109: Chapter 109 Sect Selection: Talent "Average"

The mountain gate of Liuli Xuan Sect was not located within the city, but in a mountain range shrouded in mist, a hundred miles north of the city.

At this moment, at the entrance of the mountain range, on the "Yingxian Flat" paved with white jade, it was already a sea of people.

Tens of thousands of young boys and girls had rushed here from all over the Northern Region and even neighboring areas, gathering here with their dreams.

Most of them were between twelve and eighteen years old, with cultivation levels ranging from the Qi Gathering Realm to the Ningyuan Realm. Each of them looked with burning eyes at the towering, glaze-colored mountain gate at the end of the square.

Ye Tian and Su Wan were also among them.

After several days of travel, they finally reached their destination.

Looking at the scene before him, even with Ye Tian's steady Heart-Nature, he couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.

Su Wan was even more excited, her face flushed red as she followed closely behind Ye Tian, both thrilled and a bit nervous.

"So many people... Brother Ye, can we pass?"

Su Wan asked in a low voice, with a hint of anxiety.

Ye Tian's gaze swept across the crowd, sensing several rather strong auras. He said calmly, "Just do your best. Sect selection looks not only at current cultivation but more importantly at potential and Heart-Nature."

Possessing such an extraordinary treasure as the chaos bead, he had already decided to pass the assessment low-key and not attract too much attention.

To avoid drawing the covetous eyes of those with ulterior motives.

He wasn't afraid of trouble, but there was no need to actively court it.

Soon, accompanied by the sound of a bell, several powerful auras descended from the sky, landing on the high platform in front of the square.

The leader was an old man with a lean face wearing a black Daoist robe. His aura was deep and profound—he was actually a True Martial Realm expert!

Behind him followed more than ten deacon Disciples with strong auras.

"Silence!" the old man spoke, his voice carrying across the square, instantly suppressing all the noise.

"I am Outer Sect Elder Xuan Yunzi, presiding over this Outer Sect Disciple selection."

Xuan Yunzi's gaze swept over the crowd below with a scrutinizing look. "The selection is divided into three stages: The first stage, testing bone age and verifying cultivation."

"The second stage, testing talent and potential."

"The third stage, testing Heart-Nature and perseverance."

"Only those who pass all three stages may enter my Liuli Xuan Sect."

"Now, the first stage begins!"

As his voice fell, ten stone monuments, each about ten feet high, rose on one side of the square, with a deacon Disciple standing beside each one.

"Step forward in order, place your hand on the Age-Testing Monument, and inject a trace of True Essence."

"Those whose bone age exceeds twenty, or whose cultivation has not reached Qi Gathering Fifth Level, will be eliminated," the deacon Disciple announced loudly.

The crowd began to line up in an orderly fashion.

Lights flashed continuously as age and cultivation were displayed on the stone monuments.

"Zhang Yishan, bone age seventeen, Qi Gathering Level 6, pass!"

"Li Fusi, bone age nineteen, Qi Gathering Realm - Level 7, pass!"

"Wang Wu, bone age twenty-one, Qi Gathering Eighth Layer, eliminated!"

"Zhao Quanjiang, bone age sixteen, Qi Gathering Stage 4, eliminated!"

The elimination rate was not low, especially for those who were older or had too low cultivation; they were directly brushed off.

Su Wan watched as people in front were constantly eliminated, her small hands nervously clutching the corners of her clothes.

When it was Su Wan's turn, she took a deep breath and pressed her small hand onto the stone monument.

A light flashed, and the monument displayed: "Bone age fifteen, Qi Gathering Level 3."

The deacon Disciple glanced at it, frowning slightly, but still said: "Bone age is qualified, cultivation has just reached the minimum standard, barely passed the first stage. Go over there and wait for the second stage."

Qi Gathering Fifth Level was the hard standard; Su Wan's Qi Gathering Level 3 obviously barely passed because of her young age.

Su Wan breathed a sigh of relief, her small face turning slightly red as she hurried to the area for those who had passed.

She knew her cultivation was low, and passing the first stage was already a stroke of luck.

Soon it was Ye Tian's turn.

He stepped forward calmly, placed his hand on the stone monument, and secretly controlled his aura, doing his best to restrain his True Essence, only revealing a Ningyuan Realm First Stage cultivation.

The light flashed, and the monument displayed: "Bone age sixteen, Ningyuan Realm First Stage."

The deacon Disciple's eyes brightened slightly, and he nodded: "Not bad, a sixteen-year-old Ningyuan Realm, talent is acceptable. Pass!"

Reaching the Ningyuan Realm at this age was considered a good seedling among Outer Sect Disciples, but not top-tier; it was upper-middle and wouldn't attract too much attention.

Ye Tian nodded slightly, walked to the passing area, and stood beside Su Wan.

Su Wan looked at him with admiration: "Brother Ye, you're so amazing! The Ningyuan Realm!"

Ye Tian smiled and said nothing.

He turned his gaze toward the other stone monuments.

Shortly after, a commotion broke out from several other directions.

"Look over there! That girl!"

"Bone age fourteen, Peak of the Ninth Level of Qi Gathering Realm! Heavens, she's about to Breakthrough to Ningyuan!"

"Which great family's Genius is this?"

Ye Tian looked over and saw a pretty young girl in a goose-yellow dress walking away from a stone monument, causing a wave of amazement.

She seemed accustomed to this, with a faint, proud smile on her face.

The deacon Disciple in charge of the assessment was also extra polite to her.

"It's the young lady of the Liu Family from Liuyun City, Liu Ruyan!"

"It's said she was born with sensitive spiritual senses and her Cultivate speed is extremely fast!"

Someone recognized the girl's identity.

Immediately after, exclamations rang out from another spot.

"Hiss... bone age fifteen, Ningyuan Realm Second Stage!"

"It's Cold Frost Sword Leng Feng! It's said his sword Dao talent is extremely high, and he once defeated a Ningyuan Realm opponent while at the Qi Gathering Realm!"

That was a cold-looking youth dressed in white, carrying a long sword on his back.

He was a man of few words, ignoring the surrounding exclamations as he walked straight to the passing area and stood alone, making it difficult for others to approach.

Liu Ruyan, Leng Feng... Ye Tian silently noted these two names.

The first stage ended, and over thirty percent of the nearly ten thousand people were eliminated, leaving only over six thousand to enter the second stage.

The venue for the second stage moved to a hall inside the mountain gate.

In the center of the hall stood ten Spirit-Appraising Mirrors.

"The second stage, testing talent and potential."

Elder Xuan Yunzi personally presided. "Place your hand on the Spirit-Appraising Mirror, fully circulate your Cultivation Technique, and stimulate your own potential."

The mirror surface will display light based on your comprehensive potential in terms of root bone, Comprehension Ability, blood Qi, Divine Sense, and more.

The light is divided into seven colors: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple. Red is the lowest, and purple is the most esteemed.

"Only those who reach yellow or above are qualified."

This stage was even more cruel, directly testing a person's comprehensive potential and determining their future upper limit.

Certain children of wealthy families who relied on Medicinal Pills to raise their cultivation would be exposed without a doubt in this stage.

The assessment began. Most people pressed their hands on it, and the Spirit-Appraising Mirror only flickered with faint red or orange light, and they were heartlessly eliminated.

Occasionally, when yellow light appeared, it would cause a small wave of envy.

When it was Liu Ruyan's turn, she confidently pressed her hand on the mirror, and the mirror surface instantly erupted with a bright green light, even carrying a hint of cyan!

"Green! Superior talent!"

"As expected of the Liu Family Genius!"

Elder Xuan Yunzi also nodded slightly, showing a bit of approval.

Next was Leng Feng. With an expressionless face, he pressed his hand on the mirror, and a sharp aura erupted—it was actually a cyan light!

Although the area wasn't as large as Liu Ruyan's light, the color was deeper!

"Cyan! Top-grade talent!"

"A Sword Cultivator is indeed extraordinary!"

This time, even the other deacons on the high platform were moved.

Cyan talent was already the material for an Inner Sect Disciple!

Subsequently, several more youths with yellow and green talent appeared, but no one else could reach Leng Feng's cyan.

It was Su Wan's turn, and her palms were sweating from nervousness.

Her small hand pressed onto the mirror, and the mirror surface rippled slightly, emitting a dim light between orange and yellow, barely qualifying as yellow.

The deacon Disciple looked at it and frowned: "Potential is ordinary, barely qualified. Go over there and wait."

Su Wan breathed a sigh of relief. Although it was only the lowest qualification line, she had passed.

She knew her talent was average and was already very satisfied to have reached this point.

Finally, it was Ye Tian's turn.

Countless gazes fell on him; after all, his result of being a sixteen-year-old in the Ningyuan Realm in the first stage was quite good.

Ye Tian stepped forward and placed his hand on the Spirit-Appraising Mirror.

He had already calculated his move; he didn't circulate any Cultivation Technique and suppressed his Stellar True Essence tightly.

The Spirit-Appraising Mirror lit up, stabilizing at yellow. The brightness was medium—neither dazzling nor dim, just ordinary.

"Ye Tian, bone age sixteen, yellow potential, qualified."

The deacon Disciple announced as a matter of routine.

Once the result came out, those who originally had some expectations for him immediately lost interest.

"Yellow... it's okay, but it can't compare to Liu Ruyan or Leng Feng."

"A sixteen-year-old in the Ningyuan Realm; it seems he encountered a small Opportunity, but with this kind of potential, his future achievements will only be so-so."

"Hmm, it's considered mediocre." No one paid much attention to him.

Liu Ruyan glanced at him and then looked away.

Leng Feng didn't even look at him from beginning to end.

However, this was exactly the effect Ye Tian wanted.

The second stage ended, and of the over six thousand people, less than two thousand remained.

The third stage of the assessment took place in a corridor called the "Heart-Questioning Path," testing Heart-Nature, perseverance, and resistance to temptation.

This stage was silent and invisible, but the elimination rate was extremely high.

Many people fell into illusions and couldn't extricate themselves, or were eliminated due to an unsteady will.

Ye Tian's will was like iron, having gone through many hardships, and with the chaos bead protecting his mind, he passed quickly.

Although Su Wan's cultivation was low, her will was tenacious and her heart was pure, so she actually passed the stage easily.

In the end, only over eight hundred people passed all three stages of the assessment.

Elder Xuan Yunzi stood on the high platform, looking at these future fresh blood of the Sect below, and said: "Congratulations to you all for passing the assessment. From this day forward, you are Outer Sect Disciples of my Liuli Xuan Sect!"

The crowd cheered excitedly.

"However!"

Xuan Yunzi's tone shifted. "Sect resources are limited, and Disciples are also divided by Rank."

"Based on your comprehensive performance in the three stages, the following allocations are made: Those with a potential rating of cyan or above will directly enter the inner Sect!"

"Those with a potential rating of green will enter the Elite Outer Sect."

"Those with a potential rating of yellow, whose age does not exceed eighteen and whose cultivation has reached Qi Gathering Realm - Level 7 or the Ningyuan Realm, will be Ordinary Outer Sect Disciples."

"The rest, those with yellow potential but who are older or have lower cultivation, as well as those with red or orange potential but outstanding Heart-Nature and perseverance, will enter the Handyman Hall. You must complete Sect chores before you can exchange them for cultivation resources and opportunities to listen to lectures."

After the announcement, some were happy while others were sad.

Those entering the inner Sect and the Elite Outer Sect were naturally delighted, and the Ordinary Outer Sect Disciples were also fairly satisfied.

But the Disciples of the Handyman Hall mostly had bitter expressions; this meant their starting point would be inferior to others, and they would need to put in more effort.

Su Wan looked at her result of being assigned to the Handyman Hall, her eyes dimmed for a moment, but she soon clenched her small fists. She didn't complain much, as if she had been mentally prepared for a long time.

Ye Tian patted her shoulder and comforted her: "The Handyman Hall is also a starting point; diligence can make up for lack of talent. Cultivate well, and there will surely be a day to stand out."

Su Wan looked up at Ye Tian and nodded vigorously: "Mhm! Brother Ye, I will work hard! You have to keep it up in the outer Sect too!"

The two parted ways there. Su Wan left with the deacon of the Handyman Hall, her thin back carrying a hint of stubbornness.

Ye Tian, along with the other newly promoted Outer Sect Disciples, was led to the area where the Outer Sect Disciples resided to be assigned housing.

Looking at the mist-shrouded immortal mountains and pavilions within the Liuli Xuan Sect and feeling the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi that was several times denser than the outside world, Ye Tian took a deep breath, a sharp light flashing in his eyes.

Liuli Xuan Sect, here I come.