Chapter 393: Born for Immortal Cultivation [Monthly ticket bonus, seeking monthly tickets, 2-in-1]

Early the next morning.

Li Rui sat up from the bed, a satisfied smile appearing on his mouth.

Last night.

Although there wasn't much progress in immortal arts, he learned a lot of common sense about the Immortal Cultivation World from Wu De.

These things, which were worthless to cultivators in the Immortal Cultivation World, were of great use to him.

Still the same saying, information is very important.

He got up from the bed, put on his clothes with the maid's service, and then walked out the door.

Today.

Yuan Xiong invited him to the mansion for wine, saying it was to welcome Nie Siming.

He had just walked out the door.

A look of surprise appeared on his face.

'So coincidental?'

He saw Nie Siming leading a team of people into the Annan Town camp.

Nie Siming also saw Li Rui and greeted him with a smile: "Brother Li."

Li Rui walked to Nie Siming in a few steps.

He glanced at the two Daoists, one old and one young.

Nie Siming introduced them at the right time: "Brother Li was in seclusion before, so you probably haven't seen them; this is Daoist Daoist Zi Yang, and this is Daoist Daoist Chun Xu, both are experts of the Qingwei Sect."

Li Rui sized them up calmly and said with a smile: "Daoists, I am Li Rui, Assistant Regional Commander of Annan Town."

The old Daoist Daoist Zi Yang was fine, nodding with a smile, which counted as a return salute.

As for that young Daoist Daoist Chun Xu, he naturally turned a deaf ear and didn't even look at him.

Arrogant.

Apart from being a disciple of Great True Person Daoist Qing Ding, he himself had the strength of the Profound-Connecting realm.

There is a saying in the martial arts world that everyone below Profound-Connecting is an ant.

Nie Siming was in the same realm as him, so he was naturally polite.

But Li Rui was just a fourth-rank Primordial military general, so he really wasn't worth wasting his breath on.

Nie Siming frowned imperceptibly and said to Li Rui: "Brother Li, I'll take the two Daoists to the Regional Commander's Mansion first and will be back in a while."

"Official business is important."

Li Rui didn't feel he had lost face.

He still cupped his fists politely and watched the group leave.

Only then did he come to Brother Yuan's mansion.

About an hour passed.

Nie Siming arrived late.

Seeing Li Rui and Yuan Xiong had already set up a copper pot, he sat down with a grin.

He first said to Li Rui: "Brother Li, don't take it to heart; those two have lived in seclusion for many years, so it's good enough that they can speak clearly; they don't give anyone a good look."

Li Rui: "I'm not that petty."

"Quick, quick, put in the meat."

Nie Siming and Yuan Xiong were both Northerners.

They were very fond of this copper pot shabu-shabu.

Especially that mutton paired with sesame paste, scallions, and chive flowers—it was truly exquisite.

Ever since the two bumped into Li Rui also liking hot pot once.

The three of them often gathered together.

Perhaps this was also an important reason why Li Rui had such a good relationship with the two.

Nie Siming generously put in more than a catty of meat; having spent years in the army, he naturally didn't have the elegance of a scholar and preferred to eat like a martial artist.

While stirring the mutton, he said:

"Those two Qingwei Sect Daoists said that on the sixth day of the second lunar month, they will open the sect, and in a few days, it will be time for the Qingwei Sect to open the sect and recruit disciples."

"Great True Person Daoist Qing Ding will recruit one hundred outer disciples."

During this time, he had been accompanying those two Qingwei Sect people to sleep in the open in the Ten Thousand Mountains, so he had learned quite a bit of inside information.

"Brother Li, I heard you are going to participate in the examination, so you must prepare quickly."

The strength of officials sent by the Yu Kingdom was limited to below the Top Three Ranks.

This was the tacit understanding between the imperial court and the Qingwei Sect.

Li Rui: "Many thanks for the reminder, Brother."

Nie Siming waved his hand: "Between you and me, there's no need for politeness."

He and Yuan Xiong were both true-hearted people.

They wouldn't say half a word to people they didn't like, but if they felt someone was a like-minded person, they would help with all their heart.

Li Rui had already proven that he was on par with the two.

Nie Siming and Yuan Xiong had both broken through, so they naturally had no fate with the Qingwei Sect.

And they were Yuan Dingting's adopted sons, so they couldn't go either.

"It's cooked."

"Eat while talking."

Yuan Xiong took his chopsticks first.

Li Rui and Nie Siming also didn't yield, and the three of them ate very happily.

Nie Siming's cheeks bulged, and he said vaguely: "Great True Person Daoist Qing Ding is a Fallen Immortal, and his methods are unfathomable. It's a good thing that he is willing to open up immortal arts and educate the world. Brother Li is intelligent, so perhaps your spiritual root is superior, making you a good seedling for immortal cultivation."

Yuan Xiong: "Brother Li, don't miss the opportunity."

Li Rui said with a smile: "You two brothers, stop flattering me; I don't have that great ability."

He was a member of the Dark Guard.

He didn't know little either.

As far as he knew, that True Person Daoist Qing Ding had descended to the mortal world for more than a hundred years and had always been hiding his name.

Later, he was invited out of the mountain by Gu Changsheng.

He made a huge contribution in the battle at the Purple Gold Palace, which was why the Holy Emperor and the Wu Kingdom's ruler agreed to let him open a mountain and establish a sect in the Ten Thousand Mountains.

This sect was not one of those major sects in the martial arts world.

But a true immortal sect. 【393

Among them, disciples will practice various immortal arts.

Li Rui practiced the Five Spirits Body-Refining Art, so he naturally understood that as long as it is in a place with more abundant spiritual energy, below a superior spiritual root, one can also practice immortal arts.

He guessed that the Daoist Qing Ding should also set up a formation for abundant spiritual energy.

At most, it just won't be as harmful as the Heaven-Seizing Great Formation.

In the days that followed.

Li Rui's luck was quite good.

Every few days he would run into Wu De, and from Wu De's mouth, he learned more common knowledge about the immortal cultivation world.

He even organized it into a booklet.

"Stop, stop, Fellow Daoist Zhu, we really can't chat anymore today."

Wu De saw Li Rui appear.

He waved his hands hurriedly.

Entering the Grand Void Dojo is not an easy task for him. Before, he was wary of Li Rui's background, but no matter how wary he was, he couldn't forget his main business.

This Grand Void Dojo hides quite a few secrets.

"Fellow Daoist Wu, I am not a flood or a wild beast, why are you so afraid of me?"

Li Rui smiled slightly.

This is the Grand Void Dream Realm; even if Wu De killed him, it would just be a case of insomnia.

He naturally wants to find ways to get more information.

Wu De shook his head constantly:

"Fellow Daoist Zhu, time is pressing, let's hurry up and climb these Bai Yu Steps."

Li Rui's brows raised:

"Does Fellow Daoist Wu know what is above these Bai Yu Steps?"

Wu De blinked his eyes: "This Grand Void Dojo is rumored to be the place where the Lord of the Immortal Court attained the Dao and preached. The treasures are countless, but to obtain the treasures, one must cross these Bai Yu Steps."

"Rumors, just rumors, it is even said that the inheritance of the immortals of the Immortal Court was left here."

Li Rui looked at Wu De with a half-smile: "Fellow Daoist Wu tells me so much, aren't you afraid I'll snatch the opportunity?"

Wu De chuckled:

"Treasures of the world belong to those who are fated."

"Fellow Daoist Zhu, this Grand Void Dojo has not been without people entering it for millions of years, but most have returned empty-handed."

"Do you know why?"

Li Rui: "Why?"

"Lack of fate, that's why."

Wu De spread his hands: "These Bai Yu Steps can only be attempted ten times. If you fail to reach the top after ten times, you will be rejected by the Grand Void Dojo and will never be able to enter again. Every attempt must be made with caution."

Li Rui's brows raised slightly.

"Ten times..."

He muttered in his heart.

But according to what Wu De said, he had long since exceeded ten times and should no longer be able to enter.

Yet he could still enter the Grand Void Dojo.

Li Rui's pupils contracted slightly.

There are two possibilities.

One, Wu De is lying and deliberately deceiving him.

Two, the Great Dream Immortal Journey allows him to ignore this rule.

Li Rui leaned more toward the latter.

Thinking of this, his heart couldn't help but thump wildly.

Countless opportunities for trial and error mean that his probability of obtaining treasures in the Grand Void Dojo will be many times greater than other cultivators.

A great opportunity!

Li Rui forcibly suppressed the excitement in his heart.

He secretly pondered that this secret must never be known to Wu De.

After Wu De finished speaking, he no longer looked at Li Rui.

He began to seriously ponder the matter of climbing the Bai Yu Steps.

He had already attempted it twice.

The opportunities left for him were not many.

Who is he, Wu De? There is no reason to return empty-handed after entering a treasure cave.

Li Rui watched from the side.

He waited until Wu De disappeared before sitting cross-legged to begin practicing the Five Spirits Body-Refining Art and the Divine Dao Scripture.

He was already looking forward to running into Wu De again next time.

This day.

Early morning.

Li Rui woke up from his room, and a noisy sound came from outside.

It was as if he already knew what had happened.

He slowly sat up from the bed.

Then, served by the maid, he put on his clothes, only today he was wearing a short, tight-fitting shirt.

After earnestly eating his breakfast and sighing that meat porridge was still delicious.

He then went out.

In front of the high platform in the center of the Annan Town main camp, quite a few people had already gathered.

Most of these people were not soldiers of Annan Town.

But people who had come to participate in the examination this time.

That's right, today is the time to select officials to be stationed at the Qingwei Sect.

Those strong experts who had rushed from all over the world had arrived in Qinghe early.

The number was not large.

Only about thirty people. This was naturally the result of careful selection by the imperial court, but since there were too many people who wanted this spot, even after screening, there were still thirty-odd people.

Li Rui was also one of them.

He was the candidate recommended by Annan Town.

Besides him, the others were either fierce generals from the other thirty-two towns, ministers in the court proficient in martial arts, or core elders and disciples of some large family or major sect.

In short, none of them were bad.

Li Rui stood silently on the periphery of the crowd, completely inconspicuous.

He waited for about half an hour.

Only then did he see the Regional Commander Zhou Dinghai appear, with Xue Gui, Nie Siming, and Yuan Xiong by his side.

Yes.

This examination was precisely overseen by Zhou Dinghai.

But if Li Rui thought Zhou Dinghai would favor an official from his Annan Town, that would be wishful thinking.

!

Everyone who could come here had some background.

They must have already established a relationship with Zhou Dinghai early on.

Of course.

Too many people were watching this matter, so even Zhou Dinghai wouldn't engage in too much favoritism, at least not too blatantly.

Zhou Dinghai walked onto the high platform.

He looked at the crowd below with a smile.

"You are all prodigies of our Great Yu. This time, following His Majesty's decree, we are selecting talent to be stationed at the Qingwei Sect..."

He spoke quite a bit at length.

Mostly encouraging everyone to fight hard and serve the country.

After finishing.

He finally sang out loudly: "The examination begins!"

As soon as his voice fell.

Two burly men were seen carrying a huge, crystal-clear purple jade stone that was a full person's height.

When he saw that purple jade stone.

Li Rui's expression changed slightly, and a flash of surprise crossed his eyes.

"Spirit-Verifying Stone?"

He didn't expect that what Zhou Dinghai had moved out was actually a Spirit-Verifying Stone.

But immediately he became indifferent again.

They were going to an Immortal Sect; in storybook tropes, the first step to joining an Immortal Sect is to verify spiritual roots, and those with roots too poor are all rejected.

Who knows how many old demons and immortal venerables have failed at this step.

Seeing the Spirit-Verifying Stone appear, everyone present had different expressions.

At this time.

Xue Gui, Nie Siming, and Yuan Xiong walked down from the high platform and came before the Spirit-Verifying Stone.

"Step forward in order and drip a drop of fingertip blood onto this jade stone."

After saying this.

Very quickly, the first person stepped forward.

It was an old man.

Li Rui had some impression of him; he was an elder of some major sect, and his Primordial peak strength was very overbearing.

He had come specifically to participate in the examination this time.

Immortal cultivation has a fatal temptation for those old monsters who are about to die.

The old man crisply forced out a drop of fingertip blood and dripped it onto the Spirit-Verifying Stone.

Instantly—

Golden light flared.

After the light dissipated, a faint white mark appeared on the Spirit-Verifying Stone.

Nie Siming took a look and sang out: "Low grade, eliminated!"

"This..."

Hearing the words "low grade," the old man was caught off guard, but just as he wanted to argue, he retreated unwillingly under Nie Siming's man-eating gaze.

He had high ambitions when coming to Qinghe, only to be eliminated at the first step.

How could he be willing?

But what could he do if he wasn't willing?

The old man looked desolate.

The others, seeing the old man's situation, all became solemn.

A full stick of incense time passed.

Only then did another young man step forward.

Like the old man just now, he dripped his fingertip blood onto the Spirit-Verifying Stone, and the familiar golden light appeared again.

This time, two white marks.

Nie Siming's voice sounded again: "Medium grade, passed!"

Hearing the words "passed," excitement appeared in the young man's eyes, and he was the first to walk onto the high platform.

With the first one having passed.

The minds of the people below became active again.

Very quickly.

More than ten people attempted it.

The probability of passing was only about thirty percent, pitifully low.

Li Rui watched all this.

Thirty percent.

Actually, it's not low; spiritual roots are one in a hundred, and spiritual roots above medium grade are even harder to find in the current world.

These people were all carefully selected, which is why they could have such a high probability of thirty percent.

Otherwise, it would be even lower.

Li Rui didn't choose to wait until the end; he found a middle opportunity to step forward.

He nodded slightly at the three of them, Nie Siming.

Then he forced out a drop of fingertip blood.

"Medium grade, passed!"

Nie Siming said the result with a smile.

Li Rui passed the first round of testing without any surprise.

With his superior spiritual root, passing the Spirit-Verifying Stone test was naturally not a problem.

And because he practiced immortal arts, he could control the concentration of spiritual energy in his blood.

A superior spiritual root is too eye-catching.

Medium grade is just right.

Anyway, he is going to the Qingwei Sect to be an elder, and the resources are much more than ordinary outer disciples, so it doesn't matter if his aptitude is a bit worse.

As long as it doesn't delay his cultivation.

Very quickly.

Everyone below had finished verifying.

More than thirty people participated, and in the end, only eleven passed; the passing rate was indeed maintained at thirty percent.

The other twenty-odd people were unwilling, but they could only leave in gloom.

Li Rui watched all this indifferently.

The path of immortal cultivation is inherently cruel.

Elimination is a common occurrence; verifying spiritual roots is only the first step, and it will be even harder in the future.

Zhou Dinghai looked at the eleven people before him with appreciation.

The imperial court intends to cultivate immortal cultivation talent; even if these people cannot enter the Qingwei Sect as elders, they will be key targets for cultivation by the court.

"Very good."

After the spirit verification.

The second round began.

This time, they were selecting immortal cultivation talent; if they were to compare martial arts, that would be too cliché.

It is said that a total of three rounds were set up, determined by Gu Changsheng.

The two burly men had just carried away the Spirit-Verifying Stone.

When two more burly men moved over a huge black iron block that looked like a small mountain.

Just as everyone was puzzled.

Zhou Dinghai spoke again: "Everyone, the competition in this round is that you cannot touch it; if you can lift this iron block, you pass."

Lifting objects from a distance?

All eleven were somewhat surprised.

Those who could come to participate in this examination were all Primordial martial artists, and the most top-tier Primordial ones at that.

Their internal arts were naturally not bad, and their true qi was all vigorous.

Let alone this small artificial mountain before them.

Even one twice as big could be easily lifted.

A middle-aged man took a step forward first.

"I'll do it!"

After saying this, he raised his hands, operating his vigorous true qi, and the crimson true qi turned into a large hand, intending to lift the iron mountain.

A shocking scene appeared.

The true qi actually dissipated directly upon contact with the iron mountain.

This caught everyone off guard.

"This..."

Many people widened their eyes, unable to figure out the situation for a moment.

Then they heard Zhou Dinghai speak slowly: "This iron is called Qi-Eating Spirit Iron; true qi will collapse upon touching it."

"Using true qi won't work."

Upon hearing this, everyone exchanged glances.

They all saw the astonishment in each other's eyes.

If you can't use true qi, then what do you use?

For a moment, they were all at a loss.

Li Rui narrowed his eyes slightly; he had already guessed Gu Changsheng's purpose in finding this Qi-Eating Spirit Iron.

The biggest difference between immortal cultivation and martial arts is the use of spiritual energy.

To lift that Qi-Eating Spirit Iron, one must use spiritual energy.

But...

Only the Top Three Ranks can perceive spiritual energy.

If they had already broken through to become Tongxuan experts, why would they appear here?

A dead end!

Everyone looked at each other, all feeling that no one could possibly do it.

Afterward.

Several more people stepped forward to try, but like the middle-aged man before, their true qi dissipated with a boom upon approaching the Qi-Eating Spirit Iron, unable to exert even half a bit of strength.

Someone couldn't help but speak: "Lord Zhou, if none of us can lift it, how will it be judged?"

Zhou Dinghai on the platform narrowed his eyes slightly.

This scene was also within his expectations.

He had also asked the envoy sent by Gu Changsheng.

According to that envoy, it was—"Change the batch."

He was also very helpless.

If no one passed the first examination, the imperial court would inevitably lose some face.

But since it was specifically instructed by Gu Changsheng, he couldn't say much more.

Just when everyone thought this examination would end without success—

A voice sounded slowly:

"Let me try."

(End of chapter)