"Tests for the Holy Sons of each peak, commence!"
As Elder Qing Xuan's voice faded, ten Holy Sons, led by Yue Ming Chi, stepped forward in unison. A spiritual light flickered from each of them.
"You are all aware of the introductions to the six peaks. Choose the peak you deem suitable, and then proceed to the Holy Son of your affiliated peak to undergo the test. Begin now."
Elder Qing Xuan finished speaking and his gaze fell upon the remaining two thousand five hundred participants. Even the candidates within the top five hundred, such as Li Xuan and Xi Chu Yun, now looked towards the crowd. After all, among these people were many who would become their fellow disciples in this new batch.
Soon, everyone made their choices. Six long lines of varying lengths formed in front of the six Holy Sons who had spoken earlier. At this moment, Yue Ming Chi and the others exchanged glances before simultaneously taking action.
In an instant, the long lines of people in front of the six Holy Sons vanished. Yue Ming Chi and the other five Holy Sons also sat down cross-legged, with a faint light emanating from them. Clearly, the two thousand five hundred participants were now undergoing the tests administered by the six Holy Sons, led by Yue Ming Chi.
"Looking at this, it seems that by securing our spots in the top five hundred, we've saved ourselves a lot of trouble." Just five minutes after the tests began, dozens of people suddenly appeared out of thin air.
The auras of these individuals were extremely chaotic, indicating they had been eliminated in the tests conducted by the six Holy Sons. A voice from within the five hundred people standing beside Elder Qing Xuan rang out.
"I wonder what the tests of these six senior Holy Brothers and Sisters were like, that they were defeated and eliminated in just two minutes."
"The strength of the six senior Holy Brothers and Sisters is at the peak of the Dao Integration realm. With our current abilities, it is natural that we cannot discern the details. Perhaps even for us, passing the test would be extremely difficult."
"..."
The crowd began to chatter, while Li Xuan and Xi Chu Yun, ignoring the discussions, directly walked to the side and sat down to wait.
The actions of Li Xuan and Xi Chu Yun did not go unnoticed by the crowd, but due to Elder Qing Xuan's presence, no one paid them any mind. As they waited for an extended period, with more and more people being eliminated, the curiosity about the content of the six Holy Sons' tests grew.
An hour passed, and Yue Ming Chi and the other five Holy Sons opened their eyes simultaneously. By now, over six hundred participants had been eliminated. These individuals stood with bitter expressions, as if awaiting a final verdict.
"It's not too bad. At least, nearly two thousand people have passed your tests." As Yue Ming Chi and the others stood up, Elder Qing Xuan also opened his eyes, a hint of relief in his gaze.
Yue Ming Chi and the others bowed in unison and retreated behind Elder Qing Xuan.
"Alright, everyone. Now that all tests are concluded, those who passed can, just like the top five hundred selected earlier, join any peak you choose. As for you..."
Elder Qing Xuan paused, then pondered before continuing, "If you are willing, you may also join our Xuan Sect's outer sect and become outer disciples. When your contributions reach the required level, you can then become inner disciples."
As Elder Qing Xuan finished speaking, a flicker of joy crossed the faces of most of the over six hundred eliminated participants. However, a considerable number of candidates also showed expressions of hesitation. After all, within the Xuan Sect, the difference in status between inner and outer disciples was vast.
"You may take your time to consider here. If you are unwilling, you can ask a disciple to guide you out. I will return later. Although our outer disciples do hold a somewhat lower position, throughout the entire Sacred Origin Continent, our outer disciples are not to be trifled with by just anyone. Now, make your choices."
Seeing the varied expressions on their faces, Elder Qing Xuan spoke again.
As his words fell, he shifted his gaze to Yue Ming Chi and said, "The disciple recruitment is now concluded. Although there are still some slots remaining, it is as expected. Let's go, lead them to the Divine Soul Tower."
"Your disciple obeys!" Yue Ming Chi immediately nodded in response.
After speaking, Yue Ming Chi turned to the crowd and said, "The Xuan Sect has many formations. As you are newcomers, you must follow our steps closely. If you take a wrong step before obtaining a disciple token, these formations will attack you."
Yue Ming Chi paused before continuing, "However, you need not worry. Once you have undergone the cleansing of the Divine Soul Tower and inscribed your spirit tablets, you will each receive your respective tokens."
As Yue Ming Chi finished speaking, a spiritual light flashed from him. The other nine Holy Sons also did the same. Led by Yue Ming Chi, the group cautiously followed, flying rapidly towards the depths behind Great Cang Mountain.
"What a powerful soul aura!"
After about fifteen minutes, Li Xuan distinctly sensed that they had passed over a dozen powerful formations.
Clearly, these formations were all defensive measures against intrusion. After passing through another formation, Li Xuan immediately sensed an extremely potent soul force.
Even with his own not-weak soul, under this soul aura, Li Xuan felt like a tiny boat on a vast ocean.
"Could this be a transcendent-level divine soul?!" Li Xuan's heart stirred in surprise, as his own divine soul had reached the Wandering God level.
"Like a vast ocean, unfathomable!" Xi Chu Yun also nodded slightly, naturally feeling the power of this soul force.
After flying for approximately three more minutes, Yue Ming Chi and the others began to slow down. Li Xuan felt a premonition and looked up. His gaze was filled with immense shock.
Within the extremely dense sea of clouds, a towering pagoda, reaching to the very summit of the clouds, could be faintly discerned. The pagoda emanated a dizzying radiance.
And that extremely powerful soul force was emanating from within this pagoda. Evidently, this pagoda was the Divine Soul Tower.
"I believe you can all guess that this pagoda is the Divine Soul Tower. After you enter the tower to inscribe your spirit tablets, you will officially be considered part of our Xuan Sect and become its inner disciples." Yue Ming Chi said, nodding slightly as he observed everyone's expressions.
"May I ask, Holy Son Senior Brother, are there any specific procedures for inscribing spirit tablets within the Divine Soul Tower?" A man in white robes asked Yue Ming Chi after cupping his hands in greeting.
Yue Ming Chi smiled and nodded, "The Divine Soul Tower is divided into nine levels. Spirit tablets can be inscribed on each level. However, the higher the level, the greater the nourishment your soul will receive. Of course, if your soul cannot endure the pressure within, you may inscribe on the current level."
"Thank you, Holy Son Senior Brother, for clarifying." Everyone nodded in understanding.
Yue Ming Chi smiled and continued, "Your strength is not weak, and I am quite curious if anyone can reach the sixth level. Now, prepare yourselves and begin."
"The sixth level? Senior Brother Ming Chi, did you not say earlier that the Divine Soul Tower has nine levels?" A young man in green robes asked, his face showing confusion.
Yue Ming Chi's expression turned slightly solemn. "To ascend to the ninth level requires not only an extremely strong physical resistance to pressure but also a divine soul that can withstand equivalent soul pressure. Such pressure is harder than climbing to heaven. Even when I inscribed my spirit tablet, I only reached the seventh level."
"Furthermore, if one were to forcefully attempt to reach the ninth level, even a slight misstep could result in soul damage. In the least severe cases, one's cultivation realm would drop, and in the most severe, one's life would be in danger. Once inside the Divine Soul Tower, even we cannot intervene to help. Therefore, I hope you will not overexert yourselves when inscribing your spirit tablets."
"We will remember that." Everyone was shocked by his words and hurriedly bowed to Yue Ming Chi in gratitude.
Yue Ming Chi nodded, then looked at the assembled group. "Rest for a quarter of an hour, and then we shall begin."
Li Xuan, however, felt a stir in his heart. His body and soul were both strong; reaching the sixth level should not be difficult, should it?