Seven Mysterious Spaces: My Rise to Power in the Cultivation World

Zhuang Yu followed Elder Zhao to a spacious training ground.

A number of disciples and elders gathered around, whispering and discussing the upcoming final round of assessments.

The assessment content is simple, but also the most brutal—real-world practice.

The opponent was determined by drawing lots, and Zhuang Yu's luck seemed to be not so good. His opponent was Zhang Dashan, who had been hostile to him before.

Zhang Dashan grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth, his eyes flashing with a fierce light.

He walked up to Zhuang Yu, his tone contemptuous: "Kid, I didn't expect you to actually make it this far, but that's where it ends!"

Zhuang Yu felt the intense hostility emanating from Zhang Dashan, as well as the spiritual energy fluctuations of someone in the early stage of Qi Refining, and the pressure in his heart felt as heavy as a mountain.

He knew that this battle would be extremely difficult.

Elder Zhao announced the start of the assessment, and Zhang Dashan immediately launched an attack.

His movements were as swift as a cheetah, his punches were fierce and his moves were sharp, each strike aimed straight for Zhuang Yu's vital points.

Zhuang Yu could only keep dodging, looking disheveled.

The surrounding audience all thought Zhuang Yu was going to lose, and they started to discuss it amongst themselves.

"This kid is no good. He can only dodge and doesn't have any chance to fight back." "Zhang Dashan is at the early stage of Qi Refining. This kid probably can't even withstand one move." "It seems that Zhang Dashan is guaranteed to win this test."

Hearing the surrounding discussions, Zhang Dashan became even more arrogant. He thought Zhuang Yu was timid and cowardly, so he launched an even more ferocious attack.

As he attacked, he taunted, "What? All you can do is dodge? Show me your true skills!"

Zhuang Yu continued to silently evade, but his eyes grew increasingly calm, and a barely perceptible smile even appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Zhang Dashan was oblivious to all this; he was blinded by the joy of victory.

Suddenly, Zhuang Yu stopped dodging. His eyes narrowed, and he said softly, "It's time to end this..."

Zhuang Yu's eyes suddenly sharpened like a knife. Just as Zhang Dashan's heavy punch came, he stopped dodging and instead twisted his body strangely, gliding past Zhang Dashan's punch like a fish.

All they saw was a flash of afterimage, and Zhuang Yu had already appeared behind Zhang Dashan.

He pointed his fingers like knives and lightly landed on Zhang Dashan's vital acupoint on his back.

Zhang Dashan felt an overwhelming force surge through his body, instantly rendering him unable to move, his body stiffening and frozen in place.

His arrogant expression froze, replaced by unbelievable shock.

The surrounding chatter abruptly ceased, and everyone stared wide-eyed, as if they had witnessed something unbelievable.

"You...you..." Zhang Dashan managed to utter a few words, but he couldn't get a complete sentence out.

He never imagined that Zhuang Yu, whom he had always considered an easy target, would possess such formidable strength.

Just when everyone thought Zhuang Yu would press his advantage and completely defeat Zhang Dashan, he suddenly withdrew his hand.

He dusted himself off and said calmly to Elder Zhao, "Elder Zhao, I do not want to pass the test at the cost of injuring someone. Please make other arrangements."

As soon as this statement came out, the whole place was in an uproar.

Everyone was stunned; they never expected Zhuang Yu to make such a choice.

Zhang Dashan stood there stunned, unable to recover for a long time.

He originally thought he was bound to lose, but he didn't expect Zhuang Yu to give up on his own initiative.

Elder Zhao also looked surprised. He gave Zhuang Yu a deep look, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes. After a moment of contemplation, he slowly said, "Are you sure?"

Zhuang Yu nodded, her tone firm: "I'm sure."

Elder Zhao stroked his beard, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

He never expected that this seemingly ordinary boy would possess such noble character.

He originally thought Zhuang Yu was just a lucky kid, but now it seems he misjudged him.

Just as Elder Zhao was about to announce the results, a shrill voice suddenly rang out: "Elder Zhao, this kid is clearly just putting on a show! He must have some kind of conspiracy!" The speaker was a thin disciple who looked at Zhuang Yu with a sinister expression, his eyes filled with jealousy and resentment.

Another disciple chimed in, "Yes, Elder Zhao, he's clearly feigning weakness to lower our guard!"

Elder Zhao frowned slightly. He looked at Zhuang Yu, then at the disciples, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes.

"Elder Zhao, you should think this over carefully!" the disciples continued to fan the flames. "This kid's background is unknown; he might be some kind of spy!"

Elder Zhao fell silent, lost in thought.

Zhuang Yu looked at the scene before him, a meaningful smile appearing on his lips... "It seems that this assessment is more interesting than I imagined."

Zhuang Yu had a faint smile on his lips, as if he had already anticipated this statement.

He stepped forward and bowed respectfully, saying, "Elder Zhao, this disciple is not showing weakness, nor does he have any ulterior motives. The path of cultivation is long and arduous. While strength is certainly important, a steadfast heart devoted to the Dao and a compassionate spirit are also indispensable. This disciple does not wish to harm others, not out of cowardice, but because he does not wish to stray from the right path due to momentary impulses."

The disciples who had spoken ill of the disciples changed their expressions, and one of them shrieked, "Nonsense! You are clearly..."

"Enough!" Elder Zhao interrupted him with a low shout.

His sharp gaze swept over the group, and he said in a deep voice, "The cultivation world is a dog-eat-dog world, with fierce competition, but it's not without its limits. Zhuang Yu's unwillingness to harm others demonstrates his pure heart, which is far more valuable than blindly pursuing power." He turned to Zhuang Yu, a hint of admiration in his eyes, "You're right. The path of cultivation requires not only great strength but also a steadfast Dao heart. You've passed the test."

Upon hearing this, the disciples immediately looked as if they had lost their parents, their faces turning ashen.

They tried their best to stop Zhuang Yu, but unexpectedly they ended up helping him succeed.

Zhang Dashan's face turned ashen. He had originally thought Zhuang Yu was just a lucky good-for-nothing, but he never expected him to be so cunning.

Zhuang Yu smiled slightly and cupped his hands again, saying, "Thank you, Elder Zhao." He thought to himself, "This Elder Zhao is not a pedantic person. It seems that this small sect is not as simple as it appears on the surface."

The other disciples who participated in the assessment also cast envious glances at Zhuang Yu. They never expected that this seemingly ordinary young man would possess such extraordinary courage and wisdom.

They secretly resolved to curry favor with Zhuang Yu in the future, hoping to benefit from his influence.

Zhuang Yu successfully joined a minor sect, knowing that this was only the beginning of his path to immortality.

He looked around, his gaze falling on the majestic mountain peaks in the distance, and a surge of heroic ambition welled up in his heart.

“This is just the beginning…” Zhuang Yu muttered to himself, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes. “Wang Yao, let’s go.”

After completing the entry procedures, Zhuang Yu and Wang Yao were assigned to a simple wooden house.

Pushing open the door, a musty smell hit the nose. Inside, there was only a dilapidated wooden bed and a table with a missing leg.

Wang Yao wrinkled her nose, rolled up her sleeves, and began to tidy up.

Zhuang Yu walked to the window and looked at the distant, misty mountain peaks, his mind filled with countless thoughts.

Joining a minor sect is just the first step; the real challenge is just beginning.

Over the next few days, Zhuang Yu began to familiarize himself with the sect's environment.

He discovered that this small sect called "Qingyun Sect" was shockingly lacking in resources.

The spiritual stones, pills, and cultivation techniques needed for cultivation are all extremely scarce.

What surprised him even more was the strict hierarchy within the sect and the extremely uneven distribution of resources.

The senior disciples monopolized the best training grounds and resource points, leaving the new disciples with only scraps.

One day, Zhuang Yu went to the sect's scripture pavilion, hoping to find some suitable cultivation techniques.

However, the administrator of the Scripture Pavilion, a Foundation Establishment disciple with a pointed mouth and monkey-like face, made things difficult for him in every way.

"New here? Want to see the cultivation technique? Pay ten low-grade spirit stones first!" Zhuang Yu only had two pitiful spirit stones on him, which were given to him when he entered the sect.

Just as he was about to explain, he heard a sarcastic voice behind him: "Oh, isn't this our newly promoted genius? What, can't even come up with ten spirit stones?" Zhuang Yu turned around and saw a burly disciple with a face full of scars, who was leading several followers and looking at him with a mocking expression.

This disciple was none other than Zhang Dashan, whom he had refused to compete against during the assessment.

Zhang Dashan grinned maliciously, walked up to Zhuang Yu, and said condescendingly, "Want to see the cultivation technique? Beg me..." He paused, a sinister glint in his eyes, "Maybe, if I'm in a good mood, I'll reward you with a few spirit stones." Zhuang Yu's eyes turned cold, and a playful smile appeared on his lips.

"you sure?"