Mortal: Starting by joining the Falling Cloud Sect

Yunmeng Mountain Range, Luoyun Sect.

A light mist rises after a fresh rain in the empty mountains.

Zhou Qing strolled along a bluestone path, having already walked for almost an hour.

Before long, a huge stone platform, over a hundred feet wide, came into view, with a small pavilion sitting opposite it.

Zhou Qing ascended the blue brick platform.

On the stone platform, hundreds of cultivators dressed in various styles sat cross-legged.

Like Zhou Qing, they were all there to participate in the entrance examination for the Luoyun Sect.

Zhou Qing's eyes swept over the seemingly empty pavilion, and then he sat down cross-legged, quietly waiting for the entrance examination to begin.

After waiting for several hours, there were even more people on the stone platform.

At the same time, a red light flashed inside the stone pavilion. When the red light dissipated, the stone pavilion suddenly disappeared, revealing an ancient and simple pavilion.

Three people stood on the pavilion, all dressed in royal blue Taoist robes.

Upon seeing this strange phenomenon, the people sitting cross-legged on the stone platform all stood up and adopted a respectful posture.

Upon seeing them, the three nodded slightly, and then one of them stepped forward and said loudly, "Welcome to my Luoyun Sect, fellow Daoists. The three of us brothers will be in charge of the entrance examination. Please listen carefully to the requirements for entering the sect."

"Fellow Daoists with dual or triple spiritual roots, or special spiritual bodies, whose basic cultivation techniques are at level six or above, and who are under twenty years old, may step forward first."

After he finished speaking, Zhou Qing stepped out, followed by eight other people—five men and three women.

Seeing that only nine cultivators had emerged from the line of hundreds, the Daoist cultivator at the head of the group frowned slightly, his expression darkening, clearly disappointed with the number of people who had met the target.

He then sighed softly and said to another young cultivator on his right, "Junior Brother Liu, please take them to Qingfeng Hall to test their cultivation aptitude."

"Alright." The young cultivator responded, then stepped forward, flicked his sleeve, and a blue longsword shot out, growing longer in the wind until it became a giant sword.

The young cultivator soared into the air, stood atop the giant sword, and then waved to Zhou Qing and the others.

"Come on up."

Without further hesitation, Zhou Qing and the others leaped onto the sword.

Immediately afterwards, the young cultivator made a hand seal, and the giant sword shot through the air, disappearing with Zhou Qing and the others under the envious gazes of the people on the stone platform.

Led by the young cultivator, Zhou Qing and his group passed through the protective array of the Luoyun Sect, crossed several mountain peaks, and passed through several green forests before arriving at the outside of a pavilion.

Upon entering the pavilion, one finds a middle-aged cultivator sitting cross-legged in front of a giant magical artifact.

Upon seeing the young cultivator enter, the middle-aged cultivator calmly stood up, glanced at Zhou Qing and the others behind him, and asked, "Junior Brother Liu, are these the only people this time?"

The young cultivator shook his head helplessly and said, "There are only nine of them. That's indeed fewer than in previous years. I'd appreciate it if Senior Brother Wu could examine their qualifications."

After some time, Zhou Qing and the others had completed their examinations. There were three people with dual spiritual roots, six people with triple spiritual roots, but not a single person with a special spiritual body.

Zhou Qing himself possesses both fire and wood spiritual roots, making him one of the more outstanding among the nine.

After confirming everyone's qualifications and receiving the jade slips prepared by the middle-aged cultivator, the young cultivator once again led Zhou Qing and the others into the air.

This time, the place was at the foot of a giant peak, where there was also a pavilion with a plaque on the upper floor inscribed with the three characters "Yingsongju" in black ink.

The young cultivator stepped into the pavilion first, followed by the other cultivators.

Zhou Qing quietly landed behind the group, a flash of light appeared in his hand, and as if tidying his appearance, he casually sent a ball of green light into his forehead.

Zhou Qing's strange behavior was, of course, because he knew that Yingsongju was the place where Luoyun Sect held the Heart-Questioning Talisman test for newly entered disciples.

Moreover, he has countless secrets he cannot reveal to outsiders.

Three years ago, he "traveled" to the mortal world, or more accurately, he awakened his innate wisdom, with his memories of the two lifetimes overlapping and becoming indistinguishable.

At the same time, his extraordinary treasure also awakened: a three-inch-long, entirely blue lotus lamp suddenly appeared in his mind, which he could control at will.

This precious lotus lamp is extremely wondrous. After a brief exploration, Zhou Qing understood its two functions.

First, the "Azure Dew" generated by the Lotus Lantern can accelerate the ripening of spiritual herbs. One drop of this dew is generated every nine days, and one drop can accelerate the ripening of a spiritual herb for a hundred years.

Secondly, the azure aura it produces can prevent cultivators from having distracting thoughts and inner demons.

With this extraordinary treasure, Zhou Qing secluded himself in the mountains of Xi Kingdom and, in just three years, broke through from the fifth level of Qi Refining to the tenth level, a remarkable advancement in his cultivation.

The blue light that Zhou Qing just injected into the space between the eyebrows was also produced by the Lotus Lantern.

Although Zhou Qing is a "fake time traveler", his background, experiences, and the source of his cultivation techniques in this life are all real and traceable.

However, Zhou Qing was cautious and thorough in his actions, so he thought of using the green light as an extra layer of insurance, just in case.

Feeling the azure light completely merge into his sea of ​​consciousness, Zhou Qing immediately followed the group and entered the pavilion.

Inside the pavilion, the young cultivator affixed several Heart-Testing Talismans to Zhou Qing and the others, then coldly addressed them: "These are Heart-Testing Talismans, and their effects are well-known to you. If any of you harbor ulterior motives or intend to infiltrate our Luoyun Sect, abandon that thought now and leave. If the sect discovers this during the Heart-Testing process, you will be severely punished!"

Although the young cultivator spoke harshly, Zhou Qing felt it was more like he was completing a predetermined task.

Anyone with a modicum of common sense would know that, regardless of whether there is actually an infiltrator or not, it is impossible for them to step forward at this moment.

A moment later, the Heart-Questioning Talisman on Zhou Qing's body suddenly shone brightly with silver light, then flickered on and off.

"You go up first." The young cultivator looked at Zhou Qing, then pointed to the staircase beside him.

"Yes." Zhou Qing nodded, then climbed the stairs to the second floor.

The second floor was empty except for two prayer cushions, one of which had an elderly man with white hair sitting on it.

When the white-haired old man saw Zhou Qing, a slight smile appeared on his face. He then pointed to the futon in front of him and said, "Sit down! There's no need to be nervous. Just answer a few questions for me without holding anything back, and that's all."

Since absorbing the azure light, Zhou Qing's mind had become crystal clear, like an old monk in deep meditation, without the slightest ripple. He sat properly on the futon, ready to answer the old man's question.

The questions were all within Zhou Qing's expectations, including where he came from, where he obtained his cultivation techniques, and whether he had joined other sects before joining the Luoyun Sect.

However, as the questions became more in-depth, Zhou Qing vaguely sensed that the old man's questions always revolved around one core issue: whether Zhou Qing was related to either the righteous or the demonic paths.

At this time, more than sixty years had passed since the demonic invasion of Yue Kingdom, and Han Laomo had been "studying abroad" for sixty-four years.

The invasion by both righteous and demonic forces has ended, and the four major powers (the righteous path, the demonic path, the Heavenly Alliance, and the Nine Kingdoms Alliance) are currently in a period of outwardly peaceful coexistence while secretly scheming against each other.

Zhou Qing had no connection with either the righteous or the demonic paths, and his conscience was clear. His "extremely sincere" answer perfectly passed the old man's test of conscience.

An hour later, Zhou Qing and his group of nine all passed the heart-questioning test.

Only then did the young monk reveal his gentle side.

On the way to the main hall of the sect leader, the young cultivator changed his previous indifference and enthusiastically introduced the six wonders of the Luoyun Sect to Zhou Qing and the others.

However, Zhou Qing noticed that while the young cultivator spoke eloquently about Tianquan Peak, he only touched upon the other five peaks briefly, offering only a few simple sentences about them.

This made Zhou Qing suspect that the young cultivator was indeed from Tianquan Peak.

The main peak of Liuqi Peak is three to four thousand feet high. It is situated among several other peaks, overlooking the others.

The main hall of the sect leader is located several hundred feet above this peak. It is a solitary blue stone hall, about twenty or thirty feet high.

There are also two side halls, each seven or eight zhang tall, on either side.

After the young cultivator lowered the giant sword outside the hall, he let Zhou Qing and the others go down.

After instructing Zhou Qing and his group to wait outside the hall, he went into the hall alone.

Seeing the young cultivator leave, the aspiring Qi Refining cultivators breathed a sigh of relief. Standing next to a senior expert always put them under some pressure.

Some naturally outgoing people have already started talking about it.

"Hey, which peak do you want to go to? I heard from that senior uncle that Tianquan Peak is quite good. There are many disciples on the peak who can refine pills. If I can be selected to go to Tianquan Peak, it will definitely be convenient to purchase pills when I need them for cultivation in the future."

"I also want to go to Tianquan Peak."

A cultivator in blue robes was also attracted by Tianquan Peak's profound alchemy skills. Judging from the several medicine pouches hanging from his waist, it seemed that he had been fond of this art even before he entered the sect.

"I do want to go to White Phoenix Peak. I heard before I joined the sect that there are many female cultivators there. If I could meet one and become her Daoist partner, I wouldn't be so lonely on this path to immortality." One of the burly, dark-faced men with a stubble couldn't help but say, his words filled with longing.

The other cultivators who hadn't spoken, including Zhou Qing, all looked at him and couldn't help but chuckle.

This burly man with a dark face, bald head, black beard, and bare, shiny black arms looked exactly like a lump of coal.

"Stop thinking about it. Didn't you hear what that senior uncle said? Bai Feng Peak hasn't taken on any male disciples for several years."

This lighthearted conversation immediately put everyone at ease, and they all joined in the discussion.

After all, they will all be inner disciples of the Luoyun Sect in the future. Exchanging a few words with each other will leave a good impression on others, and they might need your help in the future.

After waiting for about fifteen minutes, the young cultivator finally came out of the main hall and led Zhou Qing and the others into the sect leader's hall.