System: After the fortune telling, my cultivation level skyrocketed.

Chen Xuan's words were entirely devoid of subjective perspective, based solely on the actual circumstances. Bai Li was stunned by Chen Xuan's rigorous logic, racking her brains but unable to find the slightest flaw.

Seeing the doubt on Bai Li's face, Chen Xuan couldn't help but smile and said, "As for liking someone, Master, I only follow my heart's choice and feelings. Relationships and feelings cannot be built by just meeting a few times, drinking a few times, or discussing a few times. Feelings gained in that way are too fragile and cannot withstand the erosion of time. Sooner or later, they will be diluted by the years."

“Alright, Master, I understand.” Bai Li nodded in response. He found that whenever they discussed the mysteries of the Dao or the principles of conduct, he could hardly win in words against his master, Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan looked at Bai Li's appearance and shook his head with a smile. Time flies, and the fifteenth day of the first lunar month had passed in the blink of an eye.

These past two days, perhaps because of Qing Tianyu's departure, Qing Tianxiaolou has been quite quiet, and he often comes to Qiongyulou to find Chen Xuan and discuss the matter of becoming his disciple.

Qing Tian Xiao Lou said, "Although according to past practice, the eighteenth day of the first lunar month is an auspicious day when the major sects in Qing Tian City officially begin recruiting disciples, the actual situation is not entirely like that."

"This is because the three major sects in the first tier, namely the Nine Heavens Profound Purity Palace, the Heaven and Earth Supreme Purity Palace, and the God-Slaying Guard, have profound foundations and extraordinary strength, and their siphon effect is extremely significant."

"In this way, the second and third tiers, and even those minor sects, will all need to find ways to deal with it."

Chen Xuan was not a native of Jingtian City and knew little about the details of the triennial public recruitment of disciples by various sects. Upon hearing this, he immediately listened attentively and asked, "What exactly is the situation?"

Qing Tian Xiao Lou smiled faintly and spoke eloquently: "In the past, if all sects had to recruit disciples on the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, it would have been difficult for the second and third tier sects to recruit top disciples and outstanding talents. With only three days for recruitment, if many people flocked to the Nine Heavens Profound Purity Palace, the Taiqing Palace, and the God-Slaying Guard, those with bad luck might have to wait another three years to have the opportunity to become disciples. Therefore, those sects that are not in the first tier would recruit disciples earlier and compete to find suitable candidates."

After listening, Chen Xuan nodded slightly and speculated, "So, some people realize that their potential is not enough to enter the top-tier sects, so they give up their illusions and switch to the second or third tier. After all, it's better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix. Rather than being eliminated by the rigorous selection of the top tier, it's better to steadily join a sect like the Four Great Uncles' Wish Sect or the Sunny Sky Sword Sect, right?"

Qing Tian Xiao Lou smiled and nodded: "You are very intelligent and quick to understand, which is exactly the case. Therefore, those who still dare to go to the Nine Heavens Profound Purity Palace and the Heaven and Earth Supreme Purity Palace on the eighteenth day of the first month, when the formal acceptance of disciples is held, are mostly geniuses who are extremely confident in themselves. Please wait patiently for these two days."

Upon hearing Qing Tian Xiao Lou's words, Chen Xuan nodded slightly. While pondering various matters, he casually asked, "By the way, Brother Xiao Lou, you grew up in Qing Tian City. Do you know what the trials for accepting disciples at the Nine Heavens Profound Purity Palace are like?"

Qing Tian Xiao Lou smiled and shook his head, saying, "The public disciple recruitment ceremony held every three years has a selection process for the first tier that changes randomly every year. Take last year's disciples who wanted to join the Nine Heavens Profound Purity Palace, for example; the test was a mechanical puppet array."

"First, the disciples' bones and flesh are examined with a bone-revealing mirror to see if there are any defects. Then, everyone must face the attack of the mechanical puppet array. Only by breaking through the array can they enter the third level. I heard that the third level is extremely difficult. Only those who pass it are qualified to become formal disciples."

"However, I cannot say for sure what kind of assessment method Xuanqing Palace will come up with three years from now, nor can I verify it. Although I have a close friend who is a formal disciple of Xuanqing Palace, they keep these secrets to themselves. I have only heard this much information. In any case, there is no fixed assessment method. This is to prevent new disciples from being trained in a targeted manner, so as not to go against their original intention of recruiting disciples and finding geniuses."

After hearing this, Chen Xuan shook his head slightly, thinking that the Xuanqing Palace's higher-ups were indeed very vigilant about this, and since it was difficult to obtain their assistance, he felt relieved.

After that, Chen Xuan and Qing Tian Xiao Lou chatted for a long time. Time flew by, and two days passed in the blink of an eye. The phoenix carriage that had sent Qing Tian Yu'er had also returned.

Today the sun shines brightly, and most of the snow in the city has melted. It happens to be an auspicious day—the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, a grand day when all sects in Qingtian County publicly recruit disciples once every three years.

At this moment, Qingtian City was teeming with people, with many young people who had traveled long distances to gather here.

Some people were dressed in animal skins, their faces full of bewilderment, and it was clear at a glance that they had traveled day and night from a remote place.

Some, dressed in fine clothes and accompanied by old servants, were determined to go straight to their desired sect's branch, hoping to pass the test and embark on the path of cultivation.

Chen Xuan got up early to bid farewell to the Qingtian Marquis and his wife. Then, Qingtian Xiaolou personally summoned a phoenix carriage and silver-armored Taoist soldiers to escort him to the Jiutian Xuanqing Palace sect.

Qingtian City covers an area of ​​tens of thousands of miles and is divided into four major districts. The Jiutian Xuanqing Palace is located in a corner of the northern district, which covers an area of ​​three thousand miles.

Perhaps for cultivators, three thousand miles in radius is not a vast expanse, but for Chen Xuan, who came from a small world, this area is indeed quite considerable.

Soon, Chen Xuan looked down through the window of the phoenix carriage and saw a long line of talented young men waiting quietly, surrounded by servants, guards and maids.

Chen Xuan, however, rode in a phoenix lotus carriage and flew straight over the queue, landing at the first checkpoint of the test.

Qing Tian Xiao Lou's actions undoubtedly put Chen Xuan in opposition to all the disciples who came to become his disciples. The reputation of the Luan Feng Che Lian spread far and wide, and everyone knew that it was used by the high-ranking members of Qing Tian Hou. Although they dared not express the slightest dissatisfaction, they cursed it in their hearts.

As the carriage sped past, a chorus of curses erupted.

"Damn it, we've been queuing up since yesterday, waiting all night for this day to openly accept disciples, and yet this disciple of the Qingtian Clan is so unruly."

“Exactly. Does that mean you can join the Xuanqing Palace by cutting in line? This is the Xuanqing Palace of the Nine Heavens, not some small sect that can be manipulated at will by the Qingtian Marquis.”

"Ridiculous. In previous years, many members of the Qing Tian clan also cut in line for the assessment, but they were still eliminated just like before."

"Just wait and see. Once I become a formal disciple of the Xuanqing Palace, I will definitely humiliate this Qingtian clan member!"

"Yes, if he fails the test, we'll ridicule and mock him to our hearts' content!"

Clearly, the ostentatious display of the carriage as it flew through the city and landed at the very front of the long queue had angered everyone. The crowd was holding their breath, waiting for the disciple who cut in line to be eliminated.

"Brother Xiaolou? What's wrong with you?" Chen Xuan could naturally see the dissatisfaction of the long queues of people taking the test, and he looked at his friend with a puzzled expression and asked.

"Hahaha, if I hadn't borrowed my mother's carriage, how would I dare to fly straight over here without having to queue?" After saying this, Qing Tian Xiao Lou glanced at the people queuing below and said with a face full of disdain, "Every time we publicly recruit disciples, it is not easy for one or two people to successfully become disciples of Xuanqing Palace. In fact, after the last disciple recruitment ceremony, not a single person was able to become a formal disciple of Xuanqing Palace."

Chen Xuan was secretly startled. It was early morning, and there were thousands of people queuing up. Thousands of people were participating in the assessment, but last time no one was able to become a formal disciple of Xuanqing Palace.

“Therefore, if I hadn’t brought you here directly, you would have had to wait in line for a long time,” Qing Tian Xiao Lou said with a smile. “As for those voices, there’s no need to pay them any attention.”