He Was Giving Up the Throne!

So, in order to find the right candidate, during the recent New Year holiday in Xiushui City, he returned to his own Yuhua Palace in the capital city and carefully selected the candidate from the Li Clan family genealogy.

"What? Ancestor, I'm going to walk the Heart-Questioning Road too?"

Inside the Feather Palace, Li Zhouxuan looked at the list his ancestor had just given him, and his feelings were beyond astonishment.

How could he be here? There's actually someone like him!

The ancestor arranged for me to walk the Heart-Questioning Road, surely not just to make up a large enough group, right? Of course, he hoped I would pass it, didn't he?

But what if I actually pass?

He's giving up being emperor?

Although being an emperor is definitely better than cultivating, it's not like he hadn't tried to cultivate before.

He was guided by his elders to pursue cultivation from the age of three until he was twelve. When his elders saw that he had no talent, they began to train him to become an emperor. However, he never completely gave up cultivation and still often meditates for a few hours during his rest time to consolidate his cultivation.

But he's only at the Qi Refining First Layer!

Sitting at the head of the table, Li Zhanying stroked his long beard and spoke gently to Li Zhouxuan:

"Among the Li Clan, if we disregard cultivation level and only consider character, I have the highest hopes for you. From a young age, you have been meticulous and handled matters appropriately. It's just a pity that you've lacked some luck in cultivation... If you can Heart-Questioning Road this time, that will be your fortuitous opportunity. How could you be held back by the mundane throne of an emperor?"

Upon hearing this, Li Zhouxuan fell silent.

As our ancestor said, for the Li Household, it wouldn't make much difference if someone else took the throne of the Pusi Kingdom.

For a thousand years, the nation has followed precedents for minor matters, and consulted and discussed major matters with the elders of the clan.

Besides, Li Zhouxuan only went to the Lingxian Sect to cultivate, he didn't die. If the successor has something he's unsure about, using Sound Transmission Talisman or even going back himself isn't a big deal.

Didn't you see that Mo Yuanjiao, ever since he joined the Lingxian Sect, has been able to run back to the capital every now and then without ever being stopped?

Clearly, the Lingxian Sect doesn't mind this.

As long as one cultivates diligently and fulfills the sect's duties, it won't be difficult to occasionally return to the country to assist the successor...

Although Li Zhouxuan has never even seen what the so-called Heart-Questioning Road looks like, he has already mentally arranged all the matters concerning his joining the Lingxian Sect.

If it fails to pass, then everything is abandoned; but if it passes, then everything can be done according to plan.

Sitting at the head of the table, Li Zhanying observed the undisguised changes in his expression and knew that he had already made up his mind.

Sure enough, the next moment, Li Zhouxuan looked up with a firm gaze and said to himself, "Zhouxuan will certainly live up to the Ancestor's expectations and strive to walk that Heart-Questioning Road!"

Of the list of the Li Clan clan members to be sent on the Heart-Questioning Road prepared by Li Zhanying, only Li Zhouxuan's identity needed to be discussed; the others were simply notified directly.

Now that Li Zhouxuan's decision has been made, Li Zhanying immediately led several of his disciples to the Lingxian Sect to contact Liu Yunan.

On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, Xiushui City was still immersed in the lively festive atmosphere.

At the foot of the Lingxian Sect Sect's mountain, Isolation Formation had already been activated, blocking both sight and Divine Sense, and preventing outsiders from entering, in order to prevent residents from accidentally entering or others from spying on them.

Liu Yunan was quite surprised to see that Li Zhanying had only brought five people with him.

He had assumed that the Li Clan would bring a large group of people to try it out, with the idea that the more the merrier.

What if all five of them fail the test? Should we go back and find more people? That would cause further delays, and what if they can't resume work by the seventh day of the Lunar New Year?

Moreover...

Liu Yunan looked at one of the five people standing to the side with some uncertainty.

This person looks so familiar...

Unsure, he glanced at it a couple more times.

Isn't that Li Zhouxuan? The Li Zhouxuan who was previously their emperor, right? He's also here to undergo the Heart-Questioning Road? Is that for real?

What if he really does pass away, and then he doesn't become emperor?

Or does he have a twin brother?

Liu Yunan was somewhat puzzled, but this was a matter for the Li Clan. He was more worried that if there weren't enough people, they wouldn't all Heart-Questioning Road" test. So, he hesitated and asked Li Zhanying:

"Senior Li, are these just the five of you? Do you need to bring more people?"

Upon hearing this, Li Zhanying smiled and shook his head, pointing to the five young people standing quietly to the side:

"These five disciples are the most resilient and virtuous members of the Li Clan. If they cannot pass your sect's Heart-Questioning Road, then it seems that the Li Clan is not destined to be with your sect, and we will not force it."

Liu Yunan could only nod in agreement, and then said:

"If more than one of these five people passes the Heart-Questioning Road, they can all join our sect, provided that your Li Clan is willing."

Li Zhanying smiled and nodded:

"Thank you for your esteemed guidance."

Of the five people, four were men and one was a woman Li Yuanze, Golden Core cultivator from the Li Clan, was not among them.

It wasn't that Li Zhanying was reluctant to let him go, but after careful consideration, he felt that Li Yuanze's character and management skills weren't very good.

His ability to successfully cultivate to the Golden Core was mostly due to his Single Spirit Root aptitude.

Li Zhanying had a reference point for selecting these young men.

Heart-Questioning Road truly tests, the Lingxian Sect clearly told them that it requires a resilient mind and excellent character.

But what constitutes a resilient character and what constitutes good conduct is a matter of opinion.

After all, apart from a few truly wicked people and True Lord, many people in the world think they are good, but this sense of goodness is subjective and varies from person to person.

Therefore, while Li Zhanying was pondering the matter himself, he also used successful examples as references.

Compared to other sects and foreign royal families that wanted to recruit members into the Lingxian Sect, this was a small advantage for the Li Clan.

Because within the Lingxian Sect today, there are two disciples who grew up at the foot of the imperial city of the Pusi Kingdom.

Mo Yuanjiao and Xuanyuan Haoyue.

Mo Yuanjiao passed the Heart-Questioning Road a few years ago, and it is said that it took a very short time.

Xuanyuan Haoyue encountered some unexpected events at that time. It is said that only one disciple had taken the Heart-Questioning Road in advance during that recruitment. The others were affected by the unexpected events, which resulted in no difference in the time taken. However, her outstanding performance in both cultivation and handling affairs in the sect later showed that she was very much in line with the Lingxian Sect Sect's selection criteria.

Although Li Zhanying didn't know these two children very well, as the Li Clan Ancestor who was stationed in the capital of the Pusi Kingdom, it would be too easy for him to learn about the lives of two young people who were related to the royal family for more than ten years.

Li Zhanying naturally possessed the ability to know about their lives and how they treated others over the past ten years, and then discern their character from that.

Therefore, the five people he brought with him were carefully selected based on their individual abilities after considering Mo Yuanjiao and Xuanyuan Haoyue.