Infiltrating the righteous path? Just another place to be a sycophant.

"Confucius said, 'A supreme Confucian spiritual root, a great virtue!'"

Another top-grade spiritual root, but this Confucian spiritual root was something Lu An had never heard of before.

What is this? How come the Heavenly Demon Sect has never heard of such a spiritual root before?

When Lu An opened his eyes, he saw a thick book reflected in the crystal. The front of the book had the character "儒" (Ru, meaning Confucian) written on it, while the back had four large characters: "以德服人" (Yi De Fu Ren, meaning to win people over with virtue).

The book emitted a seven-colored light, yet it possessed an indescribable murderous aura.

What? A book can become a spiritual root? Why not call it a top-grade book spiritual root, but a Confucian spiritual root?

"They actually have Confucian spiritual roots. It seems they have encountered a descendant of a sage, or even a reincarnation of a sage."

"Sect Master Yu, what is the Confucian Spiritual Root?"

"Elder Lu, don't you know? This is a spiritual root created by the sage Confucius. It is extremely rare, but its power is immense."

How huge?

"When this spiritual root is fully cultivated, one can use a book to suppress the mountains and rivers of the world, or to take in thousands of spaces, or to use the book to suppress evil spirits."

"so smart?"

Lu An already pictured a Confucian scholar-like sage opening a book and overwhelming everyone with his imposing presence.

That's so arrogant.

"Of course. I've fought with my senior brother from the Confucian Spirit Root sect. His books are really hard. Luckily, my head is hard too, or I would have been knocked unconscious by him."

"????"

Chapter 207 What kind of bizarre spiritual root is this?

"Xiao Yun, a top-grade sword spirit root, and a born sword seed, excellent! Elders, seize this opportunity!"

As a dashing and handsome man walked onto the stage, the phantom of a long sword appeared on the spirit-testing stone. The elder testing the spiritual roots then shouted with ecstasy, attracting the attention of those around him.

After recognizing the person, whispers and murmurs arose from the crowd.

"That's Xiao Yun? I've heard he's the illegitimate son of the Divine Sword Pavilion Master!"

"Don't let the people from the Divine Sword Pavilion hear this, or they'll stab you right through the heart!"

"The so-called illegitimate son of the Divine Sword Pavilion Master is just a fabricated story he hired to create; it's fake news! He's just trying to boost his own fame!"

"It's not fake. His mother is Fairy Yuexuan, who is a Transcending Tribulation expert. Besides, his mother is also from the Taiqing Holy Sect. How could she allow him to come to the Yuantian Holy Sect?"

"When it comes to cultivating the sword path, the Yuan Tian Holy Sect is still better. Besides, the Tai Qing Holy Sect is almost entirely a women's sect. It would be a waste of his talent to be there. He's also a person with his own opinions, so I guess that's why he came here."

People looked at Xiao Yun on the stage and discussed it endlessly, but Xiao Yun completely ignored the opinions of those around him and stood there like a sturdy pine tree, with an air of independence from the ages.

When the elders saw Xiao Yun's appearance, they all nodded in approval.

"This boy seems quite arrogant, but he has good talent and has the potential to become a top sword cultivator."

"This man is mine to keep from Heavenly Sword Peak! No one should try to take him from me! Only Heavenly Sword Peak can help him achieve his great ambitions!"

"Old Li, are you sure you want him? Who hasn't dreamed of becoming a swordsman when they were young? Have you ever practiced swordsmanship? I think he should learn Confucianism from us, temper his violent temper, and learn the gentleman's sword so that he can be unparalleled in the world!"

"Sword cultivation is good, but times have changed. Only by practicing talismans and combining them with sword techniques can one reach greater potential!"

"In my opinion, they're all brutes! Who still bothers with close combat? Learn my Flowing Light Technique and formations, and you can take someone's head from thousands of miles away as easily as taking something out of a bag!"

Before the outer sect elders could even begin to discuss it, the inner sect elders above were already vying for it, each seemingly believing that Xiao Yun should become their disciple in order to truly shine.

The outer sect elders below, seeing this scene, couldn't help but smile bitterly. It seemed they had no chance of taking such a disciple as their own and could only take the disciples left over by the inner sect elders.

Once there are outstanding disciples, they are chosen by the sect leader, then the deputy sect leader, and then the inner sect elders. Of course, if you want one, you can take the initiative to ask for him, as long as the other party is willing to give way, or you can ask the disciple to refuse other elders and be willing to join your sect.

"Guo Fengyi, a near-top-grade sword spirit root! A natural sword heart! Excellent! Elders, you should seize this opportunity!"

As the elder shouted, the crowd, which had just begun to quiet down, inexplicably became restless again.

A woman who appeared poised and elegant, yet was also quite arrogant, dressed in a long red and yellow gown, caught their eye.

"The Guo family's daughter actually came too?! What's going on today?"

"This is Elder Guo's granddaughter from the Zhen Tian Sacred Sect! What's going on with her coming to the Yuan Tian Sacred Sect?"

"Why would Guo Fengyi be here? If the old man of the Guo family finds out, won't he be furious?"

The crowd was abuzz with discussion, clearly surprised by the arrival of this seemingly domineering yet beautiful woman.

"Ranran! A top-grade fire spirit root, and it looks like it's Phoenix True Fire! Excellent! Elders, reserve it quickly!"

Like a vendor hawking his wares, Elder Divination excitedly shouted as the phantom of the Phoenix True Fire ignited within the Spirit Testing Stone.

It was a boy with a full head of red hair, and his expression looked quite unruly.

"This person is mine, Lieyun Peak, and none of you can take him from me!"

"You think your Lieyun Peak wants it? My Tianjian Peak wants it too! The Fire Sword Technique is my signature skill from my youth, and I'm about to pass it on to someone. I think he's a promising talent!"

An elder nearby sneered, "Come on, old Li, that's just something you learned when you were a mortal—swallowing wine and breathing fire to get by. Don't think you can just take anything!"

"The Phoenix True Fire is so rare, why bother learning those fighting and killing techniques from you? You should cultivate alchemy with me, and you'll surely become a great alchemy master! Wouldn't it be more prestigious to call upon others to fight than to go in yourself?"

Although Lu An didn't know the situation of top-grade spiritual roots in the Yuan Tian Holy Sect, judging from the appearance of these elders, they were probably very rare.

Anyway, he didn't seem to have encountered anyone with top-grade spiritual roots. In fact, even if he had, he wouldn't have known, because later when he was cultivating in the Heavenly Demon Sect, no one mentioned their spiritual roots anymore, except when they were tested.

What kind of spiritual root did I have back then?

Lu An's thoughts drifted back to a long time ago.

“Lu An, he has no…no spiritual root…but he has spiritual power…”

"You have no spiritual root and you still want to buy a scalped ticket from me to join the Heavenly Demon Sect? Even if you're a scoundrel, you can't do this, buddy..."

Snapped!

"Well, it's all good that you have the spirit stones. I can tell you're a late bloomer. I have an outer sect elder's spot here, so I'll give it to you!"

"After offering this cup of tea and performing this apprenticeship ceremony, you are now my disciple! Hmm, judging by your ceremony, your path to immortality is smooth sailing!"

Think about it, this is truly a huge society.

I was supposed to be educated, but now that I look at it, it seems like I wasn't really educated at all.

To have reached this position, this world is truly a giant makeshift operation.

The sounds of testing spiritual roots rose and fell, and many spiritual roots appeared one after another. Lu An even discovered a stick spiritual root, which was indeed just a stick, and it was a low-grade spiritual root.

Unsurprisingly, I was discouraged from taking the test. Why only discouraged? Because taking the spiritual root test is only the first step. Who knows, some people might become dark horses and stand out in the later tests.

But the most incomprehensible thing is a spiritual root made of bricks.

"Zhu Dali, a brick-shaped spiritual root, a top-grade brick... brick spiritual root! Excellent!"

The appearance of this spiritual root clearly left not only Lu An bewildered, but also the other elders.

A brick used as a spiritual root, and a top-grade one at that—what's going on?

Although this is a top-grade spiritual root, there has been much less discussion about it. It seems that this peculiar spiritual root is leaving people somewhat at a loss.

Even some of the older elders were unsure which disciple this person should become a disciple of, so they all chose to remain silent.

"Alright, that's about it. Fellow Daoists, please collect your tokens. When the sect test begins, be sure to follow the guiding elder, understand?"

The elder who was testing spiritual roots called out to the disciples below who were taking the test, while the outer disciples on the side also took trays and began to test their spiritual roots.

"understood!"

The disciples answered in unison, then received their tokens, and the teleportation array beside them was activated.

"Follow me, and I will take you to the first checkpoint. Although we will have special protection, if you recklessly court death, then life and death are in the hands of fate!"

"If you're scared, you can leave now. We absolutely won't force you!"

After he finished speaking, not a single person withdrew. It seems that everyone came prepared, or at least mentally prepared.

One by one, people entered the teleportation array. As the number of people in the square dwindled, Lu An began to wonder where they had all gone and what they were going to do.

"Sect Master Yu, where are they going?"

"Elder Lu doesn't seem to be very familiar with our recruitment process. The place they're going to is our Yuantian Ladder. Being able to climb the ladder will screen out most of the people."

Goodness, climbing stairs again! This kind of idea seems to come from every sect. Wow, amazing!

"So how should we view this?"

"Let's start filming now."

Yu Wanqing waved her hand, and countless ice crystals condensed in the air, forming a mirror in front of Lu An.

The scene reflected in the mirror was a group of disciples walking out of a brightly lit teleportation array and arriving at a staircase leading to the heavens.

"Is this the Yuantian Ladder? Isn't this the place I fly over every day in the back mountain? I also see a horizontal strip stretched across it every day, as if it's been sealed off."

"Yes, that staircase is usually not used by anyone. It was reserved specifically for sect tests and assessments, so it was simply sealed off."

Chapter 208 As the saying goes, "Spare the rod and spoil the child."

"Why is that called the Primordial Heavenly Ladder? How come I've never known that?"

"Elder Lu, you may not know this, but that was just a name given randomly. If you want, the entire staircase of the Yuan Tian Holy Sect can be called the Yuan Tian Ladder."

Yu Wanqing replied calmly.

Lu An remained silent for a moment.

Well, they're all just amateur teams, right?

The disciples gathered at the foot of Yuantian Ladder, all looking eager to try their skills, as if they couldn't wait to show off their abilities.

"As you can probably tell, this test is a mountain climb. Whoever reaches the top within the allotted time wins." The elder leading the way stood before the stairs and addressed the large group of disciples: "Everyone must rely on their own abilities. You may use weapons or magic, but you cannot kill! Absolutely no killing!"

"Alright, I've said all I need to say. Once this incense stick is lit, the barrier in front of the stairs will be removed, and you can then go up the stairs."

Only then did Lu An realize that there was another light barrier in front of the stairs, like a transparent light door, preventing these people from going up the mountain.

On the other side of the stairs was a huge bronze cauldron with a large incense stick inserted inside.

An outer disciple approached the enormous bronze cauldron, while the disciples who had not yet entered the sect were already eager to try, seemingly ready to participate in the competition.

"Guo Fengyi, what are you doing here? Aren't you going to work out with your brainless father? Get big and strong before you come out, so you don't get scared and bullied!"

"What's wrong, Xiao Yun? Aren't you going to snuggle in your mother's arms for milk anymore? Weren't you crying and begging your mother not to leave you before? Or did you steal your mother's milk and drink it every now and then?"

A man and a woman met and immediately started taunting each other. The man started the insults, but the woman was not to be outdone and retorted.

Xiao Yun's expression changed instantly. He had been excitedly trying to mock Guo Fengyi, but his face darkened in a flash.

He instinctively wanted to make a move, but an elder next to him glared at him, his eyes full of warning.

Hey kid, don't you dare mess around!

Lu An also noticed the two guys. He wanted to know what they were saying, but he didn't have detailed and clear images or sounds.

After all, this isn't a TV series, and there aren't any special close-up shots.

However, he always felt something was strange, because he saw feminine energy in Xiao Yun, while he saw masculine energy in Guo Fengyi.

It's really weird, especially Xiao Yun's temperament, he's practically effeminate, but he looks incredibly masculine.

"Hehe, Guo Fengyi, you really are sharp-tongued. I hope you'll still be so sharp-tongued when we go up the Heavenly Ladder!"

"What? You can't even talk when you go up the stairs? You're really weak. Spending too much time with women has made you effeminate?"

"You... Guo Fengyi, don't be so arrogant. You're no better than him. You're always working out with your father, fighting and killing each other. I wonder how you'll ever get married."

"I'll find a way to get married, but you, with your effeminate manner and mama's boy ways, who would marry you? Are you going to find an idiot to fool? Well, maybe that's how your mother was tricked into marrying you back then?"

"What a sharp-tongued Guo Fengyi! Fine, I'll give you the reins today. Don't get cocky, I'll kill you sooner or later!"

"Then why don't you give it a try! You think you're the only one who knows how to use a sword? We'll see who kills whom in the end!"

Guo Fengyi was extremely arrogant and didn't take Xiao Yun's words to heart at all.

The two argued incessantly, and those nearby could already sense the tension. After all, anyone with a bit of inside information knew that Xiao Yun was born in the Taiqing Holy Sect, a sect filled with women.

A man born into a group of women is naturally more likely to become effeminate.

Of course, some people envied his father, wondering how he managed to get those women who seemed to have fallen from the sky, like celestial beings.