Chapter 612: What Kind of World Does the Senior Hope For?

Through the recently passed Immortal Washing Pool, Xi Li had gained a preliminary understanding of the Tai Xuan Realm.

But this was still insufficient to support her in finding the answers she sought.

Joining a major sect to learn more was the best choice.

Moreover, her foundational roots, aside from the mysterious 【Killing】 Dao vein inheritance she had acquired originally, all came from the Senior.

Switching to another sect…

Was truly inappropriate; perhaps the Senior himself wouldn't care, but she could not pass her own inner barrier.

Therefore, emotionally and rationally, joining the Xiang Jianzong was most suitable.

She just didn't know how difficult the Xiang Jianzong's Ru Sect examination was—whether her current cultivation level could pass it…

Xi Li felt the dense and heavy laws of the surrounding realm, her emotions surging, and for once, she felt a hint of nervousness.

Meanwhile, Du Ruoheng, who was watching Xi Li, also really wanted to simply agree right then.

After all, a Fanyu cultivator like Xi Li, forged through countless brutal wars and whose battle arts had reached perfection, was extremely rare in this era.

Not to mention she was certified by the Ascension Platform, her cultivation complete, and her character entirely beyond concern.

But…

"With your abilities and character, joining the Xiang Jianzong is naturally no issue," Du Ruoheng said, his tone still gentle.

"However, since you've just arrived in the Tai Xuan Realm, there's no need to decide so quickly. Why not wander around first, and when you've come to understand the Tai Xuan Realm better, then make your choice."

At once, Cheng Junming, Qin Wei, and Li Wanwan all looked at Du Ruoheng in surprise.

Du Ruoheng, however, felt somewhat helpless.

He had no choice—if he could, he would certainly have wanted Xi Li to join the Xiang Jianzong first.

He could always give her leave later, not assign her any tasks!

But whose fault was it that this was the Ancestor's wish?

According to the Ancestor's words:

At the moment of ascension, a cultivator knows nothing of the entire world; this confusion toward the unknown leads them to make choices contrary to their true heart.

Therefore, they must be given ample time to understand, to see clearly the world's many facets, before making a correct choice aligned with their true heart.

The other True Immortals held the same view.

Ever since the human traitor Yin Zhihe infiltrated the Central Continent and was captured by the "Net of Disaster and Karma," revealing her abnormal mental state, Xu Xing and the other True Immortals decided to strengthen "character cultivation."

The Xian Sect's special recruitment changed from "Three Heart Trials" to "Five Heart Trials," and now granting ascended cultivators more time to choose—both are part of this effort.

As for why only Xu Xing spoke:

Obviously!

From the start, the other True Immortals never believed a sword cultivator who had been instructed by the Xiang Jianzong would join any sect other than the Xiang Jianzong!

Upon hearing this, Xi Li was momentarily stunned—she hadn't expected such an answer.

"The Xiang Jianzong's gates will always remain open to you," Du Ruoheng added.

"… " After a moment of silence, Xi Li bowed respectfully again. "Thank you, Senior Du."

…

…

Not long after.

Xi Li walked out of the Ascension Hall.

In her hand, she held a token forged from an unknown material, its center bearing a powerful, ancient character she had never seen before—but knew instantly:

SWORD!

It had just been passed to her by Du Ruoheng.

With this token, she could freely enter and exit the Transmission Tower, and also use certain Xiang Jianzong facilities to learn what she wished to know.

Along with it was a storage ring, identical to the Sword Token, both entrusted to Du Ruoheng by Xu Xing to deliver.

Xi Li pursed her lips, clasped her hands to seal away the Sword Token, and walked outward.

After rounding a corner, the outer sect grounds of the Xiang Jianzong finally revealed themselves before her.

A range of rolling hills, each peak neither too high nor steep, dotted with classical buildings, and occasional beams of light darting in and out.

Four peaks stood slightly higher than the surrounding mountains, each crowned with distinctive structures housing four different statues.

A long sword, a shackle bound in iron chains, a bamboo scroll, and an ancient, simple tripod.

Streams of light constantly moved between the peaks, while massive Xuan Mirrors floated above the mountains, broadcasting various news.

Sword beams crisscrossed endlessly through the sky; several of them radiated such overwhelming power that she felt needles pricking her back, her third eye throbbing with pain.

Fanyu!

Just among the sword beams visible now, there were no fewer than thirty Fanyu cultivators—and none of them were weak!

And this was only the Xiang Jianzong's outer sect!

After a long while, Xi Li tore her gaze away from the endless crossing sword beams and turned toward the inner sect, hidden within the high clouds and mist, its true form visible only in fleeting gaps between the drifting vapor.

Though only a small portion was visible, she clearly sensed its majestic, weighty presence—as if countless stars had been fused into one, capable of crushing the heavens with a single tremor!

In a moment of恍惚, she seemed to see two eternal, blazing wills suspended in the heavens, piercing through all time, purifying all realms!

It made her recall the Xi Dao Yun she had once witnessed in the Inheritor's Sacred Ground.

Yet even the complete form of Xi Dao Yun fell immeasurably short—by a hundred million billionth—of these two wills.

"Are those… the Senior and the Sword尊 Senior?"

A flicker of daze passed through Xi Li's eyes.

In another blink, all the strange visions vanished from her perception; her gaze returned to clarity.

"… "

She cast a deep look at the seven descending Divine Radiance lists, more precisely at the one representing Return-to-Void.

A single name sat at the very top, shining brilliantly.

She quickly withdrew her gaze, transformed into a streak of sword-light, and rose toward the high ground, heading in the direction of the Scripture Transmission Hall.

The gap was likely considerable now, but she would try her best to catch up.

If she didn't even have the courage to try, what kind of sword cultivator would she be!

……

……

For a period afterward, Xili spent the vast majority of her time in the Scripture Transmission Hall, poring over all manner of materials.

In her occasional moments of leisure, she merely wandered about the outer sect of the Xiang Jianzong.

It wasn't until she learned of the existence of the 'Void Immortal Realm' that she used the authority of her sword token to log in and give it a try.

During that time, she also attempted to cross swords with several Return-to-Void cultivators of the Xiang Jianzong.

The result was six wins and one loss.

The sole defeat came at the hands of the current 63rd-ranked Return-to-Void cultivator of the Xiang Jianzong.

Although her tactical judgment and grasp of timing during the exchange were somewhat superior to that Return-to-Void cultivator's, she fell noticeably behind in swordsmanship, divine abilities, and the intensity of her magic power.

She was not discouraged by this, and continued to cross swords with the Xiang Jianzong's Return-to-Void cultivators in the 'Void Immortal Realm.'

During that period, wins and losses both occurred, but victories still predominated; the many exchanges finally allowed her to pin down her current standard.

Roughly the level of someone who could barely make it onto the list, yet might be pushed off at any moment.

Thus, repeating the same three points of her daily routine day after day, she grew increasingly familiar with the Xuan Realm and gradually began to adapt to life here.

It wasn't until the night before the arrival of the fourth ascender, Daoist Xuanling, that a person claiming to be the second ascender suddenly reached out to her through the Spirit Net.

Through her conversation with the second ascender, she learned of the situations of the first two ascenders.

The first ascender, named Li Ming, had joined the Taishang Dao Sect and had already begun closed-door cultivation, seeking to merge with the Dao.

The second ascender who had sought her out was named Chen Yan, and was currently still traveling through the starry sky.

Because he himself was a body cultivator, he planned to join the Longxiang Qingtianzong after his starry-sky journey ended…

In response, Xili briefly explained her own situation as well.

Then the two ended their conversation with a single "Farewell, perhaps we shall meet again," without even adding each other as friends.

Though they were both ascenders, their respective pursuits were not the same.

Moreover, the Xuan Realm itself was not a world that required them to huddle together for warmth just to scrape by—so why force themselves to gather simply because of a shared identity?