The sky was just beginning to brighten, and the mountain gate of the Canglan Sect loomed indistinctly amidst the morning mist. The massive protective array slowly revolved, emitting a faint green halo that enveloped the rolling mountain range. Today was the once-in-a-decade day for the sect to open its gates and accept disciples. The square at the foot of the mountain was already bustling with crowds; countless young men and women harboring dreams of immortality looked up eagerly in anticipation.
The executive elder in charge of receiving new disciples was named Mo Yun. He currently stood upon a high platform in the center of the square. With white hair and beard, his expression was solemn, and his gaze swept like lightning across the bustling crowd below. Behind him, several inner sect disciples dressed in green shirts were maintaining order in an organized manner, holding rosters and checking the identity tokens of those coming to seek instruction one by one.
"Silence!"
Elder Mo Yun gave a light shout. Though his voice was not loud, it clearly reached the ears of everyone present. The originally noisy square instantly fell silent, with only the sound of the mountain wind whistling past.
"Today is the grand ceremony for my Canglan Sect to accept disciples. Since you are here, you must abide by the rules of my sect." Elder Mo Yun stood with his hands behind his back, his tone commanding respect without anger. "There is a distinction between immortals and mortals, and the path of cultivation is one that goes against the heavens. You had best think this through clearly."
The people below looked at each other, but the light in their eyes did not dim in the slightest; on the contrary, it burned even hotter.
"The first trial: testing for spiritual roots."
Elder Mo Yun waved his large sleeve, and a crystal-clear crystal ball materialized out of thin air, suspended in mid-air. Within the crystal ball, it seemed as if clouds and mist were flowing, constantly transforming into lights of various colors such as red, blue, green, and gold.
"Whoever possesses a spiritual root, place their hand on this ball, and the corresponding light will manifest within it. The brighter the light and the purer the color, the higher the aptitude. If there is no reaction, it indicates you have no destiny with the immortal path. Please leave."
As soon as his words fell, a tall young man walked out from the crowd. He took a deep breath, walked quickly up the high platform, and under the gaze of everyone, pressed his palm against the crystal ball.
A moment later, a faint green light rippled within the crystal ball. Though not dazzling, it was clearly visible.
"Wood spiritual root, low grade," the disciple responsible for recording announced loudly.
Elder Mo Yun nodded slightly, indicating for the young man to stand in the queue on the left. Immediately after, a few others stepped forward for testing. Some had weak lights, while others were slightly stronger, but most were only of low to medium aptitude.
Just then, a commotion suddenly arose from the periphery of the crowd. A luxuriously decorated carriage was seen slowly approaching. Pulling the carriage were actually two rare Unihorn Fire Qilin beasts. After the carriage stopped, an old man in brocade clothes jumped down first, respectfully lifted the curtain, and a young woman in luxurious clothing stepped out from inside.
The young woman had a lovely face, but her demeanor was quite arrogant, her eyes revealing a sense of innate superiority. She walked straight through the crowd as if the commoners around her did not exist at all, going directly to the front of the high platform.
"I am Wang Yuyan of the Wang family. I ask the Elder to test my spiritual root first," the young woman said, her voice clear but carrying a hint of imperiousness.
Elder Mo Yun frowned slightly. He was not moved by her status in the slightest and merely said indifferently, "Rules are rules. Go queue up."
Wang Yuyan's face stiffened, as if she had not expected to be publicly denied face. The brocade-clad old man hurriedly stepped forward, cupping his hands and apologizing with a smile, "Please quell your anger, Elder. My young lady has been frail since childhood and is not suited to standing for long. I ask the Elder to be accommodating."
Elder Mo Yun glanced at him and snorted coldly, "In the world of cultivation, the weak are prey to the strong. If you cannot endure even this bit of hardship, what great deeds can you achieve even if you join the sect? Go queue up."
The old man was at a loss for words and had to retreat to Wang Yuyan's side, whispering a few words of persuasion. Though Wang Yuyan was unhappy in her heart, she knew this was not the time to make a scene, so she could only hatefully retreat into the crowd and line up at the very end.
The testing continued. As time passed, more and more people passed the first trial, and the queue on the left gradually grew larger. However, true geniuses possessing high-grade spiritual roots were few and far between, which caused Elder Mo Yun to feel somewhat disappointed.
Just when he thought there would be no surprises today, a ragged young man suddenly walked out from the crowd. The young man looked to be only twelve or thirteen years old, with messy hair and some dirt on his face, but his eyes were exceptionally bright, revealing a clever spirit.
He walked to the crystal ball, extended a small hand full of calluses, and gently pressed it against the ball.
In an instant, the crystal ball shook violently, then erupted with a blinding golden light that actually dispelled some of the surrounding morning mist. The golden light was so intense that it even outshone the morning sun on the horizon, causing everyone present to subconsciously narrow their eyes.
"Gold spiritual root! High grade!" The voice of the disciple responsible for recording became sharp with excitement.
A commotion broke out across the square, and everyone looked in shock at the ragged young man. A look of surprise and delight finally appeared on Elder Mo Yun's face, which had originally been as calm as an ancient well.
"Good! Good! Good!" He said the word 'good' three times in succession, his figure flashing to appear before the young man. "What is your name?"
The young man seemed startled by this sudden attention and scratched his head somewhat awkwardly, saying in a small voice, "My name is Chen Fan."
"Chen Fan..." Elder Mo Yun repeated it in a murmur, then announced loudly, "This child possesses a high-grade Gold spiritual root. He will directly enter the inner sect and be accepted as my personal disciple!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd erupted into an even greater uproar. Direct entry into the inner sect and becoming a personal disciple—this was a tremendous stroke of fortune! Those who had originally been feeling smug about having a medium-grade spiritual root now instantly felt overshadowed.
Not far away, Wang Yuyan stared fixedly at Chen Fan, her eyes full of jealousy and unwillingness. She clenched the handkerchief in her hand tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force.
"He's just a beggar..." she cursed through gritted teeth in a low voice.
Elder Mo Yun paid no heed to the reaction of the crowd, simply turning around with Chen Fan and walking toward the mountain gate. As they departed, the massive mountain gate slowly opened, revealing the fairyland shrouded in clouds and mist behind it.
The first trial had ended, and there were even more stringent assessments waiting for these young men aspiring to the immortal path. But for Chen Fan, his path of cultivation had only just begun.