Chapter 196: Challenging the Gate

"Where are you from? Your name and token."

"From the Wang family of Qinglian, Ningzhou. I am Wang Minglong, and this is my token for the disciple recruitment assembly."

Wang Minglong took out a square token and handed it over.

His voice was not loud, but the cultivators present could hear him clearly.

A Foundation Establishment cultivator registered his details and handed Wang Minglong a silver talisman. Taking a deep breath, Wang Minglong strode into the Demon Suppressing Pagoda.

The first level lit up, but no sound emerged.

Soon after, the second level lit up. All the cultivators watched the Demon Suppressing Pagoda intently, fearing they might miss something.

Wang Changsheng and the other members of the Wang family were very nervous, worried that something might happen to Wang Minglong.

After a while, the third level lit up.

Wang Changsheng's heart was in his throat. According to Sun Junyan's introduction, the demonic beasts conjured on the third level were the most powerful, making it the most difficult challenge.

A few minutes later, the fourth level lit up.

In less than ten breaths, Wang Minglong flew out from the fourth level of the Demon Suppressing Pagoda and slowly descended to the ground.

"I succeeded! I succeeded!"

He was ecstatic, though his face was slightly pale.

Seeing this, Wang Changsheng and the other Wang family members collectively breathed a sigh of relief.

Wang Minglong's success greatly encouraged the others.

One after another, Qi Condensation cultivators entered the Demon Suppressing Pagoda. Most succeeded, some failed, but overall, no one was injured.

However, an accident still occurred: a burly middle-aged man at Qi Condensation Level Six was teleported out of the Demon Suppressing Pagoda as a corpse.

The disciple recruitment assembly lasted for nearly half a month. Of the five family members, Wang Minglong and Wang Changping successfully joined the Hundred Spirits Sect. Wang Changfei, lacking combat experience, became frightened after seeing the dead challengers and chose not to attempt the trial.

Wang Changsheng was very disappointed but didn't force him. Upon returning to the family, he would arrange some simple tasks for Wang Changfei, such as farming, and wouldn't allocate too many resources to him.

Cultivators defy the heavens; if he was scared witless by the sight of a few corpses, there was no point in nurturing him.

Wang Changting and Wang Qinglei attempted the trial but didn't succeed. Wang Changting sustained minor injuries, while Wang Qinglei was unharmed.

In total, over a thousand cultivators attempted the trial, but fewer than one-third succeeded.

Wang Changsheng carefully observed that at least one disciple from each cultivation family succeeded in the trial, whereas rogue cultivators' success depended on their individual strength; the stronger they were, the higher their chances of success.

After no one else challenged the pagoda, Sun Junyan flew above the Demon Suppressing Pagoda and announced loudly, "Many of you present are from the State of Song. Our State of Wei has taken control of Song, and there are rumors that our Five Sects of Wei will enslave Song cultivators. These are all falsehoods. We wish to govern Song together with all of you, and this disciple recruitment assembly is the best proof of our intentions. To demonstrate our sincerity, we are offering spirit fields and shops as rewards for a competition. Challengers must pass the Demon Suppressing Pagoda: the fourth level conjures low-grade second-tier demonic beasts, and the sixth level conjures high-grade second-tier demonic beasts. Passing the sixth level is sufficient. The top thirty Foundation Establishment cultivators with outstanding performances will receive generous rewards. The first place will receive ten acres of low-grade second-tier spirit fields and five shops. The thirtieth place will receive five acres of low-grade first-tier spirit fields and one shop. Of course, the spirit fields and shops are not permanent; they are temporarily leased to you. No rent is required for ten years, but if you wish to continue leasing after ten years, you will need to pay rent."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Foundation Establishment cultivators present collectively gasped.

The quality of spirit fields ranges from low to high, from first-tier to ninth-tier. The higher the tier of a spirit field, the richer the spiritual energy in its soil, and the better the quality of the spirit grains and herbs cultivated there.

Generally, first-tier spirit fields are used for cultivating spirit grains, while second-tier spirit fields are used for cultivating spirit herbs.

The Five Sects of Wei were truly generous, offering spirit fields and shops as rewards. Ten years without paying rent was akin to a free gain.

Of course, to obtain spirit fields and shops, one had to successfully complete the trial and rank among the top thirty.

Given that Qi Condensation cultivators had suffered casualties during the trial, Foundation Establishment cultivators surely would too. Risk and reward were directly proportional.

"I, Chen Hu, will go first!"

A resonant male voice rang out. A ruddy-faced middle-aged man quickly stepped out from the crowd; it was Chen Hu.

Chen Hu was only at Foundation Establishment Level Two and not particularly strong.

The Foundation Establishment cultivator who had previously given him True Fiend Qi was a disciple of the Spirit Controlling Sect. Their aim was for Chen Hu to gather a group of cultivators to cause trouble in the rear during the war between Wei and Song. The more cultivators who died or were injured, the happier the Spirit Controlling Sect would be.

After Wei took control of Song, looting, burning, and killing were strictly prohibited. Under the guidance of the Spirit Controlling Sect disciple, Chen Hu intended to establish a family and become an affiliated force of the Spirit Controlling Sect.

Having annihilated cultivation families in Song, he could only cling tightly to the Spirit Controlling Sect. Compared to the native cultivation families of Song, the Spirit Controlling Sect trusted Chen Hu more.

He now had one wife, three concubines, and over a dozen Qi Condensation subordinates. He could barely establish a cultivation family, having the population but lacking territory.

Chen Hu occupied the family residence of a small family, but it only had five acres of spirit fields and a single mid-grade first-tier spirit vein, making it pitifully poor.

If he could obtain a few acres of spirit fields and some shops, it would greatly aid the development of the Chen family.

Chen Hu walked up to the Demon Suppressing Pagoda, bowed respectfully to Sun Junyan, and deferentially said, "Junior Chen Hu greets Senior Sun. This junior wishes to challenge the Demon Suppressing Pagoda."

"Go ahead! If you want to obtain spirit fields and shops, don't hold back."

Sun Junyan nodded, offering encouragement.

"I will obey Senior Sun's decree."

After his details were registered, Chen Hu took a teleportation talisman and strode into the Demon Suppressing Pagoda.

Chen Hu stayed in the Demon Suppressing Pagoda for about fifteen minutes, but he failed to pass the fifth level.

With the allure of spirit fields and shops as rewards, the Foundation Establishment cultivators present eagerly participated.

Two hours passed, but no Foundation Establishment cultivator managed to pass the sixth level.

During the conflict between Wei and Song, the State of Song had conscripted a large number of cultivation families to participate in the war. After Song's defeat, most of the stronger cultivation families withdrew from the state, leaving behind those with generally weaker capabilities.

The Five Sects of Wei held the disciple recruitment assembly, and most cultivation families sent representatives. Perhaps it was due to the weak strength of the leading Foundation Establishment cultivators, or perhaps the demonic beasts conjured by the Demon Suppressing Pagoda were too formidable, but currently, no one had passed the sixth level.

With a flash of white light, an elderly man in yellow robes was teleported out from the sixth level, his face pale, his right arm gone, and blood dripping.

Witnessing this scene was like a basin of cold water being poured over the cultivators. They looked at each other, and no one dared to enter the Demon Suppressing Pagoda again.

Two white cloud masses flew up and settled in front of the Demon Suppressing Pagoda. The two individuals were Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan.

Wang Changsheng cupped his fist at Wang Ruyan and said with a smile, "Fellow Daoist Wang, how about I go first?"

Wang Ruyan hesitated briefly, then nodded in agreement and retreated into the crowd.

Wang Changsheng bowed to Sun Junyan and announced loudly, "Wang Changsheng from Qinglian Mountain, Ningzhou, wishes to challenge the Demon Suppressing Pagoda. Please grant this junior your permission, Senior Sun."

Sun Junyan appraised Wang Changsheng from head to toe, a flicker of approval in his eyes. He said, "Go ahead! I hope young friend Wang can pass the sixth level and set an example for others."

The Five Sects of Wei had taken this action to win over people's hearts. However, Sun Junyan hadn't anticipated that the Foundation Establishment cultivators who had attempted the trial so far would be so weak. Not a single one had passed the sixth level. Wouldn't this cause the Five Sects of Wei to lose face? Those in the know would say the challengers were weak, but those who didn't know might claim the Five Sects of Wei were deliberately making it difficult for Song cultivators.

Wang Changsheng repeatedly affirmed his understanding, took a teleportation talisman, and, under the gaze of the crowd, strode into the Demon Suppressing Pagoda.

The hall was extremely spacious. The stone walls around it were carved with numerous demonic beast patterns, and the floor was paved with bluestone.