Traveling through time to cultivate immortality: a life and death test

"What is the status of the Restriction Department within the Thousand Machines Sect? Who is in charge?" After Liu Xing understood the initiation process, he began to inquire about the sect's situation. He wanted to learn more so he could find a more powerful master and advance further in the art of restriction.

"The art of restriction is the core of the sect. Currently, Great Elder Su Xingchen is at the helm. Elder Su is in the late Nascent Soul stage and has immense strength. He is the number one master in Qianji Sect. The Restriction Department is managed and recruited by his disciples. Elder Su hasn't personally recruited disciples for over five hundred years, and hasn't even shown up in the sect for nearly a hundred years." Yue Qianjun spoke of Su Xingchen, his admiration flowing like a torrent of water.

"Senior Su is in a high position and has great power. He probably doesn't have time to personally train apprentices." Liu Xing said with understanding.

"That's one aspect. It's also said that the person he's looking at hasn't appeared yet. Everyone is guessing that with the Great Elder's vision, what kind of extraordinary talent must one have to be chosen by him." Yue Qianjun told a rumor unknown to the outside world.

"Haha, that's true." Liu Xing also felt that Yue Qianjun was right, so he listened and knew that this child of destiny definitely wouldn't be him. He was very self-aware of his own spiritual roots, and whether he could break through to the Jindan stage was uncertain, so he shouldn't be too ambitious.

The two chatted as they hurried along, stopping at the market to rest and replenish their cultivation supplies, especially the herbs for the Oolong Pills and Spirit Marrow Pills. Liu Xing also took the opportunity to sell off any unused magical instruments and monster materials in his bag, earning him hundreds of thousands of spirit stones. His wallet felt fuller, and Liu Xing's mood brightened.

Three months passed quickly, and one day, the two of them arrived at the Qianji Sect, exhausted from all the travel. The Qianji Sect, a thousand miles in radius, was enveloped by a massive formation. Liu Xing could sense the immense power of this barrier, capable of both attack and defense, but with his abilities and knowledge, he couldn't fathom its mechanics. This ten-thousand-year-old sect was truly not to be underestimated; its depth was unfathomable, Liu Xing thought to himself.

Since the time for the Qianji Sect to recruit disciples was approaching, the number of guards and greeters at the mountain gate had doubled. Liu Xing explained his purpose and, accompanied by Yue Qianjun, a core disciple, he was quickly authenticated and allowed to pass with minimal questioning. It was indeed easy to get things done with someone on the inside, which made Liu Xing sigh with emotion. After the two of them entered, they were taken to a temporary rest area, each with a simple cave for meditation and rest. Yue Qianjun stayed with Liu Xing in the cave for an hour, reiterating some precautions before leaving and returning to his master's sect to report.

Liu Xing walked around the rest area. This area, a small valley not far to the right of the mountain gate, was home to around a thousand temporary caves. Judging by their age, they seemed quite old, likely housing candidates from previous apprenticeship conferences. A hundred or so caves, spread out sparsely but occupying the majority of the area, housed Foundation Establishment stage candidates. The remaining nearly a thousand caves, tightly packed together, housed Qi Condensation stage candidates. This discrepancy was somewhat obvious, but in the world of immortal cultivation, the strongest were respected, and no one objected.

Liu Xing stood high up, gazing up at the Thousand Machine Sect. For a thousand miles, rolling mountains stretched, crisscrossed by streams and waterfalls, shaded by lush greenery and strewn with flowers, creating the tranquil atmosphere of a grand, immortal sect. He took a deep breath, sensing the teeming spiritual energy. This mountain range must contain a top-tier spiritual vein. Five towering peaks formed a finger-like pattern, rising into the clouds. White clouds drifted along the mountainside, flocks of cranes soared, and glints of multicolored light occasionally streaked across the sky, creating a bustling atmosphere. Yue Qianjun explained that the central peak was the Forbidden Department, where Grand Elder Su Xingchen often practiced in seclusion atop the mountain. The other peaks housed the Divination Department, the Puppetry Department, the Alchemy Pavilion, and the Weapon Refining Hall. Five Finger Peak was the highest of the Thousand Machine Sect's five peaks, while hundreds of other peaks, large and small, were developed into various caves or administrative areas, ranging from housing spiritual beasts, cultivating medicinal herbs, refining elixirs and weapons with subterranean fire, to practicing magic in arenas. Some areas lacking spiritual energy were left vacant and developed into tourist areas, where they were transformed into pavilions, towers, rockery, and bathing pools, creating breathtaking scenery. Cultivators also had romantic partners and friends to chat with, and they also needed some relaxing environment.

Liu Xing stood there for a full hour. The beautiful environment and peaceful atmosphere made it a perfect place for cultivation. He felt he had to perform well and strive for good grades to successfully become a disciple of the Qianji Sect. His only concern was that his spiritual roots were too weak to be noticed by a Yuanying-stage expert, so he could only become a disciple of a Jindan-stage master. However, there was no other way. He also wanted to learn from the most powerful teacher, so that he could rise to the top and have better resources for cultivation and learning the art of restraint. However, one must always face reality and take one step at a time.

After calming down, he returned to his temporary cave, closed the restrictions, and meditated with his eyes closed, preparing to wait until the official start of the test before emerging. Without the aid of elixirs, his painstaking cultivation progressed at a snail's pace. Undeterred, he took another Soul-Nourishing Pill, but found it still had no effect, so he gave up. He then took out some recently acquired cultivation manuals and perused them carefully, even contemplating the Blood Demon's "Blood Pill Great Method," which slightly improved his understanding of cultivation and his knowledge of the Blood Pill Demonic Art.

Two months passed quickly. Early that morning, Yue Qianjun came to see him, offering encouragement. Liu Xing assured him not to worry, saying passing the entrance exam wouldn't be a problem. He also received a notice stating the start of the exam, telling him to gather in the central square of the temporary reception area. There were around a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators, including several masters in the late Foundation Establishment stage. These cultivators were certain to pass the martial arts competition, and the representatives from each peak were targeting them. There were over a thousand Qi Cultivation cultivators, ranging from the sixth to the twelfth level. Because their spiritual root aptitude had not yet been tested, their individual circumstances were unclear. The representatives from each peak were primarily targeting those with dual spiritual roots. Natural and unusual spiritual roots were rare, so finding one depended entirely on luck, and no one held out much hope. However, whenever such a chosen one appeared, each peak would fight tooth and nail, unwilling to give in. Even the peak masters would personally participate in the fight for their chance. They were all Nascent Soul masters. When Liu Xing heard Yue Qianjun telling him about these situations, he was extremely envious. High talent and good qualifications are the kingly way, and great teachers and high-quality resources will be provided to you.