Chapter 607: Entry (Part 2)

Han Li and the others naturally had no objections. Immediately, the young man surnamed Yu steered the large bowl beneath his feet, heading straight for the distant peak known as "Tianquan Peak."

Along the way, their group encountered several passing cultivators, mostly low-level cultivators in the Qi Condensation stage. Upon seeing the young man, they immediately bowed respectfully and greeted him, indicating his considerable reputation within the Luoyun Sect.

The only Foundation Establishment stage cultivator they encountered was a yellow-robed cultivator with pointed ears and a monkey-like face.

He was just flying down from Tianquan Peak, riding a flying trident. Upon seeing the young man surnamed Yu, he was initially startled, but then greeted him with a wide smile, saying:

"Junior Brother Yu, are these new disciples? It seems there aren't many this time!"

This person was extremely enthusiastic towards the young man but didn't even spare a glance for Han Li and the other rogue cultivators, appearing very materialistic and snobbish.

"Ah, Senior Brother Yan!" replied the spirited young man surnamed Yu, subtly frowning upon seeing the yellow-robed cultivator. "These individuals still need to undergo the Heart-Questioning Technique test. Only after their results are reported to the Sect Leader can they be considered official disciples of our sect. Currently, they are just candidates."

"Oh, I see. But Junior Brother, you know," the yellow-robed cultivator said with a grin after a quick glance, "I'm quite short of two talisman-making disciples for my talisman refining work. How about directly assigning two of these people to my lineage?"

Only then did his gaze sweep over the group behind the young man. Han Li's expression remained normal, but he felt a slight discomfort.

This person's gaze made him quite disgusted, as he treated them like mere objects. From his tone, it was clear he intended to use them as laborers.

The other rogue cultivators' expressions subtly changed upon hearing this; they also seemed to have a poor impression of this person.

"Senior Brother Yan," the young man surnamed Yu said, quite familiar with the yellow-robed cultivator's temperament, "I cannot make decisions on this matter. You should know that disciple assignments have always been handled by the Sect Leader. If Senior Brother truly believes there aren't enough talisman-making disciples, you can apply to the Sect Leader. I still have important matters to attend to; Senior Brother Miao is waiting for us at Yingsong Residence. I won't accompany you further." He immediately rejected the other party's excessive demand, then quickly found an excuse, urged the magical artifact beneath his feet, and swiftly flew with Han Li and the others towards a pavilion down the mountain.

The yellow-robed cultivator had originally intended to continue pestering them, but upon hearing the words "Senior Brother Miao," a look of hesitation appeared on his face. He was startled, allowing the young man to leave just like that.

Watching the young man and his group disappear into the distant pavilion, the yellow-robed cultivator's expression remained uncertain.

After pondering for a moment with his head down, he suddenly let out a cold snort and transformed into a streak of yellow light, flying towards another mountain peak.

By then, the young man had led Han Li and the others into the first floor of the pavilion. Opposite them, a stranger appeared. Han Li was surprised to see a thin young man sitting on a rosewood armchair, engrossed in reading a bamboo scroll.

This person appeared to be only thirty-four or thirty-five years old, yet his cultivation had already reached the late Foundation Establishment stage.

Although he had just entered the late stage and hadn't fully consolidated his cultivation, he was undoubtedly a rare talent. At his current age, he had a great chance of forming a Golden Core and entering the Core Formation stage. No wonder the annoying yellow-robed cultivator dared not pester them further upon hearing this person's name.

The other cultivators who came with Han Li were equally astonished upon seeing the thin young man's astonishing cultivation and exchanged shocked glances.

At this moment, the person had already put down the bamboo scroll. After glancing at the young man surnamed Yu, he softly asked:

"Junior Brother Yu, you've worked hard. Senior Brother Yan from Suoyan Peak just stopped you, didn't he?"

"Since Senior Brother already knows, why ask about it again?" the valiant young man asked with a hint of distaste. "However, was that person here to bother Senior Sister Peiling again?"

"What do you mean 'that person'?" the sickly-looking young man said, a slight reproof in his calm voice, without a trace of anger. "Even if Junior Brother Yan is a bit excessive, he's still a fellow disciple of our Luoyun Sect. Junior Brother Yu, your words are inappropriate. You should pay more attention in the future. Otherwise, if Master hears you, a reprimand will be unavoidable."

This made the young man surnamed Yu's heart clench, and he quickly replied, "Senior Brother is right to reprimand me. I will definitely pay more attention in the future."

Hearing the young man admit his mistake, a faint smile appeared on the thin young man's face.

After nodding, his gaze shifted to Han Li and the others, and he scrutinized them one by one.

He observed very carefully, slowly scanning them from head to toe, which made most of the people feel uneasy.

However, Han Li wondered if it was his imagination. He noticed that when the other's gaze fell upon the bearded big man, it seemed to pause instinctively for a moment before quickly skipping to someone else.

Given Han Li's cultivation, it was naturally impossible for the other party to detect any flaws. But he quietly made a mental note of this.

A moment later, Senior Brother Miao withdrew his gaze, then calmly reached into his waist pouch, and a stack of glittering silver talismans appeared in his palm.

"There are only seven people this time, which is not far off from what I expected," Senior Brother Miao said in a very calm voice. "Otherwise, if there were more people, I wouldn't have enough Heart-Questioning Talismans. Junior Brother Yu, please attach these talismans to these fellow daoists in a moment. Once they take effect, bring them to my cultivation room." After placing the talismans into the young man's hand, he stood up and walked to the second floor without looking back.

However, as the thin young man slowly walked up the corner staircase, for some reason, with his back to the group, he suddenly bent over and coughed violently.

Judging by the sound, he seemed to be in extreme pain, but then he stood up and disappeared from sight at the top of the stairs, under the bewildered gazes of everyone.

Upon seeing this, a flicker of surprise flashed in Han Li's eyes, but it quickly vanished without a trace, and his expression returned to normal.

After showing a hint of concern, the young man surnamed Yu sighed and turned to Han Li and the others, saying:

"What I hold here are the legendary Heart-Questioning Talismans. I don't think I need to elaborate on their effects; you should already know. If any of you harbor ill intentions or have ulterior motives to sneak through, it's best to withdraw now. Otherwise, if anything untoward is discovered later, don't blame our Luoyun Sect for being impolite."

As soon as he finished speaking, a cold glint flashed repeatedly in the young man's eyes, and he coldly swept his gaze across the seven people opposite him.

Although his tone was somewhat eerie and intimidating, naturally, no one stood out at that moment.

So, the young man surnamed Yu's expression softened as he nodded. With a wave of his hands, seven streaks of silver light shot out, each landing perfectly on the right shoulder of one person.

The young man then calmly sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes to meditate, disregarding the seven people.

This made the bearded man and the others exchange bewildered glances. Although they each had their own thoughts, they dared not tear off the Heart-Questioning Talisman and could only stare at each other, waiting.

At this moment, Han Li slightly tilted his head and glanced at the silver talisman on his shoulder, close at hand. The corner of his mouth curved slightly, but he immediately appeared nonchalant. Not long after, the talisman on Han Li's shoulder suddenly shone with brilliant silver light, then began to flicker, alternating between bright and dim.

The young man surnamed Yu, who was sitting cross-legged, noticed something. He instantly opened his eyes and emotionlessly said to Han Li:

"You go up alone. Senior Brother Miao is waiting for you there!"

Hearing this, Han Li glanced at the talisman on his side and, without a word, he got up and left. Moments later, he stood on the second floor of the pavilion.

It was empty here, with nothing but two meditation mats.

The thin young man was sitting cross-legged on one of the meditation mats. As soon as he saw Han Li come up, a faint smile appeared on his face, and he pointed at the other meditation mat in front of him.

"Sit down! Don't worry. This will be over quickly. Moreover, the Heart-Questioning Technique isn't a spell; it merely determines whether your answers are the truth or lies."

"While the judgment of this technique cannot be said to be perfectly accurate, without any errors," he continued, "it's correct nine times out of ten. Therefore, I will ask you ten questions. If three or more of your answers are determined to be false, you will not be accepted by our sect. Do you understand, fellow daoist?"

"This junior understands," Han Li sighed, nodded, and honestly replied. Then he also sat down on the meditation mat in front of the young man.

However, Han Li sneered inwardly.

If the Heart-Questioning Technique could truly discern his innermost thoughts, then something was really amiss!

"Alright, let's begin," Senior Brother Miao said, glancing at the flickering silver talisman on Han Li's shoulder. "We'll start with your background..." He then began to ask questions.

All seven people, including Han Li, were deemed to have no issues by the thin young man.

So, they only needed to get the Luoyun Sect Leader's approval and register their names to be considered official disciples of the Luoyun Sect.