Fellow Daoist! That scoundrel has written a new book again.

The straw boat swooped down.

Zhu Wuyao gripped the edge of the thatched shed, too afraid to move, feeling as if he were on a roller coaster.

The sounds of other disciples from the Star-Picking Tower urgently urging them to slow down, the gasps of surprise from those protected by spiritual energy behind them, and the words of the helmsman disciple—

"Don't worry! It's perfectly safe!"

And then there's Hua Yingting's unhurried "Oh dear."

Zhu Wuyao, taking a moment of exasperation amidst the tension, said helplessly, "Friend, can you please stop being so perfunctory?"

She still tried to look down at the mountains shrouded in clouds below the boat.

The houses and pavilions stretch across several hilltops, and in the very center stands a towering building that seems to reach into the clouds.

Zhu Wuyao closed her eyes, and the scene from just now floated into her mind.

The landscaping is excellent.

The straw boat slowed down a bit, probably because it had reached the mountain gate and could no longer move as it pleased.

Aside from the somewhat thrilling transportation to Zhaixinglou, it's actually quite humane, with straw boats moored right in front of the mountain gate.

They didn't make anyone climb the steps.

Looking up, the towering gate of the Star-Picking Pavilion stands majestically, with colorful birds circling around it, emitting melodious chirps, as if cut from clouds and draped in silk and gauze, creating an ethereal and otherworldly atmosphere.

Just a few steps away, looking further in, everything was shrouded in mist and clouds, making it impossible to discern the true nature of the place.

That was a completely different world.

If Ye Xiaozhou were here, he would definitely scoff. This is only because the newly arrived disciples specially gathered a spirit array to make a show of themselves, which is why it has such a miraculous effect.

Normally, they would just activate a protective formation for the sect, and the mountain gate would be nothing more than a bare door.

Where did this ethereal aura come from?

Before the mountain gate, there was a hermit who looked to be around forty years old, standing behind a table.

On the table in front of him were wooden counting rods and a clear, transparent stone.

Blocking the way.

Before entering the mountain gate, there is another checkpoint—testing one's spiritual root.

Zhu Wuyao knew that he had mixed spiritual roots of the five elements, which, although only of the lower grade, was enough to qualify him for entry into the sect.

Like her, there are quite a few people who know their own spiritual root aptitude.

Some of them are even rogue cultivators below the Foundation Establishment stage, or disciples who come here seeking the Dao because their families cannot provide more cultivation resources.

They are much more composed than ordinary people.

For most people, being able to enter the Star-Picking Tower is no less than leaping over the Dragon Gate.

Even setting aside the pursuit of immortality through immortality, the monthly salary of an outer disciple is enough to bring about a dramatic change in one's life.

Zhu Wuyao just got off the "spaceship" and is still a little dizzy.

After receiving the name tag from the disciple of Zhaixinglou who had verified her name, she moved to the back of the line and hung her name tag at the very end, about a dozen people.

Not only was the "roadblock" of testing spiritual roots in front of them preventing them from advancing, but the gatekeeper could also identify whether the person in front of them was an imposter simply by waving a wooden stick.

Zhu Wuyao noticed that many people who had bought their spots and were mingling in the queue were starting to panic.

Besides, not just anyone can enter that mountain gate.

Despite having clearly detected his spiritual root, he entered the mist, only to wander around and eventually emerge again. He was politely asked by the disciples of the Star-Picking Tower to leave and wait by the boat.

So close, yet so far away...

Another person walked to the door. He was a rather comical fat man. Zhu Wuyao peeked over and recognized him as one of the people buying and selling quotas.

In front.

Although the gatekeeper had set up a barrier in front of him, the fat man knew that everyone who had bought a spot had been exposed without exception.

But he felt he could take a gamble.

Seeing the person in front of him enter the mountain gate, the fat man calmly walked into the barrier, his face beaming with smiles before he even spoke.

Elder Chi looked up at the well-fed fat man, then at the name tag he was handed over.

With a somewhat complicated expression, he asked, "Your name is Kuwa'er?"

The fat man bowed and scraped as he said:

"Please forgive me, Immortal Master. I bought this spot. My name is Xu San'er, I am at the fourth level of Qi Refining, and I am a rogue cultivator with no reputation."

Ok?

There's actually one person who didn't try to deny it?

Elder Chi nodded, dutifully fulfilling his duty as goalkeeper, and said:

"Since you did not pass the preliminary selection, why have you come here? This door is not for you; please return."

Xu San'er bowed slightly, his eyes crinkling with a smile, and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, saying:

"Immortal Master, now that I have come before you, it is destined that I will be connected with the Star-Picking Tower."

"If it weren't for fate, how could I have happened to come to Xuancheng, register for the preliminary selection, and then, after failing the preliminary selection, meet Kuwa and buy a spot?"

Elder Chi sized up the fat man, chuckled in exasperation, and asked in return:

"According to you, everyone who buys a spot is destined to enter my Star-Picking Tower. Doesn't that mean whoever has the most money and power can get in?"

Xu San'er lowered his posture even further and continued:

"There is another reason why I, a humble person, have not been able to be slapped down the mountain and am still standing neatly in front of you. It is because Heaven has allowed me to seize this opportunity and fight for myself."

"Besides this, there is a third connection."

Xu San'er lowered his head even further, but continued speaking without stopping:

"I was able to walk through the door behind you because the right time, place, and people were all in place; therefore, we were destined to meet."

Elder Chi looked at the eloquent fat man in front of him and felt that even though he was a divination cultivator from the Star-Picking Tower, he was still confused by this "coming and going of fate".

At this moment, he should have slapped the fat man down the mountain.

This Xu San'er dares to recite tongue twisters in front of him?

Elder Chi felt an urge to slap him, but unfortunately, today was the day the Star-Picking Tower was recruiting new students.

If he were to make a move, who knows what kind of rumors would spread about the Star-Picking Tower...

After thinking for a while, he said:

"Let's test your spiritual root and go in."

Xu San'er repeatedly cupped his hands in greeting, and when he bent over, he looked even rounder.

Elder Chi placed his hand on the spirit-testing stone and channeled a wisp of spiritual energy into it. Two intertwined streaks of light appeared within the transparent stone.

"Dual spiritual roots of metal and earth".

"Oh, thank you for your trouble, Immortal Master."

After saying that, he ran to the mountain gate and stepped inside.

Elder Chi watched the person go in, and before the next person entered, he took out a communication talisman, infused it with spiritual energy, and whispered:

“A glib-tongued fat kid went in. Remember to slap him for me and then throw him out.”

After speaking, Elder Chi casually put away the communication talisman and looked at the next person who came to have their spiritual root tested.

The child, around ten years old, was wearing a worn-out cotton-padded coat, but his pants were patched up and his shoes had a hole in them.

He found it rather strange.

Children from families with similar circumstances rarely fail to sell their spots after passing the initial selection.

The Star-Picking Tower has never been prohibited.

Very few people can enter the Star-Picking Tower. If you want to use this spot to earn some money to supplement your family's income, it is a way to make a living.

Maybe we'll be able to get through this winter.

That's why the Star-Picking Tower occasionally lets in one or two "slippery fish," like the fat man who just went in.

As long as a notice is posted, just send a disciple to keep an eye on things and immediately bring the person to the mountain gate.

Elder Chi sighed slightly, looked down at his hands covered in frostbite, and at the name tag he was handed.

"Little Liu? Put your hand on this rock."

He had already remembered the registration form.