Chapter 19 The elders learned that Qi Zibo had taken on a disciple.

Shi Heming said in a boastful tone, "I bought the snacks at the canteen yesterday."

Song Yin: "Thank...thank you?"

Shi Heming smiled, his eyes urging her to eat quickly.

Song Yin casually picked up a piece, put it in her mouth, and took a bite. The taste was not bad; it was indeed worthy of the canteen.

"It's delicious, you should eat some too." Song Yin pushed the plate towards Shi Heming again.

Shi Heming picked up a piece, and the two quickly finished the plate of snacks.

Not long after, Senior Zhou Xinren also arrived.

Zhou Xinren didn't waste any words after entering and went straight to the point: "The sect's annual Foundation Establishment Competition will begin in a few days. The competition will last for three days, and details will be released simultaneously on the floating island plaza in the sect's main hall. Those of you who are interested can go and watch. Once you've established your foundation, you'll also participate in the Foundation Establishment Competition." Go ahead, go ahead, go watch it all. That way I can rest for three days.

Who wouldn't want a holiday? And who wouldn't want to rest during work hours?

Every year, Qi Refining disciples would attend the Foundation Establishment Grand Competition, whether out of curiosity or to gain experience.

Sure enough, upon hearing that the Foundation Establishment Competition was about to begin, the people below began to stir.

"We can actually watch the Foundation Establishment Competition? I definitely have to go!"

"Me too! I can't even imagine how powerful those Foundation Establishment stage senior sisters and brothers are."

"It's said that you can enter the inner sect by passing the grand competition!"

"If you're lucky, you might even be chosen as an apprentice!"

"Oh my god, when will we be able to reach the Foundation Establishment stage?"

Hearing the conversation among his subordinates, Zhou Xinren nodded inwardly. Good, keep this attitude, and don't come back for three days.

Today, Zhou Xinren released the news of the Foundation Establishment Competition ahead of schedule, so the disciples in the class couldn't study seriously. So Zhou Xinren simply made them practice swordsmanship in the morning and afternoon.

Three days later, the sect competition officially began.

The floating island above the sect's main hall was packed with people, mostly Qi Refining stage disciples. Many had even traveled great distances back to their sect to watch this grand competition.

The square was packed with people, and Song Yin was very curious about how to watch the game here.

Unexpectedly, several pools of water appeared in the sky above the square, and then slowly unfolded. At the same time, a scene appeared above, showing an unfamiliar mountain forest with many men and women dressed in disciple robes standing in it.

“We were worried that we wouldn’t be able to see it because we’re not tall enough, but it turns out the image is in the sky,” Song Yin said to Shi Heming.

I never imagined it was cultivation technology.

Shi Heming nodded, agreeing with Song Yin's statement.

Hearing this, someone nearby chimed in, "You two only started practicing last year, right? This is a Water Mirror. It's displayed simultaneously during every Foundation Establishment Competition. Last year there were only three Water Mirrors, but this year the sect is releasing five!"

So it was originally called Water Mirror?

Suddenly, Song Yin's eyes focused on a point in the picture. She pointed to the water mirror in the middle and said to Shi Heming, "Look, it's Senior Sister Cheng."

After Sister Cheng and the others sent the new disciples into the sect, the new disciples rarely saw them.

Shi Heming looked over and, sure enough, it was Senior Sister Cheng.

Song Yin: "I hope Senior Sister Cheng can win the competition!"

Upon hearing this, someone nearby chimed in, "This is Fellow Daoist Cheng's third time participating in the Foundation Establishment Competition. Last year, she brought back two single-spiritual-root and one double-spiritual-root cultivators, and the sect gave her and the other two generous rewards. With the support of resources and a year of diligent cultivation, she should achieve good results this year."

Song Yin and Shi Heming both looked at the person next to them. This person had an ordinary appearance and could be forgotten as soon as they turned their heads.

Song Yin: "How do you know so much?"

The unremarkable-looking man next to him said, "These things aren't secrets; you can find out by asking around."

I cannot discern this person's cultivation level, nor can I judge his strength using spiritual energy. Either he is a highly accomplished senior, or he has not yet cultivated his spiritual energy.

Song Yin asked cautiously, "What's your name?"

The unremarkable man said, "Don't worry about the name, look, the game is about to start."

In the water mirror, the camera closely follows the largest number of people.

The Foundation Establishment Competition involves a group of disciples entering a trial realm established by the sect. Within this realm, they must hunt demonic beasts, the highest of which possess cultivation levels comparable to the Golden Core stage. The more demonic beasts hunted, the higher the score, with different scores awarded for beasts of varying cultivation levels.

The disciples in the plaza can only see five fixed cameras. Inside the sect's main hall, many elders from both the inner and outer sects are present, each with a water mirror in front of them, and they can adjust the camera as they please.

"Where did Elder Yuan go?" Someone noticed that Elder Yuan's seat in the inner sect was empty and asked everyone present.

The elders present had the lowest cultivation level of Nascent Soul, but they all looked young, making it difficult to tell that they were a group of highly skilled old monsters.

Qi Zibo glanced at it casually, "I don't know."

The elder of Lingyin Peak, an outer sect member, asked Qi Zibo, "Elder Qi, your Danque Peak does not recruit ordinary disciples, nor does it have any personal disciples. Do you plan to select a disciple this year?"

Before Qi Zibo could speak, Elder Xin Huailiang of Lingdan Peak was already so angry that he snorted coldly.

Qi Zibo smiled upon seeing this, then cupped his hands to everyone, saying, "Our Danque Peak already has a personal disciple, but our little disciple has not yet reached the Foundation Establishment stage. We will show her to everyone once she reaches the Foundation Establishment stage and participates in the Foundation Establishment Grand Competition."

Qi Zibo's words stirred up a huge wave of discussion.

Everyone turned to look at him.

"Your Danque Peak actually accepted a disciple? And you even kept your junior disciple a secret from us? Do you think the sect leader knows about this?" an elder from the outer sect said, finally turning his attention to the sect leader.

The current sect leader of the Immortal Cloud Sect is a sword cultivator with an ice spirit root named Yan Xi. She is dressed in a dignified and elegant sect leader's robe. Upon hearing this, she looked over and said, "I know."

"Fine, we're the only ones who don't know about the relationship, and we're heartbroken."

Qi Zibo ignored the other person, leaned back in his chair and relaxed, looking at the image in the water mirror, but his mind was on other things.

After the Foundation Establishment Competition ends, I'll take Song Yin to Danque Peak first, so she can light incense for the Ancestral Master and then take care of her soul lamp matter.

Outside in the square, Song Yin saw half of the scene before Cheng Shijie disappeared from view.

Song Yin watched all morning, then decided not to watch anymore in the afternoon or the next two days, as standing there was pointless. The sight of Foundation Establishment disciples hunting demonic beasts reminded her of her own past experiences clearing out mutated species. Although these disciples were at the Foundation Establishment stage, they often failed to kill demonic beasts despite having the ability, clearly lacking sufficient practical experience.

Because of the large number of people coming to the square, more disciples set up stalls around the square, so they could both sell their goods and watch the Foundation Establishment Competition.

When Song Yin and Shi Heming appeared at the school in the afternoon, Senior Xingren, who was enjoying tea, was first stunned, then sighed deeply.

"Why did you come back instead of watching the Foundation Establishment Competition over there?"

Song Yin: "It was boring, so I came back."

Shi Heming: "I'll go with her."

Senior Almond drank the tea with a bitter expression. "What do you want to learn? The other disciples aren't here, so I can't teach you what I usually teach you."

Song Yin blinked, realizing that Senior Almond seemed to be trying to slack off.

Song Yin sat back in her seat and chuckled, "No, no, Senior Almond, why don't you tell us about other things in the sect? There's a lot we don't know about the inner sect. Why don't you tell us about the inner sect?"

Zhou Xinren: "You want to join the inner sect?"

Song Yin: "Almost there." It's already done; she's already obtained the inner sect identity jade token.

Zhou Xinren poured himself another cup of tea: "I don't know much about the inner sect either."

"How could that be? Senior, you are at the Golden Core stage!"

Song Yin and Shi Heming were both surprised.

Senior Zhou: "Not everyone can enter the inner sect. For example, the outer sect elders, although they are elders, do not belong to the inner sect. Among these elders, there may be those who were once from the inner sect, but after becoming outer sect elders, they are no longer inner sect members. However, whether they are from the inner sect or the outer sect, they are all disciples of our Immortal Firmament Sect."

Song Yin: "Is there really such a saying?"

Senior Zhou: "Of course. And you should also know that Qi Refining disciples in the Immortal Firmament Sect are not considered true disciples of the sect. Only those who successfully establish their foundation and participate in the Foundation Establishment Competition are considered true disciples of the Immortal Firmament Sect." Especially those Foundation Establishment disciples who are selected into the inner sect after the competition.

He once had a friend with the same talent and cultivation level, but his friend entered the inner sect while he did not. Now, he is at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, while his friend has already reached the Great Perfection of the Golden Core realm and can break through to the Nascent Soul realm at any time.

In cultivation, each major realm is a hurdle, and each hurdle can stop many people. It's uncertain whether he can break through to the Nascent Soul stage in this lifetime, which is why he had the idea of ​​taking on disciples, wanting to pass on some of his insights.

Having said so much, it was hard to stop. Zhou Xinren continued, "In the past, like other sects, our sect would add a test when accepting new disciples. Even if someone had spiritual roots, they couldn't enter the sect if they failed the test. Later, after the current sect leader took office, the Immortal Firmament Sect changed the rules. The sect leader said that since the test was to examine the disciples' character, why not extend the character assessment to the entire Qi Refining stage? A person's character can change, and it can't be measured by a short test. It requires long-term observation to get a more accurate answer. Since then, our Immortal Firmament Sect's disciple recruitment process has changed compared to other sects."

So this decision was conceived and implemented by the sect leader!

Zhou Xinren looked at Song Yin and Shi Heming with complicated eyes, "You two will have an easier time entering the inner sect than the disciples from Class A and Class B."

Shi Heming: "Why?"

Zhou Xinren: "Because you come from the mortal realm, seventy percent of the inner disciples come from the mortal realm."

...

Song Yin and Shi Heming returned to the bamboo hut, both of them somewhat absent-minded.

What exactly did Senior Zhou mean by his last sentence?

Song Yin thought about it all night but still couldn't figure it out, so she simply gave up and decided to wait for Qi Zibo to come back and ask for the apprenticeship gift.

Since Senior Zhou wanted to slack off, Song Yin didn't go to the school or the square to watch the competition. She and Shi Heming went to the dining hall to buy some food, and then they both went to the Library of Dharma.

Shi Heming said that the Zangfa Pavilion not only contains cultivation techniques, but also some sect records, miscellaneous notes about the cultivation world, and other books.

Song Yin has already overcome her illiteracy, and now she's looking for some useful books to gain a deeper understanding of this world. She's still young and her cultivation level is low, but once she grows up and her cultivation increases, she plans to leave the sect and travel to the cultivation world to experience it firsthand.

On the other side of the square, an ordinary-looking man waited all afternoon, then for two more days, but he still didn't see Song Yin and Shi Heming.

An ordinary man: ...

He removed his disguise and returned to the inner gate to see Qi Zibo.

"Your disciple and the future disciple I've chosen only watched the match for one morning; they didn't come for the rest of the time." Elder Yuan stormed up Danque Peak in a rage.

A note from the author:

----------------------

Qi Zibo: Family members, Danque Peak has a successor!

Yuan, who intended to approach his future disciple: Where is he??

-

Again, asking for my collection! [empty bowl]