Cultivation: But Not a Game-Chapter 249 - 159: The Trial Begins and Its Rules

He ultimately didn’t take the jade gourd, as it contained a Primordial Infinite Elixir, and he already had two.

Besides, he annually received a batch of thousand-year vermilion fruits, and his second sister-in-law had the skill to refine the Primordial Infinite Elixir, so he definitely wouldn’t lack them.

Four days passed in the blink of an eye, and early this morning, he found his mentor Jin Yinian had returned.

Looking at this well-regarded apprentice, one with the bearing of an Earth Immortal, Jin Yinian felt quite conflicted.

It’s certainly a joy to have a good disciple, but the thought of having to work hard to support the disciple made him, who was accustomed to freedom, quite uncomfortable.

But this command came from his own mentor, Master Xuanwei, who rarely gave strict orders that had to be obeyed, no laziness allowed.

"Sigh!"

Resisting was impossible, so he could only comfort himself mentally, knowing he’d be free once the disciple passed the tribulation, and he could continue to relax then.

With a settled mind, he beckoned Su Yu:

"Come, I’ll take you over there."

The mentor and disciple soared into the sky, flying towards the summit of Xuankong Mountain, soon passing through the clouds and seeing an inverted peak, shrouded in mist with a palace on top.

He glanced around, observing figures continuously passing through the clouds to land at the palace entrance, as Jin Yinian guided Su Yu there and explained:

"The heritage test of the sect takes place every half year, with all registered participants gathered to start the trial on this day."

"Typically, only one or two slots are available each trial, even though dozens of people register, making the competition quite intense."

"Of course, as your mentor, I have confidence you’ll earn a slot, but never underestimate others, as carelessness could lead to failure."

Su Yu seriously replied:

"I won’t give them any chances!"

"You are steady, disciple, so I’m reassured."

While speaking, the two landed at the palace entrance, Jin Yinian’s serious expression swiftly faded, smiling as he waved to many familiar sect brothers gathered at the door.

"Mr. Wang, you’re here! Is this your disciple? Oh, he’s quite impressive. I bet he’ll win this trial."

"Hello Mr. Li, is this the new disciple you’ve taken in? He looks quite extraordinary. When he meets my disciple, go easy on him."

"My disciple? Just here to gain experience, since he joined only a year ago. With few slots left for this session, I thought I’d let him familiarize himself now and see how he fares next time."

"Seriously, why would I lie? I’m inexperienced myself, how strong can my disciple be? Even pearls aren’t this rare."

"Oh, Miss Qe, is this your new disciple? She’s beautiful. Does she have a life companion? I have a disciple who’s..."

......

Listening to his mentor’s words, Su Yu kept his head down, afraid to raise it.

Clearly, his mentor was well-connected within the sect, able to casually exchange words with almost every colleague present, and quite familiarly so.

However.....

Su Yu kept his head lowered, suppressing any outward expression until they entered the hall, finally breathing a sigh of relief.

Upon entering, his eyes first caught sight of seven seats high up; three were already occupied, with a subtle celestial glow enveloping them. Su Yu’s gaze rested on these figures, two of whom were Earth Immortals exceeding level two hundred.

The remaining one, although not an Earth Immortal, was a top-tier expert exceeding level one hundred and ninety.

Centrally seated was the patriarch, Xuankong Mountain’s head, Master Xuanwei.

On the left was..... Wandering Dragon Ancestor!

He was the second in command of Xuankong Mountain.

Through the celestial glow, Wandering Dragon Ancestor’s appearance was not much different from the patriarch’s, both having white hair and beard, embodying the immortal aura. Yet, one’s aura was vast like a mountain, while the other’s felt weary like an aged man.

Entering the hall, Jin Yinian’s expression also grew serious, guiding Su Yu to find a spot among the many people already there, all known to him as fellow disciples of the patriarch, his senior martial brothers.

He greeted each senior politely, then stood obediently at the back without speaking.

Though low-key, he felt many eyes upon him, curious and observant.

"Could it be that news of the patriarch giving me special lessons has spread to everyone?"

As time passed, more figures arrived, the remaining four seats gradually filled.

A total of five Earth Immortals and two non-Earth Immortals, yet top-tier experts exceeding level one hundred and ninety.

Xuankong Mountain was merely one of the twenty-three branches of the Xuanzhen Immortal Sect, but its combined strength was already comparable to the dominant Feixing Sect across the overseas Feixing Islands; truly powerful.

Once everyone was present, a crisp bell sounded, followed by the patriarch’s voice:

"Today is the day of Xuankong Mountain’s heritage trial, will all disciples who registered please come forward."

Jin Yinian nudged Su Yu’s shoulder:

"Go on, don’t be nervous!"

Su Yu nodded lightly, stepping boldly forward as others gradually joined him, soon gathering thirty-eight young disciples.

These youths were all vigorous, radiant, with a presence and aura far surpassing ordinary people.

Master Xuanwei stroked his beard, nodded, and solemnly said:

"You all are the elite of our Xuankong Mountain, each possessing profound cultivation, bringing me great comfort. However, heritage is limited, and only the best will be chosen, as decreed by the ancestral master: successors must uphold the ancestral decree, to select elite through the ancestral heritage trial method, to inherit our sect’s supreme Profound Court Manual."

"According to the trial regulations, there are four phases."

"The first phase: Right Path Disciple, as Right Path Disciples cannot be without merit, all disciples must accumulate merit within half a year."

"Second trial: Commitment to the sect. As disciples of the sect, you need to consider the sect’s interest. All disciples must accumulate sect contributions within six months."

"Third trial: Demon-slaying. As a righteous cultivator, you need to slay demons. All disciples must kill demons whose merits are negative within six months."

"Fourth trial: Martial contest. As a leader among disciples, you must have sufficient strength to command respect. Six months later, the top ten disciples based on cumulative merits and sect contributions, as well as demon-slaying scores, will compete in front of the Ancestral Hall."

"This trial has two available positions, so I hope all disciples make an effort!"

With that, Master Xuanwei waved his hand, sending dozens of streams of light that fell upon the disciples, forming complex symbols. His voice echoed in their ears:

"The legacy trial will be supervised by the sect leaders together. You must not seek help from elders, nor hire Loose Immortals or higher cultivators to assist, nor interfere or sabotage others’ tasks in private. Violators will be dealt with according to the sect’s rules."

All the disciples replied in unison:

"We will remember!"

Master Xuanwei turned to look at the remaining elders seated above and asked:

"Do any of you have anything to add, senior and junior brothers?"

The elders all shook their heads and waved their hands,

Master Xuanwei nodded, turned around, and waved them off:

"Then, the trial begins now. You may proceed!"

The group paid their respects and gradually left.

As they exited the main hall, the trial officially began.

Outside the hall, 38 young men and women dispersed. They looked at each other intently, with some leaving straight away.

Though they were all part of the Xuankong Lineage, at this moment, everyone was a competitor, so naturally, there was little to say.

Su Yu cupped his hands towards everyone and then leisurely walked away.

On the way, he opened his panel and found a notification:

"Notification: You are under the blessing of the Middle Retention Immortal Talisman; your every move will be known to others!"

This talisman will persist throughout the trial, monitoring their every move, leaving no room for cheating.

As an Immortal Talisman crafted by a True Immortal, they couldn’t possibly block it with their abilities.

Besides that, there were no other restrictions. In theory, they could now do anything, even go train.

Su Yu didn’t return to Fengyun Daoist School but instead sent a message to Ding Lingyu and then left Xuankong Mountain, heading straight for the mountain gate.

After waiting a while at the mountain gate, a figure fell beside him—it was Ding Lingyu.

By now, Ding Lingyu no longer had his initial high-spirited demeanor, looking extremely dejected, as if he had suffered some kind of blow.

Su Yu knew what he was upset about. It was likely because he failed the legacy trial in the first half of the year, and in addition, his family suffered significant losses during the trial’s competition.

Su Yu, somewhat puzzled, asked the question he had long wondered about:

"The legacy trial takes place every five years, and everyone can participate in it three times overall. Why didn’t you wait for the next trial?"

Ding Lingyu exhaled softly, sighed deeply, glanced at Su Yu, and said:

"You may not know, but passing the legacy trial in different sessions brings different benefits. Those who participate and succeed in the first session are guaranteed a personal lineage and receive the highest level of cultivation from the sect."

"In future internal exchanges within the lineage, unless someone achieves an exceptional breakthrough and becomes an Earth Immortal first, the heads of each faction will certainly be selected from among the disciples of this level."

"Hmm..."

Su Yu now understood why his master advised him to register first; this was the reason behind it.

At this point, Ding Lingyu continued:

"Even though I just joined, I wanted to give it a try. If I succeeded, after all, it’s just one opportunity, and I have confidence I can succeed in the remaining two chances. But I didn’t expect them to go to such lengths, affecting my family for this opportunity."

Su Yu, frowning, asked:

"Did you have the guild provide assistance for your task?"

Ding Lingyu nodded:

"They also used the same tactic to help with tasks. Not doing so would put me at a disadvantage."

"No wonder."

There was nothing more to say about that. As Ding Lingyu mentioned, if everyone was doing it and he wasn’t, it would be too disadvantageous for him.

However, it’s also normal for others to try to hinder you if you do so.

Family or guild assistance isn’t against the rules, and it’s not against the rules for families or guilds to hinder other families or guilds either, but it does lack ethics.

Yet, when it comes to one’s future, ethics may not matter much.

Considering Ding Lingyu’s experience, Su Yu came up with a way to prevent his family from being impacted. It was simple: don’t rely on the guild’s power.

As long as he didn’t rely on outside help, it would be fair competition then, and if others target his family, that would be against the rules and the sect wouldn’t allow it.

Additionally, he couldn’t rely on Ao Run’s power.

The rules don’t allow Loose Immortals or higher cultivators to assist, which also includes familiars above level 100.

Therefore, family and guilds can only help to a limited extent, mostly during tasks to accumulate merits and sect contributions, but not much in demon-slaying later.

Without the help of strong Loose Immortals, ordinary guild members would incur great losses dealing with big bosses.

"So, in the end, you still have to rely on yourself!"

Su Yu pressed his lips together, looking at Ding Lingyu once more, seeking his advice on issues and key points encountered during the trial.

Half an hour later, Su Yu and Ding Lingyu parted ways, with Su Yu flying towards Foreign Affairs Peak not far from the mountain gate.