Chen Jingzhai had long forgotten that he was being assessed.

That natural special talent of his seemed to have lost its effect and had not been exerted for a long time. His memories, too, were dimmed, as each level seemed to bring on a brand new life in itself.

The Test of Twenty-eight was tainted by the energies of way too many individuals. And Chen Jingzhai was deeply immersed in it, unable to extricate himself. But every time he experienced a different scenario, he had to make a choice in the end. Either he takes or forsakes, becomes part of the way, sacrifices himself, or defends what is right.

At the second level of assessment, he had passed all nine tests, and the seed of the way began to take hold in his heart.

At that time, there was only less than two hours before Chen Jingzhai and the four other aspirant cultivators were due at the Luo Sheng Sword School.

When Chen Jingzhai passed the second level, two of the four aspirant cultivators had passed the first test of the heart. This kind of progress was considered excellent among all other disciples in the past. But compared to Chen Jingzhai, it was still one level behind.

Meanwhile, at the Cloud Palace.

With a wave of his hand, Headmaster Fuyun erased the imageries that were shown to them by the gathering clouds and mists.

“We can’t see the third level clearly, so let’s not waste our time,” Headmaster Fuyun said to Lu Wenbing. “Let’s wait for Chen Jingzhai to come out. If he passes, he may go to the Hall of the Masters. Now let’s talk about the two disciples who passed the first test. Nephew Lu, according to the rules, you get to pick one of them first.”

The branch governed by the immortal receiver, based on the number of disciples, may have the first pick of the selection. Of less than ten people, only one may be selected. Of more than ten but less than twenty people, two may be selected, and so on.

These rules had persisted for more than 2,000 years and were also the driving force for the disciples of the main branch to dedicate themselves to the affairs of the sect.

Aspirant cultivators grew every year in Pulao Kingdom, and clans did not have particular distinguishing requirements in the selection of disciples. This greatly simplifies the process of disciple selection.

The benefits that the Aspirant Cultivators Academy brought to the clans were more than self-evident.

“Headmaster, sir, the disciple has been chosen.” Sage Lu stepped forward and paid his respects to Fuyunzi. “The Golden Jade Sword Branch picked Jin Zetian. This man’s arms have proven to be celestial bones, which are ideal for sword cultivation.”

“You may take him away,” Fuyunzi acknowledged.

“Thank you, Headmaster!” Sage Lu smiled as he walked out of the Cloud Palace.

“Out of the two aspirant cultivators of celestial bones, one came out early, but the other one was still trapped in the first test, which is a pity,” Elder Qin lamented. “I don’t know how the Aspirant Cultivators Academy was teaching these people.”

The objective of the first test was to break through the illusions and navigate all sorts of emotions and desires. The other objective was to test their hearts, to see if they could guard against demons and evil intents.

These four aspirant cultivators were not malicious by nature, of course, but their temperaments left a lot to be desired.

Among the two aspirant cultivators that had emerged, besides Jin Zetian, the other one was Gao Shixin. The two were immersed in illusions, and they were beguiled by the desires of the world. In comparison with their aptitudes, their temperaments were not up to par.

“There is no need to criticize too much. The Aspirant Cultivators Academy is not perfect either,” Headmaster Fuyun said. “There is one more person left. Which one of you is interested in taking him on?”

“Forget about the Blazing Sun branch,” said Elder Qin. “Although the celestial bones are rare, and his dual spirit roots are not inferior either, his temperament is not up to par. Let’s wait for a few months before making a decision.”

Because of the attack on White Cloud City by the Huangsha Demon King, its Aspirant Cultivators Academy has suffered heavy losses.

In Pulao Kingdom, there were four Aspirant Cultivators Academies. White Cloud City was unable to produce aspirant cultivators, but there were still three other cities. Therefore, at Luo Sheng Sword School, no one would miss the entrance of a new batch of aspirant cultivators every year.

This time, a special case caught the attention of Headmaster Fuyun and several other elders.

More importantly, out of the three celestial bones, two of them had dual spiritual roots, which was considered very rare.

“That being the case, Gao Shixin should be part of Elixir Peak!” An elder on the right said with a smile. “With dual attributes of earth and wood, he could cultivate a spirit plant to build up his character.”

“Good!” Headmaster Fuyun smiled and nodded, approving of this choice.

The rest of the elders did not refute or dissent.

Besides having an idea similar to that of Elder Qin, it was also a matter of attribute compatibility.

The spirit roots of the five elements, whether they were two or three, all qualified to enter the sword branch.

Only the Golden Jade Sword Branch was able to choose its own disciples among the main branches at the moment. Most of the remaining branches tend to focus on fire, metal, and water, so it was best for them to go to Elixir Peak. As for the remaining two disciples, no one said anything, only because they had not yet emerged from the first test.

This level of the test did have a time limit. If they could not come out after seven days and seven nights, it was equivalent to failing the test.

Those who were being tested at this level were still considered aspirant cultivators.

Since he was not yet a disciple of the Luo Sheng Sword School, there was no need for anyone to think about it.

Night crept upon them without anyone being aware of it. The stars began shining in the sky, as the moon hung high amongst them. There was peace and tranquility in the Luanyun Mountain Range.

The clouds and mist began rising, and the spirit light was obscured by the formation, which appeared extremely commonplace.

In the Cloud Palace, everyone sat very still.

Even Su Qinghuang of Hongluan Peak was silent, like a statue of a deity.

“Finally out!” Headmaster Fuyun smiled. “It’s the aspirant cultivators of celestial bones.”

“Six hours was not too bad at all!” An elder exhaled deeply. “The manifestation of the shoulder blades is in line with the requirements of Heavenly Artisan (branch). Xu Ziyue will belong to us.”

“Good!” The rest of the elders nodded in agreement.

In fact, all six elders gathered in Cloud Palace were for these five aspirant cultivators.

Counting the Golden Jade Sword Branch, there were actually seven groups.

Elder Qin had high standards for the aspirant cultivators and did not much care for the other four aspirant cultivators. Chen Jingzhai, the only one he favored, had become a disciple of Hongluan Peak, which was a waste of time on his part.

There was not much competition for the distribution of the celestial bones and aspirant cultivators because the needs were determined by specific branches.

Typically, these candidates would end up in the branch for which they were most suitable.

If someone really wanted to fight for a particular candidate, there was a price to be paid.

A favor would be owed, or it could also be treasures. Of course, it could also be disciples.

Another hour passed, and the last aspirant cultivator with dual spirit roots, Chen Jinsheng, finally passed the test.

“Dual spiritual roots of water and wood—he should belong to Yunchao Peak!” an elder piped up.

“But also a match for Lijian Peak!” another elder spoke indifferently.

“Junior brother Wang wants to fight with senior brother?” The elder from Yunchao Peak pressed.

“The attributes of water and wood are in line with the branch, and even if I didn’t want to fight, I had to,” said Elder Wang. “I know that senior brother Zhang is refining Lotus Potion, and I’m willing to make an exchange with Grade 4 white lotus seeds.”

“Six!” The eyes of Elder Zhang from Yunchao Peak suddenly lit up.

“Senior brother Zhang is too greedy,” Elder Wang from Lijian Peak shook his head and said. “I only have three on me right now, and I am willing to hand you two of them to show my sincerity. I am keeping one to see if it will survive.”

“Forget it, then.” Yunchao Peak’s Elder Zhang sighed. “Take him away!”

“Much obliged!” Elder Wang of Lijian Peak smiled and handed over the lotus seeds.

These lotus seeds were green in color and shimmered with a glorious radiance. Elder Zhang of Yunchao Peak put them away, and calmness returned to his face.

Grade 4 was already considered a treasure of heaven and earth caliber. Although these were lotus seeds, it was extremely rare for them to be classified as Grade 3.

The Lotus Potion that Elder Zhang wanted to make was going to be Grade 3. This potion was extremely rare and precious to the cultivators of Yunchao Peak.

It had a miraculous effect on Core Plane Sages, and this was why Elder Zhang wanted to prepare it for the disciples of his branch.

In his opinion, two lotus seeds in exchange for a disciple with dual spirit roots was not a bad trade.

Every year, there were aspirant cultivators that came to be assessed so that quite a few of them would become disciples.

It was not bad for Chen Jinsheng to pass the first test within twelve hours. Although it couldn’t be called extraordinary, it had to be above the average.

There was no lack of these kinds of disciples. Each year, Yunchao Peak will be flooded with the likes of them.

More importantly, Chen Jinshan had only passed the first test of the heart, and he would only be a casual disciple once he entered the branch. Not only was it not a loss, but he might have profited a little! Elder Zhang thought to himself.