Chapter 1445: Sect Entrance Assessment (Part One)
After generations of inheritance, the cultivators of the Soul Suppression Palace slowly began to have interactions, intermarriages, and so on with other soul cultivator sects, and their cultivation methods began to merge. In this long process, some disciples also left the Soul Suppression Palace and established their own sects or families outside, becoming vassals of the Soul Suppression Sect. Apart from having to pay tribute every year, they were allowed to pass on ordinary cultivation methods, as well as those permitted by the Soul Suppression Palace, to their own disciples. But they were often restricted from passing on the secret arts of the Soul Suppression Sect. If discovered, their entire sect or family would be annihilated.
These people who could go out and establish their own sects were basically all prodigies. They often created their own cultivation methods. Later, after intermarrying with soul cultivators not from the Soul Suppression Palace, and with the exchange between experts from both sides, even more new cultivation methods were created. This was actually just a repetition of what immortal sects in all realms had done. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many cultivation methods in the world; a few would suffice. It’s just that the soul cultivators of the past had lived in the shadows everywhere, not daring to truly develop.
For a time, the True Earth Domain gradually saw a flourishing scene of a hundred schools of thought contending, making the soul cultivation methods here stronger and more numerous, turning it into a sacred land for soul cultivators.
In fact, many sects later came to a clear understanding of why the upper echelons of the Soul Suppression Palace acted this way. The Soul Suppression Palace hoped that by trying different cultivation methods, they might see the emergence of an ingenious technique that could break the shackles of heaven and earth in this place. If they discovered someone who could break through to the Body Integration Realm after cultivating to the Void Refining Realm without the help of the Soul Suppression Palace’s unique place for advancement, it would mean that person’s cultivation method had a unique function. The Soul Suppression Palace would then bring out that special place and cooperate with them. Perhaps, they could open the restrictions of the True Earth Domain and break the limitations on leaving this place.
This was one reason why the Soul Suppression Palace did not stop its disciples from leaving and establishing their own sects. But at the same time, they placed great restrictions on them, so as to force them to constantly innovate and improve.
Cultivation methods are created by people. This is how one sect after another appeared. The Soul Suppression Palace’s plan was actually very long-term, and it was not certain that it would yield any results. But with no other choice, they could only do so. A cornered dog can always jump over a wall it couldn’t jump over before.
This included those foreign soul cultivators. By not allowing them to enter that special area where they could break through to the Body Integration Realm, the Soul Suppression Palace was, in addition to consolidating its own power, also squeezing their potential. No cultivator who had reached the Void Refining Realm would be willing to stop there and die of old age. So, they were forced to try to reach the Body Integration Realm without relying on external forces. Otherwise, there would be nothing left to hope for.
Li Yan’s plans were adjusted in various ways after the appearance of the stout man. The sect the stout man belonged to was established by a Void Refining disciple from the Soul Suppression Palace some hundred thousand years ago. He himself had created a set of cultivation methods that was not quite complete. Later, to quickly solve this problem, the disciple who founded the sect successively took in two foreign soul cultivators who had been drawn into this place. After giving them extremely generous cultivation resources and exchanging knowledge, everyone’s cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds. In the end, these two also became Supreme Elders of the sect, and it slowly formed into a sect with a unique cultivation method.
And now, most of this sect’s cultivation methods had been obtained by Li Yan for free.
Stealing another’s cultivation method was a great taboo in any realm. Once discovered, it would lead to a fight to the death. However, Li Yan couldn’t care less about this. If he didn’t do it, he would only die faster here.
Due to the stout man’s own realm, he had only obtained the final version of the Spirit-Slaying Sect’s cultivation method up to the Nascent Soul Realm. Li Yan couldn’t find out anything further. However, Li Yan could also guess that given the shackles of heaven and earth here, this sect’s cultivation method probably only went up to the Void Refining Realm, or perhaps even just the Spirit Transformation Realm. Any cultivation methods beyond that would be the original techniques brought by those two foreign soul cultivators. It was unknown if they had been passed down, but even if they were verified here, it would be useless.
After obtaining the stout man’s cultivation method, he cultivated day and night without rest, which caused his Soul Power to grow rapidly again.
Finally, according to his understanding of the levels of soul cultivation, aside from his overall strength, judging his soul strength alone, it had already reached the level of the Spirit Transformation Realm.
The reason for all this was that the foundation of his soul was too profound. Despite never having practiced soul cultivation methods before, he had achieved such strength in less than twenty years of cultivation, which was truly admirable.
In fact, during these years, Li Yan didn’t really care about his soul strength increasing again. For him, a Nascent Soul-level soul was temporarily sufficient. The imbalance between his soul arts and his cultivation method was the shortcoming he urgently needed to address. Having a powerful soul but being unable to attack with it meant that at most, his soul defense had increased.
So, after also drawing on the techniques of the Spirit-Slaying Sect, some of his soul arts finally, with some difficulty, reached the minor accomplishment stage.
As soon as he reached this stage, Li Yan immediately left that place. He had to enter the Soul Suppression Palace as soon as possible.
Entering the Soul Suppression Palace, besides inquiring for news, had another advantage: possessing the greatest identity in this realm, which would make things convenient on many occasions.
As he flew, Li Yan constantly pondered his plans, including various contingencies if he couldn’t enter the Soul Suppression Palace.
And at a certain moment, a towering mountain gate appeared in Li Yan’s line of sight. The gate was dark cyan in color, as if built from huge, rough-hewn bluestones. A single glance at the entire mountain gate gave one a feeling of being covered by the dense weight of ages.
The gate was ten thousand ren high (TN: a ren is an ancient unit of length), its width unknown. Flying from Li Yan’s direction, he could only see one of the side gateposts.
Several hundred li from the mountain gate, the sky here had already become dark and gloomy, leaving the majestic gate shrouded in black clouds and mist. As the wind blew and the mist shifted, the gate gave one the feeling of being distant at one moment and near the next, as if it were constantly drifting.
After infusing his eyes with magical power, Li Yan looked down from his high vantage point in the sky. Only then could he occasionally see a few large characters on the mountain gate through the churning black clouds.
“Soul Suppression Palace.” These three characters were carved powerfully into the bluestone, in a blue-black color. Each character was a hundred zhang in size, like three great mountains embedded in that piece of heaven and earth.
The characters were mottled by time, blue-black and solemn. Coupled with being deeply embedded in the rough, cyan monolith that looked as if it were covered in moss, anyone who saw these three words would feel a primal, ancient aura rush towards them from the depths of their heart.
As Li Yan continued to approach, he felt that no matter which direction he approached from, the three blue-black characters were like three ghostly eyes, constantly staring straight at him. The surrounding cold air also grew stronger. Even with Li Yan’s cultivation, as he continuously approached the mountain gate, his scalp grew tighter, and the chill within his body grew more intense.
Li Yan knew that this was the pressure exerted by the restrictions on the mountain gate over its covered area. And the pressure the Soul Suppression Palace could release was specifically targeted at a person’s three hun and seven po souls. With the soul suppressed, one would naturally feel the chill grow stronger.
There were other cultivators coming and going around Li Yan, all passing through the churning black clouds. At this moment, everyone seemed to be coated in a layer of black ink, like shadows that appeared and disappeared in a vast ink wash painting. Coupled with the boundless, cold, and damp surroundings, they were like streaks of ghostly figures, flashing past Li Yan.
Naturally, no one came over to talk to Li Yan. On the contrary, upon discovering him, they would deliberately keep a distance, making Li Yan feel as if he were traveling through a silent space.
Li Yan also wore a blank expression, until he was a hundred li before the mountain gate. Li Yan felt himself being pressed toward the ground by a powerful force.
Li Yan followed the force and landed on the ground. He knew that this was a no-fly zone, a common tactic used by many sects. It wasn’t that flying was forbidden outside the mountain gate, but that it served as a warning. Often, once inside the gate, everything would return to normal. One reason was to demonstrate power and warn visitors, and the other was for the protection of the sect.
Around Li Yan, seven or eight black figures landed on the ground with him at the same time. But there were still some people in the air. After only a brief glance at Li Yan and the others who had fallen, they continued to fly towards the mountain gate. The gazes of these people were either indifferent or carried a hint of mockery.
Li Yan understood at a glance. Those who could continue to fly were surely cultivators of the Soul Suppression Palace…
After Li Yan walked for a hundred li on foot, he finally arrived at a corner of the mountain gate, near one of the side gate stone pillars. Standing on the ground and looking up, this stone pillar stretched up into the clouds, its height unknown. It gave the feeling of being a huge, sheer, cyan mountain peak.
Li Yan followed a few black figures in front of him to this point. The others might have been whispering in pairs or threes, but Li Yan was alone.
Upon arriving here, Li Yan saw that twenty to thirty people had already gathered in front of the mountain gate, being questioned by five cultivators dressed in black robes. On the chests of these five people’s black robes was embroidered a strange red flame emblem. Paired with their pitch-black robes, it gave off a cold and mysterious feeling.
Li Yan stood silently at the back of the line, slowly moving forward with the crowd. Listening to the low-voiced questions and answers ahead, Li Yan also figured out the reasons for some of the people’s presence. Among them were cultivators who wished to join the Soul Suppression Palace. They seemed to be outstanding disciples from other sects, brought here by their sect’s elders or sect masters. Most of them, however, were shop cultivators who had come for various transactions.
The five questioners were very thorough. After each person was registered one by one, a disciple in the same black robe would walk out from within the mountain gate and lead them inside, where they would disappear without a trace.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, it was finally Li Yan’s turn.
A woman in her thirties sized Li Yan up. The woman was quite good-looking. Li Yan could tell from the Soul Power fluctuations on her body that she was a Golden Core Realm cultivator. Using Golden Core cultivators to guard the gate—this was something you’d only see in the Immortal Spirit Realm.
This woman, upon sensing the aura Li Yan was emitting, showed only a slight hint of respect on her pretty face.
“Senior, may I ask what brings you here?”
“I want to join the Soul Suppression Palace!” Li Yan was direct, his expression unchanging.
“Oh? Which sect might you be from, Senior?” Although the female cultivator expressed surprise, her pretty face showed no strange expression. Although there were many sects in the True Earth Domain, quite a few cultivators ultimately wanted to enter the Soul Suppression Palace. Some were recommended by their sects, while others came on their own to try and pass the assessment. These people were basically all cultivators at or below the Spirit Transformation Realm. If a Void Refining cultivator were to come, that would be extremely rare and would be treated with special importance by the Soul Suppression Palace.
“I am a rogue cultivator. My ancestor was once a cultivator of the Spirit-Slaying Sect. After leaving the sect, I have been cultivating in a remote place!”
“The Spirit-Slaying Sect? That sect is quite powerful. If Senior wishes to enter our sect, you must pass an assessment.”
Upon hearing the name of the sect Li Yan mentioned, the female cultivator only nodded slightly. She didn’t ask why Li Yan didn’t go back to his ancestral sect. Since his ancestor had left the Spirit-Slaying Sect, there must have been his own reasons. Li Yan had even said he went to a remote place. His ancestor was either squeezed out of the sect or had “grand ambitions.” Now that he had fallen to such a state, his descendant would be too ashamed to go back…
What Li Yan said was also part of a more detailed plan he had formulated after searching the stout man’s memories. The Spirit-Slaying Sect had a legacy of over a hundred thousand years. Countless cultivators had left the sect. He didn’t even need to change his surname; no one would go and check if a Li-surnamed cultivator had left the sect in the past hundred thousand years. What Li Yan wanted was to have an orthodox background. If he were to use some of the Spirit-Slaying Sect’s techniques while casting spells, he would have a plausible explanation.
“I am aware of all this. I’ll have to trouble you then, Fellow Daoist!” Li Yan said lightly, his expression suggesting he was already clear on the matter.
“Then I will register you, Senior. However, I must say that once Senior passes the assessment, you will only be able to enter the ‘Strange Sparrow Hall.’ In the future, some of the required cultivation resources may be harder to obtain than in other halls. Especially some secret arts and cultivation methods, which will still depend on Senior’s contributions to the sect. Afterward, they must be evaluated by the elders before they can be purchased. These are things Senior needs to be aware of in advance.”
The female cultivator didn’t know if Li Yan had already understood the situation here before coming. She still explained the restrictions for someone of Li Yan’s status upon entry.
“Oh? What kind of contributions are needed?”
Li Yan had, of course, already learned a lot, but he was still not too clear about some of the specific rules within the Soul Suppression Palace.
“For example, if you improve a pill formula, or a certain cultivation method, or kill at least ten Evil Spirit Cultivators of the same rank outside, and so on. After passing the assessment, a dedicated deacon will inform you of these matters.”
Less than half an incense stick’s time later, Li Yan was led by a disciple to a spacious stone chamber a hundred li inside the mountain gate.
Inside the stone chamber, Li Yan looked around. He had clearly heard that there were others who wanted to join the Soul Suppression Palace, but he didn’t see them here. He hadn’t flown very fast just now. He wondered if the times were deliberately staggered. Li Yan guessed there was more than one assessment location.
Behind a large table, there was only a youth with a very gloomy face, who was reading an ancient scroll.
The disciple who had brought Li Yan in, after entering the room, immediately placed a “Soul Slip” in his hand on the table, then bowed to the youth. Without saying a word, he turned and left.
Li Yan looked around. The disciple who had led him here did not instruct him on what to do. In fact, there was no need for instructions. The entire room contained only him and the youth behind the long table opposite him.
The youth slowly raised his head, the scroll in his hand not put down.
Li Yan sensed that the other person was also a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, but possibly Late-stage Nascent Soul.
“Initial-stage Nascent Soul cultivator!”
The youth first glanced at Li Yan. After saying this, without waiting for Li Yan to reply, he picked up the “Soul Slip” on the table and submerged his Soul Power into it.
Soon, the youth raised his head.
“Fellow Daoist Li, the assessment is very simple. You will enter the room to the side, where there is a formation. I will adjust the difficulty of the formation’s assessment according to your rank. After you enter, you will have the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. There will be layers of attacks within the formation. You can do your best to break the formation. In the end, the result of the assessment will be judged based on how many restrictions you can break! I must say, this kind of assessment is dangerous and can even cause direct death. Therefore, I will be able to see your entire process of breaking the restrictions. Please be aware of this point. This is because I need to ensure that I can stop the formation’s operation in time at a critical moment to protect your life.”
The youth looked at Li Yan and said slowly.
“No problem!” Li Yan nodded.
The other party seeing his process of breaking the restrictions was not just to protect the cultivator inside, but also to observe the cultivation method he used. This was also to confirm whether Li Yan had told the truth when he registered outside.
Seeing that Li Yan had no problem, the youth stood up with a smile.
“Fellow Daoist Li, please follow me!”
…
This was a space of ice and snow. Before him was a vast, snowy plain. A howling cold wind, carrying a sky full of ice and snow, swirled towards Li Yan.
Li Yan could feel the bone-piercing chill here, as if he had truly arrived in a land of extreme cold.
He stood where he was, not moving immediately. The other party had only said that after entering, there would be formation restriction attacks, but Li Yan didn’t know what kind of attacks.
Unable to use his Divine Sense, he could only first look around vigilantly, carefully on guard.
After cultivating some soul cultivation methods, Li Yan understood even more the insidious nature of soul cultivators. In the past, the soul art attacks he could use, now seemed, apart from “Soul-Tugging Execution” which could be considered a true art, the other methods he had figured out himself were crude to the extreme.
To put it nicely, his set of moves could be considered a form of attack. To put it bluntly, he was like a big fool with a body full of strength, who, when facing an enemy, would nonsensically swing a big club around without any technique. Not only did he waste a lot of energy, but the effect was also extremely limited.
Those true soul cultivator experts, after attacking an enemy, could make a person look completely unharmed, and even allow that person to speak and walk normally. But in fact, that person might already be just a walking corpse!
Li Yan stood there like this, but after a full ten breaths, no attack appeared. Around him, there was only endless wind and snow filling the entire world, and waves of endless coldness assaulted him.
“Hmm? Something’s not right…”
The protective light shield on Li Yan’s body suddenly rippled with a faint glow, shaking off the white snow that had landed on him.
In just these ten-odd breaths, Li Yan felt his consciousness had become somewhat sluggish. Moreover, the coldness here, far from diminishing due to the circulation of his magical power, seemed to be growing ever more intense.