"Let's set off," Li Xuan smiled upon hearing this, then his figure moved, darting towards the Xuan Yun Spiritual Vein.
The Xuan Sect was located precisely here.
Mount Cang, the site of the Xuan Sect's disciple recruitment ceremony. When Li Xuan and the other arrived, five days had already passed.
Looking at the dense crowd ahead, Li Xuan and his companion couldn't help but feel a sense of awe. Even the World Continental Ranking Tournament prior to this was likely not as spectacular.
As if a fierce tiger was turning its head, Mount Cang stood tall, with ten experts at the Dao Fusion Realm floating above its peak.
All the spiritual masters from various factions who had come to join were now silenced, daring not to speak. After registering with the Xuan Sect disciples, they lined up according to the guidance to wait.
"Judging by this, it seems the Grand Ancestor Cang Xuan might truly be missing. Otherwise, the Xuan Sect wouldn't dispatch ten experts at the Dao Fusion Realm to oversee the disciple recruitment. However, this does show that the Xuan Sect indeed possesses an impressive foundation."
Li Xuan glanced at the ten figures in the air, speaking with a hint of reverence in his eyes.
"Are these ten people perhaps elders of the Xuan Sect?" Xi Chu Yun also spoke in a low voice.
Li Xuan shook his head slightly, "If I'm not mistaken, these ten are the younger generation of the Xuan Sect, the ten Holy Sons."
"The Ten Holy Sons of the Xuan Sect? With such a grand display, isn't the Xuan Sect afraid the Sacred Sect will detect this as a bluff? If the Sacred Sect were to launch a full-scale war, I'm afraid even these ten Holy Sons wouldn't be able to withstand it."
Xi Chu Yun lowered his voice and continued, "As far as I know, the Sacred Sect also has Holy Sons, and not just one, but twelve."
Li Xuan smiled, "This is precisely the formidable aspect of the Xuan Sect. The current Sacred Sect is likely hesitant to act. Therefore, the Sacred Sect's forces will not attack this place. Moreover, today is also the Sacred Sect's disciple recruitment ceremony. The Xuan Sect's actions are merely to state their stance."
"Since when did you become so adept at guessing people's thoughts?" Xi Chu Yun asked Li Xuan with some curiosity.
Li Xuan let out a wry smile, "After experiencing more people and events, you'll understand."
Li Xuan finished speaking, glanced at the queue ahead, and said again, "Let's go, it's almost our turn."
"Why is the Xuan Sect's registration so simple?" A moment later, Li Xuan and his companion were registered. Standing in the side queue, both had a look of strangeness on their faces.
They had originally expected the disciple selection for the Xuan Sect to involve rigorous scrutiny. To their surprise, the registration process only involved recording their names and bone ages before being declared complete.
"Perhaps there are other methods. After all, it's impossible to accept everyone into the Xuan Sect," Li Xuan mused.
Due to the simple registration, within two hours, all the spiritual masters who came to participate in the disciple selection had been registered.
Li Xuan looked around and found that everyone had been divided into different queues based on their strength. On the peak of Mount Cang, the ten Holy Sons simultaneously opened their eyes, then rose and bowed in a salute towards a void ahead.
Li Xuan, as if sensing something, also looked towards that void.
In an instant, a figure emerged from the void.
The newcomer was clad in a green robe, with a beard like a coiled dragon, giving him an exceptionally ethereal appearance. Though seemingly unremarkable, Li Xuan knew that anyone commanding the junior礼 from the ten Holy Sons must have an extraordinary status.
"I am the Outer Sect Grand Elder, Old Man Qing Xuan. This disciple recruitment will be presided over by myself. Those whose bone age exceeds one hundred years will not be included in this recruitment." Old Man Qing Xuan waved his hand at the ten Holy Sons, then addressed the crowd below.
As soon as Old Man Qing Xuan finished speaking, a low murmur spread among the applicants below.
"Heavens, I never expected him to be Old Man Qing Xuan! To have such a figure preside over this disciple selection! In the past, it seemed only ordinary elders were in charge."
"Old Man Qing Xuan is in charge of the Xuan Sect's outer defenses and is the Grand Elder of the Outer Sect. His strength has reached the peak of the intermediate Dao One Realm. Even among the elders of the Xuan Sect, he ranks among the top two!"
"Old Man Qing Xuan was brought into the Xuan Sect by Grand Ancestor Cang Xuan himself and received his guidance. Even his name was bestowed by Grand Ancestor Cang Xuan! It is only natural for him to achieve such accomplishments."
"..."
Listening to the discussions, Li Xuan and his companion also showed a trace of surprise. No wonder even the Holy Sons paid him respect; he had such status.
Most importantly, it was his connection with Grand Ancestor Cang Xuan.
At this moment, Li Xuan finally understood why only names and bone ages were recorded during registration. It was because anyone exceeding one hundred years of age would not be eligible to join the Xuan Sect.
Li Xuan, having gathered information in Leisure City earlier, was very familiar with Grand Ancestor Cang Xuan. It would not be an exaggeration to call Grand Ancestor Cang Xuan the foremost figure on the Sacred Origin Continent in the past.
His strength had reached the peak of the Dao One Realm thousands of years ago. The Xuan Sect he founded had become the foremost sect on the Sacred Origin Continent in less than two months.
The subsequent sect master of the Sacred Sect, according to rumors, was established by Grand Ancestor Cang Xuan's junior disciple.
As for the conflict between the Sacred Sect and the Xuan Sect, it originated from the sudden demise of Grand Ancestor Cang Xuan's master, Old Man Hong Huang. The more detailed aspects were naturally not known to ordinary people.
Therefore, Li Xuan had not obtained much valuable information in Leisure City. However, he had managed to deduce the general circumstances: it was inevitably the death of Old Man Hong Huang that led to the eruption of animosity between Grand Ancestor Cang Xuan and Sheng Tai Xu.
"This grand disciple recruitment ceremony will be conducted according to the procedures set by our sect. All those who are registered may join our Xuan Sect. However, whether you can enter the inner sect and choose a peak will depend on your own performance."
"These ten are the Holy Sons of our Xuan Sect's Six Peaks. They represent the standards of each peak. Those who achieve sixty percent of their ability will be qualified to choose a peak. Now, make your choice: join our outer sect, or enter the inner sect to choose a peak and become a disciple of the Six Peaks."
After Old Man Qing Xuan finished speaking, his vast divine soul instantly enveloped the crowd. Li Xuan sensed it slightly and was immediately startled. Such a powerful divine soul consciousness was like facing a vast ocean, making it difficult to resist. Under this divine soul's perception, Li Xuan had a faint feeling of being seen through everything.
It was evident that Old Man Qing Xuan possessed terrifying strength. Furthermore, this move by Old Man Qing Xuan naturally served to inspect the motives of the spiritual masters who had registered. In just an instant, hundreds of people were enveloped by a surge of spiritual energy and flung out of their original positions.
Soon, Xuan Sect disciples quickly darted out and apprehended these spiritual masters who had been repelled. Clearly, these were disciples sent by other forces with malicious intent.
"Although the outer sect is not weak, the inner sect is bound to be more exciting. And with our strength, it might be difficult to obtain more resources if we join the outer sect," Li Xuan said with a slight smile, looking at Xi Chu Yun's inquiring gaze.
As soon as he spoke, Li Xuan, like other spiritual masters with the same intention, floated into the air.
Two minutes later, the number of people in the air exceeded half. It was evident that many spiritual masters were aiming to join the inner sect. As for those who remained on the ground, they were swiftly guided by the Xuan Sect disciples into the various halls of Mount Cang.
Li Xuan observed that most of these spiritual masters had strengths ranging from the Primordial Chaos Realm to the early Dao Origin Realm. If they wished to join the inner sect, they likely lacked the qualifications.
"Since you have made your choice, we shall commence now." Old Man Qing Xuan nodded slightly at the crowd in the air, then waved his hand, and a ray of divine light instantly appeared across the sky.
The divine light, like a rainbow, arched from the void and connected to the peak of Mount Cang.
"Step onto the guiding light and enter the trial realm." Old Man Qing Xuan spoke again. The Ten Holy Sons behind him each lit up with a spiritual glow, which fell onto the divine light. The next moment, the figures of the Ten Holy Sons slowly disappeared.
Seeing this, the crowd in the air immediately surged towards the divine light on the mountain peak.
Watching everyone disappear onto the divine light, Li Xuan and Xi Chu Yun exchanged glances, then their figures moved, instantly landing on the divine light.
*Humph.*
Accompanied by a humming sound, Li Xuan closed his eyes briefly, and a sense of dizziness washed over him. When Li Xuan opened his eyes again, six towering peaks had appeared before him. On these peaks, some of the ten Holy Sons, either one, two, or even three, were sitting cross-legged on one.
Clearly, the places where these Holy Sons were seated were their respective inner peaks.
In addition to these, in the center of the six mountain peaks, there was an even larger, more magnificent peak. Li Xuan gazed at it, finding that his naked eye could not discern its summit. Moreover, this peak emanated a peculiar, fluctuating aura.
"According to custom, each of the Six Inner Peaks only accepts five hundred disciples per opening, so slots are limited, and you will naturally need to compete. Only the victors will have the qualification to choose a peak," Old Man Qing Xuan's voice echoed again, and Li Xuan looked towards him.
After speaking, Old Man Qing Xuan scanned the crowd and slowly continued, "As for your opponents, they are yourselves."
Li Xuan and Xi Chu Yun were momentarily stunned.
Opponents are yourselves?