Guangwei Zhenren sighed and said, "Chongyi Zhanglao's cultivation path may not suit you."
Lei Xiuyuan possessed a singular Metal spiritual root, excelling in magical combat and demonstrating exceptional offensive prowess. Chongyi Zhenren was not renowned for his combat skills, and assigning him as a mentor would truly be a waste.
Chongyi Zhenren carefully examined Lei Xiuyuan and also shook his head. "You are not suitable. Given your aptitude, you should go to Star Rectitude Hall."
Baifu Zhenren became furious. "Chongyi! How can you push a disciple away?! Lei Xiuyuan, if he doesn’t want you, I do! Come with me!"
Lei Xiuyuan replied softly, "This disciple's constitution is fragile and delicate, and I fear I may not withstand the rigors of a Celestial's cultivation."
Baifu Zhenren suddenly recalled his earlier excuse to reject Jiang Lifei, claiming his disciples were all robust men, and immediately regretted his words.
Guangwei Zhenren spoke gently, "Lei Xiuyuan, the Metal spiritual root is unparalleled in its hardness and strength. Most of the Star Rectitude Hall Immortal Methods are domineering, which indeed suits you better. However, the principle of this world is that excessive hardness leads to brittleness. Only by balancing strength and flexibility can one endure. Think carefully—isn’t this so?"
Excessive hardness leads to brittleness; balance strength and flexibility—Lei Xiuyuan couldn’t help but fall into deep contemplation.
Earlier, Li Fei had asked him if there was a sect he wished to join. He hadn’t told her, but in his heart, he had always wanted to go to Star Rectitude Hall—not just because his aptitude suited it, but also because of Brother Lu. Star Rectitude Hall held a special place in his heart. However, with Zhen Yunzi there, he had no choice but to abandon that wish. If he couldn’t go to Star Rectitude Hall, it didn’t matter where he went.
Yet Guangwei Zhenren’s words made him ponder more deeply, stirring thoughts he had never considered in his cultivation journey. While Metal element immortal techniques were indomitable, they often lacked the enduring resilience of the other four elements—truly, excessive hardness led to brittleness. What did it mean to balance strength and flexibility? Could this Celestial be offering him a new path in cultivation?
Originally resigned to accepting whatever fate brought, his mindset quietly began to shift.
Lei Xiuyuan closed his eyes briefly before reopening them, meeting Guangwei Zhenren’s gentle yet all-knowing gaze. A faint warmth stirred in his heart, and he found himself yearning for the state of balance the Celestial had described.
As if making a firm decision, he bowed deeply. "This disciple, Lei Xiuyuan, wishes to enter Guangwei Zhenren’s tutelage."
Guangwei Zhenren laughed heartily, clearly delighted. Turning to Hu Jiaping, who was beaming beside him, he said warmly, "Jiaping, today you’ve gone from being a teacher to a senior brother. His aptitude is no less than yours—don’t let this former student surpass you now, eh?"
Hu Jiaping grinned from ear to ear. "Master, how could I possibly be surpassed by this little brat? You’re teasing me."
Just then, Dongyang Zhenren arrived, riding atop a large gourd. Seeing that both Li Fei and Lei Xiuyuan had joined No Moon Court—yet neither had entered his tutelage—he sighed repeatedly in regret. "I merely chatted with Zuoqiu Laoer for a moment, and you two snatched them both away! This little girl is so impatient! Couldn’t you have waited for me?"
Had he known how close this girl was to Lei Xiuyuan, he would have taken both under his wing. Now, Guangwei had gotten the better deal!
Li Fei remained deeply grateful to this Celestial. Without him, she might still be wandering aimlessly; without the Evil-warding Pearl he had given her, who knew how many might have discovered the truth about her constitution?
She stepped forward and bowed respectfully. "Dongyang Zhenren, thank you. Jiang Lifei owes everything she has today to your kindness and assistance."Dongyang Zhenren was slightly moved. Taking Jiang Lifei to the academy had been a spur-of-the-moment act of kindness, and giving her the Evil-warding Pearl was also a whim. The child's aptitude was average, and he had initially hesitated to accept her as a disciple. Now, he genuinely felt some regret.
A person with a grateful heart is bound to achieve something in the future.
He sighed with a smile and patted her head. "You're a good child. After coming to No Moon Court, cultivate diligently."
Guangwei Zhenren was greatly relieved to take Lei Xiuyuan as his disciple. He had long noticed that Lei Xiuyuan came for Lifei's sake, and since he had no intention of making things difficult for him, he immediately said, "As for your test... Chongyi, what test will you give your disciple?"
Chongyi Zhenren understood his meaning perfectly and smiled. "The two of you will ask Zuoqiu Xiansheng for a handwritten letter, then go to the thirtieth floor of the Book Collection Pagoda and each bring back any object from that floor. That will count as passing the test."
The thirtieth floor of the Book Collection Pagoda? If he remembered correctly, when they first arrived at the academy, the black-veiled woman had said that disciples were strictly forbidden from entering above the twentieth floor unless they obtained Zuoqiu Xiansheng's handwritten letter. After a whole year of cultivation, no one had gone up there. Who would have thought they'd be allowed during the new disciple selection?
The two bowed and left. Not long after, Lifei suddenly grabbed Xiuyuan's sleeve, beaming with joy. "Xiuyuan! We're really going to No Moon Court together!"
She had always thought Xiuyuan's talk of going to No Moon Court was just casual chatter. This child never revealed his true thoughts, so she was overjoyed to see him actually come.
Seeing her face puff up with laughter, Xiuyuan couldn't help but smile as well. "No Moon Court is indeed a good place."
On their way to Zuoqiu Xiansheng, they unexpectedly ran into Ji Tongzhou. The young prince looked utterly dejected. Lifei asked, "What's wrong? Couldn't get into Star Rectitude Hall?"
Tongzhou glared at her. "I got in! But..."
But he failed to become Xuanshan Zi's disciple.
He had been certain he would enter the Profound School and be taken under Xuanshan Zi's wing. However, this royal elder told him he was "fiery-tempered and sentimental," unsuitable for the Profound School's Immortal Techniques, and advised him to join Star Rectitude Hall's Hua School under Wuzheng Zi instead.
Fiery-tempered was one thing, but what did "sentimental" mean? The thirteen-year-old prince couldn't comprehend it. Did it mean he was prone to falling in love? But he didn't have anyone he liked! What an injustice!
However, the Profound School's disciples were dwindling. Its harsh cultivation methods of severing emotions and desires made few willing to join. This time, even Zhen Yunzi, one of the school's three great elders, hadn't come. For Tongzhou himself, Celestial Sound Word Spirit and Word Spirit Nightmare Art weren't particularly appealing—he preferred Star Rectitude Hall's other domineering and powerful Immortal Techniques. Still, failing to become Xuanshan Zi's disciple remained a great regret.
Seeing Lifei actually get into No Moon Court, Tongzhou snorted. "What kind of dumb luck did you stumble into? There really was a Celestial from No Moon Court willing to take you as a disciple. Better cultivate properly from now on—don't embarrass No Moon Court."
Lifei frowned. "Same to you. Don't end up like Zhen Yunzi in the future."
Tongzhou blinked. "What's wrong with Zhen Yunzi?"
Lifei shrugged. "Nothing... Are you here for Zuoqiu Xiansheng's letter too? Where are Ye Ye and the others?"No sooner had he spoken than Ye Ye and Baili Changyue arrived on their flying swords. Seeing everyone gathered, Ye Ye smiled and said, "Looks like the so-called Immortal Sect test is just going to the Book Collection Pagoda. Changyue and I just passed—it was easy. Don't worry."
Li Fei noticed Baili Gelin wasn't with them and glanced around. "Where's Ge Lin?"
Ye Ye frowned and shook his head. "Who knows where that girl ran off to this time?"
Both he and Baili Changyue had decided to join the Earth Treasury Gate. They'd discussed it with Gelin, who had agreed to go with them, but suddenly she'd vanished without a trace.
"You guys go ahead and take the test first. Changyue and I will wait here for her," Ye Ye said, waving them off.
After receiving Zuoqiu Xiansheng's handwritten letters, the children flew on their swords toward the Book Collection Pagoda. Inside, disciples were undergoing tests given by the Celestials, while the elders observed their progress through bronze mirrors on the Martial Training Field.
The floors above the twentieth level of the Book Collection Pagoda had always been prepared as testing grounds for the Immortals. On the day of new disciple selection, the Academy would release some Monstrous creatures sealed in the Restricted areas onto these higher floors. The resulting Demon Qi was calibrated to be strong enough to challenge the disciples without overwhelming them.
Rather than a test, this was more of an opportunity for the elders of various Immortal Sects to observe the disciples firsthand. No matter how detailed the Academy's introductions were, seeing them in action was far more telling.
The thirtieth floor of the pagoda was a labyrinth of winding corridors lined with cages containing various Monstrous creatures transported from the Academy's Restricted areas. The entire corridor reeked of Demon Qi, thick with oppressive Miasma.
The elders of the No Moon Court were surprised to see the Demon Qi in the corridor actively avoiding Li Fei. Baifu Zhenren, sharp-eyed as ever, spotted the Evil-warding Pearl on her wrist and immediately asked, "Dongyang, isn't that your Evil-warding Pearl? Is this the pearl's effect or her own ability?"
Dongyang Zhenren chuckled. "This child has a unique constitution—Demon Qi and Miasma cannot approach her."
The group marveled at this, though a body impervious to Demon Qi wasn't particularly rare and held little use in magical combat. Their attention soon shifted to Lei Xiuyuan.
Chongyi Zhenren observed carefully for a moment before smiling faintly. It wasn't that Demon Qi couldn't approach her—she was purging and dispelling it. Now that was truly remarkable.
After a moment's thought, he understood why Zuoqiu Xiansheng had insisted on retesting her Spirit Root attributes. This child was still young and untrained. As the saying goes, "The common man's only crime is possessing a treasure." A single Earth-attribute Spirit Root paired with such a rare constitution—if this became widely known, she would never know peace in this lifetime.
At the end of the test, the disciples were tasked with defeating a single Monstrous creature. For the battle-hardened Academy disciples, this was child's play. Li Fei didn't even need to lift a finger—Lei Xiuyuan unleashed a few Supreme Harmony Arts, and the Demon was dead beyond doubt.
The thirtieth floor of the Book Collection Pagoda was now empty, with nothing left to claim. The two each took one of the creature's fangs as trophies and emerged laughing and chatting.
When they returned to the Martial Training Field, Ye Ye and the others were still waiting with Zuoqiu Xiansheng for Baili Gelin. As more and more disciples completed their tests, Ye Ye's expression grew increasingly grim.
"What is that girl up to?!" Ye Ye summoned his Stone sword. "I'm going to look for her."Before the words could fade, a sudden flash of golden light streaked across the sky—a disciple flying swiftly on a sword. The figure leaped down from the stone sword, revealing none other than Baili Gelin, whom Ye Ye and the others had been waiting for all this while.
The group collectively heaved a sigh of relief and was about to call out to her when she gracefully stepped forward. Bowing deeply to Shen Xiansheng of the East Sea Myriad Immortals Assembly, she declared in a clear voice, "Disciple Baili Gelin wishes to join the ranks of the East Sea Myriad Immortals Assembly."
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