Lu Ren panted as he climbed the steps paved with slabs of bluestone, ascending one step at a time.
Lu Ren's forehead was drenched in sweat. Looking up at the mountain gate far above, he estimated there were still hundreds of steps left, and bitterness involuntarily crept onto his lips.
"No wonder it's one of the four great sects of Jiangyun Kingdom. They actually built the mountain gate this high!"
Lu Ren could not help complaining.
In his previous life, he had been a hot-blooded youth on Earth. He had only carelessly eaten Mapo Tofu, only to be accidentally beaten to death by Mapo's husband, and thus arrived on this Xuanhuang Continent.
It had not even been a soul transmigration—his body and soul had both crossed over together.
It took Lu Ren three days to gradually accept this fact. At the same time, he inexplicably felt a faint thrill toward this new world.
As a hot-blooded youth, he had always been fascinated by strange and fantastical things. Having come to this world of Martial Cultivation, he looked forward to the day he could become an unparalleled powerhouse.
Moreover, he was an orphan and single, with no ties or burdens. He would simply treat this as a new life.
What was more, when he crossed over, he had brought along a Nameless Treasure Pagoda, which he had picked up from a street stall.
The pagoda was antique bronze in color and no bigger than a finger.
When he toyed with it, the pagoda strangely burrowed into his body. Immediately afterward, it emitted a grayish-white glow, and a powerful suction force enveloped his entire body.
As the heavens spun and the earth reeled, Lu Ren felt himself enter a space governed by the Heaven and Earth Law.
This space was a vast expanse of chaos.
After pondering it for several months, Lu Ren had finally deduced one ability of the Nameless Treasure Pagoda.
He felt that this pagoda seemed to be a treasure that stored time. As long as he entered it, he could use time as he pleased. No matter how much time he used, only one second seemed to pass in the outside world.
As for whether the pagoda had any side effects or limitations, Lu Ren did not care. It was equivalent to having endless time to cultivate—he could cultivate for as long as he wanted.
But in this world, one had to undergo Aperture Opening to cultivate. Those with strong talent could open their apertures directly, while those with weak talent needed to take an Aperture Opening Pill.
As an Earthling, Lu Ren's comprehension and talent in cultivation were simply too poor. He could only rely on an Aperture Opening Pill to undergo Aperture Opening.
The simplest and most direct way to obtain an Aperture Opening Pill was to join a sect.
Lu Ren had tried joining several small sects, but he had been turned away every time because of his talent.
Later, Lu Ren learned that Qingyun Sect, one of the four great sects, was recruiting disciples. He crossed mountains and forded rivers, hoping to try his luck.
Yet before he even reached the mountain gate, he had been exhausted half to death and nearly suffered sudden death!
After resting for a moment, Lu Ren continued climbing the steps. After the time it took to burn an incense stick, he finally arrived before the mountain gate.
Lu Ren lay on the ground, gasping for breath a few times, before dragging his heavy steps into the mountain gate and arriving at an enormous plaza.
At this moment, the plaza, which could accommodate over a thousand people, was already packed with a crowd.
Seeing the tall, burly figures before him, Lu Ren gave up on the idea of squeezing in. Instead, he stood alone at the very back and looked toward the distant platform.
A middle-aged man in black robes stood atop the platform in the plaza. His face was imposing, making people dare not look directly at him.
"I am Elder Zhu Tie, the elder overseeing this entrance examination, and I will be responsible for your assessment. I will not waste words. Qingyun Sect's entrance examination follows the usual rules: we will test your bloodlines."
"Bloodlines are divided into nine grades. First-grade is the lowest, Ninth-grade is the highest, and above Ninth-grade lies the Divine Bloodline. The higher the bloodline grade, the greater one's talent and potential. As long as you test at Fourth-grade Bloodline or above, you may enter Qingyun Sect!"
As the imposing voice fell, four outer disciples carried an enormous azure stone tablet onto the platform.
The azure stone tablet was one zhang tall. It bore eleven markings: the first was a gray marking, while above it were ten blood-red markings.
"This is a high-grade Bloodline Testing Stone Tablet. Of those ten blood-red markings, lighting up one means a First-grade Bloodline, while lighting up nine is equivalent to a Ninth-grade Bloodline. If all ten markings light up, that would be the legendary Divine Bloodline!"
"Perhaps I possess the potential for a Divine Bloodline!"
Many young men and women were exceptionally excited.
Those who dared come to Qingyun Sect for the assessment had almost all tested their bloodline grades within their Lineage. However, their Lineage's Bloodline Testing Stone Tablets were only low-grade ones, capable of detecting at most a Fourth-grade Bloodline.
Standing alone to one side, Lu Ren could not help asking the young man in front of him, "This genius, what does the gray marking on that Bloodline Testing Stone Tablet mean?"
Hearing Lu Ren call him a genius, the youth immediately took a greater liking to the plain-looking Lu Ren and patiently explained, "That gray marking is said to represent trash that cannot cultivate. The more they cultivate, the more useless they become; some even cultivate themselves into cripples. It is commonly known as a Scrap Bloodline!"
Upon hearing this, Lu Ren did not hesitate in the slightest and turned to leave.
He had been eliminated from several entrance examinations because his bloodline test had failed. Qingyun Sect's Bloodline Testing Stone Tablet was so precise that it was even more impossible for him to pass the assessment.
Whoosh!
Just then, a graceful figure descended from the sky and landed beside Elder Zhu Tie.
The woman wore a long white dress. Her features were exquisitely beautiful, her eyes cold and detached, and her aura immensely powerful. She possessed the temperament of an orchid blooming in an empty valley.
For a moment, everyone's gaze fell upon the woman, their faces revealing looks of astonishment.
"Isn't that Yun Qingyao, the Saintess of our Jiangyun Kingdom? I heard she possesses a Seventh-grade Bloodline and astonishing talent. At such a young age, she cultivated to the Divine Sea Realm and became an elder of Qingyun Sect!"
"Yun Qingyao is an elder. What is she doing here? Could she be taking a disciple?"
Many men and women began whispering among themselves.
"Elder Yun, you have finally come to take a disciple. This year's batch of seedlings should be quite good. Perhaps we can uncover a genius with a Sixth-grade Bloodline!"
Elder Zhu Tie said with a faint smile.
Yun Qingyao ignored Elder Zhu Tie. Stepping forward, she slowly said, "Today, I intend to accept one disciple!"
The moment her words fell, everyone present became excited.
This was Yun Qingyao—the Saintess of Jiangyun Kingdom, blessed with heaven-defying talent. If one could become her disciple and receive her personal guidance, one would absolutely soar to the heavens in a single step.
"However, I will only accept disciples with bloodlines below Second-grade. Whoever among you has a bloodline below Second-grade may become my disciple!"
Ignoring everyone's reactions, Yun Qingyao continued.
"What? She'll only accept disciples below Second-grade Bloodline? Did I hear that right? Shouldn't she be accepting geniuses as disciples?"
"Which one of us who dared come to Qingyun Sect for the entrance examination doesn't possess a Fourth-grade Bloodline or higher?"
"If I had a bloodline below Second-grade, I would be too ashamed to step into Qingyun Sect!"
Listening to Yun Qingyao's words, countless men and women in the plaza felt as though they had heard something utterly inconceivable.
Most ordinary people possessed First-grade or Second-grade Bloodlines. Even if they worked hard their entire lives, it would be difficult for them to undergo Aperture Opening. Those with Third-grade, Fourth-grade, or Fifth-grade Bloodlines could undergo Aperture Opening with the help of an Aperture Opening Pill, while those with Sixth-grade Bloodlines could do so through their own efforts alone—they could already be called monstrous talents.
Those below Second-grade Bloodline simply could not undergo Aperture Opening. What use was there in taking in such a person?
Elder Zhu Tie's face darkened. Glancing at Yun Qingyao from the corner of his eye, he said, "Elder Yun, the sect ordered you to accept a disciple. Is this how you intend to brush off the sect?"
"The sect never stipulated what kind of disciple I must accept. I, Yun Qingyao, enjoy doing challenging things the most. What meaning is there in nurturing geniuses with Fifth-grade or Sixth-grade Bloodlines?"
"I will only accept disciples below Second-grade Bloodline. If I cannot find one, the sect cannot blame me!"
A trace of smugness appeared on Yun Qingyao's cool, beautiful face.
Elder Zhu Tie's face turned green, then white. He was so furious he nearly vomited blood.
This Yun Qingyao simply did not want to take a disciple at all. Her heart was wholly devoted to cultivation. If not for the pressure from the sect, she would never have come here to accept a disciple.
"If there is no one below Second-grade Bloodline, then I shall leave first!"
Seeing that no one stepped forward, Yun Qingyao smiled faintly and prepared to leave.
"Elder Yun, I should have a First-grade Bloodline. Thank you, Elder Yun, for accepting me as your disciple!"
Yun Qingyao, who had been about to leave, heard the voice coming from the crowd. Her delicate body stiffened, and her face was covered in frost.
The others also widened their eyes in disbelief. Someone with a bloodline below Second-grade had actually come to participate in Qingyun Sect's entrance examination—and he was even an unparalleled good-for-nothing with a First-grade Bloodline.
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