The clearing remained completely silent.
Thousands of eyes were fixed upon the ancient gate.
No one spoke.
No one dared disturb the solemn atmosphere.
Several moments later—
**Whoosh!**
**Whoosh!**
Two streaks of light descended from the heavens.
They crossed the sky like shooting stars.
The crowd immediately erupted into whispers.
"...Someone's coming!"
"They're flying!"
"Flying swords!"
The two streaks gradually slowed before the ancient gate.
Hovering several meters above the ground—
each figure stood calmly atop a flying sword.
One was a young woman.
Her azure robes fluttered gently despite the still air.
Her expression was tranquil.
Elegant.
The other was a young man dressed in white robes embroidered with silver clouds.
His calm gaze swept across the countless applicants gathered below.
Neither of them released much pressure.
Yet simply hovering in the sky was enough to leave countless people staring in admiration.
"...Cloud Sword Sect disciples..."
"So young..."
"They're actually flying..."
Among the crowd—
many mortals watched with undisguised awe.
Even numerous Spirit Refining cultivators wore expressions of envy.
Perched invisibly atop Ling Yue's head—
Lizarius quietly observed the pair.
His golden eyes narrowed slightly.
*Early Foundation Establishment.*
His gaze shifted to the other disciple.
*Mid Foundation Establishment.*
Nothing more.
The two posed no threat to him.
The young woman spoke first.
Her voice was gentle and pleasant.
"I am Yun Rui."
She gestured toward herself before indicating the young man beside her.
"This is Senior Brother Tang Su."
"We are Inner Disciples of the Cloud Sword Sect."
Her calm voice spread effortlessly throughout the clearing.
Every person heard her clearly.
Tang Su slowly stepped forward atop his flying sword.
His expression remained indifferent.
"...Those who have already stepped onto the path of cultivation..."
"...Move to the right."
He then shifted his gaze toward the remaining crowd.
"...Those who have not..."
"...Stand to the left."
No one hesitated.
The enormous crowd immediately began moving.
Cultivators naturally gathered to the right.
Mortals hurried toward the left.
Within moments—
the clearing had divided into two massive groups.
Yun Rui gracefully descended toward the group of mortals.
She had only just taken a step forward—
when—
Tang Su's gaze suddenly shifted.
His eyes locked onto someone standing among the cultivators.
"...You."
Before anyone understood what had happened—
a powerful spiritual force erupted.
**Whoosh!**
A young man screamed as his body was abruptly lifted into the air.
"...Ahhh!"
He struggled desperately.
Yet the invisible force held him completely helpless.
Tang Su's eyes were cold.
"...What exactly are you trying to pull?"
The young man's face turned deathly pale.
"S-Senior!"
"I—I was wrong!"
"Please forgive me!"
Tang Su showed no reaction.
His divine sense had already exposed the truth.
The youth possessed no cultivation whatsoever.
He had deliberately hidden himself among the cultivators—
hoping to avoid the spiritual root examination.
Tang Su's voice remained icy.
"...You possess a spiritual root."
"...Yet you ignored a direct instruction."
"...Did you think yourself clever?"
The young man trembled violently.
"I... I only..."
Before he could finish—
Tang Su flicked his sleeve.
**Boom!**
The invisible force vanished.
The youth plummeted from several meters in the air.
**CRACK!**
He slammed heavily into the stone ground.
The sickening sound of bones breaking echoed throughout the clearing.
Painful screams immediately followed.
"...Aghhh!"
The crowd instinctively stepped back.
Several people swallowed nervously.
Tang Su looked down at the injured youth without the slightest trace of sympathy.
"...That..."
"...Is your punishment."
"You were never disqualified because of your spiritual root."
"You became disqualified..."
"...The moment you chose to disobey."
His gaze remained as indifferent as ever.
"...You are no longer qualified to participate in the Cloud Sword Sect's entrance examination."
"...Leave."
The young man's face turned ashen.
He didn't dare plead again.
Clutching his broken arm—
he painfully crawled away from the clearing.
Every movement twisted his face in agony.
No one pitied him enough to interfere.
Tang Su slowly swept his gaze across the remaining crowd.
His voice grew even colder.
"...If anyone else intends to attempt something so foolish..."
"...The consequences..."
"...Will be far worse."
His eyes lingered on every face.
"...If there are any others..."
"...Leave now."
"...Do not force me to repeat myself."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Not a single person moved.
Not a single person dared gamble with the authority of an Inner Disciple.
The clearing remained deathly quiet.
Not one person stepped forward.
Tang Su calmly swept his gaze across the crowd one final time.
Finding no further offenders—
he slowly withdrew his divine sense.
"...Very well."
He stepped back.
Allowing Yun Rui to continue.
---
Yun Rui stood before the group of mortals.
Her expression remained gentle.
Unlike Tang Su—
her voice carried a reassuring warmth.
"...Do not be nervous."
She raised one hand.
A jade sphere, roughly the size of a human head, slowly floated out from her storage ring.
It drifted gracefully into the air before the crowd.
The crystal-clear sphere shimmered softly beneath the morning sunlight.
Countless tiny runes slowly revolved within it.
Many of the mortals stared in amazement.
Yun Rui smiled faintly.
"...This is a Spirit Testing Orb."
"...One at a time."
"Place your hand upon it."
"If you possess a spiritual root..."
"...The orb will respond."
"And if you do not..."
"...It will remain unchanged."
She paused briefly.
"...Do not be discouraged if that happens."
"...Cultivation has always depended upon fate."
The nervous atmosphere eased slightly.
The first youth cautiously stepped forward...
---
The first youth cautiously stepped forward.
He swallowed hard.
Then, slowly—
he placed his trembling hand upon the Spirit Testing Orb.
Silence.
Several breaths passed.
Nothing happened.
The crystal sphere remained perfectly clear.
Not the slightest ripple appeared within it.
The young man's shoulders slumped.
"...No..."
Yun Rui gave him a gentle nod.
"...You may step aside."
The youth lowered his head.
Though disappointment filled his face—
he quietly left the line without saying another word.
Soon—
the second person stepped forward.
A young girl no older than thirteen.
She nervously extended her hand.
The instant her fingertips touched the crystal—
**Hum—**
A soft green radiance blossomed from within the orb.
The surrounding crowd gasped.
"It lit up!"
"She has a spiritual root!"
Yun Rui smiled warmly.
"...A lower-grade dual spiritual root."
"Wood and Earth."
"You may proceed to the right."
The young girl's eyes immediately reddened.
"...Thank you..."
She hurried toward the cultivators' side.
A smile she couldn't suppress spread across her face.
One after another—
the examinations continued.
Some caused the Spirit Testing Orb to glow.
Most did not.
Every success was met with cheers from nearby relatives.
Every failure ended in quiet disappointment.
---
Meanwhile—
Tang Su remained before the group of cultivators.
His gaze slowly swept across the thousands gathered before him.
"...As for the rest of you..."
"...There is no need to test your spiritual roots."
"You have already begun cultivating."
"...The fact that you can cultivate has already proven that you possess spiritual roots."
He folded his hands behind his back.
"...However..."
"...Possessing a spiritual root..."
"...Does not mean you are qualified to enter the Cloud Sword Sect."
His voice became noticeably more serious.
"The entrance examination..."
"...Begins now."
Immediately—
every cultivator straightened.
Even Chi Bai's usual smile disappeared.
Ling Yue unconsciously focused.
Ling Wei silently steadied his breathing.
Ling Jianfei's eyes sharpened.
The clearing gradually fell silent once more.
The final few mortals stepped away from the Spirit Testing Orb.
Some wore expressions of overwhelming joy.
Others lowered their heads in disappointment.
Those who had failed quietly began descending the mountain.
No one mocked them.
No one laughed.
Cultivation...
Had never been a path open to everyone.
Yun Rui slowly returned the Spirit Testing Orb to her storage ring.
She looked over the remaining crowd before speaking clearly.
"...The spiritual root test has now concluded."
Her gaze swept across those who had successfully passed.
"...Those who do not possess a spiritual root may now return."
The last of the unsuccessful applicants respectfully bowed before quietly leaving the clearing.
Within minutes—
only those qualified to continue remained.
Yun Rui raised her hand once more.
"...Now..."
"...Those who possess recommendation tokens..."
"...Move to the left."
The response was immediate.
Ling Wei stepped forward.
Ling Yue followed beside him.
Chi Bai.
Chi Xue.
Gu Su.
Song Qin.
Duan Shen.
Fu Yao.
Ling Jianfei.
Ling Yufei.
Feng Lu.
And many others carrying jade recommendation tokens separated themselves from the larger crowd.
Soon—
a sizable group stood to the left.
Far smaller than the original gathering—
yet it still numbered several hundred people.
Yun Rui nodded before turning toward those who remained.
"...Those who possess spiritual roots..."
"...But have not yet begun cultivating..."
"...Move to the center."
Dozens of newly discovered cultivators stepped forward.
Most were still quite young.
Some looked nervous.
Others struggled to hide their excitement.
Many continued glancing toward the Spirit Testing Orb, as though they still couldn't believe what had just happened.
Soon—
three distinct groups stood before the sect disciples.
To the left—
the recommended disciples.
At the center—
those who possessed spiritual roots but had yet to begin cultivating.
To the right—
the independent cultivators who had already stepped onto the path of cultivation.
Yun Rui looked toward the center group.
Her voice remained calm.
"...Although you have not yet begun cultivating..."
"...The fact that you possess a spiritual root grants you the opportunity to participate in the entrance examination."
Several faces immediately brightened.
She continued,
"...However..."
"...Do not misunderstand."
"...This does not mean you have already become disciples of the Cloud Sword Sect."
"The entrance examination will be the same for everyone."
"Only those who satisfy the sect's requirements..."
"...Will ultimately remain."
Several of the newly tested youths immediately nodded.
The excitement on their faces gradually gave way to determination.
Yun Rui then looked across all three groups.
"...Whether you arrived with a recommendation..."
"...Whether you discovered your spiritual root today..."
"...Or whether you cultivated your way here through your own efforts..."
"...You will all be evaluated fairly."
"There will be no special treatment."
"There will be no exceptions."
Tang Su stepped forward once again.
His calm gaze swept across the three groups.
"...Remember this."
"A recommendation token merely grants you the right to participate."
"...Nothing more."
"If your performance is inadequate..."
"...You will still fail."
Several recommendation holders instinctively tightened their grip on the jade tokens hanging at their waists.
Among them—
Ling Jianfei's expression remained calm and composed.
Chi Bai unconsciously swallowed.
Ling Yue simply blinked before glancing upward toward the invisible Lizarius resting atop her head.
The tiny white-scaled lizard remained perfectly still.
His golden eyes quietly observed the proceedings.
Not a trace of emotion could be seen within them.