Before his words had even faded, Jiang Xuan formed a hand seal with his fingertips and chanted an incantation. A Purifying Heart Incantation descended upon Cheng Xiu.
Buzz—
The instant the incantation landed, Cheng Xiu immediately felt a completely different change. His previously restless heart settled at once. At present, he only felt Clarity of the Spirit Platform, with every stray thought swept away.
With his mind focused and steady, controlling spiritual energy through his body became exceptionally smooth and effortless.
What delighted him even more was that the turbid energy which had previously shrouded his Apertures like smog had also thinned greatly due to the clarity of his mind, reducing the difficulty of locating the Apertures throughout his body severalfold.
With all these changes layered together, Cheng Xiu clearly sensed that his cultivation efficiency had increased by more than fifty percent.
This discovery made his eyes light up instantly.
My choice was not wrong! Following a heavenly prodigy is far easier for breaking through realms than shutting myself away to cultivate bitterly alone!
"Thank you, Young Master! Thank you for your great kindness!"
Even the Purifying Heart Incantation could not suppress the surging gratitude and excitement in his heart. Indeed, because his mind was now so clear and untainted, that gratitude appeared all the more sincere.
Jiang Xuan's expression remained as calm as an unruffled lake.
"This is what you deserve."
Speaking with Cheng Xiu had not taken Jiang Xuan much time. After waiting another quarter of an hour, Nan Zhi, who had used the Wind-Riding Divine Movement Talisman, returned.
However, by the time she returned, Xie Hanyan and Zeng Jun had also finished resting.
Jiang Xuan naturally would not make the two of them wait for him. Seeing this, he could only sample and swallow all the food that was inconvenient to carry, then pack the remaining items into his bag and follow them toward the entrance of the Daoist Academy.
"Splash..."
Just as they reached the entrance of the Daoist Academy, several flying boats tore through the air and landed steadily before them.
These were the standard flying boats of the Divine Firmament Sect. The Divine Firmament Sect was enormous, and there were countless Outer Disciples whose cultivation was still shallow. Thus, the sect had established many such flying boats for disciples traveling out to handle affairs.
Now, Jiang Xuan and the others would take these flying boats to the mountain peaks they favored.
Dong Hao was headed in another direction, so they parted ways here.
"Brother Jiang, once we part here, may we both achieve our wishes."
"Mm."
"Whoosh..."
Before long, the flying boat slowly rose into the air, and Jiang Xuan's group gradually drifted farther and farther away from Dong Hao.
During the journey, people constantly boarded and disembarked, but none of it had anything to do with Jiang Xuan's group of three.
Xie Hanyan had always possessed a cold and taciturn nature. Since she did not speak, Jiang Xuan and Zeng Jun naturally had nothing to say either.
Amid that silence, the flying boat soon arrived beneath Star Sword Peak.
It was a majestic mountain that pierced straight into the clouds. Looking from afar aboard the flying boat, what Jiang Xuan found most novel was that a crystal-clear lake had actually been embedded atop the towering Star Sword Peak. Thousands upon thousands of longswords stood planted within the lake. Quite a few of them even danced through the air above its surface like living creatures, and some clashed against one another, their Sword Intent chillingly sharp.
"So this is the foundation of a mid-tier Dao Branch. It truly is extraordinary."
Stuffing food into his mouth, Jiang Xuan sighed inwardly. Yet before he could take a few more looks, the flying boat had already landed steadily at the mountain's foot.
"So this is Star Sword Peak? How magnificent!"
"Today, I must join Star Sword Peak and become an Inner Disciple!"
"I heard that among the thirty-three mountains, Star Sword Peak is also a mid-tier Dao Branch firmly ranked among the best. It may even have a chance to challenge the Nine Upper Branches!"
"Ancestors, bless me! Please let me enter Star Sword Peak!"
There were many disciples who had come to Star Sword Peak for the assessment. All manner of discussion buzzed endlessly in the air.
Having arrived here, even the usually flamboyant Zeng Jun restrained himself. Jiang Xuan said even less, quietly following at Xie Hanyan's side.
As they walked, Jiang Xuan quickly learned the assessment method of Star Sword Peak from the conversations around him—climbing the mountain.
The elders of Star Sword Peak had set up an array at the mountain gate. Under the array's suppression, the higher students like Jiang Xuan climbed, the higher their status within Star Sword Peak would be.
"I heard that as long as you can reach the three hundred and sixtieth step, you are guaranteed an Inner Disciple slot!"
"That must be difficult, right?"
"Of course! Reaching the one hundred and eighth step qualifies you to remain at Star Sword Peak. Three hundred and sixty steps are not merely three times harder—it is more than ten times harder... The difficulty in the later stages does not increase by a little; it rises linearly. Besides, Star Sword Peak tests not only the body, but also the dual suppression of Sword Intent and Divine Soul. Yet it is precisely because the difficulty defies heaven that Star Sword Peak dares to declare that anyone who reaches the summit will definitely be accepted as an Inner Disciple."
"Oh, right. This assessment is not only valid today. The results will count for an entire month from now on!"
Anyone who reaches the summit will become an Inner Disciple—those words set the hearts of countless disciples ablaze, and Jiang Xuan was no exception.
"One month, three hundred and sixty steps, with Sword Intent and Divine Soul as the core tests... I have a chance!"
Being able to secure an Inner Disciple slot in a mid-tier Dao Branch ahead of time—especially at a powerful peak like Star Sword Peak, which had hopes of challenging the Upper Branches—naturally tempted Jiang Xuan greatly.
However, just as he was secretly invigorated, an unexpected turn that made him sigh appeared.
"Whoosh..."
Amid the sound of rushing wind, another flying boat descended from the sky.
Unlike the ordinary standard flying boats Jiang Xuan's group had ridden, this one was massive, adorned with carved beams and painted rafters, and extravagantly luxurious.
The young men and women who stepped down from it were all dressed in splendid garments, their faces brimming with spirit.
That noble aura, so distinct from everyone else's, made many of the disciples at Star Sword Peak instinctively step aside.
"These are... people from the Daozi Academy."
"Why would they come here?"
"It is perfectly normal for them to come. Do you really think everyone in the Daozi Academy can steadily enter the Nine Upper Branches?"
From the whispers around him, Jiang Xuan quickly learned that these people came from Zi Dao Academy.
At first, Jiang Xuan felt nothing particular about this. He merely glanced at them before withdrawing his gaze—he believed these favored children of heaven would have no connection with his present self.
Yet just as he thought this, a young girl in a goose-yellow dress from the group that had descended from the luxurious flying boat walked directly toward them.
Naturally, the person she sought was not Jiang Xuan, but:
"Hehe, Sister Hanyan, you also favor Star Sword Peak?"
The instant Xie Hanyan saw the girl, her already frosty expression became colder still, as though frost had fallen upon snow.
"Where I wish to go has nothing to do with you."
Hearing those cold, rejecting words, Xie Lianxing did not become angry in the slightest. Instead, she revealed a somewhat aggrieved expression. "Sister, you think too badly of me. Naturally, I cannot control where you want to go, and Star Sword Peak has its own rules and assessments for taking in disciples. I merely happened to come here for the assessment as well."
"I even wanted to get along with you properly..."
Though she said so, the sword-drawn, bow-bent hostility between the two was plain for anyone with eyes to see.
This scene gave Jiang Xuan quite a headache. He had a faint premonition that his entrance assessment this time would likely encounter unforeseen twists and turns.
And reality did not exceed his expectations.
Within Star Sword Peak's territory, neither of them intended to fall out on the spot. They remained peacefully uneventful all the way, and Jiang Xuan's group of three successfully reached the registration area. Within a few minutes, it was their turn to submit their information.
Xie Hanyan handed over the information of the three of them, and the information registration before Star Sword Peak's assessment officially began.
During this process, Xie Hanyan naturally had no issues—her Supreme Earth-Grade Spirit Root was top-tier talent even in the entire Divine Firmament Sect. Star Sword Peak would never reject such a fine seedling.
Zeng Jun also passed smoothly. His upper-tier Earthly Spirit Root placed him around the upper-middle level among the disciples who had come to compete for Star Sword Peak.
But when it was Jiang Xuan's turn, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse.
His Profound-Grade Mid-Tier Spirit Root stood out with particular harshness among the information. Not only was he the least talented of the three, he was also nearly at the very bottom among all disciples present for selection.
After reading Jiang Xuan's information, Hua Xuan, the young disciple in charge of recruitment, immediately frowned.
Had Xie Lianxing not been present, Jiang Xuan might have obtained a chance to take the assessment if Xie Hanyan spoke a few words on his behalf.
But Xie Lianxing's cold sneer from the side, followed by a young man beside her suddenly stepping forward, sent Jiang Xuan's situation plunging downhill.
"Cousin, has your Star Sword Peak fallen so low that you even accept cultivators with this sort of talent?"
"Exactly. Wouldn't that lower the standing of our Star Sword Peak too much?"
"If even someone with a Profound-Grade Mid-Tier Spirit Root can enter the peak for assessment, those who do not know better might think Star Sword Peak is some lowly, third-rate Dao Branch."
Hua Xuan had not cared much about Jiang Xuan to begin with. The fact that he had not immediately driven him away was already out of consideration for Xie Hanyan.
But now, on one side stood several heavenly prodigies from Zi Dao Academy, while on the other stood only Xie Hanyan. Moreover, Xie Lianxing had managed to enter Zi Dao Academy, whereas Xie Hanyan could only remain at Star Daoist Academy to cultivate. The disparity in their status had long been self-evident.
In the end, Hua Xuan, who was in charge of recruitment, unsurprisingly favored Xie Lianxing's side.
"Of course not. An Earthly Spirit Root is the bottom line for recruitment at Star Sword Peak."
"Hahaha, I knew it, Senior Brother Hua! You are the most reasonable one!"
"Swish!" Before the people ahead had even finished speaking, Jiang Xuan shrugged and turned away.
Xie Hanyan naturally saw this scene. For the first time, she took the initiative to speak to Jiang Xuan, with a trace of apology in her tone. "Sorry."
"It is nothing. This is not your fault, and it does not affect me much either."
Glancing back at Star Sword Peak and Hua Xuan, who was handling recruitment, Jiang Xuan's state of mind was as calm as he claimed.
"If this place will not keep me, another place will... Besides, failing to enter Star Sword Peak may not necessarily be my loss."
"Swish."
Jiang Xuan left cleanly and decisively, without the slightest hesitation. Seeing his manner, quite a few people around him secretly sighed. "He actually did not pester them. At least he has some self-awareness."