The mountain range, stretching for ten thousand miles, resembled the backbone of the earth, spanning the horizon with a magnificent Aura.
And deep within this vast mountain range, a Sect was quietly embraced by verdant mountains, like a brilliant pearl embedded among the peaks.
As dawn broke, the morning glow spilled onto the ancient palace, illuminating it with a golden radiance that added a mysterious touch to the solemn edifice.
In the early morning mountains, clouds and mist swirled, sometimes ethereal like smoke, sometimes Entanglement ing around the peaks.
Within the Sect, pavilions and palaces were arranged in a staggered, elegant manner, with upturned eaves, showcasing an ancient charm.
Towering ancient trees were lush and green, and clear streams flowed with a gurgling sound.
With the sound of a bell, its lingering chime was resonant and long-lasting.
This day happened to be the day Xuantian Sect recruited Disciple.
Among the large crowd, a young man, Ling Feng, cautiously poked his head out of the line, his bright, curious eyes scanning his surroundings.
He was Ling Feng, from Yunzhou City in the mortal realm.
The plaza at this moment was bustling and lively, with many people dressed in various strange outfits gathered here—they were all promising candidates with Cultivation potential, sought out by Xuantian Sect Disciple from all directions.
“Elder, may we begin the Aptitude test?” A young Disciple respectfully bowed to Kong Sheng, who stood at the front, and inquired.
“Hmm, without further ado, let’s begin immediately!” The white-haired old man in the central position smiled slightly and responded softly.
Upon receiving permission, that Disciple swiftly obeyed.
He circulated the spiritual Qi within his body, then slowly began to speak. His voice, amplified by the spiritual Qi, became exceptionally loud and clear, instantly echoing throughout the entire plaza, announcing the specific standards for this test to everyone present:
“As long as you can ring the spiritual test bell, you possess a certain Cultivation talent. One to three rings are rated as low-grade; four to six rings allow entry into Outer Sect Cultivation; and if you can reach seven rings, you can directly become an Inner Sect Disciple.”
At this moment, a man waiting below to be tested suddenly asked loudly, “What happens if it exceeds seven rings?”
Facing this question, the Disciple overseeing the test first smiled slightly, then calmly explained, “To achieve seven rings is already an extremely rare Genius. As for exceeding seven rings, it is truly too uncommon, one could say it’s as rare as a Phoenix feather.”
“So, any more questions?”
“No more,” everyone said in unison, their hearts filled with excitement, all believing that their Aptitude was extraordinary and that they would naturally achieve good results in the test, join the Sect, and From now on soar to great heights.
“Then let’s begin!” That Disciple spoke again.
As soon as he finished speaking, the person standing at the very front stepped onto the high platform and, following the Disciple’s instructions, placed his hand on the spiritual test bell.
Dong!
“Three rings, low-grade talent. Next,” after a moment, the spiritual test bell stopped ringing, and that Disciple called out loudly.
“Only three rings, this talent is too poor!” someone muttered softly.
That person’s voice was not quiet, and he was right in front of Ling Feng, so Ling Feng naturally heard him.
Upon hearing this, Ling Feng scoffed and whispered, “Senior Brother, do not underestimate others. Perhaps you are not even as good as him.”
Tsk!
“Xiao Ye, I am exceptionally talented. Even if I don’t get seven rings, I should at least get six.”
That person turned his head and glanced at Ling Feng. It wasn’t a big deal at first, but after seeing him, a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes, simply because Ling Feng’s attire was truly too shabby.
Ling Feng paid no attention to that person’s strange gaze; indeed, his attire was somewhat shabby.
It is said: carriages, boats, shops, porters, and brokers are the most opportunistic. Seeing Ling Feng’s bare feet, straw sandals, and ragged clothes, it was no wonder he attracted peculiar looks.
Looking at his attire, although he couldn’t be considered from a wealthy family, he was at least well-fed and clothed, so naturally, his gaze towards Ling Feng was a bit disdainful.
Of course, Ling Feng also understood the coldness of human nature. He had seen many such profligate sons in Yunzhou City, and he didn’t take it to heart.
Dong!
As Ling Feng was pondering, there were four more bell rings, and the Disciple overseeing the test said with a smile, “Four rings, medium-grade talent. Next.”
The test then continued, with people from the plaza stepping onto the high platform one after another to test their talent. The bell sounds rose and fell, but most people hovered between three and five rings. Let alone seven rings, not even six rings had appeared.
“Not bad, although no one has achieved six rings or more among this year’s Disciple, the number of people who meet the entry standard is higher than in previous years.”
Above The Underworld, the Elder in the center stroked his beard, revealing a satisfied expression.
“What Senior Brother Kong Sheng said is very true. Junior Brother, I have already scouted a few Disciple. I hope the two of you won’t contend with me later,” the Elder on the right said with a smile.
The one on the left responded, “No problem, no problem.”
In a flash, more than half of the people had completed the talent test.
It is important to know that Xuantian Sect has always been strict about Disciple selection, and only half of the candidates reach the entry standard.
Anyone with three rings or less was immediately led away from the plaza, to be sent back to their origin by special personnel after the test concluded.
And three rings only met the entry standard, allowing one to become a Utility Disciple within the Sect.
Time flew by, and from early morning, it was now sunset, with the sky growing dim. The talent test finally came to an end.
“It’s my turn, it’s my turn.”
The profligate young Master in front of Ling Feng rubbed his hands, a wide smile on his face, as he walked onto the high platform, “Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits, let me test out seven rings of talent.”
A charlatan?
Those who had passed the talent test were lined up in neat squares below, watching this scene with wide eyes.
What a clown!
Similarly, Ling Feng, seeing this scene, cursed silently.
“Are you going to test your talent or not? If not, get lost.” The Disciple overseeing the test finally couldn’t stand it anymore and cursed loudly.
“Test, of course, I’ll test.”
“Hurry up, there are still people behind you.” That Disciple said coldly again.
The profligate young Master gently raised his palm and pressed it against the spiritual test bell. Under a surge of spiritual Qi, the spiritual test bell emitted four continuous sounds.
“No way! Only four rings?” The profligate young Master seemed dissatisfied with the test and kept his hand on the spiritual test bell, unwilling to move it.
Finally, he was reluctantly thrown down by the Disciple overseeing the test. “Next.”
“Last one. I hope he doesn’t disappoint us.”
“Senior Brother Kong Sheng, do you think he can ring seven times?”
The two Elders, one on the left and one on the right, simultaneously looked at the person in the middle.
Kong Sheng, hearing this, pondered for a moment, then looked down at Ling Feng. Although he was shabbily dressed and his face was covered in dust, it could not conceal his naturally handsome and upright demeanor!
At this moment, Ling Feng had ascended the high platform, slowly raised his palm, and placed it on the spiritual test bell. A moment later, under a surge of spiritual Qi fluctuation, the spiritual test bell emitted a faint sound.
Then! There was no further movement.
“One… one ring, no way.”
For a long time, the spiritual test bell remained silent. The surroundings were eerily quiet, as if even the air had solidified at that moment.
Ling Feng sighed helplessly, slowly lowered his hand, a clear look of disappointment in his eyes. He walked down the high platform listlessly, like a deflated ball.
“Hey, old man, your Aptitude is too poor!” The merciless taunt of the profligate young Master from before came from below the stage.
In the high sky, the three Elders also showed expressions of regret, shaking their heads and sighing.
They had originally hoped that this last test-taker would bring some unexpected surprise to everyone.
However, things did not go as wished. Not only did Ling Feng fail to impress, but he became unique among this batch of test-takers—a pathetic wretch with only one ring of talent.
At this moment, the Elders on the left and right sides tacitly waved their hands, summoned several Disciple, and after whispering a few instructions, turned and left.
These Disciple, having received their orders, quickly began to select new Disciple based on the test results.
Among them, those with four to six rings of talent were assigned to Cultivate under various mountain peaks and hall Masters in the Outer Sect.
According to past practice, those with three rings of talent would be recruited into the Sect to become low-ranking Utility Disciple.
However, due to the excessive number of Utility Disciple in recent years, and the fact that very few actually advanced to Outer Sect Disciple, the Sect decided not to recruit such Disciple this year.
Therefore, those test-takers who only rang the bell three times and were judged to have low-grade talent were destined to have no connection with the path of Cultivation. As for Ling Feng, whose talent only rang the bell once, it was even more hopeless; there was simply no hope at all.
“That’s too strange! I clearly remember this person was not on the list of participants for this batch of tests.”
The Disciple responsible for overseeing the talent test scratched his head, looking puzzled, clearly surprised by Ling Feng’s sudden appearance here.
He opened the roster he was holding again and carefully checked it line by line, word by word, then confirmed with certainty that Ling Feng was indeed not on the list.
“Did I get the list wrong? Or did I forget to record him in the book?” he muttered to himself, his brows tightly furrowed, his heart filled with doubt and confusion.
“Senior Brother, don’t be too serious. The talent test has already been completed to Perfection, and other matters are irrelevant,” another Disciple walked up and gently patted the shoulder of the Senior Brother who was overseeing the test, comforting him.
“However, I’m really curious who brought him here,” at this moment, another Disciple also whispered softly.
The other Disciple around heard this and began to whisper among themselves, casting suspicious and probing glances at Ling Feng.
However, after some inquiry, everyone was surprised to find that no one knew Ling Feng’s background or origin.
Ling Feng’s ears were sharp. Although those Disciple deliberately kept their voices low, he could still vaguely hear some of the conversation.
His mood instantly became incredibly tense, and he clenched his fists tightly. He squeezed so hard that his fingernails dug deep into his palms, causing waves of piercing pain.
Just then, a clear, pleasant, gentle female voice suddenly came, “Junior Martial Uncle Kong, I am here on Master’s instructions to select a Utility Disciple. I wonder if Junior Martial Uncle already has a suitable candidate here?”
As soon as she finished speaking, a dazzling sword light flashed, and a graceful, beautiful female Disciple lightly stepped down from a Flying Sword.
She walked elegantly, like a Fairy descending to the mortal world, and respectfully bowed to Kong Sheng in the clouds.
“Oh!” Kong Sheng in the clouds was slightly taken aback upon seeing this, then gently stroked his long beard and said thoughtfully, “My Senior Brother Chen never mentioned to me before that he needed a Utility Disciple.”
Hearing Kong Sheng’s words, the female Disciple’s expression changed slightly, and she hastily explained, “My Master has been busy with Alchemy recently, working tirelessly all day, and may have inadvertently forgotten to tell Junior Martial Uncle.
It is my fault for not reminding him in time, which is why I only suddenly remembered today is the Sect’s big day for recruiting Disciple.
After Master found out, he quickly sent Yu He here to see if there were any suitable Utility Disciple to choose from. I hope Junior Martial Uncle will not blame me.”
Kong Sheng laughed heartily and waved his hand, saying, “No worries, no worries! Since it is what my Senior Brother needs, I naturally will not refuse. How about this, I will immediately send someone to bring over a Disciple with three rings of talent.”
Just then, the female’s gaze happened to sweep over Ling Feng’s direction, and she couldn’t help but wonder, “Hasn’t the talent test already ended? Why is this person still standing here alone, unwilling to leave?”