Cultivation begins with earning spirit stones

Chapter 74 Registered Examination

Yu Youwei nodded slightly: "Ready."

Chen Boyuan nodded and said, "I have inquired about it. The assessment for registered disciples consists of three parts: a test of physical constitution, a test of basic alchemy skills, and a test of character."

"Only after passing all three tests can one enter the field."

"The root bone test measures the width of the meridians and the level of one's aptitude for sensing qi."

"The basics of alchemy test your ability to identify medicinal herbs and your alchemy techniques."

"The test of character asks whether one's resolve to cultivate the Tao is firm."

"Miss Fish, are you sure you can succeed?"

Yu Youwei glanced at Zhang Lin, her gaze calm: "Yes."

"What percentage?" Chen Boyuan pressed.

"100%".

Chen Boyuan was taken aback, then burst into laughter: "Good, you have guts. I like young men like you."

After laughing, he lowered his voice and said, "But Miss Yu, if I may be so bold as to say something, although the assessment for registered disciples is not difficult, it has still eliminated quite a few people."

"Especially the test of one's character. When the bell rings, if there are distracting thoughts, fears, or hesitations in one's mind, one's mind will become unstable."

"Many people with excellent potential fail at this hurdle."

Yu Youwei was silent for a moment, then asked, "What are distracting thoughts? What is fear? What is hesitation?"

Chen Boyuan thought for a moment and said, "Distracted thoughts are a lack of focus; fear is a lack of unease; hesitation is a lack of resolve."

Yu Youwei nodded slightly and didn't ask any more questions.

Chen Boyuan looked at Zhang Lin and smiled, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, your fellow townsman is more composed than I imagined."

"She's always been like this," Zhang Lin said.

"And what about you?" Chen Boyuan suddenly asked, "If you were to take the exam, how many rounds could you pass?"

Zhang Lin glanced at him and said calmly, "I don't need to take the exam."

Chen Boyuan was taken aback, then slapped his forehead: "Look at my memory. If you can't even get past this, how could you have reached the late stage of Qi Refining at such a young age and won the championship of the Alchemy Conference?"

It is exactly 5:00 AM.

On the high platform, the deacon in the center stood up.

This man was named Du Zhong. He appeared to be in his forties, with a square face, three long wisps of beard, and a calm gaze. He was at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.

First, he explained all the rules to Zhang Lin and the other outer disciples, all of which were recorded in the jade slip.

After dismissing the outer disciples, he said, "Those who have come from all over to participate in the registration assessment, please step forward in turn."

The sound wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of everyone present.

Seven or eight people came out from the sidelines.

They were all at the early stage of Qi Refining, both men and women, the oldest being over thirty years old and the youngest no more than fifteen or sixteen.

Yu Youwei ranked third.

Zhang Lin stood on the sidelines, watching her walk towards the platform.

The first one to go up was a boy of about fifteen or sixteen years old, with a youthful face but a rather calm gaze.

Du Zhong took out a blue stone tablet, about three feet high and one foot wide, with runes engraved all over its surface.

"Place your hands on the monument and circulate your energy for one cycle."

The boy did as instructed and placed his palm on the stone tablet.

The runes on the monument lit up, the blue light brightened by a third, and then stopped.

Du Zhong glanced at it and said indifferently, "Medium physical constitution, below-average aptitude, eligible to participate in the next round."

The young man bowed and withdrew, his face calm, showing neither joy nor sorrow.

The second person was a man in his thirties with a rugged face and a broad back, clearly someone who had practiced hard kung fu.

He stepped forward and placed his palm on the stone tablet.

A bluish light suddenly appeared, brightening the light by five degrees.

Du Zhong nodded slightly: "Your physical constitution is above average, and your aptitude is average. You can participate in the next round."

The man grinned, cupped his hands in greeting, and withdrew.

It was Yu Youwei's turn.

She took a deep breath, stepped forward, and placed her palm on the stone tablet.

A bluish light suddenly appeared.

The runes on the stele shone brightly, and the blue light surged like a tide, turning into black, almost swallowing the entire stele.

The three deacons stood up at the same time.

Du Zhong's gaze sharpened, and he blurted out, "A superior-grade Xuan Yin vein?"

The other two deacons exchanged a glance, their eyes flashing with surprise.

The Xuan Yin Meridian is a rare type of innate constitution, also known as the Xuan Yin Body.

Those with this lineage are naturally inclined towards Yin attributes and are extremely exclusive. They can achieve twice the results with half the effort when cultivating Yin-based Taoist scriptures and techniques, and their cultivation speed is several times that of ordinary people.

If paired with superior martial arts techniques, their future is limitless.

Yu Youwei withdrew her hand, her expression calm.

She had long known that she had a special constitution, but she did not know that the Danxia Sect deacons valued her so much.

Du Zhong sat down again, his gaze lingering on Yu Youwei for a moment, and said calmly, "Superior in terms of physical constitution and aptitude, you can participate in the next round."

His voice was flat, but his tone was gentler than before.

On the sidelines, several veteran disciples whispered among themselves.

"A superior-grade Profound Yin Vein, this is a real treasure!"

"It's a pity he has the Yin body of the Profound Yin. If he had the Yin body of the Fire and Wood, he would probably have been taken in as a disciple by a Golden Core elder long ago."

"The Xuan Yin Meridian is fine too. Once you enter the sect, people will naturally value you."

"What do you value? A Xuan Yin Yin body cannot establish its foundation with a Foundation Establishment Pill. There isn't a single elder in the Danxia Sect with a Xuan Yin Yin body. I've only seen one superior Yin-type cultivation technique, a Qi Refining Inheritance, but it's so unacceptable that even inner disciples can't enter it. Which elder would accept it?"

"That's hard to say. The Profound Yin Vein is a once-in-a-century find. Once you break through it, you can at least be compared to the Earthly Foundation Establishment stage. Even among the nine great sects, it's a hot commodity."

"Although the Danxia Sect is founded on alchemy, it is not ignorant of the importance of physical constitution."

"So what if it's a hot commodity? Without the inheritance of superior cultivation techniques, even breaking through will be a problem, and the Xuan Yin Meridian won't be able to unleash its power."

"That's true. The Danxia Sect's cultivation methods are biased towards fire and wood elements, which don't quite match the yin attribute of the Xuan Yin Meridian."

"If she joins the Netherworld Sect, she will be like a fish in water."

"The Netherworld Sect? That's the demonic path. You want her to go to the demonic path?"

"I only said the cultivation methods were compatible, I didn't say she should go."

Zhang Lin listened to these discussions without changing his expression, but a slight thought stirred within him.

The superior attribute cultivation techniques of the Danxia Sect are biased towards the fire and wood elements, which are indeed not very compatible with the yin attribute of the Xuan Yin Meridian.

If Yu Youwei wants to achieve something in the Danxia Sect, she either needs to find a complete Yin-attribute cultivation technique to inherit, or she needs to use the Danxia Sect's techniques as a foundation and find her own path.

The former is difficult, the latter is even more difficult.

Chen Boyuan leaned closer and whispered, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, Miss Yu's physique might be at a disadvantage in the Danxia Sect."

"How so?" Zhang Lin asked.

"The Danxia Sect is founded on alchemy, and alchemy requires fire. Therefore, the superior cultivation methods for special physiques in the sect are mostly fire-based, such as the Fire Spirit Dao Body. Although the Danxia Sect has such cultivation methods, they are not mainstream and are not deeply inherited."

Chen Boyuan stroked his beard and continued, "When I was young, I traveled all over the country and met cultivators of the Xuan Yin lineage. Most of them joined sects that specialize in Yin-attribute techniques, such as the Youming Sect and the Xuanbing Demon Palace. This is the first time I've seen one join the Danxia Sect."

"We'll discuss the cultivation method another day," Zhang Lin said calmly. "Let's first get the basics down, establish a firm foothold, and then we can consider other things."

Once she joins the Danxia Sect, even if her lineage isn't deep, with a superior cultivation technique and spiritual medicine that suits her physique during the Qi Refining stage, her progress will surely be rapid.

If one's own strength is strong enough to be recognized by other sects, it may not be impossible to acquire the inheritance of other sects.

Chen Boyuan also thought of this and nodded: "That's right. The path of cultivation is one step at a time, and cannot be rushed."

The second round is a basic assessment of Taoist alchemy.

On the left side of the platform, Sun Mao, the steward, took out a tray containing more than ten spiritual herbs, each with a different shape and age.

"Within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, identify the names, years, and properties of these medicinal herbs. The more you write down, the higher your score."

Yu Youwei took the paper and pen and began to write.

Her hand was steady, her pen strokes were smooth, and she wrote each word slowly and deliberately.

Linglan grass, twenty years old, replenishes qi and nourishes the original essence, and is the main ingredient in the Peiyuan Dan (a traditional Chinese medicine formula).

Three-leaf green, ten years old, clears heat and detoxifies, and is an auxiliary medicine in the preparation of healing pills and nourishing pills.

The Qi-Returning Fruit, taken fifteen years, rapidly restores true qi and is the main ingredient in the Qi-Returning Pill.

Blood Jade Ginseng, aged for thirty years, nourishes blood and promotes tissue regeneration; it is the main ingredient in refining healing pills.

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