The Variable of the Hundred-Thousand-Year Tribulation

Jiang Tian's mind stirred as he followed Mu Sining up the stairs.

According to Mu Sining, as long as one's cultivation has reached the Transformation Energy stage, is of a suitable age, and meets the talent standards, they can join the inner sect directly if introduced by an inner sect disciple.

However, Jiang Tian naturally couldn't rest easy leaving Yuan Manzhi alone in the outer sect.

Regarding his request, Mu Sining did not hesitate in the slightest and agreed immediately.

However, joining the inner sect still required testing with a magical artifact.

Before long, the group arrived at the inner sect.

Unlike the outer sect, the inner sect appeared much quieter; there weren't many people coming and going, and everyone was essentially in a hurry.

Most of these people had purple tags floating above their heads—double purple, one red, one red and one purple—with all sorts of combinations.

Jiang Tian's eyes lit up, and he extracted them one by one.

He shifted his focus and summoned his panel.

[Tag Points: 47823]

With just over forty thousand points left, he would be able to upgrade one of his tags to gold.

Once he officially joined the inner sect, it seemed he would need to take a few more strolls around the area.

As Mu Sining walked ahead, she said, "In the Heavenly Fire Sect, you can only use contribution points to purchase Qi Gathering Methods, magical artifacts, and medicinal pills. Mundane silver is useless here."

"Contribution points can be obtained by completing tasks issued by the sect. The higher the difficulty of the task, the more contribution points you receive upon completion."

She paused and turned to glance at Jiang Tian, "However, silver can be exchanged for contribution points at a ratio of two to one. Ten thousand taels of silver can be exchanged for five thousand contribution points."

Jiang Tian's eyes flickered.

He currently had seventy thousand taels in silver notes on him. Keeping so much was useless, so he might as well exchange them for contribution points.

As they spoke, the group arrived in front of a grand hall.

A plaque hung vertically above the hall's crossbeam, inscribed with three large characters—Reception Hall.

"This is the Reception Hall." Mu Sining stopped and turned to look at Jiang Tian, "Whether it's disciples moving from the outer sect to the inner sect, or those joining the inner sect directly, everyone must have their talent tested here."

The hall was relatively desolate.

At a glance, there was only a thin, elderly man lying on a recliner by the entrance, squinting his eyes as he basked in the sun.

He wore a plain black robe without any adornments, and not a shred of momentum leaked from his body; he looked just like an ordinary old neighbor taking a nap in the afternoon.

Yet, no tags popped up above his head.

He was above the Qi Gathering Realm.

"Senior Sister Mu," Jiang Tian asked in a lowered voice, "what realm is above the Qi Gathering Realm?"

"Gathering True Qi, Building the Immortal Foundation, Constructing the Purple Mansion, and Condensing the Golden Core."

"Foundation Establishment, Purple Mansion, and Golden Core?"

"Yes." Mu Sining nodded slightly, "After Foundation Establishment, one can be called an 'Immortal', with a lifespan of five hundred years. The Purple Mansion is for 'Daoists', with a lifespan of eight hundred years. The Golden Core is for 'True Lords', with a lifespan of two thousand years."

"Those of the Purple Mansion can take a two-character honorific, while True Lords use four."

Jiang Tian pursed his lips, his eyes gleaming.

As expected, it was just as he had guessed.

The group walked up to the old man. Mu Sining bowed and cupped her hands, her tone respectful: "Daoist Qingchen, there are new disciples joining the sect; I ask that you please activate the magical artifact."

The old man's breathing was long and steady, his chest rising and falling slightly as if he were still in a deep slumber.

Mu Sining remained in that position, unmoving.

After a long while, the old man finally opened his eyes, sat up, stretched, and let out a yawn. He first glanced at Mu Sining, then his gaze swept over Jiang Tian, and finally settled on Yuan Manzhi. After a two-second pause, he stood up and said in a hoarse voice, "Follow me."

The group followed him into the hall. Directly in front of the hall stood twelve stone pillars as thick as a man's thigh, grey in color.

Daoist Qingchen walked to the side of the pillars and pinched a finger seal. The pillars instantly lit up from bottom to top, flickering with a faint, milky-white light.

Daoist Qingchen spoke: "Little Mu, this girl you brought is only at the Manifest Energy stage. Why didn't you let her go to the outer sect instead of bringing her to the inner sect?"

Mu Sining lowered her head and cupped her hands, her posture very humble: "I ask for your forgiveness, Daoist. These two are a couple, and as you can see, this girl possesses the [Mystic Ice Body]. Leaving her alone in the outer sect..."

She didn't finish, but the meaning was already clear.

"Fine." Daoist Qingchen waved his hand, "But you know the rules: if she fails to gather Qi within three months, she must leave the sect on her own."

Although these words were directed at Mu Sining, they sounded more like they were meant for Jiang Tian and Yuan Manzhi.

Yuan Manzhi's face turned a shade paler, her red lips pressed together, her eyes flickering as if she were making a firm resolution.

"Alright, let's begin the test." Daoist Qingchen beckoned, signaling for Yuan Manzhi to step between the stone pillars.

Yuan Manzhi took a deep breath and stepped inside.

Once she stood still, Daoist Qingchen pinched a finger seal, and an invisible ripple instantly radiated from his body.

Immediately after, one of the stone pillars lit up with a faint golden glow.

Then came the second.

The third pillar.

The fourth pillar lit up only halfway before it stopped moving.

Daoist Qingchen had a jade tablet in his hand at some point, which he tossed to Yuan Manzhi, saying indifferently, "Three and a half pillars, three thousand five hundred contribution points. But since you haven't reached Transformation Energy, half is deducted."

Yuan Manzhi nodded, gripped the jade tablet, and stepped out from the stone pillars.

It was Jiang Tian's turn.

He lifted his foot and walked inside.

It looked like this contraption was used to test talent, but he felt it had more than just that one function.

Daoist Qingchen pinched his fingers together.

The stone pillars lit up.

Jiang Tian's body suddenly sank, as if he had been pushed off a cliff.

His eyes closed involuntarily, and when he opened them again, everything around him was pitch black; he couldn't even see his own hand, and all five senses had lost their function, as if he had been thrown into an endless void.

"Hum—"

Suddenly, a pair of golden eyes appeared before him.

They were unimaginably huge.

Like two golden suns hanging above his head, looking down at him from on high.

Those eyes had no pupils, no whites, only pure gold.

The gaze of those eyes slowly locked onto Jiang Tian.

Under the scrutiny of those eyes, Jiang Tian felt as if he had been stripped bare, seen through from the inside out—his bones, meridians, Dantian... it felt as if even his memories were about to be seen through!

Just then, a strange ripple emanated from his body.

The panel appeared in mid-air, and the entire panel shuddered, the image beginning to distort and flicker as if it had short-circuited, cutting off the gaze of those golden eyes.

Those golden eyes displayed a human-like emotion.

It was confusion.

Jiang Tian felt as if he were facing a formidable enemy, his heart in his throat.

Just as he didn't know what to do, the golden eyes closed once more.

The darkness dissipated.

Jiang Tian opened his eyes and found himself still standing within the stone pillars.

Cold sweat had soaked his back, his clothes sticking damply to his body.

Heavenly Fire Sect.

Heavenly Fire Peak towered into the clouds, the entire mountain from the waist up resting above a sea of clouds.

At the peak, there was a palace of golden bricks and jade tiles.

In the center of the palace, a man dressed in white, looking exceptionally young, sat cross-legged on a prayer mat.

Between his brows was a red and blue mark, shaped like flowing fire and a water droplet.

"Hmm?"

He opened his eyes, his gaze piercing through the clouds and mist to look toward the foot of the mountain.

"To think there's a little fellow whose origins even my divine sense cannot discern?"

He chuckled, as if he had encountered something interesting.

Immediately, his fingers began to move, and invisible ripples spread out from his fingertips.

As he continued to pinch his fingers, the composure and tranquility on his face vanished, replaced by extreme solemnity.

His fingers stopped.

"Is it the ten-thousand-year great tribulation that is approaching... a variable?"