Chapter 845
"The original preparation time was only six months. But now, due to the influence of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma, the entrance examination has been forced to postpone indefinitely. No one knows when it will be held, but I’m already eager to take the test."
"Cough cough." He Zhenghao cleared his throat lightly, but his face was filled with unwavering confidence.
"Turning misfortune into a blessing, indeed!" The others sighed in agreement.
"Even though we have taken two rounds of special medicine, you still must not underestimate the Immortal-Mortal Miasma," Ji Shaoli solemnly reminded them.
"A rather shocking incident recently occurred. In Congyun Sea, a cultivator named Wen Yue, believing himself immune to the miasma after having been infected once, wanted to test whether the Immortal-Mortal Miasma residing in mortals would still affect him.
"In front of many cultivators, he infused his own body with the blood of a mortal."
"As a result, he died instantly, reduced to a pile of bones. The scene was truly horrifying," Ji Shaoli sighed.
He Zhenghao and the others were dumbfounded. "There are actually people foolish enough to gamble with their own lives?"
Then, a sudden realization struck them. "So, our supposed immunity to the Immortal-Mortal Miasma… is nothing but an illusion?"
Ji Shaoli nodded slightly. "The Immortal Alliance has already issued an official statement explaining this matter. The existence of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma is a law of heaven and earth. One may adapt to its presence, but it will never truly disappear."
"So, in the end, nothing has changed? We only lost a great number of cultivators for nothing?" He Zhenghao muttered, feeling a sense of helplessness.
Pei Tuo clenched his teeth in anger. "Damn it! If I ever reach the Dao Integration realm, I will defy this law!"
"Brother Pei, what great ambition!"
The group was filled with emotion.
After a while, Ji Shaoli raised his hand to interrupt their discussion.
"It’s fine to vent a little. But in the end, all we can do is endure and survive."
"In fact, this sudden outbreak of the mutated Immortal-Mortal Miasma might not be entirely a bad thing for us who have survived," Ji Shaoli said in a low voice.
"Oh? What do you mean?" The others immediately focused their attention on him.
"Do you all know how many cultivators in the system were lost just in Congyun Sea alone during this catastrophe?" Ji Shaoli asked with a mysterious smile.
Seeing the sudden glint in their eyes, he transmitted a number to them through voice transmission.
"Over five hundred?"
The group gasped in shock.
"Exactly. If this is the case in Congyun Sea, then one can only imagine how dire the situation is across the entire world."
"The positions left vacant by the fallen cultivators… these are opportunities for us, the survivors," Ji Shaoli said meaningfully.
"While most cultivators are still grieving the disaster brought by the Immortal-Mortal Miasma, those with foresight have already begun making moves in the shadows."
His words caused the entire group to stir with excitement.
"Daoist friend Ji, then should we still participate in the entrance examination?"
"Yes, we’ve prepared thoroughly, but the competition will surely be even fiercer this time…"
The group looked at each other with uncertain expressions.
Ji Shaoli spoke in a steady voice, "If nothing unexpected happens, this entrance examination will likely be larger in scale than ever before—not only in terms of the number of recruited cultivators but also in the quality of the positions offered!"
"Positions that previously required decades of training to obtain may now be given directly to top scorers!"
"So in my opinion, it's worth taking the risk and competing in the examination!"
"This could be the chance to leap over the dragon gate and change our destinies!"
The fire in their eyes burned even brighter, especially in He Zhenghao’s.
"Furthermore, aside from positions within the system, valuable resources such as cultivation techniques and cave abodes are also likely to be made more accessible. In short, the Immortal Alliance's top priority right now is to restore its strength to pre-catastrophe levels at any cost," Ji Shaoli added.
"Daoist Ji, are you saying that the Immortal Alliance is worried that the Five Elders Association will take advantage of this period of weakness?" someone asked.
"Still, it's strange. When the Immortal Alliance was at its weakest, the Five Elders Association didn’t launch an attack."
"What’s there to be confused about? If we suffered an outbreak of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma, do you think they would have remained unscathed? I’d wager that the Five Elders Association also suffered heavy losses. Now, it’s simply a race to see who can recover faster—whoever does will gain the upper hand in the ongoing struggle."
"Regardless, this is undoubtedly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us ordinary cultivators."
…
Silently listening to the discussions around him, Ji Shaoli did not offer any explanations.
In fact, he had previously sent Lin Ling to make contact with the Five Elders Association.
While using the Immortal Alliance's official entry examination question bank to make a significant profit, he had also secretly investigated the situation of the Five Elders Association amidst the outbreak of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma.
Compared to the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance at the outbreak site, their losses were significantly smaller.
Due to the slight delay in the spread of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma, by the time it reached the territory of the Five Elders Association, they had already received news of its outbreak within the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance.
They took precautions in advance.
Furthermore, the Five Elders Association is governed by five revered figures.
A series of orders were issued, and all cultivators obediently stayed within their homes, greatly slowing the spread of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma.
The most critical aspect was how to handle the Immortal-Mortal Miasma.
In reality, the Five Elders Association had far more detailed records on the matter than the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance.
After all, in the ancient cultivation era, it was precisely the cultivation sects that faced the Immortal-Mortal Miasma head-on.
The specific measures taken were not disclosed.
However, it was true that the Five Elders Association had not suffered major losses in this catastrophe.
The only point of confusion on their side was that the Heavenly Sovereign had personally issued an edict, rejecting the plan to take advantage of the chaos and launch an attack on the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance.
The command of the Heavenly Sovereign was absolute.
They could only continue gathering strength, preparing to deliver a fatal blow to the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance.
In the Beast Realm.
Lin Ling and Tianyang did not unleash their full power.
Instead, they suppressed their strength to the Soul Transformation realm, engaging in battle against the endless tide of beastkin.
This was naturally Li Fan’s order.
Aside from collecting beast cores as raw materials for the Immortal Spirit Tower’s energy conversion, the more important goal was for Lin Ling and Tianyang to temper their actual combat abilities through battle.
Tianyang was fine.
However, in her previous fight with Ink Stone, Lin Ling—being a newly born tree spirit—had almost no combat awareness. She relied entirely on instinct to execute her attacks, which was unbefitting of someone at the Dao Integration stage.
Thus, Li Fan instructed Tianyang to guide her, using this rare period of stability in the Beast Realm for training.
No one knew how many beastkind had already been slain.
Bathed in endless blood, Lin Ling’s once youthful and innocent face had begun to carry traces of killing intent.
Her combat techniques became more fluid, and even images would occasionally surface in her mind, naturally guiding her on how to fight more efficiently.
Her actual combat strength grew at an astonishing pace.
They gazed toward the distant tower.
As long as they reached its peak, Li Fan’s orders would be fulfilled.