revenge.

"Brother, can you point me in the right direction?" Zhang Menglong handed over a special cigarette.

The guard looked at it without knowing what it was.

"Let me help you!" Zhang Menglong shoved the cigarette into the guard’s mouth and lit it with a lighter.

"Refreshing!" The guard, who’d been on duty the entire day, felt sleepy. This unassuming little item unexpectedly had a refreshing effect! Moreover, it had a magical effect that brought him an indescribable comfort.

This guard, with the strength of a fifth-order True Martial, wasn’t affected by any harmful substances in the smoke, only the dopamine rush.

"Brother, this thing is amazing. Do you have more?" The guard, gifted in his own right, blew out a smoke ring. Such wonders might not even be known to the upper echelons of the Iron Sword Dynasty.

"All yours!" Zhang Menglong handed over the entire pack of cigarettes and the lighter. "This is a specialty from our place, money can’t buy it!"

"Alright then, since that’s the case, I’ll point you in the right direction!" The guard looked around, ensuring no one was watching, discreetly tucked the cigarettes into his clothes, and said, "Come a bit closer."

Zhang Menglong quickly leaned in.

"Firstly, the disciples of the Cang Lan Sword Sect are divided into outer sect disciples and inner sect disciples. To put it bluntly, those outer sect disciples are no different from odd-job workers, with low status and nothing much to learn. Reaching the fourth or fifth order of True Martial would already be impressive."

Zhang Menglong knew this too, as the Lingyun Sect’s inner and outer gates are the same.

"But inner sect disciples are a different story. They enjoy the best cultivation conditions and martial arts techniques. If you’re exceptionally gifted and catch an elder’s eye, you can become a core disciple, which means high-ranking status in the Cang Lan Sword Sect!"

"Brother, how can I participate in the selection?"

"Selection? Selection is just something said for outsiders. To enter the Cang Lan Sword Sect, even as an outer sect disciple, you might need connections," the guard lowered his voice, "The selection quotas of the Cang Lan Sword Sect need to be purchased!"

"Purchased?" Zhang Menglong was stunned, "Aren’t selections based on talent?"

"Haha, you might not know this, but as the largest sect around, the Cang Lan Sword Sect has long secured anyone exceptionally talented. The rest who participate in the selection have gone through a screening. To put it harshly, adding one or losing one makes no difference. Geniuses exist, but not many."

"That’s why Cang Lan Sword Sect delegates the sale of selection quotas to the City Lords of each city. Occasionally, auctions occur too. This way, they gather wealth and assess everyone’s financial standings. If rejected, as long as the money is right, anything can be negotiated. That’s why the Cang Lan Sword Sect is swimming in riches."

"Wow, even capitalists would weep hearing this," Zhang Menglong had to admire the Cang Lan Sword Sect’s high-level planning. Recruiting geniuses in advance and relying on sales for the rest. Even if you buy a quota, there’s no guarantee of passing, but with money, you could have backdoor options...

"But brother, you’re a few days late. This year’s last Cang Lan Sword Sect assessment quotas have already been sold out. If you wish to obtain one, you’ll need to buy it from those who’ve purchased quotas."

"But I’ll remind you," the guard added, "Secondary transfer prices aren’t cheap."

"As long as I can buy one, money’s not an issue!" Zhang Menglong was very satisfied with the information he had gotten, "Brother, one last question, do you know who holds the quotas?"

Zhang Menglong slipped a Martial Crystal into the guard’s hand.

"Is this... a Martial Crystal?" The guard almost exclaimed, as a Martial Crystal was enough to trigger bloody mayhem in this city.

"I don’t know exactly who, but if you want to obtain a quota, I know where to go!" The guard suppressed his excitement and joy. ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by novel•fire.net

"Each time the Cang Lan Sword Sect recruits disciples, noble families and princes from hundreds of nearby dynasties try every which way to secure a spot. Each assessment is different, but the assembly spot is always the same, at Starry Night City!"

Starry Night City, a city of prosperity only second to the Imperial City in the Iron Sword Kingdom.

Each year at this time, it’s the busiest, most flourishing period for Starry Night City, as hundreds of thousands aiming to join the Cang Lan Sword Sect gather here, waiting for the start of the sect’s assessment.

This is the best inn in all of Starry Night City, or to put it another way, it’s a hotel. The prices here are exorbitant. On the Haotian Continent, an ordinary family’s year-long expenses might only be around 200 Xuan Silver. A single night’s stay in this inn costs over 2000 Xuan Silver, and that’s for the worst room.

Even so, reservations were fully booked months in advance.

A black-haired young man sat at the inn’s entrance. Beside him was something no one from the Iron Sword Dynasty had ever seen. It was square and sturdy, and even glowed at night, scrolling a message: High price for Cang Lan Sword Sect assessment quotas.

"How interesting, someone is actually buying quotas here."

"Hahaha, those able to stay here are nobles from nearby dynasties. They’re all here for their futures; who cares about the money?"

"Brother, how much does a quota cost in your area?"

"Don’t mention it, prices have risen again this year. I spent 23,000 Xuan Crystals for mine."

"Damn, such a bargain? I shelled out a full 28,000!"

Those coming in and out of the inn didn’t even spare Zhang Menglong a glance. To them, quotas were something money couldn’t always buy.

"Hey, hey, what do you think you’re doing? Do you realize you’re disturbing our business sitting here?" A doorman came out and kicked Zhang Menglong’s iPad, sending it flying, "I don’t care what you’re doing, but don’t stay here, or I’ll call someone to throw you out!"

"Is this place yours?" Zhang Menglong glanced up at the young man, "I’m not even in your store."

"Hey, aren’t you ungrateful? You’re at our doorstep, affecting our business!"

"Damn, you’ve got some nerve blaming me first. I haven’t even mentioned how your shop affects my stall. Who’s really causing trouble first here?" Zhang Menglong packed up his tablet, "Get your boss out here!"