Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 1232 Brother Tie's Wedding
The three old men looked at the three children and immediately realized that these three kids knew nothing about the apprenticeship ceremony.

The older man in the middle said, "This disciple recruitment ceremony is held every five years. Anyone under the age of thirty can participate. If selected, one becomes an inner disciple and can bring two attendants. If selected, one can recommend one attendant."

This was the first time Kournikova had heard of this, and she asked, "Is it okay if I don't bring it?"

The old man nodded and said, "Yes, it's okay if you don't bring any. Let me be frank with you. You can stay in our village, and we won't charge you. But once you've made your selection, the village will decide who will accompany you. Do you agree to that? If so, the village will definitely treat you to good food and drink."

Upon hearing this, Kova knew that this person wanted to take advantage of the selection process to send people from their own village into various sects. Kova didn't care and looked at Ouyang Yin, who nodded in agreement.

All three agreed, and the three old men immediately greeted them with smiles, saying, "You've come from afar, so please come inside and rest."

Kova was taken aback; the three old men's expressions changed too quickly. He smiled and shook his head, and the group followed the three old men into the village.

Through the introductions of the three old men, Kuva learned that this was a clan village, where everyone was surnamed Yang. Several children of the appropriate age from their village were going to participate in the conference this year, but the recruitment conference of the immortal cultivation sects was too strict. No one knew how many would be selected. So, the village came up with a plan to intercept people from other places who were going to participate in the conference, and then those who were not selected could also go to the various sects.

Kournikova greatly admired the three men's ideas, but then it suddenly occurred to her: what would happen to the other two if only one of them was chosen? Kournikova felt a pang of regret.

In any case, the three of them settled down in Yangjia Village. Yangjia Village treated them well, arranging their rooms and meals perfectly.

The three of them also inquired about the requirements of the apprenticeship ceremony from time to time, thinking about making preparations in advance.

After making inquiries from various sources and meeting to discuss, the three of them learned about the criteria for accepting apprentices at this apprenticeship competition. The first criterion was aptitude, and each sect had its own testing methods, but the initial stage was the three entrance tests of the competition.

The first challenge is a physical fitness test, requiring all participants to climb the second main peak of the Black Cloud Mountains, the Cliff Peak. This is a test of everyone's physical strength and endurance, and the first 1,000 people will pass.

The second test is a test of comprehension, which is conducted inside the Seven Aperture Exquisite Pagoda, a treasure of the Shangqing Palace. Inside, there are three thousand cultivation techniques. Each person's success depends on their fate. Those who can successfully operate and circulate the techniques after obtaining them pass the test.

The third test is a character test, in which a specialist places a "questioning stone" in the test subject's hand and asks questions to see if the test subject is lying or has any ill intentions.

After passing these three stages, the final step is for participants to choose their sect. Of course, this depends on which sect the participant chose in the second stage, as the sect has the right to choose first.

Once the three of them were fully aware that the test they were about to face would be difficult, Kournikova began to train Ouyang Lu, doing physical training every day, starting before dawn and taking the two of them running and climbing mountains until noon.

A month passed quickly. Ouyang Lu and Ouyang Yin already had some martial arts skills, and after such a long period of continuous training and improvement, they made great progress.

June was approaching, and the head of the Yang family found Kova and informed him that they would be going to the city the next day.

Kova's nonchalant expression displeased the Yang family patriarch, but since there was a prior agreement, he didn't take Kova's attitude into consideration and tolerated the little girl. It seemed that the little girl had a lot of confidence in her abilities.

The three of them packed up the next day and entered the city with the Yang family's delegation. Kova was surprised that no one charged them to enter the city this time.

Upon entering the city for the first time, the three were quite curious. Kuva, being a cultivator herself, could sense the city's differences and believed it was protected by array formations, just like the border town.

The Yang family's procession was inconspicuous because wealthy people's processions were all long carriage lines, while Yang family village was just walking. Without comparison, you wouldn't feel the difference.

It took Kournikova a long time to walk into the city before she finally arrived at a huge square.

Each sect had its own territory in the arena. In the very center of the arena were the participants of this conference. Directly in front of them was a platform about ten feet high, on which sat five or six people, while the rest stood on either side.

As the number of people increased, Kournikova estimated that there were tens of thousands of people, mostly children, with very few older ones, and most of them were teenagers.

At this moment, a man in a Taoist robe stepped out from the high platform. He held a whisk in his hand, swept it with one hand, and said, "No noise."

The sound was like a thunderclap that echoed across the square, which instantly fell silent. Kournikova was taken aback; this was not a sound a normal person could make.

A chubby boy next to him muttered quietly, "This is the Lion's Roar Kung Fu, a martial art from the Shangqing Palace."

Kova looked at the chubby boy and said, "I didn't expect you to be so knowledgeable, brother. I'm from the countryside and I really didn't know that."

The chubby boy said, "Of course, I've been around the block for many years." Kournikova chuckled and asked, "How old are you?"

"It's the eleventh day of the month, what's wrong?" the chubby boy replied, puzzled.

“It’s okay, I just don’t know how many years you can last, you’re only eleven.” Kournikova said.

The chubby boy was speechless after being rebuked, and getting a little anxious, he said, "Really, I know a lot."

Kournikova asked, "Who taught you that?"

"My dad? My dad is an outer disciple of the Shangqing Palace," the chubby boy said honestly.

"My apologies, please take care of me during the test later," Kournikova said with a smile.

The chubby boy said dismissively, "What benefit would I get?"

Kournikova looked at the chubby boy and said, "I'm treating you to a big meal, one you've never had before."

The chubby boy thought for a moment and said, "It's a deal, but the food has to satisfy me."

At this moment, the person from Shangqing Palace on the stage spoke up, "Dear participants, it's getting late. As usual, this conference will consist of three trials. Those who pass the trials will become disciples of their respective sects."

The people below were eager to participate, while the people on stage would occasionally glance at the participants below. Kournikova clearly felt several divine senses sweeping towards her, so she quickly relaxed, lowered her head, and looked obedient.

At this moment, several young people floated down from the stage. Kournikova's eyes lit up. What kind of technique was this?

One of the older men said, "This is the first stage. You will climb the cliff peak directly along the northern route. The first thousand will advance. There are people there to record your progress. Let's begin."

As soon as the words were spoken, the crowd rushed towards the north road like madmen, heading straight for the cliff peak.

Kournikova and her two companions surged forward with the crowd. The chubby boy followed Kournikova closely. Kournikova gave a wry smile; she had gained another follower.

The chubby kid was pretty good; he seemed to have some skills. As he walked, he introduced himself, saying, "My name is Shao Linlin. From now on, we're brothers."

Kova looked at the chubby boy and felt a sense of kinship. She said, "My name is Kova. This is a brother and sister, Ouyang Yin and Ouyang Lu. We come from the Divine Martial Continent and have come to find our relatives."

The chubby boy was surprised, but he clearly knew about the Divine Martial Continent. He casually asked, "Last time, everyone from your continent was picked up by the Purple Fate Immortal Palace. Are you going there too?"

Upon hearing this, Ouyang Yin asked anxiously, "Is it true? How long ago was this?"

“All the hundred people who came a few years ago went to Ziyuan Immortal Palace,” Shao Linlin said.

Kova knew that Ouyang Yin's parents must have gone to the Purple Fate Immortal Palace with those hundred people, so she said, "Focus on the test first. Once you pass, choose the Purple Fate Immortal Palace, and you'll know then."

Kova patted the chubby boy on the shoulder and said, "Thank you for your information. It seems you really know a lot about these sects. It's a pleasure to meet you. Don't worry, you'll get a big meal."

The chubby boy was also very happy and said, "Don't worry, I will tell you the truth as long as I know it."

The four of them followed the group and walked for half a day before finally arriving at the foot of the mountain. It was almost noon, the hottest time of the day.

The chubby boy whispered to Kova, "This cliff peak has cliffs on three sides, and there is only one path to the top. The mountain is thousands of feet high, and at the very top is the Duanqing Palace, where an old ancestor of Shangqing Palace lives in seclusion."

Kournikova glanced around and said, "Stop talking nonsense and hurry up, some people are already going up."

The four of them stopped talking and headed up the mountain.

(End of this chapter)