The Legend of Fangren

A few days later.

"A prescription, a prescription."

Luohe nudged the sleeping Fang Shi, but Fang Shi was awakened by the noise outside.

When he lifted the curtain of the carriage, his first thought was that he couldn't see the sky. Upon closer inspection, he realized that a huge, towering mountain had blocked out the horizon.

The largest peak in Cangmu Valley is called Canglong Peak. It is said to be 10,000 meters high and cannot be climbed by ordinary people. Only cultivators who have completed the Inner Heavenly Cycle can reach the top.

The Longhe Sect is located above this mountain, with its buildings encircling the mountain in layers, and it is said that on a clear, cloudless day, it can be seen from the bottom of the mountain, resembling a coiled dragon.

The long staircase leading to the heavens below the sect resembles a snake, winding its way up from one side of the mountain.

Many ordinary people, unwilling to accept their lack of qualifications, tried to climb up and knock on the mountain gate, but they all gave up halfway, or even died on the mountain and never came down.

"You two should get out of the car quickly."

Today is the day that the Dragon River Sect opens its gates to the world. The Ascension Platform below the long steps to the heavens is crowded with people of all kinds. Poor commoners and noble families alike are all here, looking up at the sky from the foot of the mountain, hoping to ascend to heaven in one step.

Zhang Kongming led the two children through the crowd, walking several hundred meters until they arrived at the long steps.

"Wow……"

The two children were truly amazed; this one square called Dengtiantai was as big as the entire Qiaocun village.

Not to mention the sons of those high-ranking officials and noble families, all of whom rode in black carriages adorned with colorful relief carvings—how magnificent!

If Zhang Kongming hadn't told them a lot about the outside world on the way here, they wouldn't have recognized him at all.

"Kongming, it's been a long time. You've finally come back."

Suddenly, the crowd on the platform heard a voice, not loud, but loud enough to drown out the noise of thousands of people.

The entire room fell silent.

"It's an elder from the Dragon River Sect!"

Someone shouted, and the clan members inside had already seen the newcomer, while the common people on the outer circle, guided by others, could only vaguely see a streak of light coming down from the mountain from more than a hundred meters away.

A pale blue light fell like a shooting star, crashing to the ground with a thud, raising a cloud of dust that scattered in surprise, startling the black horse into neighing and nearly causing it to lose control.

"What a grand display."

Fang Shi, who had closed his eyes due to the stimulation of the light dust, opened them and saw an old man with a white beard appear in front of Zhang Kongming at some point. The two seemed to know each other and exchanged a few pleasantries upon meeting.

"Elder Liu, how have you been?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine, hahaha."

The old man's name was Liu Yiyuan, an elder of the Longhe Sect, also known as Mu Benxiang. This year, he was appointed as the steward for recruiting disciples.

"Kongming, it's rare to see you bring someone back. Did you perhaps witness a rare genius on the way?"

"There is indeed one."

Zhang Kongming gestured for Luo He to step forward and introduced him, saying, "Luo He, this is Liu Yiyuan, Elder Liu, who is in charge of the medicine hall in the sect. You will inevitably suffer injuries after you embark on your cultivation journey, and you will certainly receive his care in the future. Come, pay your respects."

Luo He immediately performed the etiquette he had learned in the past few days, bowing to Liu Yiyuan as a junior.

Then Zhang Kongming introduced Luohe to Liu Yiyuan: "This child is an orphan from a small village in Qingzhou, but she has obtained the Golden Manifestation and has excellent aptitude. She is a top-tier talent. I cherish her talent, so I brought her to the sect. It is a good thing for the sect to have such a talent."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yiyuan looked Luo He up and down again, clicking his tongue in praise: "No wonder, no wonder I felt a sharpness in his eyes the first time I saw him, and I could even sense a murderous aura in his Wood Profound Qi. With such talent, becoming a Heavenly Rank disciple is no problem."

Those around who heard these words all turned their gazes to the Luo River. Some looked on with amazement and curiosity, while others lowered their eyes and glanced sideways, their thoughts unknown.

"Fangzi, I feel so uncomfortable." Luohe got goosebumps all over and involuntarily stepped back to Fang Shi's side.

Fang Shi patted him on the shoulder and said, "Calm down, this is the fate of a genius."

Unexpectedly, Luo He's action drew Liu Yiyuan's attention to Fang Shi again, so he asked, "And who is this young man...?"

Zhang Kongming said, "He is Luo He's childhood friend. The two have relied on each other since they were young. Unfortunately, he is of mediocre talent. I was entrusted by Luo He to bring him to the sect to see if he can find a job."

"Oh." Liu Yiyuan's interest immediately waned. He only glanced at Fang Shi and knew that Zhang Kongming was just saying nice things.

This talent is far from ordinary; it's like falling off a cliff to the bottom of a valley—a rarity even among ordinary people.

Such an ordinary person, once he gets to the mountain, might not even be able to catch his breath, let alone find a job.

That's really aiming too high.

But so be it. If a sect can accept a disciple with top-notch aptitude, it can naturally tolerate an overconfident mortal. However, even a servant has his own rules. If he can't even finish his duties, don't blame him for being kicked out of the sect.

Fang Shi naturally sensed the other party's disdain, but this was commonplace in the Xuan Realm, and he didn't care.

On the contrary, his mind was not on the sect trial at all. In any case, the low-level Heaven Rank trial had nothing to do with him. As a good-for-nothing, he only needed to focus on climbing the Heavenly Ascension Stairs. The other disciples had a lot more to consider.

The Dragon River Sect trial is divided into three stages, the first of which is to test aptitude.

Most of the family's children had their fortunes told by cultivators from a young age, and the first test was just a formality. Only children from ordinary families would feel nervous about it.

In front of everyone, Liu Yiyuan was surrounded by immortal energy, summoned a long sword, and stepped on it to rise into the air.

"The time has come. The sect trial begins!"

A loud bell rang out from the misty clouds atop the mountain. Several strong and powerful servants carried a huge immortal stone and placed it in the center of the Ascension Platform, creating a wave of air. This showed how heavy the immortal stone was, something no ordinary person could move.

Following them were several elders from the sect, both men and women, who looked like celestial beings, stepping on mystical artifacts, their robes fluttering. The elders had an air of otherworldly grace, while the younger ones were also exceptionally beautiful.

Anyone who sees it will be captivated.

This reflects both humanity's yearning for beauty and its obsession with immortality.

Fang Shi was no exception.

No matter how many fantasy novels there were in his previous life, none of them were real. Zhang Kongming and the others had not displayed many great supernatural powers on their journey. Now that he had seen the flying immortals with his own eyes, how could he not feel a long-lost sense of emotion?

Besides, the scenery here is quite nice—as he looked up, he saw a beautiful elder woman above him, wearing a long dress that was partially hidden.

Hmm... so far only he seems to have discovered it; everyone else is focused on the Immortal Stone.

"Snapped!"

Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around to find it was Master Zhang.

"Young man, do not look at what is improper."

Fang Shi nodded hurriedly, but still couldn't help asking, "Immortal Master, is our sect so open-minded?"

"Of course not." Zhang Kongming clearly knew this elder. "So if you are discovered, the consequences will be dire."

"Oh, oh..." Fang Shi cautiously shrank his neck.

It seems that the method of "kindly reminding the elder to expose himself, and then being appreciated by the elder to enter the sect" is no longer feasible.

Let's take a look at the aptitude test, folks. It's an essential and exciting part of any cultivation novel.