Chapter 144: Recruitment Rules
Chapter 144: Recruitment Rules
This situation proved dangerous for ordinary people, but cultivators of the Soul Martial Realm merely needed to start anew.
After traversing the hurricane zone, they encountered a glacial region where the icy aura could freeze all things, posing a severe trial. Many cultivators shrouded themselves in roaring flames to resist the extreme cold.
Few realized the glacial stretch spanned a hundred miles. In the final ten miles, numerous cultivators froze solid, becoming permanent ice statues. These victims either lacked sufficient cultivation or miscalculated their true essence expenditure early on, leaving them stranded without rescue.
Cheng Lingyu felt momentary pity but remained silent. Lou Ri City’s recruitment of disciples operated on mutual consent—those who overestimated themselves only had their misfortune to blame.
Beyond the ice lay a sea of flames, its scorching heat complementing the previous cold in a brutal duality.
“By my count, we’ve spent nearly three days since entering the Rising Moon Gate. Lou Ri City must be close.”
The endless fire sea obscured visibility. Cheng Lingyu gauged progress through elapsed time. “The recruitment should commence when we reach the city outskirts.”
Without pause, they charged into the inferno. Cheng Lingyu activated the Burning Heaven Method, absorbing flame essence as he advanced. Crimson lotuses bloomed beneath his feet, coalescing into a blazing platform.
Lan Xiaozhu employed a different tactic, channeling flames through her cave heaven to steadily enhance her cultivation.
The fiery expanse required a full day’s journey across two hundred miles. Emerging at last, they faced yet another obstacle.
“What’s this…?”
The pair exchanged stunned glances. A massive chasm split the earth ahead, bridged only by an inverted mountain range spanning dozens of miles.
“This is the Upside-Down Heaven—final gateway to Lou Ri City,” explained nearby cultivators. “Gravity shifts unpredictably here. Fall into the Abyss, and you’ll be teleported back outside the Rising Moon Gate.”
Cheng Lingyu observed hundreds of cultivators inching across the unstable terrain. Though primarily a psychological test, this peculiar feature of Xiyun Divine Mountain claimed careless victims periodically.
After half an hour’s observation, they joined the cautious procession. The eighty-mile crossing took half a day, but they emerged unscathed.
Flatlands now stretched before them. Mountains drew near as a distant city silhouette materialized.
“Finally approaching.”
Lan Xiaozhu smiled faintly. Their journey—manageable for Soul Martial Realm cultivators but grueling for others—nears its end. Before them loomed Lou Ri City, its divine mountain piercing the clouds like an eternal sentinel.
The entrance to Lou Ri City lay at the foot of the mountain, while the city itself was constructed midway up the slope. From a distance, it resembled an ancient castle veiled in mystery, provoking endless longing.
Beneath the colossal Xiyun Divine Mountain, tens of thousands of cultivators had gathered. A luminous barrier enveloped the main body of the mountain.
Cheng Lingyu and Lan Xiaozhu swiftly approached the foot of the mountain, where a mountain gate crafted from white jade crystal shimmered with divine radiance.
Above the gate, the characters “Lou Ri” blazed with brilliance, accompanied by a distinct sun pattern that emanated solemn authority.
Only one day remained before the disciple recruitment’s official start, yet the crowd outside the mountain gate already buzzed with restless energy. Their gazes clung to the impossibly towering divine mountain, faces alight with yearning.
Cheng Lingyu surveyed the surroundings with mixed emotions. Over sixty thousand people crowded the area, with more cultivators streaming in from behind.
Lan Xiaozhu stared at the Xiyun Divine Mountain, an instinctive tremor passing through her. The sacred peak radiated overwhelming majesty, like an ancient ferocious beast suppressing the heavens.
Within the mountain gate sat a withered-looking black-clad youth who stared fixedly at his feet, utterly indifferent to the throngs outside.
Nearly one-third of the gathered cultivators were female, including numerous striking beauties, yet the youth never once lifted his eyes.
Cheng Lingyu studied the nearby cultivators. The sheer numbers and conflicting auras allowed many to cleverly conceal their true strength.
Suddenly, Cheng Lingyu recognized Jiang Mufeng from Yunyang City’s Jiang family – an unexpected arrival.
Jiang Mufeng returned the gaze coldly, undisguised hostility simmering beneath his composed expression.
Cheng Lingyu responded with a mild smile before resuming his observations.
With tens of thousands packed together, jostling proved inevitable.
All waited patiently, periodically assessing newcomers while strategizing to improve their odds.
The day vanished like a breath. Over twenty thousand additional cultivators arrived, with more still hastening toward the site.
Come morning, the black-clad youth abruptly rose within the mountain gate. Turning slowly, his frosty gaze swept the crowd before settling into a desolate smile.
He strode forward, ancient runes and patterns flaring across his body as he passed through the Defensive Light Barrier.
Silent as a tombstone, the youth stood outside while thousands watched in breathless anticipation.
A gray-robed middle-aged man materialized within the gate, his round face creased in welcoming smiles.
Similar runes shimmered around the man as he emerged.
“Welcome to Lou Ri City’s disciple recruitment,” he declared warmly. Cheers erupted, punctuated by excited shrieks.
The man raised a hand for silence. “I’m Hua Mantian, overseeing preliminary selections. Before we begin, I’ll outline key requirements.”
The crowd stilled instantly.
“First, applicants must meet three criteria: under twenty-five years old, cultivation above the Soul Martial Realm, and no affiliation with the Three Saints and Four Peerless sects. Second, there’s no fixed recruitment quota – success depends on Luck and chance.”
“What about selection rules?” someone shouted.
“Three rounds of selection,” Hua Mantian answered. “Crossing this mountain gate constitutes the first round, lasting five days. Latecomers need only arrive within this period.”
“Is the first round just age and cultivation checks?”
“Correct. Each applicant must touch the detection stone here.” He gestured to a slender pillar topped by a rune-encrusted stone sphere.
This preliminary round enforced absolute criteria. Eligible cultivators passed freely while others were repelled.
“What about the second round?” pressed another voice.
“It’ll eliminate most candidates,” Hua Mantian said cryptically. “Details come later.”
“Begin!” he announced. “No need to rush. What’s meant for you won’t escape.”
Eager cultivators immediately surged forward.
The black-clad youth’s gaze snapped toward them. An invisible pressure froze the crowd mid-step.
Even from a distance, Cheng Lingyu marveled at the youth’s terrifying power.
“Five days remain,” Hua Mantian reminded cheerfully, his smile contrasting the youth’s frosty demeanor.
Most cultivators withdrew to observe. Impatient ones formed two queues, each touching the stone sphere before attempting passage.
Contact with the sphere triggered runic fluctuations that verified age and cultivation.
Approved candidates walked through unimpeded. A twenty-seven-year-old Soul Martial Sixth Realm practitioner was violently repelled, his details flashing on the barrier: “Disqualified.”
“It actually works!” someone gasped.
Cheng Lingyu nodded silently, recognizing this as masterful artifact craftsmanship.
After a lull, another opportunist stepped forward.