Divine Transcendence

Lu Shen nodded in agreement, not requiring Yuan Ming to demonstrate further. "There are three days left before the disciples of our sect embark on their training journey. If you two have no other plans, why not come back with me to the Shengye Sect and stay for a few days? We can set off together. What do you think?"

Yuan Ming had no other engagements, so he did not refuse, and neither did He Wendao.

The four of them left the room and descended the stairs. As Yuan Ming looked up at the entrance of the Loose Cultivator Association, he suddenly paused.

Three Foundation Establishment cultivators had arrived, clad in the robes of Changchun Temple, their faces full of arrogance, looking down on the other cultivators with a hint of disdain.

People from Changchun Temple? What are they doing here?

Lu Shen also noticed the trio and frowned. The three from Changchun Temple, however, didn’t notice Yuan Ming and the others descending from upstairs.

They walked straight into the mission hall, looked around, and then the one in the middle channeled his spiritual power and announced loudly, "I am Xu Changqing, a Foundation Establishment cultivator from Changchun Temple. I was attacked near Xiaohu City. Anyone who can provide clues or information about the murderer will be rewarded with a thousand spirit stones!"

The mission hall erupted into chaos as soon as he finished speaking.

Some people, confused, turned to their companions, "Who is Xu Changqing? Have you heard of him?"

Some muttered resentfully, "A reward? Hah, Changchun Temple sure knows how to throw its weight around, asking us for information as if they’re doing us a favor!"

Amidst the crowd, Yuan Ming’s face remained expressionless as he took a good look at the three from Changchun Temple, memorizing their features before shifting his gaze away.

"These people from Changchun Temple couldn’t have picked a worse place to die. Is it just an excuse? We mustn’t let this fire burn us... We need to report back to the sect immediately." Lu Shen’s brow was furrowed as he called out and quickly headed outside the Loose Cultivator Association.

Yuan Ming and the others silently followed, and soon they left the association, leaving the noise behind.

***

Three days later, at the Shengye Sect. Today marked the annual Qi Refining stage disciples’ training day.

Early in the morning, all the registered disciples gathered in the sect square. The usual cultivation was dull and tedious, and the rare opportunity to go out in the open had many young disciples excited early on, their faces eager. The older ones, however, were focused on the rankings of the training. Although not as rewarding as the triennial sect competition, performing well in the training could not only earn a lot of cultivation resources but might also catch the eye of the sect elders, potentially skyrocketing one’s status.

Of course, for those disciples directly taught by the elders, rankings were not important. What really mattered were the potential rivals in future sect competitions.

However, for Xu Tian, what truly troubled him was his junior sister, Luo Xing’er.

"Xing’er, listen carefully. Once we’re out there, stay close to me and don’t wander off. If anything happens, consult with me first, understand?" Xu Tian held Luo Xing’er’s hand, repeatedly admonishing her. His cultivation had reached the sixth layer of Qi Refining, while Luo Xing’er was somewhat behind, only at the fourth layer.

"Alright, alright, senior brother, you really do nag a lot." Luo Xing’er pouted, her little face puffing up in dissatisfaction.

Seeing this, Xu Tian sighed deeply, wanting to say more, but Luo Xing’er suddenly grabbed his hand excitedly and shook it. "Senior brother, look, look, it’s Elder Lu! He’s a great cultivator in the late stages of Foundation Establishment. I wonder when I’ll be able to reach that level." Luo Xing’er spoke with admiration.

"As long as we diligently cultivate and put in the hard work, that day will surely come," Xu Tian replied.

"Oh, so Young Master Yuan is so powerful because he cultivated like that?" Luo Xing’er turned to look at him.

Xu Tian was somewhat speechless but still managed to say, "Of course."

***

Meanwhile, Lu Shen stood on a temporary platform, his stern gaze sweeping over the disciples below. The once noisy square quickly fell silent.

"To stand out from the common folk and join our Shengye Sect is no small feat. After long and arduous cultivation within the sect, today..." Facing the multitude of disciples, he began a lengthy speech, discussing the difficulties of cultivation and the breadth of life, speaking eloquently and without end.

Some of the older disciples were prepared, having sealed their hearing with spiritual power in advance, while the younger ones who were experiencing this for the first time listened with rapt attention at first, but their thoughts soon became muddled, internally lamenting their fate.

After more than half an hour, Lu Shen finally concluded his speech, his eyes filled with expectations as he looked at the Qi Refining stage disciples.

He scanned the crowd and then summoned the sect’s giant Qingmu flying ship, instructing the disciples below to board.

Relieved, the disciples exhaled deeply and hurried onto the Qingmu flying ship, fearing that Lu Shen might suddenly decide to add a few more points to his speech.

Soon, all the disciples had boarded the flying ship, and Lu Shen also leaped to the bow, inserting several mid-grade spirit stones into the deck’s array, activating it.

The Qingmu flying ship then soared into the sky, slowly flying beyond the sect.

***

In a storage room on the upper part of the Qingmu flying ship, Yuan Ming, who was meditating, also opened his eyes and secretly released his Soul Raven, guarding the flying ship as it moved through the sky.

In the Zhao Kingdom, within the Yunluo Mountain Range, the undulating mountains stood tall on the earth, their peaks piercing the clouds as if to break through the sky. The misty clouds, like river water, clung to the ridges and slowly drifted down, eventually dissipating among the dense forests. Even in the mountainous Zhao Kingdom, this place was considered majestic. Unfortunately, the scattered spiritual veins here, while capable of nurturing various beasts and spiritual herbs, were not suitable for sect settlement.

In the sky, the Qingmu flying ship cut through the clouds and slowly descended onto a clearing in the forest. The disciples streamed out from the ship, assembling on the ground, while Lu Shen, who was responsible for piloting the ship, now stood at the edge, looking at the disciples. "This place will be the site of your trial.

Over the next five days, you may seek spiritual herbs here, but do not venture beyond fifty miles from the flying ship, or your trial results will be invalidated.

Additionally, the trial ends at noon five days from now. Those who do not return on time will also have their results voided." Lu Shen surveyed the disciples, announcing the rules of the trial.

He then waved his hand, and disciples responsible for tallying scores and other miscellaneous tasks came forward, distributing a jade slip to each disciple.

"If you encounter danger during the trial, you can crush the jade slip at any time. My fellow daoists and I will come to your rescue immediately. Although this will disqualify you from the trial, I would rather you prioritize your lives. The saying ’where there’s life, there’s hope’ needs no further explanation from me." Lu Shen solemnly admonished.

The disciples responded in unison, then dispersed. Lu Shen turned and returned to the top of the flying ship. Yuan Ming and the others had already gathered together.

Seeing Lu Shen return, Bai Ye spoke, "Elder Lu, I have already given the devices that can detect the location of the jade slips to the two daoists."

"Good. The next five days will be hard on you all. Although the sect elders have already surveyed this area in advance, to avoid any accidents, please stay alert. Additionally, if you encounter any special situations that require support, you can also activate the device, and everyone else will receive the message," Lu Shen nodded.

Afterward, the four of them left the flying ship, each piloting their own flying devices according to the previously divided areas.

After leaving the flying ship, Yuan Ming found a secluded place and released the flower branch from his spirit beast bag, ordering it to burrow underground and follow him.

He then resumed patrolling his assigned area on his flying shuttle.

***

Three days later, in the dense forest, a large, wrinkled python coiled around an ancient tree, its brownish skin blending perfectly with the branches, making it indistinguishable.

The tree’s top bore fist-sized fruits swaying in the wind, many of which were green with a hint of orange, looking nearly ripe. Next to the python, two fruits had already shed their green skins, and the sunlight filtering through the leaves shone on the bright orange fruits, making them gleam.

Suddenly, a young man in a light green robe emerged nearby, looking up at the tree full of fruits, and was momentarily stunned before showing an expression of delight.

However, he did not rush but carefully circled the ancient tree twice, then took out a small bell-shaped magical instrument and shook it after channeling his spiritual power into it.

The sound waves spread out, sweeping over the ancient tree. The python on the branch, disturbed by the noise, shifted its body in displeasure. However, the cultivator below mistook the python’s movement for the swaying of the branches and paid it no mind.

Seeing no beasts lurking nearby, the cultivator’s joy intensified. He then took out a sword-shaped magical instrument and controlled it to fly up to the treetop, intending to cut down the fruits.

This action thoroughly angered the python, which had been languid just moments before. Its tail rose swiftly and swept across the sword like a blade, sending it flying away with a single strike.

Seeing this, the disciple from the Shengye Sect below turned pale and immediately attempted to flee, but the python was not about to let him go. It loosened its coiled body around the branches, and its head shot across a great distance to land in front of the disciple.

The python eyed the panicked Shengye Sect disciple, its golden pupils gleaming as it opened its massive jaws to bite.

In the nick of time, the disciple fumbled for the jade slip and snapped it in half. The python’s foul breath hit his face as it loomed inches away, and his mind went blank.

But just then, a small hole suddenly appeared in the python’s head, and it died mid-air.

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