That concludes the basic introductory process. In reality, there is also a step to test one's spiritual root, but once one has reached the Foundation Establishment stage, this step is waived.
Once you reach the Foundation Establishment stage, your magical power circulates throughout your body, and you can only roughly test your strengths and weaknesses, not your specifics. The only way to do this is to let your whole body be exposed and allow others to look at you. However, this is an extremely offensive act and exposes your true nature completely, so this method is naturally not very feasible.
Therefore, this is one of the reasons why Lin Xiuyuan's previous desire to join a sect was not very strong.
His cultivation progress is relatively fast, but he only has the aptitude of five spiritual roots. If he reveals this, it will be too easy for people to become suspicious, which will create a lot of unnecessary risks. Once he reaches the Foundation Establishment stage, he won't have to worry too much.
Lin Xiuyuan then falsely reported his aptitude for three spiritual roots. Under the divine sense scan of the Purple Mansion stage cultivator, only a general idea of his aptitude could be seen. He activated his magic power to conceal his physical attributes, which barely met the passing grade for three spiritual roots. This way, he could avoid making too rapid progress in the future and arousing suspicion.
After the examination, the two disciples were disappointed. They had thought they could become disciples of the main lineage in one fell swoop, but now they still had to continue their cultivation on Mount Jiuxiao, not knowing how much of their cultivation would be delayed.
However, because of this, my opinion of Lin Xiuyuan changed a lot, and I developed a sense of respect for him.
They had cultivated within the inner sect since childhood. Due to a lack of experience, when they were taught by their elders, they focused on cultivating their Dao heart. After all, the Qi Refining stage was just about refining Qi, and with the sect's nurturing, this stage was not difficult. However, once they reached the Foundation Establishment stage, their Dao heart became extremely important, otherwise they would be easily invaded by external demons. Therefore, it was inevitable that their views on Lin Xiuyuan would change.
The fact that Lin Xiuyuan, as a rogue cultivator, could directly enter Mount Jiuxiao and easily pass through the Heart-Questioning Array demonstrates his extraordinary abilities; he is clearly not an ordinary rogue cultivator. Although his aura is weak, after cultivating on Mount Jiuxiao for a period of time and learning the sect's inherited true techniques, this will naturally change gradually.
Therefore, after shedding their initial contempt, the two became much warmer towards Lin Xiuyuan after leaving the main hall. Now that they were fellow disciples, and would be cultivating together on Mount Jiuxiao, they should naturally support each other. When they went out into the world, they would rely on their sect elders and fellow disciples.
Lin Xiuyuan had worked hard all his way here, so he naturally knew this well. Therefore, the three of them traveled together. Lin Xiuyuan was polite and courteous, and the two of them were also eager to get to know each other. For a time, the atmosphere was very lively.
Although that Deacon Huang provided them with the basic equipment and supplies for Foundation Establishment disciples, they still needed to go to the Deacon Hall halfway up the mountain to register, arrange their cave dwellings, and so on.
During this short journey, Lin Xiuyuan learned the names and backgrounds of the two men, Zhang Zhiyong and Zhao Hui. Although they didn't have any powerful backgrounds, they were both young geniuses with dual spiritual roots, so they entered the inner sect directly from a young age. They were from villages and towns around the Yunmeng Mountains, with impeccable family backgrounds.
If it weren't for his poor performance in the Heart-Questioning Array, even if he couldn't emit a dense white light like Lin Xiuyuan, just a trace of it would have been enough for him to enter the main lineage and become a disciple in the core cultivation sequence.
However, their Dao hearts are too weak and their experience too limited. They need to cultivate and mature on Mount Jiuxiao for a while before they can progress too quickly. Otherwise, if their Dao hearts cannot keep up, they are extremely prone to making mistakes. If they really reach the point of demonic possession, they will most likely die. Therefore, they can only slowly mature and then try to compete for a spot as a disciple of the main lineage. This has delayed their cultivation journey considerably.
The registration process at the main hall was quick; it was completed in no time. Next, we simply needed to choose a cave dwelling on Mount Jiuxiao.
After leaving the main hall, Zhang Zhiyong and Zhao Hui exchanged a glance. Zhang Zhiyong then looked at Lin Xiuyuan and said, "My fellow disciples and I have just been promoted from the inner sect. Some of our friends are waiting for news and have already prepared a banquet for us. Would you like to come along, Junior Brother Lin?"
"Since it's a gathering of friends, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to go without permission. I'm still a beginner, so I'll familiarize myself with things on my own first. I hope you two senior brothers enjoy yourselves."
Lin Xiuyuan cupped his hands in greeting.
"It's alright, they're all our friends, all inner disciples. Junior Brother Lin's arrival won't cause any trouble," Zhao Hui said with a smile.
Lin Xiuyuan had no choice but to refuse again, saying with a smile that he would invite his two senior brothers next time. After watching the two leave, Lin Xiuyuan headed towards another hall.
Although the relationship between fellow disciples needs to be maintained, it is not necessary to get too close to each other upon first meeting, since one does not know the other's true character.
Lin Xiuyuan's original intention was to use the wonders of the purple talisman to focus on his cultivation. Now that he had just entered a sect, his priority was naturally to learn the true methods of the sect. In his view, maintaining a casual acquaintance, having a certain level of relationship, was enough. Too deep a relationship would involve too many entanglements and would only delay his cultivation time.
Before long, Lin Xiuyuan arrived at the entrance of the Scripture Pavilion, his eyes filled with anticipation. He had never practiced a Foundation Establishment technique before, and his purpose was to obtain a superior true method from such a powerful force.
Upon reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, the dantian has essentially expanded to its maximum size, and the mana has solidified into spiritual liquid, becoming quite substantial. To continue improving, one can only continue accumulating vast amounts of spiritual energy and continuously solidifying it. It can be said that every slight improvement requires refining a massive amount of surging spiritual energy.
Therefore, if one wants to continue to improve their cultivation at the Foundation Establishment stage, they can only rely on accumulating time and the assistance of superior cultivation techniques and resources. Each advancement in a minor realm basically requires at least ten to twenty years of arduous cultivation.
Even the most talented individuals need to be at least around eighty years old, or even a hundred, to reach perfection in their cultivation and then look forward to the Purple Mansion stage.
Even with the help of the Purple Talisman, which allows Lin Xiuyuan to lavish resources, it would still be considered fast if he could reach the Purple Mansion stage in half the time.
It is conceivable that if he only uses ordinary cultivation methods, his magical power will grow extremely slowly. For someone with his talent, reaching the Purple Mansion stage would probably be a long way off.
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