Chapter 5: Recruitment Assembly, Central Region Maiden

The next day, the Eastern Region Heavenly Secrets Pavilion Sub-pavilion released the news.

The triennial Recruitment Assembly will be held three days later in Mysterious Moon City, Spirit Prefecture.

Upon the release of this news, Spirit Prefecture immediately erupted.

After ten years of bitter cultivation with no one asking, overnight he became known throughout the world.

They have been waiting for exactly such an opportunity.

Hey, have you heard?

This Recruitment Assembly is being held in Mysterious Moon City.

Well, this time I must go try my luck; I heard there will also be hegemon-level forces and holy lands observing.

If I could join a hegemon-level force, wouldn't I just soar?

As for the holy lands, he didn't even dare to think about it; those who can enter holy lands are dragons among men, phoenix feathers and unicorn horns—rare existences, and he knows his own limits.

Hegemon-level forces and holy lands!

Damn, bro, is your news accurate or not?

Of course it's accurate; my neighbor's cousin's son's eldest nephew, who is begging for food in Mysterious Moon City, told me this himself.

What are we waiting for? No delay—let's set off quickly!

This scene was playing out in every corner, big and small, of the Eastern Region.

After all, the vast Eastern Region has only five holy lands.

This time, observing the Recruitment Assembly, if luck is good and a holy land takes a fancy to one, that truly is a leap to the heavens.

Even stepping back, being noticed by a hegemon-level force is also a tremendous fortune.

Aside from the five great holy lands, one can act arrogantly in the Eastern Region.

Countless heaven-chosen prodigies headed for Mysterious Moon City, the place buzzing with voices and undercurrents surging.

At the same time.

In Mysterious Moon City, two beautiful figures walked along the prosperous street, attracting the gazes of many proper cultivators.

Senior Sister, this Mysterious Moon City is quite prosperous, huh.

It wasn't for nothing that I daily begged and pleaded with my master to finally come out and play.

Ling Bingning looked at the clever and lively little junior sister, laughing and crying at once.

However you look at it, this Mysterious Moon City ranks among the top cities of the Eastern Region, naturally prosperous.

But compared to the great cities of other regions, it's rather strained.

Little junior sister, don't always think about playing; you ought to cultivate properly, okay?

People from the Eastern Region aren't necessarily less talented than us; as long as they reach the Central Region and have sufficient cultivation resources, they will show outstanding potential.

Ling Bingning gave earnest, heartfelt advice.

In the Jade Clear Palace, her image has always been that of an ice-cold beauty; only before the little junior sister does she reveal her true feelings.

Understood, Senior Sister; your tone is just like Master's.

The little junior sister stuck out her tongue and coquettishly said.

On the other side.

Inside the Azure Cloud Sect.

Shi Hao, having just come out of the cultivation chamber, felt refreshed and invigorated.

The first layer of the Supreme Reincarnation Law has been successfully cultivated!

My Supreme Body has returned, and my meridians have been successfully reforged!

No wonder it's a divine-level technique.

Only by delving deeper into cultivation can one feel the greatness of this law.

After moving his limbs a bit, Shi Hao delightedly discovered that his realm had also reached mid-Foundation Establishment, truly a thousand miles in a day.

Who else could have such a cultivation speed?

If these words were to reach Feng Qingyang's ears, he would surely say: 'My disciple, there are always people beyond people, heavens beyond heavens!'

As your master, I went from zero cultivation to the Nascent Soul Realm in less than half a day—what do you have to compare with me?

Huh, why is the sect's spiritual energy so thick?

At this moment, Shi Hao sensed the abnormality and muttered.

Shi Hao, who had been painstakingly cultivating with his head down, had no idea what had happened.

He had been cultivating nonstop in the cultivation chamber just now, and had not seen the heavenly portent or that terrifying tribulation lightning.

He only knew that the sect's spiritual energy was now at least ten times thicker than when he first joined the sect.

That's terrifying!

You know, the spiritual energy when he first entered the sect was already very thick, and now it has increased tenfold.

Putting it that way, even throwing a pig in there could cultivate to sainthood.

Terrifying indeed!

Surely it's the master's doing.

Afterward, Shi Hao didn't think further, taking advantage of the thick spiritual energy, he turned back into the cultivation chamber to continue cultivating—truly a cultivation maniac!

In the blink of an eye, it was three days later.

Mysterious Moon City.

At this moment, Mysterious Moon City was already filled with forces big and small.

Naturally, the good spots belong to the big forces; as for the small forces, they can only camp on the streets.

Those genius disciples who came to participate in the Recruitment Assembly have already been arranged outside the city.

This day.

Feng Qingyang and his two companions arrived at the gate of Mysterious Moon City; besides the two of them, there was also a sect guard named Wang Jian following.

"Master, do we also need to participate in the disciple recruitment conference?"

"Of course, otherwise why would I bring you here to play?"

Shi Hao, bewildered, had a bewildered look; he had been frantically cultivating in the training chamber when his master mercilessly dragged him out.

Having said that, Feng Qingyang then led the way toward the city gate.

But as soon as they approached, the guards at the city gate stopped them; the lead guard raised his hand and said, "Halt."

"Which sect are you from? Do you have an invitation?"

Feng Qingyang was taken aback for a moment, "Do we need an invitation to attend the disciple recruitment conference?"

"Nobody notified our sect, right?"

"Nonsense, if you're here to recruit disciples, you certainly need an invitation from the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion; if you're here to participate in the disciple recruitment conference, you don't need an invitation—just wait outside the city."

"This disciple recruitment conference, overseen by the Holy Land, certainly isn't something any random sect can join; one must be at least a second-rate force or higher to participate."

The city gate guard, seeing that their highest cultivation was only late Golden Core stage, thought they were just another obscure sect coming to fish in troubled waters.

He could only see Shi Hao's cultivation; the other two showed no cultivation fluctuations, so these obscure individuals were unlikely to be strong.

Feng Qingyang merely smiled faintly in response.

"Oh, is that so."

"You're making things difficult for our sect..."

"Furthermore, one must be at least a second-rate force to participate; then, my Azure Cloud Emperor Sect, which has a peak great emperor overseeing it, what tier would that be?"

"You!"

Just as Feng Qingyang's words fell, the lead guard still wanted to speak.

Wang Jian, standing nearby, immediately stepped forward and said, "Where did the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion even come from? I've never heard of it; you're not even worthy to carry the shoes of my Azure Cloud Sect!"

"Does my Azure Cloud Sect need his invitation?"

At the same time, his cultivation at the peak of the Void Refinement stage erupted!

(Disdain from the Void Refinement stage)

Boom! A tremendous Void Refinement pressure crushed down!

The city gate guards were immediately terrified by this powerful pressure, trembling uncontrollably.

He thought, "Oh no, I've kicked an iron plate!"

"But Azure Cloud Sect? I've never heard of it! Could it be some hidden sect?"

Thinking this, he hastily bowed respectfully: "No, no, please go ahead."

After this little incident, the disciple recruitment conference was about to begin.

Outside Mysterious Moon City.

One after another, enormous arenas rose from the ground, built over an area of a thousand li.

All around, pavilions and towers were scattered about, for spectators to watch.

A massive array enveloped the place, spiritual energy abundant; the array was strong enough to support battles between Void Refinement experts.

"Everyone, the disciple recruitment conference officially begins today."

"The first round of selection is an aptitude test; those under twenty-five years old and at Golden Core stage or above may participate."

Around the perimeter are countless black stone pillars; the higher one's aptitude, the more light they glow.

"The minimum aptitude cannot be below three stars, otherwise one fails."

"Those who pass the aptitude test can proceed to the second round of mindset and combat selection, with rankings based on overall outstanding performance across the three rounds."

"The first place can enter the Holy Land; the top five can enter Hegemon-level forces; the rest are freely chosen by the remaining sects."

"These rules were decided upon by the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion and many major forces."

"As for those eliminated, whichever sect wants them can take them; otherwise, they look down on them."

"Now, those whose names are called, come forward for testing."

"Zhao Bing, 23 years old, mid-Golden Core, three-star aptitude, passed—next."

"Random Person A, 25, mid-Golden Core, two-star aptitude, failed—next."

Thousands of black stone pillars began testing simultaneously.

At a corner of the grand competition.

"The grand competition has started, senior sister, yay yay yay! I've been bored to death these days."

Last time I sneaked out, my master found out and confined me for three whole months.

"Senior sister, do you think there are many geniuses in the East Domain?"

Leng Bingning was a bit absent-minded; when suddenly asked, she hastily replied, "Never underestimate people; there are always people beyond people, heavens beyond heavens."

"Oh oh."

Leng Bingning's absent-mindedness stemmed from constantly feeling a sharp gaze upon her, as if being seen through.

Sure enough, when she looked toward a certain pavilion,

a picturesque boy was smiling at her; the boy was handsome like a demon, with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, his deep pupils flashing with a bewitching purple light, like an otherworldly immortal.

(If you can't imagine it, handsome folks can just look in the mirror.)

Leng Bingning hastily averted her gaze; the boy also looked elsewhere, the feeling of being seen through vanished, as if it were an illusion.

She concluded that the boy was certainly not ordinary; the East Domain truly hides dragons and tigers.

She shook her head, not thinking further.

"Interesting, are all the people from the Central Domain here?"

Feng Qingyang was checking the system panel.

【「Ling Bingning: Eldest Senior Sister of the Yùqīng Palace in the Central Region, cultivation: early Divine Transformation realm. 」】

Just then.

【「Ding, detected the second Child of Heaven appearing, please promptly recruit. 」】

「Here they come! 」

「System, check the Child of Heaven panel. »

【「Lin Bai, eldest son of the Lin family of the Great Zhou Dynasty, physique: Azure Lotus Sword Body (not activated)」】