Chapter 58: Through Trials

  Five elderly men from the prenatal period landed lightly, with a majestic aura on their bodies like a high mountain. The cultivators present were all stunned, and they didn't dare to breathe heavily.

  "But the immortal master of Xuanyang Sword Sect?" A cultivator who had reached the late stage of foundation building came forward to pay his respects, wanting to exchange pleasantries with them. However, the five of them seemed oblivious, not even acknowledging him, and instead focused their attention on those young cultivators.

  Fang Li stood still, suddenly his consciousness flashed, and he felt a cool breeze on his body, as if someone had seen through him. He couldn't help but focus his attention, and found that one of the five people, an older man who was slightly fat, was staring at him with a nod and a smile.

  Fang Li's heart suddenly felt a surge of joy, and if he wasn't mistaken, the five old men should be examining the qualifications of the cultivators present. The slightly plump old man seemed particularly satisfied with him, and Fang Li estimated that his chances of being accepted as a disciple were at least 80%. Moreover, with his nine-grade root bone qualifications, it was possible that he could even become an inner sect disciple directly.

  Immediately afterwards, Fang Li's body experienced this feeling four more times. The remaining four old men lingered on him for a while, but didn't reveal too much expression.

  "Today is the day our Xuan Yang Sword Sect opens its mountain gate, and you have managed to wait until now, which means you are somewhat fated with our sect. However, whether or not you can successfully join our sect in the end still requires one more test." One of the blue-robed elders suddenly spoke up after finishing his examination. The blue-robed elder was majestic without being angry, and the four people beside him seemed to be looking up to him, it was clear at a glance that his status was the highest.

  The monks who were still at the foot of the mountain couldn't help but feel a sense of tension in their hearts, although they had known about the test for some time, hearing the old man in blue mention it made them feel somewhat anxious nonetheless.

  They saw no one speaking, the old man in blue couldn't help but nod slightly, and then continued to say: "Everyone is ready, this test will be carried out by me. To explain, no matter what you will face next, you can't move half a step, otherwise you will lose the qualification to enter the sect."

  The monks were taken aback, not daring to be careless, and immediately got into position. Some people even directly started horse stance. Horse stance is a compulsory course for many kung fu methods, with the center of gravity pressed down, it's extremely stable.

  Those elders who came with their family members immediately retreated after hearing the blue-robed old man's words, wanting to distance themselves from those taking the test so as not to affect them. But in the next moment, a loud explosion sounded, and a strong aura suddenly burst out of the blue-robed old man's body. Before they could react, he had already blown them away first, including the stone old man behind Liu Caiyu.

  Fang Lide was shocked, his eyes wide with amazement. The dozens of elders who had accompanied him were at least in their thirties and forties, and most had reached the Foundation Establishment stage. Some, like Shi Tou Lao Zhai, were on the verge of breaking through to the Golden Dan stage. Yet, despite this, they were still powerless to resist and were blown away instantly. Meanwhile, the cultivators who met the age requirement were not attacked at all. This move was indeed shocking.

  "Alright, everyone focus your minds, the test is about to begin." The old man in blue didn't pay attention to the surprised expressions of the crowd and said to himself, then single-handedly pinched his fingers together, a strange aura began to spread out.

  Hoo-hoo!

  Fang Li concentrated his mind, closed his eyes, and suddenly felt a strong sense of oppression fall upon him, as if he had shouldered a great mountain, making it hard to breathe. Not daring to be careless, Fang Li hastily circulated his true energy, steadied his body, and remained motionless.

  Withstanding this pressure was still relatively easy for the opponent, but for others it was much more painful. In just an instant, nearly half of the cultivators were crushed and fell to the ground, only to be blown away by a burst of energy, losing their qualification to enter.

  After adapting to this pressure, Fang Li opened his eyes and took a look at the situation of the cultivators around him. At this time, there were only over a hundred cultivators still standing, and Liu Caiyu was also among them. What surprised Fang Li was that several cultivators who had reached the fourth realm of Qi Refining had also withstood it, but those few people were not very old, only looking like they were thirteen or fourteen years old.

  "Isn't it that the intensity of pressure received varies with age?" Fang Lixin thought to himself, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that this was indeed the case. If everyone bore the same amount of pressure, it would be unfair to younger people, and perhaps some talented young individuals would be missed out on.

  The remaining monks struggled to support themselves, no one dared to follow Fang Li's example and had the leisure to watch others, each closing their eyes and concentrating, not daring to be distracted in the slightest.

  The next moment, a terrifying ghost face suddenly appeared in the minds of the crowd, accompanied by a shrill scream.

  "My goodness!" "A ghost!"...

  A picture of this kind suddenly appeared in his mind, and it was under the circumstances that he was fully focused on resisting the pressure. Many monks were frightened and shouted, and the sound of shouting rose and fell.

  Fang Li was also startled, and the shrill scream still lingered in his mind. Fortunately, he often dealt with the five evil spirits in the copper ring, so although his body shook with fear, he didn't lose control of his spirit.

  Others were not so lucky. With a whoosh, dozens of people were scared to jump up and immediately cleared out, losing their qualifications.

  "It's too abnormal, suddenly receiving a shock would naturally have some reaction, this is human nature, can this be considered a failure?" Some of the monks who were cleared out began to complain, with some feeling disappointed and others unwilling to accept.

  "If your mind is calm and your intention is focused, you won't be disturbed by any distracting thoughts. Moreover, Master has already lowered the difficulty level, as long as you don't move your feet, you won't be eliminated. If you can't even do this, what qualifications do you have to join our Xuan Yang Sword Sect?" The slightly fat old man who had nodded and smiled at the opponent's advantage stood up, glaring angrily.

  Those eliminated monks still had complaints in their hearts, but they didn't dare to say anything and closed their mouths one by one. Some monks even cried out loud on the spot because they missed this opportunity, and it's likely that they were extremely unwilling. They came from far away, some of them even shouldered the responsibility of their family's prosperity, but unexpectedly failed, which made anyone who met them feel uncomfortable in their hearts.

  The cry, however, moved many people, and even Fang Li, who was still undergoing his trial, couldn't help but furrow his brow. But if he failed, he would never be so weak. There's a saying that goes "If you don't stay here, there will always be another place for you to stay." He didn't believe it, just because he missed this opportunity, he wouldn't lose all hope of becoming stronger in the future. Even as a loose cultivator, Fang Li didn't think he would disappear into the crowd, his fate could be controlled by himself, it's just a matter of whether or not you're willing and dare to do so.

  Many monks still persisted in biting their teeth, and at this time, only less than seventy people were left standing.

  Fang Li was secretly on guard, fearing there might be other unexpected events. However, while being cautious, he still didn't forget to take a glance at Liu Caiyu beside him. As for this woman, Fang Li didn't have much of a good impression, nor did he feel disgusted; it's just that he had promised to take care of her, so he was being attentive towards her. Moreover, his life was currently still in the control of Shi Tou Lao Ren (Stone Old Man).

  But what made Fang Li feel at ease was that although Liu Caiyu had a quirky personality, she persisted. Looking at her sweaty appearance, Fang Li was puzzled and didn't know why she was working so hard. According to reason, she shouldn't be too concerned about joining the Xuan Yang Sword Sect.

  Suddenly, Fang Li saw her open her eyes and glance at him with a provocative gaze, leaving him momentarily stunned. After some thought, he couldn't help but shake his head in bitter laughter, thinking that this person didn't want to be outdone by him, so she persisted in this way. As for why she suddenly remembered him, Fang Li was too lazy to think about it.

  Also didn't know how long had passed, Fang Li suddenly felt a lightness on his body, and that oppressive feeling actually dissipated just like that.

  Isn't the trial over? The remaining cultivators were all thrilled, but no one dared to jump to conclusions, and they all stared at the blue-robed old man in the distance.

  "The assessment is over, and the remaining fifty-nine of you are welcome to join the Xuan Yang Sword Sect." The old man in blue didn't intentionally drag out the suspense and directly announced the result. Instantly, a burst of cheers erupted from the foot of the mountain.

  "Alright, the ugly hour has passed. I'll give you a moment to adjust your mindset. After that, we'll head back to the sect together. Remember, once inside the sect, you'll face an even broader world, but at the same time, the struggle among cultivators will become even more brutal. If you're not prepared to die at any moment, now is still a chance to quit." The blue-robed elder's voice rang out again, but these words had no effect on those cultivators. Who would choose to quit now that they've finally joined the Xuanyang Sword Sect?

  As the trial came to an end, Shi Tou Lao Zhe flew back to Liu Cai Yu and Fang Li's side. His eyes looked at Liu Cai Yu with a mix of relief and reluctance, "Miss, from today on, I can no longer stay by your side. From now on, cultivate well and don't waste any more time."

  When the old man made of stone appeared, Liu Caiyu was unusually quiet, and immediately turned around, "Uncle Shi Tou, after this separation... will we meet again?" Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke.

  The old man's eyes flashed with a hint of sadness, saying: "Lao Zu will soon send someone else to protect you..."

  "What's with the old ancestor, don't mention that old undead to me," Liu Caiyu's face suddenly changed, and she burst into anger. "I know you're in a hurry to leave because you want to take a gamble. But remember this for me, I still need a Golden Elixir stage fighter, Shi Tou, you must come back alive."

  "Yes, boss!" The old stone man immediately puffed out his chest and responded, taking on the role of a shop assistant. However, two lines of old tears in his eyes couldn't be controlled, and they flowed out uncontrollably.

  Fang Li completely failed to grasp the master-servant relationship between the two, and inopportunely interjected, "If you die, who will I go to for the antidote?"

  "You bastard!" Liu Caiyu suddenly glared at him with anger, and then tears fell down.

  The old man's reaction was not much, he just looked at Fang Li and said calmly: "At most three months someone will come to replace me, so you only need to take care of the young lady for three months. Moreover, I have already given her the antidote, so you don't have to worry."

  Fang Li furrowed his brow, having a bad feeling in his heart. The antidote was in the hands of that eccentric young lady, and his life was at risk. Moreover, this old man in front of him kept saying that he wanted this less-than-sixteen-year-old boy to take care of a twenty-year-old woman - didn't he think it was ridiculous?

  "After entering the Xuanyang Sword Sect, I still need to find a way to get rid of this Gu poison first." Fang Li thought to himself. The elders of the Xuanyang Sword Sect were all masters who had reached the Yuan Ying stage, so a small Gu poison shouldn't be difficult for them to handle.

  Although he thought so in his heart, Fang Li still nodded as a response. A man under another's roof cannot but lower his head.

  "It's time, follow me back to our sect." The voice of the old man in blue robes suddenly rang out.

  Upon hearing this sentence, Fang Li let out a deep breath and his eyes suddenly burst forth with an excited light. In his heart, he silently recited: This is the beginning of taking flight.

  At the same moment, a thunderclap suddenly came from mid-air, and the azure sky was torn apart like a ripped cloth. With a loud crack, it burst open. Immediately, a sea wave appeared, with foamy waves surging forward, and golden carps were swimming bravely inside.

  Above the sea tide, there is a mysterious and ancient dragon gate, which is over 100 meters high. Those golden carps exhaust their strength, suddenly jumping up, trying to leap over the dragon gate, but none of them succeed.

  "This is the omen of the Fish Leaping Dragon Gate!" Many cultivators raised their heads and gazed upwards, exclaiming in surprise. Although it was nighttime, this sudden image that appeared in mid-air was clearly visible.

  Suddenly, a not-so-eye-catching carp suddenly entered the eyes of everyone, and it was seen that it rushed forward bravely, jumping up from a distance. With a loud crash, this carp jumped over the Dragon Gate. Then a dragon's roar sounded, and all the strange phenomena returned to nothingness.