Chapter 131: Lingtian Canyon

A man in white robes descended, appearing to be in his thirties. He was clean-shaven, slender, and possessed a refined, handsome air. Beside him stood a beautiful woman in a blue dress with willow-leaf eyebrows and phoenix eyes.

"Greetings, Elder Xu. Greetings, Elder Luo."

As the man and the woman hovered above the plaza, all the disciples of the Lingtian Sect, including Jiang Chaofan, bowed in unison. Chu Xin'er, along with Lu Yin and Lu Fang, hurriedly lowered their heads as well.

Xu Tong and Luo Xinyan were both at the half-step Nascent Soul stage, serving as elders responsible for miscellaneous affairs within the Lingtian Sect. Although the sect had no shortage of Nascent Soul and Soul Formation ancestors, such trivial matters as recruiting disciples were not worth their personal attention.

"Very well, there is no need for such formalities," Xu Tong said, waving his hand. He cast his gaze over the tens of thousands of people in the plaza, scanned them briefly, and then spoke: "Since you have all passed the preliminary selection, I assume you are all talents with decent aptitude. However, to join the Lingtian Sect, merely possessing entry-level qualifications is not enough."

Xu Tong's voice was not loud, yet it reached the ears of every single young man and woman, clear and distinct.

As expected, the Lingtian Sect, one of the four major powers in the Northern Region of Pingzhou, was not so easily joined. The only question was, what exactly would the next trial entail?

Just as many were murmuring to themselves, Luo Xinyan, standing beside Xu Tong, added: "Cultivating the Dao is also about cultivating the heart. Without the heart of a powerhouse that pushes ever forward, even if your aptitude is heaven-defying, your achievements will ultimately be limited... Enough, no more idle chatter. The next trial pertains to this: once you step onto the teleportation array, you will be transported into the Lingtian Valley, and the jade talismans you previously received will be activated."

What? Lingtian Valley? What kind of place was that? And what did it mean for the jade talismans to be activated?

When Luo Xinyan spoke of the Lingtian Valley, not only did the boys and girls who had passed the preliminary selection look at each other in confusion, but even the Lingtian Sect disciples, including Jiang Chaofan, were moved, their expressions tinged with a trace of envy. It was clear that even they had only just learned that the sect had decided to set the trial grounds within the Lingtian Valley.

"The Lingtian Valley is a trial space created by the ancestors of our sect. It was previously closed to outsiders and accessible only to our own disciples..." As everyone looked on in bewilderment, Xu Tong took over from Luo Xinyan to explain the nature of the valley.

According to him, the Lingtian Valley was not a single canyon but an independent space accessible only through a special teleportation array.

Once Xu Tong finished, Luo Xinyan continued: "Very well. Since you have such an opportunity, you must seize it. You are required to find the Road of Heart-Questioning within and successfully ascend one hundred steps. Additionally, note that before you can step onto the Road of Heart-Questioning, you must possess one thousand trial points; otherwise, you will fail the trial."

Before she could finish, an impatient individual asked, "May I ask, Senior, how does one acquire these trial points?"

"A good question. Once the jade talismans on your persons are activated, you will automatically receive one point. You can earn different amounts of points by killing various levels of demonic beasts and insects within the trial space, or by gathering rare spiritual herbs and medicines. During this process, you may form teams to hunt high-level beasts, but the points will only be awarded to the person who lands the final killing blow. Furthermore, points can be traded between individuals or taken by force from other participants. Of course, if you encounter danger you cannot withstand, you may crush your jade talisman to be teleported out of the Lingtian Valley. However, once you crush the talisman, it signifies that you have failed the trial entirely and will have no further opportunity to join our sect."

Xu Tong glanced at the reckless youth who had spoken, but he was not annoyed by the interruption, instead explaining the rules in a calm, measured tone.

Gathering spiritual herbs, mining spirit stones, and hunting beasts were one thing, but allowing people to steal points from others—wasn't that encouraging the participants to slaughter one another? The trial seemed far more complex than it appeared on the surface. With twenty or thirty thousand people present, it would be surprising if even a few thousand passed. The Lingtian Sect was indeed not easy to enter.

Upon hearing the rules, most remained silent. Lu Yin, whose cultivation was only at the eleventh level of Qi Refining, wore an expression filled with worry. Although her aptitude was excellent, she was still very young and her cultivation was among the lowest; if she were forced into combat, she would surely lose more often than she won.

If there was anyone present who remained calm, it was surely Chu Xin'er. She had previously worried that others might discern her Foundation Establishment cultivation and cause trouble. When the gazes of Xu Tong and Luo Xinyan fell upon her, she felt a brief, skin-crawling sensation of being seen through, but the feeling vanished quickly. It was clear that they did not care about her hidden cultivation. Perhaps there were other monsters among these thirty thousand people who had reached Foundation Establishment before the age of twenty-two, but their numbers would be few. With Little Wen in her spirit beast bag, Chu Xin'er had every confidence in her ability to protect herself; she felt no anxiety at all.

While Lu Yin was filled with worry due to her low cultivation, those who relied on their own strength and status were already wearing unconcealable joy. Although Xu Tong and his companion had said little, the envious expressions on the faces of disciples like Jiang Chaofan made it clear that the Lingtian Valley must be filled with treasures. Even if they failed to enter the Lingtian Sect, the opportunity to scavenge for spiritual herbs and stones would be a significant fortune in itself.

"Very well, head to the teleportation arrays. The trial officially begins... One last reminder: you have only three months. Those who cannot find the Road of Heart-Questioning within three months, or who cannot accumulate one thousand points to ascend the hundred steps, will be eliminated!"

Xu Tong was clearly not a man to drag things out. Having finished explaining the rules, he waved his hand to make the announcement.

"Yes, Senior!"

As the crowd responded, Jiang Chaofan and the other Lingtian Sect disciples stepped back, and a large crowd of young men and women leapt onto the stone platforms. As they stepped onto the arrays, which were dense with glowing runes, a brilliant light enveloped them, and they vanished without a trace.

Chu Xin'er, along with Lu Yin and Lu Fang, leapt onto the platform with nearly a hundred others. A feeling of dizziness washed over her. A short while later, as Chu Xin'er recovered from the nausea of the teleportation, she found herself in a forest filled with withered leaves.

Looking around, she saw towering trees that would take several people to encircle. Occasionally, the roars of beasts drifted from the distance, but there was no sign of Lu Yin or Lu Fang.

"Could the teleportation be random?"

Chu Xin'er immediately considered the possibility. What surprised her even more was that when she expanded her early Foundation Establishment divine sense, she could not detect another soul. Just how large was this Lingtian Valley? With tens of thousands of people scattered randomly within it, how could it feel so empty? Could it be an illusion created by the formation?

Just as Chu Xin'er frowned in thought, a fishy stench swept over her from behind and above. A three-foot-long, bright green venomous snake opened its blood-red maw and lunged viciously toward her.