35: Chapter 35 Only those with flawless pure Yin jade can enter the gate.

Outside the Mission Hall, the moment Ling Hao landed, Chi Wanhe's previously imposing Aura instantly melted away like ice and snow.

She was like a returning skylark, bringing with her a sweet, youthful fragrance. She nestled up to him affectionately, her arms naturally winding around Ling Hao's arm, her soft body almost half-leaning against him as she swayed.

"Revered Master, Revered Master! Look, look! I was just imitating Vice Sect Master Yu outside. Do I look like her? Do I have the prestige and Aura of a Senior Sister?"

She tilted up her small face, bright and charming, her lips parting to release orchid-like breath, her unique body scent lingering faintly.

Through the thin fabric of his sleeve, Ling Hao could clearly feel the delicate warmth of the young girl's arm, as well as the exquisite, full, and soft sensation that inadvertently pressed against him.

A wisp of faint fragrance quietly drifted into his nostrils, making him feel slightly intoxicated.

His heart stirred imperceptibly, but his expression remained calm.

In his mind, he recalled his Disciple outside the Sect just moments ago—the cold, sharp gaze she had used to face provocation, the resounding questions she had posed, and the decisive, awe-inspiring Aura that had shaken everyone present. She had indeed captured a few traces of Yu Lingshuang's essence.

"Hmm, you've captured a bit of her form and spirit," Ling Hao said, nodding with a smile, intentionally teasing her.

"But be careful. If you imitate her too well, watch out for your Vice Sect Master Yu coming to cause trouble for you!"

"Actually, it's fine to just be yourself. There's no need to deliberately imitate someone else's temperament."

Upon hearing this, Chi Wanhe immediately pouted, her cheeks puffing out like a little pufferfish, glaring at Ling Hao indignantly:

"Hmph! But it's clearly you all who always say I don't look like a Senior Sister!"

As she spoke, her body pressed closer, making the soft sensation and the sweet, clean scent even more distinct.

Ling Hao helplessly looked at this little cat almost hanging on him, and flicked her smooth forehead with his finger:

"You little fool, Revered Master meant that as a Senior Sister, you need to be more composed on formal occasions and not be too lively or jumpy. I didn't ask you to lose your true self and become a second Yu Lingshuang."

Is this girl doing this unintentionally, or on purpose? You are making Revered Master very uncomfortable like this...

Chi Wanhe rubbed her forehead, still puffing out her cheeks, and stubbornly stared at Ling Hao with her big, watery eyes, looking as if she had suffered a great grievance.

Ling Hao felt his heart waver slightly under her gaze. He averted his eyes and flipped his palm, causing a jade token to fly out:

"Alright, this is the Nine-Palace Token (True Disciple). Take this Junior Sister to the Mission Hall to register her identity."

"I—know—now..."

Chi Wanhe finally let go of his arm unwillingly, took the token, and replied with a drawn-out tone.

Leaving the warmth of her Revered Master's arm, Chi Wanhe felt a small sense of loss in her heart.

Once Ling Hao's figure disappeared, Chi Wanhe immediately restrained her little girl act and turned her curious gaze toward the young girl who had been following quietly like a little white rabbit.

The girl was dressed in an old, washed-out cloth dress, her figure slender and frail, her small face delicate and clean, carrying a hint of timid, childish innocence, like a budding sprout on a branch in early spring.

Her chest was still green and flat; she was at an age where she hadn't fully matured yet.

Sensing Chi Wanhe's probing gaze, Lu Changning subconsciously shrank her shoulders.

Just outside the mountain gate, this Senior Sister had been so cold and majestic, keeping people at a distance.

But once back in the Sect, especially in front of the Sect Master... that intimate, dependent posture was like a completely different person!

This strong contrast left her both curious and somewhat at a loss.

"What is your name?"

Chi Wanhe leaned in closer, softening her voice, with a hint of intimate laughter.

"Lu, Lu Changning." The young girl's voice was faint but clear.

Chi Wanhe keenly captured Lu Changning's gaze, which was filled with gratitude as she followed the departing Revered Master, yet she was too timid to step forward.

A flash of understanding crossed Chi Wanhe's eyes. She suddenly lowered her voice and asked with a mischievous smile:

"Little Junior Sister Changning, do you... secretly want to take my Revered Master as your teacher?"

"Ah?! "

Lu Changning was like a startled fawn, jumping in fright. She waved her hands in a panic, her small face instantly turning bright red:

"No, no! This Disciple would never dare to have such a presumptuous wish!"

Chi Wanhe's gaze swept seemingly unintentionally across Lu Changning's still-flat chest.

She looked down at her own exquisite, though not exaggerated, curves, touched her delicate chin thoughtfully, and muttered in a serious, low voice:

"Hmm... However, the threshold to become Revered Master's Disciple... does seem to be a bit high, oh."

Lu Changning followed her gaze to look down at herself, and when she looked back up, her clear eyes were filled with deeper confusion and incomprehension—threshold? What threshold?

...

Night fell, shrouding Tianyuan Mountain.

The Sect Master's main hall stood imposingly, with a black jade Foundation and silver-tiled eaves, looking magnificent.

Above the hall, a huge Taiji star map floated silently, rotating slowly day and night, casting a soft and mysterious starlight that brought a hazy glow to the hall.

Inside the hall, Yu Lingshuang's cold voice rang out clearly:

"Reporting to the Sect Master, today's mountain-opening ceremony is complete. A total of one hundred and twenty-five Disciples have been recorded."

"Among them, one hundred and eight passed the Six-Turn Corridor and were recorded as Outer Sect Disciples."

"Sixteen passed the Seven-Turn Corridor and were promoted to Inner Sect Disciples."

"One passed the Eight-Turn Corridor and was promoted to True Disciple," she paused, "only one, Lu Changning."

"The new Disciples have been temporarily placed in the Houde Peak Disciple quarters."

Ling Hao nodded slightly. Then the System's rewards...

"Ding! The number of Sect Disciples has reached ten. The Sect Master's cultivation has increased to the first level of Foundation Establishment!"

"Ding! One hundred Disciples recruited. Main quest completed. Reward issued: Marrow Cleansing Pool."

"Please select the location for the Marrow Cleansing Pool."

"Houde Peak." Ling Hao decided instantly.

After selecting the location, Ling Hao raised his eyes, but noticed a subtle atmosphere in the hall.

Not only was Yu Lingshuang looking at him with a slightly strange gaze, but the three Elders standing to the side—Huang Yutong, Qu Qingzhu, and Li Sumei—also had expressions that betrayed an unconcealable oddity.

Ling Hao frowned slightly: "Is there anything unusual?"

Yu Lingshuang stepped forward, her voice steady but with a hint of inquiry:

"Sect Master, the Disciples recruited this time... total one hundred and twenty-five, all female."

Ling Hao was instantly stunned:

"...Hmm?"

All female? What's going on? He immediately called out in his heart:

"System? Sister System? Sister? Explain?"

A line of cold text, visible only to him, appeared quietly before his eyes: [Sect Core Law: Only those who are pure Yin and flawless (virgins) can resonate with the Nine-Turn Corridor and enter the mountain gate.]

Note: Those connected to the Sect Master's Yin and Yang Qi have reached the loyalty limit and can be an exception.

Trials are tested monthly; those who do not reach sixty turns or who do not belong to the Sect Master upon their first test will be expelled.

Pure Yin attraction? Females?

Ling Hao reacted quickly, almost failing to keep his mouth from curling upward.

Good fellow, now I really have become the only green leaf among ten thousand flowers!

He coughed lightly, quickly suppressing his strange feelings, and returned to a calm expression on his face:

"This is the result of the natural selection of the Nine-Turn Corridor trial. The trial is correct; as long as the Disciples' Aptitude and Heart-Nature pass, gender is not the key. Alright, let's talk about business."

Yu Lingshuang had only been reporting the phenomenon, so she said no more upon hearing this, waiting quietly for instructions.

Half an hour later, Yu Lingshuang walked out of the Sect Master's main hall with Huang Yutong and the other two women.

The night wind outside the hall was cool, but Huang Yutong, Qu Qingzhu, and Li Sumei were flushed with excitement, clutching each other's hands, their lowered voices full of irrepressible ecstasy:

"Did you hear that, Sister Yutong? Marrow Cleansing Pool!"

Qu Qingzhu's eyes shone.

"We can go! Yellow-grade Spiritual Root... can be upgraded to Earth-grade at the highest!"

Li Sumei covered her mouth, her voice trembling.

Huang Yutong nodded vigorously, tears shimmering in her eyes: "Yes! The Sect Master said that as long as we have contribution points, we all have a chance! Earth-grade Spiritual Root..."

Beside them, although Yu Lingshuang still looked cold, her heart was surging with unprecedented waves.

The longer she stayed in the Moonshadow Sect, the more she felt like a frog in a well. The Foundation of this super Sect was as deep as the abyss, and what she had glimpsed was only the tip of the iceberg!

What shocked her most was the Marrow Cleansing Pool!

It was not that high-level Sects lacked secret methods or Heaven And Earth Treasure to improve Spiritual Roots, but they were all costly, or the number of times they could be used was few, requiring a long time to recover the Origin.

Although there were occasionally divine objects that could create Heaven-grade Spiritual Roots, they were all legends that could be met but not sought.

In comparison, although the Moonshadow Sect's Marrow Cleansing Pool could currently only upgrade Spiritual Roots to Earth-grade, its feature of "unlimited use" had an inestimable value!

This was not an Opportunity prepared only for top geniuses, but a complete reshaping of the entire bottom-level strength of the Sect!

In the entire Qing State, Cultivators with Earth-grade Spiritual Roots were few, and all were heaven's proud children.

However, those with Yellow-grade Spiritual Roots were like crucian carp crossing a river, a huge base.

With the Marrow Cleansing Pool, given enough time, these seemingly ordinary Disciples could continuously transform into possessors of Earth-grade Spiritual Roots!

Ten years... no, perhaps it would take even less time for the number of Disciples with Earth-grade Spiritual Roots in the Moonshadow Sect to reach a scale that would make the entire Qing State, and even the Cangwu prefecture, tremble!

A hundred years later... with such a massive Foundation of top-tier talent, the Moonshadow Sect's high-level combat power and deep heritage would be enough to crush any so-called overlord!

At this moment, Yu Lingshuang finally understood the true meaning behind Ling Hao's original words that "Spiritual Roots are not important."

Regarding the future prospects of the Sect, the fog in her heart dissipated, leaving only unprecedented clarity and... indescribable anticipation.

In this vast world, only the Moonshadow Sect, could reach the true Peak!!!