The crowd, who had been waiting on the grassland for a long time, suddenly heard a 'dong' sound of a bell, which seemed like heavenly music and spread throughout the entire grassland. The scene fell silent instantly, and everyone stopped what they were doing and talking, and couldn't help but look up.
The next moment, thousands of golden lights poured down from the previously empty sky, breaking through the clouds above to reveal massive floating peaks. The peaks were shrouded in mist and filled with celestial palaces and pavilions. A huge golden magic array enveloped each peak, carrying an undeniable pressure, like the strongest guardian, making people dare not approach easily.
Seeing such a blessed land for the first time, no one on the grassland spoke; they simply stared blankly at the floating peaks that resembled a fairyland. Then, several figures flew down from the sacred mountain, arriving before them in an instant despite the great distance.
The newcomers were five women, each dressed in a pure white auspicious cloud-patterned fairy robe. Their faces were like lotus blossoms and their eyebrows like willow leaves. They seemed to be clouds drifting down from the sky. They stood on spirit swords and hovered not far above the crowd, their bodies radiating a faint white light.
"Fairy... Fairy!" Someone shouted, and the stunned crowd finally reacted, bowing down to the five people in the air in a flurry of prostrations.
"Everyone, please rise. We are disciples of the True Transformation Sect!" Shuiyan frowned, her face habitually cold, and said, "I have come to inform you that the selection of our sect's members has officially begun, and to inform you of the selection process and rules."
The crowd did not stand up, seemingly stunned by the way the group made their entrance. Instead, they knelt even more upright, their eyes filled with admiration and envy as they looked at the water pipe girl and the others. No one dared to speak.
The girls with the hookah are truly worthy of being the face of their sect; they have such a commanding presence!
Youyou sighed and sat upright in the center of the square in front of the main hall, looking at the huge water mirror in front of her. It showed the scene below the mountain. Behind her sat all the disciples of her sect, all gathered here.
For this selection, she specially notified the entire sect to have a day off and had Yuan Qi set up this water mirror in the square so that he could watch a movie with all the disciples... Bah! To see how the selection went.
After all, talent selection must be fair, just, and transparent!
Even Qiu Zhang stopped cultivating his soul. Relying on his transparent body so he wouldn't block others' view, he floated to the front of the crowd, stroking his beard as he looked around, occasionally uttering comments like, "This one has good aptitude," "That one has great potential," and "This one... could memorize the secret manual and pass it on to future generations."
Even the little flames couldn't resist the temptation and quietly drifted over to her side. They somehow managed to pull up a few sunflower heads, roasting them over a small flame, and then used their own red lotus petals to hold the sunflower seeds, stuffing them into her hands.
Enjoying a play with sunflower seeds.
She's...quite sensible!
"This selection process consists of ten stages, each testing your aptitude, comprehension, and potential. Those who are eliminated will be automatically sent out of this grassland..." Shuiyan below explained the rules and procedures in detail before activating the selection formation that had been set up in advance.
The next moment, everyone saw one array after another light up before their eyes, layer upon layer, almost covering the entire sky. Then, one after another, huge steps appeared out of thin air, instantly forming a floating heavenly staircase that led directly to the Immortal Gate Peak above.
"As long as everyone can climb this Heavenly Ladder and enter the mountain gate before sunset, they will become disciples of my True Transformation Sect," Shuiyan explained again.
Everyone's eyes lit up as they looked at the floating steps in front of them. Many of them were overjoyed. Could they really enter the immortal realm just by climbing up? It was that simple.
"If anyone can't hold on and wants to give up, they can shout 'I'm quitting,' and they'll be sent off the grassland," Shuiyan reminded them again before loudly announcing, "Then the selection will begin now!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the crowd waiting on the grassland rushed up the steps in a frenzy, eager to get to the top as quickly as possible. If the steps hadn't been wide enough, some people might have been pushed off.
But miraculously, the first group of people to climb up did not stay up there for long. Some even disappeared after climbing only a short distance, less than twenty steps.
The number of people on the steps dwindled, and the crowd that had been rushing forward just moments before slowed down. The wiser ones began to calmly reflect, recalling the fairy's initial words: she had clearly stated that the selection process consisted of ten stages, and later added that as long as one ascended the Heavenly Ladder and entered the Immortal Gate, they would pass. This proved that the Heavenly Ladder was definitely not as simple as it appeared on the surface.
Shuiyan maintained her cold expression, watching the rapidly dwindling crowd below. Without lingering, she turned and led her sisters back towards the main peak. What firsthand experience? Nothing beats watching the Water Mirror with the Sect Leader.
Unlike the crowd, who only saw more and more people disappearing down the steps, the water mirror in front of the main hall plaza presented a completely different scene. It showed a dense forest, teeming with monstrous beasts. Huge and terrifying monsters roared and chased after those who had just disappeared down the steps, rampaging through the forest.
"This is..." You You was startled by the number of monsters in the dense forest, especially since there were several familiar ones that looked exactly like a certain little monster from the Burning Swamp, and none of them had hair.
"Sect Master, rest assured, this is just an illusion. The demonic beasts inside are all conjured by Yuan Venerables using arrays." As if guessing what she was going to ask, Ling Qi quickly explained.
Youyou subconsciously turned to look at Yuan Qi, who smiled and placed the peeled melon seeds in her palm, explaining, "I couldn't recall too many images of demonic beasts, so I had Fenze use them as a reference."
"..." This is too realistic, it's practically identical.
(???????????)
"Hmph! A fake is a fake. It doesn't capture even a fraction of my handsomeness!" Fenze glanced at the water mirror, his tail held high. He looked down on the bald monster inside while licking his fur coat with a fondness.
"Even if they are eaten by the monsters and die, it's just an illusion!" Ling Qi continued. "In reality, they have already been teleported out of the grassland area." But as long as they dare to turn back and fight the monsters head-on, even if they die, they will return to the Heavenly Ladder and continue to enter the next level.
Cultivating immortality is inherently a matter of defying fate; without the perseverance to face difficulties, it's naturally impossible. Subduing demonic beasts is a compulsory course for disciples, a test of their courage to confront them.
Unfortunately, most people lacked the courage. In the illusion, many were either eaten and teleported out of the grassland, or shouted "quit!" from the start and were sent away. The crowd that originally filled the grassland visibly dwindled until less than a tenth remained on the steps. Even after returning to the Heavenly Ladder, some dared not go any further and withdrew immediately.
The grassland below was now almost deserted, with only those on the upper part of the ladder remaining, persisting onward. However, they hadn't gone far when the water mirror in the plaza shimmered, revealing the next illusionary scene.
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