Published: September 5, 2025
Chapter 619: The Sect's Initial Trial
Looking at the small bronze cauldron in the middle of the main hall and the sandalwood incense smoke curling upward, none of the disciples dared to make a sound, but those who considered themselves qualified naturally had their eyes flickering with thoughts of their own.
“Brother Han, are you going to participate?” After the sandalwood incense had been burning for nearly half an hour, Silver Moon finally couldn't help but quietly ask Han Li, who wore an indifferent expression.
“I will participate. Why wouldn't I? Everyone else looks so eager. If I don’t join, I’ll attract even more attention,” Han Li replied faintly through his divine sense.
Hearing this, Silver Moon fell silent.
After a moment, the sandalwood incense in the bronze cauldron burned out, and the middle-aged man who had been resting with his eyes closed opened them.
“Those who do not meet the qualifications or are unwilling to participate in the trial may now leave the Heart Purification Hall.”
“Understood, Grandmaster!”
Most of the disciples bowed and slowly exited the hall.
Inside the hall, besides those foundation establishment stage cultivators, there were only about thirty or forty young disciples left, including Han Li and several burly men.
The middle-aged cultivator surveyed Han Li and the others, nodding in satisfaction as he said:
“Very good, almost all the qualified disciples have stayed. I am pleased. Even if you do not succeed in the selection, going out to broaden your horizons and spar with senior brothers from other peaks will greatly benefit your future cultivation. Now, let your Eldest Senior Brother explain the points to note for the trial. Grandmaster Yu and I have other matters to attend to, so we will take our leave.”
With that, the cultivator surnamed Xin stood up and walked toward the rear hall. The gray-robed old man silently followed behind.
“Ahem! Since the Peak Master has entrusted this matter to me, I hope all of you pay close attention. After all, this trial is a friendly competition among fellow disciples, so there are some taboos you must avoid,” said the pale-faced young man surnamed Miao as he coughed a few times and stepped forward calmly to address Han Li and the others.
“First, any cultivation techniques or magical artifacts that are overly malicious or immediately fatal are forbidden in the trial. Otherwise, the consequence could be expulsion from the sect or even loss of magical power. Also...”
...
Fifteen minutes later, the disciples remaining in the hall, including Han Li, again stepped out through the hall’s doors, faces glowing with excitement as they flew off in various directions.
Han Li glanced after the others and shook his head before flying away from Heaven Spring Peak himself.
Once he returned smoothly to his secluded mansion, Han Li immediately began preparing for next month’s sect trial.
Since he needed to enter the top twenty-four without revealing too much of his true strength, he planned to rely on talismans and a few magical artifacts that had not been used for many years.
Needless to say, he possessed a dozen or so top-tier magical artifacts, all scavenged from foundation formation cultivators who had died by his hand.
However, to avoid drawing attention, he carefully selected only a few.
In the sect trial, he did not intend to use all of his magical artifacts. Instead, he began refining a large number of low to mid-level primary talismans, planning to rely on these to swiftly defeat lower-level opponents.
But relying solely on this was naturally insufficient. Han Li also took the time to revisit the “Flame Manipulation Technique” he had received years ago from an old taoist of Prince Xin’s Mansion in Yue Country.
Although this technique was of little use against advanced-stage cultivators, it was exceptionally effective at deceiving qi refining and foundation establishment stage cultivators.
Speaking of which, Han Li had had the Flame Manipulation Technique for many years. He had studied it in his spare time back then and gained considerable insight.