Wang Mu opened his eyes, and everything vanished like mist and clouds.

He stood up.

"Too terrifying!"

"This Seeking Dao Rope truly is a Supreme Treasure of the Sword Sect..."

Wang Mu admitted he had underestimated this trial.

At the same time, it also strengthened his resolve never to reveal any information related to his identity as Dongfang Mu.

The Seeking Dao Rope had already proven the consequences.

Fortunately, when facing this kind of test, the ultimate trump card is: as long as I give up and do nothing, I'm invincible.

He successfully reached the other side.

Wang Mu let out a deep sigh of relief.

Over here, quite a few people were still gathered.

"Brother Wang?"

A familiar voice rang out from the crowd.

Wang Mu turned around and saw a familiar face on this peak platform.

Luo Qifang.

It was the tomboy he had met while Traveling in the Pocket World Mine.

According to what the Jinmao Rat had said, this person possessed a top-grade fire Spirit Root and some special physique, the True Flame Bone Body.

She looks very impressive, anyway.

"I didn't expect you to come too!"

Luo Qifang was in a great mood. He walked over, saying enthusiastically, "Brother Wang, since we parted, I've often thought of you. I never expected you'd come to the Immortal Sect too! And you've successfully passed the first trial! Congratulations, congratulations!"

Wang Mu smiled and replied politely, "I was just lucky to pass. This Seeking Dao Rope of the Immortal Sect truly is extraordinary!"

"Indeed," Luo Qifang's face turned serious. "Just now, walking on the Seeking Dao Rope, I felt as if I'd lived my life all over again. I nearly fell into the Cloud Sea."

He had a look of lingering fear.

"By the way, Brother Wang, how long did it take you?" Luo Qifang asked. "Among us here, the shortest time was exactly two quarter-hours."

(A quarter of an hour here is about fifteen minutes, so two quarter-hours is half an hour.)

"I didn't time it, but I must have been slow," Wang Mu said, thinking for a moment. I paused for quite a while just now.

It felt like I'd stopped for a very long time...

I had been moving swiftly before that, until I encountered...

"It's okay; the Seeking Dao Rope automatically records the time taken for the trial," Luo Qifang said, pulling Wang Mu over to a stone stele. A female disciple in Immortal Sect attire was waiting there.

"Touch the Seeking Tao Stele, and the time you took to cross the Seeking Dao Rope will be revealed," the woman said with a slight smile.

"It has this feature?" Wang Mu glanced at the stone stele.

"Of course," the woman nodded. "This Seeking Dao Rope isn't just a trial for new disciples entering the Sect; it's also one of our Sect's cultivation grounds for existing disciples."

"Most Sect disciples come here to cultivate on their own initiative."

"If one can surpass their previous performance, it means their Taoist Heart is becoming firmer, and the Sect will grant a reward."

Wang Mu nodded in understanding.

"Actually, this trial didn't exist in the past," the woman said with a sigh. "In recent decades, many disciples of our Sword Sect were lured away by the Fengyue Sect. So, our Refining Elder improved this Seeking Dao Rope, adding many restrictive formations to this section, and thus this trial was created."

"Those disciples who were bewitched by the Demonesses of the Fengyue Sect, if they return, have to walk this Seeking Dao Rope repeatedly to strengthen their Taoist Heart."

Wang Mu was speechless.

"Ahem, I've digressed. Future Junior Brother, come, place your hand here," the woman said with a chuckle, covering her mouth.

Wang Mu placed his hand on the stele.

The stone stele indeed revealed a special mark in the shape of a crescent moon.

Upon seeing this mark, the surroundings suddenly fell quiet.

The woman looked startled.

"What does this mean?" Wang Mu asked.

"Shaped like a slender crescent moon..." the woman stammered. "It means your time was within one quarter-hour! Congratulations, Junior Brother, your performance... is exceptionally good! So good that... it's almost record-breaking!"

"Many disciples from our Inner Sect don't achieve results this good..."

? Wang Mu was bewildered.

Can it be? I felt like I almost died, yet my performance is actually this good?

Wang Mu was rather stunned.

"Brother Wang is exceptionally talented, with a clear and insightful Taoist Heart..." Luo Qifang paused, then said with admiration, "With such aptitude, as long as you have a Spirit Root, you're sure to soar high."

Wang Mu remained silent.

"That's right," the woman said, still looking at Wang Mu in shock. "Such aptitude means your Taoist Heart transcends the mundane, and your spiritual will is incredibly firm. Even if you embark on the Immortal Path with the worst Pseudo Spiritual Root, you can still achieve great things eventually!"

What a way to phrase 'achieving great things eventually'!

As expected of an Immortal Sect disciple, so eloquent!

"Then... what if I don't have a Spirit Root?" Wang Mu asked.

"..."

No one spoke.

"Brother Wang, no need to worry," Luo Qifang said with a smile. "Observing your profound inner essence, your Spirit Root definitely isn't poor!"

Wang Mu thought, ...

My profound inner essence is because I've cultivated the Hundred Refinement Body Technique to the Eightieth Layer!

The woman, however, seemed to sense something and fell silent.

"Ahem, well, you should all prepare for the next trial," the woman said, waving her hand. "Senior Su Yu will be here soon. The Seeking Dao Rope trial proceeds quite quickly."

Indeed, it was quite fast.

Wang Mu didn't wait long before a few more individuals staggered over.

Among them were the two siblings from the Feathered People Clan. They looked slightly pale but composed as they arrived.

Wang Mu counted the total number of people present.

Just under a hundred.

Very few...

But those who are selected through this basically have an eighty percent chance of being accepted into the Sect.

The mountain gate opening lasts for several days. Considering this number, the disciples recruited each day probably wouldn't exceed three hundred.

That's an extremely small number.

And the number of participants is like a river teeming with carp; sometimes, out of a group of hundreds, only a few percent might pass...

The Sword Sect has seven peaks. Distributed among them, the number of new disciples per peak would be even less than students in a school classroom.

Moreover, Sword Sect disciples can go out for experiential training after reaching a certain cultivation level and won't always stay within the Sect, which also leads to attrition.

Overall, the number of disciples in the Sword Sect isn't very large.

However, those who made it this far are all quite capable.

The Seeking Dao Rope trial alone is an elite selection process.

First, it evaluates one's mind, willpower, and disposition.

Whatever your disposition, it's mostly revealed once you walk the Seeking Dao Rope.

Those whose dispositions don't align with the Sect's philosophy, like that scar-faced burly man, are sent away.

They don't even consider Spirit Roots or anything similar at this stage.

"Everyone, next we will proceed to the second trial."

Su Yu announced, silencing the crowd, "The second trial is called 'Sword Ruins Return to God.' As you all know, our Shangxiao Sword Sect primarily focuses on sword cultivation. So, the first thing we look at is your aptitude in this area. However, for this trial, it doesn't matter too much if your aptitude is a bit lacking, as long as you possess some."

"After all, our Sword Sect doesn't solely practice sword cultivation."

"The Sword Ruins is where our Sword Sect's predecessors, upon their passing, left behind the swords they wielded in life."

"There are many once-glorious Divine Swords here, as well as some obscure, nameless ancient swords. Their sword spirits are sentient and can easily discern a person's sword cultivation aptitude."

"You only need to find these swords and draw them. It's very simple."

"The stronger the sword you draw, the greater your proven Sword Dao aptitude."

"Don't be overambitious. Remember, as long as this trial proves you have Sword Dao aptitude, regardless of how high or low, you will pass. Of course, the higher, the better…"

Hearing about this trial, Wang Mu breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems they really aren't testing for Spirit Roots.

If it were the me from before I transmigrated, I definitely wouldn't have any aptitude for sword cultivation, Wang Mu thought.

But I've been Fishing for three years.

I don't know how many Jinhua Sword Sturgeons I've eaten that can enhance Sword Dao aptitude!

I'm almost sick of eating them!

My aptitude should be more than adequate!

Thinking of this, Wang Mu was moved to tears.

Three years of development in Anle Village!

At that moment, after Su Yu finished his explanation, he and a few Immortal Sect disciples lightly formed hand seals, and the Mystic Water Gate reappeared.

The crowd entered in an orderly fashion.

"This place is at the base of one of the peaks, and it is also the Sword Ruins of our Sword Sect."

Upon entering the Mystic Water Gate, the surroundings changed.

Looking around, countless ancient swords were embedded horizontally in a vast Sword Pond, too numerous to count.

Streams of powerful Sword Qi, so dense they seemed tangible, roamed this realm. The Zhou Tian energies cycled and shifted continuously like an aurora, leaving everyone awestruck by the sight.

Each sword seemed to hold a legend from a bygone era.

"Everyone, you may begin your attempts now," Su Yu said with a smile.

"Senior Brother Su Yu, which is the strongest sword here?" someone asked. "Is it the one in the middle?"

In the center lay a simple yet mysterious sword. Its blade was engraved with various patterns, and it seemed as if fresh blood flowed within them, exuding an oppressive aura that made all other swords seem to submit.

"There is no single strongest sword here," Su Yu replied, "because every sword is powerful. However, the swords closer to the outer edges of the Sword Ruins are relatively easier for you to gain acknowledgement from, and are generally easier to draw."

"Those who lack confidence in their Sword Dao aptitude can try drawing the ancient swords on the periphery."

The crowd understood this to mean they should go straight for the swords deeper inside.

The further inside the sword, the greater the proof of Sword Dao aptitude.

Immediately, everyone headed down towards the Sword Pond.

Su Yu, meanwhile, began recording from the sidelines.

Wang Mu thought for a moment and decided not to follow the crowd deeper inside.

Better to be conservative; drawing an ancient sword from the outer area is fine. As Su Yu said, as long as I have the aptitude, I pass this trial.

That makes sense. As long as I can enter the Sect, the specifics don't really matter.

The level of achievement isn't important.

After all, my aptitude was gained from eating fish; it feels a bit insubstantial.

Wang Mu scanned the outer area.

He noticed that the ancient swords on the outer circle were mostly broken and battered, exuding a sense of deep history.

Wang Mu decided to choose the one that looked the most dilapidated.

After searching for a long while, Wang Mu found one.

This one!

With his mind made up, Wang Mu focused on an exceedingly battered sword that, strangely enough, also gave him a peculiar sense of familiarity!

It must be my destined sword! Wang Mu thought.

He walked over…

「Meanwhile.」

「In the central hall.」

"The Sword Dao aptitude of this batch of disciples is quite good," the leading middle-aged man commented, nodding slightly as he watched the scene within the Sword Ruins. "It's just a pity we don't know when the Seven Absolute Divine Sword in the center will find its master."

"It's already quite good. Look, someone has drawn Senior Wan's True Flame Unrivaled Sword," a slightly plump Elder remarked, pointing at someone in the projection. "This person has an excellent Spirit Root, possesses a Special Physique, and their Sword Dao aptitude is also incredibly high. I'm starting to wonder if they might be Senior Wan's reincarnation."

"Oh, look at that young man, Wang Mu; he actually chose an ancient sword from the periphery…" the beautiful woman laughed. "How interesting. Does this young man have so little confidence in himself? Those ancient swords on the outer edges are generally…"

"Wait, that sword he's chosen isn't…"

Suddenly, the few people in the hall were taken aback.

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