The Pulao Kingdom had tens of thousands of citizens. Its territory spanned wide, and included mountains and rivers. For a kingdom to play host to more than ten divine clans showed that it had a long history.
The vast sword soared through the sky like a ray of light. Most normal people would not even catch a glimpse of it flying past them.
Even Chen Jingzhai, who had flown on planes in his past life, felt a little dizzy standing on the colossal flying sword. A barrier made of sword light surrounded them, acting as a windshield. This is why they couldn’t feel the wind when they stood on the sword. Sage Lu stood tall and straight on the hilt of the massive sword, and none of the recruits dared to disturb him. Instead, they decided to chatter among themselves.
“Jingzhai, who would’ve thought we would meet like this,” one of the older students laughed.
“Older Brother Gao!” Chen Jingzhai greeted him with a gesture, his left palm holding his fist.
The older student who had greeted the young man, Gao Shixin, had an earth and wood Dual Spirit Root and had spent most of his time with the wood element students. Chen Jingzhai had only met the older brother a few times back at the academy and had rarely conversed with him.
The senior brother only smiled when Chen Jingzhai responded to his greeting. The others didn’t even pay attention to the young man, most likely because they were excited that they had the chance to join a divine clan earlier than they had expected. Not only that, but the Luo Sheng Sword School was exceptionally well known.
The school was built in the Luanyun Mountain Range, in the south-eastern part of the Pulao Kingdom, and it had been standing tall for more than 5,000 years. The divine clan had been established well before the land was even called the Pulao Kingdom.
However, they used to be a secret clan that only a few knew about. As the clan grew more robust, they started to accept disciples from the ordinary world. That was when people learned about the existence of the Luo Sheng Sword School. Before that, there were rumors about a Sword Celestial living in the mountain range.
Nowadays, the Luo Sheng Sword School was one of the largest and strongest divine clans in the Pulao Kingdom. The Luanyun Sword Celestial of the clan was also one of the pinnacles in the cultivation world. The Luo Sheng Sword School was ranked third in popularity at the Aspirant Cultivators Academy, and it was natural for the students to be happy and excited that they had gotten the chance to join the clan.
However, Chen Jingzhai did not show such excitement on his face. Having lived one life and now was living his second, he was much calmer and steadier than his peers. He did not want to become close acquaintances with the prodigies, lest he get looked down upon. Even if Gao Shixin had greeted Chen Jingzhai with a smile, it was clear that he was looking down on the young man. After all, a Dual Spirit Root was far superior to a Three-Element Spirit Root.
Chen Jingzhai was not a bootlicker, and there was therefore no need for him to curry favor with Gao Shixin. Despite a lack of expression on his face, the young man’s heart was racing a little. Not because of the prodigies, but because of the sword he was standing on.
[Spirit Item: Cloud Crossing Flying Sword]
[Description: A Flying Spirit Sword created by the Luo Sheng Sword School]
[Pros: Fast and highly suitable for disciples of Luo Sheng Sword School. The best item to use when in a rush.]
[Cons: High energy consumption. Bad riding experience. Not at all subtle.]
[Flaw: The sword’s hilt is at the core of the spirit item’s restriction. A single attack from a Foundation Plane cultivator in the middle of the hilt will destroy it.]
Chen Jingzhai did not expect his talent to work with spirit items. Once again, he felt that the talent had something to do with his personality. The slightly mocking tone of the talents was something that he was very familiar with.
“So, not only can I find the flaws and bugs of everything, but I can also find their weak spots?” Chen Jingzhai gasped internally.
However, he noticed that the remarkable talent had unique criteria before it could be activated. The talent rarely showed itself back when he was in the Blessed Land, and Chen Jingzhai kept thinking that it was the talent’s fault that he had been so passive back there. Yet, he quickly laughed at himself for being so greedy.
Just the fact that he could get the flaws of every technique had benefited him beyond his wildest dreams. His talent was also one of the most significant factors in surviving the Yellow Sands King’s capture.
The colossal sword flew through the entire southern part of the Pulao Kingdom, flying from west to east. Five hours had passed before they finally spotted the Luanyun Mountain Range. It was not only the students that were excited to see their destination; even Chen Jingzhai was having a hard time trying to remain calm.
The mountain range was enormous. There were countless mountains, unique rocks, canyons, rivers, and forests. It was a scene that one would rarely see. However, the mountain range was shrouded by fog, and regular people rarely entered it. Like the other students, Chen Jingzhai had only read of the Luanyun Mountain Range in books. He was astonished by the beautiful scenery the mountain range had to offer as he stood on the sword. The mountain range looked like a giant lying on the ground, surrounded by fog and clouds.
The young cultivators could not hide their excitement anymore when they thought of the life they were going to spend there.
However, just seconds into their daydream, they were pulled back to reality. With a wave of his arm, Sage Lu summoned a gust of wind to knock the young cultivators off the flying sword. All five students, including Chen Jingzhai, plummeted to the ground. Sage Lu looked at them and grinned as if he had finished his mission before flying away.
As the other cultivators screamed in fear, Chen Jingzhai used the Light Feather Technique to balance himself in the air. He turned towards the direction where Sage Lu had left and wondered if he had made the wrong choice by joining the Luo Sheng Sword Clan. He could not believe that the sage would treat his new disciples like that.
“Wait, could this be the test we have to take?” Chen Jingzhai then thought. Still lost in thought, the young man suddenly felt dense energy rising from the ground.
He quickly turned to scan the ground below him and noticed a master standing on top of a stone atop the mountain just beneath them. The master wore a robe and had a goatee. His hair was tied up with a purple jade hairpin, and he held a fly-whisk in his hand. He waved the fly-whisk and the dense energy gathered under the falling disciples. When Gao Shixin and the rest felt themselves falling more slowly, they finally let out a sigh of relief, barely managing to control their bodies as they landed.
Chen Jingzhai was the last to land. Yet, unlike his peers who were flustered, he was utterly calm. The master looked at Chen Jingzhai, and an honest smile appeared.
“My name is Zhang Xi. I’m a deacon here at the Luo Sheng Sword School in charge of your entry to our clan. How sincere are you in joining our clan?” the master asked.
His voice was deep and friendly, and it gave the young cultivators the urge to tell him their honest opinions, to the point where they almost wanted to spill all of their secrets. Without any change in his expression, Chen Jingzhai was shocked.
[Spell: Sweet Talk Technique]
[Effect: A hypnotization technique used to question a person’s real intention.]
[Flaw: Make prior preparations to counter it. Bitting your tongue, pricking your finger, or keeping yourself calm can also mitigate the effect.]
Chen Jingzhai couldn’t help but wonder if the master was using the Sweet Talk Technique with other intentions or if it was one of the tests to enter the clan. The young man then approached the master. He said, “I’m willing to do anything to join the clan!”
“Very good!” Zhang Xi nodded. “To enter the Luo Sheng Sword School and learn of our techniques, one has to uphold justice with a pure heart, follow the clan’s rules, and pass the entrance test.”
“Apologies, Master. Can we know what kind of tests we will be taking?” Gao Shixin asked.
When he saw Chen Jingzhai was the first to speak, Gao Shixin was annoyed. He wanted to stand out as well. However, the two students with the Celestial Bones noticed Gao Shixin’s intention, and their impression of him changed immediately.
“Every one of you will take on different tests. It’ll be hard for me to explain to you,” Zhang Xi replied. “However, I always give the same advice. Be sincere and upright.”
“Sincere and upright?” Chen Jingzhai mumbled as he thought about the master’s words. Gao Shixin and the others frowned as well. They had read a lot of scriptures back in the academy, and they knew what the master’s words meant. It was easy to be sincere, but there were many ways that one could be upright.
“Don’t think too much about it. The more you think, the more you worry.” The master smiled. The fog subsided with a wave of his fly-whisk, and a path was shown. “Go on.”
“Thank you, master!” Gao Shixin bowed and was first to walk towards the path. The other Dual Spirit Root cultivator quickly followed Gao Shixin. As for the remaining two Celestial Bone cultivators, they also quickly bowed to the master before chasing after their peers, as if they were worried they might fall behind.
Only Chen Jingzhai remained standing still.
