Immortal Ascension Conference, Shock

Liu Yi reclined against a carved sandalwood couch, while a dazzling spread of delicacies on the low table gave off rich aromas.

A young woman clad in gauze carefully fed Liu Yi.

Two other young women knelt behind him, their delicate hands like orchids as they kneaded his shoulders and neck with just the right amount of pressure.

As expected of a brothel in the capital, both the women's looks and the quality of the massage service far surpassed those in Green Mountain Town.

Surprisingly, the women in the brothel had also bound themselves to the system and learned martial arts.

If things continued this way, brothels might gradually disappear in the future.

After all, if they had another way out, who would be willing to sell smiles to please others?

The change was heartening, at least proving that his influence on this world was growing ever deeper.

Even women in places of pleasure finally had a chance to choose their own paths in life.

Still, the thought that it would be hard to enjoy such high-quality service again left Liu Yi feeling a touch wistful.

Glancing to the side, he saw Little Yellow lying on a soft couch with his eyes half-closed and a look of contentment on his face, evidently immersed in the comfortable indulgence as well.

Liu Yi thought no more of it. He slowly closed his eyes and sent his Divine Sense into the system, browsing the heated discussions of the battle on TikTok, the forums, and other platforms.

"Liu Yi is incredible! Nobody favored him before the match, but he was the one who really delivered!"

"Before the match, I thought he'd lose his nerve at the last moment, but he suppressed the state-protecting immortal master on the spot with a single palm strike. His strength is simply mind-boggling!"

"Liu Yi won that battle beautifully! The Jin State court probably won't dare pull any more tricks."

"This is a great victory for ordinary people! He really knocked those high-and-mighty immortal cultivators and nobles down a peg!"

"Haha, I'm the only one with a discerning eye! I was sure Liu Yi would win before the match and decisively bet 2,000 Energy Points. I made 10,000 just like that! What a huge profit!"

"The facts prove I made the right choice! The Dao Seed Martial Dao Cultivation System is in no way inferior to the Immortal Cultivation System!"

Liu Yi read through the comments one by one, the corners of his lips curving into a smile without his noticing.

The chain reaction from the duel had far exceeded expectations. It had solidified the foundation of the Dao Seed Martial Dao Cultivation System and helped countless cultivators regain their confidence.

It had also shattered any thoughts of resistance among the court's nobles.

After this battle, the Jin State court would be unable to stir up any more trouble for the time being, and the dust had finally settled.

It was time to set out on a new journey.

Only by traveling through countless mountains and rivers and comprehending the three thousand Great Dao Principles could he bring the World Seed to perfection.

More importantly, deducing a Cultivation Method for breaking through to the next realm also needed to be put on the agenda.

Time flew like a white steed flashing past a crack, and three years quietly slipped by.

The much-anticipated Immortal Ascension Conference had come around again. About 100,000 people, all harboring dreams of immortal cultivation, converged like a tide, packing the vast testing grounds until not a drop of water could have passed through.

Li Jie surveyed the bustling crowd before him, a satisfied smile curving his lips. He turned to Zheng Siqi beside him and said approvingly:

"You handled this beautifully! So many people knew about today's Immortal Ascension Conference and came in droves."

"I can see that quite a few of them have condensed presences. I'm afraid they've already cultivated mortal martial arts."

Hearing this, Zheng Siqi's smile deepened, and he thought to himself:

With the system, spreading word of the Immortal Ascension Conference was effortless. You're in for a surprise.

Eight or nine out of ten people here today have an aptitude for immortal cultivation. Quite a few peerless geniuses with Heavenly Spirit Roots might even emerge. Li Jie is sure to be shocked.

Things turned out just as Zheng Siqi had thought: nearly everyone who came had an aptitude for immortal cultivation.

Even more astonishingly, they recruited 1,000 people with Heavenly Spirit Roots in one go.

That had been unimaginable before. In the past, recruiting even a single disciple with a Heavenly Spirit Root would have counted as a tremendous gain.

They could not even recruit 1,000 people with an aptitude for immortal cultivation.

At first, Li Jie was both shocked and delighted, but as the number of qualified people kept rising, he gradually grew numb.

His face was blank with bewilderment. He could not understand what was happening at all.

Could his luck have been so extraordinary that he had managed to recruit so many qualified disciples at once?

But the number was absurd: a full 100,000 people had an aptitude for immortal cultivation.

Moreover, most had Three Spirit Roots or better, while those with Four Spirit Roots or Five Elements Spirit Roots were few and far between.

As for why there were so few people with Four Spirit Roots and Five Elements Spirit Roots who had an aptitude for immortal cultivation,

It was because people in the system had long since spread the word that there was no future in immortal cultivation for those with Four Spirit Roots or Five Elements Spirit Roots. It was a complete waste of time, and they would be better off practicing martial arts.

So very few people with Four Spirit Roots or Five Elements Spirit Roots attended the Immortal Ascension Conference.

With so many people, this was no longer a pleasant surprise but a fright.

Even the Heavenly Revelation Sect, with its deep foundations, could not accommodate 100,000 people with an aptitude for immortal cultivation.

Li Jie stood rooted to the spot, at a loss for what to do.

Seeing the bewilderment on Li Jie's face, Zheng Siqi hurriedly suggested:

"Senior Brother Li, 100,000 people with an aptitude for immortal cultivation is a lot, but none of them have poor aptitude. Why don't we report the situation to the sect and let it decide whether to recruit them all?"

Li Jie nodded in agreement. "You're right, Junior Brother Zheng. We should let the sect master and the others decide."

With that, he took out a communication Law Artifact and reported the situation at the Immortal Ascension Conference to the sect in detail.

When Lin Nan, the sect master of the Heavenly Revelation Sect, saw the message, he too found it hard to believe. After confirming it repeatedly, he found that it was true.

He immediately summoned the ten elders to discuss the matter.

"100,000 people with an aptitude for immortal cultivation, and 1,000 with Heavenly Spirit Roots?

Sect Master, are you joking? Could there be something wrong with the testing Law Artifact?" Lan Sheng looked utterly incredulous, thinking Lin Nan was joking.

Lin Nan explained, "I've already confirmed it with Li Jie. It's true. Li Jie has no reason to falsify this; a simple investigation would reveal the truth."

"What worries me now is that there may be something wrong with the testing Law Artifact, so I'd like to ask Junior Brother Lan to take a new Law Artifact there and test them again."

Lan Sheng pressed on. "You've considered everything, Sect Master, but if all 100,000 really do have an aptitude for immortal cultivation, do we accept them or not?"

Lin Nan said decisively, "If it's true, recruit them all! That way, we won't have to worry about finding people to operate the Spiritual Qi Conversion Grand Formation, and we can even set up a few more."

"If there isn't enough room at the outer sect's residence, we can simply expand it. That won't be difficult for us."

He paused, glanced around at everyone, and spoke slowly:

"I know what concerns you: you're worried there's something questionable about where these people came from.

But there's no need to worry. No one would be foolish enough to hand so many people with an aptitude for immortal cultivation over to our Heavenly Revelation Sect for nothing, strengthening our sect for no reason.

Besides, even if we turn them away, they can still join other immortal cultivation sects.

By then, we'll have missed an opportunity to strengthen our sect for nothing."

"This may well mean a golden age is coming. Otherwise, so many people with an aptitude for immortal cultivation wouldn't have suddenly appeared."

"A golden age is often accompanied by a great calamity. The battle in the Long River of Time that appeared at the sect last time may have been an omen.

We need to seize this opportunity to strengthen ourselves so we can deal with future crises."

"Wise words, Sect Master. That's what we'll do!" All ten elders expressed their agreement.

Lin Nan looked at Lan Sheng. "Sorry to trouble you to make the trip, Junior Brother Lan."

Lan Sheng bowed solemnly. "I obey your command, Sect Master!"

Soon afterward, Lan Sheng arrived at the Immortal Ascension Conference with the testing Law Artifact and instructed Li Jie:

"Li Jie, this is the sect's new testing Law Artifact. Arrange for everyone to be tested again immediately, and carefully confirm whether they all truly have an aptitude for immortal cultivation."

"Yes, Elder Lan!" Li Jie replied respectfully, then set about organizing the retesting.

A long while later, the retesting was complete.

Lan Sheng looked at the final results and said nothing for a long time.

All 100,000 people did indeed have an aptitude for immortal cultivation.

He made a snap decision. "Li Jie, arrange flying boats and take them all back to the Heavenly Revelation Sect."

Li Jie could not help asking for confirmation once more. "We're recruiting all 100,000?"

Lan Sheng nodded with a look of conviction. "All of them."

Meanwhile, similar scenes were playing out in the Yue State, the Fire State, and the other states the system had reached.

The major sects sprang into action upon hearing the news. Faced with such an opportunity to recruit disciples, one rarely seen in a century, they naturally would not let it pass.

Without exception, they took everyone with an aptitude for immortal cultivation into their ranks.