Elder Guangwei sighed, “Elder Chongyi’s cultivation methods might not suit you.”
Lei Xiuyuan had a single metal attribute spiritual root, excelling in combat techniques, making him a prime candidate for powerful attacks. However, Elder Chongyi was not known for his combat prowess, and pairing them would be a waste.
Elder Chongyi examined Lei Xiuyuan closely and shook his head, “You’re not suitable. With your aptitude, you should go to Xingzheng Pavilion.”
Elder Baifu was furious, “Chongyi! Why are you pushing disciples away?! Lei Xiuyuan, if he doesn’t want you, I do! Come with me!”
Lei Xiuyuan replied softly, “My physique is delicate; I’m afraid I can’t handle the rigorous training of an immortal.”
Elder Baifu suddenly remembered how he had just claimed his sect was full of strong men to avoid taking Jiang Li Fei, and he regretted it deeply.
Elder Guangwei spoke kindly, “Lei Xiuyuan, with your exceptional and rigid metal spiritual root, the domineering immortal arts of Xingzheng Pavilion are indeed more suitable for you. However, the truth of the world is that excessive rigidity leads to breakage; combining hardness with softness ensures longevity. Think carefully about this.”
Excessive rigidity leads to breakage; combining hardness with softness ensures longevity—Lei Xiuyuan couldn’t help but ponder this deeply.
Previously, when Li Fei asked if he had a preferred sect, he didn’t tell her that his heart was set on Xingzheng Pavilion. It wasn’t just because his aptitude suited it, but also because of Brother Lu. Xingzheng Pavilion held a special place in his heart. However, with Zhenyunzi there, he had to abandon this idea. If he couldn’t go to Xingzheng Pavilion, it didn’t matter where he went.
Yet, Elder Guangwei’s words intrigued him more and more. This was a new perspective he had never considered in his cultivation journey. Although metal-based immortal arts were invincible, they often lacked the endurance of the other four elements, indeed making them prone to breakage. What did combining hardness with softness mean? Did this immortal have a new cultivation path for him?
Initially, he had a mindset of going with the flow, but now it was quietly changing.
Lei Xiuyuan closed his eyes, and after a moment, opened them again, meeting Elder Guangwei’s gentle yet all-knowing gaze. He couldn’t help but feel a slight warmth in his heart, becoming fascinated by the realm of combining hardness with softness.
As if making a firm decision, he bowed deeply, “Disciple Lei Xiuyuan, wishes to be under Elder Guangwei’s tutelage.”
Elder Guangwei laughed heartily, very pleased, and looked at Hu Jiaping, who was smiling broadly beside him, saying warmly, “Jiaping, today you go from being a student to a senior brother. His aptitude is no less than yours, so don’t let this former student surpass you.”
Hu Jiaping couldn’t stop smiling, “Master, how could I be surpassed by this little rascal? Don’t tease me.”
Just then, Master Dongyang flew in on a large gourd. Seeing that both Li Fei and Lei Xiuyuan had joined Wuyue Pavilion, but neither had entered his tutelage, he couldn’t help but sigh repeatedly, “I was just chatting with Old Zuo Qiu, and you snatched both of them away! You little girl, so impatient! Couldn’t you wait for me?”
He had known that this girl was close to Lei Xiuyuan, and it would have been great to take them both under his wing. Now Guangwei had the advantage!
Li Fei was very grateful to this immortal. Without him, she wouldn’t know where she would be wandering now; without him giving her the warding pearl, her special physique might have been discovered by many.
She stepped forward and respectfully saluted, “Master Dongyang, thank you. Jiang Li Fei owes her current situation to your kind assistance.”
Master Dongyang was slightly moved. He had taken Jiang Li Fei to the academy on a whim and given her the warding pearl on an impulse. Her aptitude was average, and he had been hesitant to take her as a disciple. Now, he truly regretted it.
A person with a grateful heart is bound to achieve something in the future.
He sighed with a smile, patting her head, “You’re doing well. After joining Wuyue Pavilion, cultivate diligently.”
Elder Guangwei was very pleased to have Lei Xiuyuan as his disciple. He had long seen that Lei Xiuyuan came for Li Fei and didn’t want to make things difficult for him. He immediately said, “Your test… Chongyi, what test will you give your disciple?”
Elder Chongyi understood his meaning and smiled, “You two go to Mr. Zuo Qiu for a handwritten letter, then go to the thirtieth floor of the Library Tower and bring back any item from there. That will count as passing the test.”
The thirtieth floor of the Library Tower? If she remembered correctly, when they first arrived at the academy, the woman in black had said that disciples were strictly forbidden from entering above the twentieth floor unless they had a handwritten letter from Mr. Zuo Qiu. No one had gone up during the entire year of cultivation, and it turned out that it was only during the new disciple selection that they were allowed to go.
The two saluted and left. After walking for a while, Li Fei suddenly grabbed Lei Xiuyuan’s sleeve, beaming with joy, “Xiuyuan! We’re going to Wuyue Pavilion together!”
She had always thought Lei Xiuyuan’s talk of going to Wuyue Pavilion was just casual talk. This child never revealed his true thoughts, but he came, and she was overjoyed.
Seeing her smiling with her cheeks puffed up, Lei Xiuyuan couldn’t help but smile too, “Wuyue Pavilion is indeed a good place.”
As they walked to Mr. Zuo Qiu, they saw Ji Tongzhou there as well. The young prince looked frustrated, and Li Fei asked, “What’s wrong? Didn’t you get into Xingzheng Pavilion?”
Ji Tongzhou glared at her, “I did! But…”
But he couldn’t become a disciple of Xuanshanzi.
He had been certain he would enter the Xuanshan Sect and be taken as a disciple by Xuanshanzi, but the royal elder said he was “fiery and passionate,” not suitable for Xuanshan Sect’s immortal arts, and directed him to Xingzheng Pavilion’s Huamen Wuzhengzi.
Fiery and passionate was one thing, but what did being passionate mean? The thirteen-year-old prince couldn’t understand this. Did it mean he was prone to falling in love? But he didn’t have anyone he liked! It was truly unjust!
However, the number of disciples in the Xuanshan Sect was dwindling, and the harsh cultivation method of severing emotions and desires was too severe, with few willing to join. Even Zhenyunzi, one of the three great elders of the Xuanshan Sect, didn’t come this time. For Ji Tongzhou, the Tianyin Yanling and Ziling Yanshu weren’t too appealing. He preferred the domineering and powerful immortal arts of Xingzheng Pavilion, but not being able to join Xuanshanzi was a significant regret.
Seeing that Li Fei managed to enter Wuyue Pavilion, Ji Tongzhou chuckled, “You must have had some incredible luck for an immortal from Wuyue Pavilion to take you as a disciple. Make sure to cultivate well and don’t disgrace Wuyue Pavilion.”
Li Fei frowned, “You too, don’t become like Zhenyunzi.”
Ji Tongzhou was curious, “What’s wrong with Master Zhenyun?”
Li Fei shrugged, “Nothing… Are you here for Mr. Zuo Qiu’s handwritten letter? What about Ye Ye and the others?”
Just as she finished speaking, Ye Ye and Baili Changyue flew in on their swords. Seeing everyone gathered, Ye Ye smiled, “It seems the so-called immortal sect tests are all about going to the Library Tower. Changyue and I just passed the test; it’s simple, don’t worry.”
Li Fei noticed Baili Golin wasn’t with them and looked around, “Where’s Golin?”
Ye Ye frowned and shook his head, “That girl ran off somewhere again.”
He and Baili Changyue had decided to join the Dizang Sect, and they had agreed with Golin to go together. But suddenly, she disappeared without a trace, and they couldn’t find her.
“You guys go for the test first. Changyue and I will wait for her here,” Ye Ye waved them off.
After obtaining Mr. Zuo Qiu’s handwritten letter, the children flew on their swords to the Library Tower. Inside, the disciples were undergoing the tests given by the immortals, while in the martial arts arena, the elders observed their progress through bronze mirrors.
The area above the twentieth floor of the Library Tower was originally prepared for immortal tests. On the day of the new disciple selection, the academy would release some sealed monsters from the forbidden area into the upper floors. The resulting demonic energy wouldn’t cause the disciples to faint on the spot, nor would it allow them to pass easily.
Rather than a test, it was more about letting the various immortal elders see the disciples’ true abilities. No matter how detailed the academy’s introduction was, it couldn’t compare to seeing it with their own eyes.
The thirtieth floor of the Library Tower was a maze of winding corridors, with cages on either side holding various monsters brought up from the academy’s forbidden area. The entire corridor was filled with demonic energy and miasma.
The elders of Wuyue Pavilion were surprised to see the demonic energy avoiding Li Fei. Elder Baifu, with his sharp eyes, noticed the warding pearl on Li Fei’s wrist and immediately said, “Dongyang, is that your warding pearl? Is this the effect of the pearl or her ability?”
Master Dongyang laughed, “This child’s physique is somewhat special; demonic energy and miasma can’t approach her.”
The crowd marveled, but a physique that repelled demonic energy wasn’t particularly rare, and it was of little use in combat. After watching for a while, they focused their attention on Lei Xiuyuan.
Elder Chongyi observed for a moment and suddenly smiled. She wasn’t just repelling demonic energy; she was purifying it. That was truly remarkable.
He thought for a moment and immediately understood why Mr. Zuo Qiu wanted to retest her spiritual root attributes. This child was still young and undeveloped. The saying “an innocent man gets into trouble because of his wealth” is applied here. A single earth attribute spiritual root combined with a rare physique in one person, if widely known, would mean she would never have peace in her life.
At the end of the test, a monster was assigned for the disciples to defeat. For the academy’s well-trained disciples, this was extremely simple. Li Fei didn’t even have to act; Lei Xiuyuan’s few Taia techniques easily killed the monster.
The thirtieth floor of the Library Tower was empty, with nothing to take. The two of them each took a fang from the monster and left, chatting and laughing.
When they returned to the martial arts arena, Ye Ye and the others were still waiting for Baili Golin at Mr. Zuo Qiu’s place. Seeing other disciples passing the test, Ye Ye’s expression grew increasingly worried.
“What is that girl doing!” Ye Ye threw out his stone sword, “I’ll go find her.”
Before he could finish speaking, a golden light flashed, and a disciple flew in on a sword. The person leaped off the stone sword—it was Baili Golin, whom they had been waiting for.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and was about to call her when she gracefully stepped forward, bowed to Mr. Shen of the East Sea Wanxian Association, and said crisply, “Disciple Baili Golin, wishes to join the East Sea Wanxian Association.”