At the foot of the mountain, crowds surged, with figures everywhere.
Some had been waiting here for half a month, while others were still on their way.
And today would be the first day of Hua Xia Sect's opening to accept disciples.
Tens of thousands of people squeezed at the mountain gate, including graceful noble young masters and otherworldly princesses from various nations.
Among these royalty and nobles, there was a small group of people, dressed in ragged clothes, with sallow faces, timidly standing in the corner.
Most of these were children from nearby villages, not seeking to become immortals, but only to fill their stomachs and reduce the burden on their families.
Just as everyone was eagerly anticipating, Hua Xia Sect's mountain gate suddenly opened, and more than a dozen disciples in red robes walked out from inside.
"They finally came out! These must be the Hua Xia Sect's direct disciples, right?"
"Look at that woman in the middle, her temperament is extraordinary, ethereal like an immortal, and her every move carries a supreme Dao charm. Is this the legendary Senior Sister Luo Xi?"
"Look at the one on the right, with a heroic countenance. Just by standing there, one can feel a terrifying sword qi. Could it be Senior Brother Li Taibai, who suppressed many prodigies in the North-South Hegemony Competition?"
"It's terrifying! Just one glance and I felt myself sinking into hell. Are these Hua Xia Sect's disciples?"
Everyone chattered, all without exception speaking words of flattery.
Zhao Mubai and the others exchanged glances, feeling a bit embarrassed by what these people were saying.
"Silence!"
The scene immediately quieted down, everyone looking eagerly at Zhao Mubai and the others.
"We are Hua Xia Sect's handyman disciples. Everyone, please line up according to age!"
"Those under ten years old stand on the right, forming ten teams."
"Those ten to sixteen years old stand in the middle, forming ten teams."
"Those seventeen to twenty-five years old stand on the left, forming ten teams."
"Those over twenty-five years old, please withdraw voluntarily."
As soon as the words fell, the crowd stirred.
"How can we rogue cultivators join Hua Xia Sect?" Someone shouted loudly.
"Hua Xia Sect does not accept rogue cultivators. You can try Star Sect."
"Why not? Does Hua Xia Sect look down on us rogue cultivators?"
"Am I, a dignified Golden Core Stage cultivator, not even qualified?"
"If Hua Xia Sect doesn't give a reasonable explanation today, we will never leave!"
"Right, let your supervisor come out!"
"Don't think that just because you won this war, you can act so high and mighty. If it weren't for the help of Ziwei Sect and Hehuan Sect, you would have become a ruin long ago!"
Thousands of rogue cultivators grew more and more agitated, with some even starting verbal attacks.
Whoosh—
Suddenly, a spiritual sword radiating purple lightning flew out from within the sect, hovering brightly above everyone's heads.
"Leave Hua Xia Sect's territory within ten breaths, or be killed without mercy!" A cold voice echoed through the void.
Swish, swish, all the rogue cultivators showed looks of terror, disappearing without a trace in an instant.
The flying sword changed direction and vanished into the void.
Everyone subconsciously swallowed, silent as cicadas in winter.
After the crowd had calmed down, Zhao Mubai spoke, "Now, we will begin the spiritual root test."
As she spoke, Shang Lianxue and the others took out spiritual root testing stones.
"Let's start from the right. Ten people per group, come up."
The subsequent spiritual root test proceeded without any issues, in an orderly manner.
It continued until noon, with over fifty thousand people completing the test.
Among these people, the most talented only possessed a mid-grade spiritual root, with a small number having low-grade spiritual roots, and the majority having Waste spiritual roots.
Out of over fifty thousand people, only more than three hundred passed the spiritual root test, which shows how cruel the path of cultivation is.
Those who did not pass the assessment could only leave with regret.
When most of the crowd had left, Zhao Mubai saw a dozen children huddled in a corner, looking at them timidly.
Zhao Mubai couldn't help but walk over and ask curiously, "You don't have cultivation talent, why haven't you left yet?"
These children wore ragged hemp clothes, had dark skin and dirty faces, but their eyes were very clear.
They thought Zhao Mubai was going to drive them away, showing uneasy expressions.
One of the older children suddenly knelt on the ground and kowtowed vigorously to Zhao Mubai, saying, "Immortal Senior, please take us in. We can do anything you ask."
Thump, thump—
The other children successively knelt on the ground, kowtowing to Zhao Mubai as a group.
Zhao Mubai sighed softly. If she agreed, others would follow suit, which would be a troublesome matter for the sect.
"Get up, all of you. The sect will not take you in."
Saying that, she helped up the child in front, took a few low-grade spirit stones from her pocket, and put them into the child's hand, "Hurry home before it gets dark."
The child stared blankly at the spirit stones in his hand, then retreated to the side without speaking.
Seeing this, Zhao Mubai no longer tried to persuade them and began the second round of assessment.
"Next is the temperament assessment. As long as you walk along this staircase in front to the sect's plaque, you can become a Hua Xia Sect disciple."
The staircase was not too long, estimated to have ninety-nine steps, but Chu Huaian had added some things to it.
There were many factors in the temperament assessment: courage, soul questioning, choices in the face of temptation, and so on.
Through these factors, those with ill intentions could be excluded.
Chu Huaian attached great importance to this aspect and set up three illusions in a row.
More than three hundred people successively ascended the steps.
They originally thought it was just a simple assessment, but unexpectedly, when they stepped onto the stairs, an invisible gravity suddenly appeared, making it impossible for them to breathe.
Someone gritted their teeth and ascended to the tenth step in one breath, and the scene before them suddenly changed.
He found himself in a village where a group of bandits were massacring villagers, blood splattering everywhere.
Just as he was stunned, a bandit on horseback charged towards him, holding a blood-stained broadsword.
His pupils suddenly constricted, and a chill rushed straight to his head. Without a word, he turned and fled.
He hadn't run far when a young child suddenly appeared in front, sitting on the ground and wailing.
He unhesitatingly rushed past the child.
When he looked back, the child was already dead under the horse's hooves.
Bang, the illusion shattered, and the sound of elimination came to his ears.
One after another, more people were eliminated.
Many people lacked the courage to break through when facing death.
The second test was set at the thirtieth step, which was soul questioning.
"Have you killed anyone? Why did you kill?"
"What is your purpose in joining Hua Xia Sect?"
"Why cultivate immortality?"
This stage could be passed by anyone who wasn't ill-intentioned.
The last illusion was set at the ninetieth step.
In the illusion, they became Hua Xia Sect disciples and held the secrets of Hua Xia Sect.
Enemies promised that if they revealed the secrets, they could obtain supreme cultivation methods and countless heavenly treasures.
In the face of enormous temptation, many chose to betray the sect.
Ultimately, only about one hundred people managed to pass the test of the three illusions.
It was both difficult and simple.
For the remaining nine steps, the gravity grew stronger and stronger, but no one gave up; they all gritted their teeth and completed them.
More than a hundred people were now lying on the ground, gasping for breath, their faces showing the joy of victory.
"Finally, I finally became a Hua Xia Sect disciple." Someone murmured.
To stand out from over fifty thousand people, and then pass through numerous trials, finally achieving success.
This was an honor, an honor bestowed upon them by Hua Xia Sect.
"Congratulations to all of you for passing Hua Xia Sect's test. From today onwards, you will be a part of Hua Xia Sect. Now, please follow me into the sect."
Zhao Mubai walked to the front of the crowd with a smile, leading them into the sect.
The others who did not pass the assessment could only leave Hua Xia Sect with a heart full of unwillingness.
