Chapter 3: Stargazing Formation! Huo Ling’er!
The rays of the morning sun cut through the clouds and landed upon the entrance of the Jade Pure Sect.
Unbeknownst to most of the Sect’s disciples, a large arena had been created, using the methods of powerful cultivators.
A large number of people were gathered in the arena. Most of them were young, with a few of them accompanied by their respective elders.
A young woman and a middle-aged man stood inconspicuously among the crowd.
The two had no particularly outstanding characteristics, with the only notable feature being the woman’s beautiful appearance and her fiery red hair.
"You don’t have to worry, Ling’er," the middle-aged man patted his daughter’s shoulder.
"You’re the most talented person in Cloud Mist City! You have the backing of our Huo family!"
"With your extraordinary talent, becoming a disciple of a Peak Master is a given!"
"If you’re lucky and you happen to catch their eye, there is a small chance that the Sect Leader will accept you as her personal disciple!"
Huo Ling’er nodded upon hearing her father’s words and pretended to be relieved. Though her clenched fists betrayed her inner anxiety.
Neither Huo Ling’er nor her father noticed the disdainful looks of the people around them.
A mere cultivator at the Qi Refining realm dares to boast like this?
They had never heard of the Cloud Mist City.
At most, it was a small city controlled by Qi Refining cultivators. What kind of talent could be born in such a small place?
Not many people paid attention to the pair of father and daughter.
Beyond sneers and disdainful glances, they showed no further reaction and ignored them as if they were air.
This was true for the other participants of the Disciple Ceremony, and held even more true for the Elders and various Peak Masters.
--
"This young man should be Situ Yang. I heard he possesses an extremely rare Sword Spirit Body. Now looking at him, he’s worthy of his reputation as a genius."
"I much prefer the Battle Spirit Body compared to Situ Yang. Everyone, don’t try to fight me over him! This person is clearly destined to be a disciple of my Battle Peak!"
"Hehe. Senior Brother Lan, there is no reason to be so overbearing..."
In a hidden place within the arena, several powerful cultivators had unknowingly gathered.
These cultivators stared at the disciples below with scrutinizing gazes, as if assessing valuable goods.
Praise would sound from time to time, while the gazes of the Peak Masters clashed in the air.
The silent confrontation continued for quite a while, until suddenly, a woman among the group couldn’t help but recall something.
After scanning the group and failing to find who she was looking for, she couldn’t help but ask the person next to her.
"Has no one from the Yin Yang Peak arrived yet? Even if Junior Brother Chen is unwilling to go through the trouble, Elder Yu should still have come like the previous years."
"Could it be that the Yin Yang Peak is going to fall into ruin?" the woman questioned, shaking her head with regret as she spoke.
It was as if she were really worried about the fate of the Yin Yang Peak and whether Chen Xuan would arrive.
Of course, no one believed her words.
The Peaks were all caught in constant competition. Although the Yin Yang Peak was the weakest among them, having one less competitor was always for the best.
Still, this didn’t stop the Peak Masters from whispering among themselves, muttering how far the Yin Yang Peak had fallen in such a short time.
"Cough, cough."
Abruptly, the woman standing in the center position coughed and earned their attention. Then, she smiled softly.
"You don’t have to worry about the Yin Yang Peak. Junior Brother Chen is here."
The moment her words fell, and before the Peak Masters around her could react, a light appeared far on the horizon and streaked toward them.
Bypassing the arena under the stunned eyes of the potential disciples, it reached the place and softly landed on the ground.
As its radiance dissipated, the person inside the light was revealed.
It was a young man with messy black hair and a pair of gem-like blue eyes.
His face was angular, and his features were pronounced. The only word that could be used to describe him was "handsome".
Even in the cultivation world, where people were nourished by Spiritual Energy and their appearances were extraordinary, the young man stood out, seemingly having been sculpted by the Gods themselves.
The Peak Masters were surprised at first, with the women among them looking captivated by his appearance and outstanding bearing.
But since they were all powerful experts, they quickly recovered.
"So, it’s Junior Brother Chen! I didn’t expect that you would attend this year’s Disciple Ceremony. Otherwise, I would have brought you your favorite bottle of wine."
"Junior Brother Chen! It seems that your cultivation has improved significantly since we last met! You deserve to be the disciple of Senior Liu! I’m afraid that you will soon catch up with us!"
Unlike the previous low mood, the Peak Masters immediately showed their cordial side upon seeing him and offered their praises as if it cost them nothing.
Although Chen Xuan could distinguish the fake from the real, he still reciprocated with a nod and greeted them with a smile on his face.
He subconsciously approached the Sect Leader and took his seat beside her.
Before anyone could strike up a conversation with him, the Sect Leader spoke up.
"Since everyone has already arrived, I believe it’s time for the Disciple Ceremony to commence," she said while maintaining her smile, and waved her hand with unconcealed elegance.
The formation engraved around the arena was activated.
Invisible power descended from the sky and covered the bodies of the participants.
Several illusory screens emerged, each settling in front of each of the Peak Masters and the Sect Leader.
Chen Xuan noticed that the screen depicted a map.
Thousands of lights were scattered across it. Some dim and unassuming; others bright and clearly extraordinary.
"Junior Brother, you haven’t attended the Disciple Ceremony in the past, so you may not know. This is the Stargazing Formation arranged by our Sect’s Third Ancestor," the Sect Leader leaned closer and explained.
"Its main function is to communicate with the stars and measure a person’s talent."
"The stars you see on the screen represent the people below. The brighter their brilliance, the more talented that person is."
Upon hearing these words, Chen Xuan indeed noticed that some lights were far more impressive than the others.
As he stared at them and matched them with the cultivators gathered below, he understood that the Sect Leader was not lying.
Indeed, the disciples who displayed the best talent and had the superior cultivation stood out in the illusory screen.
"The Jade Pure Sect is worthy of being one of the few major sects in the Tianxuan Domain."
"With such a formation, selecting disciples is not a chore, but a spectacle."
"It’s far more efficient than testing each potential disciple individually." Chen Xuan sighed.
At the same time, he couldn’t help but wonder.
Which one was more effective? The Stargazing Formation or his recently-obtained Insight Eye.
The moment that thought arose, Chen Xuan took action.
He focused on the disciples below and activated this ability.
Soon, several lines of text abruptly shimmered into existence before his eyes.
Reviews
All reviews (0)