Chapter 1: Today is Suitable for Travel, Inappropriate for Cheating

On the second day of the second lunar month, it is auspicious to travel.

The moderate rain poured down, splashing onto the earth and releasing the fragrance of soil, rippling outward in circles upon hitting the lake, and drawing quiet curses as it fell upon the heads of passersby.

"Who said today was a good day to travel? It starts raining the moment I step out," Lu Yang grumbled, regretting that he hadn't brought a straw raincoat beforehand.

It was his first time traveling far from home, and lacking experience, the sudden downpour had soaked him completely, turning his shoes into a muddy mess, making him feel the sheer malice of the ground with every step—he literally had to pull his feet out of the mire.

The sound of clopping hooves came from behind, catching Lu Yang's attention.

Lu Yang turned his head and saw a carriage approaching; there was no driver on board, and the old horse seemed to know the way, requiring no one to steer it.

"What an extraordinary horse," Lu Yang marveled, noting a few scales upon the old horse's brow that resembled those of a serpent, clearly indicating it was some sort of rare, exotic beast.

Though he did not understand its exact value, he knew this old horse was incredibly precious.

At the very least, it was far beyond what his own wealth could ever afford.

"Brother, strolling through the rain is truly an elegant pastime, but why not come inside the carriage for a seat?"

A man's hearty laughter echoed from within the carriage, and Lu Yang accepted his kindness, pulling his feet from the mud and hastily climbing aboard.

"Sorry for the intrusion, my name is Lu Yang." Lu Yang sat down cautiously inside the carriage, terrified that the rainwater and mud on his clothes would soil the interior.

"Meng Jingzhou." The master of the carriage matched his voice perfectly—a carefree young man, optimistic and bright, seemingly able to strike up a conversation with anyone.

"Is Brother Lu also here to participate in the Wendao Sect selection?"

"Just trying my luck, really."

Meng Jingzhou laughed out loud: "Brother Lu, what harm is there in being honest? If you really just wanted to try your luck, you wouldn't be walking toward the Wendao Sect in the pouring rain."

Lu Yang felt a bit ashamed: "Who wouldn't want to enter the Wendao Sect?"

The Wendao Sect ranked among the five great immortal sects of the Central Continent, boasting countless high-level cultivators and possessing immense power; with the sect recruiting disciples today, one could only guess how many people wished to try their hand.

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou were two among that multitude.

Lu Yang had transmigrated to the Central Continent, and since his parents had died early, he had survived only on the small inheritance they left behind and the charity of his neighbors.

During his dozen or so years in the small town, he had heard storytellers speak of immortals whose swords knocked on the heavenly gates, of river demons rolling over five hundred miles away to cause raging floods, and of immortal disciples flying on swords to slay monsters and defend the righteous path; he had also seen a ragged Taoist monk swindling people before rising into the air to break out of prison in broad daylight, only to be dragged back by the authorities who also flew up to catch him.

At that time, he realized this was not the world he knew, nor any dynasty he was familiar with, but a world of cultivation where supreme individual power reigned supreme.

He wanted to seek the immortals and ask the way, to learn the arts of longevity.

The Wendao Sect was the first stop he chose.

There was no special reason for choosing the Wendao Sect other than the simple fact that there were no other sects around his home, only this one.

With the Wendao Sect situated here, no other sect would invite trouble by trying to establish a foothold nearby.

Through their conversation, Lu Yang learned that Meng Jingzhou came from a cultivation clan, possessing far greater knowledge of the cultivation world than he did.

"The requirement for the Wendao Sect to recruit disciples is to be a mortal under sixteen years of age; not just the Wendao Sect, but most sects have this exact rule."

"The path of cultivation is long and fraught with obstacles: Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Soul Formation, Void Refinement, Body Integration, and Tribulation Transcendence. Every realm is a watershed that leaves countless people stuck; only one in ten, one in twenty, or even one in a hundred manages to break through."

"There are many factors that determine one's achievements in cultivation, such as luck, wisdom, spiritual roots... By the way, Brother Lu, do you know what your spiritual roots are?"

"Although the Wendao Sect doesn't have extremely high demands for spiritual roots, they won't accept ones that are too poor either."

Lu Yang frowned; he had only learned the term "spiritual roots" from the storytellers and had no idea what his own were.

"I don't know. What about you, Brother Meng?"

Meng Jingzhou's expression became deeply perplexed as he likewise shook his head: "I once tested my spiritual roots within my clan, but the clan elders looked troubled and refused to tell me the result; they only said my talent was staggering and that joining the five great immortal sects would be no problem, and that I would find out naturally once I joined one. I secretly asked my parents in private, but they looked even more worried than the elders and also refused to tell me."

Lu Yang speculated: "It's possible your spiritual roots are so shocking that they could easily bring disaster upon the Meng family, and only a titan like the Wendao Sect could protect you."

"Just as I suspected." Meng Jingzhou clapped Lu Yang on the shoulder like a man who had found a kindred spirit; the more he looked at Lu Yang, the more he felt this person was just as brilliant as himself, a natural seed for cultivation.

Listening to the rain grow heavier outside, Lu Yang felt fortunate that Meng Jingzhou had let him into the carriage.

"Stop." Meng Jingzhou suddenly shouted, and the old horse trotted a few more paces before slowly halting.

The carriage itself was a rare treasure, allowing Meng Jingzhou to see everything happening outside.

Meng Jingzhou saw a woman walking through the rain outside, looking just as drenched as Lu Yang had moments ago.

"This sister is walking in this direction, so she must also be heading to the Wendao Sect to take the trial. The rain is so heavy, why not come inside the carriage to rest your feet?"

The woman was somewhat surprised by Meng Jingzhou's offer, but after a moment's thought, she agreed.

The moment the woman stepped into the carriage, Meng Jingzhou and Lu Yang were both utterly stunned.

Meng Jingzhou prided himself on having seen the world, yet he had never beheld such a beautiful woman, to say nothing of Lu Yang, whose benchmark for beauty was the young widow selling tofu next door.

Of course, Lu Yang was a gentleman of honor and harbored no inappropriate thoughts toward the young widow.

The woman resembled a lotus flower—alluring yet devoid of vulgar flamboyance—dressed in pure white, standing elegantly with bright eyes and white teeth, giving off an ethereal aura that felt worlds apart.

Upon her right wrist, she wore a string of golden bells.

"Yun Zhi thanks you both."

The woman's voice was like a clear spring, incredibly soothing to the ear.

Lu Yang noticed something unusual and whispered: "Brother Meng, how is it that her clothes are completely dry? Could she be a demon?"

In the storytellers' tales, demons frequently transformed into beautiful women to lure young, robust men like them.

Just moments ago, Lu Yang had been drenched like a drowned rat, looking completely disheveled; by contrast, Yun Zhi did not have a single drop of rain on her, appearing completely unlike someone who had just walked through a downpour.

Meng Jingzhou didn't think much of it: "Perhaps she carries some rare treasure that repels rain; that sort of thing is quite common among cultivation clans."

Meng Jingzhou wasn't worried about Yun Zhi being a demon or ghost; this was the territory of the Wendao Sect, and no demon would be suicidal enough to stir up trouble here.

"Is Miss Yun Zhi also here to take the Wendao Sect trial?"

"Indeed."

Meng Jingzhou said eagerly: "I just happen to have information regarding the contents of the Wendao Sect's trials, which I bought at a high price from a sect elder. Would Miss Yun Zhi care to listen?"

Lu Yang looked at Meng Jingzhou in astonishment—why hadn't you told me about this?

Yun Zhi was even more surprised than Lu Yang: "But that is cheating; what if the Wendao Sect finds out..."

Meng Jingzhou waved his hand with total confidence: "This carriage of mine is a rare treasure; even those mighty cultivation experts or ancient, reclusive monsters cannot pierce it with their divine sense."

"So that's how it is. Pray tell us the contents of the trial, Master Meng."

Hearing this, Lu Yang also perked up his ears to listen.

Meng Jingzhou cleared his throat: "The Wendao Sect trial is divided into three stages. The first stage tests the spiritual roots; this is a rigid test with no room for trickery or shortcuts. The ones with room for maneuvering are the second and third stages."

"The second stage tests moral character. A carriage loses control and is about to crash into five people lying on the side of the road, meaning certain death for them if hit. However, there is another person lying not far away, and as bystanders, we can control the direction of the runaway carriage. Do we choose to do nothing and let the five people be crushed to death, or do we change its direction and crush the other person?"

Lu Yang replied without a second thought: "Change direction and crush the other person."

Meng Jingzhou was thoroughly amazed; ever since he learned the content of the second stage, he hadn't been able to think of a solution, so how could Lu Yang make a decision instantly?

Choosing to do nothing meant watching five people get crushed to death, which might pass the test of logic but would weigh heavily on the conscience.

Choosing to change direction meant crushing another person to death, making that individual incredibly unlucky to die for no fault of their own, and by one's own hand to boot.

When Meng Jingzhou voiced his doubts, Lu Yang explained: "How could there be so much time for you to think? By the time you come up with an answer, those five people would have been crushed to death long ago. I wager the Wendao Sect isn't testing whether you choose to save five people or one person, but rather whether you can make a decision swiftly."

"I've heard from storytellers that when cultivators duel, a hair's breadth determines life or death. What is the character being tested in the second stage? It's whether you are hesitant or decisive. Making a choice in the shortest amount of time is what truly matters."

Meng Jingzhou was struck by a sudden realization.

"The third trial tests honesty. The Dao Sect possesses a mirror capable of discerning truth from falsehood; if you are caught in a lie, you are instantly expelled from the trial."

Lu Yang pondered, "This stage seems simple enough. Without an advance warning, one might easily lie to cover themselves, but since we know beforehand, we need only speak the truth."

Meng Jingzhou nodded, sharing the exact same sentiment.

The two deliberated for a while, raising numerous potential mishaps and countermeasures, until their combined strategy seemed entirely flawless.

Lady Yunzhi offered a trace of a smile, as if agreeing that their plan was a sound one.

"My thanks to Young Hero Lu for sharing this."

"Huh, has the rain stopped?" Lu Yang noticed that the pitter-patter of raindrops against the carriage had ceased, prompting him to peer outside in curiosity.

The path they had just traversed was still drenched in a torrential downpour, yet where they now stood, the sun shone brightly and flowers bloomed amidst singing birds, as though an peerless sword-qi had severed the world into two halves of yin and yang, destined never to intersect.

Lu Yang looked up, beholding countless rare beasts and immortal treasures hastening toward the majestic peak that pierced the very heavens.

The towering mountain was coated in a layer of pale gold by the sunlight, as magnificent patterns rippled out from behind the peak to cover the sky, blocking the heavy rain.

That was the gateway mountain of the Dao Sect, overlaid with a sect-protecting grand array that no one could breach.

Out of reverence for the Dao Sect, geniuses of cultivation, guided by their respective elders, alighted at the foot of the mountain to await the commencement of the trials.

Their old horse was already a quite rare breed of mutated demonic beast, but it still paled in comparison to the majestic, exotic creatures resting at the base of the peak.

"Good heavens, this is far more domineering than our Meng family estate." Meng Jingzhou rubbed his hands together with a touch of nervousness, though excitement predominated at the thought of passing the trials to become a member of the Dao Sect.

Lu Yang remained silent; he could see this mountain from his home, but it had felt insignificant from such a vast distance; only now, standing at its foot, did he realize what a colossal entity it truly was.

He felt a twinge of anxiety; while he had solutions for the second and third trials, he still had no idea what his spiritual root was, and might not even pass the very first test.

Dozens of cultivators stood suspended in the void, guarding the mountain front, all radiating powerful fluctuations of aura; Lu Yang suspected that if they fully unleashed their might, few present would even be able to remain standing.

These cultivators kept a silent vigil, inadvertently imparting a heavy psychological pressure upon the crowd.

Lu Yang overheard a clan elder introducing the scene to a junior: "Judging by the style of their Daoist robes, those are the core disciples of the Dao Sect, all apprenticed under various grand elders. In the future, these people will be your senior brothers."

"There is no need to be nervous. They are not intentionally pressuring you; by the looks of it, they are waiting for the one presiding over this trial. Once the overseer arrives, the trials shall begin."

Lu Yang turned his head, wanting to see Lady Yunzhi's reaction—whether she was excited or anxious.

Surely she couldn't still wear that entirely serene expression?

"Lady Yunzhi, you..."

Just as Lu Yang was about to speak, he saw Lady Yunzhi step lightly forward, and before each step could fall, a white lotus rose to cradle her delicate form.

The crowd fell into an uproar, and cold sweat broke out on the brows of the clan elders, who hurriedly silenced their juniors.

The white lotuses formed a pathway bridging over the crowd, and Lady Yunzhi arrived amidst the core disciples of the Dao Sect, who bowed to her in deep respect; she gently raised her slender hand in return, then faced the multitude with a slight smile.

"Thank you all for waiting. I am the Eldest Senior Sister of the Dao Sect, and the overseer of this trial."

"I declare that the trials have officially begun."

With those words, Lady Yunzhi cast a knowing, half-smiling glance toward the utterly dumbfounded Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou.

She had indeed come to attend the Dao Sect's trial, except she was not a candidate, but the examiner.