Chapter 5: The Great Han – No!

The young girl’s face remained indifferent.

A crimson sword flew out from her storage bag, and she controlled the blade to sever the ropes of the formation.

She then plunged the sword into the massive tree trunk next to her and slid all the way down, leaving a long gash in the bark.

Wang Langjia flew down from the clouds to see if she had fallen to her death.

While searching near the impact point, he discovered the long sword mark on the towering tree.

Sensing that something was wrong, he hurriedly pulled out an Earth Escape Talisman, intending to flee.

Suddenly, a crimson flying sword shot out from the bushes, pinning him to a tree through both the talisman and his body.

As Wang Langjia lay dying, Li Ze stepped forward and tore the dual spiritual roots from his body while he was still alive, transplanting them into her own.

Shortly after, Wang Langjia drew his last breath.

“Senior, what are you doing?”

“Chaotic Spiritual Roots cannot be detected, so I found these for you. Although you cannot absorb spiritual qi with them, entering the Yin-Yang Sect should be no problem now.”

Cai Xiaonuo replied, “Senior, you’ve thought of everything!”

They then searched the body, finding only some common, basic items.

Li Ze felt that the manual for the flying formation might be of some use.

This particular flying formation consumed very little spiritual energy, though its drawback was its slow speed.

Regardless, it was sufficient for Li Ze.

(˵¯͒¯͒˵): “Senior, if we learn this, will we be able to fly like immortals?”

“Mhm.”

Li Ze understood the formation manual after just one reading.

Due to the memories of the Changxing Spear, Li Ze’s comprehension was exceptionally high.

Cai Xiaonuo was intensely curious about the novelties of cultivation.

“I want to learn this too so I can become an immortal. Ha, hey! Senior, hurry up!”

“Fine. I have already replicated the contents of the book onto the bookshelf. You can look at it yourself.”

Cai Xiaonuo sat at the table, reading with great interest.

“This is amazing!”

After walking deep into the woods for a while, they encountered a Rank 1 Flame Wolf, but Li Ze handled it easily.

Further ahead, they reached a road.

Li Ze saw some commoners and rogue cultivators; they were also here to participate in the Yin-Yang Sect’s disciple selection.

It seemed that demonic beasts did not dare approach this road, so Li Ze decided to travel alongside them.

A coarse, burly man noticed the small, cute, and charming Cai Xiaonuo and developed wicked intentions.

He walked over to the girl and said, “Yo, little sister is here for the selection too?”

He then began making lewd gestures as he spoke.

“You’re quite the looker. Why don’t you have some fun with big brother? Mine is big and hard, I guarantee I’ll give you your fill of pleasure.”

Before he could finish his sentence, a sharp sword was already buried in the top of his head.

“Ah!”

The man collapsed to the ground.

The girl stepped forward, planting a foot on the man’s head as she pulled out the crimson sword.

Cai Xiaonuo felt disgusted and nauseated.

(๑•̀ㅂ•́): “What kind of person is that!”

Li Ze’s tone was flat.

“It’s normal. When the forest is big, you find all kinds of birds.”

The surrounding crowd was shocked by the girl’s cruelty.

Several people whispered, “This girl is too ruthless. We should stay away from her.”

With a sweep of her gaze, the people in front of her scrambled back.

The whisperers immediately went silent.

Afterward, as if nothing had happened, the crowd reached the foot of the mountain together.

Looking up, a long set of stairs met their eyes.

At the end of the stairs was a grand, majestic gate with three large black characters that read: Yin-Yang Sect.

Looking even higher, they could see an endless sea of rolling clouds.

Green mountains pierced the heavens, and amidst the clouds, a magnificent building flickered in and out of view, accompanied by the shimmering light of formations.

As they climbed the long stairs, a wide circular plaza appeared before them, surrounded by the black and white formation flags of the Yin-Yang Sect.

Directly in front of the gate was the Outer Sect Great Hall.

Before the hall was a set of steps leading to a small platform.

The plaza was packed with people, and more were still arriving.

Fifteen minutes passed.

The mountain wind swept across the plaza, fluttering Cai Xiaonuo’s red and white sleeves.

She stood alone at the edge of the crowd, the man’s undried blood still beneath her hem.

The other candidates whispered among themselves, but no one dared come within three feet of her.

“Silence!”

Two figures suddenly descended from the clouds.

On the left was a middle-aged man in a black robe with crane-white hair, holding a compass, his body faintly glowing with formation runes.

On the right was a young woman wearing a revealing pink dress.

Between her fingers, she held three talismans that shimmered with light.

The young woman took a few steps forward, the breeze lifting her skirt to reveal glimpses of her porcelain skin.

She raised her hands, her impressive chest standing out prominently as she spoke in a seductive voice: “Welcome to our Yin-Yang Sect!”

The men below watched her, their hearts itching.

Some even developed nosebleeds.

The women participating in the selection whispered, “Slut. I don’t know if she’s here to cultivate or to seduce men.”

A man nearby retorted, “I suggest you mind your own business!”

She began the introductions.

“I am Zhao Yuling, a personal disciple of the Joy Peak Master! This is Senior Brother Wang Wuqi of the Falling Bamboo Peak.”

Wang Wuqi draped a robe over Zhao Yuling and coughed.

“Ahem! Watch your image. These will be our new junior brothers and sisters.”

The addition of the white robe somehow only increased the sense of allure.

Cai Xiaonuo (°ο°): “Wow! Look, Senior! I never saw a lady with such a good figure back at the Cai Estate.”

Li Ze coughed.

“Children shouldn’t look so much.”

Zhao Yuling began to read the selection rules.

“I’ll keep the rules brief. Those who pass the spiritual root test are qualified to enter the Outer Sect. After that, we have talisman drawing and the illusion formation—those who pass all three stages may enter the Inner Sect!”

“Also, those whose cultivation has reached the third stage of the Spirit Realm may enter the Outer Sect directly without testing.”

As she finished, four five-meter-tall dark pillars rose slowly from the ground, corresponding to the attributes of Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth.

Wang Wuqi’s voice was steady.

“The first stage is the spiritual root test. Place your palm on the stone pillar and feel it with your heart.”

A man in flamboyant white clothes stepped forward and pressed his palm against the stone.

The pillar lit up blue.

“Bai Jinzhi, single Water Root, superior talent. Pass.”

Then a woman stepped forward, and the pillar lit up brown and gold.

“Zhao Yu, Dual Roots of Gold and Wood. Passing.”

One after another, people went up to test.

“Ji Yunting, Triple Roots of Gold, Wood, and Earth. Impure roots. Fail.”

“Senior, our spiritual energy attributes don’t match the spiritual roots. Won’t they notice?”

“Don’t worry, I have my ways.”

The girl did not hesitate.

She stepped forward and pressed her palm down, causing the pillar to react violently.

“Cai Xiaonuo, Dual Roots of Water and Wood. Passing…”

The man standing beside the testing pillar was stunned.

What was going on?

Zhao Yuling rested her chin in her hand and frowned.

“A girl with ordinary Water and Wood roots is already at the fourth stage of the Spirit Realm.”

Because the Chaotic Spiritual Energy was too intense, the internal structure of the testing formation began to collapse.

The pillar crumbled into a heap of stones.

Zhao Yuling (•᷄ࡇ•᷅): “She actually destroyed the Black Rock Pillar!”

The bustling plaza suddenly fell into a dead silence.

The crowd was bewildered.

She broke the testing pillar!

Just how terrifyingly powerful was this girl?

Cai Xiaonuo (द्ദിˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́): “Senior, that was amazing!”

Li Ze replied, “I did it on purpose to see if I could bluff our way through.”

Wang Wuqi and Zhao Yuling couldn’t figure out the cause.

Wang Wuqi told a disciple behind him, “Go invite the Master.”

A moment later, the sea of clouds churned violently, and a blue figure arrived through the air.

Even the wind seemed to freeze when he landed.

The newcomer had the face of a youth but hair as white as a crane’s. H

e wore a blue robe embroidered with Yin-Yang fish, and a jade pendant carved with “Falling Bamboo” hung at his waist.

This was Mo Zhengxuan, the Master of Falling Bamboo Peak, the sect’s top expert in formations and cultivation, having reached the terrifying late stage of the Profound Soul Realm.

Every Yin-Yang Sect disciple present bowed respectfully and shouted in unison, “Greetings, Peak Master Falling Bamboo!”

The loud, synchronized voices echoed through the mountains.

The law of the jungle in the cultivation world was something everyone understood.

His gaze swept over the ruined stone pillar and landed on Cai Xiaonuo.

“Little friend!”

Mo Zhengxuan’s voice was gentle yet carried immense pressure.

“This pillar is forged from Black Rock. Even a cultivator in the Dao Realm would find it difficult to damage in the slightest. You have not yet officially entered the path; how did you achieve this?”

As he spoke, Mo Zhengxuan used his divine sense to probe the girl: Water and Wood dual roots, Spirit Realm fourth stage. Her entire body appeared no different from a normal cultivator, save for her slightly high cultivation level.

Li Ze knew he would use his divine sense and had used a technique to hide the Chaotic Spiritual Energy in advance.

A mere seven-hundred-year-old junior. My methods are not something you can see through.

The girl then feigned respect. “Greetings, Peak Master. I don’t know either. I just pressed my hand against the pillar and it was destroyed.”

Cai Xiaonuo muttered internally, “Senior, who would believe that?”

“They won’t believe it, but they can’t see through anything either. In the end, they’ll attribute it to a malfunction in the pillar’s internal formation.”

“The secret that the roots don’t match the spiritual energy attribute… this is how we cross the sea under a false sky!”

Mo Zhengxuan initially suspected a special constitution.

However, her constitution and talent appeared mediocre.

He cleared her to pass and then departed.

After the Black Rock Pillar was repaired, the selection continued.