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墨書 Inktalez
A month later, a large crowd gathered at Qingcheng Xianshan. This was still due to the rush of time; people from other remote areas of the Great Zhou and other countries either did not receive the news or could not make it in time due to the long journey. Otherwise, there would have been even more people at the foot of the mountain. Although these individuals were concentrated at the base, they could not approach the celestial mountain. A transparent membrane surrounded the mountain, isolating it completely. No matter what methods those at the foot of the mountain tried, they could not enter.
"Child, give up. This is celestial magic. At this time, the immortals will not allow us to ascend," an elderly man said as he watched the newcomers continuously attempt to climb the mountain, urging them to stop their futile efforts.
Many people heeded the old man's advice and paused, but one seemingly simple-minded youth did not stop. He kept trying until he collapsed on the ground, earning laughter from everyone around.
"Why is he still trying? What a fool."
"Such a foolish child; do you think an immortal would take him?"
"Definitely not. Immortals are all Exceptional Talents, incredibly intelligent. How could they possibly notice a fool?"
"Exactly, exactly."
"Immortals are openly recruiting disciples, and look who has come—beggars too! Do they really think they have Celestial Fate?"
"Even Old Men and old women have come; they should be buried soon, yet they want to cultivate immortality?"
"It's precisely because they're older that they want to give it a shot. Who knows? If an immortal takes notice, they might become an immortal themselves and escape death!"
"…"
"…"
Amidst the chattering and commotion, suddenly a bell rang out. Everyone immediately fell silent and turned their gaze toward the celestial mountain. They saw a stone staircase suddenly appear from top to bottom of the mountain, extending upward into the clouds, its peak hidden from view.
"Are the immortals allowing us to ascend the mountain?" one person suddenly asked.
Everyone thought so and rushed toward the stone steps, creating a chaotic scene that nearly resulted in a stampede. Just as one person was about to be trampled underfoot, a gentle breeze swept through, clearing the way and lifting the fallen individual back up. A commanding voice echoed from above: "No one is allowed to push or shove; line up to ascend the stone steps, or you will be disqualified from the trial."
With the immortals having spoken, no one dared to fight for position anymore. They all obediently formed a line and ascended the stone steps one by one. Some quick-witted individuals thought that since the celestial mountain allowed entry, perhaps there was another way to reach it without using the steps. As a result, a few attempted this shortcut, only to find it was impossible! Aside from the stone steps, all other areas were still blocked by celestial barriers, making any attempt at shortcuts futile. Those who tried found themselves disoriented for a moment before being thrown back a hundred miles away from the mountain, evidently losing their chance to participate in the trial.
Hanno and Long Wenwen sat in a pavilion at the mountain's peak, while outside in mid-air, dozens of screens displayed the performances of those ascending.
Hanno grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and cracked them open as he spoke, "I think that fool isn't bad; although he's a bit single-minded, he has endurance and perseverance."
Elder Brother Li nodded while holding his teacup. "He has passed this test of character."
Jia Qianjun wasn't very fond of the youth. "He looks foolish; I certainly wouldn't want him as my disciple."
Hanno chuckled at Jia Qianjun. "You think I would give him to you?"
Long Wenwen interjected with a smile, breaking up Hanno and Jia Qianjun's glare-off. "I think that White-Clad Youth is quite good; he exudes sword energy and is a promising candidate for sword cultivation."
Hanno and Jia Qianjun spoke simultaneously: "That familiar feeling again."
Hanno said, "Ye Gucheng's second."
Jia Qianjun replied, "Ximen Chui Xue's second."
Hanno and Jia Qianjun exchanged glances: "..."
Long Wenwen blinked in confusion. "Who are Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chui Xue? Which sect do they belong to?"
Forgive the girl for having lived in the Qingcheng Mountain Secret Realm, where she had only starred in one movie before being whisked away by Jia Qianjun. Her time was spent either being affectionate with Jia Qianjun or practicing cultivation, leaving her no opportunity to learn about the renowned City Lord and Host.
Although Hanno and Jia Qianjun admired the City Lord and Host, explaining their significance was too complicated. Hanno simply took out a laptop from the space and opened a downloaded document titled "Legend of the Six Phoenixes," pushing it toward Long Wenwen. "Take a look for yourself."
"Elder Brother Li spoke up, "Someone has passed the first trial."
Hanno and Jia Qianjun quickly looked over, and even Long Wenwen, who had just been captivated by the appearance of Flower Full Building, raised her head. Climbing the stone steps was the first trial, testing one's character—patience and perseverance would lead to success. Hanno and Jia Qianjun thought that the first person to pass this trial would either be a fool or the White-Clad Youth; however, neither was true. Instead, it was an eleven or twelve-year-old boy.
"Having experienced hardship through begging, he naturally developed a hardened character, so it's normal for him to pass the first trial swiftly," Elder Brother Li commented.
The other three nodded in agreement. At that moment, two more individuals passed the first trial—indeed, it was the fool and the White-Clad Youth whom Hanno and Jia Qianjun had favored.
The three boys exchanged glances before the second trial, their eyes reflecting mutual admiration and burning determination. Without speaking, they pushed open the stone door to enter the second trial. In this round, Hanno brought over "Momentary Illusion" from Sword of Legends IV, setting up four challenges related to wine, lust, wealth, and desire. Of course, there were no Wine Immortals or Wealth Gods present; instead, there were countless treasures of gold and silver, endless fine wines, and various beautiful women... This trial tested their character, and all three boys successfully passed. The Beggar Boy hesitated momentarily in front of the treasures but ultimately chose not to take any riches and quickened his pace to leave the "Wealth" room.
Seeing this scene, Hanno and the others nodded in approval.
The three boys soon passed the second trial and arrived at the third one. The third trial was crucial as it assessed one's aptitude—whether they possessed a Spiritual Root. If they lacked a Spiritual Root, Hanno's group would not mistreat those who had passed two trials; after all, their character was commendable. Hanno prepared a bottle of foundational elixir and a copy of Northern Darkness Divine Skill for each participant who had made it this far so they wouldn't leave disappointed.
To their delight, all three favored boys possessed Spiritual Roots. The fool had the best one—a Wood-type Spiritual Root; the Beggar Boy had both Wood and Earth-type Spiritual Roots; while the White-Clad Youth's Spiritual Root was slightly lacking at three types. However, as a sword cultivator, having a strong sword heart mattered more than having an optimal Spiritual Root.
As the three boys exited the third trial, their surroundings suddenly changed again. They were not surprised; they had grown accustomed to such abrupt shifts in scenery. However, upon clearly seeing their new surroundings, they were startled and quickly knelt on the ground to bow respectfully to the four individuals seated in a pavilion.
"You three are quite impressive—among this batch of climbers, you are the most outstanding," Hanno praised them. "We shall accept you as our personal disciples."
The three of them were overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately bowed to the four.
Hanno looked at Elder Brother Li and the others, saying, "There are only three of us here, so I won't take on any disciples. I'll leave it to you."
"Thank you," Long Wenwen replied, selecting her disciple first. She took in Beggar Boy as her apprentice. Beggar Boy had lost his parents at a young age and did not have a proper name, so Long Wenwen bestowed a name upon him, allowing him to take her surname and naming him Long Ao. Originally, Long Wenwen wanted to name her disciple Long Ao herself, but Hanno and the others stopped her together. It seemed that Beggar Boy actually preferred the name Long Ao.
The simpleton was a farmer's child named Tian A Niu, the eldest in his family. However, after his mother passed away and he got a stepmother and stepfather, coupled with Tian A Niu's straightforward nature that made him appear foolish, his father grew increasingly fond of him less. When he had just turned fifteen, his father kicked him out of the house under the pretext that he was now an adult. To make a living, Tian A Niu followed some outsiders to the capital city in search of work. He happened to arrive during the grand event of "Celestial Beings Recruiting Disciples." Thinking that becoming a celestial being would ensure he would never go hungry again, he rushed to participate. Little did he know that foolish people often have their own kind of fortune; his aptitude turned out to be the best among all. Naturally, he was taken in by Elder Brother Li, who renamed him Tian Ziruo.
The White-Clad Youth turned out to be surnamed Ye, named Ye Gui Lan. He loved practicing swordsmanship and had already developed impressive skills at a young age. Jia Qianjun was very pleased to take him as his disciple.
Aside from these three individuals, only eight others managed to pass the trials. Although they did not become direct disciples, they were all accepted as inner disciples by Long Wenwen. More than seventy people passed the second trial; although they were disappointed not to be accepted by the celestial beings, their disappointment lessened after receiving Martial Arts Manuals and elixirs. Upon returning home, they diligently practiced martial arts. After this, the martial world gradually began to take shape.
Teaching disciples was quite time-consuming. The four of them stayed in Dazhou and did not return to the modern world for an entire year until their apprentices were properly trained before they finally returned to modern times. As a result, they were struck by a massive lightning bolt that left them charred on the outside but tender on the inside.
"Alien invasion of Earth?" Hanno stared at Zhu Wenrui incredulously. "Are you joking?"
Zhu Wenrui's expression was serious: "I wish I were joking, but unfortunately, I'm not!"
Hanno and Elder Brother Li understood this well; Jia Qianjun and Long Wenwen also grew serious and asked, "What exactly is going on? Please explain clearly."
"The concept of graded civilizations and interstellar alliances in cyberspace is real. According to the aliens we captured, there are other civilizations beyond the Galactic System. Those civilizations are unified under an alliance known as the Interstellar Alliance. The Interstellar Alliance is divided into ten levels of civilization from high to low. Our Earth's technology is very backward and falls under the category of a Level Two civilization. Moreover, due to its remote location, Earth has not joined the Interstellar Alliance and is not protected by interstellar law. Therefore, beings from Gamma Star System—two levels above Earth—sent people here to invade Earth after discovering its existence, intending to seize Earth's resources and turn all humans into their slaves..."
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