"Am I stuck if I don't have connections or relationships now?" Zhou Hong asked with frustration.
"You're mistaken there. While it's more complicated, it doesn't mean there's no opportunity," his grandfather said with a slight smile.
"According to you, even with my high talent, I can't break through if I don't get approval."
"Haha, don't be too pessimistic. Although the process is more arduous compared to those with connections, it doesn't mean there's no chance. As long as your cultivation talent is high, you'll still rise regardless of the rules."
"Grandpa, stop playing coy and tell me what to do."
"In this Immortal Realm, the various powers are intricate and complex, with countless major and minor factions. Where there are powers, there will be conflict, and where there is conflict, they will always need talent. For instance, various small sects and clans need talent to strengthen themselves, otherwise, they'll be swallowed by other sects and so on."
"Grandpa, you mean I should find a sect to join? But if I join certain sects, how will I get the Demon Emperor's approval when I need to break through?"
"Silly child, just let me finish. Why do cultivators who reach the level of Immortal Emperor, Demon Emperor, Spirit Emperor, or Beast Emperor possess such great power?"
"Why?" Zhou Hong frowned in confusion. However, he had just heard his grandfather mention Spirit Emperor. When did this "Spirit Emperor" appear?
"Because at that level, they gain possession of something called the Immortal Court Imperial Seal. This object is the origin of all rules. As long as someone's name is written on it, granting them permission to break through to a certain stage or to hold a certain position, it means they are permitted. But with so many people, how can the Immortal Emperors or Demon Emperors possibly manage it all? So, they allocate a certain number of quotas to the factions loyal to them. This process cascades down, and at the lowest level, there might still be dozens or even hundreds of quotas."
Zhou Hong couldn't help but nod. He understood now. As long as he had talent, he would be valuable to certain factions, and they would be willing to give him quotas to break through and serve them.
"Thank you, Grandpa. It seems it's not as difficult as I imagined."
"Indeed. Your cultivation talent is definitely not weak. After all, the fact that you can inherit my sub-world already proves this. Not only is it not weak, it's incredibly strong."
"Alright, I'll go find some immortal sects, no, demon sects, and find a way to join one."
"No need to rush. Take your time to inquire about your current location."
Zhou Hong nodded, recalling the Spirit Emperor his grandfather had mentioned earlier, and asked, "What is this Spirit Emperor you mentioned just now?"
"Spirit Emperor is the Emperor-level of the Spirit Realm. The Spirit Realm is similar to the Immortal Realm, Demon Realm, and Beast Realm. Their inhabitants are primarily the souls of the deceased. After death, people don't completely disappear; they transform into soul bodies. These soul bodies can also cultivate. If they have high talent, even as souls, they can cultivate step by step from the lowest level of spirit ghosts and souls, and even ascend to the Spirit Realm."
Zhou Hong nodded. He suddenly remembered his soul leaving his body on Earth and encountering some ghosts. One of them, an ancestor of the Yue Shi family, had left a deep impression on him. That ancestor had spent a thousand years cultivating to the level of Ghost King. If that ancestor had a subsequent surge, he might have also ascended and entered the Spirit Realm.
Putting aside further thoughts, Zhou Hong immediately found an inn in the city. Like in the mortal realm, there were many weak mortals here, but cultivators were everywhere. Even a peasant woman who grew vegetables, without any cultivation, could be very strong by simply breathing the immortal energy in the air, unlike mortals in the mortal realm, though they were still referred to as mortals here.
There were also many like Zhou Hong, who had broken through to the Mahayana stage and become quasi-demons.
Zhou Hong casually walked into an inn and found at least thirty to forty quasi-demons inside.
Zhou Hong sat down at a table by the window, intending to fill his stomach first.
"Oh, right, Zhou Hong, I forgot to tell you something," his grandfather's voice echoed in his mind as soon as he sat down.
"What is it?"
"You have now arrived in the Demon Realm. If it's not absolutely necessary, do not enter the sub-world. Fortunately, you came to the Demon Realm. If you had gone to the Immortal Realm, it would have been too dangerous, and you could have been discovered at any moment. Although going to the Immortal Realm doesn't necessarily mean you'd be in the territory of my enemies, the Immortal Realm has only five Immortal Emperors, and they have formed an alliance. No matter which Immortal Emperor's territory you go to, it would be easy to discover you." Su Dan Novel Network
"I understand," Zhou Hong nodded. It was a pity for his wives in the sub-world, who would have to live as widows. But for the sake of his life, what was living as a widow? As long as he didn't die, there would be endless time in the future.
At the adjacent tables, four quasi-demons were drinking and talking.
"Zhang Lu, you've been a quasi-demon for several thousand years since breaking through to the Mahayana stage, right?" one of them asked.
"Yes, my current strength has already reached the level of a first-grade demon. It's a shame I don't have the fate to get a quota. Otherwise, once I become a first-grade demon, my destiny would be rewritten," another man said with regret.
"Haven't you tried joining some demon sects to see if you could get in?"
"Isn't that obvious? The largest demon sect near us is the Dragon Tiger Demon Sect. I was even an outer disciple there for 800 years. But what of it? The competition is too fierce, and I can't see any hope of rising. My talent isn't low, and I've applied many times. My strength has reached first-grade demon, but there are countless people applying like me. Without any connections, it's just a pipe dream." The man's eyes filled with despair, no longer expecting to become a first-grade demon in his lifetime.
"And then you left?"
"What else could I do? Stay there as an outer disciple forever, working for them as free labor? Outer disciples of the Dragon Tiger Demon Sect have to mine immortal ore every day, working themselves to death, yet they see no hope. "
Zhou Hong's heart sank as he overheard the conversation at the next table.
Zhou Hong was just about to inquire about demon sects in the vicinity, intending to join one first.
Before he even went, he heard someone's experience. Spending several hundred years mining immortal ore for nothing, and gaining nothing. If Zhou Hong joined, would he end up the same?