The Rise of Power

Compete against the families of cultivators!

The Fang family disciples were frightened, and even Fang Hanyu subconsciously gripped his sword sheath tightly.

Zhou Xue didn't say much, but led the way onto the street and followed the crowd, with Fang Wang and the others following closely behind.

Throughout the journey, Fang Wang was sensing the auras of the people around him. Not everyone could conceal their aura like Zhou Xue, and he sensed a considerable amount of spiritual energy fluctuations.

Many people have already cultivated spiritual power, including ordinary people like the disciples of the Fang family, so they did not seem out of place.

It seems that even among so-called immortal cultivation families, there are strong and weak ones. Perhaps if one's ancestors produced an immortal cultivator, then one can be considered an immortal cultivation family.

As Fang Wang was thinking this, he soon spotted a figure with extremely strong spiritual power, almost catching up with him.

The man wore a bamboo hat, dressed in black, carried a book box on his back, and had a gourd hanging from his waist. His strange attire attracted the attention of many people.

Taiyuan Town has a main street that leads to a large lake. This lake is surrounded by high mountains and Taiyuan Town. The lake is over 100 zhang in diameter, and the water is blue-green, sparkling in the sunlight.

There was a row of men and women dressed in uniform robes by the lake. They were all tall and handsome, like disciples of immortals. They were probably disciples of the Taiyuan Sect. The Taiyuan Sect's robes were white with black cuffs, shoulders, waist, and boots, and were embroidered with exquisite patterns.

Zhou Xue stopped, and Fang Wang and the others followed suit, stopping around her. Looking around, there were at least five hundred people, and the number was still growing.

This made Fang Wang sigh with emotion. Staying in Nanqiu City, he had no idea that the cultivation world existed. Now that he was far away from the secular world, there were so many people pursuing the path of immortality.

Nanqiu City is considered one of the most prosperous cities in the Great Qi Dynasty. Many martial arts masters have come and gone there. Fang Wang has befriended many of them, but none of them have ever heard of the practice of cultivating immortality. This shows how great the cognitive barrier is between immortals and mortals.

Zhou Xue remained silent, while the others in the Fang family whispered amongst themselves. Fang Hanyu looked around, seemingly calm, but Fang Wang noticed that the boy was gripping his sword sheath tightly, clearly very nervous.

After waiting for about half an hour, more than a thousand people had gathered by the lake, and some even had cultivation levels that Fang Wang could not see through at all.

thump—

The bell rang again, silencing everyone by the lake.

Fang Wang looked closely and saw that it was a male disciple ringing a bell. The bell was only the size of a palm and was entirely brass in color. When it was gently tapped with an iron stick, it had the effect of shaking the mountains and startling the forest.

Another male disciple stepped forward; he looked to be in his early thirties and had a refined demeanor.

"I am Guan Linfeng, the fifth disciple of the Taiyuan Sect. Today, I will be in charge of the entrance examination. The examination is divided into two stages. The first stage is Spirit Induction. Everyone, please come to me in turn and place your hand on the spirit stone in my hand. Anyone who makes the spirit stone glow can immediately enter the next stage."

"The second challenge is right behind me. Leap over this lake, climb over this mountain, and follow the guidance of the white crane in the sky. The journey is arduous. As long as you shout the word 'give up,' someone will come to your rescue. The further you go, the higher your score will be. Remember, do not deviate from the direction indicated by the white crane, or you will die, and that is your own fault."

The disciple, who called himself Guan Linfeng, spoke in a tone that was not arrogant, but his words carried an unspeakable sense of oppression.

Fang Wang looked up and, sure enough, there was a white crane circling above the mountaintop in front of him. Looking further ahead, there were other white cranes on the horizon, which, from his perspective, could form a straight line.

Looking at the large lake in front of them, the Fang family disciples panicked. Apart from Zhou Xue, Fang Wang, and Fang Hanyu, the others, even if they practiced martial arts, only had a rudimentary skill. How could they jump across this lake, and how could they cross that mountain that was at least 150 feet high?

Zhou Xue comforted him, saying, "As long as you can make that spirit stone light up, you've entered the first stage. The second stage is for those with a foundation in cultivation to compete for."

Upon hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Fang Hanyu looked at Fang Wang and asked, "Can your sword control technique fly over that mountain?"

Fang Wang raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile, "What? Want me to show you around?"

Upon hearing this,

Fang Hanyu rolled her eyes and said irritably, "How could that be? I was just asking. I don't need you to bring me, and you shouldn't bring anyone else either. Bringing people to fly on a sword will definitely consume a lot of spiritual energy. You should do your best to bring glory to the Fang family."

This was also a reminder to the other members of the Fang family.

Fang Wang shook his head and chuckled, saying no more.

At the same time, people started walking towards Guan Linfeng, and soon a long line formed. Zhou Xue led the crowd to start queuing.

"Pass!"

Guan Linfeng's voice rang out from the front. Immediately afterwards, Fang Wang saw a man leap up, and a flying sword flew out of the storage bag at his waist. It quickly grew larger and landed at his feet, carrying him to the horizon.

This scene caused an uproar among many people, making them yearn for the Taiyuan Sect even more.

A young man from the Fang family named Fang Mo exclaimed, "Wouldn't mastering sword control techniques guarantee the highest score?"

Zhou Xue glanced at him and said, "It's not that simple. How do you know how long the journey is, or if there are demons or monsters in the sky to hinder us?"

Upon hearing this, Fang Mo scratched his head and gave an embarrassed smile.

The first round of assessments was very fast, averaging ten breaths per person. Fang Wang and the others weren't far back in the queue, so they waited patiently.

As arranged by Zhou Xue, Fang Wang was first in line, while she was last, making it easier to take care of the others.

Such thoughtfulness made Fang Wang wonder if she was truly a demonic cultivator.

Can a demonic cultivator become an immortal venerable?

Was she just trying to scare him?

Fang Wang thought to himself that he found Zhou Xue increasingly unfathomable after adapting to her rebirth. Just these past few days, every night, he would hear Zhou Xue's footsteps as she left, wondering what she was doing.

He had considered whether to frantically try to please Zhou Xue in order to obtain more cultivation methods, but he quickly dismissed the idea. Regardless of whether Zhou Xue would fall for it, he didn't want to be so humble.

Moreover, he cannot completely follow Zhou Xue's path. Zhou Xue has been reborn, which means she failed in her previous life. He must find a stronger path.

Time flew by as Fang Wang drifted into thought.

Gradually, it was Fang Wang's turn to be tested. He had noticed that everyone could make the spirit stone shine at different levels, and more than half of the people could not make the spirit stone light up.

He had already cultivated spiritual power, so he wasn't worried. He was just curious about how much light he could generate, and he suspected that the better one's aptitude, the brighter the light would be.

He walked up to Guan Linfeng and pressed his right hand on the spirit stone in Guan Linfeng's hand.

A cool sensation entered his palm, followed by a suction force pulling at his spiritual energy. He did not resist, and as the spiritual energy entered the spirit stone, the spirit stone burst forth with light.

"Pass!"

Guan Linfeng spoke, his expression unchanged.

Fang Wang was also slightly disappointed. This light was clearly brighter than that of the people in front of him, but it didn't seem to indicate aptitude. Perhaps it was just related to cultivation level.

Without further thought, he clasped his hands in a salute to Guan Linfeng, then walked to the lakeside. He leaped into the lake, his feet treading the water as he swam away.

This scene did not attract the attention of the Taiyuan Sect disciples. Others had done this before, after all, not everyone knows sword control techniques.

Guan Linfeng called over another disciple to take his place, then turned around and watched Fang Wang's figure skim across the lake like a wild goose, then step onto the mountain wall and stride up as if walking on flat ground.

Fang Wang's performance inspired Fang Hanyu and the others. No matter what, with Fang Wang around, the Fang family would not lose face. Although the Fang family had no reputation here, they still felt a sense of pride.

"not simple."

Guan Linfeng watched Fang Wang reach the summit, muttering to himself, his eyes filled with admiration.

"This batch of disciples is extraordinary. It is likely that a master disciple of a single lineage will emerge from this group. I wonder who will be able to obtain that top-grade magic weapon and dominate the world."

Meanwhile, Fang Wang stood on the mountaintop, a gentle breeze ruffling his white robes, and two long strands of hair by his temples drifted back, revealing his handsome face.

Looking at the magnificent plain ahead, Fang Wang was amazed. He never expected that there would be such scenery behind the mountains. Two rows of high mountains stretched to the horizon, and between the two mountain ranges was a wide plain. Standing here, it looked as if it had been cleaved by a sword of an immortal.

Fang Wang didn't have much time to admire the scenery. He leaped down, the wind howling as he plummeted. Just before landing, he drew his sword from his waist, twisted his waist in mid-air, and thrust the sword into the mountainside. The blade sliced ​​through the rock, sending fragments flying, and his descent slowed considerably.

As expected of the expensive sword he bought, it's really tough!

When he was less than five zhang from the ground, he was about to stop. He immediately lifted his foot and pushed off the mountain wall, pulled the sword blade out of the wall, somersaulted in the air, and landed steadily on the grass.

He sheathed his sword and ran in the direction indicated by the white crane in the sky.

Although the perfected sword control technique would allow him to fly on this sword, it would consume a great deal of energy. After all, this sword was not a magic sword and could not draw upon spiritual power; it could only be enveloped and driven by spiritual power. Therefore, he did not intend to use it in advance.

He had a premonition that there might be a battle at the end of this road.

If it were just a contest of who could run the farthest, it would simply be a test of spiritual power, and the Taiyuan Sect would not be so hasty.

Fang Wang ran swiftly across the plain, using his spiritual power to perform the Shadowless Step, which consumed far less energy than flying on a sword. His speed was even faster than a swift horse. At first glance, it seemed as if his toes barely touched the ground, and grass clippings flew as he passed.

Not long after.

Fang Wang spotted two figures fighting in front of the mountain wall on the left. The two were extremely agile. One wielded a curved blade and unleashed lightning-like strikes, while the other held a folding fan and unleashed fiery winds that set the grass within a ten-zhang radius ablaze.

Fang Wang only glanced at it briefly and did not linger.

Sure enough, the purpose of using such a long road for the assessment was definitely not as simple as it seemed on the surface.

A whooshing sound swept past Fang Wang's head. He looked up and saw a woman in yellow wearing a bamboo hat and a white veil, carrying three sword sheaths on her back, dressed like a chivalrous swordswoman. Most importantly, this woman was not flying on a sword, but riding on a crimson gourd.

This is too much...

Fang Wang was envious. That was definitely a magic weapon, and the woman's cultivation level must be quite high, probably around the eighth or ninth level of the Qi Nourishing Realm.

He only glanced at it a few times, then kept his pace and didn't rush to catch up.

In the sky.

Gu Li stood on her precious gourd, gazing into the distance. Her eyes were unfocused, clearly lost in thought. Even with a veil on, her features were still captivating.

Suddenly, she seemed to sense something and turned her head to look. She saw a black-clad man wearing a bamboo hat riding a sword. He was very fast and quickly passed by her.

"Ninth level of the Qi Cultivation Realm. It seems Father was right; the Taiyuan Sect is on the rise. But I don't want to lose to my peers!"

Gu Li snorted coldly and began to accelerate.