I Can Travel between Two Worlds-Chapter 244 - 12: The New Sect Entrance Examination, Second Senior Brother’s Shadow (Part 2)
Although they didn’t have abundant resources, having hunted from a young age and occasionally eating mountain delicacies, their physiques far surpassed those of ordinary people on Blue Star.
Even so, for these youths, the thousands of feet high mountains were still difficult to conquer happily.
Until evening, over a hundred youths climbed Changchun Mountain.
After reaching the peak, some embraced and cried, while others danced with joy.
For them, these Thirty Thousand Steps of Ascension were the turning point to change their fate.
Soon, an Assessment Elder stepped forward to announce:
"Everyone, congratulations on passing the first stage."
"Tomorrow, the Thirty Thousand Steps of Ascension assessment will continue, and we will also test everyone’s Spirit Root qualifications..."
"Now, please head to the temporary disciple quarters to rest."
Soon, these over a hundred mortal youths were taken to the disciple quarters.
Lin Chen also completed today’s task and returned to Pill Peak for cultivation.
In the following days, the entry assessment proceeded smoothly.
By the sixth day, nearly a hundred thousand mortals had participated in the Thirty Thousand Steps of Ascension.
But only a sparse thousand or so passed.
The pass rate was about one percent.
Of those who passed the first stage of the assessment, about twenty percent would be eliminated.
Ultimately, only over eight hundred disciples met the Spirit Root requirements to join the Changchun Sect, among them, roughly seventy to eighty had Dual Spirit Roots or higher, qualifying for entry into the Inner Sect.
Lin Chen received the master’s order not to extend an olive branch to any disciple.
Pill Peak had no plans to recruit new disciples, so Lin Chen refrained from speaking and quietly remained in the corner like an invisible person.
...
Until the afternoon of the seventh day, the final day of the assessment.
By then, this assessment had reached its conclusion.
On the last day, over ten thousand youths were climbing the mountain.
But as evening approached, only less than a hundred remained persevering.
Lin Chen yawned idly in the corner, and his peripheral gaze swept across the Array image where he saw a somewhat familiar figure.
"This young man, he looks somewhat familiar..."
Lin Chen muttered.
In the image, the young man Lin Chen was observing wore coarse clothes, with his hair neatly tied at the back.
He was robust, visibly a youth from a village, not from a Cultivation Family.
"Elder Liu, can I see the assessment roster?"
Lin Chen asked, and the nearby Internal Affairs Elder quickly handed over a roster.
Lin Chen searched for a moment and soon locked his gaze on a name.
"Zhou Tieshan... is it really him?"
Lin Chen squinted, recalling that day more than five years ago.
That was Lin Chen’s first time leaving the Changchun Sect, accompanying his senior brother Cen Wushan on a mission to hunt down a group of Tribulation Cultivators.
Halfway, his senior brother, fearing Lin Chen would be tired, rested in a village.
Coincidentally, that small village was Zhou Village, the village where Lin Chen first arrived in the Cultivation Realm and encountered the Tribulation Cultivators.
That day, out of interest, Lin Chen randomly tested a young man’s Spirit Root.
The result was an Earth Element Single Spirit Root.
That was none other than the current Zhou Tieshan...
"In these more than five years, Zhou Tianshan must be nearly fourteen years old by now..."
Lin Chen murmured.
From being an eight or nine-year-old kid to a fourteen-year-old youth, the change in appearance was needless to say significant.
Lin Chen could recognize it, simply because he felt the young man’s aura was somewhat familiar...
"That simple aura, and those eyes..."
Lin Chen looked at the young man in the image, taking a deep breath.
"So alike, too much alike..."
"This Zhou Tieshan looks so much like my second senior brother..."
Staring at the Array image, Lin Chen suddenly fell silent.
He still remembered the conversation with his second senior brother back in Zhou Village.
"Cultivators believe in the word ’fate’..."
"In every action, there is destiny..."
After a long silence, Lin Chen murmured:
"So, second senior brother, is this fate?"
Lin Chen’s heart was stirred; he was ordered by his master not to recruit disciples for Pill Peak.
Yet, seeing the shadow of his second senior brother in Zhou Tieshan, Lin Chen had other thoughts...
"However, let’s see what this young man has to say? Also, I need to ask whether the master is willing..."
"It’s been over five years, I wonder if he still remembers me?"
Lin Chen silently thought.
From then on, Lin Chen’s attention was more focused on Zhou Tieshan.
Though Lin Chen had left some Pills when he left Zhou Village.
Compared to those youths from Cultivation Clans, Zhou Tieshan’s physical condition was still lacking.
However, Lin Chen noticed a trace of determination in Zhou Tieshan’s eyes.
He climbed with great effort, yet saved as much energy as possible and made a final sprint towards the mountaintop.
Step by step...
Those steady steps, and the sweat on his chin reminded Lin Chen of his past self.
...
Finally, just before the sun completely set.
Zhou Tieshan climbed to the top of Changchun Mountain, along with over a hundred other youths.
At this moment, the Assessment Elder also stepped forward to announce:
"This entry assessment for the Changchun Sect is hereby concluded!"
"Please rest for one night; we will begin the Spirit Root test tomorrow."
The youths followed the Assessment Elder to the temporary disciple quarters.
Zhou Tieshan stood among the crowd, peering around as if searching for something.
Lin Chen didn’t approach Zhou Tieshan but went back to Pill Peak instead.
He decided to consult with his master.
...
Pill Peak, Alchemy Room.
Lin Chen relayed the matter of Zhou Tieshan to Han Jihai.
After hearing, Han Jihai remained silent for a while and then asked:
"Chen’Er, are you saying... this young man looks a lot like your second senior brother?"
"Even in the name, there’s a ’Shan’ character..."
Han Jihai muttered to himself, with a slight ripple in his eyes.
