Chapter 709: Gu Junye's Inner Demon

"Next!"

Lu Yang, conscious of his role as a guardian, obediently shouted out.

Following Immortal Daoist Xiantian was naturally Lord Hanhai. However, Dai Bufan was unaware of this; he only knew that Immortal Daoist Xiantian was there for the entrance test.

Lord Hanhai carried himself like a true master: taciturn and as cold as ice.

Dai Bufan gently placed two fingers on Lord Hanhai's wrist and quickly determined the result: "Mutated spiritual root, a lightning spiritual root?"

"What's your name?"

"Fang Ya."

Dai Bufan thought back, recalling that this person hadn't appeared in the character assessment. Had they come simply by reputation?

"Fang Ya, is it? I'll remember you. Do your best."

Dai Bufan highly valued Lord Hanhai. If he received significant cultivation from the Wen Dao Sect in the future, he would at least reach the peak of the Integration stage and become a cornerstone of the sect. As a mortal, Fang Ya didn't yet realize how fortunate it was to be highly regarded by Dai Bufan. He showed no gratitude for Dai Bufan's goodwill and simply rose and headed to the second round. Only after joining the Wen Dao Sect did Fang Ya understand what a great opportunity he had missed that day.

Immortal Fairy Bu Xiu looked at Lu Yang in surprise, not understanding why he had suddenly gone into a monologue.

"Next!" This time, it was Meng Jingzhou's turn to shout.

Dai Bufan's eye twitched. He felt like an emperor seated on a throne, with two young eunuchs on either side shrilly announcing the arrival of various dignitaries. Earlier, he had asked Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou to drag away those who faked spiritual roots, not without the intention of replacing them with two different people by his side. Unfortunately, his plan hadn't succeeded.

Following Lord Hanhai was Lord Wanfa. Lord Wanfa had originally intended to simply fake a dual spiritual root. But since the previous three were all single spiritual roots, wouldn't faking a dual spiritual root make him seem inferior?

No, this won't do.

Lord Wanfa extended his hand, allowing Dai Bufan to examine him. Dai Bufan's cultivation technique allowed him to examine a person's physical condition, but it was useless against an opponent of Lord Wanfa's caliber. Lord Wanfa was certain that no abnormalities would be detected. This was his confidence as a half-immortal.

The surprise on Dai Bufan's face grew more evident: "Eternal Life Immortal Physique?"

As the name suggests, this is an immortal physique with an extraordinarily long lifespan. Throughout history, from ancient times to the present, fewer than five such cases have been found, making it extremely rare.

Dai Bufan mumbled, "What's going on? It's one thing for this batch to be high-quality, but why are these appearing consecutively?" Counting from Gu Junye, this was already the fourth person.

Those in line behind stirred, looking enviously at Lord Wanfa. Such a physique would be fought over by even the Five Great Immortal Sects.

"What's your name?" Dai Bufan asked.

"Gu Xie."

Immortal Fairy Bu Xiu stared at Gu Xie for a moment: "Why does something feel off?"

"Is there something wrong with this person?" Lu Yang asked.

Immortal Fairy Bu Xiu took another look, then stated with certainty: "This person is a half-immortal."

"A half-immortal?!" If Lu Yang hadn't been accustomed to seeing immortals and half-immortals, he would have cried out just from hearing this.

"Yes, they have a nascent Dao Fruit. Definitely a half-immortal," Immortal Fairy Bu Xiu affirmed with certainty.

"It seems this matter needs to be reported to Senior Sister," Lu Yang thought to himself. This was beyond Senior Brother Dai's capability to handle. If the other party had hidden their identity to enter the Wen Dao Sect, their intentions were likely not good. However, Lu Yang did not return directly to Tianmen Peak, as that might draw Gu Xie's attention and tip him off.

Afterwards, Dai Bufan tested about two hundred more people.

"Water and Wood dual spiritual roots, and naturally suited for cultivating spiritual plants?" Dai Bufan found another promising candidate. "I remember your name is Zhou Xing'er?"

This was also a mortal who had undergone the previous character assessment. The mission report had recorded that Zhou Xing'er was born in a mountain valley, where rural villages generally favored sons over daughters. Zhou Xing'er was no exception. Until a year ago, she accidentally acquired a special storage ring that allowed her to cultivate grain and vegetables. The crops grown inside the storage ring thrived exceptionally well. It was through this special storage ring that Zhou Xing'er was spared from being married off.

According to the Wen Dao Sect's investigation, the storage ring was forged by the Fifth Elder. It was inadvertently lost while he was being pursued by officials during a speed boat chase. When the Fifth Elder learned of this, he directly stated that there was no need to retrieve the storage ring.

"Alright, you may proceed."

"Thank you, True Monarch."

Seeing that the time was right, Lu Yang sent a voice transmission to Dai Bufan: "Senior Brother Dai, I have something to attend to. I'll be stepping away for a moment."

Dai Bufan was eager for Lu Yang to leave, preferably dragging Meng Jingzhou along, but unfortunately, Lu Yang lacked discernment and and simply left by himself. The one who replaced Lu Yang was Mang Gu.

"Next!" Mang Gu had a loud voice, full of vigor, like an imperial guard announcing the arrival of a dignitary at the palace gates.

The first round of trials concluded, with a full eight hundred people advancing to the second round. If these eight hundred people were in the outside world, second-grade sects would eagerly compete for them, while first-grade sects might show a bit more restraint.

"Congratulations to all who passed the first round of trials. We will now begin the second round."

Dai Bufan continued to preside over the trials, while other sect disciples surrounded the eight hundred people to maintain order. The location for the second round of trials was a bamboo forest, which was the territory of the River Spirit.

"It is often said that on the path of cultivation, inner demons proliferate. In truth, even before you step into the cultivation world, inner demons have already taken root in your hearts."

"The fervent hopes of your parents, the deep affection of your elders, the fear of failing this trial... these are all ingredients for inner demons!"

"This second stage tests whether you can confront your inner demons and overcome them!"

"Of course, considering your minds are still immature and overcoming inner demons alone would be extremely difficult, in this second stage, you can choose to overcome them by yourselves or as a team."

"After all, on the path of cultivation, the companionship and help of friends are indispensable."

"You're all so impressive! A water spiritual root, and even the legendary Eternal Life Immortal Physique," Immortal Daoist Xiantian said with a smile, clearly envious of Gu Junye and Gu Xie. "I heard Lord Wanfa also possesses the Eternal Life Immortal Physique."

"Perhaps you'll become a powerful figure like Lord Wanfa in the future."

Gu Xie was unmoved by Immortal Daoist Xiantian's praise.

Gu Junye patted Gu Xie's shoulder and said in a tone befitting someone instructing a junior: "While physique is important, what's even more crucial is a firm Dao heart!"

Gu Xie snorted coldly and subtly dodged Gu Junye's hand.

"How about this? As the saying goes, 'strength in numbers.' It's fate that the four of us met at the mountain gate. Why don't we team up to overcome our inner demons?"

Gu Xie inwardly sneered. "Fine," he thought. "I'll join your team, and use this opportunity to eliminate all three of you, leaving only myself to pass."

"Alright."

Instantly, the bamboo forest became shrouded in mist, making it impossible to see anyone just a zhang away. The River Spirit stood on the water's surface, where many bubbles gurgled up. The bubbles floated into the air, growing larger and larger until they were human-height. These giant bubbles enveloped everyone. For those who had teamed up, the bubbles would merge, forming even larger ones, allowing these temporary teams to enter a single bubble to face their shared inner demons.

"It seems this is an illusion," Immortal Daoist Xiantian and the other three realized when they awoke again to find themselves in a desolate place. They knew this was an illusion.

Gu Xie chuckled inwardly. He wanted to see what kind of inner demons these three had—nothing more than parental scolding or scary little ghosts, nothing serious. "Just wait until you three make fools of yourselves!"

Suddenly, the winds and clouds shifted, a bolt of lightning struck, and a distant mountaintop shattered directly. Gu Xie was startled. What was going on?

Gu Junye stood with his hands behind his back, his head tilted up at a forty-five-degree angle, gazing indifferently at the sky, and murmured, "It's coming."

"What's coming?" Gu Xie couldn't help but ask.

Gu Junye covered his restless right eye, soothing the unruly Devouring Beast within it, and pointed at the heavily clouded sky. In the sky, thunder rolled, sounding like dragon roars and phoenix cries, with the power to destroy heaven and earth.

"I should have known this would be my inner demon."

"What exactly is this?" Gu Xie's eyelids twitched, and he had an ominous premonition.

Gu Junye sighed softly: "The lightning tribulation that caused my demise in my previous life: the Ninety-Nine Immortal Tribulation."