Chapter 76 Jinjiang First Publication Trial

Time flew by, and the day for Xuan Yun Sect to recruit disciples finally arrived. Among the group, Yao Sisi was naturally the best prepared. She had a time array that could extend her study time, but she also studied a wider variety of things than the others.

She didn't work this hard when she took the college entrance exam, which shows that interest really is the best teacher.

The Xuan Yun Sect is quite a distance from Luo Yun City. Those who wish to participate in the recruitment must first register. The sect will check if you meet the requirements, and only those who pass the check will be taken away by flying boat.

The basic requirements for the applicants were met, namely, that their bone age was appropriate and that they possessed spiritual roots. As for those who did not possess any spiritual roots at all, they were eliminated in the first round of registration screening. Otherwise, with so many applicants, it would be impossible for everyone to be taken along.

Yao Sisi and the others stood on the flying boat, watching the clouds drift by below, curious about what the Xuan Yun Sect was really like.

The flight was short, taking only half a day to reach their destination. From high above, they could only see the surrounding mountains and wisps of mist. As the flying boat descended, the palaces on the mountain peaks became increasingly clear.

It is truly magnificent and splendid.

Because of the rapid descent, the beautiful scenery disappeared almost instantly, and everyone on the airship was brought to the front of the largest mountain gate.

The mountain gate was carved with exquisitely beautiful auspicious mythical beasts. Before everyone could even admire them, a disciple dressed in green led them aside. The first test was about to begin, so everyone put aside all other thoughts and focused on the anxiety of facing the upcoming test.

Of course, there is an exception, and that is Yao Sisi. As for whether she can fully join the sect, she usually does her best and leaves the rest to fate. She is more curious than eager.

Anyway, she has her own cultivation method, so she can cultivate it no matter what.

This relaxed atmosphere naturally attracted the attention of others. However, since everyone was in unfamiliar territory, they preferred to observe the situation in silence, not daring to ask her questions, and also afraid that their chatter would leave a bad impression on the sect.

There are many, many more people like Yao Sisi who arrive by flying boat, and these flying boats come from all directions but ultimately all land at the foot of this mountain gate.

The disciple in green robes had a rather serious face and looked to be in his twenties. However, the age of cultivators is often deceptive; without examining their bone age, one cannot determine their exact age.

He glanced at the people on the flying boat and said, "I am Li Nan, the disciple who is in charge of guiding you this time. You can call me Fellow Daoist Li."

Although that's what he said, many people call him Martial Uncle. Yao Sisi glanced at his cultivation level, late Foundation Establishment stage, which is about the same as hers. Anyway, she would not call him Martial Uncle. Fellow Daoist Li it is!

She's a weapon refiner; she doesn't need to curry favor with others.

Li Nan: "Let me explain the rules to you first. I'll take you to the Immortal Ladder in a bit. The Immortal Ladder mainly tests the weaknesses of human nature, such as greed and vanity. If you can successfully get out of this stage, you've passed."

Someone will then guide you to the next level.

Yao Sisi looked around at herself. There were people around her who were seven or eight years old, teenagers, and even her age. Except for the younger ones who didn't have to participate in more trials, everyone else had to go through a second stage.

Soon, they followed the guiding disciple to the Ascension Ladder. The Ascension Ladder was on a mountain wall, winding forward without end, and from a distance it looked like it stretched from one side of the mountain to the other.

Li Nan pointed ahead and said, "You guys go ahead!"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone rushed towards the mountain steps. Some people even pushed aside those next to them to get there sooner. Yao Sisi frowned as she watched this scene. She felt that if no one was watching, there must be quite a few troublemakers among these guys who didn't want others to climb the Ascension Ladder. Wouldn't that have led to a chaotic battle?

She waited a while to let the area in front of her clear before taking a step. Clearly, this ladder that tests human nature is not about who gets up first and who gets down first. It's not a test of physical strength. Since it's a test of character, can the character of those who want others to fail to climb up, or even want to fight and pull others down, really be considered virtuous?

Such an extreme attitude means one lacks even the ability to subdue one's inner turmoil and control one's restlessness; such a person would only achieve a mediocre and unproductive immortality.

She suddenly realized that although this fellow Daoist Li looked serious, he seemed alright. At least he had just given a hint, but some people didn't understand it.

Yao Sisi and her group lagged behind the crowd by a step, which was particularly noticeable among the people running at full speed. She looked around at the mountain peak and her surroundings for a while before walking forward at a leisurely pace.

As she stepped onto the ladder, a white mist suddenly appeared before her eyes, and all the people on the ladder disappeared. She couldn't even see the steps clearly, so she had to slowly grope her way forward.

She was also curious about what weaknesses she had that would be magnified by this ladder.

But what she didn't expect was that the first hurdle was beauties, groups of beauties, and she was choosing male concubines like an empress.

Yao Sisi looked down with extreme unease, her heart pounding with panic. She repeatedly asked herself whether others would also face such a test, sitting at the pinnacle of power choosing beauties, or whether this was generated based on her psychological vulnerabilities.

If everyone has it, that's fine, but if it's based on what she generated herself... she won't accept it!

Does she look like someone who's lustful? Is she that shallow?

No, she definitely didn't. Perhaps this was a test of her desire for power?

At that moment, she felt an intense aversion to beauty, but the scene that followed didn't follow her expectations at all. It was like she was having a strange dream, and a very mixed one at that. For example, the handsome men below were a perfect blend of East and West, as well as ancient and modern styles. There were men dressed in knightly attire, men in flowing ancient costumes, men in Western suits and white robes, and the funniest of all, there were men with bare chests and exotic charm...

It has everything imaginable. What's frustrating is that some of them look like two-dimensional characters that have stepped out of a comic book. These characters are quite beautiful in comics, but seeing them in person is really strange.

Just then, another group arrived from behind. Yao Sisi covered her forehead, as if wearing a mask of pain. How come there are even chibi versions of these?

Is this a real talent show or just a way to make fun of her?

Immediately afterwards, someone carrying a tray came before her, bowing respectfully and asking, "Your Majesty, may I ask which ones you wish to enter the palace?"

Yao Sisi: "I want those chibi versions, cough... no, I mean those ones that are round and cute."

She just couldn't believe it; could this thing really be real?

Then she pretended to be tired and went to the so-called harem for a stroll. There she saw several chibi-style figures swinging on swings, not traditional swings, but swings that looked like they were hanging from the sky.

She walked up to them, and without thinking, pinched one of the figures' cheeks. Sure enough, the texture was strange, like pinching some kind of artificial human skin, but it didn't feel like human skin at all…

Ah, she knows, it looks just like a pair of very high-quality, very soft leather shoes!

She began to worry, wondering how she could escape this illusion.

This illusion is too outrageous.

Next, she underwent a test of being chosen to serve the emperor, but how could she possibly let those inhuman, ghostly things get close? She suddenly realized that this magical, dreamlike scene was quite something; from the initial allure of beauty and power, was she now being asked to overcome her fear?

Yao Sisi decided that she would kill these ghostly things. Her eyes gradually sharpened, but just as she made this decision, all the chibi-style figures disappeared.

Yao Sisi: "???"

Why did this thing disappear so quickly? Did it sense her murderous intent?

Immediately afterwards, not only did the chibi-style figure disappear, but everyone else in the palace also vanished, leaving her all alone in the vast palace. Yao Sisi had no choice but to improvise and begin meditating and cultivating...

She didn't know how much time had passed, and a sense of loneliness crept in, but she didn't find it frightening. She happily took out a jade slip from her storage bag. Time couldn't be wasted. This free time array didn't cost any spirit stones, so it was perfect for looking at the jade slip.

Just as she made up her mind to look at the jade slip, a very restrained light flashed across her body, and then the illusion disappeared. She was still walking on the misty Ascension Ladder.

Her own expression was no better than the dense fog, which was full of confusion. She said angrily, "Why did you come out at this time? I wanted to take advantage of the loophole to see the cultivation technique!"

The group of onlookers on the mountain looked on with disbelief when they heard her say that. Good heavens, someone actually used a loophole to read the cultivation technique! Why didn't they think of that before?

Therefore, Yao Sisi was already familiar to the previous disciples even before she entered the mountain gate.

Since she appeared in this illusion, the rest of the journey went relatively smoothly. Apart from not being able to raise her spiritual energy and having to climb the Heavenly Ladder on her own, nothing else was difficult for her. A few hours later, Yao Sisi reached the end. She saw a large number of disciples gathered in front of her to watch the excitement. Some of them were wearing sect uniforms, while others were wearing other clothes, but they all had an identity tag on them.

She looked around to see how Qi Mu and the others were doing, only to find that she was the first to arrive among this batch of trial disciples. However, she showed no pride at all. After all, she had the highest cultivation level among them, so wasn't it only natural that she was the first to climb up?

She quickly looked up at the Ascension Ladder, just like the disciples watching the spectacle. She saw many people standing on the winding ladder, some lying on the ground panting, some standing still, some hurrying along, and some... walking back.

There are all sorts of situations, it's just strange!

After a while, people gradually reached the top of the Ascension Ladder, and Qi Mu also arrived. However, Liu Yuan and Ning Xiu had not yet arrived. He came to Yao Sisi's side, and the two stood together, chatting casually.

Because they are exceptionally good-looking, they look quite compatible standing together. In fact... most good-looking people look good together, it's just a matter of different styles. For example, some are cool and aloof with cute girls, some are mature and sophisticated with loyal guys, or queens with cool and aloof, glamorous with cool and aloof, hot-tempered with cool and aloof, or glamorous with gentle, refined with arrogant, or sickly with lively. As long as they are good-looking, they are a perfect match...

The two of them stood together, talking and discussing the cultivators below, even complaining about what they had just encountered.

Yao Sisi complained, "You have no idea how outrageous my illusion was. It made me choose male concubines right from the start. They let me choose, but I didn't do what they wanted. And the male concubines they chose for me were really...unpleasant."

Qi Mu, who had been relaxed after leaving the Ascension Ladder, didn't find the rest difficult after hearing her words. Instead, he became tense again, wondering if his illusion hadn't ended yet. Why was he so calm before but so tense now? He looked at her and asked with difficulty, "And then, did you really choose a concubine?"

He wasn't the only one curious; the group behind him was also very curious.

Yao Sisi thought for a moment, then conjured a water mirror with her hand. This was a small spell she had recently learned from the jade slip, and she didn't expect it to come in handy so quickly.

In the water mirror, she saw layers upon layers of handsome men, but she ultimately chose a group of chubby-faced little figures whose proportions looked strange and didn't appear to be real people at all.

The illusion of the ladder to immortality should present, to some extent, things that the person in question has seen before, and then derive from them, rather than completely deriving them, to create that sense of reality and illusion.

These little figures, though strange, are indeed a simple and direct way to break the illusion. They are different from the humans around them, and the probability of breaking the illusion is greater from them.

Yao Sisi said, "How could I really choose male concubines? I realized something was wrong as soon as I entered the illusion, so I chose these few to see what kind of trouble they would cause."

Hearing her say this, Qi Mu's tense nerves relaxed. He discovered a characteristic: when you like someone, you become more sensitive, your emotions double, your joy and happiness double, and your pain and anxiety double. But even though there is some bitterness, the unparalleled joy is hard to give up.

No wonder you grow to like someone more and more, and you simply can't bear to let go.

They chatted for a while longer, and then Liu Yuan and Ning Xiu came up. Next, they would be assigned to another trial site.

After climbing the Heavenly Ladder, it's time to cross the Heavenly Bridge.

The natural bridge connects two mountain peaks. At this moment, fierce winds are howling here. The only way to cross this place is by using a bridge made of several chains. You cannot use magic power; you must rely solely on your physical body to move forward.

The key point is... it's not one person walking forward, but a group of people walking forward, which causes the chains on the bridge to sway back and forth, and one wrong move and they could fall off.

Although someone rescued him when he fell, the trial was still considered a failure.

Yao Sisi wasn't afraid of the bridge, but it would be difficult for others. She was worried that her companions wouldn't be able to cross it, especially Liu Yuan and Ning Xiu, who hadn't been cultivating for long. As for Qi Mu, she felt that it wouldn't be a problem for him.

He is a very orthodox swordsman with a strong will. It's just a formidable barrier. As long as he overcomes his fear and calms his mind, it won't be that difficult to get across.

The order of entering the chains was different from before; it was based on the results of the Ascension Ladder. In other words, Yao Sisi was the first to step onto the chains. These chains had no wooden planks for support, and one could only step on the thin, slippery chains, which were being blown back and forth in the howling cold wind. Soon, the second and third people also stepped onto the bridge one after another.

Adding more people to the chain didn't make it more stable due to the weight; instead, each person exerted different forces and directions, causing the chain to sway even more frequently. At this point, some people couldn't withstand the shaking and fell off. Immediately afterward, a crane flew over, lifted them up, and carried them away.

Although his life was not in danger, the man burst into tears, heartbroken that he had lost such an opportunity.

He could have joined a sect through this, but now all of that is gone. He regrets that he was too old; otherwise, he could at least have joined an outer sect!

The sounds of people stumbling and screaming filled the air, making the atmosphere on the chains even more tense. Yao Sisi originally wanted to wait for her companions behind her, but in such an assessment, waiting would be useless, and she couldn't help them, otherwise it would be unfair to the other people who were taking the test seriously. So she simply sped up and quickly passed the trial, then waited for them at the finish line.

A while after she came ashore, Qi Mu also came up. He could have been faster, but the chains were so cold that his hands were numb from the cold. It was also so difficult to use them. This was not a problem for Yao Sisi, as she had spiritual fire protecting her body, so even if it was colder, it wouldn't be a problem.

After Qi Mu came ashore, people began to come ashore one after another. Those who hadn't come ashore showed anxiety on their faces. Only then did they realize that although there was no set time for crossing this chasm bridge, it was cold on it. If they couldn't cross quickly and wasted too much time on balance or fear, they would freeze due to the biting wind and icy chains when they finally wanted to cross, and eventually fall.

Yao Sisi looked at Qi Mu and said, "Are you very cold? I see that those who are lagging behind already have a light frost on their brows."

Qi Mu originally wanted to say: It's okay.

He was used to being more modest so as not to worry the other person, but seeing her extend her hand to him, he selfishly swallowed his words, and heard his own voice sound weak and trembling: "It is a little cold..."

Yao Sisi said, "Give me your hand."

Qi Mu obediently offered his hand, feeling that her hand was very warm, even a little hot. Usually, when the two of them were together, they would occasionally touch each other's fingers lightly, but at that time their hands were cool. She had deliberately made her hand like this to warm him up.

Yao Sisi felt that Qi Mubing's cold palm had warmed up a bit after she touched it, so she put her hand down. At this moment, Liu Yuan also came ashore.

His gaze swept across the room and he saw that the two people had their hands clasped together, but they had just let go of each other.

Yao Sisi asked, "Liu Yuan, are your hands cold?"

His eyes flickered, and he instantly understood what had just happened. How could he dare to say it was cold!

"It's not cold."

Just then, Ning Xiu came up as well, and Yao Sisi asked the same question, "Kid, are your hands cold?"

Ning Xiu didn't see her hands that had been intertwined with Qi Mu's earlier. His attention had been entirely focused on getting through the last leg of the journey, so he answered honestly, "They were frozen solid. I just toughed it out."

Yao Sisi said, "Come here, I'll start a fire for you."

Ning Xiu obediently walked over and saw her conjure a small ball of fire in mid-air, warming the surroundings.

"Here, warm your hands!"

Liu Yuan, not far away: "..."

So it turns out that warming hands with one's own hands was a privilege reserved for the young master; he was just overthinking things.

He was a little embarrassed at first, but then he thought that it was so warm, why not roast some food? After all, he was just a servant, why should he care about saving face?

Yao Sisi saw him sidling up to her and said, "I thought Brother Liu Yuan was exceptionally gifted at not being cold! I was just thinking that since you two got ashore so quickly, it would be more convenient to have a fire."

The other people who had come ashore were also very interested in the fire. Just then, a little girl who was about the same age as Ning Xiu ran over and said in a very sweet voice, "Kind sister, you are so amazing! Can Xiao Yuan warm herself by the fire too?"

Why would Yao Sisi make things difficult for such a young child? Besides, the other child had clearly passed the test and might become her junior in the future. "Sure, you can help me with the grilling!"

With the little girl joining in, some naturally lively ones also gradually crept over. Yao Sisi didn't refuse any of these little ones. Of course, there were also a few fellow cultivators who were quite old but had no airs of cultivators and came to warm themselves by the fire.

After a while, the assessment at the Heavenly Bridge ended, and the pass rate was pretty good, with at least half of the people passing. They were then led to a large hall. It turned out that the previous assessments were basic, and there was now a talent assessment.

That is, a secondary spiritual root...

Just then, Qi Mu stopped in his tracks and said with great difficulty, "My hair was really uncomfortable from the wind at the Tianqian Bridge. I want to fix it."

Yao Sisi was stunned for a moment, thinking to herself: Young Master always pays so much attention to his appearance, but is it really appropriate to tidy up in public like this?

Qi Mu noticed the unease in her eyes and said softly, "I'll just do a simple tidying up; I won't style my hair into a bun."

Yao Sisi: "Then I'll help you block other people's view, and you can hurry up and get ready."

Qi Mu nodded, and then he saw Yao Sisi turn her face away to look around for him. He quickly pulled out the wooden hairpin from his hair and casually found a similar hairpin in his storage bag and put it on.

Then, as if nothing had happened, he said from behind her, "I'm done getting ready. Let's catch up with the people in front."

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Author's Note: This is a really long chapter!