Aristocratic Clan Disciples

In less than half a day, more than five hundred people from the Enlightenment Hall had completed the examination.

Nearly half of them had failed to cultivate the Lingmu Sect's main technique to the first level and awaken their Spirit Eyes within three months.

They would leave Qingming Mountain and seek opportunities elsewhere.

In other words, only a little over two hundred and fifty people had passed the Enlightenment Hall's examination.

The first level of Qi Refining was said to be a major bottleneck, but that was not entirely true.

Before reaching the first level of Qi Refining, the magical power gained in the Dantian by circulating the Greater and Lesser Celestial Circuits would continually dissipate on its own. However, this process was not especially fast. As long as magical power accumulated faster than it dissipated, once enough had built up, a so-called vortex of magical power would form.

Many people simply couldn't get the hang of it. Some might have lacked a sufficient sense of qi, some might not have been diligent enough, and others might have grown afraid after noticing their magical power constantly draining away.

Of course.

More of them lacked the necessary comprehension. They could never memorize the meridians for circulating the Lesser Celestial Circuit, or by the time they learned the circulation route, they had already run out of time to practice.

"Li Mo, you passed the examination too! That's wonderful!"

Ma Ling, Niu Li, and Yang Guang came over, speaking excitedly. "Now we'll have more time to practice martial arts!"

Some rejoiced, while others grieved.

Liu Yaoyao had once again dissolved into tears, but this time Hu Tian'er didn't come over to comfort her.

Both of them had failed the examination.

Hu Tian'er was now too overwhelmed with her own troubles to do anything but crouch in a corner, silently sobbing. She regretted not working hard enough, regretted getting involved with Lu Tianyou, regretted wasting so much time on Liu Yaoyao, regretted constantly attacking Lu Tianyou to vent her anger, regretted letting her vanity stop her from humbly asking for advice, regretted spending every day admiring the flowers and plants in the back courtyard, regretted chatting absentmindedly in class, and regretted going to bed so early every night...

Some other classmates whom Li Mo didn't know very well wore equally pained and dejected expressions.

They kept glancing around, hoping for some stroke of luck or a word of comfort.

But nothing happened.

Yet compared to their plight, those like Shi Yazhou, who had died from the backlash of their magical power, hadn't even had the chance to feel regret.

"That was close."

A student from another class stood behind Li Mo, looking shaken.

"If I hadn't risked circulating the Greater Celestial Circuit a few times a few days ago and sped up the condensation of my magical power, I might've been eliminated today too."

Hearing this, Li Mo turned around.

It was a male student half a head shorter than him, his face now full of relief.

Only then did Li Mo realize that if the Enlightenment Hall truly forbade everyone from circulating the Greater Celestial Circuit, then they shouldn't have taught it in the first place. Yet on the third day after the Enlightenment Hall opened, Uncle Ding Wei had taught everyone how to circulate both the Greater and Lesser Celestial Circuits.

The uncles and aunts responsible for teaching the other classes had clearly done the same.

Otherwise, so many students wouldn't have died from magical power backlash afterward.

"Could it be that having a cautious mind was also part of the examination?"

"Everyone, pay attention!"

After the five members of the Law Enforcement Hall left, the pale-faced, hawk-eyed cultivator who had spoken earlier called out to the crowd.

"You have half a day to pack your belongings. Students who failed the examination will be sent back to their registered homes by Flying Ship tomorrow at the hour of Chen."

As soon as he finished speaking, someone nearby lost control of their emotions and burst into loud sobs.

The man seemed to have seen it all before.

"As for those who passed, gather here at the hour of Shen this afternoon. The sect will arrange quarters for you as formal disciples. From now on, you'll be official disciples of the Lingmu Sect's Advanced Study Hall. Just complete your daily assigned duties according to the sect's requirements, and you can earn sect contributions and Spirit Stone rewards, as well as the chance to attend lectures given by Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators..."

Li Mo was lucky.

Not one of the disciples he had befriended had been eliminated in the Enlightenment Examination.

What surprised him a little was that Zhang Guoyin had passed too. The white-haired little old man stood smiling among the crowd, drawing quite a bit of attention.

"Wang Feng!"

After the crowd dispersed, a beautiful female cultivator with her hair tied up in a Feitian bun and dressed in a gauzy robe stood outside the Enlightenment Hall's gate and called out with a wave.

Li Mo glanced back and found her somewhat familiar.

Only after Wang Feng hurried over did Li Mo remember: wasn't she the female cultivator from the Supervision Hall who had tested his spiritual root aptitude?

Could she be the Ye Xuan Wang Feng had mentioned?

Thinking back to the banquet at the Heaven's Mandate Bureau, Zhu Yidan had been his cousin, yet she had sat beside him all by herself. Wang Feng had most likely gone out to meet Ye Xuan, which was why Li Mo hadn't seen him at the banquet.

When Li Mo saw Wang Feng and Ye Xuan standing at the entrance to the Advanced Study Hall compound, looking intimate as they chatted happily, his suspicions were confirmed.

"Come on, let's pack."

Lu Tianyou stretched, looking full of anticipation.

"We'll be spending the next three years here—no, to be precise, two years and seven months—on Qingming Mountain."

The examination took place each year after Evening Moon.

They had arrived at Qingming Mountain in early May, around the Dragon Boat Festival, and three months had now passed. So they had only two years and seven months left to cultivate.

"Mm!"

After bidding farewell to Ma Ling, Niu Li, and Yang Guang, Li Mo returned to the dormitory with Lu Tianyou to pack their belongings.

Li Mo didn't have much luggage, so he finished packing quickly.

Lu Tianyou, on the other hand, had brought quite a lot. After packing for a long while, he sighed helplessly.

"If only I had a Storage Pouch."

"A Storage Pouch?"

Li Mo remembered how Tai Shou, the Nine Rivers Thunder Dragon, had taken all sorts of materials out of a cloth bag back at the Pingshan Society, and immediately understood.

But that Storage Pouch had most likely been taken by the Heaven's Mandate Bureau inspector who had gone by the alias Zhang Tiedan.

Lu Tianyou's wish seemed to have come true!

At the hour of Shen that afternoon.

The more than two hundred people who had passed the Enlightenment Examination gathered in the courtyard on time.

The twelve Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators in charge of their initial instruction, including Ding Wei, stood solemnly on the raised platform. A moment later, a man and a woman walked over.

"Uncle Ye, Uncle Han!"

"Mm."

The middle-aged female cultivator with monolids wore a plain gray robe and looked quite unapproachable. She gave them a cool, "Mm."

"Starting today, you are official disciples of the Lingmu Sect's Advanced Study Hall. I'm your hall master, surnamed Ye. You may call me Grand-Aunt Ye or Hall Master Ye. This is Vice Hall Master Han. For the next three years, you will study at the sect's Advanced Study Hall. There are two batches of senior brothers and sisters ahead of you; they entered the sect earlier. If there's anything you don't understand, you may spend Spirit Stones to humbly seek their guidance."

After the hall master surnamed Ye finished speaking, she gestured for Hall Master Han to say a few words.

Compared to Hall Master Ye's coldness, Hall Master Han was much more amiable.

His temples were graying, and he had a kindly expression.

"The Lingmu Sect has been around for more than twelve hundred years since its founding. The next three years will be an unforgettable period of your lives. You'll make true friends here and appreciate the greatness of the Lingmu Sect's Taoist tradition. Next, the Lingmu Sect will give each of you a Storage Pouch for your daily necessities. After a year, once you've made progress in your cultivation and passed the sect's year-end examination, the Lingmu Sect will grant you even more rewards..."

The twelve Foundation Establishment Realm uncles each took out a stack of Storage Pouches and distributed them to the crowd.

Li Mo received a Storage Pouch as well.

After sending a little magical power into it, he opened the pouch and saw the space inside was large enough to hold a bed. First his face filled with disbelief, then he broke into delighted excitement.

He immediately tossed all his meager belongings inside.

Lu Tianyou was just as relieved.

"All right, it's getting late. Let's get your rooms assigned."

At Hall Master Ye's command, more than ten Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators motioned for everyone to follow them, leading them away from the Enlightenment Hall courtyard where they had lived for three months.

Those who had failed the examination could only watch dejectedly as everyone left.

The crowd cheerfully crossed Sacred Tree Plaza, rounded several courtyards, and arrived at a courtyard in front of a row of wooden buildings. They found more than thirty people already waiting there in silence.

They wore simple crane-cloak robes, half men and half women. Their figures were straight, their features handsome or beautiful, and they looked toward the loosely gathered newcomers with proud smiles.

"Those must be the Lingmu Sect's Aristocratic Clan disciples."

Wang Feng stood in front of Li Mo and spoke after seeing them.

The Lingmu Sect had four major cultivator clans: Chen, Jiang, Lü, and Ye. Each clan had Golden Core Stage cultivators in important positions, and there was more than one in each.

Beneath the four major clans were another twenty or so mid-sized and small clans.

These clans intermarried with one another.

Since both parents had spiritual roots, their children were highly likely to have spiritual roots too. After several hundred years of development, these clans had become deeply entrenched, occupying the Lingmu Sect's best resources.

By contrast.

Scattered cultivators like Li Mo had to start from scratch, and each of them stood alone. They were naturally at a disadvantage in every aspect of the competition.

For one thing.

Hall Master Ye of the Advanced Study Hall was most likely a Golden Core Stage cultivator from the Ye Family, one of the four major clans.

"Wow!"

At that moment, Li Mo noticed that Lu Tianyou beside him had gone glassy-eyed, staring as if entranced.

Quite a few others were also looking toward the thirty-odd Aristocratic Clan disciples.

Li Mo was puzzled until he turned and took a closer look. When he noticed one female cultivator of peerless beauty, it was as if the clouds had parted before his eyes.

Bright eyes and pearly teeth, alluring eyes lowered shyly, skin like ice and bones like jade, flawless as white jade, breathtaking in grace and beauty, an otherworldly enchantress, standing tall and graceful, her beauty crowning all others.

His admiration was plain for all to see. No wonder so many people were infatuated with her.

One glance was enough to leave Li Mo utterly enchanted, as if she could bring a kingdom to ruin. He didn't dare look any longer.

Many people began asking one another about the female cultivator's identity.

Hall Master Ye showed no intention of having everyone introduce themselves. After briefly explaining what they needed to keep in mind, she had the dozen or so Foundation Establishment cultivators assign everyone to their rooms.

Ding Wei soon led Li Mo to a wooden house.

"Starting today, this will be your residence. Be careful, tend the flower bed outside your door, and keep your important belongings with you."

"Yes."

Li Mo replied respectfully. Ding Wei nodded and continued assigning rooms to the others.

The house wasn't large and had three rooms.

The entrance opened into a simply decorated reception room, followed by a private, lightless chamber and a bedroom. A flower bed stood outside the door, blooming with unfamiliar purple flowers.

"Li Mo!"

Someone knocked on his window from outside.

Li Mo turned to look. It was Ma Ling.

Ma Ling grinned with her dark face, baring two rows of white teeth as she looked at Li Mo excitedly.

"We're neighbors now!"

Hearing this, Li Mo got up to look. Ma Ling's room was right beside his. After chatting with her briefly through the window, he began carefully tidying his room.

At mid-hour of You, Ma Ling knocked on his window again, inviting him to eat together.

"Sure."

Li Mo dropped his rag and left the room with Ma Ling, heading to the Advanced Study Hall's dining hall.

Wang Feng, Zhu Yidan, and Zhao Xiaonan had already arrived. When they saw Li Mo, they immediately called him over.

Besides first-year students, there were many second- and third-year students in the dining hall.

Ma Ling sat down beside Li Mo in high spirits, prompting Wang Feng to chuckle mischievously.

Li Mo asked helplessly, "Have you seen Lu Tianyou?"

"He probably went to ask around about that Aristocratic Clan beauty."

Wang Feng chuckled. "But this time, he'll probably be disappointed. Ye Xuan just told me that a few days ago, an old Golden Core ancestor from the Ye Family brought back that peerlessly beautiful female cultivator, Ye Yimeng. No one knows where he found her. They said she was a distant cousin of theirs. From now on, the Ye Family will spare no effort to cultivate her, and Hall Master Ye just treated her like the apple of her eye. She's probably the one we saw earlier."

"Ye Yimeng?"

Hearing this, Li Mo couldn't help teasing him. "I think she was warning you not to get any funny ideas."

Zhu Yidan and Zhao Xiaonan couldn't help laughing when they heard this.