After the independent cultivators finished their tests one by one, they gathered in front of Yun Li.
"You can all see the results of the third round, so I won't elaborate. I'll just announce the final results."
Yun Li glanced around and spoke slowly.
The independent cultivators held their breath, awaiting the verdict, a hint of nervousness.
"Zhou Shu, two A's and one D's, with an overall rating of B. You pass the test and can join the Heyin Sect as outer disciples."
"Zhu Dashan and Li Aojian, both with one A's, one B's, and one C's, with an overall rating of B. You pass the test and can join the Heyin Sect as outer disciples."
...
After these words, the majority were disappointed. Aside from the three, only three received an overall rating of C, allowing them to join the sect as menial disciples. The rest were eliminated.
But menial disciples, to be honest, were worse than independent cultivators. The sect offered few benefits and faced an unusually high level of chores. Without a deep love for the sect, most independent cultivators wouldn't choose to become such.
Li Aojian suddenly asked, "How do you achieve the special grade?"
Yun Li replied calmly, "Even if you perfected the tenth level of Qi Refining by simply using the incantation like you do, you wouldn't be able to achieve the special grade. And yet, our sect's Elder, Zhao Yueru, has already achieved the special grade standard for spiritual power at the sixth level. You're still far behind."
"Ah, sixth level Qi Refining, special grade? How is that even possible?"
Li Aojian was stunned. He had always prided himself on his spiritual power, believing that no one at his level could match him. He simply couldn't believe Yun Li's words.
Yun Li nodded, "If you can comprehend the spiritual power tide in the Qi Refining Realm and apply more effort, you might be able to achieve it too."
"Spirit power tide... can you achieve that in the Qi Refining Realm?"
Li Aojian's confidence was instantly shattered by the hundredfold critical hit, his original arrogance seemingly vanishing in an instant.
Zhou Shu, standing nearby, shook his head inwardly. If he hadn't practiced the wrong mental method and suffered a spiritual power outage, perhaps he could have achieved the same as Zhao Yueru.
Yun Li glanced around and said slowly, "Those cultivators who didn't pass or don't wish to remain, please return to the Immortal Trial Platform. A cultivator from our sect will escort you down."
Instantly, most of the wandering cultivators had left, leaving only four.
Besides the three from the outer sect, only one cultivator remained, willing to serve as a menial disciple, but his expression was rather gloomy.
Li Aojian seemed somewhat dejected, like a wilted rooster.
Zhu Dashan chuckled innocently, while Zhou Shu remained indifferent.
Yun Li seemed unfazed. "Everyone, we are now fellow disciples."
Upon hearing this, they hurriedly saluted.
Looking up, their eyes sparkled with excitement, and Zhou Shu was no exception. Joining the sect meant they were one step closer to their desired goal.
Yun Li, pleased by their expressions, took out his Flying Cloud and said, "Four junior brothers, come aboard. I'll escort you to Xichenyuan and introduce you to the Heyin Sect."
Zhu Dashan and Li Aojian quickly boarded the Flying Cloud and looked around, their expressions filled with excitement as they were about to experience flight for the first time.
Zhou Shu pointed at Yang Mei, who was pouting and wanting to get on but afraid, and bowed to Yun Li. "Brother, can Junior Sister Yang come with us?"
Yun Li smiled and nodded. "Of course, I hadn't noticed. It's a tough mountain road for several hours, come up quickly."
Zhou Shu looked at Yang Mei, feeling a little distressed. A mountain road several hours long was no small feat for a teenage Yang Mei.
"Yang Mei, come on."
"Yes." Yang Mei ran over excitedly. "I've never ridden on this before! Senior Sister Yan has one, but she hasn't reached the Foundation Establishment stage yet, so I couldn't use it. I was so anxious."
After the group boarded the Flying Cloud, it took off and slowly ascended into the sky.
Fully expanded, the Flying Cloud was about two meters long, cloud-like on the outside and soft, like a blanket, making it very comfortable to sit on, though a little wobbly.
Yun Li controlled the Flying Cloud and spoke a few words.
The Heyin Sect was founded over a thousand years ago by a female cultivator named Yuan Heyin, hence the sect's name. The founding of a sect by a female cultivator was extremely rare in the world of immortal cultivation, and it caused quite a stir at the time.
Over the past thousand years, the Heyin Sect has steadily grown to its present state, boasting over 3,000 cultivators, including four who have reached the Jindan realm. While this may not be a significant achievement in the entire Dongsheng Province, being among the five major sects in the Qingyuan Mountains is a significant accomplishment.
The sect is home to three peaks imbued with spiritual energy: Qinghe, Chuiyun, and Guguang.
Qinghe is primarily focused on alchemy, while the other two peaks focus on sword cultivation. These three peaks serve as training and residence for inner disciples.
Outer disciples and menial disciples reside elsewhere, striving daily to become inner disciples.
Lower-level disciples of the Heyin Sect mostly cultivate the "Huating Inner Jade Sutra." Compared to other foundational mental methods, this method is far more sophisticated, with clearer structure and meticulous detail. Once mastered, it significantly improves a cultivator's spiritual power control and forms a crucial foundation for alchemy and swordsmanship for Heyin disciples.
As Yun Li recounted his thoughts, the others listened attentively, fearing to miss a single detail.
Yang Mei alternated between sitting and pacing excitedly, looking around.
"We're here, let's get off."
Yun Li stopped Du Yun in front of a square. "This is Xichenyuan, the outer sect center of the Heyin Sect. From now on, you'll need to come here to collect your benefits and other things. It's also a trading place for outer disciples. If you need anything or want to sell something, you can set up a stall here. There are also daily quests on the bulletin board in the center of the square. If you have time, you might want to give it a try."
Zhou Shu nodded. "Thank you, Senior Brother Yun, for your guidance along the way. I'm deeply grateful."
During the test, Yun Li often wore an expressionless face, but after becoming a fellow disciple, he was very friendly, without the airs of an inner sect disciple at all.
Li Aojian and Zhu Dashan also expressed their gratitude. Another errand disciple, He Qi, remained silent, having said nothing the entire time.
"You're welcome. Fellow disciples should look out for each other within the sect."
Yun Li smiled slightly, then his expression became more serious. "But if you break the sect rules, don't blame the Heyin Sect for treating you badly."
"I understand," they agreed quickly.
Yun Li led a few people to a pavilion in Xichenyuan, registered, received the sect's basic supplies, and then left.
He Qi, Zhu Dashan, and Li Aojian left first. Zhou Shu stood in Xichenyuan, looking around, feeling quite curious.
It was a bit like a market, but more orderly. The disciples setting up stalls were all around the square, with a large jade notice board standing in the middle. Many cultivators stopped to look at it.
"Yangmei, where can I find spiritual food here?"
Yangmei, still a little dizzy from having just come down from the Cloud Crossing, wiped her eyes and said dazedly, "Where can I find spiritual food? Outer disciples usually use fasting pills. If they want spiritual food, they have to buy the flesh and blood of monsters from the monster-hunting disciples and make it themselves."
Zhou Shu nodded. "They should sell it here. I'll look."
As he looked to the side, several female cultivators approached, wearing the same light green clothes as Yangmei.
"Yangmei, why are you hanging around here?"
Yangmei blinked. "Senior Sister Yu, Senior Sister Liu, what's wrong?"
"You didn't dig enough cattail grass today. If the Red Cloud Beast isn't full, be careful the stewards will punish you," the female cultivator kindly warned.
"Ah!"
Yangmei slapped her head. "No, I'll go dig some more!"
She turned and stuck out her tongue at Zhou Shu. "Senior Brother, treat me next time. I'm leaving now. Bye!"
With that, she broke into a sprint, but before she'd taken two steps, she turned back, put her hands to her mouth, and shouted, "Senior Brother, I live in Xuexiang Garden. Come see me when you're free!"
Zhou Shu smiled and nodded.
The two female cultivators glanced at Zhou Shu for a few seconds, then turned back to the bulletin board.
"Who is this male cultivator? I don't think I've seen him before. He looks good and well-mannered."
"It seems like he's a casual cultivator who just joined the sect. He hasn't even changed into the sect's robes."
"A casual cultivator...that would be boring. Let's go and see what tasks we have today."
The female cultivator seemed a little regretful.