Entering the Inner Sect, Choosing a Spirit Directorate

After bidding farewell to Senior Brother Lin and leaving Righteous Qi Hall, Lu Xuan did not return to the Hibernation Academy residence. Instead, he transformed into a streak of light, crossed layer upon layer of mountains, and headed toward a region in the north.

Before long, a floating palace emerged amid the boundless mist.

The palace stood over twenty zhang tall, occupying several mu of cloud. Its upturned eaves spread like a phoenix's wings, its jade-green tiles and golden pillars gleaming. The space within was immensely vast, like the dwelling of a colossal divine immortal, not a place for mortals.

On the palace's golden plaque were three great characters: Talent-Selection Hall.

This was where the Heaven-Gazing Sect assessed disciples' potential and oversaw the admission of true disciples, inner disciples, and outer disciples.

Apart from the specially made [Talent-Selecting Azure Cloud] used by the hall attendants, ordinary [Little Azure Rainbow Clouds] could not rise to this height. One could only reach it by relying on one's own escape light.

To put it plainly, cultivators below Qi Refining could not enter this hall.

Unless they were brought in together by the hall attendants.

If Lu Xuan had been willing to switch to cultivating the Golden Armor Jade Body, then once the seven-day deadline expired, he would have been brought here and issued an outer disciple Jade Disc.

But today, he had ridden the clouds here on his own. The significance was naturally different.

Though dawn had only just broken, the attendants of Talent-Selection Hall were already hard at work.

Four days later, over a hundred outer disciples would have their names entered onto Jade Discs and receive Daoist robes and dharma swords. The preparations were cumbersome and could not be neglected.

Yet receiving and seeing off visitors was part of an attendant's duty. Thus, before Lu Xuan had even entered the hall's main gate, a young attendant noticed him.

This attendant was also in the Embryonic Breath Realm, but his eyes were sharp. Seeing Lu Xuan's rainbow-like Cloud Qi radiance, he immediately knew that this was a disciple who had succeeded in Qi Refining. At the same time, Lu Xuan's Dormant Academy Jade Talisman caught his eye.

His heart immediately filled with uncertainty, but he still hurried forward and respectfully asked, "You have come here while awaiting selection. May I ask what important business you have?"

"I completed the Grand Rite at dawn today and succeeded in Qi Refining. I have come to have my name entered onto an inner sect Jade Disc."

Lu Xuan made a Daoist salute and stated his purpose.

"Completed the Grand Rite?"

The attendant froze. Several other attendants busy within the hall were likewise startled and raised their heads to look over.

The Grand Rite for Hibernation Academy disciples had long since ended, and those who should have entered the inner sect had already done so. Yet someone had completed the Grand Rite now?

This was... a self-conducted Grand Rite, a second success?

There was actually someone who had succeeded in the Second Grand Rite?

Such cases were exceedingly rare. The Heaven-Gazing Sect had been passed down for thirty generations in Mountain-Lifting Prefecture, and there had been no more than could be counted on one hand. Had their generation actually encountered one?

"Please wait a moment, Senior Brother. Have a cup of spirit tea while I go invite the steward."

The attendant reacted swiftly. He immediately gave his colleagues a look, signaling them to attend to Lu Xuan, while he himself quickly entered the rear hall.

Under ordinary circumstances, every hall and institution of the Heaven-Gazing Sect was watched over and managed by these [mortal attendants]. Only when important matters arose would true [stewards] of profound cultivation come to handle them.

Devoting oneself wholly to cultivation was standard for disciples of great sects.

But not every disciple could devote themselves wholly to it. Ordinary inner sect Qi Refining disciples also had to undertake some "labor," and only then could they receive Dao Salary to support themselves.

Talent-Selection Hall held a different status, however. Thus, its [stewards] held lofty positions and were Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Without that, one could not preside over Jade Disc registration.

"Thank you for the trouble."

Lu Xuan smiled and waited calmly.

Talent-Selection Hall not only registered inner sect Jade Discs; it also bestowed genuine [true scriptures].

Although Lu Xuan had already succeeded in Qi Refining and gained the ability to draw in and exhale spiritual energy, allowing him to cultivate naturally even without any cultivation method as though by instinct, true scriptures would let him move like a fish in water and greatly increase his speed.

More than that, only the true scriptures contained the subsequent methods for Grand Rite cultivation, along with all kinds of Daoist arts and divine abilities.

Cultivation was not easy, and Lu Xuan did not wish to delay. That was why he had rushed here without stopping.

The [steward] was nowhere to be seen. Lu Xuan waited in the hall for the time it took an incense stick to burn before an immense aura, like a cloud that blotted out the sky, drifted over from behind the hall.

"When did you succeed in the Second Grand Rite, and what Qi did you gather?"

A gentle voice accompanied that towering aura.

Lu Xuan lowered his head in salute and answered truthfully, "This disciple succeeded in the Second Grand Rite at dawn today. The Qi I gathered was [Dawn Radiance True Qi]."

"When the morning sun shines, ten thousand wounds vanish. The lineage of the sun has gained another disciple after all. Excellent!"

The voice carried a smile. Then cloudlight suddenly flared, and an elderly man wearing a dark azure nine-patterned dharma robe silently appeared before Lu Xuan. The lines on his face were carved deep as though by an axe.

Lin Shanhai, steward of the Talent Selection Office.

Lu Xuan's former self had met him once in this hall when he had first entered the Heaven-Gazing Sect years ago.

"Greetings—"

Lu Xuan had just begun to speak when the old man interrupted him. With a sweep of his sleeve, a mass of dense Qi enveloped Lu Xuan.

"No need for formalities. Come with me."

Lu Xuan then felt his steps grow light. His body swayed slightly, and when his feet touched ground again, it was something soft beneath them.

"This is the Jade Court Cloud Sea. All who enter the inner sect or become true disciples record their Jade Discs here and pay respects to the Patriarch."

The old man's voice came from ahead. Lu Xuan looked up and saw endless clouds of Qi rolling in every direction. Before him stood an enormous jade stele, half-hidden within the Cloud Sea.

Countless streams of light flickered across the stele. Upon closer inspection, countless names could be seen.

Behind the stele seemed to stand an even more majestic jade statue, but it was almost entirely concealed within the clouds, impossible to see clearly.

"You cultivated in the Hibernation Academy for nine years, and now you have finally completed the Grand Rite. There is no need for further words. You should naturally enter the inner sect at once. Use your Qi as a brush and record your name before the stele."

There was no examination and no deliberate obstruction. The Heaven-Gazing Sect had nurtured Hibernation Academy disciples for nine years and had finally gained one more Qi Refining cultivator. Everything was only proper.

"This disciple accepts the command."

Lu Xuan responded, then stirred his Qi Sea and condensed Dawn Radiance True Qi at his fingertips, writing the two characters Lu Xuan in the air.

The characters gleamed with flowing light and the brilliance of a great sun, lingering for a long while before fading. Then the jade stele trembled slightly. An invisible force reached out and drew the name [Lu Xuan] into the stele.

The light upon the jade stele flowed and shifted. A Jade Disc gleaming with golden radiance emerged, falling into Lu Xuan's hand.

Lu Xuan caught the Jade Disc. In an instant, a clear and ethereal sensation spread through his entire body. In a daze, he felt as though some mysterious power had descended over him.

"It is done."

"From this day forth, you are a thirty-first generation disciple of my Heaven-Gazing Sect. The various divine abilities of greed, anger, and delusion from beyond may not hook your Life Light or disturb your spirituality."

"Fate is fate, calamity is calamity. Bow not when you see gods; simply honor your own heart and cultivate!"

Lin Shanhai said with a smile.

"Thank you, Steward."

Relief loosened Lu Xuan's heart, and he bowed in thanks.

The reason he had been so determined to complete the Grand Rite and had stubbornly clung to the Heaven-Gazing Sect was precisely because having his name recorded on this jade stele was one of the most crucial matters.

Savage shamans ran rampant throughout Mountain-Lifting Prefecture. Countless divine abilities, secret arts, and methods existed, while powers great and small were strange and tangled beyond measure. For a mere Qi Refining or Embryonic Breath Realm cultivator to travel through this prefecture was like an infant walking through a battlefield. One slight lapse, and one would die and vanish from the Dao, perhaps without even knowing how one had died.

Only an Immortal Cult's great sect could grant protection, shielding one from the hooks of others' destiny-affecting divine abilities and allowing one to cultivate according to one's heart rather than trembling at every step.

"Do not thank me. Thank the Patriarch!"

Lin Shanhai gave a wry smile and pointed toward the jade statue behind the stele, its face impossible to see clearly. "But there is no need for excessive ceremony. A clasped-hands salute will do; the Patriarch does not like kowtowing."

Lu Xuan did as instructed.

"Now that your Jade Disc has been recorded, what comes next is your cultivation."

"My Heaven-Gazing Sect observes the Heavenly Dao and upholds its teachings. The Heavenly Dao values life, so our sect opens the gates of cultivation wide, establishes Demon Fiefs, and accepts the countless living beings who seek the Dao..."

"But the Heavenly Dao also demands labor in exchange. Thus, disciples of our sect cannot simply cultivate in seclusion and enjoy the fruits of others' efforts."

"If one fails the Grand Rite and switches to cultivating the Golden Armor Jade Body, serving the sect's commands naturally counts as labor. But you have now succeeded in the Second Grand Rite, entered the inner sect, and may enjoy greater provisions such as true scriptures, Spirit Stones, dharma artifacts, and spirit attendants. If you performed no labor at all, it would not accord with the principles of our sect."

"Therefore, you must choose a Spirit Directorate, serving both the sect and your own cultivation."

Lin Shanhai looked at Lu Xuan and spoke slowly.

Lu Xuan had learned of choosing a Spirit Directorate for cultivation back at the Hibernation Academy. Yet he had succeeded in the Second Grand Rite rather than entering the inner sect alongside the others, so he did not know which Spirit Directorates remained available. He immediately asked, "May I ask, Steward, which Spirit Directorates are still available?"

Lin Shanhai swept his sleeve, and three golden booklets immediately floated before Lu Xuan. "At present, only the Heavenly Works Office, the Three Alliances Office, and the Sea-Calming Bureau remain."