The Heavens: From Film and Mythology to Conquering Myriad Realms

Han Li originally had no intention of participating in the Ascension Ceremony, after all, the terrifying mortality rate was too frightening.

Even cultivators above the tenth level of Qi Refining might not be able to successfully join a sect; would he, a mere eighth-level Qi Refining cultivator, just go up there to get himself killed?

However, the Ascension Token that Lu Yao produced revived Han Li's despair.

Han Li didn't know how to feel at this moment. Lu Yao didn't use such a precious thing himself, but wanted to give it to him. How could he ever repay such a kindness?

"What are you thinking? It's not free for you."

Seeing Han Li's touched expression, Lu Yao chuckled and patted Han Li on the shoulder.

"I need a thousand-year-old elixir. Brother Han, once you join the sect, you'll have to help me collect some."

Lu Yao's eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't directly ask Han Li for the thousand-year-old spiritual medicine, since asking directly would be too obvious.

Give Han Li some time to work things out; he will figure out how to explain the origin of the thousand-year-old elixir himself.

“Brother Yao, even without the Ascension Token, I will still go and find the thousand-year-old elixir for you.”

"But you have to tell me what your plans are for this Ascension Ceremony."

Having already figured out the effects of the little green bottle, Han Li found the thousand-year-old elixir to be no problem at all.

However, Han Li was thinking about how Lu Yao would join a sect without the Ascension Token. Could he possibly fight on the arena of the Ascension Tournament?

"Brother Han, you underestimate me. Since I can give you the Ascension Token, I have a way to join a cultivation sect."

Lu Yao smiled, quite satisfied with Han Li's attitude. It seemed that he would have as many of these thousand-year-old spiritual herbs as he wanted in the future.

"Well... then I won't refuse."

Han Li was stunned for a moment, realizing that he had been overthinking things, and then accepted the Ascension Token.

"That's right. We cultivators are defying the heavens, how can we be so hesitant?"

Seeing Han Li accept the Ascension Token, Lu Yao patted Han Li on the shoulder and said with a smile.

"Let's go, we brothers are reunited, we should celebrate. It's on me today."

……

As more and more young cultivators arrived at Tai Nan Valley, the atmosphere of the Ascension Conference became increasingly intense.

As seven streaks of light flew from the sky into the Tai Nan Tower, it marked the official start of this year's Ascension Ceremony.

From outside the valley, Tainan Pagoda doesn't appear very large; it looks just like any other ancient pagoda.

But when Lu Yao entered the tower, he discovered that there was more to this Tai Nan Tower than met the eye.

Lu Yao and Han Li entered the Tai Nan Tower along with many other cultivators.

On the high platform were seven stone chairs, where Foundation Establishment cultivators from the seven major sects who had come to preside over the Ascension Ceremony were seated.

The people maintaining order in the arena were from Tainan Valley Market, and there were also Foundation Establishment cultivators from outside the seven major sects, such as Qingyan Zhenren, in charge.

"Ladies and gentlemen! The Ascension Ceremony has officially begun. I will now announce the rules of the ceremony..."

Fifteen minutes later, the Foundation Establishment cultivator who was presiding over the conference announced the conference rules and then returned to his seat, waiting for the conference to begin.

Most of the cultivators present, including Lu Yao, already knew the rules of the Ascension Conference through various channels.

The Ascension Ceremony has two steps. The first step is to test the spiritual root aptitude and verify the age of the applicants.

The seven major sects are all Nascent Soul sects, so they won't accept disciples with poor spiritual root aptitude. That would only be a waste of resources and Foundation Establishment Pills. Therefore, having three spiritual roots is the most basic requirement.

Someone with Han Li's four spiritual roots aptitude wouldn't pass the test; he wouldn't even be given a chance to step onto the arena.

Similarly, during the qualification assessment, if a person with excellent spiritual root aptitude appears, they have the opportunity to be directly recruited into the sect by the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the seven major sects.

After all, what if someone with a Heavenly Spiritual Root comes along and dies on the arena? That would be a huge dereliction of duty, and they would be punished by the sect.

However, this situation is rare, since most people have three or four spiritual roots.

Many cultivators did not come to participate in the Ascension Tournament arena, but rather to test their spiritual root aptitude.

A treasure capable of detecting spiritual root aptitude can only be crafted by a Core Formation cultivator, and requires a considerable amount of rare materials.

Therefore, many people are not very clear about their own spiritual root aptitude and can only judge it by the appearance of cultivation, but this is not accurate.

After verifying the spiritual root aptitude and age, the most crucial step of the Ascension Ceremony can begin.

Looking at the dozens of arenas inside the tower, Lu Yao knew that this was the selection venue.

These arenas are engraved with the symbols of various sects. To join a sect, you need to go to the arena that corresponds to that sect.

For Lu Yao, who possesses the Thunder Spirit Root, there is a high probability that he will be directly recruited into a sect. If that doesn't happen, he is confident that he can still win in the arena.

……

"Four spiritual roots? Not up to standard!"

"Three spiritual roots, passed!"

"Three spiritual roots, passed!"

……

There were hundreds of young cultivators participating in the Ascension Ceremony, all lining up and stepping forward one by one for testing.

Although Han Li had the Ascension Token, he also wanted to see what kind of spiritual root he had, so he was also in the team.

Fifteen minutes later, Lu Yao stepped forward, ready to have his spiritual root detected.

The cultivator responsible for detecting spiritual roots activated the treasure used to detect them, and a beam of light enveloped Lu Yao.

Lu Yao felt a sense of being probed sweep over him, as if he had been seen through.

A few breaths later, the treasure bead used to detect spiritual roots lit up with dazzling lightning.

"A different kind of spiritual root!"

The cultivator in charge of detecting spiritual roots looked at Lu Yao in shock and couldn't help but exclaim.

The commotion on Lu Yao's side immediately attracted the attention of the Foundation Establishment cultivators from the seven major sects on the high platform.

"It's actually a lightning spirit root!"

The Foundation Establishment cultivators from the seven major sects moved in an instant and arrived around Lu Yao.

"Haha, not bad, not bad. I would be very grateful if you fellow Daoists would give my Spirit Beast Mountain some face."

The Foundation Establishment cultivator from Spirit Beast Mountain was a burly man with stubble, dressed in an animal skin, and looked at Lu Yao with great satisfaction.

"Fellow Daoist Wang is joking. How could I so easily give you away my unique spiritual root?"

The woman dressed in Huangfeng Valley attire chuckled, clearly having no intention of handing Lu Yao over easily.

"I think this lad is destined to be with my Qingxu Sect."

A Foundation Establishment cultivator who looked like a Taoist priest also smiled and said calmly.

……

"I wish I also had a different spiritual root."

"Stop dreaming. This kind of spiritual root talent hasn't appeared in several sessions."

The other cultivators inside the tower stared at Lu Yao with envy, jealousy, and hatred, wishing they could take his place.

"Alright, fellow Daoists, there's no need for such scrambling. Don't make a fool of yourselves. The Ascension Ceremony has tallied the applicants' preferred sects. Why not take a look at this young man's own choice?"

The Foundation Establishment female cultivator from the Hidden Moon Sect, wearing a veil, spoke softly.

The other six looked at each other, then turned to the monk in charge of the statistics.

"Fellow disciples, the sect this young man has chosen to enroll in is the Hidden Moon Sect."

Faced with the attention of seven Foundation Establishment cultivators, the cultivator in charge of statistics was very nervous and quickly revealed the sect that Lu Yao had registered for.