Li Qingshan left.
Ye Xianyu followed him.
A group of elders trailed closely behind, leaving the Heart Inquiry Pool and heading straight for Wendao Square in the center of the main peak. The first trial was Spirit Inquiry, the second was Heart Inquiry, and the third was Sword Inquiry.
Once the Sword Inquiry concluded, it would be the final step of the recruitment ceremony.
The Seven Peaks and Thirteen Halls would divide the new disciples among themselves.
As for the third trial, the Sword Inquiry...
There wasn't much to see.
It was more like an initiation ritual, a mere formality.
Essentially, the children who had passed the second trial were already considered disciples of Wendao Sword Sect.
The reason the leadership had gathered at the Heart Inquiry Pool to peer into the illusions was simply to see how the children performed during the Heart Inquiry. Combined with the talent data from the Spirit Inquiry, they wanted to get a sense of the candidates so they could pick out a few promising sprouts who matched their own temperaments later on.
That was all.
In the square, the masters of the seven peaks and the elders of the various halls arrived one by one. While waiting for the new disciples, they passed the time in boredom, some discussing in pairs, others debating in small groups, sharing their thoughts on the new recruits.
Some offered praise, others complained...
"That little girl from the Lin family is quite good. A single ice spirit root, and she looks clever. Her future is limitless. Speaking of which, the head of the Lin family used to train at my Zhijian Peak. I suppose it’s fate..."
"Mhm. Among this batch, that girl is indeed excellent in all aspects. It’s a pity her mind is complex and her ambition is too strong. I fear it might be counterproductive; she’ll need a lot of guidance..."
"The child with the single earth-attribute spirit root isn't bad either. Though his performance in the Third Inquiry of the Heart was mediocre and he looks plain, earth spirit roots are naturally grounded. Being a bit conservative isn't a bad thing..."
"The little fatty named Zhang Yang has a pure heart. He was the only one who passed the first inquiry's test of jumping into the well to save someone. He's decent, but it's a shame his spirit root is lacking. To make him a great talent, one would have to invest quite a lot..."
"As for Xu Xian..."
At the mention of Xu Xian, everyone fell silent. Some knitted their brows, others wrinkled their noses, clicking their tongues or shaking their heads. Their expressions were more than just complex.
Only a highly respected old swordsman gave a faint evaluation.
"As for Xu Xian, his talent is beyond question. Character aside, he is the best prospect for cultivation I have ever seen. However, if he stays, I fear our Wendao Sword Sect will be turned upside down."
Everyone reached a rare, unanimous agreement on this point.
They had seen it for themselves.
With a personality like his, it would be difficult for Wendao Sword Sect to find any peace. Whoever became his master would be suffering through eight lifetimes of bad luck.
However, this wasn't something they needed to worry about.
After all, Li Qingshan was the one who brought him back; the boy's placement had been decided long ago.
Originally, when the Spirit Inquiry ended, they were quite envious. After all, a mutated sword spirit root was right there—who wouldn't want it?
But now?
Heh.
One could only sympathize with Li Qingshan for three seconds.
"No matter, no matter. Which peerless sect doesn't have a few disciples with high talent who are also mischievous, rebellious, and prone to troublemaking? We must have faith in Junior Brother Qingshan's abilities."
"That makes sense."
Meanwhile.
Inside the Heart Inquiry Forest, the world went dark for Xu Xian, who was faking sleep. It was as if he were shrouded by a dark shadow, and then a familiar voice reached his ears.
"Stop the act. Get up."
Xu Xian didn't move an inch.
With a darkened face, Li Qingshan lowered his voice and said, "If you don't want to die, get up."
Xu Xian slowly opened his eyes and sat up at a leisurely pace. He put on a startled expression and asked ignorantly,
"Where is this? Why am I here?"
Li Qingshan's mouth twitched. He said with suppressed anger, "You've gotten addicted to acting, haven't you?"
Xu Xian opened his eyes wide, staring at him blankly.
Li Qingshan took a deep breath and got straight to the point. "Xu Xian, I know you did it on purpose. I won't beat around the bush with you. To tell you the truth, you've caused a huge disaster. You broke the Heart Inquiry formation. You have two choices. First, put away your little schemes and stay here honestly to cultivate under me. I won't treat you poorly. Second, I'll throw you into Wild Wolf Valley and let the wolves eat you, letting the secret of the Heart Inquiry Forest vanish along with you. Take your pick."
Xu Xian wasn't having it and retorted, "Wait, let's get this straight. Was I trying to break it? Your illusion array was just too crude, okay? It was full of flaws. Is that my fault? Besides, I said I didn't want to cultivate, I didn't want to become an immortal, yet you insisted on bringing me back. Great, now it's all my fault?"
Li Qingshan remained expressionless and said calmly, "That is your business and has nothing to do with me. You only need to give me an answer. Option one, or option two."
Xu Xian was no longer a child.
He could see that Li Qingshan was intentionally trying to scare him. Furthermore, even if the secret of the Heart Inquiry Forest were told to others, it wouldn't matter—the children who went in would still forget everything, so there was no real secret to protect.
However...
He also understood.
Li Qingshan had gone to such great lengths to bring him back because he valued his spirit root.
Right now, he was like a lump of gold.
Who would be willing to throw it away after finding it?
From the moment the sword spirit root was revealed, leaving was no longer an option.
Thinking from the other perspective, based on his own personality...
If I can't have it, I'll destroy it.
Staying was his only choice. At the very least, with his sword spirit root, he wouldn't do too poorly. As the old saying goes, since you're here, you might as well make the best of it.
As for playing with the Old Immortal and the River Spirit in the Heart Inquiry formation earlier...
That was purely to annoy Li Qingshan.
Looking at the man's attitude, Xu Xian understood that he had clearly achieved his goal.
Having had his fun, he performed a kip-up to stand, brushed the dust off his rear, and said nonchalantly:
"Let's call it even then. If I must cultivate, then I'll cultivate. I'll submit to you, okay?"
He then crossed his palms behind his head and hummed a little tune as he sauntered toward the exit of the bamboo forest.
"Better to shave one's head and sever all ties, better never to have met, better never to have known..."
Watching the youth's retreating figure fade into the bamboo forest, Li Qingshan let out a resentful sigh.
"Sigh... what sin did I commit to deserve this?"
With that, he went after Xu Xian.
The third trial: Sword Inquiry.
He had already told the sect that he would preside over it. He had to keep an eye on Xu Xian to make sure no more mishaps occurred. He had already been humiliated enough today, his face practically swollen from all the metaphorical slaps.
Just as Li Qingshan left...
A bunch of disciples from the Deacon Hall emerged one after another in the bamboo forest.
They had come in to carry people out.
Those disciples who didn't pass would fall into a brief coma and had to be carried out of the Heart Inquiry Forest before they would wake up.
This was why the saying about the second trial went: those who walk out pass, and those who are carried out are eliminated.
"Who was that kid just now? He's got quite the presence."
"That's Xu Xian. You didn't know?"
"He's the Xu Xian who awakened the sword spirit root?"
"Yeah, Peak Master Li brought him back personally."
"A sword spirit root? He certainly acts like a real piece of work."
"Stop chatting and get to work. Once we're done, let's head to Wendao Square to watch the excitement."
"What's there to see?"
"You don't know anything. Last time, several elders and Peak Masters nearly came to blows over recruiting disciples. It was brutal—they were going all out."
"For real? Even elders fight? Then we definitely have to go take a look..."
Rate on N.U.
