Registration

Shen Long heard these words and did not strike again.

The flames dissipated, revealing the figure of Lu Yudie.

She was covered by a dim purple light screen that flickered in and out of existence, and her head was covered in sweat.

She never imagined that Shen Long would have cultivated five different techniques to the Great Perfection stage; this was simply too monstrous.

"Your talent for techniques is quite good. Few people are willing to spend a large amount of time on techniques anymore, as they all rely on talismans and magical artifacts."

A deep, masculine voice rang out.

Shen Long followed the source of the voice and saw a thin, middle-aged man walking over. Judging by his attire, he was clearly a disciple of the Purple Firmament Gate.

The middle-aged man had regular features and radiated a powerful spiritual pressure.

"Junior Li Xiao pays respects to Senior."

Shen Long hurriedly bowed and saluted, not daring to be negligent.

"My name is Du Feng. The Immortal Ascension Assembly begins in a few days; you might want to consider participating in the assessment for our Purple Firmament Gate."

The middle-aged man said.

"Yes, Senior Du."

Shen Long agreed. He was only considering it; as for whether he could enter that sect, it would depend on himself.

"It has been many years, Fellow Daoist Du. Shall we spar?"

A loud, resonant male voice rang out.

As soon as the words fell, a tall youth in silver robes walked out from the crowd. It was precisely the Foundation Establishment cultivator who had bought the Golden Lang Stone.

"Wu Dao, it is you. You have advanced to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage."

A flash of surprise crossed Du Feng's eyes.

Judging by his words, he clearly knew the silver-robed youth.

"I lost to you last time, but it won't happen this time. Shall we spar?"

Wu Dao said, his gaze burning with fervor.

"I have matters to attend to. Let's do it next time!"

Du Feng refused decisively. Wu Dao was the descendant of a Core Formation cultivator and also a martial arts fanatic.

In his early years, he had sparred with Wu Dao and defeated him by relying on multiple techniques at the Great Perfection stage.

Wu Dao looked a bit disappointed but nodded.

"Fellow Daoist Li, this young lady admits defeat. This is what I promised you."

Lu Yudie took out a cyan storage bag and handed it to Shen Long.

Shen Long scanned it with his divine sense, nodded, exchanged a few words of small talk, and took his leave.

Returning to his residence, Shen Long sat cross-legged on the bed to meditate and regulate his breathing.

Seven days passed, and today was the day for registration for the Immortal Ascension Assembly. A large number of cultivators were queuing up to sign up.

The assessment was divided into literary and martial trials. The literary trial involved talisman making, alchemy, wine brewing, array formation, and artifact refining, while the martial trial involved combat sparring. Qi Refining cultivators with good aptitude, such as those with variant spiritual roots, dual spiritual roots, or heavenly spiritual roots, would be admitted directly upon verification without needing to take the assessment.

The requirements for accepting disciples from the Five Great Powers of the Qin Kingdom were written on white paper and posted up.

The Mystic Yang Sect had the strictest requirements: they did not want four-root or five-root cultivators, they did not want anyone over thirty years old, and they did not want anyone below the eighth level of Qi Refining. Of course, this was aimed at the martial trial; if one mastered a skill, these requirements could be relaxed, especially for array masters.

To become a disciple of the Mystic Yang Sect, one first had to register for the assessment. The registration period lasted one day. Cultivators participating in the assessment would receive a cyan wooden token, which served as their qualification; without this token, one could not participate in the assessment.

The other four powers were the same, which prevented people from repeatedly participating in the assessments of multiple powers.

At the Mystic Yang Pavilion, the shop opened by the Mystic Yang Sect, there was a long line at the entrance. These people were all Qi Refining cultivators waiting to register for the assessment, and Shen Long was among them.

A high-spirited youth in gold robes walked out of the Mystic Yang Pavilion. Judging by his aura, he was clearly a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Li Yue stood beside the golden-robed youth, wearing the attire of a Mystic Yang Sect disciple.

Shen Long's pupils constricted. How did Li Yue become a disciple of the Mystic Yang Sect? The Immortal Ascension Assembly had only just begun! Could it be that she had obtained a Mystic Yang Token?

"Li Yue, Sun Liang, maintain order."

The golden-robed youth instructed before turning to walk back into the Mystic Yang Pavilion.

Li Yue and a youth in yellow robes agreed and began to maintain order.

"Who is this Senior? It looks like his status in the Mystic Yang Sect is not low!"

"This is Senior Yang. He is the youngest disciple of True Man Ganyang. He reached Foundation Establishment before the age of twenty and possesses extraordinary strength."

"I heard that Senior Yang is a key protégé of the Mystic Yang Sect and has a high probability of advancing to the Core Formation stage."

Some Qi Refining cultivators whispered among themselves, and Shen Long's heart sank.

Li Yue had entered the Mystic Yang Sect and seemed to be highly valued; this was not good news for him.

Of course, perhaps Li Yue was just an ordinary disciple, merely running errands on orders.

"Who is that fairy? She seems to be highly valued?"

Shen Long pointed at Li Yue and asked curiously.

"I'm not sure, she has been staying by Senior Yang's side for the past few days."

"It's not just how it looks, she is indeed highly valued. I've seen Senior Yang keep her by his side constantly; she must have some extraordinary talent! Otherwise, she wouldn't be trusted so heavily by Senior Yang."

Hearing this, Shen Long immediately dismissed the idea of participating in the Mystic Yang Sect's assessment, though he did not leave right away, as that would make it look like he had something to hide.

Not long after, Shen Long walked into the Mystic Yang Pavilion, and after a while, he walked back out.

He had registered, but he simply wouldn't be attending the assessment.

Li Yue had joined the Mystic Yang Sect early and was highly valued by True Man Ganyang's youngest disciple; even if Shen Long were to join the Mystic Yang Sect, his life there would not be easy.

He could not keep using a fake appearance forever; it was fine for fooling Qi Refining cultivators, but it was impossible to deceive Foundation Establishment or Core Formation cultivators.

Regardless of which sect he joined, he would have to use his real face and real name, as every sect would conduct a background check and would not let him muddle through.

Shen Long strolled around the street and arrived at the entrance of the Spirit Control Pavilion, where a long line had formed. Several Spirit Control Sect disciples were maintaining order, and Shen Long joined the queue.

In less than a quarter of an hour, he walked into the Spirit Control Pavilion.

The main hall was filled with many cyan wooden tables, and behind each table sat two Spirit Control Sect disciples.

Shen Long arrived in front of one of the cyan wooden tables and truthfully reported his name.

"Place your right hand on the Spirit Testing Disk to check your spiritual roots. If you pass the assessment, we will test you again."

A Spirit Control Sect disciple said, taking out a pale golden dharma disk.

Shen Long agreed and placed his right hand on the golden dharma disk.

The golden dharma disk lit up with a dazzling golden light. Not long after, the light dissipated, and three colors of spiritual light—blue, cyan, and red—appeared on the surface of the disk.

"Water, Wood, and Fire triple spiritual roots."

The Spirit Control Sect disciple nodded, took out a cyan wooden token, handed it to Shen Long, and said, "Keep this safe. This is the token for participating in the assessment. It's not easy to replace if lost. The assessment doesn't start until tomorrow."

Shen Long agreed, put away the cyan wooden token, and turned to leave.

As he passed a certain fork in the road, Ye Yuqing and Ye Yutang walked toward him.

"Fellow Daoist Li, what a coincidence! Are you also here to participate in the Spirit Control Sect's assessment?"

Ye Yuqing greeted him with a smile.

Shen Long nodded, chatted for a few sentences, and then took his leave.

"Sister, are you sure he is Fellow Daoist Shen?"

Ye Yuqing sent a voice transmission.

"We hunted demonic beasts with him and spent two years together; I can still recognize his voice. I was a bit doubtful at first, but a few days ago, he sparred with Fairy Lu and defeated her using five spells at the Great Perfection stage. I can be certain that he is Shen Long. I don't know why he changed his appearance, but he might have some unspeakable reasons," Ye Yutang replied via voice transmission.

Back when they were hunting demonic beasts with Shen Long, Ye Yutang knew that Shen Long had cultivated three first-tier spells to the Great Perfection stage, and this Li Xiao had cultivated five first-tier spells to the Great Perfection stage, three of which were exactly the same as Shen Long's.

Ye Yuqing nodded and said nothing more.