"He made it to the top too?"
"If I weren't struggling just to keep my footing, I'd think something was wrong with the Heaven-Ascending Stone Steps!"
"But he reached the top. How come nothing special happened?"
"Who cares? He climbed up so easily. His natural aptitude has to be at least Grade C."
The crowd had long since broken into a buzz of discussion.
Ying Bing had just drawn birds from every direction to pay homage. It had been quite a spectacle.
But when Li Mo climbed up, none of those strange phenomena appeared.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! He must have cheated!"
Wang Hu had tumbled down dozens of steps, and he was already seeing stars from the fall.
When he saw that shameless scoundrel who had ambushed him reach the top, he was so furious his vision went black.
His back teeth were nearly ground to dust. He wanted nothing more than to charge over and drag Li Mo back down.
Unfortunately, he couldn't even stand.
"Cousin! This kid is vicious and underhanded. He doesn't deserve to become a disciple of Clear Abyss!"
"Shut up. The elders will make their own decision!"
Wang Hao was embarrassed too, but he quickly cut off his cousin before he could run his mouth any further.
How to judge that kid was a matter for the higher-ups.
It wasn't their place to question the fairness of the Entrance Ceremony.
Of course, Wang Hao also thought Li Mo must have used some other means.
The sect had records of such things.
The fifth Sect Master of Clear Abyss had manifested the vision of the Milky Way Cascading Three Thousand Feet. The sixteenth Sect Master of Clear Abyss had summoned Ten Thousand Trees Welcoming Spring.
Even the current Sect Master, Shangguan Wencang, had caused countless swords to tremble and bow before him.
Everyone who reached the top had displayed some extraordinary vision.
Unlike the people still climbing the stone steps,
the senior figures on the Observation Platform had fallen silent.
They were all at least at the Divine Observation Realm, able to see what was invisible to the naked eye.
And so, in their eyes,
the youth with a crow perched on his head was surrounded by an extraordinary vision.
Behind him stood a figure, its back turned to all living beings.
That silhouette seemed ordinary, yet it was etched into the mind with startling clarity.
A fisherman on a riverbank... a scholar studying by lamplight... a general entering the imperial court...
It was as if the moment they looked away, that figure changed.
When they looked again, it had returned to its original form: a handsome young man in fine clothes.
Was that Li Mo's silhouette?
Had he reflected his own self on the Heaven-Ascending Stone Steps?
What in the world was this?!
The elders looked at one another, seeing disbelief and bewilderment in each other's eyes.
None of them had ever imagined something like this could happen.
But there was one thing they couldn't question.
This youth was extraordinary.
"Since he has climbed a hundred steps, he may become a true disciple. What do you all think?" Xue Jing calmly let go of the beard he had accidentally torn off.
"Agreed."
"Mm. I think we should observe him for a while."
"But both of them climbed a hundred steps."
Elder Han He set down his teacup and spoke hesitantly:
"Our ancestral instructions say that anyone who reaches the top is a candidate for Sect Master, to be raised as the future successor of Clear Abyss Mountain."
"How can one sect have two successors?"
It had never happened before. No two people had ever reached the top within the same century.
For a moment, the elders all looked to the Sect Master.
Shangguan Wencang was silent for a moment.
"Ying Bing will be my true disciple. Li Mo will be a true disciple."
The elders weren't particularly surprised.
One had reflected an ordinary self.
The other had reflected a noble, mysterious phoenix, like a shadowy moon.
The latter clearly had more potential.
Clang—
A long peal of bells rang across the mountains.
The incense in the enormous bronze burner had burned down. An hour had passed.
As time ran out, the youths climbing the platform all let up. Some were overjoyed, some remained calm, and others were filled with resentment.
But now, everything had been settled.
In the second round, only seven or eight hundred people had actually made it into Clear Abyss.
The elders from Clear Abyss's various peaks also descended from the raised platform.
Shangguan Wencang stepped forward, and the noisy crowd fell silent at once.
"Those entering the outer sect, go to the Outer Court Affairs Hall to collect your waist tokens and supplies."
"Those entering the inner sect may choose a peak for themselves. Each peak has different duties and a different focus, and each specializes in different martial arts. You have three days to learn about them."
"Whether you enter the inner or outer sect, you must not slack off. You are all still young. The future is yet unwritten."
The Sect Master's voice carried an authority that struck straight to the heart.
Li Mo glanced toward the elders and paused.
Xue Jing winked at him.
Well, well...
Li Mo had wondered how a barefoot doctor from a small clinic could get his hands on something like a Pure Yang Pill.
"Ying Bing will be my true disciple and enter my tutelage," Shangguan Wencang announced again.
The people who had yet to leave had all expected this, but they still couldn't suppress their shock.
The Sect Master of Clear Abyss, Shangguan Wencang, had taken her as his disciple!
She had crossed the Heaven-Ascending Stone Steps and risen to the heavens in a single bound.
Just moments ago, they had all been undergoing the Entrance Ceremony together. In the blink of an eye, their paths had diverged as far as heaven and earth. Nothing showed life's fickleness more clearly.
"Li Mo, Lin Jiang, and Murong Xiao also have the makings of true disciples."
"Would any elder be willing to take them as disciples?"
True disciples were a limited commodity, with only one for each slot.
Each elder could take no more than five true disciples.
"A pity. My roster is already full."
"Lin Jiang, you have Mantis Leg, Magpie-Patterned Shoulder, and Green Snake Spine. I specialize in polearms. Would you be willing to follow me?"
"Tsk, tsk. This boy Murong Xiao is quite something. He actually has the bloodline of a divine beast. A fine seedling!"
Lin Jiang was quickly taken in by an elder.
Murong Xiao even attracted three elders competing for him. In the end, he became Elder Han He's disciple.
"Those two..."
Li Mo was also sizing them up.
[Name: Lin Jiang]
[Age: 16]
[Natural Aptitude: Mantis Leg, Green Snake Spine, Magpie-Patterned Shoulder]
[Realm: Blood-Qi Realm, four meridians.]
[Destiny: Blue]
[Evaluation: This person's talent is decent, but he is eager for quick results, and an overly rigid tree is easily broken. If he comes to his senses in time, he may yet reach greater heights.]
[Recent Encounter: Having just become a true disciple of Clear Abyss, he wants a weapon of at least high quality.]
[Name: Murong Xiao.]
[Age: 16.]
[Natural Aptitude: Cry-Dragon Body.]
[Realm: Blood-Qi Realm, five meridians.]
[Destiny: Blue.]
[Evaluation: His father is human, and his mother is a transformed dragon. He is kindhearted, but constantly affected by his own bloodline. If he can combine the strengths of both, his future will be boundless; if he combines their flaws, he will bring disaster upon a Square.]
[Recent Encounter: Having suppressed his instincts for a long time, he hopes to calm the bloodlust buried in his bones.]
"Whoa..."
Li Mo drew in a quiet breath.
Didn't he have the bloodline of a divine beast?
His father was human, and his mother was a dragon?
Murong Xiao's father was one hell of a man. Even Xu Xian would've offered him tea.
Li Mo silently noted where the two of them had ended up.
"Right, what about me?"
Li Mo came back to himself and noticed that the elders were looking at him with some hesitation.
"This child has excellent talent, but how should we teach him?"
That was what all the elders were thinking at the same time.
For a moment, the entire scene fell silent.
Suddenly, a lazy voice broke the silence:
"Boy, hic... would you be willing to become my disciple?"
Li Mo glanced over.
A woman in palace attire stood there with her hands on her hips, doing her best to look serious and dignified.
Her features were elegant and imposing, while her loose-fitting robes could barely conceal her stunning figure.
Standing there, she was like a peony blooming with wild abandon.
"Of course."
Li Mo didn't hesitate for long before bowing.
"This... Senior Niece Shang Wu..."
Xue Jing paused, about to say something.
But Shang Wu shot him a threatening sidelong glance and clenched her slender pink fist.
"Ahem. Becoming her disciple is excellent too. You'll be the Ninth Peak's lone seedling from now on."
Xue Jing immediately changed his tune.
"Greetings, Master."
Li Mo stepped forward to pay his respects, puzzled.
Why did all the elders look at him with such sympathy?
He couldn't help using his Heaven's Mandate Divine Eye to look at her.
[Name: Shang Wu.]
[Age: 27.]
[Natural Aptitude: Southern Bright Fire Lotus Body.]
[Realm: Inner Scene, Seventh Heaven.]
[Destiny: Purple.]
[Evaluation: The youngest elder of Clear Abyss. You may doubt her character, but please don't question her strength. She has an extraordinary background.]
[Recent Encounter: She has run out of money for wine and is wondering how to squeeze some silver out of elders from other peaks. She is very interested in Ying Bing, the Sect Master's true disciple.]
Li Mo: "?"
No wonder the higher-ups had all looked so strange.
By every measure, Shang Wu didn't seem like a good master.
And... so he hadn't been taken in because of his exceptional constitution, but because she was interested in Ying Bing?
Those evaluations...
They were making Li Mo question the worth of a purple destiny.
"At least this is my first time meeting someone with a purple destiny."
"It won't matter if I don't learn anything. I can still earn a return on my investment."
Thinking this, Li Mo relaxed.
"Heh heh. From now on, you're under my protection. When you're out and about, just give them my name."
Shang Wu slapped him on the shoulder, seemingly feeling his bones all over again.
Li Mo drew in a sharp breath. She had a powerful grip!
Not far away,
Ying Bing, who had already taken a master, watched the woman in palace attire and the boy who wore a helpless expression.
"So he's joined Shang Wu's tutelage..."
Ying Bing gave an almost imperceptible nod.
If Li Mo could learn even a little of Shang Wu's true skill, he might be able to carve out a place for himself among his peers in Purple Sun Prefecture.
Of course, that wouldn't make him a prodigy in the Eastern Wasteland Domain. He probably wouldn't make it onto the system rankings.
"Four true disciples in one generation. Clear Abyss Sect is bound to thrive."
"Come along. This old man will take you to complete the enrollment formalities."
The short, plump elder looked toward them with a beaming smile.
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