How can simply creating a sect make you invincible?

"Sigh... I was indeed a bit hasty in my words just now. I just praised this batch of disciples as good, but it turns out that only the first one is decent; the rest are mostly menial tasks and outer disciples," Kun Kun muttered to himself.

Seeing Kun Kun's patriotic and concerned expression, Liu Ruyan and the others couldn't help but laugh.

"Next, Sima Nan," the monk announced.

Upon hearing his name called, Sima Nan nervously walked to the Great Dao Cauldron. Seeing that the talent test results of the people before him were all mediocre, he nervously circulated his cultivation technique and struck the Great Dao Cauldron heavily with his palm.

"Clang...clang...clang."

After hearing the seven clanging sounds of the cauldrons, Sima Nan slowly breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Fortunately, I didn't disgrace the Sima family."

He was genuinely afraid of being gossiped about, that the Sima family's chosen one couldn't even get into the inner sect of the Wanfa Sect.

"Sima Nan, an inner disciple."

Kun Kun looked at Sima Nan with a pleased expression: "Not bad, not bad, go stand at the back first."

"Yes, Senior Brother Kun Kun."

"Next, Chen Ping'an."

"Look everyone, it's that young man who was the first to reach the top! I wonder how many times his talent will make the Great Dao Cauldron resound?"

Everyone looked at Chen Ping'an with anticipation, wanting to see just how talented this young man really was.

Hearing everyone's discussion, the core disciples also learned that this young man was the first to ascend the Illusionary Spirit Ladder, and they couldn't help but feel excited.

Kun Kun, in particular, had his hands in his pockets and his eyes fixed on the boy, hoping that he would make a name for himself.

Seeing that everyone's eyes were focused on him, Chen Ping'an began to feel nervous. He walked to the Great Dao Cauldron, formed two swords with his fingers, and unleashed a sword aura at the Great Dao Cauldron.

The sword energy struck the cauldron, and the Great Dao Cauldron made a "clang" sound. Everyone held their breath and stared intently at the Great Dao Cauldron, waiting for the next sound.

On the cloud platform, Gu Chen looked at the young man with a smile. The other emperors were both envious and expectant of their disciples' performances; they also wanted to take on a few exceptionally talented disciples.

"Not bad, not bad, a natural sword heart in a mortal body. Such a pure sword heart is truly rare," Gu Chen said with a smile.

"Sword Emperor Peak Master, what is Sword Heart Mortal Body?" Su Qingruo asked.

"Sword Heart and Mortal Body refers to someone who doesn't possess any special sword body. For example, Qingruo has sword bones and is naturally drawn to swords, but he doesn't have any sword body. He can achieve this simply by relying on his pure sword heart, so that the sword doesn't dodge him. His hand is steady and his mind is calm. He doesn't need to control the sword, yet the sword comes to him. Hundreds of swords, thousands of swords, and tens of thousands of swords can all be his friends."

"That's amazing? You can do all that just with your sword heart?" Su Qingruo was a little envious.

"Qingruo, you don't need to be envious. Your sword physique is no worse than his. Sword heart can be cultivated later, but it is difficult and requires some understanding of the sword."

"Understanding the sword? Does that refer to swordsmanship?"

"It's not about understanding swordsmanship, but about understanding the sword itself. In your opinion, what is a sword?" the Sword Emperor asked, looking at Su Qingruo.

"What is a sword? What is a sword? And what is a sword?" Su Qingruo murmured to herself.

"This disciple does not understand what a sword is, please teach me, Sword Emperor," Su Qingruo said, bowing slightly to the Sword Emperor.

"Hahaha... Okay."

The art of swordsmanship is divided into four levels: First, seeing a sword as a sword; second, seeing a sword as not a sword; third, seeing a sword as still a sword; fourth, having no sword in one's heart.

Su Qingruo became increasingly confused: "What do you mean by 'it's a sword, yet not a sword, and then there's no sword at all'?"

"This disciple is dull-witted, please enlighten me, Sword Emperor."

The Sword Emperor smiled and said, "Listen carefully. The first level, 'Seeing a sword as a sword,' refers to the beginner stage, where one sees a mountain as a mountain and a sword as a sword."

"The second level is seeing the sword as not a sword: This means that after training, one understands that the sword is just a weapon, and what is important is not the sword itself, but the person who wields it."

"The third level, seeing a sword as just a sword: refers to the state after reaching mastery, returning to simplicity, where the sword is simply a sword. The sword is your companion, your confidant, and also your life."

"The fourth level, 'No sword in the heart,' means having no sword in hand and no sword in mind, yet everything can be a sword, and everything can be cut down."

Su Qingruo was deeply moved by the Sword Emperor's guidance and kept those words firmly in mind. She then bowed deeply to the Sword Emperor and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Sword Emperor."

"No need for formalities. Just remember the path you're about to take," the Sword Emperor said.

The emperors watched Gu Chen instructing his disciples, feeling a pang of unease. Why hadn't their own disciples appeared yet? If all else failed, they considered visiting the holy lands and clans to see if any geniuses had been jilted or had their bones dug out; if they found any, they would simply snatch a few back.

Empress Lingxu appeared indifferent on the surface, because the disciple she had her eye on was right there in the plaza—a person with a nine-aperture exquisite heart; only such talent could catch her eye. She needed to act quickly later; she was genuinely afraid that those "shameless" people nearby would try to snatch her disciple away.

"Look! The Great Dao Cauldron has resounded seven times! Chen Ping'an is already an inner disciple, that's amazing!"

"This talent is terrifying."

Everyone looked at Chen Ping'an with envy, for they did not possess such talent.

"Clang..." The Great Dao Cauldron rang out again.

"What? The Great Dao Cauldron has resounded again, is it ready for eight resounding strikes?"

The crowd was in an uproar, staring at Chen Ping'an in disbelief.

With a loud "clang," the sound of the Great Dao Cauldron once again reached everyone's ears. The scene fell into dead silence, and everyone stared at Chen Ping'an as if he were a monster.

"Nine...nine shots!" Someone shouted first, and the entire square instantly erupted in cheers.

The talent to produce nine hits is a top-tier talent, one in ten thousand, meaning limitless future achievements.

Kun Kun and the mage stared wide-eyed, their hearts filled with shock. They had only managed eight chimes back then, and although they had been tempered in the evolution pool, they could now reach nine chimes. But Chen Ping'an had already reached nine chimes before even entering the evolution pool, so his talent was indeed a tiny bit better than theirs.

Chen Ping'an was also somewhat stunned. He hadn't expected that he could make the Great Dao Cauldron resound nine times. He stood there dumbfounded until the mage came to his senses and loudly announced, "Chen Ping'an, inner disciple!"

The crowd finally reacted, erupting in enthusiastic applause and cheers. Chen Ping'an took a deep breath, clasped his hands in a respectful greeting to those around him, his eyes revealing determination and confidence. He knew that from this moment on, his path of cultivation would become even more exciting, and he would face even greater challenges.

"Next, Ye Zi."

"Look, it's that girl who climbs the stairs the fastest!"

"Guess how many times she can make the Great Dao Cauldron ring?"

"I bet Qi Xiang will definitely get into the inner circle."

"I'd guess Ba Xiang. She climbed the ladder too fast; the illusion had no effect on her at all. Such talent is terrifying."

The crowd buzzed with discussion, all looking at her with expectant expressions.

When Ye Zi heard her senior brother call her name, she clenched her hands tightly, and her palms were sweating.

With Chen Ping'an ahead of her, possessing nine outstanding skills, the pressure was even greater when it was her turn; her heart was pounding with nervousness. Burdened by a deep-seated blood feud, she couldn't allow herself to fail, nor could she afford to fail. Only by entering the inner sect could she receive more resources and training from the sect.

Ye Zi slowly walked to the Great Dao Cauldron. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and gathered all her spiritual power into her palm. She slammed her palm onto the Great Dao Cauldron. In that instant, the entire square seemed to fall silent, and everyone held their breath, waiting for the result.

"Clang! Clang! Clang..."

The continuous clanging of the cauldrons echoed incessantly. At first, the crowd remained calm and counted the sounds, but as the clanging continued, their expressions gradually turned to shock. Seven clangs, eight clangs…

"It really was eight shots! I knew I was right, that's amazing!"

But the sound of the Great Dao Cauldron did not stop until the ninth resounding boom made everyone's ears ring.

Kun Kun and the monk looked on incredulously: "Another nine shots?"

"What I said just now was indeed too hasty. This year's disciples are indeed quite talented."

The monk announced, his voice trembling, "Ye Zi, an inner disciple."

Ye Zi slowly opened her eyes, tears glistening in them. She knew she was one step closer to revenge.