I Want to Participate Too

The next day, at the Qianyuan Sect.

This was a momentous day that drew every eye in the Great Yan Empire Eastern Region!

For the Qianyuan Sect, a colossus ranked among the empire's three greatest powers in the Eastern Region, was about to hold its triennial recruitment assembly!

The Eastern Domain Imperial Family only nurtured cultivators within the imperial family.

The Dark Nether Divine Hall, meanwhile, was even more mysterious and unpredictable, never openly taking in fresh blood.

Thus, the Qianyuan Sect's recruitment assembly became the prize countless cultivators across the empire's Eastern Region competed to pursue!

Anyone who distinguished themselves at the recruitment assembly could become an outer disciple of the Qianyuan Sect!

Those who ranked near the top even had a chance to enter the four great main peaks of the Qianyuan Sect's inner sect, truly soaring into the heavens in a single bound!

It was still early morning, but traffic already streamed past the Qianyuan Sect's mountain gate, and crowds poured in without end!

"Hehe, what a lively scene. I wonder how many young talents will distinguish themselves at this recruitment assembly!"

"I remember the winner of the last recruitment assembly is already a powerhouse ranked third on the Qianyuan Golden Ranking! Each generation truly brings forth its own talents!"

"Look, the preliminary screening seems to have started over there!"

Held only once every few years, the Qianyuan Sect's recruitment assembly also attracted a great many spectators!

For a time, the area outside the Qianyuan Sect's mountain gate bustled with extraordinary activity!

"Sorry, the recruitment assembly only accepts cultivators under thirty."

"Sorry, cultivators below the Foundation Establishment Realm eighth tier are not qualified to join the Qianyuan Sect."

"Sorry..."

At the mountain gate, the elder responsible for testing shook his head regretfully, repeatedly refusing entry to cultivators.

An age check and a cultivation test!

These were the first steps toward entering the Qianyuan Sect!

When cultivators injected spiritual power into the instrument, its strength would automatically appear!

Just now, several cultivators had been around Foundation Establishment fifth tier or Foundation Establishment sixth tier!

Although reaching this level in their twenties already counted as outstanding, it was still far from enough to join the Qianyuan Sect!

Of course, although many who tried to slip through were rejected, plenty still passed successfully.

Next, two more difficult trials awaited them!

A talent-grade test, and the sacred stairway climb that would determine their final rankings!

"Bone age, twenty-one. Age test, passed."

"Cultivation, Golden Core third tier. Cultivation test, passed!"

Seeing the number displayed on the cultivation-testing instrument, the elder gave the young woman before him a somewhat surprised look.

Golden Core third tier!

At practically any recruitment assembly, this cultivation level would place someone in the top ten!

"May I go in?" Ling Yiran asked calmly.

"Of course, please enter!" Only then did the elder come to his senses. He hurriedly stepped aside and watched Ling Yiran enter the mountain gate.

"Lin Yu... will you really come...?"

After entering the sect, Ling Yiran silently glanced back.

She saw no sign of Lin Yu in the crowd.

Perhaps I'll see him among the Qianyuan Sect's elders.

Ling Yiran mused to herself. According to her original assessment, Lin Yu would never appear as a disciple in the first place.

After all, a disciple whose cultivation exceeded Nascent Soul was simply too outrageous.

No matter what, I came as promised.

With a measure of relief, Ling Yiran sighed softly inwardly, then followed the crowd toward the next testing site.

"Father, this recruitment assembly seems even livelier than the one three years ago."

Inside the sect master's great hall atop Qianyuan Mountain, a middle-aged man and a young woman stood before an image-recording stone, watching the situation at the mountain gate.

That middle-aged man was none other than Yun Tianci, who had met Lin Yu late the previous night!

Beside Yun Tianci stood a young woman with a delicate face, her medium-length hair tied into a ponytail and a valiant air about her brows and eyes.

She was Yun Tianci's only daughter, Yun Nianshan!

Behind them stood four old men, all dressed in brocade and jade-adorned robes, their hands clasped behind their backs!

These four were the Peak Masters of the Qianyuan Sect's four great main peaks!

The Qianyuan Sect had four great main peaks: Qianyuan Peak, Heavenly Light Peak, Surging Waves Peak, and Stabilizing Mystery Peak!

Each was governed by one of these four Peak Masters!

These four Peak Masters were also extremely powerful, second only to Sect Master Yun Tianci within the Qianyuan Sect!

"Indeed, the sect is extraordinarily lively today!"

Yun Tianci declared with enthusiasm, "After today's recruitment assembly ends, I have another important piece of good news to announce to the entire sect!"

Yun Tianci was in excellent spirits. Thanks to the Qianyuan Sacred Stone's evolution last night, their Qianyuan Sect would soon have a chance to surpass the Dark Nether Divine Hall and the Eastern Domain Imperial Family, becoming the greatest power beneath the Eastern Domain Holy Land in the empire's Eastern Region!

"What good news, Father?"

Hearing Yun Tianci's words, Yun Nianshan immediately leaned closer, her face full of curiosity.

"Let your father keep you guessing. Once the recruitment assembly ends, all will be revealed!"

Yun Tianci laughed heartily, but the very next second, his smile abruptly froze as he stared fixedly at the image-recording stone before him!

For an extremely familiar figure had appeared in its image...

"Shan'er, come, accompany me to watch today's trials!"

"Peak Masters, come with me as well!"

At his words, Yun Lingshan and the Peak Masters were all rather bewildered.

In the past, Yun Tianci had only ever appeared for the final ranking segment!

Still, they nodded and followed Yun Tianci toward the trial grounds.

"Hello, I'm here to take the tests."

At the Qianyuan Sect's entrance, Lin Yu smiled and extended his hand toward the testing elder.

"Bone age, twenty-two. Qualified."

"Use all your strength to pour spiritual power into this instrument for the cultivation test!"

Lin Yu took the cultivation-testing instrument the elder handed him and casually injected a strand of Golden Core Stage spiritual power into it.

"Golden Core third tier!"

The elder gave Lin Yu a surprised look. He had never expected two Golden Core third tier cultivators to appear in such quick succession today!

"Congratulations on passing the tests. Please enter the sect and wait for the next round!"

The elder smiled at Lin Yu. The more outstanding disciples he recruited, the more generous his rewards from the sect would be.

"Wait!"

Suddenly, a soft, delicate voice rang out, and a lovely snow-white figure appeared before Lin Yu.

"I... I want to take the tests too!"

Xiaobai's sudden appearance left the elder stunned.

"You want to participate too?"

Lin Yu did not know whether to laugh or cry. Xiaobai's appearance had not been part of his plans.

"Hehe, I want to be with you." Xiaobai made a face at Lin Yu.

"Well... that's fine."

Although the elder was somewhat surprised and suspicious, certain unusual lineages did possess methods for concealing their presence. Thus, while Xiaobai's sudden appearance struck him as strange, he still nodded his agreement.

Xiaobai extended her fair hand, her fresh, otherworldly bearing drawing sidelong glances from the surrounding spectators.

"Bone age... nineteen. Qualified."

"Cultivation... Golden Core fifth tier! Qualified!"

A sharp gleam suddenly flashed in the elder's eyes. Golden Core fifth tier!

Among newly recruited disciples, this was already an exceptionally high cultivation level!

Moreover, this young woman's bone age was actually only nineteen!

A nineteen-year-old at Golden Core fifth tier... they had never even heard of such a thing!

After all, the champion of the last recruitment assembly, now ranked third on the Qianyuan Golden Ranking, had only been at Golden Core fourth tier back then!

This seemingly fragile young woman's strength was actually so terrifying!

Xiaobai, however, looked utterly unconcerned.

After all, this was merely a weak strand of spiritual power she had casually sent out while imitating Lin Yu.

In terms of true strength, the current Xiaobai could at least rival a Body Integration Realm powerhouse!

That was a level even stronger than the Spirit Transformation Realm!

Moreover, Xiaobai had not yet reached maturity!

Once her cultivation fully stabilized, she would be able to rival a Mahayana Realm powerhouse!

And if she returned to the Immortal Realm, free of the Human Realm's restrictions, her cultivation would break through further still!

"Can we go in now?" Xiaobai stretched and asked languidly.

"Of course, please enter!" the elder said with a friendly smile, already attaching more importance to Xiaobai than to Lin Yu.

In this world, strength reigned supreme!

"Bone age, twenty-five. Cultivation, Golden Core second tier. Passed!"

"Bone age, twenty-four. Cultivation, Golden Core first stage. Passed!"

"Bone age, twenty-six. Cultivation, Golden Core third tier. Passed!"

Meanwhile, three young men dressed entirely in black also passed the first checkpoint and entered the Qianyuan Sect.

Extremely faint black Qi could vaguely be seen gathering between their brows!

"Heh heh heh..."

Far away, inside the Dark Nether Divine Hall, Hall Master Mingyue silently watched everything on the image-recording stone, an eerie, sinister smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

Everything was within his grasp!