Chapter 75: The Entry Examination

Cultivation knows no passage of time; with a blink, another decade slips by.

“Fellow cultivators, please line up in an orderly fashion to receive your entry test tokens, or your qualification will be revoked!”

At the center of Sword City, atop a high platform, a Foundation Establishment cultivator soared on his sword, shouting down to the crowd of cultivators gathered from all directions. His voice, imbued with spiritual power, spread across ten miles in an instant. At the same time, a wave of pressure swept downward, subduing those below.

The bustling crowd, noisy as a marketplace, fell abruptly silent. None dared risk losing their chance; everyone became obedient at once.

Within the crowd, Gu Weiyu let out a relieved sigh. Despite her fierce appearance, she had nearly been squashed like a sandwich just moments before!

She followed the queue forward, and the cultivator responsible for registration, not even bothering to look up, asked, “Name—”

“Lian Hongyi,” Gu Weiyu replied boldly. She had no intention of using her previous alias, Hu Xiaoyu, any longer.

“Here you go!” The man swiftly inscribed the name “Lian Hongyi” onto the wooden token and tossed it to her. “Next—”

Such efficiency!

Gu Weiyu picked up the token and headed to the area for testing spiritual roots and bone age.

The Sword Sect cultivator tasked with the test paused, a flicker of surprise in his eyes as he examined Gu Weiyu’s spiritual roots and foundation.

This girl had remarkable aptitude—barely nine years old and already at the eighth level of Qi Refining. If only her fire and wood spiritual roots suited sword cultivation! Still, the sect was planning to train their own alchemists, and this girl had come at just the right time.

They had no choice; the Sword Sect was poor. Crafting flying swords demanded spirit stones, cultivation required spirit stones—spirit stones were needed everywhere.

Though the sect’s strength outpaced the other three in the region, the whole clan was composed of rough-and-tumble warriors, unmatched in combat but hopeless at making money. They weren’t demon cultivators, so they couldn’t openly rob others, and with their duty to uphold justice and protect the weak, their purses were always thin.

“All right, you may proceed to wait for the test over there.” The cultivator handed the token back.

Gu Weiyu glanced at the token and grinned; the number was auspicious—triple six!

“Hey, miss, could you not laugh?” A deep voice sounded beside her.

She looked up and saw a boy with a broad, tigerish face, staring at her awkwardly. He’d come hoping to see beauties, but what did he find? A grotesque scar danced across her fair face like a twisted centipede, making his scalp tingle.

“Laughter is my own freedom. What concern is it of yours?” Gu Weiyu retorted, shooting him a sideways glance and baring her teeth in a playful grimace.

He quickly turned his face away, unable to bear the sight.

Gu Weiyu smirked. Let him dare to disdain her—she never forgot a slight.

With her token in hand, she strode cheerfully toward the group who had finished registration.

The Sword Sect’s process was thorough; within half an hour, the vast crowd had been recorded.

“All right, come aboard, everyone!” The Foundation Establishment cultivator in charge, Zhongli, called out in a clear voice.

A tower ship was tossed into the air, rapidly expanding into a massive vessel over thirty feet tall and hundreds of square meters wide. Each side had a door, and wooden floating stairs automatically extended from beneath, inviting everyone aboard.

Truly worthy of a great sect; this ship could easily hold over a thousand people.

With the earlier warning fresh in mind, everyone boarded in strict order.

Gu Weiyu settled herself in a corner, sitting cross-legged and closing her eyes to rest.

The tower ship soon took off, flying steadily toward the Sword Sect’s domain.

After only the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the ship landed once more.

Gu Weiyu opened her eyes; others looked around as well, realizing they had arrived.

“Everyone, disembark!” The booming voice came from above.

As before, the crowd descended in an orderly fashion. The ship shrank to palm-size, landing in Zhongli’s hand, and he tucked it away.

Gu Weiyu’s gaze was drawn to the magnificent jade steps ahead. They wound along the mountain path, spiraling upward into mist-shrouded heights.

Most test participants stared at the jade steps as she did. Zhongli, with pride, pointed and declared:

“These are the Ascending Heaven Steps of my Sword Sect—ten thousand in total. Our sect stands atop these very steps. Once admitted, only Foundation Establishment cultivators may leave the mountain.

Those willing to join need only climb the Ascending Heaven Steps; pass the test, and you may enter the Sword Sect.”

Most participants were only six, seven, or eight years old; the oldest barely past ten. Their faces dimmed at these words.

But they had all heard of this rule among the four great sects before coming, so their reaction was not overly intense.

“If one cannot reach Foundation Establishment, what meaning is there in living a mere hundred years?”

A youth in green robes spoke coldly and took the lead, ascending the steps.

With the first climber, the rest followed suit, and soon the crowd at the base vanished onto the broad jade stairway.

Gu Weiyu mingled with the others, stepping onto the jade steps to ascend.

At first, everyone found it easy; some climbed a hundred steps in moments.

Some thought, it’s only a stairway—what could be difficult about this?

But as time passed and they reached a thousand steps, the children began to show fatigue. The endless repetition of jade steps seemed never-ending; the monotony of green surroundings, the absence of companions—they couldn’t see anyone nearby, nor guess how far others had climbed, and restlessness grew.

Why wasn’t there an end in sight?

Many children began to think this, their legs aching and weak, each step a trial.

Gu Weiyu advanced steadily, unhurried and calm, seemingly oblivious to those racing past her.

Gradually, she lagged behind, trailing at the rear.

In the first few hundred steps, she could still see several companions. After half an hour of climbing, she suddenly realized there was no one in sight.

That couldn’t be right; she’d seen someone nearby before. Was she too slow?

Gu Weiyu hesitated, pausing to scan the steps. Now, she could only see about fifty meters of jade steps around her—everything else was shrouded in mist.

Had the main test begun?

She suspected as much; surely the Sword Sect’s admission test was not merely climbing stairs.

Gu Weiyu pressed onward, determined to see what awaited her ahead.

She didn't know how much time had passed. As she climbed in silence, a gentle voice suddenly sounded from ahead:

“Little friend, you must be exhausted. Come rest for a while!”

Purple Pen Literature