After those eliminated left the Sect, the middle-aged man finally showed a faint smile and said:
“Congratulations, you are now officially outer disciples of Xuan Yuan Sect!”
At this, everyone wore delighted expressions, and some even could not help cheering.
The middle-aged man raised a hand and pressed it down slightly, saying, “Alright, quiet down! Since you have all passed the assessment, you are now fellow disciples.”
“Let me tell you about the Sect so that you have a clearer direction for your cultivation path.”
“Xuan Yuan Sect has eight peaks: Ziyang Peak, Golden Sword Peak, Divine Pill Peak, Array Pattern Peak, Spirit Artifact Peak, Wood Source Peak, Cold Ice Peak, and Mysterious Maiden Peak.”
“My name is Wang Yuan, and I am the Steward of Ziyang Peak.”
“These are Xiao Jian, Luo Shang, Wu Xing, Huang Kefeng, Han Li, Yang Mao, and Chen Jiao.”
“They are Stewards from the other seven peaks. After you choose your peak, you will follow them.”
“Among them, Ziyang Peak is the main lineage, where the Sect Leader, core disciples, and some inner disciples reside. It does not recruit outer disciples.”
“The other seven peaks each have their own inheritance focus and have disciples at the outer, inner, and core levels.”
“Golden Sword Peak focuses on sword cultivation and recruits metal element disciples.”
“Divine Pill Peak focuses on alchemy and recruits fire element and wood element disciples.”
“Array Pattern Peak focuses on array deployment and recruits earth element disciples.”
“Spirit Artifact Peak focuses on artifact forging and recruits fire element and metal element disciples.”
“Wood Source Peak focuses on spiritual herb cultivation and healing and recruits wood element and water element disciples.”
“Cold Ice Peak focuses on cultivating cold ice and recruits water element disciples.”
“Mysterious Maiden Peak only recruits female disciples, and all elements are acceptable.”
“Just now, the Immortal Fate Stone displayed the attributes of your spiritual energy, so you can choose your cultivation direction accordingly.”
“Now I will give you the time of one incense stick to make your choice.”
As soon as Steward Wang Yuan finished speaking, these fresh outer disciples immediately sprang into action.
They did not even need a full incense stick’s time; the vast majority had already made their choices.
In the end, only Li Shangyan stood there awkwardly.
He was a Five Elements Perfectionist, so aside from Mysterious Maiden Peak, it seemed he could choose any peak.
Among the crowd, Yu Hua had chosen Golden Sword Peak, and at this moment his face was full of disdain.
“What Five Elements Perfection? He’s still just trash!”
“Even now, no peak wants you!”
During the assessment just now, when Li Shangyan displayed the unusual phenomenon, they had thought he was a genius.
It had scared Yu Hua and the others badly.
But in the end, Li Shangyan turned out to be a mediocre talent.
And that had made them laugh at him all over again.
Li Shangyan looked eagerly at Wang Yuan and asked, “Steward Wang, which peak should I go to?”
Wang Yuan looked at Li Shangyan and could not help but feel a headache.
Having more attributes of spiritual energy was not necessarily better.
The more attributes one had, the more time and resources were required.
Legend has it that in ancient times, when cultivation resources were abundant, multi-attribute cultivators were treasured by the major sects.
A Five Elements Perfectionist was an irreplaceable treasure.
However!
This is an era of scarce resources!
Such a treasure had become a massive burden.
After some thought, Wang Yuan said, “Your name is Li Shangyan, right? Come with me to Ziyang Peak first. I’ll report to the Sect Leader.”
Li Shangyan nodded helplessly. Having somewhere to go was still better than being expelled from the Sect.
Seeing this scene, Yu Hua, Yang Baicheng, and Qian Wuliang in the crowd all changed expression slightly, their faces twisted with jealousy.
At the same time, they were also quite nervous.
They had previously thought that Third Prince Li Shangyan was trash, and had not hesitated to mock him and even provoke him.
Yesterday, they had even secretly used a knockout drug to sabotage his cultivation.
If Li Shangyan found out, it would probably be a fight to the death.
“Damn, this guy got absurdly lucky. He actually has a chance to meet the Sect Leader!”
“This trash isn’t going to soar to the heavens, is he?”
“No, I need to find a way to deal with this hidden danger once and for all.”
Yu Hua thought darkly.
…
The Stewards of each peak took these fresh outer disciples back to their respective mountains.
Meanwhile, Li Shangyan followed Wang Yuan to Ziyang Peak.
As for how they traveled, they rode on that immortal beast, the divine eagle.
Sitting upright on the divine eagle’s back, Li Shangyan felt somewhat nervous.
He had ridden on airplanes before, so he was not afraid of heights.
But the divine eagle rose and fell as it flew, making Li Shangyan feel as if he might be shaken right off.
Unlike an airplane, there was no protective barrier around him, and a sense of unease naturally welled up.
He wanted to grab the divine eagle’s feathers, but they were too smooth and slippery to hold onto.
An idea struck Li Shangyan, and he began to mobilize the spiritual energy within his body to steady his balance.
Seeing this, Wang Yuan’s eyes flashed with a trace of approval.
“This little fellow is quite clever, but unfortunately…”
Unfortunately, he was a Five Elements Perfectionist, so his cultivation speed was far too slow.
His achievements in this life were probably limited.
Li Shangyan did not notice the change in Wang Yuan’s expression and instead focused entirely on controlling his body.
He was afraid that if he slipped, he would fall from the eagle’s back and turn into a puddle of flesh.
Fortunately, in about ten minutes, the divine eagle carried them to Ziyang Peak.
Jumping down from the eagle’s back, Li Shangyan forced his weak calves to steady themselves and finally landed safely.
Wang Yuan smiled and said, “Come on, I’ll take you to see the Sect Leader.”
“Many thanks, Steward Wang!” Li Shangyan said, cupping his fist and bowing.
Although Xuan Yuan Sect had seven peaks, the sect itself did not have only seven mountains; it had tens of thousands.
Ziyang Peak was the tallest of them all.
Li Shangyan estimated that it was about five thousand meters high, but strangely enough, the air at the summit was not thin.
Instead, it gave one a refreshing feeling.
Hmm… the air here is sweet!
Li Shangyan looked around curiously while following Wang Yuan toward a large hall.
Steward Wang Yuan reported that he wished to see the Sect Leader, and before long he received permission.
After entering the hall, Li Shangyan found the layout rather simple: it was a spacious hall with several meditation cushions made of unknown material.
This was presumably where the sect’s upper echelons discussed matters or gave sermons.
At the head of the hall was also a cushion, and on it sat a middle-aged man with a dignified appearance, wearing a Daoist robe.
He seemed to be cultivating, or perhaps resting with his eyes closed.
Although he sat there casually, Li Shangyan nevertheless felt an intense pressure.
It was as if an entire level of life itself was crushing down on him.
No need to say more: this was a super powerhouse!
Wang Yuan bowed respectfully and said, “Greetings, Sect Leader. This disciple has something to report.”
“What is it?” The middle-aged man slowly opened his eyes. A flash of light swept through them as he asked in a gentle tone.
Wang Yuan then explained Li Shangyan’s situation and said, “This newly entered outer disciple is named Li Shangyan. According to the Immortal Fate Stone test, he is a Five Elements Perfectionist.”
“But he cultivated to the 2nd layer of Qi Refining in just one year, entirely on his own!”
“I could not advise him on which peak to cultivate at, so I brought him here for the Sect Leader to decide!”
Cultivating to the 2nd layer of Qi Refining entirely on his own in just one year was already considered quite a good genius.
And yet he was a Five Elements Perfectionist!
Every time Li Shangyan advanced in the future, the resources and time required would be sixteen times that of others.
Although Xuan Yuan Sect was large, whether it was willing to spend such enormous resources to train him was indeed something only the Sect Leader could decide.
The Sect Leader looked at Li Shangyan from head to toe and asked, “Is the test result correct?”
Wang Yuan immediately took out the Immortal Fate Stone and had Li Shangyan test it again.
Watching the Immortal Fate Stone flash with five-colored light, the Sect Leader thought for a moment before saying, “The test result is correct. This is the first disciple with Five Elements Perfection since the founding of Xuan Yuan Sect.”
“Indeed, he is not suitable for any peak. Then let him stay at Ziyang Peak!”
Wang Yuan said in surprise, “But Sect Leader, Ziyang Peak has never had a precedent for outer disciples!”
The Sect Leader smiled gently and said, “That is true, but the Sect has also never had a disciple with Five Elements Perfection!”
“I want to see whether this legendary ‘mediocre talent’ can actually amount to anything!”
On the side, Li Shangyan was speechless.
Damn!
Your whole family is mediocre talent!