Entering the Outer Sect

"I can't believe you're applying to graduate after less than a year of schooling!" Fang Zhuo looked at the seemingly ordinary boy in front of him, momentarily incredulous.

"I must thank Senior Lin for the Nine Apertures Spirit Connecting Pill!" Yang Ning laughed. "With my own abilities, I can only cultivate to the fourth or fifth level of the physical body at most!"

Actually, he didn't take the pill; he planned to study its principles and then mass-produce it in the future.

Fang Zhuo was taken aback. Could it be Lin Tianheng? Had their relationship turned around so quickly?

"Even with the Nine Apertures Spirit Connecting Pill, um!" Fang Zhuo thought for a moment. He didn't seem to have ever seen anyone eat such a thing, so he didn't know if it would result in such a fast cultivation speed.

But since it's touted as one of the three great divine pills, perhaps this is quite normal?

"With this token, you can join the inner sect!" Fang Zhuo said. "There's another test with the outer sect manager; you can choose to participate or not, but you'd better participate!"

"Test? Test what?" Yang Ning asked.

"Mental fortitude!" Fang Zhuo patted Yang Ning on the shoulder. "You are all the chosen ones, and you've never experienced any setbacks growing up. That's certainly good, but it can also distort your perception of the world. Taking this test will greatly benefit your future!"

"Is that so!" Yang Ning nodded. "Then I'll give it a try!"

Fang Zhuo nodded and said, "I've already taken control of the outer sect elder, and he's here already. Let's go outside and wait for him!"

"Hmm!" Yang Ning nodded and followed Fang Zhuo to the roof of the office building. Just as they were about to say something, they suddenly heard a dragon's roar, followed by a strong wind and the sky instantly darkened.

Fang Zhuo remained calm. "Elder Yun has arrived!"

Yang Ning remained calm, after all, the road was filled with Cloud-Mist Information Matrix, and he saw this outer sect elder swaggering through the streets!

Before long, a four-legged Kirin, standing a hundred meters tall with white flames on its feet and covered in shimmering blue-gold scales, descended from the sky.

Standing on the back of the Kirin was a female cultivator dressed in green robes, with the collar pulled low to reveal a glimpse of her fair cleavage. She had a curvaceous figure and walked with a swaying, graceful gait.

"You're Yang Ning?" the female cultivator asked, her voice as clear as a bell. "You've only been cultivating for less than a year, and you're twelve years old this year?"

"Yes!" Fang Zhuo quickly added, "Yang Ning is not only a genius in cultivation, but also a rare talent in weapon crafting."

"Who asked you!" The female cultivator glanced at Fang Zhuo irritably, then flicked her sleeve, and her blue sleeve grew longer in the wind, just like a magic ribbon, and wrapped directly around Yang Ning's waist!

"Ah!" Yang Ning was startled and hurriedly tried to break free, but the sleeve was very sturdy and he couldn't get away at all!

"This is Spiritually Infused Water Sleeve; do you think you can break free with your Body Refinement Realm cultivation?" The female cultivator reached out again and pulled Yang Ning directly onto the Kirin: "Let's go!"

"Oh!" Yang Ning exclaimed hastily, "You're leaving already? I haven't even taken my people and things!"

And Ning Rong Su Bai, we should mention them too!

He thought he could stay for a few more days after submitting the report, but who would have thought this outer sect elder would be so decisive?

"Have them come over by Flying Boat later, I'm in a hurry!" The elder said, pulling out a square object, then tossing his hair and suddenly smiling, "Sisters, this is my newly recruited Outer Disciple. Isn't he adorable? I'll let you in on a secret, he's only 12 years old, still a little cutie!"

"Uh..." Yang Ning asked blankly, "Elder, what are you doing?"

"Don't call me Elder, it makes me sound old! My surname is Yun, my given name is Lang, just call me Sister Yun!" The female cultivator laughed, "You don't know this, do you? This is a new Identity Jade Token recently issued by the sect, called a mobile phone. It not only has all the functions of Identity Jade Token, but also many things that Identity Jade Token doesn't have, such as live streaming. By the way, do you have a mobile phone? If not, I can give you one."

"Uh..." Yang Ning hesitated for a moment before a cell phone was shoved into his hand.

"Let me teach you how to use it. Registration information, what username are you going to use?"

"Um, let's call him Young Master Ning!" Yang Ning was a little confused. Deep Blue had created countless alternate accounts online to boost the popularity of his videos and guide the discussion.

The modern vocabulary Yun Lang used came from Deep Blue.

Yang Ning didn't actually have an alternate account; he was planning to create one, but he never expected that his first alternate account would be a gift from an outer sect elder.

"Young Master Ning, come on, open this Deep Blue Live, search for Princess Yun Lang Taiheng Sect, follow me, and then like my previous videos!"

"No, you're giving me a cell phone just for this?" Yang Ning was both amused and exasperated.

Moreover, he knew that the inner disciple were very enthusiastic about promoting mobile phones, but he didn't expect them to be this enthusiastic—were they just giving them away for free?

It seems that some apps on Earth also give away money during their initial promotional period, but giving away a phone directly is a bit excessive.

"It's just a phone, but I've given away quite a bit of it in my live stream!" Yun Lang waved his hand casually.

For inner disciple, a mobile phone is merely ten thousand taels of silver—is that even a small amount of money?

Moreover, as an outer sect elder, Yun Lang not only enjoys good treatment but also receives a lot of extra income; giving him a cell phone is as easy as playing around.

"But you can't unfollow me once you've done so. It's best if you watch my live stream every day; I'll be live every day!" Yun Lang said.

"Okay!" Yang Ning nodded and left Yun Lang's live stream. He saw that there were more than 4,000 viewers and the barrage of comments was very dense, with people talking about all sorts of things.

This is probably what bullet comments looked like when they were first invented. After a few years, people will get used to it and won't bother posting them anymore.

After leaving the live stream, Yang Ning started watching other things.

Quite a few inner disciple are livestreaming, and the content is quite diverse. Some are fighting, some are meditating and cultivating, some are preaching, and some are flying in the sky, filming the scenery below.

Surprisingly, the fan base of the most popular fan isn't Lin Yuanxi, but Tian Dao Yi, who boasts a whopping 647,000!

Keep in mind that the total number of mobile phone users is less than one million, yet 60% of them are following him?

What's even more impressive is that he never did a live stream; he only posted one video, which was just a self-introduction.

"Junior brother, don't just treat this phone as a toy! It's a powerful tool that can help us cultivate!" Seeing Yang Ning constantly scrolling through the live stream, Yun Lang reminded him, "You'd better try live streaming too, or post some videos. That way, when you reach the Qi Refining Stage and start cultivating Divine Ability, you'll have more luck!"

"Mhm!" Yang Ning nodded. He really needed a public account. Otherwise, if he could make rapid progress in the Body Refinement Realm because he ate the Nine Apertures Spirit Connecting Pill, and then make rapid progress in the Qi Refining Stage Realm, but a check revealed that he didn't even have a country behind him, what would be the reason for his continued rapid progress?

"But you're still a long way off. Don't be fooled by the fact that you've already reached the Ninth Level of Body Refinement, only one level away from the Qi Refining Stage — the Body Refinement Tenth Layer Realm. But how many people are stuck for their entire lives because of these two hurdles!" Yun Lang said.

"Are these two stages of cultivation very difficult?" Yang Ning asked.

"It's very difficult!" Yun Lang nodded. "Let's start with the tenth level of the physical body, the Divine Sea Realm. This level requires you to open up your own Divine Sea, which not only requires strong mental power, but also a strong will and an indomitable spirit!"

Yang Ning nodded. He was confident in his mental strength, but his willpower was indeed weak. It seemed that his next task was to make up for this weakness.

"Once you've opened your Divine Sea, the next step is to Qi Induction!" Yun Lang continued, "Spiritual Qi is a violent energy that requires strength in all aspects—spirit, mind, Qi and Blood— to absorb. A weakness in any one area can lead to failure in drawing Qi!"

"What will happen if we fail?" Yang Ning asked.

"Good question. If you fail, the Spiritual Qi will destroy your Meridians, muscles, Qi and Blood and qi, and even your brain. At best, your cultivation will be completely ruined and you will be paralyzed in bed. At worst, you will die directly, and your body will turn into dust and merge into the world!"

"Hiss!" Yang Ning gasped, "So ruthless?"

"Of course, if you can break into the top three of the Mountain River Ranking, the sect will reward you with a Hengyang Pill. This kind of pill can protect your meridians and prevent you from being overwhelmed by Spiritual Qi. But to be honest, entering the top three of the Mountain River Ranking is more difficult than entering the Qi Refining Stage!"

"Many people have already broken through to the Qi Refining Stage, yet they haven't even made it into the top ten of the Mountain River Ranking!"

"How do we get on the Mountain River Ranking?" Yang Ning asked.

"A challenge!" Yun Lang said calmly, "The Mountain River Ranking is only related to combat power. You can challenge someone ranked higher than you. As long as you win, you can take their ranking. However, you can only challenge someone ranked within 500 places of you each time!"

"How many people are on the list in total?" Yang Ning asked again.

"All disciples aspiring to the Mountain River Ranking are listed there, numbering approximately 400,000, but only the top 100 are included in the Mountain River Ranking released list!"

Yang Ning nodded. "Four hundred thousand people, advancing 500 places each time, that means I need to challenge 800 times to reach the top? If I challenge once a day, it will take more than two years!"

"Two years? It's not that simple!" Yun Lang chuckled. "You'd be lucky to make it into the top 100 within ten years!"

"Ten years?" Yang Ning thought for a moment, "Graduating from the Ascension Academy is at the age of 18, so wouldn't some people be 28 and still not have broken through to the Qi Refining Stage?"

"Didn't I say that there are plenty of people who never break through to the Qi Refining Stage in their entire lives?" Yun Lang chuckled. "Perhaps they lack willpower, or perhaps they lack courage. Who knows!"

"Actually, I shouldn't have told you so much. Back then, I knew nothing, I just had a surge of passion, and I charged in with all my might and actually succeeded!" Yun Lang shrugged. "The more you know, the less courage you have."

She was mainly live-streaming, so she wanted to show off a bit; she wouldn't normally talk this much to the Outer Disciple.

"We've arrived!" Yun Lang carried Yang Ning all the way to the sect, but it wasn't the inner sect surrounded by mountains. Instead, it was a huge palace complex, somewhat like Taiheng Palace, but without the imposing grandeur of the Taiheng Palace.

"This is the Outer Disciple's accommodation area!" Yun Lang said. "Scan this QR code and download the Outer Disciple's accommodation app!"

"See that map? The blue ones are rivers, the yellow ones are roads, the squares are houses, the red ones are owned, and the green ones are uninhabited. Choose a green one."

This software was developed by Deep Blue after Yunlang explained his needs, so Yang Ning naturally knew how to use it and quickly identified a suitable residence.

Located by the river and backed by mountains, it was somewhat remote, but that was just right for a disciple like Yang Ning who didn't like socializing.

"Alright, registration complete. This house is yours now. Just settle all your people in later!" Yun Lang operated his phone for a moment, and Yang Ning saw the square change from green to red.

"Mobile phones are so convenient! Before, I would have had to take you to see houses, and it would have taken a long time to settle in!" Yun Lang exclaimed. "Oh, and there are a few apps too, download them as well!"

Yang Ning nodded and downloaded several software programs as instructed by Yun Lang.

Task Release Hub: Used for accepting and posting tasks.

Taiheng Sect Supplies Mall: Used to purchase various daily necessities.

The Artifact Forging Master Association Shop: Used to buy and sell weapons, and you can also find Artifact Forging Master to customize them.

Alchemist Association Mall: Same as above, but this one sells elixirs.

Rune Array Association Mall: Same as above, but this section features talismans and arrays.

Mountain River Ranking: Responsible for Mountain River Ranking registration, challenge reservations, rankings, etc. It also includes player introduction videos, battle videos, battle commentary, etc.

If you want to challenge someone, you might as well learn about your opponent in this software first. There's a saying that's become popular in the outer sect: no one and no Cultivation Method can withstand scrutiny.

In the past, apart from the year-end ranking battle, there weren't many spectators for regular battles. Also, because everyone was minding their own business, those ranked lower wouldn't care what Cultivation Method or martial arts those ranked higher used.

But now, everyone's videos are posted online for hundreds of thousands of Outer Disciples to watch and study, which has led to hundreds of thousands of people in the comments section discussing how to deal with these two if they encounter them in the videos.

With more people discussing it, the Cultivation Method and moves are naturally easier to crack, and quite a few people have already failed because of this.

Some people even turned against mobile phones because of this, and even petitioned their sects to ban the dissemination of battle videos.

However, the promotion of mobile phones was initiated by the inner disciple, so they didn't care what the Outer Disciple said; they could only keep their opinions to themselves.

"Alright, just add a few more groups, and we'll be done!" Yun Lang flipped through the notes on his phone, making sure he had done everything he needed to say and do, and finally breathed a sigh of relief, "Do you have any questions?"

"I heard the principal say there's a test to enter the outer gate?" Yang Ning asked. "I didn't hear you mention that?"

"A test?" Yun Lang was taken aback and asked, "Are you sure you want to participate in the test?"

"Is it not allowed?"

"No problem, but not many people want to take the test right after graduation, so I'm asking one more question!" Yun Lang said seriously, "The entrance test is life-threatening, are you sure you want to participate?!"

"Life is in danger!" Yang Ning frowned. His willpower had always been a weakness, and he really needed to be tempered on the edge of life and death.

But what if I really die?

Besides, exercise doesn't have to be done in such a dangerous way, does it?

But this kind of test is only dangerous for ordinary cultivators in the Body Refinement Realm, so what do I have to be afraid of?

If you don't even dare to participate in this basic test, how can you talk about building your willpower?

Moreover, to be frank, if one has a weapon in their heart, the desire to kill will arise spontaneously.

After training for so long, he really wanted to find a place to test his abilities!

"I'll participate!" Yang Ning said earnestly.

"In that case, come with me!" Yun Lang beckoned.

"Um, shouldn't we settle in first?" Yang Ning asked.

"It's not too late to settle things after you come out of the test alive!"

Yang Ning understood her unspoken meaning: if she died during the test, there was no need to make any arrangements for her.

"Phew!" Yang Ning breathed a sigh of relief. "No big deal, I can do it!"