Golden Cloud Assessment

Liang Kingdom, Golden Cloud Valley.

The third round of the immortal sect's assessment: the Illusory Heart Platform.

Upon the circular dais built from white jade, one or two hundred youths were shrouded in streams of pale violet light, trapped within illusions. Their expressions ranged from fury to terror to utter grief...

"Hiss!"

Lan Chang'an let out a muffled groan and abruptly awoke.

His brows drew together, and beads of sweat the size of beans seeped from his forehead. It was as though some seal deep within his mind had shattered, leaving him to endure a flood-like torrent of information!

"Not bad! The third to awaken from the Illusory Heart Platform—his willpower is exceptional."

Not far away, several immortal masters of the sect discussed him in private.

The Illusory Heart Platform was the final trial of Golden Cloud Valley's entrance assessment, testing one's State of Mind and willpower.

"Lan Chang'an, Mid-Grade Spiritual Root, third place on the Illusory Heart Platform. He counts as a decent Immortal Seedling..."

"Hm? Qi Refining First Layer, nearly eighteen years old?"

"What a pity..."

A few sighs of regret arose from the surroundings.

"The Cultivation World of Liang Kingdom... Golden Cloud Valley's entrance assessment..."

"Lan Chang'an, nearly eighteen years old?"

"This time, I broke through the Mystery of the Womb much later than in my Previous Life. I missed the ideal age to begin cultivation."

On the Illusory Heart Platform, Lan Chang'an's expression shifted, his gaze deep and unfathomable.

Judging from this life's memories, he had once again found himself in a different cultivation region from his First Life and Second Life.

"Upon awakening in this life, I received feedback from the [Nine Imprint Tablet]. My initial soul strength is actually a notch stronger than it was in my Second Life?"

Lan Chang'an's brows relaxed, and his expression returned to normal.

Right, the [Nine Imprint Tablet]!

He slowly closed his eyes, seeming to rest and recuperate.

Deep within his mind, an ancient, dark stone tablet emerged, its surface traced with blurry, abstract patterns.

The [Nine Imprint Tablet] was the mysterious ancient tablet he had accidentally touched on Earth, opening his strange and wondrous journey through cycles of cultivation reincarnation.

Lan Chang'an did not know the tablet's origins, so he had named it himself based on its appearance.

On the front of the tablet—

From top to bottom, there were nine rectangular, framed imprints.

Within the first framed imprint was a Clear Handsome Man holding a Talisman Brush, his figure standing tall and straight.

Within the second framed imprint was a White-Bearded Elder clad in black robes, standing atop an Escape Light.

The first two framed imprints were deathly still and dim, their figures resembling portraits of the deceased.

The third framed imprint, however, held the phantom of a youth, faint white light circulating around it.

It flickered in and out of sight, not yet truly engraved upon the stone tablet.

The youth's phantom perfectly matched the Lan Chang'an before them.

The six remaining framed imprints below were all blank.

"Counting from my First Life, when I crossed over from Earth into the cultivation world, this is now my Third Life."

Lan Chang'an withdrew his consciousness from the [Nine Imprint Tablet] and briefly sorted through the experiences of his first two lives.

In his First Life, he had first arrived in the Cultivation World with mediocre aptitude. As a mere Rogue Cultivator, he stumbled and struggled his way to Qi Refining Ninth Layer.

The only skill he could truly boast of was talisman drawing.

In the end, while fighting for an opportunity at Foundation Establishment, he had been inferior to his opponent and died in a spell battle.

In his Second Life, he had been born into a cultivation family with a High-Grade Spiritual Root. With the cultivation insights and talisman arts of his First Life to aid him, he had charged ahead like a song of triumph, cultivating all the way to the peak of Late Core Formation. For a time, he had enjoyed boundless splendor.

Yet in the end, he failed his attempt to reach the Nascent Soul Realm and perished, his Dao vanishing with him.

"In my first two lives, I only uncovered the most superficial abilities of the [Nine Imprint Tablet]. By my estimation, I must at least advance to the Nascent Soul Realm, undergo a qualitative transformation of the soul, before I can unearth its true secrets."

At that thought, Lan Chang'an was already clear on his goal for this life.

"The Nascent Soul Realm!"

If he could not reach that realm, the [Nine Imprint Tablet] might carry him onward into another cycle of reincarnation... at most nine reincarnations.

Of course, that was an optimistic guess.

Perhaps there were only "three lives and three worlds."

If he failed in this life, what awaited him would be complete annihilation!

"Ah! No..."

As time passed, the youths on the Illusory Heart Platform gradually awakened one after another. The scene became a clamorous mess, interrupting Lan Chang'an's thoughts.

"Lan Chang'an, when did you wake up?"

Several youths nearby looked at Lan Chang'an, who had awakened earlier than them, with some surprise.

"Good luck. I woke up a little before you."

Lan Chang'an remained calm and composed as he examined the two boys and one girl before him.

They were all Immortal Seedlings brought over from Hengshui Prefecture, and they had met during the journey.

Zhao Siyao possessed a Mid-Grade Spiritual Root and came from a scholarly family.

Only fourteen or fifteen, she was already slender and graceful, with bright, spirited eyes and lips red as cinnabar. She was clearly a budding beauty.

Lin Yi possessed a Low-Grade Spiritual Root and was the illegitimate son of the Guang'an Marquis.

At sixteen or seventeen, he wore brocaded robes and fine garments. With sword-like brows and keen eyes, his cultivation was the highest among them, having reached Qi Refining Third Layer.

At this moment, however, Lin Yi wore a gloomy expression.

Li Ergou possessed a Low-Grade Spiritual Root and came from a farming family.

Dressed in short hemp clothes, he was thin and dark-skinned, looking nervous and timid. He did not quite dare approach Lin Yi or Zhao Siyao.

"Brother Lu, that third round was so hard. If not for suddenly hearing our old hen crow at dawn, I nearly got lost in a life of fine clothes and rich food..."

Still shaken, Li Ergou patted his chest and naturally moved closer to Lan Chang'an.

Because of the disparity in their backgrounds, the few Immortal Seedlings from the same region were closer to some than others.

The regal air and faint arrogance around Lin Yi instinctively frightened Li Ergou.

As a young lady from a distinguished family, Zhao Siyao was cultured and courteous. She treated everyone with propriety and had never looked down on Li Ergou or Lan Chang'an for their humble origins.

Yet Li Ergou did not dare look directly at the beautiful and lively Zhao Siyao.

Whenever the beauty's gaze happened to settle on him, he would blush furiously and become at a loss. Fortunately, his dark complexion concealed some of it.

Li Ergou was only close to Lan Chang'an.

Lan Chang'an was an orphan.

He also had another identity: he was a man of the martial world, an expert of a gang.

More precisely, he was the adopted son of the gang leader of Hengshui Prefecture's Raging River Gang.

Lan Chang'an had displayed excellent martial talent from childhood and had already become a second-rate expert of the martial world at a young age.

According to the original plan, he was to inherit his adoptive father's position as gang leader in a few years.

That was until he befriended a down-and-out Daoist two years ago and learned that he actually possessed a cultivation Spiritual Root—a fairly good Mid-Grade Spiritual Root, at that.

The course of his life took a turn.

At the Illusory Heart Platform, the third round of Golden Cloud Valley's assessment, he recovered the memories of his Previous Life.

"Ergou. You possess a Spiritual Root. Once you set foot on the immortal path, whether you were once royalty and nobility or a farmer and peddler... all that belongs to drifting clouds."

Lan Chang'an looked at the humble, timid Li Ergou and lightly patted his shoulder.

After two lives of cultivation reincarnation, Lan Chang'an's original heart remained unchanged. He had not turned into some old monster with centuries of experience.

That was the wonder of the [Nine Imprint Tablet].

It was as though he had awakened from an immersive film. His consciousness had peeled away and returned, merely carrying the cultivation memories of two lifetimes.

He possessed more life experience, and his horizons had broadened greatly.

His original heart remained just as it had been when he first crossed into the Cultivation World.

"Mhm, I know. Thanks, Brother Lu..."

Li Ergou scratched the back of his head, feeling a trace of warmth.

"Lan Chang'an, what place did you take in the Illusory Heart Platform's third round?"

At that moment, Lin Yi's face was tense with agitation, and he could not help asking.

Lan Chang'an glanced at Lin Yi, the marquis's illegitimate son, thoughtfully.

If he remembered correctly, Lin Yi had been the last of them to awaken during the Illusory Heart Platform's third round.

In terms of cultivation, Lin Yi was the strongest among them, having reached Qi Refining Third Layer.

Yet in the third round, which tested one's State of Mind and willpower, Lin Yi's performance had actually been the worst!

Even Li Ergou, born to a farming family, had done slightly better than him.

"I think I was third." Lan Chang'an considered for a moment.

"Third?"

Lin Yi's pupils contracted slightly, and his expression turned ugly, as though he could not accept such a disparity.

In the first two rounds, his overall performance had steadily surpassed Lan Chang'an's.

"I never expected Brother Lu's willpower to be so formidable. As expected of a young hero of the martial world! Congratulations..."

Zhao Siyao was also surprised. Her willow-dark brows lifted slightly as her eyes shimmered.

On the journey to the sect, Lan Chang'an, as a man of the martial world, had broad experience and an easygoing disposition. He and Zhao Siyao had become familiar through their conversations.

Since he was also the oldest, she called him Brother Lu.

Even Lin Yi, who came from a marquis's household and was close to Zhao Siyao, could not compare to the relationship between the two of them.

Lin Yi's mood worsened further. He barely regained his composure and casually remarked,

"What a pity. If Brother Lu had taken first place on the Illusory Heart Platform, you could have ignored the results of the first two rounds and passed the assessment directly, becoming an Outer Sect disciple of Golden Cloud Valley."

"First place on the Illusory Heart Platform gets direct entry into the sect?"

Lan Chang'an froze for a moment. He had not known this detail.

He felt a little regret. If he had broken through the Mystery of the Womb a few days earlier and received the soul enhancement of the [Nine Imprint Tablet], passing the entrance assessment would have been all but certain.

Even with the cultivation memories of two lives, Lan Chang'an did not wish to become a Rogue Cultivator.

He had personally experienced every hardship of a Rogue Cultivator's life in his First Life.

On the immortal Dao of longevity, "wealth, companions, methods, and land"—not one could be lacking.

The last-ranked "land" referred to a Dao Field for cultivation.

Yet in the Cultivation World, nearly all Spiritual Veins and blessed grotto-heavens were occupied by sects, cultivation families, and powerful demonic beasts.

Mortal regions were called Spirit-Poor Lands, where spiritual energy was incomparably thin and barren.

They were utterly unsuitable for cultivation!

Without a Spiritual Vein Dao Field, cultivation efficiency could differ by more than tenfold!

The first-ranked "wealth" referred to cultivation resources, such as Spirit Stones, pills, magical treasures, and the like.

Without either a cultivation Dao Field or cultivation resources,

even if some great figure were rebuilding their cultivation from scratch, the beginning of the immortal path would not go so smoothly.

Therefore, Lan Chang'an would not miss this chance to enter a sect.

"Those whose names are called, step forward!"

Not long after, a Golden Cloud Valley steward floated in midair and began announcing the list of those who had passed the assessment.