Chapter 27: Signing Up for Recruitment? I'll Just Use My Connections!

The Imperial Dynasty’s recruitment office was located within a magnificent government building in the west of the city. Unlike the noisy and chaotic Taobao District, this place was orderly and the atmosphere was solemn. Cultivators arrived in an endless stream to sign up; the lowest cultivation base among them was the early stage of Golden Core, and there was no lack of experts at the middle or even late stages of Golden Core, each with a heavy aura and sharp eyes.

Lin Xuan restrained his aura, maintaining his cultivation at the level of the first stage of Golden Core, blending into the crowd without attracting any attention.

The registration process was not complicated. One simply had to register their name (Lin Xuan used the alias "Mu Xuan"), cultivation base, and areas of expertise, and leave a wisp of spiritual power as an identity verification. The official in charge of registration was expressionless and highly efficient.

"Next, Mu Xuan, first stage of Golden Core. Expertise... in what direction?" The official looked up at Lin Xuan.

Lin Xuan did not change his expression: "Reconnaissance, concealment, and... handling various emergency situations." This was not entirely a lie; the system and his many life-saving methods did indeed give him unique advantages in these areas.

The official recorded it noncommittally and handed over a jade token: "Go to the side hall next door to wait for testing to verify your cultivation and abilities. Only those who pass will be selected."

Lin Xuan took the jade token, thanked him, and walked toward the side hall.

There were already dozens of cultivators waiting in the side hall, gathered in small groups and whispering, vaguely divided into several small circles. Lin Xuan found a corner to sit quietly and observed in secret.

Most of these cultivators had fierce auras, carrying the baleful energy of those who had spent years fighting outside. Many wore the emblems of sects or families, clearly having backing. Loose cultivators like Lin Xuan, who appeared to be "all alone," were rare.

"Have you heard? The beast tide's anomaly this time is very unusual. It is said that there might be an ancient cultivator's cave dwelling or some incredible spiritual object appearing in the depths of the mountain range, which is why the ten thousand beasts are restless."

"Hmph, who cares about the reason? As long as there are demonic beasts to kill and merit to earn! I happen to be missing a handy magic treasure!"

"It is said that the four great protector families and the ten great sects have all sent elite disciples. The competition is fierce..."

"What is there to fear? Wealth is sought in danger! I am determined to get that 'Golden Core Jade Liquid'!"

Listening to the discussions around him, Lin Xuan gained a clearer understanding of this mission. The risks were not small, but the opportunities were equally tempting.

Just then, a commotion broke out at the entrance of the side hall, and a sharp sword intent accompanied by a faint, fragrant breeze drifted in.

Everyone looked over to see a young monk in moon-white monk robes with delicate features walking in side-by-side with a woman in a pale purple dress, her face covered by a light veil and her figure graceful.

Liao Chen! Saintess Yun Yao!

Lin Xuan’s pupils constricted. He immediately lowered his head, using the crowd to hide his figure, while simultaneously pushing his "Turtle Breathing Technique" and luck disguise to the limit. He had not expected to run into these two "old acquaintances" here! Where was Ye Chen? Was he not with them?

The arrival of Liao Chen and Saintess Yun Yao immediately attracted the attention of the entire room. Both had outstanding temperaments and extraordinary cultivation (Liao Chen at the middle stage of Golden Core, Saintess Yun Yao at the peak of the early stage of Golden Core), and their statuses were even more illustrious (Buddha Son of the Great Brightness Temple, Saintess of the Floating Snow Palace), making them the immediate focus.

Some cultivators stepped forward to strike up a conversation with respectful tones. Liao Chen pressed his palms together and returned the greetings one by one with a calm expression. Saintess Yun Yao only nodded slightly, her cold gaze sweeping over the people in the hall as if looking for something.

Lin Xuan cursed his bad luck inwardly, trying his best to lower his presence. He did not want to get involved with these two right now, especially Saintess Yun Yao—the grudge from the (attempted) peeping had not been settled yet!

The testing began. The cultivators were called by name one by one to enter the inner room. The test mainly consisted of verifying their cultivation and testing basic abilities such as strength, speed, and spiritual sense intensity.

Soon, it was Lin Xuan’s turn.

"Mu Xuan!"

He took a deep breath and walked into the inner room. Inside sat three examiners with profound auras, at least at the late stage of Golden Core. Several testing magic treasures were placed in the center of the room.

"Fellow Daoist Mu Xuan, please place your hand on the spiritual energy crystal and circulate your spiritual power," one examiner signaled.

Lin Xuan followed instructions, controlling his spiritual power to the level of the first stage of Golden Core and injecting it into the crystal. The crystal pillar lit up, stabilizing at the mark representing the first stage of Golden Core.

"First stage of Golden Core, verification correct. Next, test your strength..."

Throughout the series of tests, Lin Xuan performed in a standard manner. His strength and speed were just at the average level for the first stage of Golden Core, and his spiritual sense intensity was slightly "prominent," but still controlled within a reasonable range, not attracting too much attention from the examiners.

Just as he thought he had passed successfully and was preparing to leave, the chief examiner, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them. His gaze shot toward Lin Xuan like lightning: "Fellow Daoist Mu Xuan, you seem to be very skilled at concealing your aura?"

Lin Xuan’s heart stirred, but his expression remained unchanged: "I only know the basics, it is necessary for self-preservation."

The chief examiner nodded and signaled to an examiner beside him. That examiner took out an ancient bronze mirror and shone it at Lin Xuan!

"Hum!"

The bronze mirror emitted a clear, hazy light that enveloped Lin Xuan. This was a magic treasure for detecting disguise and concealment techniques!

Lin Xuan immediately felt the disguise formed by the "Thousand-Faced Phantom" and "Turtle Breathing Technique" fluctuate slightly under the mirror's light, seemingly at risk of being seen through! He was startled and hurriedly activated his luck disguise ability, while secretly communicating with the system: "System, assist in stabilizing the disguise and interfere with the detection!"

[Ding! Energy consumption 1%, disguise interference activated!]

An invisible ripple swept past. The light of the bronze mirror flickered a few times, and Lin Xuan’s image on the mirror surface distorted slightly, but in the end, it did not fully reveal his true appearance, only becoming somewhat blurry.

The examiner holding the mirror frowned: "Eh? This kid’s concealment technique is quite strange; it can actually interfere with the 'Reflection Mirror'?"

A strange look flashed in the chief examiner’s eyes. He looked at Lin Xuan carefully a few times, as if wanting to see through him. Lin Xuan remained calm, meeting his gaze frankly.

After a moment, the chief examiner waved his hand: "Forget it, having some fortuitous encounters is normal. As long as you are not a spy for the demonic path, it is fine if your concealment methods are strong. Mu Xuan, passed."

Lin Xuan breathed a sigh of relief and cupped his hands: "Many thanks, examiner."

He turned and walked out of the inner room, still feeling the chief examiner’s probing gaze on his back. He knew his disguise had attracted attention, but fortunately, he had gotten through it.

Returning to the side hall, he noticed that Saintess Yun Yao’s gaze seemed to linger on him for a moment with a trace of imperceptible doubt, but she quickly looked away. Liao Chen remained with his eyes closed, as if everything in the outside world had nothing to do with him.

Lin Xuan did not dare to stay long. After receiving the token representing his selection, he quickly left the government building.

Walking on the road back to the Four Seas Pavilion, he recalled the experience just now with lingering fear. The Imperial Capital was indeed full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers; a single detection magic treasure had almost caused him to be exposed.

"It seems I must improve the level of my luck disguise as soon as possible, or find a higher-level concealment technique," Lin Xuan decided inwardly.

At the same time, the appearance of Liao Chen and Saintess Yun Yao made him even more vigilant about this trip to the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range. With these two guys around, Ye Chen was probably not far away. If they ran into each other in the mountain range, it would inevitably lead to another storm.

"I must make some preparations in advance..."

He touched the newly obtained recruitment token and thought of the priceless Phoenix Wood remains and the Void Stone fragment.

"Perhaps I can trade the Phoenix Wood remains for something practical from the Four Seas Trading Company before leaving? Or find a way to refine that Void Stone fragment into a storage magic treasure?"

New challenges were right before his eyes; he had to use every resource at his disposal to arm himself.

Returning to his small courtyard at the Four Seas Pavilion, Lin Xuan immediately activated the defensive array.

He first took out the recruitment token to study it. The front of the token was engraved with the characters "Tian Yuan," and the back had "Recruitment" and his alias "Mu Xuan." Inside, it contained a wisp of his spiritual power imprint and a simple communication array. The mission departure time was set for three days later, and the assembly point was at the military camp in the west of the city.

Time was tight.

He took the Void Stone fragment in his hand to fiddle with it. A space of one cubic meter was not large, but not small either; the key was that it was stable and hidden.

"System, is there any way to refine this Void Stone fragment into a storage item that is easy to carry? For example... a ring?"

[Ding! Retrieved relevant artifact refining manual "Micro-Dust Ring Refining Method (Simplified Version)," requires consumption of Slacking Points, and auxiliary materials: three qian of Void Nether Sand, one liang of Star Iron...]

The system was indeed reliable! It provided a solution directly!

Lin Xuan checked the required auxiliary materials. Although Void Nether Sand and Star Iron were precious, as a guest elder of the Four Seas Trading Company, it should not be difficult to obtain them.

"It’s decided! Before setting off, I will finish this storage ring! Then I will go to the trading company’s treasury to see if there are any suitable life-saving items!"

A sharp light flashed in Lin Xuan’s eyes. The trip to the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range was fraught with crises; he had to be fully prepared.

This time, he did not want to be chased so miserably again.

(End of Chapter 27)