Joining the Sect

Compared to the Wu Hun Instructor who was eliminated in the first round, Jiang Mingshan, with his special "One-Line Sword Physique," fought his way to the end. However, he failed the mental test and was readily abandoned by the Divine Sword Sect.

With less than three days left before the Mysterious Peak Sect's recruitment drive, Jiang Mingshan raced along on his flying sword, making the journey as fast as he could, and finally arrived at the last minute.

"So, after all that trouble and effort, you're still on the same starting line as me?" Hu Mang said with great interest.

"..." Wu Hun, Jiang Mingshan.

The truth is cruel, but it hurts.

Especially Jiang Mingshan, who was being blown around by the fierce winds from the sky and felt his old leg pain flare up from the flying sword.

Who would have thought that the Divine Sword Sect wouldn't even accept people with sword bodies!

The crowd waited for about half an hour. As the sun rose higher, it gilded the outline of the Heavenly Peak Mountains with a golden edge. There was still no movement from the other side. The guiding disciple had not yet arrived. Some impatient whispers began to emerge from the crowd, and some even began to wonder if they had remembered the date wrong.

Just then, the ground beneath their feet suddenly trembled slightly.

The tremor was extremely slight, like a sigh coming from the depths of the earth; it was almost imperceptible unless one paid close attention.

But Hu Mang immediately stood up, put the token in his hand into his pocket, and turned his gaze towards the depths of Tianyue.

Then, a deep, muffled roar, like rocks splitting open, came from the depths of the Heavenly Peak Mountains. Every corner of the entire mountain range resounded with a boom, as if the mountains themselves were awakening and stretching their long-dormant musculature. Immediately afterward, the ground began to tremble continuously.

The mountain mist in the distance began to surge and swirl, as if stirred by an invisible hand, gradually condensing into a huge, slowly rotating vortex.

At the center of the vortex, a bluish-yellow light began to shine. At first, it was very faint, like an oil lamp flickering in the thick fog, but it grew brighter and stronger, eventually transforming into a pillar of light several meters in diameter that shot straight into the sky, tearing a huge hole in the clouds above the Heavenly Peak Mountains.

After the pillar of light dissipated, a massive stone gate appeared at the foot of the mountain.

The stone gate was about ten zhang tall and was made of two whole bluish-gray boulders. The door frame was covered with dense ancient runes, which shone with a faint golden luster in the sunlight, as if they had just been awakened.

The two doors of the stone gate were slowly opening inward, emitting a deep creaking sound, like an ancient tree being slowly sawed open. With each inch the doors opened, the ground trembled, and the concentration of Spiritual Qi in the air increased accordingly.

As the stone gate opened fully, a rich Spiritual Qi, carrying the fragrance of grass and trees and the scent of rocks, surged out from within, like an invisible wave that swept across the entire open space, causing everyone present to involuntarily take a deep breath.

Two young men dressed in khaki Daoist robes walked out, coughing and looking dizzy.

One of them was still complaining.

"I already told you, adjusting the terrain at the entrance by forty degrees is enough, but you insisted on making it ninety degrees. Now look what's happened, you've brought all the miasma from Azure Secluded Valley up here. You'll be waiting for your master's scolding later."

"I was just trying to see if I could carve a passage directly into the mountain from the inside, and you didn't object, did you? If you're going to punish me, you'll punish me too."

"You're so heartless! What's wrong with making you take the blame? Did you not eat the deer I hunted yesterday or something?"

"I haven't even mastered the Peak-Subduing Talisman, and you're making me take the blame? Do you want me to die even faster?"

Under the watchful eyes of a group of Rogue Cultivators, the two Daoist priests at the mountain gate started doing the work themselves before they even began to greet the guests.

"Ahem, alright, alright, business is important. Are you all just Rogue Cultivators here to participate in the assessment?" One of the Daoist priests from the mountain gate straightened his robe and coughed.

"Alright, let's verify the information now. Everyone, please take three steps back."

Everyone did as instructed.

Those with innate talents related to earth or wood Spirit Roots, step forward.

A cute little girl, as adorable as a ginseng doll, stepped forward with encouragement from her family.

The Hu Mang sensed a strong vitality emanating from the other creature.

"Those who are proficient in various techniques such as moving mountains, repairing peaks, and suppressing veins, please step forward."

No one stepped forward.

Hu Mang hesitated for a moment, then realized that his "civil engineering qualification certificate" would probably be useless here, so he gave up the idea of going forward.

"Those who have been bestowed titles by Orthodox Gods, step forward, such as the Peak-Subduing Divine Lord, the Lord of the Land, or the Mountain and Lake God."

A peasant woman hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward.

The Daoist priest at the mountain gate sized the other person up and down, finding that the other person had no Spiritual Qi whatsoever and was just a mortal. He couldn't help but ask, "Which Orthodox God bestowed this gift upon you?"

"I received the blessing of the Child-Giving Goddess," the peasant woman said cautiously.

"The Child-Giving Goddess? Isn't that a midwife?" The Daoist priest at the mountain gate gasped. "Then what are you doing here at our Mysterious Peak Sect? Are you sure you haven't chosen the wrong sect?"

The peasant woman nodded nervously.

"Shall I demonstrate the Divine Ability of the Child-Giving Goddess?"

"No, no, no, I don't need it," the Daoist priest at the mountain gate was startled. Although he didn't know what kind of Divine Ability this was, he didn't want it at all.

"Alright, then you wait here," another Daoist from the mountain gate pondered for a moment, then said, "Besides that, are there any other special skills? I'm not talking about the skills of Rogue Cultivators, but rather special abilities, such as having been to the Fragment of the Heavenly Palace True Talisman Register, having Pill Classic grade four or above, or some rare unorthodox Technique Method that don't harm people. If you have a special skill, we can select the best candidates; otherwise, you can only participate in the assessment."

Jiang Mingshan immediately raised his hand and said excitedly:

"I was born with the 'One-Line Sword Physique' and am skilled in using flying swords."

"What are these naturally gifted sword-wielding people doing here? We don't have any sword-wielding traditions here," the mountain gate Daoist complained, feeling that this group of people was rather strange. "This one doesn't count, next one."

The Wu Hun also spoke, "My muscles and bones are fully developed; I can withstand a ten-thousand-pound stone and capture a hundred-year-old Demon Beast alive."

"This is quite good. Did you create this external cultivation method yourself?" The Daoist priest at the mountain gate became interested.

"It was I who pioneered this."

"Impressive, what kind of Spirit Root do you have?"

"Earth, Metal, and Fire as the three Spirit Roots."

"Three Spirit Roots?!" The light in the Daoist's eyes visibly faded, but he was still unwilling to give up. "Which one is your main Spirit Root?"

"Golden Spirit Root."

"..." The Daoist priest at the mountain gate.

Jin Kemu, and also restrained by earth, what kind of talents have come this year?

"Anything else? If not, then we're done."

Next, several Rogue Cultivators revealed Rogue Cultivator skills, but these were all skills that no major sect would bother picking up if they fell on the ground.

Seeing that it was almost time, Hu Mang took out the Mysterious Peak Token and went out.

Upon seeing the token, the two disciples were initially taken aback, but then they came to their senses. One of them immediately grabbed the token to verify its authenticity, while the other hesitated.

"The Peak-Subduing Token, which is only granted to True Disciples, allows anyone to join the sect and receive its protection, regardless of their Root Bone talent or aptitude. Who gave you this token? Who owes you such a huge favor?"

"It should be Senior Yue Chongzheng, but he doesn't owe me anything. He owes someone else, and I got it from that person," Hu Mang said after thinking for a moment.

"Alright, since that's the case, you can directly join the sect without going through the examination, and you can directly enter the Three Mountains and Five Peaks Dharma Lineage. Oh, by the way, what kind of Spirit Root do you have?"

"Dual Spirit Roots in earth and wood."

"That's good. In our Mysterious Peak Sect, dual Spirit Roots of earth and wood are more sought after than Heavenly Spirit Roots."

Next, another disciple led the others to participate in the assessment. This disciple, named Zhou Yimu, led the Hu Mang, the little girl, and the peasant woman straight to Entering River Peak in the Three Mountains.

The two passed each other, and Jiang Mingshan and Wu Hun stared wide-eyed at Hu Mang, as if to say, "Dog, you've changed! We agreed to all become Rogue Cultivators together, why did you run off first?"

Hu Mang retorted, "Didn't you guys jump the gun first? If you can do it, why can't I?"

On the way, Zhou Yimu was explaining basic sect knowledge to the three of them.

"Our Mysterious Peak Sect Three Mountains and Five Peaks Dharma Lineage. The Three Mountains are Entering the River, Locking Waves, and Uniting Spirits, while the Five Peaks lineage consists of Spring Thunder Ridge, Li Flame Mountain, Yellow Court Mountain, Great White Peak, and Pure Water Cliff."

"Among them, the Three Mountains lineage teaches the skills of moving mountains, repairing peaks, and suppressing veins, while the Five Mountains correspond to talismans, weapon crafting, magic refining, combat, and alchemy, each with its own strengths."

"However, our sect focuses on practical application rather than rigid rules. The skills you learn in the Three Mountains lineage can also be learned in the Five Sacred Mountains lineage, and vice versa. It may seem that the Three Mountains lineage is of a higher level than the Five Sacred Mountains lineage, but the competition is also fierce. If your desire for the Dao is not that intense, you can choose the latter."

"As for the so-called Five Sacred Mountains lineage, they are not actually specialized in any one area. For example, although it is said that they use flames to forge weapons and pure water to refine pills, the fire- Li Flame Mountain is also unparalleled. Conversely, the cloud, rain, water, and mist weapon techniques of Pure Water Cliff still have the ability to change celestial phenomena and stir up the universe."

"So the saying about the Three Mountains and Five Peaks is just that—a saying. What you actually learn, what you practice, and who you take as your master are all very particular."

"Moreover, even if you join the Three Mountains sect, you won't stay there forever. Once you join the Five Sacred Mountains sect, you can still change your lineage to the Three Mountains sect after the sect's assessment."

Zhou Yimu glanced at Hu Mang and said, "Take Senior Brother Yue Chongzheng, for example. He originally cultivated fire techniques at Li Flame Mountain, and later won first place in the sect competition, which is how he entered the Uniting Spirits lineage among the Three Mountains."

"To outsiders, it may seem that the lineages of the Three Mountains and Five Peaks are different, but in fact, the Cultivation Methods practiced by the disciples at the beginning are all the same. They are all based on the 'Three Mountains and Five Peaks Dharma Lineage Lesser Liberation of the Lineage of the Three Mountains and Five Peaks.' In addition to the Lesser Liberation, there are also Middle Liberation, True Liberation, and the individual interpretations of the True Person of each school."

"Once you have mastered the Three Flowers and Five Qi, the Cultivation Methods of each meridian will begin to diverge..."