Chapter 5

The main hall of the sect was bathed in glorious light, solemn and towering.

Sheng Di sat upright in his seat, with several Golden Core cultivators seated to his left and right, exuding an imposing aura. Following a nod from Sheng Di, the steward led the disciples in, walking in single file to the center of the hall.

The top ten stood in the front row, while the other disciples lined up behind them. Once they were settled, they all bowed in unison, hands cupped, and declared, "Disciples pay respects to the Sect Leader and all Elders!"

"Rise, no need for formalities," Sheng Di gestured with a wave of his hand.

The disciples stood tall, waiting for further instructions. Le Li lowered her eyes, masking the shock in her gaze. *Why is Yan Yueheng here too?* She had already purged the Nanming Li Fire and was certain that none of the disciples present had refined it. What else could Yan Yueheng be looking for?

Le Li keenly sensed a gaze resting upon her, and her heart began to race. She hurriedly lowered her head further, eyes fixed on her own nose, breathing steadily as she centered her mind.

The steward, holding a jade slip, stepped forward to report, "Reporting to the Sect Leader, there were two hundred and eleven disciples in this trial, and one hundred and eighty-eight have passed. The records are here for your inspection."

"Bring it here." Sheng Di took the jade slip from the steward. It contained the records of all the disciples' performance over their three years of entry and the results of this trial, as well as evaluations of their various aptitudes.

Before long, Sheng Di and the Golden Core cultivators finished reading the contents and withdrew their divine sense. Sheng Di put away the jade slip and stood up. "That you have all successfully passed the trial and shown improvement fills me with satisfaction. I hope you will continue to cultivate diligently, keep your Dao hearts firm, live up to your own path to immortality, and bring glory to the sect!"

"We obey, Sect Leader!" everyone replied in unison.

"In this trial, the top ten disciples performed exceptionally well and deserve special recognition. The sect will reward you. I hope you continue to strive for excellence and reach new heights!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a steward approached with a tray holding a jade crown, a sword, a red bead, and seven pill bottles. Le Li glanced at them from the corner of her eye; it was exactly as it had been in her previous life. The bottles surely contained Foundation Building Pills, though the quantities varied. The jade crown was a high-grade water-element spirit tool, the sword was a mid-grade metal-element spirit tool, and the red bead was a low-grade fire-element spirit tool—all prepared specifically according to the spiritual roots of Lu Yuan and the other two top scorers.

Since Qi-refining disciples had low spiritual power, they usually used magic tools; only upon reaching the Foundation Building stage would they use spirit tools. The rewards were a gesture of encouragement, hoping they would soon advance to Foundation Building.

Sheng Di walked over and gave the jade crown to Lu Yuan, the sword to Qin Ruoqing, and the red bead to Chen Qiaoxuan, offering words of encouragement to each. When he reached Le Li, his expression was incredibly complex. He handed her a pill bottle and said, "Do not be discouraged. If you persist and keep your confidence, it is not impossible."

At these words, many disciples looked at Le Li in confusion, especially Chen Qiaoxuan, whose eyes went wide. This was not the time for conversation, so she had to endure it and wait to ask later. Le Li twitched the corner of her mouth and accepted the pill bottle with both hands. "Thank you, Sect Leader!"

Sheng Di moved on to Wu Qiang, distributed the pill bottles to the remaining six disciples, and offered words of encouragement before returning to his seat. "In addition, the first-place winner will be awarded an extra one thousand contribution points, the second nine hundred, down to one hundred for the tenth place. Tomorrow, the steward will transfer the points to your identity jade tokens."

The ten of them bowed again to thank Sheng Di.

"Sect Leader, the rewards have been distributed. It is time for the next step!" Yue Zhufeng stepped forward first, pointed at Qin Ruoqing, and asked, "Are you willing to take me as your master and study the sword path?"

"Hey, Brother Yue, that’s not how it’s done," Xuan Zuian stood up abruptly and followed up, "Qin Ruoqing, are you willing to take me as your master? My sword path is no less than Yue Zhufeng’s. If you take me as your master, I will accept your brother, Qin Run, as a registered disciple."

"I, too, can accept Qin Run as a registered disciple," Yue Zhufeng quickly countered. "Furthermore, I possess a technique that perfectly matches his spiritual roots, which I will impart to him as well."

In order to recruit the highly talented Qin Ruoqing, the two Golden Core cultivators played the emotional card, offering to look after her brother as well. Qin Run had three spiritual roots and was very close to Qin Ruoqing. Since the sect required the trial to be completed alone, he had only ranked ninety-fourth. Being accepted as a registered disciple by a Golden Core cultivator was a case of one person achieving success and the whole family rising with them.

Qin Ruoqing had already made up her mind; she knelt before Yue Zhufeng and paid respects to her master. Seeing this, Qin Run hurriedly stepped out of the queue and knelt behind Qin Ruoqing to pay respects as well.

"Good disciple, good disciple, come, stand behind your master." Yue Zhufeng was delighted, while Xuan Zuian snorted in frustration and sat back down with a flick of his sleeve.

"Brother Xuan, why not look at the other disciples?" Sheng Di suggested.

Xuan Zuian was quite stifled and grumbled, "With such pearls before us, pebbles are hard to appreciate. No need."

With the two of them competing, the other cultivators successively began selecting disciples. Chen Qiaoxuan remained under Chu Lin’s tutelage. Before long, only Le Li and Lu Yuan remained from the top ten.

Le Li had not been chosen by any Golden Core cultivator. Her conflicting spiritual roots were a fatal flaw; she had long expected this outcome and kept her head down, her heart devoid of ripples. Lu Yuan had been eyed by four Golden Core cultivators simultaneously. He was cautious and kept his head down, deep in thought, while the four cultivators argued endlessly, leaving the other disciples dumbfounded.

At this moment, on the peak of Qianyuan Peak, under a pine tree in a pavilion, two Golden Core cultivators were playing chess. The one holding the black pieces had white hair and a white beard, but his eyebrows were jet black. His eyes were slightly clouded, yet they contained an indescribable power. "Junior Brother, the trial has ended today. Are you not going to take a look?"

"I do not intend to take on any disciples this time, so I won't go join the crowd. You should go, Senior Brother. Perhaps you will find someone you like and take them as a disciple." The Golden Core cultivator holding the white pieces looked to be in his thirties, with a short beard and a majestic air. As he spoke, he dropped a white piece to block the black one's path.

The Senior Brother shook his head dismissively. "Do not try to persuade me. I have no heart for taking disciples. Having two juniors inherit the sect’s techniques is already quite enough."

"Senior Brother is always like this," the Junior Brother sighed to himself. "I heard that one disciple had an incident during this trial. A perfectly good single-fire spiritual root, but while refining the Nanming Li Fire, they happened to encounter an outbreak of cold energy. The result was that the cold energy entered the dantian, inexplicably giving birth to an ice spiritual root. Fire and ice coexist, clashing and canceling each other out. It’s a pity for a good seedling."

"Ice and fire coexisting? That’s interesting!" The Senior Brother’s hand paused upon hearing this, a flash of light crossing his eyes. He suddenly dropped the black piece into the container, stopped playing, stood up, and left. "I will go to the Sect Hall and see!"

"Hey, Senior Brother, why are you going to the hall?" The Junior Brother hurriedly set down his pieces and followed.

The Senior Brother rose into the air. "Didn't you just urge me to take a disciple? I think that sounds good too."

"Why did you suddenly change your mind? I’ll go with you." The Junior Brother couldn't fathom his Senior Brother's thoughts and flew to keep up.

Only half a game of chess remained on the table, looking like a dead end, yet seemingly holding a path to survival.

When the two of them arrived at the Sect Hall, Lu Yuan still hadn't decided whose disciple he would become, and the four cultivators were still arguing. As soon as they entered the hall, the eyes of all the Golden Core cultivators turned toward them.

The two brothers had not come earlier, clearly stating they would not take disciples. Now that they had arrived, had they changed their minds?

"Brother Han, Brother Lin, you have come at this hour—surely not for Lu Yuan as well?" Yin Bifang asked hurriedly, as she was one of the four Golden Core cultivators vying for Lu Yuan.

"We did not come for Lu Yuan," Han Yongnian said directly, clarifying that it had nothing to do with him, then looked at Sheng Di. "I would like to take a disciple; what does the Sect Leader think?"

Sheng Di looked surprised. Han Yongnian had refused to take disciples for many years; why had he suddenly changed his mind this year? He was in the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm and was already over five hundred years old. If he could not advance in time, how much lifespan he had left was hard to predict. However, since he wasn't here for Lu Yuan, whoever he ended up choosing—even if it was only for a few years or a decade of teaching—would be that disciple's stroke of luck.

"Brother Han, I said years ago that you should take a disciple. Now you have finally come to your senses. Who do you wish to take as your disciple?"

Han Yongnian’s gaze swept over the disciples and finally landed on Le Li.

Just at this moment, Yan Yueheng’s eyes flickered, and her cold, clear voice sounded faintly, "Le Li, you have become what you are today because of refining the Nanming Li Fire. In a sense, there is a causal link between us. I wish to take you as a registered disciple and teach you other fire-element techniques. Are you willing?"

Le Li was so shocked that she suddenly lifted her head. She had already purged the Nanming Li Fire and severed her connection with Yan Yueheng; why did Yan Yueheng still want to take her as a disciple? Having been a master and apprentice for many years, Le Li knew Yan Yueheng well—she was not someone who liked to invite trouble. A registered disciple, while not as important as a formal one, still required proper guidance. In her previous life, many in the sect had pleaded with her to let their juniors be her registered disciples, all of whom she had decisively refused. Why would she take the initiative now?

Le Li felt as if a heavy stone were pressing on her chest, making it hard to breathe. Could it be that in this life, she still could not escape Yan Yueheng and was destined to remain entangled with her? After all, in the eyes of others, given her current aptitude, being Yan Yueheng’s registered disciple was already a supreme honor. If she refused, she would be seen as ungrateful!

A light cough sounded, and Han Yongnian spoke up at the right moment. "Junior Sister Yan’s intentions are good, but it is a coincidence—I have taken a fancy to her myself and intend to take her as my disciple. Le Li, are you willing to take me as your master?"

This time, not only was Le Li shocked again, but all the other Golden Core cultivators wore profound expressions. Was there something unique about Le Li? Why were Yan Yueheng and Han Yongnian fighting to take her as a disciple?

Le Li knew well that she had no unique or hidden aptitude. If there was anything different, it was only her rebirth. Her heart constricted, and she couldn't help but wonder if they had sensed something unusual about her rebirth and wanted to take her as a disciple because of it. She clearly remembered that in her previous life, this Elder Han had not taken any disciples at all and had passed away more than twenty years later.

The tension on Le Li’s face was too obvious. Han Yongnian understood a little and explained further, "You need not overthink it. I did not intend to take a disciple, but I heard about your situation, and it just so happens I have a set of techniques that suit you. I thought it might be fate. If you are truly unwilling, I will not force you."

So that was it. Everyone finally understood why Han Yongnian had suddenly decided to take a disciple, and they marveled at Le Li’s good luck. Le Li felt a little relieved. Having such a situation in this life, she suddenly felt a sense of clarity. Thinking of the reputation of Qianyuan Peak in her previous life, she immediately stepped forward to pay her respects as a disciple.