Li Taixing finally arrived at the foot of Xuantian Sect after more than two days of travel. He had traveled alone, which made his journey relatively quick.
"Fortunately, the road was relatively safe; otherwise, there might have been trouble."
Along the way, he had heard reports of bandits robbing travelers, but he hadn't encountered any. It was likely because he had taken precautions, dressing in a rustic manner to avoid attracting attention.
Li Taixing was unaware that he had avoided danger purely by chance.
At this moment, on a mountain road leading to Xuantian Sect, a group of bandits had stopped several teenagers who were also heading to Xuantian Sect.
"Hand over your belongings, or I'll make sure you regret it."
"But, we don't have any money."
"Yeah, big brother, you see, we're all from poor families. Where would we have money?"
"Dammit, you go out without money? I don't believe it. I don't believe you're like that bastard earlier. You didn't bring money, just threw paper money along the way, making us feel unlucky. Anyway, if you can't pay up, I'll kill you."
"Ah!"
The unfortunate group had no choice but to hand over all their money before being allowed to leave.
"Is this Xuantian Sect?"
At the foot of Xuantian Sect, Li Taixing looked up and saw a mountain so high it seemed to pierce the clouds, its peak obscured from view. Climbing it would take him an immense amount of time and effort.
"Fortunately, I have ample supplies. Even if the journey is tiring, I can rest as needed," Li Taixing said as he began his ascent.
As he started climbing, he noticed a few Daoist figures at the base of the mountain, who seemed to have come from various towns. Li Taixing realized that this time, Xuantian Sect's recruitment for new disciples was easier than usual, with a noticeably smaller number of candidates.
Nearby towns had also sent many boys and girls.
Li Taixing glanced at them, and they returned his gaze. They noticed he was tall, handsome, and had a refined demeanor.
These boys and girls did not dare to provoke him.
Li Taixing merely smiled at them before continuing his climb.
"Dage in front, please wait a moment."
Li Taixing heard someone calling him from behind.
He stopped and looked back.
It was the two men and two women he had noticed earlier. Their faces were flushed, and sweat dotted their foreheads, clearly exhausted from the journey.
"Is there a problem?"
"Hello, my name is Lu Tong. I'm from Qingshan Town. May I ask your name, Dage?" Lu Tong, who looked around 15 or 16 years old, was the oldest among them.
"Li Taixing, from Luoyue Town."
"Oh, Luoyue Town, that's our neighboring town." Lu Tong's face brightened. "These are my companions: Lu Qingyao, my little sister, Sun Bohu, and Li Yueniang."
Lu Tong introduced everyone, and they got acquainted.
Lu Qingyao admired Li Taixing, noting his tall and imposing presence.
Sun Bohu was also a strong young man, but compared to Li Taixing, he seemed less imposing. Although Li Taixing was tall relative to them, he was actually quite slender compared to his peers.
Li Yueniang, on the other hand, looked a bit shy and kept her head down, avoiding eye contact with Li Taixing.
"Li Dage, let's go together," Lu Tong suggested.
Li Taixing assessed Lu Tong.
Lu Tong struck him as a shrewd individual who likely had a lot to say. Li Taixing suspected that Lu Tong saw him as a strong ally who could provide protection and make their journey smoother.
After considering it, Li Taixing agreed. "Okay."
Despite Lu Tong's possible motives, Li Taixing figured their company would make the journey less monotonous.
So, a group of five continued the climb.
"Mountain climbing is the first test given to us by Xuantian Sect. If we don't reach Xuantian Sect before sunset, we will lose our chance to enter."
"We need to reach the mountain gate before sunset."
"We are still over a thousand feet away from the mountain gate, with two hours remaining until sunset. That means we need to cover at least three hundred feet every half hour."
"On the surface, the time seems sufficient, but the higher we go, the harder the climb becomes," Lu Tong said with a sigh.
Three hundred feet, equating to over a thousand meters, would take about 20 to 30 minutes to climb, depending on one's fitness level.
For someone with Li Taixing's physical condition, it was manageable, though the increasing altitude would lead to faster fatigue and higher oxygen consumption.
"We need to increase our pace," Lu Tong advised.
However, there was a challenge: in this world, cultivating immortality was possible due to the presence of Spiritual Qi. People with Spiritual Roots could manage such climbs much more quickly. Some could cover a thousand meters in less than ten minutes.
Li Taixing's Spiritual Roots had no specific attributes and were of the first rank. He estimated it would take him about 20 minutes, and the time required would increase with altitude.
"It seems that climbing the mountain can gauge a person's aptitude to some extent," Li Taixing thought as he took a deep breath and resumed climbing.
They continued upward without further conversation, their group following Li Taixing's lead.
Throughout the climb, they encountered others from different towns. Some passed them swiftly, while others rested midway and watched as they moved past.
"There are five climbing paths, all leading to the mountain gate. The path we're taking is the main one. There are many travelers on it, while the other paths can be dangerous if you're not familiar with them," Lu Tong explained during a rest.
Li Taixing was somewhat surprised by Lu Tong's knowledge.
He didn't ask too many questions, adhering to the principle of not prying into matters others chose not to disclose.