Chapter 36 - Chapter 36: Chapter 36: The cause of the past leads to the consequences of today

Chapter 36: Chapter 36: The cause of the past leads to the consequences of today

Translator: 549690339

“Cultivation at the fifth level of Qi, that’s enough to sign up?”

Han Yi was slightly startled; this was somewhat beyond his expectations.

“Yes, it is said that the Sect Master himself made the decision to select outer disciples to supplement the Inner Peak.”

“Of course, once in the Inner Peak, you need to reach the Late Stage of Qi Cultivation to become an inner disciple.”

“1 won’t talk much now; I just broke through to the fifth level of Qi Cultivation not long ago, and 1 need to hurry to sign up.”

The familiar junior disciple hurried toward the main building of Little Lingxu Peak.

Han Yi hastily followed, for it was better to ask someone who knew the details directly than to find out slowly by himself.

“Junior brother, how long has this Inner Peak quota been open?”

“About half a month, today is the last day for registration.”

“What are the requirements? What are the selection criteria?”

“There must be some requirements, but I don’t know the specific criteria. However, 1 guess that since our Xuandan Sect focuses on Alchemy, at least one of the selection criteria would be Alchemy Skill. Those with strong Alchemy Skills will definitely have a greater chance.”

Han Yi was delighted upon hearing this.

He was good at Alchemy Skill.

After breaking through to the “Fire is Purely Green” realm, he believed that his Alchemy Skill was not inferior to most Late Stage Qi Cultivation inner disciples. Perhaps there were only a few exceptional Alchemists at the pinnacle of the ninth level of Qi Cultivation who could surpass him.

However, when his Alchemy Skill was compared to outer disciples, he would simply crush them.

He didn’t need to compete with inner disciples – all he needed to do was outperform outer disciples.

“Han, with your strong Alchemy Skill, this time you’ll definitely catch them all.”

“It is said that a total of 200 places have been released this time, more than 100 for each outer peak. They are not evenly distributed – the strong rise, and the weak fall. These are the Sect Master’s words.”

“Everyone has a chance.”

On the way, Han Yi asked a few more questions about what he was concerned about before finally arriving at the main building of Little Lingxu Peak.

In the main building, the person in charge of the enrollment was the newly-appointed Lord of Little Lingxu Peak, Li Heng, who was at the pinnacle of the 9th level of Qi Cultivation.

This was not Han Yi’s first time meeting Li Heng. He had met him several times after Li Heng had taken over Fan Mo’s position when Fan Mo was sent to the Demon Cave three years ago.

After the familiar junior brother signed up, it was Han Yi’s turn. Han Yi stepped forward, took out his sect identity token, and registered his relevant information.

“May 1 ask my senior, when is this selection for the sect’s internal examination, and are there any fixed criteria?”

After registering, Han Yi carefully asked his question.

With such a rare opportunity, he wanted to make his best effort to grasp it. First, he needed to know what the examination would be so that he could prepare accordingly.

Li Heng’s face remained expressionless, and he glanced at Han Yi.

“The examination criteria consist of four steps.”

“The first step is the qualification review, the second step is the Alchemy Skill examination, the third step is the combat competence assessment, and the fourth step is the comprehensive selection.”

“The specific details are posted over there; you can go and have a look.”

Li Heng pointed to a place ten meters away, where Han Yi also noticed that more than a dozen disciples were gathered, discussing fervently.

After thanking Li Heng, Han Yi went over to have a look. Reading the requirements and listening to the discussions among the other disciples, he finally understood the content of the examination.

The first step was the qualification review, which determined whether the individual met the eligibility requirements for this quota selection.

The second step, as the name implies, was the examination of Alchemy Skill.

At first, Han Yi didn’t quite understand the third step, but as he listened to other people’s discussions, he gradually got the idea.

The Xuandan Sect suffered heavy losses in the Demon Cave battle because their people were not good at fighting. This weakness was evident when compared to other sects in Daqian. Therefore, the higher-ups in the sect set up the third examination step to encourage their disciples to put more effort into combat and not focus solely on refining various Cultivation arts at the expense of battle readiness. An oversight in this area would lead to downfall when faced with confrontation.

As for the fourth step – the comprehensive selection – neither Han Yi nor the other people could quite make out what it was exactly. For the time being, it was considered a strategy of “selecting the best from the best” by the sect’s higher-ups.

Having ascertained the four steps of selection, Han Yi’s heart settled.

He easily met the qualification requirements with his sixth level of Qi Cultivation.

His Alchemy Skill was unparalleled among the outer peak disciples.

When it came to combat, with the combination of Spirit Void Finger, Sword Control Skill, and Light Body Technique, even cultivators at the seventh level of Qi Cultivation would not intimidate him. Han Yi wondered which outer disciple would dare to compete against him.

He had the advantage in the first three steps. As for the fourth step, the sect’s evaluation, he believed he would have no problem with that. Even if there were some underhanded tactics involved, as long as he ranked high enough, he wouldn’t be afraid of being ‘sacrificed’.

Having figured out these points, Han Yi returned to his courtyard and continued to consolidate his cultivation base.

Three days later.

The list of people who passed the qualification review came out.

Han Yi rushed to the main building of Little Lingxu Peak only to be told that he had not made the list.

Han Yi was bewildered.

No matter how he calculated, he couldn’t believe that even the first step of the qualification review had failed him.

This was completely unexpected.

“Senior Li, may I ask why I couldn’t even pass the qualification review?”

Han Yi really couldn’t figure it out, so he went directly to Li Heng to inquire about the matter.

Li Heng looked at Han Yi, and Han Yi could feel a sense of contempt inadvertently revealed in Li Heng’s eyes.

“During this qualification review, there were more than ten people on Little Lingxu Peak whose realms were sufficient but were still screened out.”

“The reasons for this were the same.”

“Three years ago, the True Body of Heavenly Demon appeared at Little Lingxu Peak, Sect Master Fan Mo abandoned the peak and fled. Subsequently, the sect demanded that he atone for his sins by going to the Demon Cave.”

“When he selected disciples for the expedition, there were more than ten people who were eliminated by him first.”

“As for the rest, there’s no need for me to say more.”

“One of the sect’s Elders in Golden Core Stage personally wrote on the sect’s ceremonial Great Hall that those who shrink like turtles do not deserve to enter the Inner Peak ahead of time.”

Li Heng stopped talking, but his gaze on Han Yi made him extremely uncomfortable.

Without asking any further questions, Han Yi bowed his hands, turned around, and left.

After leaving the main building and returning to his courtyard, Han Yi sighed, with a complex expression on his face.

He reaped the fruit today because of what he had sown in the past.

He never expected that paying to avoid trouble more than three years ago would cause him to miss out on becoming an inner disciple today.

When weighing the gains and losses, Han Yi did not regret his past actions.

He just felt a sense of regret.

“Forget it – since I can’t enter the Inner Peak in advance, I might as well focus on my cultivation.”

“There’s no way I can let myself be stifled.”

“With the Proficiency Panel, 1 will eventually enter the Inner Peak, and no one can stop me.”

“Next, I’ll continue working on my proficiency points, starting with Alchemy Skill.”

“With Pills come Spirit Stones; with Spirit Stones comes the foundation to practice.”

“Don’t hurry – take it one step at a time.”

Over the next few days, Han Yi refocused himself, occasionally going out to sell pills at markets. Hearing about someone achieving the fifth level of Qi Cultivation and being exceptionally admitted to the Inner Peak, he looked calm on the outside, but he couldn’t help but feel a little regretful inside.

However, this emotion was soon cleared away by him.

Time quietly slipped away, and the selection for the Inner Peak quota had long since come to an end.

There were winners and losers.

Spring passed and autumn came, another year had gone by..