Chapter 74

Those who can pass any one of the seven mysterious iron chains' tests and become inner disciples usually have better cultivation potential than most people. Only a small number of people who have outstanding talent or insight in a certain area can pass the selection.

The specific situation is closely related to the seven lineage traditions of the Ziyou Sect. For example, the Divine Pill Peak and the Treasure Instrument Cave naturally test their alchemy and artifact refinement talents.

Those who do not pass the inner disciple test mostly become outer disciples. Some, with weak will and poor mental fortitude, become servants.

There are also channels and opportunities for servants and outer disciples to be promoted to outer or inner disciples.

When a servant's cultivation realm reaches the Transformation Pill stage, they will automatically be promoted to an outer disciple, enjoying the treatment and cultivation resources of an outer disciple.

For outer disciples to be promoted to inner disciples, there are two paths. One is to reach the Out-of-Body stage, which will automatically make them inner disciples. They can then choose any of the seven lineages and join it.

The other method is to challenge the Seven Mountains. The so-called challenge of the Seven Mountains does not mean actually storming the Seven Peaks, but rather has a specific meaning.

Each of the seven lineages has a venue for testing and training disciples. Challenging the mountains refers to applying to these venues for testing. As long as the standards set by each lineage are met, one can become an inner disciple of the corresponding lineage.

Specifically, the Yumen Mountain has a mysterious cave called the Yumen Cave. As long as one can penetrate three layers of the cave and return alive, they can join the Yumen lineage. However, a century ago, the cave underwent a strange change, and powerful Yumen creatures such as ghost kings and golden skeletons appeared inside. Disciples below the Out-of-Body stage who enter will surely die, so the opportunity for outer disciples to join the Yumen lineage has been completely cut off. This is also why the Yumen lineage has not been able to recruit any disciples in the past century.

The Sword Pavilion has a Sword Pool, where it is said that there are countless flying swords. As long as one can make any one of the flying swords recognize them as their master, they can join the Sword Pavilion. This tests whether one has a sword heart.

The Five Elements Hall has a Five Elements Array. As long as one can survive for three days within it, they can join the Five Elements Hall. This tests one's insight into Five Elements magic.

The Wu Yu Palace has the Wu Yu Cave. As long as one can stay in the Wu Yu Cave for three days and then walk out with a clear mind, they can join the Wu Yu Palace. This cave tests one's mental fortitude and will.

Among these, the Wu Yu Cave and the Yumen Cave are known as the Life and Death Caves by the disciples of the Ziyou Sect. The Wu Yu Cave is the Life Cave because anyone who enters it will surely come out alive, but it is said that one-third of them become mad. The Yumen Cave, on the other hand, is extremely dangerous, with one-third of those who enter never coming out, hence it is called the Death Cave.

Therefore, most outer disciples dare not choose the Life and Death Caves for their tests. However, those who dare to take the Life and Death Caves' tests are all people with strong will, mental fortitude, and power. This is one of the reasons why the Wu Yu Palace and the Yumen Mountain lineages have fewer people compared to the other five lineages, but their individual strength is generally higher.

Additionally, the tests for the Divine Pill Peak, Puppet Institute, and Treasure Instrument Cave are straightforward. The Divine Pill Peak requires one to be able to refine a low-grade spirit pill to join. The Puppet Institute requires one to be able to refine a low-grade puppet to become an inner disciple. The Treasure Instrument Cave requires one to be able to refine a low-grade spirit tool to become a disciple of the artifact refinement lineage.

Furthermore, it is said that there is a cave in the Ziyou Sect that surpasses the seven lineage tests, called the Zi—You—Cave. It is said that this cave is extremely large, comparable to a small world, and is used by the Ziyou Sect to select core disciples. Normally, it opens once every hundred years. Anyone who can pass the ninth level of the Zi—You—Cave can become a core disciple of the sect and cultivate on the Ziyou Mountain.

Additionally, cultivators who pass the mysterious iron chain selection and become inner disciples at the Spirit Condensation stage, regardless of their cultivation level, will be demoted to outer disciples if they do not successfully transform their pills within ten years. If they still fail to transform their pills within fifty years, they will be demoted to servants. The Transformation Pill stage increases one's lifespan significantly, so inner disciples at the Transformation Pill stage will be demoted to outer disciples if they do not advance to the Out-of-Body stage within two hundred years.

Ma Dao led Hua Xia Jiu and the others, chatting and laughing, flying to a three-story green stone hall and landing there.

Hua Xia Jiu looked at the green stone hall with some curiosity. The hall stood majestically, with a grand and imposing presence. The eaves were intricately carved with lifelike beasts, and the red-painted pillars and dark blue doors and windows were mostly open. A large plaque hung above the main entrance, inscribed with three gilded characters: "Affairs Hall." This was the hall that managed the various affairs of the Ziyou Sect.

Ma Dao did not stop but walked directly into the Affairs Hall. Hua Xia Jiu had no choice but to follow.

The Affairs Hall handled numerous affairs, and naturally, it was the most bustling place in the sect. Ziyou Sect disciples were coming and going in a steady stream, making it very lively. From the moment they entered the hall to the inner hall, a distance of a hundred meters, many people greeted Ma Dao, who responded kindly with a smile.

Of course, many people also noticed Hua Xia Jiu, who was following Ma Dao. When they saw that Hua Xia Jiu was still at the Spirit Condensation stage, many people's eyes showed curiosity and interest. However, despite their curiosity, no one came forward to specifically ask about Hua Xia Jiu.

Additionally, the dozen or so people who joined the inner disciples with Hua Xia Jiu yesterday, as well as hundreds of outer disciples or servants, had already completed their entry procedures by yesterday evening, so Hua Xia Jiu did not encounter them.

What Hua Xia Jiu did not know was that his passing the Yumen lineage's test and joining the Yumen Mountain as an inner disciple had already caused a significant stir throughout the Ziyou Sect.

A century ago, the incident with the Yumen ghost caused a great stir. To this day, many people in the Ziyou Sect still sigh when they think of the fierce battle with the Soul Palace. The Ziyou Sect's ranking on the list dropped from fifth to ninth, and the current internal structure of the sect was also affected by that incident.

After the incident, the Yumen Mountain's Yumen True Person was forced to personally enhance the restrictions on the Yumen iron chain test, increasing the difficulty of the inner disciple selection test by dozens of times. He also said, "Anyone who can pass the test will have potential no less than the Yumen ghost."

Furthermore, in the past century, over twenty entry selections have been held, and no one has been able to pass the test of the iron chain.

Due to these two factors, the Yumen iron chain has gradually been shrouded in a special and mysterious aura over the past century.

Now, Hua Xia Jiu has become the first person in a century to pass the test of the iron chain and join the Yumen Mountain as an inner disciple, naturally attracting the attention of the entire Ziyou Sect, including those on the Ziyou Mountain, which floats above the seven lineages.

Therefore, Hua Xia Jiu has now become a well-known figure in the Ziyou Sect, although most people do not know his appearance. However, since he is the only one to join the Yumen Mountain, and he is now being led by Ma Dao to the Affairs Hall, and he is not wearing the Ziyou Sect disciple's uniform, many people have already guessed his identity and are standing at a distance, looking at Hua Xia Jiu with strange eyes and whispering to each other. This quickly spread, and soon almost everyone in the Affairs Hall knew his identity.

Two updates are here, please follow, like, and review. There will be another update around 9 PM, don't miss it. Additionally, the last two characters of "Zi—You—Cave" are listed as prohibited words on Zongheng, so I added two small dashes to separate them. In fact, many words are listed as prohibited, often forcing me to modify them, sometimes even affecting the quality of the novel. The three characters "Zi—You—Cave" cannot be changed, so I thought of this method after much consideration. Hehe.

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