Cultivation Starts with Rejuvenation-Chapter 99 - 12: Refining Divine Sense (2)

In the end, Li Ji’an completed six problems and abandoned the other four. He took the six pages of the answer sheet to the side, adjusting his breath while waiting for the trial to end.

"Ding~"

As night fell, a bell rang, signaling the end of the third stage of the comprehension test.

After Zhao Qi entered, thirty-seven people submitted their answer sheets one by one.

"Brother, why didn’t you finish?" Xiao Changfeng asked worriedly when he saw Li Ji’an holding only six pages of the answer sheet.

"I’m dull-witted, couldn’t understand those." Li Ji’an shook his head, explaining while slightly shocked to see Xiao Changfeng’s ten full pages of answers.

Could this guy be a peerless genius?

Yet Xiao Changfeng hurriedly leaned over, lowering his voice, "Ah, you’re silly, don’t worry whether you understand or not, boldly write your answers, maybe the examiner will see your effort and, even if wrong, will commend you."

"..." Li Ji’an slightly raised his eyebrows, admiring Xiao Changfeng’s wisdom.

That night, everyone returned to the hall of the first night to rest.

This time, they were a bit closer to each other.

After all, even if they didn’t enter the Inner Sect in the end, they could all enter the Outer Sect; they would be fellow disciples in the future.

Especially the few youths with the best Spirit Roots were highly praised by everyone.

Li Ji’an followed the crowd and said a few ordinary words of praise.

For such good seedlings of the Sect, forging good relationships might not bring benefits, but certainly should not incur animosity.

The next day, Zhao Qi arrived again, announcing the end of the trial, and led everyone to the Steward Hall to await the final ranking determined by the examining Elders of this session.

Then, they would confirm the path details with their parents and elders, and if there were no mistakes, they could enter the Sect.

At the third quarter of noon, the trial results were out.

Li Ji’an had Grade B- talent, Grade B+ heart nature, Comprehension at A Middle, and ranked fourteenth overall.

Xiao Changfeng had Grade A- talent, B Middle heart nature, B Middle comprehension, and ranked sixteenth overall.

This session, the Sect recruited fifteen Inner Sect Disciples!

The top three were ranked as True Disciples.

"Congratulations brother, oh no, from now on I should call you Senior Brother. Rest assured Senior Brother, your previous promises are still valid even though I will be in the Outer Sect, but if you command, I will aid you at the risk of my life!" Xiao Changfeng, though somewhat disappointed, with his open-minded nature, was optimistic again.

"Junior Brother speaks highly. We can exchange more in the future." Li Ji’an hesitated a bit, as being fourteenth in rank entering the Inner Sect nearly shut down the possibility of becoming a True Disciple.

However, with this experience, he had confidence to rank in the top three in the next life.

He hesitated now about whether entering the Biyun Sect in this life would impact the next life’s entry into the Sect, considering which would be better.

Another consideration was whether the current appearance grown by Spiritual Qi nourishment and the changes in the next life would be too similar, and whether there might be hidden dangers.

"Then Junior Brother will go to the Outer Courtyard first, Senior Brother, you go ahead. Farewell."

"See you again."

Once the others left, the relatives of the fifteen candidate disciples were brought into the Pavilion.

When the Sect accepted disciples, it must sever ties with the family.

Even without a family, even one’s biological parents, it must be clearly stated regarding the closeness and distance in the future.

But according to past experience, at this point, problems were unlikely.

Before long, Li Ji’an saw Yan Qingwan invited into the main hall.

The gaze Yan Qingwan cast on him was filled with praise and pride for him.

...

The dust settled, and the fifteen people in the hall were about to become Inner Sect Disciples. Several outgoing personalities began to familiarize themselves in advance.

Moments later, a Sect Steward gathered the fifteen people again, routinely lecturing on the entrance matters.

"Entering our Sect, you must unite as one, in everything put the Sect first and unite with a single heart, never violating the Sect’s rules! You should always remember the Sect’s grace, and when summoned, proceed unwaveringly."

"Once you pass through this mountain gate, you have already severed ties with past matters. From now on, your heart should hold only the Sect, living as people of the Sect, dying as the soul of the Sect."

"In our Cultivation, it is about competition, competing with Heaven, with people, and with oneself. Hesitating a step means delaying all steps; establishing the Foundation at thirty and sixty will greatly differ in future potential."

"Although the Sect’s resources are many, they are not to be gained without effort. You need proactively take on Sect tasks to contribute to the Sect’s development, earn contributions for exchanges, don’t mistakenly believe that joining the Sect allows idleness without striving for progress. If you possess such thoughts, it’s best to retreat early."

...

The Steward’s lecture was clear, yet Li Ji’an felt more hesitant inside.

He admitted that after a deeper understanding, his expectations for the Sect were somewhat high.

After entering this world and understanding that resources were king, he could think of the Sect as unlikely to be as harmonious as some novels he had read before, with a protective master, supportive brothers, and a quiet environment for cultivation.

But previously, he had some expectation.

At this moment, there was truly some disparity.

He could comprehend these rules and ideas of the Cultivation Realm’s Sects, and understand that ordinary cultivators, if they didn’t compete in this environment, would have a hopeless path, like waiting for death.

But, with "Rejuvenation" in his hands, he didn’t fit into this.

After listening to several earlier points, Li Ji’an had no further interest in listening.

Due to the three-day exhausting Spiritual Sense comprehension test, he indeed felt somewhat mentally tired at this moment. He sat cross-legged, took out a Nourishing God Pill and swallowed it, then proceeded further to refine his Divine Soul.

The comprehension trial over the past three days consumed a lot of Divine Soul, but it also provided refinement, seemingly making his Divine Soul stronger, almost breaking through. He took this opportunity for further refinement.

This was akin to a cultivator using life-and-death struggles in magical combat to break through realm bottlenecks.

Surely enough, in no time, the Divine Sense which was always stuck at the Qi Cultivation Peak finally showed signs of loosening.

Li Ji’an was delighted, and continued to strive.

His Divine Soul in the past life was strong but ultimately stopped at the late Qi Cultivation Stage Spiritual Sense.

In this life, with Rejuvenation’s boost, after seven years of refinement, he had progressed further than in his past life, but never broke through to Spiritual Sense comparable to the Foundation Establishment Stage.

At this moment, he finally saw hope.

Buzz~

The next moment, Li Ji’an only felt his Sea of Consciousness suddenly become clear.

The whole world seemed to quiet down.

The Spiritual Sense which could only passively sense before, suddenly turned into Divine Sense with eyes, ears, and touch.

At the breakthrough instance, the Divine Sense, uncontrolled, scattered outward, reaching over ten feet.

He "saw" the ants in the crevice ten feet away, "heard" the rustling of earthworms digging under the wall corner ten feet away, "touched" the dry, decaying fallen leaves fluttering ten feet away...

"Hmm?" Suddenly, at the moment of advancing Divine Sense, due to Heaven and Earth Spiritual Mechanism’s guidance, momentarily sensing Heaven’s response, seemed to merge with the Great Dao, the Divine Sense pulled back by the Great Dao.

Unexpectedly broke through the restriction of the quiet room next door.

He "saw" that gradual enticing smile on the face of the Fake Pill Elder steward next door.

"Heard" him saying: "Fellow Daoist Yan, at such a young age you advanced to a Second Tier Pill Master, if you could join our Holy Sect, your future would be limitless, why be restricted to a small clan, struggling lifelong to advance? Perhaps reconsider, on the other hand, your son’s Spirit Root is not good, his heart nature is not above average, unable to get True Inheritance, lacking Guardian Path..."

"Swoosh!" As the Divine Sense returned to the Sea of Consciousness, Li Ji’an already made his decision.

The Sect clearly had benefits over the clan, more resources, and tolerance, but, if you can’t become a True Inheritor, you won’t receive the Holy Technique, won’t be valued by the Sect, nor have a Guardian Path, and must follow the Sect’s appointments, actively undertake tasks, and be forced into Secret Realm trials, risking life.

Moreover, because of lack of experience in this trial, his results were not ideal, yet he had confidence to perform better in the next life, providing another chance to try again, even if eventually wishing to enter the Sect, not necessarily having to cling to this life.

Furthermore, Yan Qingwan, being the only Pill Master cultivated by the Yan Family and its future and hope, would absolutely not leave the family.

Long after.

The Steward’s lecture finished, along with Yan Qingwan emerging from the quiet room.

"Gentlemen, if there are no objections, follow me to the Inner Sect to complete entry formalities," the Steward finished speaking, stepping forward, apparently not contemplating anyone would give up.

"I apologize, I withdraw for personal reasons." At that moment, Li Ji’an’s voice made everyone surprised.

Yan Qingwan also looked at Li Ji’an puzzled, intending to persuade him but recalling Li Ji’an’s maturity and decisiveness shown in the past seven years, suppressed inner doubts, choosing not to speak further.

The Steward felt astonished, after so many years, how many people eagerly wanted to enter, more sought but couldn’t attain, yet this young man gave up at the threshold?

After a moment of daze, he gathered his thoughts without much speech, youthful rashness is common, youthful ambition with sky-high goals, the Cultivation Realm never lacks these types.

Of course, some youths who haven’t experienced hardship might strive for freedom and independence, possibly finding certain rules hard to accept, understandable!