"We don't judge by status. We simply don't accept all sorts of crooked-path cultivators." The Divine Bridge cultivator on the right also laughed, sounding somewhat casual. "What scripture do you primarily cultivate, Fellow Daoist? Do you know the Dao Scripture?"
Though Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven was small and merely an ordinary sect, it was still far superior to independent cultivators.
Many independent cultivators did not even possess complete scriptures. Today, they might learn the Sea of Bitterness chapter of the Dao Scripture; tomorrow, the Life Spring chapter from the Demon Race; the day after that, they would casually join some sect and continue with its Divine Bridge chapter.
Ye Fan would not even dare cultivate like that. Though he too had cobbled his path together, at the very least, the cultivation methods for each major secret realm were complete, and they were all first-rate Emperor Scriptures created by Ancient Emperors and Great Emperors. Only then did he qualify to use one furnace to nurture a hundred scriptures.
The scriptures pieced together by independent cultivators would only leave their divine power impure and mottled, their entire bodies riddled with flaws.
A proper sect disciple possessed an orderly inheritance and cultivated complete scriptures. With abundant divine power, along with magical treasures and pills, it was common for one person to chase down and beat three or four independent cultivators.
In the eyes of these cultivators, Lin Xian was precisely the sort of independent cultivator who had barely reached the Divine Bridge Realm and had come to join Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven because he lacked the subsequent cultivation method.
"System, can I win?" Lin Xian asked inwardly.
"Guaranteed victory," System 10086 replied with certainty.
It listed a string of data and conducted a precise analysis.
[Host: Lin Xian] [Realm: Initial Divine Bridge] [Remaining Lifespan: 13/186] [Scripture: Tianxuan Sacred Scripture, Sea of Bitterness Chapter] [Skills: Qi-State Origin-Flow, Six Vaults Immortal Thief, Spirit Summoning and Dispatching, Connecting Heaven Talisman, Grand Luo Grotto Vision, Tranquilizing Mind Divine Spell, Five Thunder Righteous Method.] [Overall Evaluation: Having cultivated the Stars Shining on the Azure Heaven Phenomenon, you may perhaps qualify to become the candidate Holy Son of some sacred land. Once the Holy Son falls, you may inherit the sacred land and its Holy Maiden in turn. My son Lin Xian possesses the potential of an Immortal Altar!]
"Candidate Holy Son... that already surpasses the limits of a small sect's genius."
Lin Xian murmured to himself. With such aptitude, against the grand backdrop of countless races rising together and contending on the Emperor Path, he would not even earn a named supporting role. He would be nothing more than cannon fodder in the background.
Forget the late stages—even by the middle stages, Holy Sons would have become mere units of combat power. Unless a prodigy could casually crush over a dozen Holy Sons, they would be too embarrassed to claim they wished to contend on the Emperor Path.
But in this lower-level cultivation world, where the Sea of Bitterness and Dao Palace realms reigned supreme, Holy Son-level cultivators were still quite formidable.
This time, his odds of victory had already surpassed ninety-eight percent!
"My primary scripture? Why not test it and find out?" Lin Xian chuckled. Without any courtesy, he directly swung a huge slap. Divine power surged forth, covering the sky.
He did not strike at the cultivator Ma Yun, but instead slapped toward the Divine Bridge old woman with the Sky-Piercing Mark on her forehead.
The old woman had held her head high and looked down upon Lin Xian. She had never imagined that the independent cultivator she regarded as beneath notice would dare attack her, an elder of Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven. Caught off guard, she was smacked headfirst into the ground.
Lin Xian's great hand seal slammed her into the mortal earth.
"Y-you dare?!" Another Divine Bridge cultivator flew into a rage. There were three of them—three whole Divine Bridge cultivators.
"I don't need to pick a day to beat you." Lin Xian clapped his hands and looked toward Ma Yun. "Elder, am I qualified to join Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven now?"
"You're courting death!" The old woman, covered in dust as though she had rolled through a mud pit, was furious beyond measure. She transformed into a divine rainbow and charged forward. Thin streaks of blood hung from the corner of her lips—she had actually been injured.
"Courting a beating!" Lin Xian sent another great hand seal crashing down. Two bright-red palm prints appeared on the Sky-Piercing Mark old woman's face, perfectly symmetrical on either side. Her teeth were nearly knocked loose.
"Fellow Daoist, you have gone too far." Elder Ma Yun frowned slightly and immediately made his move as well, intending to test him.
"Wisdom shines clear and pure..." Seeing this, Lin Xian recited the Tranquilizing Mind Divine Spell. Countless crystalline water droplets appeared at his fingertips, and with lightning speed, he flung them at Elder Ma Yun.
In an instant, a trace of enlightenment surfaced in Elder Ma Yun's heart, and he froze in place. This insight that dispelled inner demons would ordinarily have been a good thing, but on a battlefield, it was nothing short of sabotaging one's own teammate.
"The Tranquilizing Mind Divine Spell can be used like that?"
System 10086 was dumbfounded. Did Yuanshi Tianzun know he was using a Daoist divine spell this way?
"There are no useless skills, only people who do not know how to use them."
Lin Xian chuckled. Qi-State Origin-Flow and Six Vaults Immortal Thief activated together, elevating his physical body to the utmost extreme. Bathed in radiance, he seemed like an immortal descending into the mortal world, sacred beyond compare.
After controlling him for a while, by the time Elder Ma Yun regained his senses, Lin Xian was already striking left and right, pinning the two Divine Bridge cultivators to the ground and rubbing them into it.
"Old Ma, Old Ma..." The two Divine Bridge cultivators cried out, their eyes filled with resentment.
Who sold out their teammates like this?
Elder Ma Yun gave an awkward smile and cupped his hands toward Lin Xian. "Fellow Daoist, could you spare my two unworthy junior brother and junior sister? This poor Daoist is willing to personally recommend you into Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven."
"I want triple the resource stipend," Lin Xian said calmly.
The instant Elder Ma Yun hesitated, the two cultivators on the ground screamed again.
"Agreed! With Fellow Daoist's strength, triple is not excessive." Elder Ma Yun hastily agreed. As for the additional resources, that was something the sect master should worry about. He was only responsible for recruiting people.
"Good." Lin Xian wished to use Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven as a springboard into the broader cultivation world, and he did not want to kill anyone and make enemies, so he released the two Cave Heaven elders.
Ignoring the old woman's venomous gaze, Lin Xian only said to the other Divine Bridge cultivator, "Enemies defeated by my hand have never been considered opponents. I will give you time to catch up, until you can no longer be reached."
The Divine Bridge cultivator's body trembled, and the way he looked at Lin Xian completely changed.
Elder Ma Yun praised, "What lofty spirit, Fellow Daoist."
Lin Xian smiled without speaking. How could the Desolate Heaven Emperor's quotes lack grandeur?
People in this Multiverse might not have high realms, but they absolutely had to know how to talk big.
As everyone knew, once enough flamboyant lines were spoken, legendary scenes would naturally emerge.
System 10086: "...Host, was this also within your calculations?"
Lin Xian chuckled. He felt that the life of a cultivator from Nine Heavens and Ten Earths ought to be lived like this:
When he looked back upon his past, he would not regret failing to speak flamboyant lines, nor would he feel ashamed for being unable to show off before others. Then, when he became an emperor and attained immortality, he could say, "I have dedicated my life and all my experiences to the most flamboyant cause in the world—striving to create legendary scenes throughout the Myriad Realms."
After displaying astonishing strength, Lin Xian was recruited by Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven. The old cultivator who had recommended him also received a bottle of Hundred Herbs Liquid as a reward and was permitted to recommend one junior to join Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven.
The old cultivator was overjoyed, Elder Ma Yun smiled warmly, Lin Xian was in a good mood, and the other Divine Bridge cultivator seemed thoughtful. Only the old woman's world had been hurt.
After indulging in extravagance for several days, the deadline given by the Cave Heaven was nearly upon them. Elder Ma Yun had no choice but to drag away Lin Xian, who kept shouting, "Keep the music going! Keep dancing!"
Before leaving, Lin Xian reluctantly held the old cultivator's hand and said earnestly, "If you have talents, show them early. What cultivator can withstand such a test?"
"Brother Ma, don't you agree?"
Elder Ma Yun smiled without speaking. Young people were still too young; they had never seen the fairy maidens of Miaoyu Convent.
The old woman cast a disdainful look their way, having completely forgotten the young men who had been calling her "Grandma" just days ago.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, the group transformed into divine rainbows, crossed mountains and rivers, and flew back to the sect.
Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven was surrounded by immortal mountains, veiled in drifting clouds and mist. From afar, it looked exceptionally ethereal, like a secluded Pure Land beyond the world.
Green peaks, emerald valleys, flowing springs, cascading waterfalls, lush vegetation, and spiritually awakened birds and beasts made it seem like a world within a painting.
The moment he stepped into Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven, Lin Xian—who had just been obsessed with worldly pleasures and reluctant to leave—seemed to become a different person. Wearing an expression of devotion to the Dao, he took a deep breath and said sincerely, "I love everything about Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven. Even the spiritual essence here carries the free and sweet scent of freedom."
Elder Ma Yun: ???
Yesterday, you said the singing halls and dance pavilions smelled free and sweet. You changed every day, didn't you?