"How many survived?"
At the valley entrance, the man with the goatee held an antique Zisha teapot in his right hand. He caressed its smooth, warm surface with his fingertips and took a gentle sip of tea.
A Black-clothed Cultivator stood beside him, holding a Jade Scroll. It glowed faintly, displaying several shimmering names. After a careful check, he answered:
"Reporting to the Steward, six people."
"Oh? That many?" Steward Hu's eyebrow twitched, a hint of surprise on his face. He casually took the Jade Scroll, his gaze falling to slowly scan the names.
"No wonder. Four of the six got in through connections. Only two passed on their own merit."
With a look of understanding, the man with the goatee handed the Jade Scroll back.
'Those influential figures in the sect are really starting to disregard the rules more and more.'
'They're not holding back at all when shoving people in.'
'Forget it. That's not my problem. I just need to worry about my own little patch of turf.' Closing his eyes, the man with the goatee decided to stop thinking about it.
Before long, shadowy figures emerged from the depths of the valley, a group of people led out by the Black-clothed Cultivator.
They were the survivors of the trial.
Six people in total.
Tang Shun, Shen Fan, Du Yunian, Wu Tao, Sun Pingqiu, and Qi Yun.
The other forty-one had all perished in the valley, becoming prime "Talent."
Walking at the very back of the group, a grim-faced Tang Shun coldly scanned the five people ahead of him. The one who had stolen his Storage Pouch was most likely among them.
Feeling the knife-like gaze on his back, Qi Yun tilted his head slightly, just in time to meet Tang Shun's eyes.
His mind stirred, and Qi Yun naturally cupped his fist in greeting, a sincere and warm smile on his face.
"Brother Tang! This is great! You passed the trial too!"
Seeing Qi Yun proactively greet him, Tang Shun was momentarily taken aback before forcing a smile.
"Yeah."
Looking at Tang Shun's smile, which was uglier than a crying face, Qi Yun chuckled internally. 'This smiling tiger is really struggling to keep up his act.'
The group soon arrived before the man with the goatee.
Slightly raising his head to look down on the six people before him, the man with the goatee's gaze lingered on Qi Yun and Wu Tao for a moment.
After all, among the six, only these two had survived the trial on their own merit. The other four were all here because of connections.
"Not bad. You have all passed the trial today. From now on, you are official Disciples of the Wuji Holy Sect."
"My surname is Hu. You may call me Steward Hu. We are all fellow sect members now. Allow me to be the first to wish you a smooth path on the Dao and a prosperous immortal destiny!"
With a slight nod, it was only now that the man with the goatee grudgingly acknowledged them as fellow sect members and offered his surname.
"Thank you, Steward Hu!" The six dared not be disrespectful, cupping their fists in unison with a reverent attitude.
"Mm. The trial is over. You may return and rest for now. In three days, someone will come to take you to the Holy Sect Mountain Gate for the entrance ceremony."
"Once the ceremony is complete, you will have truly entered the sect."
After giving his instructions, Steward Hu waved his hand, gesturing for the Black-clothed Cultivator to lead them away to rest.
But just as Qi Yun and the others were obediently following the Black-clothed Cultivator away, Tang Shun hesitated for a moment before quickly catching up to the still-present Steward Hu and began speaking to him in a low, urgent voice.
As Steward Hu listened, his brows furrowed deeply.
Before Tang Shun could finish, he shook his head decisively, a trace of impatience on his face. With a flick of his sleeve, he turned and walked straight away, leaving Tang Shun frozen on the spot.
'It seems this smiling tiger's backer isn't as powerful as he thought.'
Noticing this scene, Qi Yun's eyes narrowed slightly.
'Tang Shun must be trying to use his family elder's influence to pressure Steward Hu into helping him find his lost Storage Pouch.'
'But Steward Hu clearly wasn't buying it. Either Tang Shun's elder couldn't pressure him, or the request was too outrageous and exceeded his authority.'
'It seems the contents of the Storage Pouch are extremely important to Tang Shun; otherwise, he wouldn't be so unwilling to let the matter drop.'
Qi Yun withdrew his gaze, his expression as calm as ever, but he was calculating silently. 'Looks like I need to find a way to get rid of these things as soon as possible. Keeping them on me is a liability.'
...
Led by the Black-clothed Cultivator, Qi Yun's group soon arrived at a row of wooden cabins built within a bamboo forest.
Though not large, the cabins were decorated both inside and out with an elegant and rustic charm.
They were countless times better than the stone huts Qi Yun and the others had lived in before.
"Steward Hu has instructed that you all are to reside here for the time being. Three meals a day will be delivered by a designated person."
"There are some restricted areas here, so I must ask you all to be patient and refrain from wandering around."
After quietly relaying these instructions, the Black-clothed Cultivator cupped his fist toward Qi Yun's group and departed.
"What a tiring day. I'm going to rest early."
Shen Fan stretched lazily and walked forward as if no one else was there, his expression placid, treating the others as if they were thin air.
Immediately after, the chubby figure of Du Yunian and Sun Pingqiu also silently chose their own cabins and went straight inside.
The doors closed softly, shutting out the world.
Having successfully passed the trial, these second-generation scions only needed to follow the guidance of their elders, one step at a time.
Their so-called former companions were no longer on the same path.
Watching Shen Fan and the other two completely ignore them, Qi Yun and Wu Tao looked at each other and shrugged helplessly.
'Can't be helped. Who told us to not have anyone backing us up?'
"Brother Qi, rest well."
"You too, Brother Wu."
After wishing each other well, Qi Yun and Wu Tao also chose their own wooden cabins and went to rest.
...
「That night.」
Frost-white moonlight rested gently on the windowsill. Outside, the bamboo forest swayed slightly, making a soft, rustling sound.
Seated cross-legged on a spring bench in the inner room, Qi Yun's eyes were half-closed, his palms facing upward. The True Qi in his body flowed like a gentle stream.
True Qi is a form of highly purified energy, imprinted with an individual's spiritual brand, that a Cultivator creates within their body by using a Heart Method True Skill to perform Refinement on the Heaven and Earth Qi.
Magic, on the other hand, is the tangible application of the "Dao."
The process of cultivating Magic is to use True Qi as a catalyst, leveraging one's own comprehension of Daoist Intent to pry loose the power of the Heaven and Earth Dao.
Therefore, the two great difficulties in cultivating Magic are: first, the purity and control of True Qi, and second, the comprehension of the ethereal and elusive Daoist Intent.
[Basic Sword Qi] is the most common Gold Element Sword Skill. It doesn't have high requirements for True Qi; even a Qi Refining First Layer cultivator can practice it.
Moreover, the manual for [Basic Sword Qi] that Tang Shun possessed had all the insights and essences written out with perfect clarity, making its cultivation twice as effective with half the effort.
As Qi Yun cultivated [Basic Sword Qi], he sighed inwardly.
'This is the advantage of having a lineage.'
'A Loose Cultivator, rootless and adrift, learns Magic like a blind man feeling an elephant. They can only stare at cold, obscure Spells, exhausting their Heart and Spirit to ponder, to fail, and to learn by trial and error.'
'Every step is fraught with thorns, and the slightest misstep can undo all previous efforts.'
'But for someone like Tang Shun, who has the support of his elders, they receive direct and constant instruction. The difficulties and key points of a Magic have long been written out for them in perfect clarity.'
'The former gropes his way through a dense fog alone, while the latter ascends a golden staircase paved by his predecessors.'
'The difference between them is like that of the clouds and the mud.'
Following the instructions in the [Basic Sword Qi] manual, Qi Yun circulated his True Qi. His hands fluttered like flowers as he chanted the Spell. He suddenly formed a sword with the fingers of his left hand and pointed it at the wooden table five meters away!
HISS—
An invisible but exceptionally sharp aura shot through the air with a faint yet piercing whistle!
In response, a straight sword mark, about a foot long with edges as smooth as a mirror, split open on the surface of the solid wooden table! Wood shavings flew up slightly!
Slowly opening his eyes, a hint of joy appeared in Qi Yun's gaze.
'[Basic Sword Qi]... I've learned it!'
...