Journey of True Cultivation-Chapter 21: Howling Wind Branch Sect Trial (2)

The thirty disciples stood inside a massive cave, their eyes wandering across the space. Behind them was the stone staircase that led back to the garden of the inn, the only exit from the entire cave.

Surprisingly, the cave was bright rather than dark, its ceiling covered in luminous pressure stones. These glowing stones bathed the entire cavern in a soft white light, creating a serene and otherworldly atmosphere.

The space was vast and clean, much like a standard training ground, a flat floor, no decorations, no obstacles, just open space.

The new disciples were clearly amazed by the sight, their eyes wide with curiosity and wonder. Yuan stood quietly among them, with Emilia next to him, simply observing in silence.

At the front of the group stood the blond haired young man, a calm smile resting on his face. He waited patiently for the disciples to settle down, and as the chatter faded, anticipation filled their gazes as they turned toward him.

Seeing their eager expressions, the young man's smile widened. His features softened with a hint of amusement, and he glanced up at the ceiling, a nostalgic look flickering in his eyes.

He stared for a moment, his expression becoming distant and thoughtful. Then, slowly, he closed his eyes and exhaled.

When he opened them again, his gaze had returned to calm focus, and he turned his attention back to the thirty disciples before him.

The thirty disciples stood inside a massive cave, their eyes wandering across its vast expanse. Behind them was the stone staircase that led back to the garden of the inn, marking it as the only visible exit from the cave.

Surprisingly, the cave was brighter than one would expect. The ceiling was lined with glowing stones known as Luminous Pressure Stones, bathing the entire space in a soft white glow.

The cave itself resembled a typical training ground: a flat floor, no decorations, no obstacles, just empty space.

The new disciples were quietly amazed by the setting. Yuan stood among them, Emilia at his side, both silently observing the environment.

At the front of the group stood the blond haired young man, a faint smile on his face as he waited for the murmurs and whispers to die down.

As silence settled over the group, the disciples' eyes filled with anticipation, all focused intently on him.

Noticing their eager expressions, the blond-haired man's smile grew warmer. His gaze lifted toward the glowing ceiling above, a look of nostalgia flickering in his eyes.

He closed his eyes briefly, as if lost in memory, then opened them again. The warmth faded from his expression, replaced by calm authority. His gaze returned to the thirty disciples.

"Well, junior disciples," he began, his voice steady. "The first trial is quite simple."

He raised his hand and pointed toward the ceiling, which suddenly began to shine even brighter. His green eyes gleamed with amusement.

"As you can see, this cave is covered with glowing stones. These are called Luminous Pressure Stones."

After a brief pause, his tone shifted from light-hearted to serious.

"The function of these stones is simple. They exert mental pressure on all who stand beneath them. The longer you endure, the better your evaluation. And the better your evaluation, the greater your reward from the sect."

His eyes sharpened as he scanned the gathered disciples.

"This is an important test. Our Howling Wind Sect places great emphasis on mental endurance!"

His voice echoed through the cave, firm and commanding.

"Even if you come from a noble background... even if your cultivation surpasses others... if your will is weak, you will fail. And you will not become an official outer disciple."

He paused to let his words settle in. Then his smile returned.

"So, do your best. Push yourselves and prove that you have the willpower to walk the path of cultivation!"

Hearing this, the atmosphere among the disciples turned serious. Yuan nodded inwardly at the blond haired young man's words. After all, cultivation was a path of endurance, a lifelong test against time and complacency.

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If a cultivator couldn't dedicate every free moment to improving, how could they ever hope to reach the higher stages?

It seemed the Howling Wind Sect wasn't interested in lazy disciples. They were searching for the ambitious, the ones who constantly strove for more.

Yet, even with its preference for strong willed cultivators, the sect wouldn't blindly reject others.

After all, hidden talents reveal themselves only through life and death struggles, and no sect or clan would willingly discard someone with high cultivation potential.

In the end, manpower was essential for a sect's growth.

With these thoughts coming to an end, Yuan waited for the trial to begin. After all, everything had already been explained and indeed, it began, as a few disciples started to feel the pressure and sat down on the ground in the lotus position.

Seeing the other disciples take the lotus position, Yuan sat as well. Emilia, noticing Yuan's actions, simply imitated him and sat near him.

The stone floor was cold, but Yuan silently closed his eyes and waited for the pressure to reach him. Slowly, each disciple began to assume their stance.

One lay on the ground, staring up at the ceiling. Another simply stood with his arms crossed.

However, Yuan paid no attention to the others and focused solely on himself, until, finally, a light pressure settled over him.

This pressure wasn't heavy or oppressive, it felt more like a baby's hand pressing gently on his back, barely noticeable.

It was so faint that Yuan couldn't be bothered to care. But for the others, the experience was different.

For the first thirty seconds, nobody moved. Everyone waited to feel the true weight of the pressure. Then, at the fortieth second, some disciples began to feel discomfort.

By the fiftieth second, a few were breathing heavily, their focus wavering, until some eventually collapsed to the ground and even fainted.

After one minute, a few disciples began to fail in their attempts to endure the pressure. The blond haired young man simply shook his head in disappointment and waved his hand, causing the pressure around those disciples to fade away like a gentle breeze.

At one minute and twenty seconds, more disciples gave up, unable to withstand the intensifying weight on their minds.

Another twenty seconds passed, and by the one minute and forty second mark, nearly all the Mortal Awakening Stage cultivators had collapsed from exhaustion.

At one minute and fifty seconds, even Emilia reached her limit. She fell to the ground, gasping for air, her body trembling with heavy fatigue.

Now, only two Mortal Awakening cultivators remained.

One of them was Yuan, who hadn't even flinched under the pressure. His breathing remained calm, his posture steady, completely unaffected, as if the pressure didn't exist.

To the blond haired young man's surprise, at the two minute mark, the first Blood Purification Stage cultivator gave up, unable to endure any longer.

Then, twenty seconds later, more Blood Purification Stage cultivators collapsed under the weight.

At the two minute and thirty-second mark, the last Mortal Awakening Stage cultivator besides Yuan finally gave up, his face filled with great unwillingness and frustration.

Now, only five cultivators remained.

Four were Blood Purification Stage cultivators.

And the fifth...

Was Yuan, the only Mortal Awakening Stage disciple still standing.

Three minutes finally passed.

For a Blood Purification Stage cultivator, that was already considered a respectable result.

But for someone at the Mortal Awakening Stage?

It was extraordinary.

The blond haired young man was genuinely shocked by Yuan's ability to endure for so long. It was normal for a Mortal Awakening Stage cultivator to fail under two minutes, and anything above that was already considered outstanding.

But three minutes? That was nearly unheard of.

"Interesting..." the blond haired man muttered, a curious glint flashing in his green eyes.

At the same time, Yuan felt nothing but the faint pressure, like a baby's hand pushing against his back. He already knew it was time to give up.

If he lasted any longer, people might start calling him a heaven defying talent or something equally troublesome, attention he didn't want.

With that thought, he decided to fake his limit. He slowed his breathing, shifted his posture, and finally collapsed onto the ground.

"Haa... haa... haa..." Yuan began taking heavy breaths, his performance convincing enough to draw a satisfied nod from the blond haired young man.

The blond haired young man then turned his attention to the remaining four juniors.

After the four minute mark, only two were left. Both were Blood Purification Stage cultivators, and it was clear to everyone watching that they were nearing their limit, breathing heavily, their bodies trembling under the pressure.

Then, twenty seconds later, they finally gave in and collapsed, unable to endure any longer.

With that, the trial came to an end, marked by a snap of the blond haired man's fingers.

The room slowly dimmed, the soft white glow from the luminous pressure stones fading slightly, and with it, the lingering pressure completely vanished.

Wearing a wide smile, the blond-haired young man looked at the exhausted group of juniors before him.

"Well done, juniors. Now, let me announce your results,"he said, ignoring the exhaustion on his juniors' faces and continuing to speak with calm authority.

"For the Mortal Awakening Stage juniors, those who lasted only one minute or less, you will become unofficial outer disciples of the Howling Wind Branch Sect."

The moment those words fell, disappointment spread like wildfire.

Several recruits visibly deflated, some even breaking down into tears.

A few pleaded desperately, their voices trembling with emotion.

"Senior, please reconsider!" "Give us another chance!"

But the blond haired young man remained unmoved, simply shaking his head.

"Juniors who lasted under two minutes will become ordinary outer disciples. And for the two who outperformed all others, those who endured beyond two minutes, you will be granted the status of high outer disciples!"

Though many disciples were devastated, the young man gave them a reassuring look.

"You don't need to worry too much about your current disciple ranking. Your status can change. The higher your cultivation becomes, the higher you can rise within the sect."

With a wave of his long sleeve, a stack of books fell out and gently landed beside him.

"Here. Read this."

The disciples hesitated for a moment before each one stepped forward to take a copy.

Even Yuan picked one up, his eyes falling on the title "Howling Wind Sect's Rules & Introduction"

But before anyone could begin reading, the blond haired young man spoke again, his tone commanding enough to force their attention back onto him.

The blond-haired young man was very shocked by Yuan's result. For a Mortal Awakening Stage cultivator, it was normal to fail under two minutes.

Anything above that was already considered outstanding. But three minutes? That was nearly unheard of.

"Interesting..." the blond-haired young man muttered, an intrigued glint flickering in his green eyes.

At the same time, Yuan felt nothing from the so-called pressure, just the faint sensation of a baby's hand trying to push him.

But he already knew it was time to give up. If he endured any longer, others might label him a heaven defying talent or something similarly troublesome, which he absolutely wanted to avoid.

With that thought, he intentionally slowed his breathing, shifted his posture, and finally collapsed to the ground.

"Haa... haa... haa..." Yuan began to breathe heavily, feigning exhaustion.

Seeing this, the blond haired young man let out a small sigh and nodded in satisfaction at Yuan's performance. Then, he turned his attention to his remaining four juniors.

After the fourth minute passed, only two disciples remained. Both were clearly struggling, breathing heavily, their bodies trembling under the lingering pressure. Anyone watching could see they were at their limit.

Finally, after twenty more seconds, both gave up. They collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted and unable to endure any longer.

With that, the trial officially ended.

The blond haired young man snapped his fingers, and the glow of the luminous stones dimmed. The cave darkened slightly, and the oppressive pressure faded completely.

Wearing a wide, satisfied smile, the blond-haired young man looked over the exhausted group of juniors sprawled across the cave floor.

Hearing about the tournament, Yuan quickly understood. First, they test who can endure mental pressure, and now, they're measuring actual combat strength.

This system separated two types of talents.

Disciples with strong mental endurance, who could withstand hardship and cultivate long-term, and disciples who were talented in combat. Even if they lacked endurance, they could develop it over time.

Although it was a simple system, it was an effective way to filter out the useless and identify potential.

After all, a sect wouldn't want to discard promising cultivators just because they lacked endurance at the beginning.

However, Yuan also noticed a flaw in this method. The sect clearly focused on combat strength and long-term cultivation, but completely overlooked other hidden talents, like Rune Masters, Alchemy geniuses, or Formation specialists.

None of those would be discovered through this kind of selection process. But then again, every sect had its own priorities. And for the Howling Wind Sect, their priority was clear.

Combat and cultivation, nothing else.

As Yuan processed all the information given by the blond haired young man, he suddenly felt a gaze settle on him.

A sharp, persistent stare, not from an elder, but from another disciple.

While it would be normal for an elder to show interest in his unusually high mental endurance, Yuan doubted that any elder would stare at him so intensely just for that.

So, he subtly turned his head, scanning the crowd, until his eyes landed on the source.

It was the other Mortal Awakening Stage cultivator.

He looked about fourteen or fifteen years old and wore a bright red robe. The fabric was lined with faint enchantments, likely to regulate temperature. His face was sharp and handsome, with piercing red eyes and dark brown hair so deep it was almost black.

Even though his robe was simple in design, it was clearly made of fine materials, possibly from a wealthy or noble background, Yuan guessed.

But Yuan had no idea who this disciple was.

And for a brief moment, he considered the possibilities "Had I offended this person somehow?"

Then, it clicked.

Was it jealousy? Maybe.

But Yuan wasn't interested, and his gaze lingered on the boy for a mere second before losing interest entirely.

Seeing this, the red robed fellow disciple's expression darkened. He clicked his tongue in annoyance, clearly irritated that Yuan had dismissed him so easily.

Then, with a sharp huff, he turned his eyes away.

Meanwhile, Emilia had a completely different reaction. She was beaming with admiration as she looked at Yuan.

A high outer disciple!

Unlike Yuan, she actually understood what that meant.

Higher privileges, more resources, and better treatment!

And most importantly, Yuan was her servant.

Which meant...

All his benefits... were hers as well, right?

A smirk crept onto her lips as she chuckled softly, already imagining the advantages she would gain once they officially joined the sect.

Yuan glanced briefly at Emilia, noticing her soft chuckle, then simply ignored her. Her amusement didn't concern him.

Then the blond-haired young man took a step forward, his sharp green eyes scanning the gathered junior disciples as he spoke with an amused smile.

"Juniors, I gave you all ten minutes to rest. I hope you used them well and have regained your strength!"

Ten minutes had passed, and the blond haired young man's smile widened slightly.

"Now, let us begin the Mortal Awakening Juniors' Tournament!" His eyes narrowed slightly as he began to call out the first match.

"The first to step forward, Junior Alex and Junior Daoist Pressuring Books. Please step forward!"

His tone was firm yet expectant, signaling the official start of the tournament.

The crowd of disciples stirred slightly, anticipation rising.

The first battle was about to begin.