121: Tianjian Sect

[You recalled the feeling of being blocked by an invisible barrier when comprehending the Immortal Slaying Sword Art, knowing clearly that it would be difficult to achieve a Breakthrough by practicing in isolation.]

[Looking at the Heavenly Sword Sect ahead, magnificent in Aura and soaring with Sword Intent, you made a decision—you must join this Sect and systematically study the Dao of the Sword!]

[Thinking of this, you resolutely walked toward the Sect gate.]

[Although the Heavenly Sword Sect's Sect gate looked close, it actually took you half an hour of walking and flying to reach it.]

[After arriving at the Sect gate, you stepped onto a leveled mountain peak whose cross-section was as smooth as a mirror. Upon it stood an ancient and grand "Reception Hall."]

[You walked into the hall and saw many Loose Cultivators already sitting and waiting—men, women, old, and young—their Qi/Breath messy, most of their eyes filled with anticipation and nervousness.]

[You also found a corner and sat down quietly.]

[This wait lasted three days.]

[Three days later, over a hundred Loose Cultivators from various places had gathered in the main hall.]

[A Reception Disciple wearing Heavenly Sword Sect attire and sporting a serious expression walked forward and clearly announced the assessment requirements:]

["This entrance examination consists of three stages: The first stage tests Spiritual Root Aptitude, the second stage is traversing the Heart-Questioning Great Formation, and the third stage is a drawing-based competition. Only by passing all three stages can you enter the Heavenly Sword Sect!"]

[After speaking, he pointed to a two-meter-high Spiritual Testing Stele in the center of the hall.]

["Begin!"]

[As soon as his voice fell, the Loose Cultivators quickly formed a long line and stepped forward for testing one by one.]

["I wonder if I'll be eliminated..." You felt a little nervous, knowing that your Spiritual Root and Aptitude were not good.]

[However, you relaxed slightly after hearing the test results of a few people—]

["Xu Zhentian, Low Grade Mixed Spiritual Root, Pass!"]

["Chu Yan, Low Grade Pseudo Spiritual Root, Pass!"]

["Fu Lang, Inferior Grade Five Elements Spiritual Root, Pass!"]

[You noticed that many people had Aptitude only slightly better than yours, yet the Heavenly Sword Sect accepted them. Was the threshold for accepting Disciples too low for this Sect?]

[You were a bit curious and asked the person next to you: "Brother, my name is Qin Chen. Do you happen to know why the Heavenly Sword Sect's recruitment threshold seems rather low?"]

["My name is Pang Jia. Brother, you're not from Yu Country, are you?" Pang Jia scrutinized you.]

[You nodded: "That's right, I came to Yu Country by accident."]

[Pang Jia leaned closer and lowered his voice: "Brother Qin, you might not know this, but although the Heavenly Sword Sect is a first-rate Sect on Ziyang Star, it is only considered a third-rate Sect in the entire Zixiao Immortal Domain, so they generally accept anyone who comes to recruit new Disciples."]

["This is Ziyang Star?" You blurted out.]

["What, are you from another Star Continent?" Pang Jia looked at you and shook his head with a smile.]

[In the large cities of every Star Continent, there are great teleportation Formations that span the continent, but each use requires at least ten thousand Spirit Stones.]

[Ten thousand Spirit Stones is an amount most Qi Refinement Stage Loose Cultivators might not accumulate in their entire lives.]

[Pang Jia naturally didn't believe a Loose Cultivator like you could produce ten thousand Spirit Stones.]

[Although his voice was low just now, a dozen or so nearby Loose Cultivators heard it and looked over at you.]

[You felt more than ten strands of Divine Sense sweeping across your body.]

[However, you didn't pay attention to these prying Divine Sense.]

[You hadn't expected to flee to Ziyang Star again, the location of Ziyang Palace!]

["Did Senior come to Ziyang Star on purpose?" You muttered secretly in your heart.]

[Through Pang Jia's introduction, you learned that the large and small Cultivation forces on Ziyang Star today are deeply entrenched and number in the thousands!]

[Before you knew it, it was quickly your turn to be tested.]

[When your hand pressed onto the Spiritual Testing Stele, the stele only emitted a faint, almost invisible gray light, looking as if it might extinguish at any moment.]

["Mortal... Mortal Grade... Waste Spiritual Root..." The Reception Disciple looked at you in disbelief.]

[You already knew this result.]

[But it drew undisguised ridicule from the surroundings.]

["Hmph, a Mortal Grade Spiritual Root wants to join a Sect? Better go home and farm!"]

["Truly lacking self-awareness. This is the first time I've seen someone with a Mortal Grade Spiritual Root dare to sign up."]

["Cultivating with this kind of Aptitude is just a waste of time and resources."]

["Exactly, this kind of Spiritual Root Aptitude is a Gold-Swallowing Beast. Might as well die sooner and reincarnate quickly."]

[It turned out that a Mortal Grade Spiritual Root was equivalent to a Waste Spiritual Root—it contained at least six Spiritual Root attributes, which were messy, mottled, and mutually restrictive.]

[This type of Spiritual Root absorbs Spiritual Qi extremely slowly, yet requires enormous resources. It can be called the Gold-Swallowing Beast of the Cultivation world.]

[Many Mortals, unwilling to be ordinary, often Awaken this type of Spiritual Root after taking a spirit awakening pill to Awaken their Spiritual Root.]

[Spiritual Roots and Aptitude seem predetermined by Heaven. Some are born favored children of Heaven, while others struggle their whole lives and still can't reach the starting point of others.]

[Amidst the laughter, Pang Jia, who was beside you, patted your shoulder and whispered, "Brother, don't take it to heart. Aptitude isn't everything. I heard that some Seniors also succeeded through Acquired effort."]

[A gentle-tempered female Cultivator with clear eyes nearby also cast an encouraging look towards you and softly said, "The Dao is obstructed and long, but if you walk, you will arrive."]

[You looked at her, smiled, and nodded: "Thank you! May I ask what your name is, miss?"]

["Shen Yao." She nodded slightly.]

[You smiled in response, said nothing more, but kept this kindness in mind.]

[Next, you looked at the Reception Disciple, cupped your hands, and asked, "Senior Brother, I wonder... did I pass?"]

[The Reception Disciple frowned, looking troubled: "The Heavenly Sword Sect has never accepted a Disciple with a Mortal Grade Spiritual Root before..."]

[Without waiting for him to finish, you handed over a bag of Spirit Stones: "Senior Brother, my Aptitude won't cause trouble for the Sect. It's just one more person to feed."]

[The Reception Disciple took the bag and swept it with his Divine Sense, instantly beaming with joy: "Excellent! Although the Aptitude is poor, the Comprehension Ability is extremely high. Pass... Pass! Hahaha!"]

[You actually didn't give much, only a thousand Spirit Stones, which was less than the change you carried. But for this Reception Disciple, a thousand Spirit Stones was a windfall.]

[It was quickly time for the second stage: the Heart-Questioning Formation.]

[This Formation was mainly used to screen for spies and those with ill will towards the Sect.]

[After the Formation was activated, everyone entered it one after another.]

[You entered calmly, free of distracting thoughts—]

[In an instant, illusions surged forth, and you seemed to enter a real world...]

[You successfully joined the Heavenly Sword Sect, and your innate talent was peerless, making you a once-in-ten-thousand-years prodigy of the Sect...]

[Soon after, you were taken as a Personal Disciple by the Sect Master, and your Senior Brothers also took good care of you...]

[Just a century passed, and you became the number one person in the Heavenly Sword Sect and were designated as the next Sect Master...]

[A thousand years later, you led the Heavenly Sword Sect to become the number one Sect on Ziyang Star...]

[Suddenly, a white light flashed before your eyes, and you woke up abruptly.]

[After opening your eyes, you found yourself still in the Reception Hall.]

[It turned out that everything just now was merely a "daydream."]