A martial artist talked to one another, "I think I'll go with Mountain and Cloud Sect. It has have an easier examination than the other first-rated sect and it really suit my style. It should be able to at least elevate my skills to Veinmaster at my peak." He pointed at a small hall which had an sign on it.

"Mountain and Cloud Sect. first-rate sect. Specialize in body and palms arts."

"Goodluck ! First-rate sects have strict requirements and you can only choose once a day. Brother, you failed the Great Whale Sect's test. It's your last chance to enter, as for me, I'm playing safe : I'm going to the Heavy Mult.i.tude Sword Sect."

"Heavy Mult.i.tude Sword Sect. 2nd-rate sect. Specialize in heavy swords. Grandmaster : Holy Heavy Swordsman"

Around it were more small halls that looked more like a stall than anything.

"Misty Sword Sect. 2nd-rate sect. Specialize in illusion and light sword."

"Heaven's Sea School. Special sect. Cultivate knowledge, specialize in fan techniques and rapiers."

"Breezing Wind Sect. 2st-rate sect. Specialize in fast drawing techniques, footwork and light sword."

"Heavenly Sun Sword Sect. 1st-rate sect. Specialize in righteous swords and cultivate special breathing sun-type technique. Multiple experts came from us."

"Volcanic Spear Sect. 1st-rate (top). Specialize in explosive arts and spear."

Ugh. There were so many sects (stalls) and people that Tang Ling felt a little dizzy when he tried counting all of them. But after barely counting 15, he could see there was a pattern : eight out of ten taught swords !

This was too bizarre. In the Hunter a.s.sociation, although the preferred weapon of choice was a hunting rifle, muskets or something of the like, there were also a lot who used unconventional weapons and bows as well.

Tang Ling looked around the crowd and saw a guide in the crowd. This guy was simply hired to answer questions from the vagrant martial artists. How did he know that ?

The guy was wearing a strange costume which seemingly cried : "WE ARE THE HELPERS. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, WE WILL ANSWER THEM !!!!!!!!!!" and they seemed pretty dedicated even though most people didn't really need their help as they already knew about those famous 64 sects.

But obviously, Tang Ling wasn't part of the 'common crowd', being new in this world, and used this chance to learn a little bit of this world without exposing himself as an ignorant youngster. He didn't really have thick skin after all.

Talking with these guys helped Tang Ling understand the situation. In summary, the Sword Duke ruled this province which is called the Northern Pride Prefecture and a few others, forming the Great Tianjian Prefecture. This territory was granted by the Son of Heaven in recompense for his contributions 50 years ago and was tasked to defend the north-east border of the nation.

The territory was especially rich in sword energy and so the Sword Duke suppressed the leaked energy and founded the city. As such, sword cultivators were very attracted to this location and resulted to the suppression of other martial artists. This resulted to an imbalance between sword sects and the "the others".

The guide also chatted a lot about the Sword Duke's accomplishments. Talking about his exploits before and after he received the position of Duke. The guide was intoxicated from bragging about the exploits of his idol that he forgot about the time. By the time he finished, the sects' conference almost finished.

"c.r.a.p ! I forgot about the time, he cried, Ling ! Quickly enter a sect hall now. If you take so much time, you won't be admitted to a sect ! Sects only recruit disciples only once a year !"

Once a year ? The last day of the examinations ? f.u.c.k !

Tang Ling's face changed. Although he initially wasn't really interested in joining a sect. But after chatting with this guy, he was pretty determined to join one, especially after hearing that vagrant martial artists didn't have much of a future. They didn't have ressources, techniques and connections.

In other words, vagrant martial artists aren't worth a s.h.i.+t !

The cultivation techniques like the released in the market were all low-level techniques. At most, it could be used to condense the "Vein" in 5th stage. They were also less powerful than their sect counterpart, making it very common for sect disciples to defeat an opponent with the same cultivation stage. With powerful artifacts and killing moves, there were even cases of one suppressing an enemy of higher cultivation.

Not wasting his time, Tang Ling immediately thought of five sects : Heavenly Flame Sect, Untamed Sword Sect, Yufeng School, Mysterious Abode Caves, Wandering Sect and Pure Jade Sect.

Based on the guide's description, they were the most noteworthy amongst the sixty-four sects. Tang Ling immediately rejected the Heavenly Flame Sect and Untamed Sword Sect; he didn't have any fire-type techniques if [Heat] wasn't included (Heat being pretty s.h.i.+tty) and he already used the spear and the sword since he had sword intent and Baiji-quan which worked best with spears. A heavy two-handed weapon wouldn't suit his path at all.

Pure Jade Sect used mystical means to create what is known as 'spells' and wasn't open to any martial artists. Mysterious Abode Caves was pretty much the same but was open to both evil and neutral cultivators...

Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

So his only choice is Wandering Sect right ? Tang Ling thought.

The Wandering Sect was a little special. According to the guide, it was an organisation with very, very loose rules. The sect was considered as a second-rate sect but the trials are very unusual, so much so that people thought they were as difficult as first-rate sect' tests.

Compared to other sects, the Wandering Sect had vague description and a lot of it was a mystery.

They weren't famous, strong or influential but the sect still managed to survive turbulent times which exterminated sects. As the saying goes, nothing can stand the tribulations of time. Even the greatest dynasty, sect and cultivator failed to withstand the test of time, leaving only remnants.

If a sect could survive three generations, it could be considered great, tens, it could be considered exceptional.