Cultivation: But Not a Game-Chapter 151 - 75: Lingxiu Peak, Disciple Recruitment
Outside the mountain, the sea of clouds rises and falls, and every so often, sword beams pierce through, shooting skyward like meteors towards the distance.
Inhaling deeply, a cool wave of spiritual energy enters the nostrils, bringing refreshing clarity.
Su Yu watered the magical plants in the courtyard with spiritual water taken from the Sea-Suppressing Pearl, and in just two days, these plants seemed to grow even more vibrant.
At the center of the courtyard is a stone table, upon which a dragon, arm-thick and entirely emerald green like jade, was comfortably gnawing on a spirit fruit, occasionally stuffing its mouth with spiritual paste from a pot held in its right claw.
Su Yu walked over and casually picked up a spirit fruit, munching on it as he muttered:
"Still have to wait a few days for news, huh?"
Ao Run glanced at him, flicked its tail, and rolled the last two spirit fruits from the plate into its embrace.
They had entered three days ago when Chu Xinyue led them inside the sect, arranged according to their circumstances, and instructed him to wait for a few days, after which there was no further communication.
He was now residing at Lingxiu Peak, a place specially provided for newcomers who could directly enter as official disciples, until they formally found a master and moved out.
Lingxiu Peak is vast, with its towering mountains dotted with small villas, likely housing thousands.
Each day, he observed people being chosen by domain experts within the sect and accepted as disciples, with new arrivals coming in and others moving out daily.
In Bian’an, any sect disciple who successfully transcends a celestial tribulation to become a loose immortal gains eligibility to take on disciples.
Take Chu Xinyue, for instance; although she had not been in the sect for long, she successfully underwent the celestial tribulation to rise as a loose immortal, theoretically qualifying to accept disciples.
However, by choosing to accept disciples, she would automatically lose her status as a disciple of the sect, forfeiting eligibility to compete for true inheritance within the sect.
Xuanzhen Immortal Sect ranks its disciples from lowest to highest: outer disciples, official disciples, elite disciples, core disciples, true inheritances, and the very rare Dao Child, seen perhaps once a century.
Outer disciples, for example, are not officially recognized within the sect’s records.
Official disciples have been inducted, recorded within the sect’s jade disc, and qualify to apprentice under any branch within the sect.
Elite disciples, distinguished among official disciples, possess abilities far beyond their peers, often deemed capable of becoming loose immortals.
Core disciples are typically the most elite in each branch, often direct disciples of major figures, usually possessing the potential to become Earth Immortals.
True disciples are the elite few regarded as core and true inheritances throughout the sect, with access to any branch’s teachings and the sect’s treasures, poised as the upper echelon of leadership in any sect.
Core disciples qualify to inherit branch leader or elder positions, while true disciples stand fit to succeed as sect masters or other core sect positions, or manage the sect’s supreme treasures, holding real executive power within the sect.
So, unless a core disciple absolutely knows they have no hope of attaining true inheritance, they will not rashly accept disciples and forsake this opportunity.
Take Chu Xinyue for example; having recently ascended to loose immortal, with her age and the treasures she holds, she holds genuine prospects for contending for Xuanzhen Immortal Sect’s true inheritance and will certainly refrain from accepting disciples now.
Then again, Su Yu didn’t anticipate apprenticing under Chu Xinyue.
Despite her decent talent, having just ascended to loose immortal, her ability to teach and train disciples seemed questionable, and becoming her disciple might mean relying on each other for support in the future.
Shaking his head, Su Yu finished the spirit fruit in one bite, ready to open the Sea-Suppressing Pearl to fish out more, when he suddenly felt someone contacting him.
Upon opening the communication panel, he saw a message from Ding Lingyu:
"I’m planning to visit the top of Lingxiu Peak, want to come along?"
He immediately replied:
"I’ve already settled on apprenticing under Xuankong Dragon True Monarch, so visiting there might be pointless."
"Consider it a chance to accumulate life experiences, broaden your horizons."
"Uh, well, alright." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂
Su Yu turned, picked up Ao Run, tucked him into the Sea-Suppressing Pearl, and soared into the sky towards the peak summit.
The summit of Lingxiu Peak was a vast platform built with a garden containing numerous pavilions varying in size, with groups of young men and women scattered, lounging or engaging in conversation.
Su Yu ascended to the summit, spotting Ding Lingyu waving at him from a distance at the edge.
Flying over and landing on the platform, he curiously surveyed the surroundings, quickly spotting a line of pavilions attracting a crowd of young spectators.
Within these pavilions stood a stone slab upon which people were writing; some had finished and sat aside, smiling as they responded to the questions of their audience.
Su Yu, curious, asked:
"What are they doing?"
Ding Lingyu strode over, responding:
"Selecting disciples, of course."
"???"
Su Yu followed, perplexed, until he noticed the writing on one of the stone slabs and it all clicked.
One slab read:
"Pure Dharma Lineage, Elder Suishan’s second disciple, Mingchengzi, Tier Four Loose Immortal, seeks two disciples, requiring innate bone structure of 30 points, innate comprehension of 25 points, innate six senses of 25 points, innate fortune of 20 points or higher, those with spirit roots may have their requirements reduced."
"Upon entry, receiving one piece of top-grade Tier Seven Treasure, and learning one Refined Level Qi Refining Heart Skill from this lineage, and one Xuanmen Orthodox Thunder Skill."
"Elder Suishan is the orthodox lineage of Pure Dharma, distinguished performance may yield an opportunity to gain insight into the sect’s supreme teachings."
Su Yu glanced at the middle-aged man seated by the slab, already surrounded by many inquiring about various specifics.
Questions ranging from Mingchengzi’s specific level,
such as which performances merit the chance to study Pure Dharma Lineage’s supreme teachings, abound.
The middle-aged man patiently answered all their questions one by one.
Su Yu listened for a while, and roughly understood the criteria.
It’s simple, as long as you can become a Core Disciple of the Pure Dharma Lineage, you can have the opportunity to receive the sect’s paramount inheritance.
As for the standards to become a Core Disciple, there’s no specific standard because the criteria vary for different individuals.
If your talent is average, you need to reach Foundation Establishment and become a Loose Immortal before the age of 50 to be considered a Core Disciple.
However, if you possess extraordinary talent, with innate comprehension and spirit roots above forty points, or have a special spirit root, you can become a Core Disciple without undergoing a Celestial Tribulation as long as your cultivation potential meets the standard.
The so-called spirit root is not the kind of spirit root described in the mortal novels of Su Yu’s past life, but rather a unique talent of a cultivator.
For instance, Immortal Bone, Buddha Bone, Demon Bone, Monster Bone, various Spirit Bodies, special constitutions like Water Spirit Body, Fire Spirit Body, Profound Yin Body, Nine Yin Extinct Vein, or special talents like Dharma Eye, Exquisite Heart, or awakened bloodlines, are all collectively referred to as spirit roots.
Spirit roots are classified into Low Grade, Middle Grade, Top Grade, Top Grade, Immortal Body/Holy Body, and Dao Body.
Even the lowest Low Grade spirit root can have special effects, significantly enhancing cultivation speed or strength.
Like Su Yu’s double talent, it should also be considered a kind of spirit root.
Su Yu looked around at the pavilions, probably over a hundred of them, most of which were already occupied, indicating that dozens of sect elders were currently seeking disciples.
This feeling was quite peculiar, very much like corporate recruitment.
The two had nothing to do, so they walked around the pavilions, browsing the disciple recruitment criterias posted on the stone tablets.
They looked at more than a dozen stone tablets in a row, and when passing by one of them, Ding Lingyu stopped, carefully examined it, squeezed into the crowd, and respectfully clasped his fists in salute to the man standing beside the stone tablet, saying:
"I meet Master Xi Xing’s requirements and wish to join his tutelage."
Su Yu was surprised and looked at the stone tablet next to him, which read:
"Golden Spirit Lineage, the third disciple of the head, Master Xi Xing, Ninth Grade Loose Immortal, seeking to take in two disciples, requiring innate bone and comprehension, with all six senses above 30 points, and possessing spirit roots."
"Upon entry, a superior Tier Seven Treasure will be granted, along with a Refined Level Qi Refining Heart Skill of the lineage, and an Orthodox Thunder Skill of the Profound Sect."
"Master Xi Xing is the third disciple of the head of the Golden Spirit Lineage. If you perform outstandingly, there may be an opportunity to study the lineage’s paramount codex in the future!"
Su Yu was quite surprised. This information seemed no different from the previous one. Why was Ding Lingyu so excited?
Just then, someone else also approached the pavilion and saw the information on the stone tablet, one of them exclaimed in surprise:
"Ninth Grade Loose Immortal?"
"Doesn’t that mean just one step away from Earth Immortal?"
Su Yu immediately understood what Ninth Grade meant.
"If I’m not mistaken, it refers to a level of 190, right!"
He speculated that this so-called grading system should be an internal ranking within the immortal sects, with First Grade being level 110, Second Grade being level 120, and so on. The previous elder from the Pure Dharma Lineage, Mingchengzi, was a Fourth Grade Loose Immortal, which means he was likely a level 140 powerhouse.
A powerhouse at level 190 was very strong indeed, among the strongest below Earth Immortal.
If there’s a future opportunity to further advance and successfully withstand the second Great Celestial Tribulation to forge an Immortal Golden Elixir, then they would be revered as an Earth Immortal, enjoying a lifespan of over two thousand years.
Becoming a disciple of such a powerhouse....
"It seems better than becoming a Direct Disciple of the Wandering Dragon Ancestor."
Su Yu rubbed his chin, feeling a bit tempted.
Although the inheritance of the Wandering Dragon Ancestor must be very rich, it’s not exclusive. It’s shared among several people, and the most crucial part is that once inherited, the ancestor passes away, leaving no protection from the ancestor.
If the master is still alive, a venerable Earth Immortal can provide protection, allowing you to seek help if you stir up trouble outside.
For example, with someone like Celestial Cangtian, if you have an Earth Immortal master, even if caught red-handed, you wouldn’t be harmed. At most, you would just have to hand over the things and be let go, as they wouldn’t dare kill you.
Unfortunately, although he found it appealing, the fact was that he wasn’t qualified to apprentice himself to the likes of such a powerhouse, as his innate attributes were not up to standard.
While he was pondering, Ding Lingyu had already come out:
"Let’s go, see the next one."
Su Yu curiously asked:
"Didn’t you succeed?"
"I did."
"Then why are you visiting others?"
Ding Lingyu stopped and explained:
"Don’t you think that just signing up guarantees entry into the sect? This is merely registration; tomorrow, the master will conduct personal interviews and tests. Only after passing the interview will I be formally accepted as a disciple."
"For a popular expert like Master Xi Xing, many people definitely want to apprentice under him. The competition is quite fierce, and my chances are slim, so I need to register with several more."
"...makes sense."
"By the way, why don’t you sign up for a few? An apprenticeship under someone like Master Xi Xing wouldn’t be worse than with Monarch Youlong."
Su Yu felt a bit tempted, but as soon as he considered the disciple requirements set by Master Xi Xing, he shook his head:
"No chance, my innate attributes aren’t up to the standard for application."
