Chapter 605: Entry (Part 1)

Among the three sects, Han Li’s initial interest wasn't in Luoyun Sect, but rather in Baiqiao Academy, which was renowned throughout the cultivation world for its artifact refining.

Besides its unique cultivation methods, this sect’s disciples were exceptionally skilled at refining various grades of magical artifacts. It was even rumored to possess several top-tier magic treasure refining techniques.

The main body of the Yan family’s "Qiankun Pagoda" talisman-treasure, from Yue State's foremost family, was created using one of these legendary refining techniques and was quite famous.

This piqued Han Li's interest.

Unfortunately, this sect’s recruitment process resembled that of the Seven Sects of Yue State, primarily accepting disciples from various cultivation families and rarely recruiting outsiders. Furthermore, the sect itself was essentially controlled by a coalition of the five most powerful cultivator families, occupying a mountain range in the western part of Yunmeng Mountain.

This was a disappointment for Han Li, forcing him to give up on the idea.

As its name suggests, Ancient Sword Sect excelled in sword manipulation techniques. Their magical artifacts and treasures were exclusively various types and sizes of swords. Their foundational unique skill, the "Taibai Sword Art," was especially renowned in Xi State for its incredible sharpness.

The Ancient Sword Sect didn't just accept disciples from cultivation families; it also recruited young rogue cultivators.

However, the cultivation methods and sword arts of this sect had extremely high requirements for aptitude. Those with even slightly inferior spiritual roots were essentially unable to cultivate their various techniques. Therefore, despite frequent recruitment drives, the sect had the fewest disciples among the three.

Nevertheless, once Ancient Sword Sect disciples achieved success in their cultivation, their formidable offensive power as sword cultivators often made them unmatched by cultivators of the same rank. Consequently, it was the most powerful of the three sects, naturally occupying the main mountain range of Yunmeng Mountain.

The last remaining sect, Luoyun Sect, was, in some ways, quite similar to Baiqiao Academy. While its cultivation methods were diverse but not specialized, it was highly renowned for its alchemy.

The legendary Spirit Stabilization Pills were something only a few elders of this sect in Xi State were capable of refining.

Therefore, despite being significantly weaker than the other two sects, Luoyun Sect managed to establish a foothold in the eastern part of Yunmeng Mountain.

Luoyun Sect recruited the most disciples among the three sects, and its entry threshold was the lowest.

Essentially, this sect had only two conditions for accepting disciples.

Either they possessed good spiritual root aptitude with cultivation potential, in which case Luoyun Sect, like other sects, would gladly accept them. Or, they had a certain foundation in cultivation, having cultivated basic techniques to a higher level; in such cases, even with inferior spiritual roots, they would still be accepted.

After all, besides its fame in alchemy, Luoyun Sect also dabbled in various miscellaneous arts like talisman crafting and array formations, all of which required a large number of low-level disciples to sustain.

As for those rogue cultivators at the Qi Condensation stage who had achieved a certain level of cultivation, some with less ideal spiritual roots knew that entering a cultivation sect with their aptitude offered little future prospects, likely remaining low-level disciples forever. However, like Han Li, they believed it was better to seek shelter under a big tree. Indeed, many chose to join Luoyun Sect for this reason.

Given these factors, Luoyun Sect seemed to have the most lenient recruitment policies among the three, and combined with the allure of the legendary "Spirit Stabilization Pills," it appeared to be the most suitable sect to join.

After a moment of hesitation, Han Li made some further inquiries and learned that the sect would soon be recruiting disciples again. He immediately stopped hesitating.

After parting ways with Zi Ling and the other woman, he didn't reveal his destination or plans. He made brief preparations and then flew to this location.

After waiting a few days at the foot of the mountain, as the recruitment day drew near, more Qi Condensation cultivators from various places began to arrive. It was then that Han Li unhurriedly appeared on the bluestone path leading up the mountain.

By now, Han Li had been slowly walking for about an hour from the foot of the mountain to his current position.

This wasn't because the mountain was truly that tall; rather, the stone path had been enchanted with some rudimentary illusions, likely a test by Luoyun Sect to temper the resolve of those wishing to join.

After all, no matter how lenient Luoyun Sect’s recruitment was, they wouldn't accept individuals who couldn’t even bother to walk the entire path.

At this moment, the few male and female cultivators walking ahead of Han Li also noticed something peculiar. They immediately huddled together, whispered a few words, and then seemed to figure out the mystery. They continued forward without further concern.

These individuals appeared to be acquainted with each other and didn't acknowledge Han Li.

Han Li followed behind them, unconcerned.

After another half hour on the stone path, they finally saw the end of the bluestone steps. The young men and women, overjoyed, quickly ascended them.

Han Li, with a normal expression, stepped onto the last stone stair, then calmly surveyed his surroundings.

It was a vast platform, over a hundred zhang wide. Apart from a seemingly inconspicuous small pavilion directly opposite, everything else was a blank expanse of white, as if nothing else existed.

In front of the unassuming stone pavilion, dozens of cultivators in various attires were sparsely seated, but none dared to enter the small pavilion.

The few male and female cultivators who had ascended with Han Li silently joined the crowd.

Seeing this, Han Li's expression remained unchanged, but he sneered inwardly.

While those Qi Condensation rogue cultivators might not perceive anything, Han Li's spiritual sense immediately saw through the illusion array before him.

What appeared to be a stone pavilion was clearly a magnificent white jade pavilion towering before him, adorned with a large plaque bearing the three golden characters "Illusory Cloud Hall."

Standing before the pavilion's entrance, beneath the grand plaque, were three figures, pointing and speaking to the bewildered Qi Condensation cultivators.

Relying on the extraordinary effects of the formation, they showed no discretion whatsoever.

Among these three, two appeared to be at the early Foundation Establishment stage, and one at the middle Foundation Establishment stage. They seemed to be the Luoyun Sect cultivators responsible for guiding the new recruits.

Han Li quietly walked to the periphery of the crowd, sat down with downcast eyes, and entered meditation.

However, by extending his spiritual sense around the three, he easily overheard their entire conversation.

"Senior Brother Qiu! Although it's not time yet, it seems there aren't as many rogue cultivators applying this time as we expected, and more than half of them appear completely unqualified. They only have basic cultivation at the seventh or eighth level, yet they dare to come here to join. Do they really think our Luoyun Sect accepts just anyone?" A pale-faced young man, who looked about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, pointed at several individuals in the crowd, his voice seemingly filled with dissatisfaction.

"What can we do? We only recruited a batch of disciples three years ago, so having this many people show up now is already quite good. Besides, last time, Senior Uncle Jin was in urgent need of manpower, so a few of our senior and junior brothers had to make an exception and accept two rogue cultivators who were only at the eighth level of Qi Condensation. This naturally gave outsiders the mistaken impression that the threshold for entering our Luoyun Sect had been lowered again, leading some rogue cultivators to try their luck," replied the forty-something Foundation Establishment mid-stage cultivator, known as "Senior Brother Qiu." He wore a white robe, had a stern, square face, and piercing eyes.

"However, this time, we senior and junior brothers certainly won't be lenient. After all, the recent low-level disciples who joined were indeed too poor in both cultivation and spiritual roots. It seems an elder in the sect found it unacceptable and has already mentioned it to the sect master. So, according to the sect master's wishes, this time it's 'better to have too few than to have something substandard'," another spirited young man said with a chuckle, as if making an excuse.

"'Better to have too few than to have something substandard'! If we do that, we'll be lucky to recruit ten disciples this time. Nine out of ten people here will have to go back home," the pale-faced young man said with some disdain, glancing at the rogue cultivators before him.

"Senior Brother Liu, don't underestimate these rogue cultivators. There might truly be some buried talents among them, you never know. Think about Junior Brother Sun Huo; he also joined our sect as a rogue cultivator. Yet, in just five or six years, Junior Brother Sun successfully established his foundation. While it was partly due to choosing a suitable cultivation method and being rewarded with a Foundation Establishment Pill for his great contributions, it was also related to his exceptionally rare aptitude," Senior Brother Qiu said calmly, casting a sidelong glance at the young man surnamed Liu, who hailed from a prominent cultivator family.

"Ahem! Senior Brother is right, my words were a bit inappropriate!" The pale-faced young man, upon hearing this, immediately remembered something, coughed a few times, and said with a forced smile. He seemed somewhat wary of Senior Brother Qiu.

"Junior Brother Liu..." Senior Brother Qiu seemed about to say more to the young man, but Han Li had no interest in listening further. He immediately withdrew his spiritual sense and closed his eyes to rest.

He had now concealed his aura, making him appear to other cultivators as being precisely at the tenth level of Qi Condensation.

With his cultivation at this level, entering Luoyun Sect shouldn't be an issue!

After waiting a few more hours, even more cultivators ascended the stone steps from the mountain base. Finally, as the sun began to set, nearly a hundred Qi Condensation cultivators were seated on the platform, mostly young men and women, but also some more experienced middle-aged and older cultivators.

Just then, a large expanse of red light suddenly erupted from the stone pavilion before them. Then, amidst the radiant glow, the pavilion vanished, replaced by a massive pavilion over ten zhang tall, and the three figures standing in front of it.

"Welcome, fellow Daoists, to our Luoyun Sect! Our senior and junior brothers will be responsible for this disciple selection. Please listen carefully to what I, Qiu, am about to say, and do not miss anything," Senior Brother Qiu said calmly and unhurriedly, his piercing gaze sweeping over the assembled crowd.