Chapter 498

Chapter 498: Sect Recruitment.

In the following two months, Ji Yang no longer went out but instead stayed at Jingtan Peak at ease.

He took care of the spiritual plants every day, basking in the sun, living a very leisurely life.

On the other hand, the sect was tense as if facing a formidable enemy.

News had leaked about several elders of the He Dao Sect secretly engaging in mining late at night, prompting various cultivators from other sects to come investigate.

Moreover, incidents related to demons seemed to involve Ye Wuchen, further pushing the He Dao Sect to the forefront of scrutiny.

Without any solid evidence, the other sects dared not take reckless actions.

However, beneath the surface of the seemingly calm Cultivation World, things were already tumultuous.

During these two months, Li Daoyi was busier than ever, often looking overwhelmed, while shimmering lights occasionally passed overhead.

One day, Ji Yang arrived early to the spiritual plants area to wait.

As he watched the Seven-Leaf Soul Flower gradually emit a dazzling Blue Light Point, Ji Yang eagerly reached out to absorb it.

Cultivation Level +1

With the disappearance of the prompt, Ji Yang displayed a hint of anxiety.

His cultivation points, initially at 9998, jumped to 9999, reaching the limit.

Under Ji Yang’s gaze, however, the cultivation section did not change at all.

Ji Yang disapproved of this; he stretched out his hand toward another Seasonal Green with a Blue Light Point.

But when Ji Yang touched the noticeable Blue Light Point, there was no reaction; his ability to absorb the light point seemed to vanish at that moment.

Seeing this, Ji Yang’s expression turned complex, with an indescribable meaning in his eyes.

As expected, this limit truly was the real limit; he no longer needed to exhaust himself searching for Blue Light Points, and the Chains of the Heavenly Dao meant he had only a single chance.

If he failed, it would be the end.

Now that his cultivation points were complete, what remained was the essence.

Yet, over these two months, Ji Yang’s Essence Condensation had only increased by 0.1%. At the current pace, even the highly condensed Essence of War would take considerable time to reach perfection.

It seemed that regular farming and mining could not elevate this essence to its peak; it lacked something essential.

Ji Yang was baffled but couldn’t think of any solutions for now, so he could only try to find the opportunity for his essence to reach full completion while farming.

“Ding!”

“Ding!”

“Ding!”

As three loud bells rang throughout the He Dao Sect, Ji Yang couldn’t help but turn his curious gaze toward the Outer Gate Square.

From Ji Yang’s primordial spirit awareness, he sensed a large gathering of cultivators there, creating a lively atmosphere.

Ji Yang paused for a moment before recalling that today was the sect’s decade-long recruitment event.

Has it really been ten years?

Thinking back to when he first joined the sect, it felt as if it were just yesterday.

Ji Yang pondered for a moment before transforming into a beam of Sword Light, heading toward the Outer Gate.

“Ding Lu!”

“Medium talent!”

…

When Ji Yang arrived at the Outer Gate Square, the talent test had already begun.

By the Qualification Stone stood Elder Liu, who was responsible for presiding over the tests ten years ago, although the applicants had changed since then.

Above on the platform, Li Daoyi stood smiling in front, holding a scroll with a faint celestial aura.

However, the twelve seats beside him were filled with elders sent by each peak instead of the Peak Masters.

During this turbulent time for the sect, the Peak Masters were occupied with important matters, but the decade-long recruitment event was also a key reason for the He Dao Sect’s continued development.

To demonstrate the sect’s importance, the Sect Master had no choice but to be present.

As he observed the crowd, Li Daoyi sighed inwardly.

It seemed that the talent of this batch of disciples was not as good as the last. Half of the candidates had already tested, but not a single exceptional talent had appeared.

Just as Li Daoyi focused on the observations, he suddenly felt a tremble from his sleeve; it was the Xuan Tian Mirror responding autonomously.

As long as a marked cultivator appeared nearby, the Xuan Tian Mirror would vibrate.

However, he recalled that he had only marked two individuals.

Li Daoyi quickly cast his gaze around.

When he spotted a familiar figure in the crowd, his expression changed slightly.

“Damn it, it’s this kid again!”

Li Daoyi cursed inwardly, feeling helpless; after all, Ye Wuchen was still an important force for the He Dao Sect.

Wanting to ignore it, Li Daoyi intentionally shifted his gaze away, fearing that if he looked again, he might explode!

“Kui Shiyun!”

“Exceptional talent!”

As the Qualification Stone flashed with dazzling light, Elder Liu’s slightly elevated voice rang in everyone’s ears.

“Tsk tsk, another exceptional talent! If I’m not mistaken, Senior Brother Lei and Senior Sister Lu also had exceptional talents, right?”

A Late Stage of Foundation Establishment cultivator in the crowd spoke with envy.

“Exactly, this person is really lucky!”

“Senior Brother Lei and Senior Sister Lu reached the Nascent Soul Stage after coming out from the secret realm last time!”

“In just ten years, they’ve achieved such a realm; even the legendary Talent Jealousy seems to pale in comparison!”

Another inner disciple lamented, his emotions mixed in his words.

While everyone expressed envy, a Golden Core disciple chuckled lightly and said,

“What do you know? Even with exceptional talent, it’s impossible to reach the Nascent Soul Stage in just ten years.”

“Don’t be deceived by Senior Brother Lei and Senior Sister Lu’s hard work. If it weren’t for the rich resources from the sect now, combined with their great luck and countless opportunities, especially from the last blood-soaked forbidden area, how could they have achieved their current accomplishments? This cannot be replicated by other exceptional talents.”

The Golden Core disciple had a hint of envy and jealousy flashing in his eyes as he finished.

Though their opportunities were indeed numerous, without exceptional talent, outstanding abilities, and a bit of luck, they wouldn’t have reached their current realms.

After the Golden Core disciple spoke, others nodded in agreement; it seemed that in recent years, the resources supplied by the sect had indeed increased.

Ordinary disciples like them had made significant progress, so one could imagine that the more talented disciples received even more resources.

In the crowd, Ji Yang quietly watched, indifferent to the discussions of the cultivators around him.

As fewer disciples tested their talents, Ji Yang turned to leave.

But at that moment, the sky above suddenly changed dramatically, with dark clouds rapidly gathering, hovering over the square.

In the next instant, the Qualification Stone shone with an exceptionally bright light.

“What is this?”