Chapter 28: Twenty Foundation Establishment Cultivators? How Is That Possible!

At the foot of Lingyun Peak, a man clad in plain cloth raised his head to cast a lingering gaze at the sect perched atop the summit. His eyes were heavy with hesitation.

"Is it really worth going up there?" he muttered to himself.

He was a rogue cultivator with mediocre innate talent. When he first discovered he had the potential to embark on the path of immortality, he had been filled with pride and ambition. He had set out into the world of cultivation alone, but as time slipped away, he gradually resigned himself to his lot. He took on all manner of menial tasks, struggling to scrape together every tiny bit of spirit stone he could find.

It was by chance that he arrived in Nanyang City, originally intending to wait for the Yangsheng Sect to begin its recruitment so he could move on. However, he had heard that the White Sword Sect was also recruiting and rumored to be offering Foundation Establishment Pills.

"Can such a small, obscure sect really have the resources to offer something like that?"

He had spent some time inquiring about the White Sword Sect. It was said that they had swallowed up three other sects and were now the sole power on Lingyun Peak. Yet, compared to the Yangsheng Sect, they were simply not in the same league. But even if he went to the Yangsheng Sect, whether he could ever obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill remained a total unknown. The number of people clamoring to join the Yangsheng Sect every year was countless; as a third-stage Qi Refiner, while he was passable, he would be nothing more than an outer disciple. There was no telling how many years he would have to wait to earn a pill.

"Forget it. Since I'm already here, I might as well go up and see," Huang He sighed, his face etched with bitterness.

This was the tragedy of a rogue cultivator: without resources, one was eventually forced to seek refuge in a sect, becoming an anonymous disciple at the very bottom of the hierarchy.

Upon arriving outside the White Sword Sect, he saw dozens of young people standing about, looking around with restless anticipation. Unsurprisingly, they were all candidates here for the test.

"Fellow Daoist, may I ask where the registration is?" Huang He asked, cupping his hands toward a man nearby.

"Over there," the man replied, gesturing with his chin.

Following his gaze, Huang He saw a beautiful young woman standing at the gate. She appeared to be no more than sixteen or seventeen years old.

"Mid-stage Foundation Establishment?"

Huang He’s cultivation technique allowed him to barely perceive the aura of others, and he was certain she was at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. Sensing this, his brow furrowed slightly. "That strength isn't particularly impressive."

Although this was already a sign of great talent, typically, those who presided over testing were the stronger cultivators of a sect. The fact that they had sent out a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator made him somewhat distrustful.

Liu Ruyan stood on the steps, scanned the surroundings to ensure no one else was coming, and said, "Follow me, everyone."

She led them to an open space outside the sect. Peng Shan was already waiting there, standing before a stone the height of a man—a Foundation Testing Stone. Every sect had different methods for testing spiritual roots, but the Testing Stone was common among smaller sects.

"Line up and come before me. Place your hands on the stone to be tested!"

As Peng Shan spoke, the candidates began to take turns. Huang He was very familiar with the stone; when a hand was placed upon it, it would emit different colors: white, green, blue, or purple. While there were certainly higher levels of talent, the stone was relatively inexpensive, and its upper limit was purple. The brighter the color, the greater the talent.

As the named candidates were tested, Liu Ruyan’s mood quietly improved. Several of them had shown blue light. It was a known fact that most people tested as green. Even within their own White Sword Sect, many had only white or green talent; those with blue were usually cultivated as core disciples.

"With so many recruits, the Senior Brother will surely be pleased!"

Liu Ruyan had assisted her master in hosting recruitment before, but never had they seen so many disciples with such decent potential. Most were usually desperate individuals looking for a place to settle down.

"Huang He!"

Upon hearing his name, Huang He stepped forward and placed his hand on the stone. A faint blue light emanated from it—less brilliant than a few others, but enough to outshine the majority of those present.

Soon, the testing concluded.

"Bai Luxin, Jiang Wanli, Ding Baixue, Huang He… those I have named, stay behind. As for the rest, you may leave now!"

After reading the list, Peng Shan’s face carried a hint of a smile. Being a small sect, they couldn't afford more rigorous testing, especially since some of the candidates possessed talent but lacked any cultivation base at all. If this were a major sect, they would have followed the initial screening with trials to select the best seeds. Still, he was very satisfied; from this day on, the scale of their sect would grow significantly.

Huang He was not surprised to hear his name; he had even been ranked fourth. But looking at the number of people remaining, he became uneasy.

"Why are there so many people staying behind? How could they possibly afford enough Foundation Establishment Pills for all of us?"

Looking around, he saw ten people had been selected. For a small sect like this, managing even three or four low-grade Foundation Establishment Pills would be a struggle. Taking on so many, they could hardly be expected to provide for them all.

"Could this just be a ploy to lure us in?" The thought suddenly popped into his mind.

Foundation Establishment Pills didn't grow on trees; otherwise, he wouldn't have spent years doing menial tasks and still been unable to afford one. Before he could dwell on it further, Liu Ruyan’s voice reached their ears.

"From today on, you are all disciples of the White Sword Sect. I am your Senior Sister; you may call me Fourth Senior Sister…"

"Fourth Senior Sister!" the ten disciples replied in unison.

Liu Ruyan nodded, recited the sect rules, and said, "Now that you are initiated, follow me into the sect."

Without giving them a chance to ask questions, she turned and walked toward the sect entrance. Though Huang He was bursting with questions, there was nothing to do but follow. He had already abandoned hope for high-quality resources; he would be grateful enough if they just gave him a Foundation Establishment Pill in a few years.

But as they walked inside, they happened upon the other disciples gathered together. What shocked him even more was the sight of so many Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"Eighteen, nineteen, twenty?!"

"This sect actually has twenty Foundation Establishment cultivators?!"

A storm raged in Huang He’s heart. Where on earth did such a small sect get so many? Furthermore, these cultivators were all very young, and he could sense from their aura that they had only just broken through. If his memory served him right, the Yangsheng Sect—the largest power within a thousand miles—hardly had more than this!

At that thought, his expression went blank. What… was going on here?