There's something wrong with the general.

Wen Yuxi and Zhiming walked for nearly a quarter of an hour before the iron chain bridge finally reached the end.

What appears before your eyes is a magnificent hall.

Leading to the temple are endless steps.

Wen Yuxi couldn't help but stare with his eyes wide open.

If you climb up from the bottom, won’t you lose half your life?

Wen Yuxi looked at Zhiming pitifully: "Brother, we don't have to walk up anymore, do we?"

Zhiming patted his shoulder and smiled slightly: "I will take my junior brother upstairs."

After saying that, he summoned a flying sword, grabbed Wen Yuxi's arm, and jumped up.

Wen Yuxi was almost in tears, luckily she didn't have to climb.

But it’s a bit strange why such high steps were built at the mountain gate.

Zhiming seemed to see through his confusion and explained, "This staircase has a total of 9,999 steps, specially used for the trial of new disciples."

this.....

Wen Yuxi was speechless.

If there are 10 steps on a floor, you have to climb 1000 floors.

It's more than equivalent to climbing Mount Tai.

Even adults can’t stand it.

Wen Yuxi couldn't help but complain, "Is this to recruit disciples, or to scare them away? Anyone would be scared to death by such high steps."

Zhiming burst out laughing.

"Junior brother, you may not know that our sect does not only recruit children as disciples, but also disciples between the ages of ten and twenty."

Wen Yuxi asked curiously, "Isn't it a bit late for a disciple who is twenty years old? After all, the earlier you practice, the better, right?"

Zhiming nodded. "Although that's true, the spiritual energy in this world has only been around for over twenty years, and those with spiritual roots are few and far between. Each sect and faction controls its own territory, and they all want to quickly improve their strength. Therefore, in order to recruit talent, they also accept older disciples."

Wen Yuxi thought about it and realized that spiritual roots and spiritual power complement each other.

Without spiritual power, it is difficult to give birth to offspring with spiritual roots.

Wen Yuxi calculated based on the original body's age.

He is just twenty years old this year and has not yet celebrated his twentieth birthday, so he is just at the age limit.

He couldn't help but feel happy, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised, looking like he was in a very good mood.

When Zhiming saw this, his dark eyes flickered slightly, and he asked in a low voice, "Junior brother, have you been crowned yet?"

"Not yet, but my birthday will be in a while, then..."

The ceremony of capping is usually held in the ancestral temple, presided over by the father, and designated guests perform the ceremony.

Wen Yuxi actually doesn't understand any of this.

I've seen it in a TV series in my previous life.

He originally thought that his elder brother could give him a ceremony of coming-of-age, but now it is unlikely.

Now that they have entered a sect of immortal cultivation, I guess everyone no longer cares about the red tape of the mortal world.

Forget it, it’s nothing. Wen Yuxi has a good attitude and will just treat it as an ordinary birthday.

"Junior brother's birthday is..."

Zhiming suddenly asked in a low voice.

"Ok?"

Wen Yuxi was stunned for a moment.

If he were to mention his birthday in modern times, he would be able to say it off the top of his head, but he would have to think carefully about his birthday here.

I remember hearing from the maids that his mother died of complications during childbirth.

It seems to be...September 15th.

Yes, it’s September 15th.

One winter, Wen Qianyi went on a campaign and didn't have time to celebrate his birthday. This memory came after their souls merged.

The maids celebrated his birthday for him, but he was not happy.

"Brother, my birthday is September 15th."

Wen Yuxi scratched his head awkwardly. What good person would forget his own birthday?

He lowered his head and pretended to be sad as he explained, "I rarely celebrate my birthday. My birthday is the anniversary of my mother's death."

He has never seen the mother of this world.

It is rarely mentioned by my father and elder brother.

But his mother in his previous life is still alive and well.

Therefore, he actually cannot empathize with the pain of a person who has lost both parents.

Naturally, I don’t know whether my acting is genuine or not.

"My condolences, Junior Brother."

Zhiming slowly raised his hand and patted his shoulder.

It's so embarrassing!

Wen Yuxi didn't know how to respond for a moment.

I had no choice but to change the subject and said, "Brother just said that to become a disciple of the Jiuxuan Sect, one needs to participate in trials. What are those trials?"

Zhiming turned his head and looked at Wen Yuxi quietly.

"Disciples brought back from various places must participate in three sect tests."

"Disciples brought back from various places? Does our sect still go to the mortal world to recruit disciples every five years? Why have I never heard of such news?"

If the sect's seedlings are selected from the mortal world, how could the princes, nobles, and royal relatives not hear anything about it?

As the top class in this mortal world, they will definitely try their best to give it a try.

They have been living a life of luxury since childhood, so naturally they want this to last forever.

Then the pursuit of immortality will be an eternal topic.

Isn’t it the same with the greatest emperor of all time, Qin Shi Huang?

"In fact, ever since the emergence of spiritual energy, the various sects and schools have rarely come to the mortal world to select seedlings. This is because there are very few people in the mortal world with spiritual roots, and the blood relatives of the sects are more likely to have spiritual roots."

Zhiming paused and continued, "But the sect members are a minority after all, so the elders proposed going to the mortal world to find disciples. This year is the first batch."

"Didn't Senior Brother say before that ordinary cultivators can't tell a person's spiritual roots? How can we be sure then?"

Zhiming replied in a low voice: "Those who go to select disciples will bring magical instruments that can sense spiritual roots. Although they don't know the specific spiritual roots, they can sense whether there are spiritual roots."

"Then what should be done with these disciples with spiritual roots, even if they can neither enter the inner sect nor the outer sect in the future?"

"The sect will teach them some basic skills, and they will do menial work in the mountains, cultivate spiritual fields, and raise spiritual beasts. They will also be given opportunities to participate in trials. If they pass, they can become outer disciples, but the age limit is 30. The content of the trials varies."

Wen Yuxi thought about it and felt that the sect was actually quite humane.

By the way, Senior Brother, are you coming down the mountain this time with the mission of recruiting disciples?

Otherwise, why would you agree to it so readily?

Wen Yuxi couldn't figure it out, and didn't dare to ask.

So he continued with the previous topic and asked, "Brother, please continue. The disciples we bring back will have to take the three sect tests. What are the contents?"

"The first level is to test your spiritual roots. Only those with spiritual roots can enter the second level."

After Zhiming finished speaking, a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"During the previous sect ceremony, it was detected that the disciples brought back had no spiritual roots, but they were able to light up using a magical instrument that could sense spiritual roots."

Wen Yuxi blinked: "Does this magic weapon also have a time of failure?"

Zhiming smiled and said, "I don't know about that either. But from now on, everyone brought back must first undergo the first spiritual root test. This is to test whether they have the fate of becoming an immortal."

He paused and continued, "The second step is to climb the Heavenly Ladder. You must pass 9,999 steps within a certain timeframe. This primarily tests your perseverance. The third step is to refine your mind. The sect will send all disciples who pass the first two trials into the Heart Refining Formation. Only those who can emerge within an hour can become sect disciples."

Wen Yuxi nodded thoughtfully. Isn’t this the entrance exam?

"Then, Senior Brother, can these disciples who have passed the trials make a two-way choice with the Masters?"

Zhiming nodded: "Okay."

That sounds really good, but I wonder if I will change my major in the future if I choose a direction I don’t like.

Just like it’s so difficult to change majors nowadays, I guess it will be even more difficult here!

"Which direction do you want to study?"

Zhiming looked at Wen Yuxi quietly, his eyes flashing slightly.

Wen Yuxi scratched his head; he hadn't thought it through yet.

Is there a trial learning mechanism?

He didn't know how to choose.

However, my senior brother is a sword cultivator, and I believe that my master is also a sword cultivator, so he must also follow the path of swordsmanship.

Is it possible to change it?

Wen Yuxi hesitated: "Brother, I haven't thought about it yet."