Great Void Spirit Realm, Divine Profound Sect.
Immortal-Seeking City.
A new batch of immortal seedlings had been brought over from various cities. After undergoing trials, they would be assigned to different parts of the sect.
Depending on their scores, some could become inner disciples, while others could become outer disciples. Anyone who passed could become a menial disciple, while those who failed could only seek their fortunes elsewhere.
After all, the Divine Profound Sect did not feed trash.
At that moment, thousands of youths had gathered in a square, whispering among themselves. Snatches of conversation reached Han Xuanji's ears.
Han Xuanji looked at the young men and women around him, dressed in all manner of clothes. Some wore fine garments, came from distinguished families, and carried themselves with extraordinary bearing, confident of success. Others wore ordinary homespun clothes, unease showing in their eyes.
I transmigrated?
Like everyone else, Han Xuanji was a little nervous, though his reason was on an entirely different wavelength.
Having read novels for so many years, he found the fact that he had transmigrated quite easy to accept. He was even a little excited.
After the memories of his two lives had merged, Han Xuanji was even more excited. This was a world of immortal cultivation, where the strong could live forever, wield powerful Law Techniques, ride the clouds and mist, and accomplish anything.
But the world of immortal cultivation was no fairy tale. Demon Beasts and Devil Cultivators massacring entire cities were far from rare. In fact, upon arriving in Immortal-Seeking City, Han Xuanji had heard people say they had been attacked by Devil Cultivators on the way there and had nearly died.
While Han Xuanji was still sorting through his memories, the entire crowd suddenly fell silent.
Countless gazes converged overhead.
Han Xuanji looked up and saw a handsome young man flying toward them on a sword. He cut a dashing figure, his robes fluttering. Though Han Xuanji had no idea how advanced the man's cultivation was, he looked every bit a powerful sword immortal.
Longing filled Han Xuanji's eyes. He looked far too cool.
What level of cultivator is he?
The young man landed on the platform and spoke in a steady voice:
"Your results are in. According to sect rules-the Grade A cutoff: thirteen people, admitted to the inner sect; the Grade B cutoff: two hundred and forty-nine people, admitted to the outer sect; the Grade C cutoff: one thousand people, admitted as menial disciples;
"The rest have failed. If you wish to join the Divine Profound Sect, please try again next year."
As soon as he finished speaking, many people eagerly took out their jade tokens to check their results.
"I made it! I made it! I'm in the outer sect!"
Someone shouted, holding his jade token high.
Someone else fell to his knees and wailed, slapping both hands against the ground:
"Damn it, I was so close! I almost passed."
By the standards of previous years, he would have made it into the sect.
Unfortunately, the average aptitude of this year's disciples was noticeably higher, and his ranking had been pushed down.
Han Xuanji nervously took out his own jade token.
Whether he could enter an immortal sect came down to this.
Come on!
This was the turning point of his fate.
The jade token clearly read:
"Number 987. Place of origin: Yong Province, Great Xia. Name: Han Xuanji."
"Spirit Root: upper-rank yellow-grade, affinities for wood and fire. Rating: upper Grade C."
"Character: endured one hour on the Heart-Questioning Bridge. Rating: middle Grade C."
"Comprehension: attained proficiency in a Qi Refinement method in half a month. Rating: lower Grade B."
"Special talent: none."
"Overall rating: upper Grade C;
"Overall ranking: 478th. Eligible to become a menial disciple."
"Not bad. I made the cutoff for menial disciples."
Han Xuanji breathed a sigh of relief.
Spiritual Qi was abundant in this world, and everyone had the aptitude to cultivate immortality.
But that did not mean there were no barriers to immortal cultivation.
Comprehension, background, physique, and Spirit Root talent were all barriers.
Spirit Root aptitude, which everyone possessed, was divided into five grades: heaven, earth, profound, yellow, and mortal. The gap between each grade was vast, and it could be said that a person's grade determined their upper limit to some extent.
His upper-rank yellow-grade Spirit Root was far stronger than a Mortal Spirit Root. Though it was inferior to a Profound-Grade Spirit Root, it was already among the best of the menial disciples. Spirit Roots determined the speed at which one absorbed Spiritual Qi, after all. A cultivator with a Mortal Spirit Root would struggle to break through the third level of Qi Refinement in a lifetime, while someone with an upper-rank yellow-grade Spirit Root had a chance to reach Foundation Establishment and become an outer disciple.
Those with profound-grade Spirit Roots or higher were seedlings the sect focused on nurturing.
His character and comprehension were not bad either; neither had held him back. His comprehension was even better than many others', so he counted among the best of the menial disciples.
"I'm satisfied. Getting into a major sect means I've made it ashore."
Han Xuanji was not disappointed that he had only become a menial disciple.
The Divine Profound Sect was one of Great Xia's four great immortal sects, with a long history and deep foundations. Even becoming a menial disciple there was many times better than being a Rogue Cultivator. Many people fought tooth and nail to get in, only to fail; Spirit Root aptitude, comprehension, and character were all tested.
Han Xuanji had long since learned that menial disciples of the Divine Profound Sect could cultivate too. They were not treated like beasts of burden, though their benefits were indeed somewhat worse.
Inner disciples, for example, would have no trouble finding a master after joining and would even be assigned a Dao peak of their own.
Menial disciples, on the other hand, were either assigned to the Menial Peak within the sect or sent to places in the outer regions, such as the medicine valleys, spirit fields, and Spirit Beast Mountain. Whether they found a master depended on luck. Some senior disciples might take apprentices, but they could not give them many resources.
Once the results were announced, some rejoiced while others despaired.
"Holy crap, you're a Grade A disciple!"
"As expected of the Zhao Household's genius from Lintian!"
The Grade A disciples in the crowd drew particular attention. The most conspicuous was a dark-skinned youth in a short, coarse-cloth jacket. He clutched his jade token tightly as the crowd surrounded him, his cheeks flushing red as he waved his hands helplessly.
"I... I was just lucky. I'm no genius."
At the same time, others murmured among themselves:
"He came from Black Stone City. I heard he worked in the mines from a young age. Nobody knew he had an Earth-Grade Spirit Root, and his comprehension is excellent too."
While some rejoiced, others were dismayed. Some people from immortal-cultivation lineages saw that they had only qualified as menial disciples, and their expressions changed. Their Spirit Root aptitude had already been tested and met the threshold for outer disciples, but they had not expected their comprehension to hold them back.
Now that they had been assigned as menial disciples, their lineages would allocate them far fewer resources as well.
Han Xuanji was unknown to everyone, which left him in peace.
At the same time, he felt a little lost. Immortal cultivation might be wonderful and marvelous,
but how was a genuine country bumpkin like him supposed to compete with everyone else?
The next day.
Han Xuanji boarded the sect's flying boat along with the young men and women who had passed. He could clearly see that some of the Grade A disciples were not with them.
From the others, he learned that important figures in the inner sect had taken a liking to those Grade A disciples the previous night and accepted them as their own. From then on, they would soar straight up to the clouds. Even some Grade B disciples had caught someone's eye.
Han Xuanji did not think it was unfair. In the world of immortal cultivation, talent was simply too important. Defying the heavens and changing one's fate was easy to talk about, but in practice, scarcely a handful in ten thousand cultivators could do it. The sect would naturally prioritize nurturing the most talented disciples.
Two days passed as they crossed mountains and lakes. At last, the flying boat came to rest on a platform atop a mountain. Clouds and mist swirled all around, and he could see the surrounding peaks rising and falling, with countless palaces, courtyards, and cave abodes set among them.
Although Han Xuanji had long known that the Divine Profound Sect was a major sect, seeing such a magnificent sight with his own eyes still left him deeply shaken.
They disembarked from the flying boat.
Led by a young man, the group headed to the sect square.
All newly admitted disciples took an initiation oath on their first day.
Taking the oath also marked their official entry into the Divine Profound Sect.
Now, all the new disciples arrived at the sect square.
A massive statue of the founding patriarch stood in the center of the square. It depicted a handsome young man, so lifelike that it seemed to possess a spirit.
Some people had already arrived beside the statue. They were the Grade A disciples who had disappeared earlier. Now dressed in inner disciple robes, they came to the center of the square with imposing bearing. Some wore Spirit Artifacts at their waists, and every one of them had an extraordinary presence, with divine radiance flowing around them.
"That's Ye Ping'an. I didn't expect him to have already broken through to the third level of Qi Refinement. He was still at the second level when I saw him before."
Someone seemed to recognize one of the Grade A disciples, his eyes full of envy.
"No need to guess. His new master probably gave him resources."
"It sure is nice to have someone backing you."
"He has good aptitude, that's all."
Han Xuanji showed nothing on his face, but deep down, he was a little envious of the treatment they received. After all, who wouldn't want a start like that?
"As a disciple of the Divine Profound Sect, I hereby swear:
"I shall make it my duty to slay demons, eradicate devils, and protect all living beings.
"I shall hold great love in my heart, putting the eradication of devils before the pursuit of immortality...
"Should I break this oath, I willingly submit to the sect's punishment.
"I, your disciple...
"Shall remember this oath and swear it here."
Only after the inner and outer disciples had finished their oaths was it time for the menial disciples.
Soon after,
it was Han Xuanji's group's turn. They gathered around the statue and began to swear their oaths.
Suddenly, a voice rang out beside Han Xuanji's ear.
[Host detected in a place imbued with Dao. Conditions met. Check in?]
"Check in... a system?"
Han Xuanji's heart jolted. He instinctively looked around but saw nothing out of the ordinary.
Could this be the cheat that came with transmigrating?
Han Xuanji ventured a question in his mind:
Are there any conditions for checking in?
[The host may check in at any place in this world imbued with Dao, but may only check in once per day.]
A place imbued with Dao?
Han Xuanji pondered it briefly, then put the question aside. While continuing his oath, he said silently:
System, check in.
[Congratulations to the host for successfully checking in before the founding patriarch's statue. Entry obtained: "Immortal's Aptitude."] [The Dao imbued in this place has been exhausted. No further check-ins are possible here.] [Host: Han Xuanji] [Cultivation: unranked] [Cultivation Method: Divine Profound Qi Refinement Method] [Entry: Immortal's Aptitude.] [Immortal's Aptitude]: [A term used in the immortal-cultivation world for those with top-tier talent. You possess an Immortal Spirit Root that far surpasses a Heaven Spirit Root, as well as aptitude compatible with all attributes, making you suited to cultivating any immortal-cultivation method.]