Cultivating Immortality Begins with Rejuvenation.

Chapter 97 Condensing Spiritual Awareness
When it comes to understanding, Li Ji'an is confident.

Although he has not yet reached the point where he can comprehend the principles of heaven and earth out of thin air, many things require a sufficient resource library to unravel them, trace the roots, understand the fundamentals, and then optimize and improve on the basis of predecessors.

But this is already commendable. After all, this world has a history of more than 6,000 years, coupled with the heritage unearthed in ancient times, it has actually developed quite maturely, and it is not easy to innovate.

However, judging from the two initial tests of the Biyun Sect and the three tests of character, the Biyun Sect’s entry test is not the truth, but is probably more of experience and speculation.

Those that pass the test are not necessarily better, and those that fail the test are not necessarily bad.

At least as for the second level of sexuality, if he were to do it again, hypnotize himself in advance and implant the corresponding concept into his subconscious mind, he would definitely be able to perform better.

Li Ji'an followed the crowd into the pavilion, where there were ten water curtains in the center that condensed magical power, each with a picture or text explanation on it.

"The limit is three days. The more you comprehend, the better your comprehension will be. Plagiarism, all cheating methods, and the use of any soul-assisting elixirs are prohibited." Zhao Qi's voice echoed in the pavilion.

Only thirty-seven people entered the third level of the trial.

They all came forward and carefully studied the pictures and texts on the water curtain.

"This should be a late stage of Qigong training, a water-based technique."

"Pills, weapons, talismans, formations, and puppetry."

"This one is about physical cultivation!"

"This is a spell."

“There are actually techniques to cultivate the soul!”

"This also seems to be related to the soul. Could it be some kind of soul secret technique?"

Those who can come to participate in the trial have at least medium to high-grade spiritual roots, and most of them have complicated family backgrounds. They are either from side branches of the family, merchants in the fairy city, or descendants of elites in various industries. At the very least, their parents are also the best among the independent cultivators.

I still have some knowledge.

Soon the categories on the magic water curtain became clear.

Li Ji'an nodded secretly: "As expected, the Biyun Sect's comprehension test can only be estimated by this method of solving problems."

Comprehension is related to the soul, and the soul is hidden in the sea of consciousness. According to Li Ji'an's understanding over the years, at least the consciousness of a Jindan Zhenren cannot penetrate the sea of consciousness of others.

Unless there are some secret soul-searching methods.

However, once the soul is searched, the sea of consciousness will collapse, and even if one does not die, he will become a living dead.

After understanding the assessment method of the Biyun Sect at this level, Li Ji'an felt a little disappointed. After all, this assessment method had big problems and could not truly test a person's comprehension.

Everyone has his or her own unique talents, and it is obviously inappropriate to evaluate him or her based on his or her weaknesses.

Moreover, this type of test makes it easier to cheat and prepare in advance.

However, Li Ji'an didn't care. This method was actually advantageous for him. After all, he was the best at tracing the roots. If he mastered one method, he would master all methods.

Moreover, participating in the sect trial was originally an accident. He didn't care whether he succeeded or not. He was content to be able to experience it and be mentally prepared.

At worst, I can come back in the next life.

By then, he could directly complete the three all-around events and get a spot as an inner sect core disciple, or even be taught by the sect leader himself. This would naturally be much better than the current situation where even if he succeeds in becoming a disciple, he would definitely be just an ordinary inner sect disciple.

Then he began to comprehend from the first water curtain.

In the middle stage of Qi training in the previous life, I had some understanding of the essence of how the magic power gradually condensed from a thin gas to a mist from the early to the middle stage. This question at this moment is a deduction of a small detail of the way magic power operates during the transformation from the middle stage of Qi training to the late stage of Qi training.

Just a moment later, Li Ji'an stepped forward, picked up a pen and paper, and drew the deduced way of magic power circulation on the human meridian diagram.

Then the second one.

It just happened to be the alchemy skill that he had studied for thirty years in his previous life.

Just take a quick glance and the standard answer to this question will become clear.

He even thought that if he were to set the question, he would change the way he asked it to better reflect the answerer's understanding.

But it is only in the path of alchemy.

The third picture is about refining weapons.

This question took Li Ji'an nearly two hours to solve.

After all, he had never been exposed to weapon refining in his past life or this life, and he had no basic reserves.

Fortunately, this question is just a key deduction, and it is also somewhat related to Danhuo. With several possible permutations and combinations, I can barely find the correct answer.

However, if this method of obtaining the correct answer is actually used in refining equipment, it cannot be said to be completely useless, but it can only be said to be completely useless!
The fourth one is the talisman.

It happens to be his strong point.

Although the Great Elder Yan Kongyi himself does not have a very high talent for talismans, he is still good at teaching the basics of talismans.

Solved in three breaths.

……

……

This went on until noon on the third day, when Li Ji'an took another fasting pill and finally sat down because he could no longer hold on.

It has to be said that formations and puppets are too obscure and difficult to understand. The questions should not be difficult, but for a rookie like him who has no basic knowledge and no experience at all, he still has no clue and finally has to give up.

As for physical training and magic, there were no surprises.

However, it was not until now that he realized that the most unsolvable skills and secret techniques were actually the soul-related skills and secret techniques.

For a whole day and night, he didn't even understand the fragments of the soul cultivation techniques on the ninth water curtain.

Soul cultivation is a completely different path from the body cultivation and magic cultivation he knows about. There is no reference and no cognition.

This is especially true for the last set of soul secret techniques.

This also made him even more dissatisfied with this method of assessing comprehension.

In the end, Li Ji'an completed six questions and gave up on the remaining four. He took the six-page answer sheet to the side to regulate his breathing and wait for the trial to end.

"Dang~"

When night falls, a bell rings, indicating the end of the third level of comprehension test.

After Zhao Qi came in, thirty-seven people handed in their answer sheets one after another.

"Brother, why haven't you finished answering?" Xiao Changfeng asked worriedly when he saw that Li Ji'an only had six pages of answer sheets in his hand.

"I am stupid and cannot understand those things." When Li Ji'an shook his head to explain, he was slightly shocked when he saw Xiao Changfeng's full ten-page answer sheet.

Could it be that this kid is a peerless genius?

But Xiao Changfeng hurriedly leaned over and said in a low voice, "Oh, you are confused. Don't worry about whether you know it or not. Just write it boldly. Maybe the examiner will see your dedication and praise you even if you make mistakes."

"..." Li Ji'an raised his eyebrows slightly, admiring Xiao Changfeng's wisdom.

That night, everyone returned to the hall where they had stayed the first night to rest.

This time, they were closer to each other.

After all, even if these people did not enter the inner gate in the end, they could still enter the outer gate, and they would be brothers in the future.

Especially the young men with the best spiritual roots, who were highly praised by everyone.

Li Ji'an followed the crowd and said a few ordinary flattering words. For such a promising young man from the sect, making good friends might not necessarily bring benefits, but making enemies was definitely not an option.

The next day, Zhao Qi arrived again and announced the end of the trial. He led everyone to the Deacon Hall to wait for the elders of this session to determine the final rankings.

Then confirm the details of the future journey with your parents and elders. If everything is correct, you can enter the sect.

At three quarters past noon, the results of this trial came out.

Li Ji'an's talent is B-low, his temperament is B-high, and his comprehension is A-average, ranking 14th overall.

Xiao Changfeng's talent is below A, his temperament is average, and his comprehension is average, so he ranks sixteenth overall.

This time the sect is recruiting fifteen inner disciples!

The top three are ranked true masters.

"Congratulations, brother. Oh, no, you should call me senior brother from now on. Don't worry, I will be in the outer sect from now on. The previous promise is still valid, but I will risk my life to help you if you give me any orders!" Xiao Changfeng is not only cheerful but also open-minded. After a little disappointment, he became optimistic again.

"Junior brother, you are too polite. We can communicate more in the future." Li Ji'an was actually a little hesitant, because entering the inner sect with the fourteenth place almost eliminated the possibility of becoming a true disciple.

After this experience, he is confident that he can make it into the top three in his next life.

What he is hesitating about now is whether to join the Biyun Sect in this life will have any impact on joining the sect in the next life.

Another thing that needs to be considered is that the appearance of a person who has been nurtured by spiritual energy in this life may not change much from that in the next life, so are there any hidden dangers?

"Then Junior Brother will go to the outer courtyard first. Senior Brother, you are busy now. Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

As the others left, the relatives of the top fifteen candidate disciples were brought into the pavilion.

If a sect accepts a disciple, it must cut ties with the family.

Even if there is no family, even if they are biological parents, the future relationship must be stated in advance.

However, according to past experience, there are almost no problems at this stage.

Not long after, Li Ji'an saw Yan Qingwan being invited into the hall.

Yan Qingwan looked at him with eyes full of praise and pride in him.

……

The dust has settled, and the fifteen people in the hall are about to become inner disciples. A few of the extroverted ones have started to get acquainted with each other in advance.

A moment later, another sect steward gathered the fifteen people together and gave the routine instructions on how to get started.

"Once you join our sect, you must unite as one, and work together for the sake of the sect's ten thousand years. You must never violate the sect's rules! You must always remember the sect's kindness, and if there is an imperial decree, you must obey it without hesitation."

"As you step into this mountain gate, you have already drawn a clear line between yourself and the past. From now on, you should only have the sect in your hearts. Live as a sect member and die as the sect's soul."

"Our cultivation lies in struggle. We struggle with the heavens, with others, and with ourselves. If we slow down one step, we will slow down every step. The future potential of those who build their foundation at thirty and those who build their foundation at sixty will be very different."

"Although the sect has abundant resources, you cannot just sit back and enjoy them without working for them. You must actively accept the sect's missions, contribute to the sect's development, and earn contributions in exchange for them. Don't think that once you join the sect, you can be lazy and not strive for progress. If you have that kind of mentality, it is best to leave early."

……

The deacon's explanation was clear and concise, but Li Ji'an became even more hesitant.

He admitted that now that he had a deeper understanding of the sect, his expectations for it were a bit too high.

Although after entering this world and understanding that resources are king in this world, I can imagine that the sects in this world will definitely not be as harmonious as in some novels I have read, where the master loves and cares for them, and the brothers are friendly and respectful to each other, allowing me to practice in obscurity.

But I still had some expectations before.

There is really a gap at this moment.

He could understand the rules and concepts of the sects in the cultivation world, and he also understood that for ordinary cultivators in such an environment, if they did not fight, their path to the Tao would be hopeless and would be like waiting to die.

However, I have "Rejuvenation" and am not suitable for this.

After listening to only the first few items, Li Ji'an had no interest in listening any further.

Because of the three-day soul-consuming comprehension assessment, he was indeed a little exhausted at the moment. He sat cross-legged on the spot, took out a nourishing pill and swallowed it, then further condensed his soul.

During these three days of comprehension trials, his spirit and soul had been consumed quite a lot, but they had also been tempered. His spirit and soul seemed to have become stronger again, almost at the point of success. He just took this opportunity to condense them again.

This is similar to how monks fight for their lives to break through the bottleneck of their realm.

Sure enough, after a while, the spiritual consciousness that had been stuck at the peak of Qi training finally loosened.

Li Ji'an was delighted and continued to work hard.

Although his spirit and soul were strong in his previous life, it eventually stopped at the late stage of Qi training.

In this life, his spirit and soul became stronger due to rejuvenation. After seven years of refinement, it has made further progress than in the previous life, but it has not yet broken through to the spiritual consciousness comparable to the foundation-building stage.

At this moment, I finally see hope.

hum~
The next moment, Li Ji'an felt his sea of consciousness suddenly become clear.

The whole world seemed to be quiet.

The spiritual consciousness that was originally only able to passively sense suddenly became a spiritual consciousness that seemed to have eyes, ears, and touch.

At the moment of breakthrough, his spiritual consciousness scattered out of his control, directly radiating out more than ten feet.

He "saw" the ants in the cracks of the ground ten feet away, "heard" the rustling sound of earthworms digging in the soil at the corner of the wall ten feet away, and "touched" the dry and withered sound of fallen leaves flying ten feet away...

"Hmm?" Suddenly, at the moment of the promotion of spiritual consciousness, due to the guidance of the spiritual inspiration of heaven and earth, he was able to instantly feel the response of heaven and man, as if he had merged with the Great Dao, and the spiritual consciousness that was pulled out by the Great Dao was on its way back.

He actually broke through the barrier of the quiet room next door.

He "saw" a seductive smile on the face of the elder in charge of the fake pill factory in the next room.

I heard him say, "Fellow Daoist Yan is so young, yet he's already been promoted to a second-rank alchemist. If he could join our Holy Sect, his future would be limitless. Why would you be trapped in a small clan, where you'd never be able to advance again? You might as well reconsider it. Besides, your son's spiritual roots aren't strong, and his character isn't great either. He can't receive the true teachings, and he has no one to protect him..."

"Swish!" The moment his consciousness returned to his sea of ​​consciousness, Li Ji'an had already made a decision in his heart.

Sects have obvious advantages over families, with abundant resources and strong inclusiveness. However, if one cannot become a true disciple, one will not be able to obtain the sacred Dharma, will not be valued by the sect, and will not have anyone to protect the sect. One must obey the sect's dispatch and actively carry out tasks. One may also be forced to enter a secret realm for trial, which is life-threatening.

Furthermore, due to his lack of experience, his results in this trial were not very ideal, and he was confident that he would perform better in his next life and had the hope of trying again. Even if he wanted to join the sect in the end, there was no need to cling to this life.

What's more, Yan Qingwan, as the only alchemist trained by the family, is the future and hope of the Yan family and will never leave the family.

After a long time.

The deacon finished his speech, and Yan Qingwan also came out of the quiet room.

"Everyone, if you have no objection, please follow me to the inner gate to handle the procedures for joining the sect." After the deacon finished speaking, he raised his foot to leave, obviously not thinking that anyone would give up.

"Sorry, I give up for personal reasons." At this moment, Li Ji'an's voice surprised everyone.

Yan Qingwan also looked at Li Ji'an in confusion. She wanted to persuade him, but when she thought of the maturity and independence that Li Ji'an had shown over the past seven years, she finally suppressed her surprise and doubts and did not say anything more for the time being.

The deacon was suddenly surprised. Over the years, so many people had tried their best to get in, but even more people failed. How could this young man in front of him give up at the last moment?

After being stunned for a moment, he collected his thoughts and said nothing more. It is not uncommon for young people to be frivolous. There has always been no shortage of young people with high aspirations in the world of cultivation.

Of course, there are also some young people who have not experienced hardships and are eager to live freely and unrestrainedly. They may find it difficult to accept and understand some rules!

(End of this chapter)