Boom!
A vast and overwhelming spiritual pressure descended upon the main peak of Mount Shu, rendering everyone, whether the noisy crowd in front of the hall or the Mount Shu elders and disciples inside the hall, utterly silent.
The entire main peak of Mount Shu trembled lightly as clouds surged and a purple aura approached from three thousand miles away!
Some outsiders who had never witnessed such a scene were trembling in their souls.
A figure appeared out of thin air on the main seat of the main hall of Mount Shu. With hair and beard tinged with white and an aura of immortal charm, he wore a Daoist robe adorned with a Taiji Yin Yang pattern, and his profound eyes were like the vastness of the stars.
The elder waved his sleeve, and the terrifying spiritual pressure enveloping the main peak of Mount Shu disappeared without a trace like a whale swallowing the sea.
"Pay respects to the Sect Leader!"
"Pay respects to the Sect Leader!"
The many highly-cultivated elders of Mount Shu all bowed with the utmost respect to the elder seated in the main position.
The twenty-seventh-generation Sect Leader of Mount Shu, the Taiyuan Zhenren, the publicly acknowledged first battle force of Mount Shu—three thousand years ago, he was already a cultivator at the Dao Palace Realm!
"Changye, has there been any disturbance in Xia State during my seclusion?"
"Sect Leader, all is calm in Xia State, only Huang State seems to have some disturbances, which somewhat affect our Xia State... I will report the details to the Sect Leader later."
"Mhm. Changsheng, it's been a hundred years since we last met. Your cultivation has improved a lot, but it is a great taboo for cultivators to build behind closed doors. It is very good that you were able to overcome your inner demons and come out of seclusion."
The piercing gaze of the Taiyuan Zhenren swept over and completely saw through Lu Changsheng's cultivation level.
Yet, even with the cultivation level of the Taiyuan Zhenren, he did not know that the soul of this disciple had been replaced by another person.
The Taiyuan Zhenren exchanged a few words with the elders and then slowly said, "Since all the elders, except those in seclusion, have arrived, let us start the Disciple Apprenticeship Ceremony."
"Yes."
"The Sect Leader commands, the Disciple Apprenticeship Ceremony begins!"
Li Changye's voice roared like thunder, echoing around the main peak of Mount Shu—the tens of thousands of mortals waiting for their talents to be tested all stood solemnly.
Cultivators who had reached Great Accomplishment in the Dao Palace Realm were beings they could only look up to for a lifetime.
A square mirror flew out of the main hall, grew larger in the wind, and hovered above the plaza in front of the main hall, radiating astonishing spiritual energy.
"This is Mount Shu's low-grade Immortal Artifact—the Gallbladder Mirror!"
"This artifact can test physique, comprehension, and Qi Destiny; it's truly miraculous. Mount Shu has produced generation after generation of talented individuals, all thanks to the Gallbladder Mirror."
"The depths of Mount Shu's foundation indeed seem boundless."
Some old servants who had followed their young masters to Mount Shu and seen much of the world exclaimed in surprise.
Low-grade Immortal Artifacts were so rare that not just mortals, but even cultivators might not see one in their entire lifetime.
The outer sect disciples of Mount Shu maintained order as the crowd was divided into groups of ten, who came forward in turn to be tested by the Gallbladder Mirror.
Each person was filled with nervousness; becoming a Mount Shu disciple, especially an inner sect disciple, meant stepping onto the path of immortal cultivation, changing the course of their lives to no longer be mere mortals.
Among the crowd were disciples from prestigious families, princes, princesses, and loose cultivators.
"Cai Zhiyin, medium Root Bone, low Comprehension, low Qi Destiny, cultivation at the third level of Foundation Establishment Realm, disqualified."
"Lin Chunping, high Root Bone, medium Comprehension, medium Qi Destiny, cultivation at the fifth level of Foundation Establishment Realm, qualified."
"Chen Ruyi, low Root Bone, high Comprehension, high Qi Destiny, cultivation at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment Realm, qualified."
…
The Gallbladder Mirror revealed each person's talents, and anyone with two low ratings had no chance for the path of immortal cultivation.
Those who qualified could become outer sect disciples of Mount Shu, and only if they were taken as disciples by the Sect Leader or an elder would they become inner sect disciples.
Lu Changsheng activated the search function of the Disciple Apprenticeship Simulator, his invisible divine sense covering the main peak of Mount Shu. Except for the Sect Leader Taiyuan Zhenren, the qualifications of all others were laid bare.
Lu Changsheng could see not just Root Bone, Comprehension, and Qi Destiny, but also things beyond the reach of the Gallbladder Mirror.
Lu Changsheng looked towards his senior brother Li Changye and, with a burst of brilliant golden light from the Disciple Apprenticeship Simulator in his Sea of Consciousness, the information about Li Changye appeared in Lu Changsheng's mind.
[Li Changye]
"[Talent: Eternal Wilderness Body, Fire Spirit Root, Loses Every Bet]
[Cultivation Level: Ninth Layer of Dao Palace Realm]
[Dao Bone: 500 Years]
He was truly deserving of being Sect Leader Taiyuan of Mount Shu's most valued direct disciple. With only 500 years of cultivation, his level had already reached the ninth layer of the Dao Palace Realm, only half a step away from the Void Refinement Realm.
"My senior brother actually has a special physique, the Eternal Wilderness Body... But for someone with such cultivation to always lose at gambling, it seems his Qi Destiny isn't good..."
Lu Changsheng secretly spied on his senior brother Li Changye's talents. Although Li Changye was extraordinarily gifted, he could not be taken as Lu Changsheng's disciple.
Lu Changsheng shook his head. His divine sense swept over the mortals being tested below, looking for a suitable disciple candidate.
The higher the cultivation level a disciple achieves, the richer the rewards from the Disciple Apprenticeship Simulator.
Cultivating a Nascent Soul Realm disciple was far superior to cultivating a hundred disciples in the Qi Transformation Realm. The higher the talent of the disciple, the faster the cultivation speed, hence quality over quantity is preferred.
"Bamboo Shuangshu, medium root bone, low comprehension, low Qi Destiny, no special physique. No, that won't do."
"Chu Feiyan, high-grade root bone, high comprehension, high Qi Destiny, no special physique, definitely could become an external sect disciple, and might even be taken as an inner sect disciple by an elder."
"Li Gang—damn, cursed with the Lone Star of Death?!"
Lu Changsheng saw a mortal named Li Gang whose talent was actually the "Lone Star of Death."
The Lone Star of Death fate had no impact on the individual but portended extreme misfortune for those around.
If such a disciple were taken, he might not survive until next year.
"Xiao Xiangdao, supreme root bone, supreme comprehension, high Qi Destiny, cultivation at the third layer of the Qi Transformation Realm, possessing a special physique — Spirit Sword Physique!"
The elders of Mount Shu who were selecting disciples suddenly erupted in excitement.
The Gallbladder Mirror shook violently, displaying three golden ancient seal characters: "Spirit Sword Physique"!
Even Sect Leader Taiyuan was moved by this development.
A special physique indicated extraordinarily high aptitude.
Senior brother Li Changye dominated his peers in the same realm thanks to his Eternal Wilderness Body.
"This is the third prince of Liang Kingdom, Xiao Xiangdao!"
"Unbelievable, the royalty of Liang Kingdom actually birthed someone with a Spirit Sword Physique!"
"Mount Shu truly has an abounding sacred flame. With a disciple possessing the Spirit Sword Physique, a thousand years from now, this person will surely become a central pillar of support for Mount Shu!"
The crowd waiting for their aptitude to be tested was in uproar.
A special physique, one in ten million.
"With no sword in hand but one in heart, the Spirit Sword Physique's insight into the Sword Dao is as easy as mortals eating and drinking."
Li Changye watched Xiao Xiangdao with his hands clasped behind his back, appearing to hold the youth in high regard.
The many elders of Mount Shu had eager looks in their eyes, each wanting to claim Xiao Xiangdao as a disciple. This was a raw jade rarely encountered in a millennium.
However, no one dared to openly take Xiao Xiangdao as a disciple.
The reason was quite simple; a piece of uncarved jade requires a skilled craftsman, lest the potential be wasted.
Everyone looked unanimously toward Sect Leader Taiyuan, as there seemed to be no one but him capable of cultivating one with the Spirit Sword Physique.
"Recently, I've had an epiphany and must go into seclusion for a period of time. Matters of Mount Shu will be managed by your senior brother in my stead. As for Xiao Xiangdao, Changye, you may take him as your disciple."
"Me?"
"Only the senior brother is the most suitable."
"Yes, indeed."
All the Mount Shu elders held senior brother Li Changye in high regard, so none had any objections to Sect Leader Taiyuan's arrangement.
Apart from Sect Leader Taiyuan and the old monsters secluded in the back mountain, senior brother Li Changye was the only one here qualified to accept the Spirit Sword Physique as a disciple.
As everyone's attention was drawn to the Spirit Sword Physique, a talent that emerges once in a millennium, Lu Changsheng's Disciple Apprenticeship Simulator identified a plain-looking young man within the crowd.
"Talent: Heart of the Innocent!!"