Chapter 24: The Test Begins

Even though Shen Qingyi quickly averted her eyes, Ning Yunan still caught her glance.

Seeing that Shen Qingyi only looked a little pale, he couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow again.

A mortal who had never cultivated actually dared to look directly at the Qingxin Hall’s plaque and came away unharmed.

Could it be that this little kid had decent aptitude?

He couldn’t help but look Shen Qingyi up and down again.

She didn’t seem to… This age, while considered young in the Cultivation World, was actually quite old compared to those who started cultivating as young children.

Usually, everyone started cultivating by the age of five.

Even without high-level techniques, they would practice the most common, widely available techniques for Drawing Qi into the Body in the Cultivation World. Those were readily available, and any mortal with a bit of savings could afford them.

If they couldn’t afford one, they could go to the local Sect to be tested. Those with good aptitude could join the local Sect. For those with poor aptitude, unless it was particularly terrible, many smaller family factions were willing to take them in if they showed a glimmer of hope.

For those even worse off, as long as they knew their Spiritual Root type and aptitude, having a goal and buying a common technique to practice was still better than not cultivating at all.

Or perhaps this little kid actually had no Spiritual Roots, or her Spiritual Root aptitude was too poor to succeed in Drawing Qi into the Body, and her family wanted her to try her luck here.

Such things had happened in the past, after all.

Some local officials might also skim some benefits from the process, which was not an unknown practice either.

Ning Yunan couldn’t figure it out, so he stopped overthinking. Whether this kid was exceptionally gifted or utterly talentless, the upcoming test would reveal the truth.

Half an incense stick of time wasn’t long, and it soon passed.

The responsible disciple signaled for them to enter, and everyone filed into the Qingxin Hall in an orderly fashion.

Outside the hall, aside from the escorting Cultivators, no one else remained.

After all, on such an open and public day, very few with ill intentions would try to enter using such methods.

The moment Shen Qingyi stepped into the Qingxin Hall, she felt that familiar power wash over her again.

However, unlike the feeling outside the Main Hall moments before, this probing force felt much gentler.

Shen Qingyi even found it somewhat pleasant and couldn’t help but gently close her eyes.

After a wave of fluctuation, Shen Qingyi felt a slight breeze pass by, brushing against the stray hairs on her forehead.

Shen Qingyi slowly opened her eyes.

She now found herself in a large plaza, surrounded by other disciples who had also come for the test.

Nearby, people who knew each other gathered in small groups, talking.

“Wow! I never expected the back of the Qingxin Hall to connect to this huge plaza!”

“This is a large-scale Teleportation Array, right? How many Spirit Stones must it cost to activate this just once!”

“This major Sect truly lives up to its reputation!”

“If only I could become a disciple of the Lingdao Sect, how wonderful that would be!”

“Yes, but it’s a shame my Spiritual Roots are only of the four-element type. I don’t even know if I’ll make it in! I’d be willing even as a Menial Disciple!”

“Hey, buddy, have you seen Zhang Qi?”

“Huh? Now that you mention it, I really haven’t seen him. Weren’t we together when we entered the Qingxin Hall? How come he hasn’t come out yet?”

“Sister, I never thought there would be so many Cultivators taking the Lingdao Sect’s test. I’m a little scared.”

“Don’t be afraid. I’ll protect you.”

The people around chattered incessantly.

Shen Qingyi didn’t know anyone. Even Qi Linger, the only person she was somewhat familiar with, was not nearby.

In the dense sea of people, she didn’t hold out hope of finding her. She stood in place, quietly waiting.

The sun gradually rose. They waited from dawn until evening, yet the test still hadn’t begun.

Some of the more impatient ones were getting restless and tried to ask the nearby guardian disciples, but those disciples all just said, “Soon.”

As evening fell, the originally clear, star-filled sky suddenly began to rain.