"There's someone else..."
"It's Xu Xian? I thought he'd been eliminated."
"Why did he take so long?"
Xu Xian strolled out of the bamboo forest, immediately drawing everyone's gaze. As the first to enter, he was the last to leave.
Lin Qianqian looked thoughtful, while others whispered and huddled together. Amidst the crowd, a chubby boy stood on his tiptoes and waved.
"Brother Xian, over here!"
It was Zhang Yang.
Zhang Yang was a few months older than him, and Xu Xian had a deep impression of the boy—a simple and honest fatty. Xu Xian walked over as if he hadn't heard the surrounding whispers, greeting him cheerfully.
"Fatty, you passed too."
Zhang Yang scratched his head and put on an act of humility. "Just luck, just luck, hehe."
Xu Xian scanned the surroundings with a sidelong glance. A thousand people had entered the bamboo forest, but fewer than a hundred remained. It was another ten-to-one elimination rate.
He couldn't help but feel emotional.
Wendao Sword Sect was truly picking disciples from a sea of people.
Recruiting only once every five years and taking so few each time—they were clearly following an elite route.
What did that prove?
It proved that the disciples here must be incredibly competitive.
Zhang Yang asked, "Brother Xian, why did you come out so late?"
Xu Xian replied nonchalantly, "I was tired, so I took a nap."
"You took a nap?!" Zhang Yang was stunned.
Xu Xian complained, ignoring the question, "Recruiting once every five years and taking so few... at this rate, the Wendao Sword Sect is going to go bust sooner or later."
Zhang Yang replied, "It's not that few; there are nearly a hundred of us."
Xu Xian said casually, "Isn't there one more trial?"
Zhang Yang grinned, showing his white teeth. "Right, the Sword Inquiry. But don't worry, that's just a formality. Brother Xian, you can put your heart at ease..."
A formality?
Just as Xu Xian was about to ask more, Li Qingshan arrived late from the bamboo forest. As soon as he appeared, the surrounding area fell silent. Everyone stopped talking and instinctively straightened their backs.
Li Qingshan.
They didn't know him, of course.
But they had seen him.
He had flown in just as the Spirit Inquiry was ending, moving incredibly fast. They had heard the mountain disciples call him a Peak Master, so he had to be someone extraordinary within Wendao Sword Sect.
Li Qingshan wore green robes with wide sleeves, his hair tied up with a hairpin. He walked at an unhurried pace, yet he covered a hundred meters in just two or three steps.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared from a different direction behind the crowd, floating past like the wind.
The group of youths was awestruck.
"Hmph."
Li Qingshan said indifferently, "The third trial is the Sword Inquiry. I will lead you there. Follow me."
With that, he led the way, deliberately slowing his pace. The hundred youths followed in a hurry, keeping close behind. They didn't dare walk too slowly for fear of falling behind, nor did they dare walk too fast for fear of offending the immortal. A rustling sound filled the air.
An innocent young girl whispered that the immortal was very handsome.
A green youth claimed he would become an immortal like that in the future.
"Brother Xian, who is he? He looks really powerful," Zhang Yang whispered, keeping his voice low.
"We're not close."
"But I saw you arrive with him?"
Xu Xian glanced at Li Qingshan's back and curled his lip. "Oh... it's nothing. We just happened to meet. He said I have an extraordinary skeletal structure and exceptional talent—the look of a great emperor. He practically begged me to be his disciple and take me to practice cultivation. I didn't want to come at first, but seeing his sincerity, I gave him a chance. So, here I am..."
Zhang Yang was speechless.
It was true that Li Qingshan had begged him, but the part about 'sincerity' was a lie. Xu Xian had been kidnapped and brought here, but he would never admit that; it was too embarrassing.
Two youths nearby looked on with pure disdain. They tilted their heads back to look at the sky and began a back-and-forth act.
"Brother, why did the sky suddenly go dark?"
"Oh? Why did it go dark?"
"Because there's a cow flying in the sky."
"How can a cow fly in the sky?"
"Because someone on the ground is blowing a lot of hot air!"
Xu Xian looked over at them with a frivolous gaze. "You two don't believe me?"
The two remained silent, but their attitude made everything clear.
Xu Xian waved them off lazily. "Believe it or not."
This drew a round of laughter from those nearby.
Li Qingshan walked at the very front with his head down. A dark line of frustration seemed to run from his forehead to his chin. His fists instinctively clenched, and his facial muscles twitched irregularly.
He was gritting his teeth.
He looked as if he had been betrayed by someone.
They crossed long stone steps and narrow paths until they reached a mountain peak where the road ended.
There stood a cliff, a thin line suspended against the sky.
The canyon was so deep its bottom was invisible, shrouded in swirling mist. From time to time, the sound of the wind at the bottom echoed like the roar of an abyss beast.
A long bridge sat there.
It was made of cold iron chains, spanning the deep valley and rising gradually to the peak on the opposite side, reaching a height where it vanished from sight.
The bridge hung there.
There was no support beneath it, only iron chains falling from the clouds above. It was dozens of feet wide, enough for several carriages to drive side-by-side.
Seeing the bridge for the first time, everyone cried out in surprise. Their eyes were full of wonder and shock. Even Xu Xian couldn't help but remark that it was a masterpiece of divine craftsmanship; immortal techniques were truly impressive.
Even for the master builders of the modern world, such a project would be rare.
"This must be the Longevity Bridge. It's so big, even more imposing than I imagined."
"The Sword Inquiry Peak must be on the other side."
"The majestic Longevity Bridge, the path to the Sword Inquiry. Once we walk across, we'll be disciples of Wendao Sword Sect. We'll truly have made something of our lives then, haha!"
Li Qingshan stopped and turned around. His gaze landed on Xu Xian, intentionally or otherwise, as he said warmly, "Once you cross this bridge and reach the other shore, you will be disciples of my Wendao Sword Sect."
Having said that, Li Qingshan's figure flickered like an afterimage and vanished just like that.
The young boys and girls looked at each other, completely baffled.
Xu Xian was also momentarily stunned.
"That's it?"
A youth suffering from a bit of 'hero syndrome' raised his arm and shouted to the crowd.
"Fellow Daoists, what are we waiting for? Cross the immortal bridge, reach the other shore, and seek the Dao of longevity! Charge!"
"Let's go too."
Amidst the chatter, a swarm of people stepped onto the long bridge, heading for the other side. Some ran, unable to wait, while others walked, looking around curiously.
Zhang Yang sniffled and said excitedly, "Brother Xian, let's go too."
Xu Xian took a long look at the clouds and said coolly, "Let's move."
He walked with a confident stride onto the Longevity Bridge.
The bridge was wide, the canyon deep. Iron chains and bluestone intersected. The wind was strong, and it was cold at such heights.
The group of youths was like commoners entering a grand palace for the first time.
They looked here and there, tapping on the chains and shouting in wonder.
"Xu Xian."
While they were walking, someone lightly tapped Xu Xian's shoulder. He looked back to see a figure dart in front of him. She tilted her head, her hands tucked behind her back, and said with a beaming smile:
"We meet again!"
Xu Xian's brow furrowed slightly. "We were never apart."
Lin Qianqian froze for a moment before her brows smoothed out. "You're right."
The chubby boy waved and took the initiative to greet her. "Hehe, hello, Sister Lin."
Lin Qianqian said with a hint of surprise, "Oh, Fatty, you passed too."
Zhang Yang scratched his head, feeling quite embarrassed. "Just good luck, good luck."
Lin Qianqian curled her lip and said indifferently, "Silly people have silly luck, I suppose."
Zhang Yang said, "Uh..."
Lin Qianqian stole a glance at Xu Xian and smiled. "Xu Xian, let's walk together."
Xu Xian said, "Suit yourself."
"Are you from the mountains?"
"Is it that obvious?"
"Only people from the mountains would wear clothes made of pure animal skins like that."
"Good eye!"
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