Inside a cave abode on Golden Turtle Island.
Ling Er raised his head and sighed. He set down the jade slip in his hand, unable to stop himself from reflecting: no matter what world one was in, the ability to learn was always crucial.
Although his learning ability had indeed improved greatly after obtaining a primordial spirit, and his memory was flawless, he had already memorized everything contained within these jade slips.
As for their contents, he still needed to slowly analyze and comprehend them, as there were still certain limits to his understanding.
Though he longed to improve his strength, he could not rush things.
That was one of his character traits: the more urgent the situation, the steadier he became.
From these jade slips, he concluded that this was merely a third-rate sect, yet it boasted shamelessly that it could lead directly to the Saint realm.
But everyone knew that there were only six Saints in the Primordial World. Even bragging needed moderation.
Moreover, becoming a Saint required Primordial Violet Qi as a foundation to establish one's Dao foundation.
That Primordial Violet Qi had long since been distributed.
In the end, he selected three cultivation methods: one was called the "Sword Sutra," a method for cultivating the Sword Dao. It seemed to be the same Sword Dao Third Brother Pan was currently cultivating, considering he had witnessed its power firsthand.
Another was called the "Supreme Emotionless Scripture." Its introduction stated that it cultivated the mind and allowed one to remain calm at all times. This technique suited his personality perfectly.
The last was the "Nine-Nine Mystic Art," a body-tempering technique that claimed one could achieve sainthood through the fleshly body.
Unfortunately, it was not the "Eight-Nine Mystic Art" he had been yearning for. This "Nine-Nine Mystic Art" was probably just a knockoff, and it even deliberately added an extra number to make itself seem better. It could not have been more fake.
As for the other alchemy scriptures and formations, although he had memorized them, he did not choose to cultivate them for the time being.
He felt that formation cultivation was somewhat similar to the "Nine-Nine Mystic Art." He planned to carve divine runes onto his fleshly body in the future and use them to comprehend formations, so he would not cultivate formations for now.
Alchemy, meanwhile, required an extreme degree of concentration, so he planned to master the "Supreme Emotionless Scripture" first.
Besides, alchemy required materials and resources for support, so it was not suitable for him at present.
Very quickly, he determined what he should cultivate first in the future.
But right now, the most important thing was finding a way to join the Interception Sect.
The hundreds of thousands of demons outside were an enormous threat. One careless mistake, and he might become food in their mouths.
Just then.
"Ling Er! I'm coming in, okay~"
Ling Er: ...
Big brother! You had already been lingering at the entrance for a while. Just... come in.
"Third Brother Pan, how was it? Did you find anything out?" Ling Er looked at Sect Master Tongtian, whose face was full of smiles, and asked seriously.
"Everyone guesses that the Trial of Heart will open in the next few days, but many halls and towers cannot be entered, such as the Scripture Repository.
Ling Er, have you figured out why?" Sect Master Tongtian asked earnestly, his eyes full of expectation. He had completely treated Ling Er as someone who knew everything.
Hearing this, Ling Er smiled faintly, thoroughly enjoying Sect Master Tongtian's questioning attitude.
After all, the other party had helped him so much. Now that he could do something useful for Third Brother Pan, it gave him a great sense of accomplishment.
Moreover, correctly guessing the situation gave him another measure of assurance for surviving in this world.
Having arrived in a Primordial World like this, where he knew nothing at all, made him feel terrified and utterly insecure.
Since he had come to this fantasy-like Primordial World, the first thing he needed to do was avoid those famous prodigies.
As long as they were famous in the Primordial World, he would avoid every last one of them.
Then he would find a place to hide properly and live for a hundred or eighty years first.
After all, a human life was a hundred years long. No matter what, he had to live to that age. He had to get his money's worth out of life first.
"That should mean that after becoming an Interception Sect disciple, you need some kind of token to enter.
I also estimate that you need contributions before you can go inside to study..."
Next, Ling Er explained the whole theory of sect contributions from fantasy worlds to Sect Master Tongtian, including some concepts related to economic operations.
Sect Master Tongtian was a Saint. From Ling Er's words, he extracted sect rules that were extremely suitable for the Interception Sect, and made them even more detailed.
In order to avoid making Ling Er suspicious, he altered some of the rules, but the core content and ideas remained unchanged.
"Ling Er, I'll come get you tomorrow. We'll go take a master together.
I'll continue investigating the situation." Sect Master Tongtian spoke confidently, his eyes brimming with fighting spirit.
The contribution system Ling Er had given him would save him an enormous amount of trouble.
After all, no sect in this era had such rigorous regulations. This would establish a model for the Primordial World.
Everyone taught disciples according to their own preferences. That was also why his second brother, Yuanshi Tianzun, did not approve.
Even the Demon Court in the heavens did not have a complete management system. It still relied on personal preference, management through the bloodlines of those in power, or the rule of the strong.
"Alright. Be careful."
"Don't worry."
Inside Biyou Palace.
Sect Master Tongtian quickly organized the Interception Sect's rules. He took out a piece of Nine Heavens Profound Iron that he had swiped from his eldest brother, forged it into a stele, and engraved the sect rules and contribution regulations upon it.
In an instant, a stream of Great Dao Merit Power descended from the heavens.
That merit power split into two portions, one of which continued onward to seek Ling Er.
A look of annoyance appeared on Sect Master Tongtian's face. He had not known that simply engraving sect rules onto a Nine Heavens Profound Iron stele could earn merit. Why had he not used a supreme treasure to engrave them back then?
If you can't find the book by searching its title, try searching for the author instead. It may simply have been renamed!
However, that stream of merit power that had gone to seek Second Brother Li returned to the Nine Heavens Profound Iron stele, instantly turning it into a postnatal merit supreme treasure.
"Will Second Brother call me wasteful when he sees this?
Hehe~ He'll probably be jealous instead." Sect Master Tongtian poured his own share of merit into the stele as well. It was meant to suppress the sect's fortune anyway, so there was little use in keeping it for himself.
After all, he was not his eldest brother or second brother. They both had supreme treasures to suppress their sects' fortune.
Sect Master Tongtian casually threw the stele into Biyou Palace's square, instantly drawing countless demons over to inspect it.
After reading it, some of them shook their heads helplessly and left. They felt they could not abide by the rules written on it, and the contribution system struck them as unfair.
"Hmph, just as Li Er said, this system exists precisely to prevent those with ill intentions." Sect Master Tongtian watched those demons leave and spoke coldly.
The next day.
A majestic voice rang in the minds of everyone on Golden Turtle Island.
Countless demons rushed toward the Trial of Heart, all wanting to pass the trial first and become disciples of the Interception Sect, especially personal disciples.
They could receive a Saint's teachings at any time. That Saint was not limited to Sect Master Tongtian, but also included the Supreme Purity Saint and Yuanshi Tianzun, because those two were elders of the Interception Sect.
Most importantly, the Supreme Elder was Saint Hongjun!
That was right. The sect rules stele clearly stated that if one wanted guidance from a Saint, one needed a certain number of contribution points.
Without a doubt, the Interception Sect would surely become the number one sect in the Primordial World in the future!
"Third Brother Pan, do you think I can pass?" Second Brother Li watched the demons continuously charge into the Trial of Heart and asked worriedly.
Demons were constantly being thrown out. Some coughed up blood, while others fell unconscious on the spot.
Those who could walk one-third of the way could become outer sect disciples.
Those who passed the Trial of Heart would await Sect Master Tongtian's selection.
Those who could not reach the designated point could choose to stay as outer sect menial disciples of the Interception Sect. They would have a chance to challenge the Trial of Heart every year afterward.
Now, those who reached the corresponding positions on the Trial of Heart would receive Interception Sect tokens and become Interception Sect disciples.
Only those with tokens could publicly claim to be Interception Sect disciples.
"You can. Li Er, have confidence in yourself. Look, everything here is exactly as I said.
So this Trial of Heart is as easy as drinking water for you.
Li Er, what position is your target?" Sect Master Tongtian asked confidently.
He had no choice but to be confident, because he controlled this Trial of Heart.
He needed to know Second Brother Li's target position so he could make arrangements in advance.
To be honest, he did not want Li Er to say he wanted to reach the summit, because reaching the summit meant having a chance to become a personal disciple.
Then Li Er would be exposed to the other Saints, which was not the result he wanted.
"That place seems to be where inner sect disciples stand. That is my target.
What about you? With such great talent, Third Brother Pan, you should be able to reach the summit, right?" Second Brother Li asked curiously.
"Definitely!"
Second Brother Li was speechless.
For some reason, Pan Laosan was always so confident.
But when he remembered that Pan Laosan was a Sword Immortal, everything made sense.
Sword Immortals charged forward without fear.
"Alright, let's go!"
Second Brother Li took the lead and walked over. Sect Master Tongtian followed beside him to prevent those failed demons from harming him.
Very quickly, they arrived before the Trial of Heart.
Second Brother Li gritted his teeth and stepped inside.
He used too much force and nearly lost his balance.
What? Where was the illusion?
There were no demons around him at all. There was only a staircase passage, and all he had to do was walk upward.
There it is. What is this? An adorable little pig? Is this the illusion I'm facing?
After steadying himself, Second Brother Li began to wonder. Could this illusion be tailored to each person?
Am I too weak, so this illusion is this weak too?
Sect Master Tongtian watched Second Brother Li stop moving and rubbed his chin as he muttered, "There shouldn't be a problem with this illusion, right? There's almost nothing in it. A little pig shouldn't be a problem, right?
But why isn't he moving?"
Second Brother Li thought for a while but still could not understand it, so he began walking upward.
After all, this was the Primordial World. Anything could happen.
A moment later.
Second Brother Li stared blankly at the token in his hand, overcome by a sense of unreality.
It was a bronze-colored token, bearing the two ancient characters: "Inner Sect."
"I... became an inner sect disciple?"
Before you continue