Chapter 204: Cloud Heaven Sect

In the 134,500th year of the Vermilion Bird Era, in the third-grade Cultivation Country of Chu, a radiant glow appeared within its borders, lasting for three days before dissipating. Various Schools in the Chu Country dispatched Disciples to investigate, but ultimately found nothing, only discovering an abandoned Immortal Cave.

Some rumored that a great treasure had appeared here and had already been taken.

Regarding this rumor, some Cultivators did not believe it, but others firmly did. The place where the radiant glow appeared was less than ten thousand li from the Cloud Heaven Sect. Thus, the rumor that the Cloud Heaven Sect had obtained the great treasure began to spread.

In the same year, the Cloud Heaven Sect refined a Heaven's Bane Pill. This Medicinal Pill reached the initial stage of fifth-grade quality, and its efficacy allowed Cultivators at or above the Nascent Soul Stage, whose Physical Bodies had disintegrated, to immediately restore their Physical Bodies, achieving Rebirth without the need for Possession.

The appearance of this Medicinal Pill instantly made the already flourishing Cloud Heaven Sect even more famous. All surrounding third-grade cultivation Countries turned their attention to it. Finally, the fourth-grade Cultivation Country, the Giant Demon Race, exchanged a secret agreement for this Pill. Before leaving, they set up a Spell Formation on the Cloud Heaven Sect's mountain gate. This Spell Formation was extremely powerful, making it difficult for even an ordinary fourth-grade Cultivation Country to forcibly breach it.

In the final month of the same year, the Cloud Heaven Sect widely opened its mountain gate, and its thirty-year, ten-day Disciple recruitment ceremony began.

Various cultivation Families within the Chu Country sent their direct descendants to the Cloud Heaven Sect, hoping to leap in and become a member of the Cloud Heaven Sect, thereby bringing glory to their ancestors and raising their status.

However, the Cloud Heaven Sect's Disciple recruitment requirements were extremely peculiar. Unlike other Schools that emphasized innate Spiritual Roots, this Sect focused on a type of karmic affinity.

As a result, the Disciple recruitment ceremony, held once every thirty years, would at most accept ten people, which was insignificant compared to the thousands who flocked there each time.

The Cloud Heaven Sect's renown and the scarcity of its Disciple recruitment ultimately led to the result that almost all Loose Cultivators dreamed of becoming Cloud Heaven Sect Disciples.

At the very top of the Cloud Heaven Mountain Range, there were rows of exquisitely carved and jade-inlaid halls and pavilions, exuding an immortal aura. This place was the location of the Cloud Heaven Sect's mountain gate. In reality, this visible corner was only a part of the Cloud Heaven Sect; more pavilions and carvings were completely hidden by Divine Ability, making it appear, from a distance, as nothing but lush green trees and verdant waves.

Three enormous azure characters, like a string of high-hanging lanterns, were controlled by a Divine Ability Spell, floating motionlessly in the Void Realm above the carved pavilions.

These three characters were “Cloud Heaven Sect.”

Whenever the thirty-year, ten-day Disciple recruitment ceremony began, these three large characters would appear in the sky. Once the ten-day period passed, these three large characters would disappear.

Thus, all Loose Cultivators and cultivation Families within the Chu Country now knew that the appearance of the three characters “Cloud Heaven Sect” in the sky signified the start of the Disciple recruitment ceremony, where the Cloud Heaven Sect widely accepted Inner Sect Disciples from Chu. Once the three characters disappeared, it meant the end of the Disciple recruitment ceremony.

On this particular morning, the sky was clear for thousands of li, with vast blue waves. Streaks of Sword Qi sped from all directions, rapidly flying towards the Cloud Heaven Sect. About a thousand li from the Sect, the Sword Qi streaks descended, revealing handsome and beautiful young men and women within them. These individuals were all young; some rode their Flying Swords alone, while others followed their Seniors.

To show respect to the Cloud Heaven Sect, essentially all those coming to seek mentorship stopped flying a thousand li away and proceeded on foot.

If one were to look down from the sky at this moment, they would clearly see countless young men and women, in twos and threes, walking continuously within a thousand-li radius of the Cloud Heaven Sect's mountain gate.

Outside the Cloud Heaven Sect's mountain gate stood three young Cultivators, responsible for arranging those who came to seek mentorship.

At this time, about five hundred li from the Cloud Heaven Sect's mountain gate, a male and a female Cultivator were walking forward. Among them, the man was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, composed and calm, with tranquil eyes. His lapel was embroidered with a purple Flying Sword, indicating that he was already an Inner Sect Disciple of the Sword Qi Sect.

Beside him was a beautiful young woman in her twenties. She wore a purple dress with a matching sash tied around her waist, making her figure appear curvaceous and quite alluring.

Looking further up, the woman's appearance was quite captivating; describing her as one who could make the moon hide and flowers blush would be no exaggeration. At this moment, her cherry lips slightly pouted as she rubbed her legs, complaining, “Brother, what's so great about this Cloud Heaven Sect? Why do you insist on me coming here? I don't like Alchemy; I like the Sword Qi Sect!”

The man's expression remained normal. He glanced at the woman, tapped her forehead, and smiled, “The Sword Qi Sect is too focused on killing; it's not suitable for you. You must know that the Cloud Heaven Sect is the head of all Schools in Chu Country. Even if Chu Country faces a great disaster, it won't affect this Sect at all. If you can join the Cloud Heaven Sect, I will be completely at ease. I'm sure if Mother and Father were still alive, they would also smile in the netherworld.”

Upon hearing her brother mention their parents, the woman's expression darkened. After a short silence, she obediently nodded, looked at her brother, and said in a melodious voice, “Brother, if I can join the Cloud Heaven Sect, then I'll specifically refine Medicinal Pills for you alone, okay? When your cultivation is high, we'll return to the Family and let those old fellows see; Brother, you teach them a good lesson.”

Hearing this, the man turned his head, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. Fearing that his sister would not be able to bear the blow, he had not told her the truth about what happened back then.

“Brother, look at that person, his clothes are so strange,” the girl said, widening her eyes and covering her mouth with a laugh as she looked at a young man ahead.

The man looked up and saw a young man dressed in coarse cloth walking slowly two hundred zhang ahead. One must know that those who came to the Cloud Heaven Sect to seek mentorship were usually Loose Cultivators and cultivation Families; no Mortal could come here.

Therefore, such a sight in terms of clothing was rarely seen; this was clearly the attire of an ordinary mountain village youth.

As if hearing the girl's voice, the young man looked back at the two of them, then withdrew his gaze without pausing and continued walking forward.

The man's eyes flashed with surprise. He knew his sister's appearance was quite captivating; every Cultivator they encountered along the way had turned to look, especially after entering a thousand li within the Cloud Heaven Sect. Everyone who saw his sister would take a few extra glances, but this young man alone had eyes as calm as water, showing no ripple of emotion when he saw his sister.

The man swept his Divine Sense. The young man's cultivation was merely at the second or third layer of Qi Condensation Stage. After a glance, he withdrew his gaze.

The girl looked at the young man, her eyes showing interest. She quickly walked over and called out, “Hey, are you also here to seek mentorship?”

The young man frowned, ignored her, and continued walking forward.

The girl snorted lightly, then lightly leaped past the young man, landing in front of him, and said unhappily, “Are you mute? I'm asking you, are you also here to seek mentorship?”

The young man glanced at the girl and said helplessly, “Isn't that obvious?” After speaking, he shook his head and walked around the girl.

The girl's pretty face flushed. She pondered for a moment and realized that her words just now were indeed nonsense. The other party had already arrived here, yet she was still asking if he was here to seek mentorship.

The girl's brother's lips curved into a smile. He had no displeasure towards the young man's answer; on the contrary, he had felt the same way when his sister asked the question.

The girl stomped her foot, then chased after him again, walking alongside the young man, and said unhappily, “Of course what I said isn't nonsense. The clothes you're wearing don't look like someone here to seek mentorship at all. Look at others, look, who is dressed like you? You should know that the Cloud Heaven Sect accepts Disciples…”

The young man frowned again. He sighed inwardly, thinking that this girl, in his opinion, was just a little brat, and a particularly annoying one at that.

If his cultivation wasn't so low, he would have long since flicked his sleeve and left in a hurry, no longer enduring this brat's nagging.

Time flew by, and in a blink of an eye, it was afternoon. The sun in the sky gradually grew hotter, and sweat seeped from the young man's forehead. He smiled bitterly inside, thinking to himself that it had been a long time since he had felt such a breathless, Mortal-like sensation.

Just then, the girl beside him flipped her right hand, took out several lychees from her Storage Pouch, peeled them, and put them in her mouth. After glancing at the young man, she extended her right hand and asked, “Want some?”

The young man didn't even look, shaking his head and continuing to walk forward.

The girl snorted lightly, then ignored him and returned to her brother's side, placing all the lychees in her brother's hand.

Two hours later, the Cloud Heaven Sect's mountain gate was already in sight. The young man's eyes showed a hint of emotion as he looked at the magnificent pavilions before him, his thoughts involuntarily drifting to the Hengyue School of yesteryear.

This young man was Wang Lin!

To be precise, it was Wang Lin's Clone. By Cultivating the Divine Dao technique, he successfully extracted a Clone from his body. This Clone was just like the main body, with flesh and blood.

However, its lifespan was only thirty years.

This was the only method he could think of to both not abandon his extreme realm by dispersing his cultivation and to Breakthrough his cultivation. As for his main body, it was hidden somewhere near the Cloud Heaven Sect.

The Immortal Cave from back then had already been abandoned by him because, at the moment the Clone appeared, an unusual phenomenon occurred, with streaks of radiant glow appearing and lingering.

As a result, he had to quickly abandon the Immortal Cave, find a new place, and begin a long period of secluded cultivation.

While the main body was in secluded cultivation, the Clone transformed itself and lived in a mountain village at the foot of the Cloud Heaven Sect for several months. Later, when the Cloud Heaven Sect began recruiting Disciples, Wang Lin pondered for a moment and decided to give it a try.

Thus, the current scene unfolded. In fact, according to Wang Lin's original plan, after the spiritual liquid was almost used up, his main body would take action to find a way to capture a Cloud Heaven Sect Disciple, then infiltrate the Sect to steal Medicinal Pills.

Now that he had caught the Cloud Heaven Sect's Disciple recruitment period, Wang Lin decided to give it a try. If he could successfully be accepted as a Disciple, then there would be no need to capture someone to infiltrate.

Anyone who came to the Cloud Heaven Sect to seek mentorship would be taken to a side room in an outer mountain to rest. After the ten-day period, all Cultivators who had come to the Cloud Heaven Sect would undergo a unified screening.

After the girl who was with Wang Lin was led into the mountain gate by a Cloud Heaven Sect Disciple, her brother turned and left, but before he departed, he glanced at Wang Lin several times.

Wang Lin's gaze was calm. Although his cultivation was gone, his experience remained. In his view, this young man's cultivation definitely hadn't reached the Core Formation stage; at most, he was at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage. If Wang Lin's main body wanted to kill such a Cultivator, it would take no effort at all.

After residing within the Cloud Heaven Sect for several days, the three large characters in the sky slowly dissipated, finally vanishing without a trace. At this point, the Cloud Heaven Sect's Disciple recruitment ceremony was considered finished.

Next, they would select a maximum of ten Disciples from all those who had come to the Cloud Heaven Sect to seek mentorship during these ten days. Everyone else would be dismissed from the Cloud Heaven Mountain Range.

On this day, on the massive platform below the Cloud Heaven Sect mountain peak, thousands of aspiring Disciples sat cross-legged, quietly awaiting the test. Among these people were men and women, old and young. The highest cultivation among them had already reached the Core Formation stage, while the lowest was similar to Wang Lin, merely at the second or third layer of Qi Condensation.

Surrounding the platform stood dozens of Cloud Heaven Sect Disciples wearing white Daoist robes. Their faces all showed indifference, subtly revealing a hint of arrogance. After all, they were already members of the Cloud Heaven Sect, and their status was naturally a notch higher than those seeking mentorship.

Before long, a middle-aged man dressed in white robes with three Pill Cauldrons embroidered on his cuffs slowly floated down from the Cloud Heaven Sect. He hovered in mid-air, glanced down at the crowd, and spoke in a low voice: "If you enter my Cloud Heaven Sect, your seniority will drop ten levels. If you are unwilling, leave now."

After he finished speaking, none of the thousands of people on the platform stood up to leave. They all looked up at the man with determined eyes. The few Core Formation stage Cultivators among them knew that the middle-aged man's words were directed at them.

After waiting for a moment, the middle-aged man waved his right hand. A sudden repulsive force emanated from the stone platform, immediately pushing the aspiring Disciples standing there back a few steps, revealing a vast, empty space on the platform, over ten zhang wide.

At the same time, a jet-black pillar of mist suddenly rose from that spot. Rolling clouds and smoke churned within it, making it look quite spectacular. This thick black mist pillar seemed like an arm supporting heaven and earth. After rising from the ground, it immediately stretched toward the sky; looking up from below, one could not see its end at all.

"Everyone, no matter what method you use, as long as you can perceive what substance is inside this pillar, you will pass this stage. The time limit is six hours!" The middle-aged man's voice slowly drifted over. After speaking, he flashed, landed to the side, and stood quietly, observing the black mist pillar.

Wang Lin's expression was normal. He stared calmly at the black mist pillar, lost in thought. Although he was a Clone, and when condensing the Clone, his main body's Divine Sense and cultivation were not retained within the Clone, everything else—all the Spells and Ancient God memories he had mastered—remained completely intact, save for cultivation and Divine Sense.

At this moment, Wang Lin's eyes flickered as he continuously analyzed the situation in his mind. Gradually, a hint of a smile appeared in his eyes. To him, this pillar was clearly a type of Restriction technique, and the purpose of the Restriction was to impose certain limitations on all observers.

Presumably, the Cloud Heaven Sect intended to use this method to screen out some aspiring Disciples. However, Wang Lin still had one question: Where exactly did the restrictive effect of this Restriction manifest?

In other words, what kind of Disciple was the Cloud Heaven Sect trying to find using this Restriction?

According to Wang Lin's understanding of Restrictions, the Restriction before him was essentially an Unraveling Technique for ordinary people. Given this, it was likely that almost none of the thousands of people on the stone platform would be able to see through it.

If Wang Lin saw through it, it would be too conspicuous, which greatly conflicted with his plan to remain inconspicuous within the Cloud Heaven Sect. This wasn't even the main point. The crucial concern was that if he couldn't fully understand what kind of Disciple the Cloud Heaven Sect was looking for through this Restriction, and he rashly used his Restriction technique to break it, it would certainly draw the Sect's attention. At that point, the gain wouldn't be worth the loss.

Therefore, Wang Lin did not immediately break it, but waited quietly. He refused to believe that the Cloud Heaven Sect set up such a huge display just to gather these people and then declare that no one was qualified.

If his analysis was correct, it wouldn't be long before someone naturally found the answer for him.

Time flowed by bit by bit. In the blink of an eye, three hours passed. Some of the people on the stone platform gradually grew restless. They had already tried using Divine Sense to probe, but their Divine Sense was immediately blocked by a repulsive force the moment it touched the black mist, bouncing back forcefully. No matter what methods they tried, they failed.

Finally, one person suddenly slapped their Storage Pouch, took out a Wooden Carving, chanted an incantation, and immediately threw it toward the black mist pillar after activating it.

Regarding this action, the middle-aged man responsible for recruiting Disciples said nothing, but quietly watched the stone pillar. However, Wang Lin carefully noticed that although the middle-aged man looked composed, several of the surrounding Cloud Heaven Sect Disciples showed a fleeting strange look in their eyes.

As soon as the Wooden Carving appeared, it instantly grew larger, finally transforming into a giant Golden Vulture. After letting out a sharp cry, it charged into the black pillar. But the moment the Golden Vulture touched the black mist, a large hand suddenly extended from within, grabbed the Golden Vulture, and pulled it into the black mist.

The Disciple who released the Golden Vulture immediately changed expression, stood up abruptly, turned around, and anxiously said to the Cloud Heaven Sect's middle-aged man: "Junior gives up! I hope Senior can return my Magic Treasure. This is a precious treasure of my Family, Senior!"

The middle-aged man glanced at the person and slowly said: "The Gold-Patterned Wooden Carving, an ancestral treasure of the Gongsun Family. Our Sect naturally won't keep it. Since you have given up, it will be returned to you when everyone leaves together."

The Disciple immediately relaxed, his eyes showing gratitude, and he stepped off the stone platform.

"I said before, you can use every method you can think of. As long as you clearly see what is inside, you pass the test!" the middle-aged man emphasized again.

"But if we see it clearly, wouldn't others know about it if we say it out loud?" At this, a young boy on the stone platform asked cautiously.

"No! If any of you can see through this mist, you will naturally know the secrets here," the middle-aged man replied with a slight smile.

The moment the large hand extended from deep within the black mist, Wang Lin's eyes suddenly lit up. He had been closely monitoring the changes in the Restriction. The instant the large hand appeared, a tiny gap was exposed. Using his Divine Sense Eye, he immediately saw that several Medicinal Pills were floating inside!

Wang Lin's expression remained normal, but his heart stirred. He remained silent for a moment, deciding not to act rashly. At this time, many people on the stone platform had grown impatient and were taking out Magic Treasures, attempting to disperse the black mist.

As more and more Disciples activated their Magic Treasures, a large hand would extend from the pillar each time, grab the Magic Treasure, and retract it. If not for the middle-aged man's guarantee, these aspiring mentors would not have used their Magic Treasures so readily. But since the Cloud Heaven Sect promised that if they gave up, the Magic Treasures would be returned upon departure, everyone shed their concerns. For a time, the light of various Magic Treasures flashed continuously in the air.

Using the gaps created by these Magic Treasures attacking the black mist, Wang Lin was able to see the scenery inside clearly, especially since he possessed a Divine Sense Eye capable of seeing through Restrictions.

Inside, there were eleven Medicinal Pills, eleven Jade Slips, and eleven tokens engraved with a Pill Furnace.

Wang Lin did not know what these three items represented, but just then, golden light suddenly flashed above the black mist. Immediately afterward, a golden radiance flashed out from within. This golden radiance emerged from the black mist, circled rapidly in the air, and transformed into a Jade Slip, which then swiftly flew down and landed in the hand of a dazed young girl on the stone platform who didn't know what was happening.

At this moment, the middle-aged man from the Cloud Heaven Sect's eyes suddenly lit up. He quickly moved forward, arrived beside the girl, picked up the Jade Slip from her hand, glanced at it, and smiled: "You have passed the test!" As he spoke, he beckoned with his right hand, and a Cloud Heaven Sect Disciple immediately flew over.

"Take her up the mountain!" The middle-aged man smiled slightly at the girl, flicked his sleeve, and returned to his original position, waiting for the next successful candidate.

Up until this moment, the girl's mind was still hazy. She was pulled by the Cloud Heaven Sect Disciple and flew up to the Mountain Gate in a daze.

Seeing that someone had successfully passed the test, the people on the stone platform immediately became agitated, discussing the event animatedly. The Cloud Heaven Sect members paid them no mind.

Wang Lin's eyes flashed. He clearly saw that the girl hadn't seen through the black mist; rather, the Jade Slip inside the black mist had automatically chosen the girl!

Furthermore, the middle-aged man did not immediately announce her success after seeing the Jade Slip fall into the girl's hand. Instead, he went forward, picked up the Jade Slip, looked at it, and only then made the announcement. Through this incident, Wang Lin judged that the middle-aged man was checking whether the Jade Slip had indeed selected the girl. This showed that if he had acted rashly just now, he would certainly have exposed a flaw.

Wang Lin sneered internally. The Cloud Heaven Sect's Disciple recruitment ceremony was indeed peculiar.

Just then, golden radiance suddenly flashed inside the black mist again. Wang Lin's eyes flickered, and he secretly cast a Restriction with his right hand. With the Spiritual Energy currently in his body, he could only cast some simple Restrictions, unable to form a Restriction Circle.

Nevertheless, the Restrictions he had mastered were inherited from Antiquity, and their Divine Ability was far beyond what ordinary Cultivators could compare to.

—

Nascent Soul formation is coming soon. Thank you for waiting. According to Er Gen's outline, Nascent Soul formation should be completed this month. Li Muwan will also have scenes this month. Perhaps things have changed, perhaps the feeling remains; in any case, everyone will see it.