The Arrogant Immortal-Chapter 39 - Outer Sect Shihao Mountain

Thus, when it was rumored throughout Tianxu Sect that Danfeng’s top disciple, Mo Chuan, was a sucker who spent hundreds of thousands of Spirit Stones on a wooden hairpin worth only ten Spirit Pearls, people who usually didn’t visit started flocking to Danfeng.

Soon after, some witnessed with their own eyes the ordinary-looking hairpin in Mo Chuan’s hand shedding its disguise, turning into the priceless Soul-Nourishing Wood.

A piece of Soul-Nourishing Wood the size of a knuckle fetched a price of 880,000 on the market, and that was if one could even find it for sale. Mo Chuan had spent just over five hundred thousand to buy a Soul-Nourishing Wood hairpin, which was a massive bargain.

This news spread quickly.

The tide had turned.

The supposed sucker had become a discerning gem recognizer.

Some Sect Disciples even made a special trip to the mountain gate, hoping to score a similar deal. Unfortunately, they did not encounter Xie Jiuniang selling her wares.

In Dongxu Hall, Elder Chaoyan and the two others wore a dazed expression. Could it be they had really misjudged the situation?

When Lin Wangchen received the news, his first thought was that it was impossible. He had clearly had people investigate properly, and the wooden hairpin was simply carved from pearwood; it could not magically turn into Soul-Nourishing Wood so suddenly.

Yet, some had personally seen the hairpin shed its disguise.

Could it be…

That he had been the one who was mistaken?

After all, he had not verified it himself.

Lin Wangchen sat quietly at the tea table, holding a tea bowl motionless, deep in thought. He had just dismissed his suspicions of Xie Jiuniang, but now decided to observe her for a while longer.

Xie Jiuniang, cultivating within the Small Isolation Array, was unaware that she had been inadvertently trapped by Mo Chuan. Just when she had managed to clear her name, she once again caught Lin Wangchen’s attention.

Seeing Xie Jiuniang practicing so diligently, the other Disciples followed suit, finding spots to meditate.

With Xie Jiuniang working so hard at her young age, advancing four levels in one year, they had no reason to waste time.

As a result, in the last few days, the number of Disciples gathering in the square gradually increased, yet the Xie Family disciples were nowhere to be seen.

Until the last day.

The Small Isolation Array was deactivated, and the thirteen disciples of the Xie Family finally appeared together.

There were quite a few people using Array Plates in the square, and their practices did not draw much attention. However, some were waiting specifically for them.

Xie Xu and the other twelve were not very perceptive, but Xie Jiuniang immediately noticed something was different.

Dozens of Divine Senses swept towards her, and the fact that she easily detected them meant that among them were Cultivators of the same rank.

Xie Xu acted first, using his Divine Sense to shield her from most of the scrutiny. For those above the Foundation Establishment Stage, he was willing but unable.

Xie Jiuniang couldn’t help but laugh in anger, ready to step forward and berate them.

But Xie Siniang beat her to it and, with hands on her hips, angrily scolded, “Some people have had enough! Has no one ever taught you that probing others with your Divine Sense is forbidden? Or are you deliberately provoking us, seeking to make enemies with us?”

Xie Siniang’s words struck forcefully, like a hammer to the ground.

The other clan members also instinctively stood up, encircling the youngest, Xie Jiuniang, in the middle, even if some of them were of lower cultivation than Xie Jiuniang.

In a moment, those Divine Senses had completely withdrawn.

In the Cultivation World, using Divine Sense to probe others is a major taboo, seen as an act of provocation. If a higher-order cultivator forcefully probes a lower-order one without any decorum, the probed cultivator can only consider themselves unlucky. However, if a lower-order cultivator dares to probe a higher-order one with their Divine Sense, it is simply courting death.

Higher-order cultivators have powerful Divine Senses, and if they wish, they can easily severely injure the Spiritual Soul of a lower-order cultivator. When that happens, what’s done is done, and there’s nowhere to plead your case—who asked you to provoke first?

Xie Jiuniang’s eyes narrowed slightly. Being probed as a weakling was annoying, but the feeling of being protected was quite pleasant.

In her previous life, only one or two clan members passed in the end, so there was no incident like today. Unknowingly, many things had changed…

“Hmph!”

Elder Chaoyan from above gave a cold snort, releasing the pressure of a Nascent Soul Cultivator as a warning to the Sect Disciples amongst the onlookers who were new disciples.

Those who had used their Divine Sense to probe Xie Jiuniang just now were primarily Sect Disciples, driven by curiosity stirred up by various rumors in recent days and had come to watch specifically.

The rumors all revolved around one person—for instance, the first to dare make trades during Sect trials, titled the Little Profiteer.

Selling a Wooden Hairpin for a high price to Brother Mo Chuan, who had no idea that it was actually made of Soul-Nourishing Wood!

Even more astonishing was that she, by herself, had successfully broken through the blockade of more than a dozen Sect Disciples. Although those disciples were also in the Qi Cultivation Stage, their Cultivation Bases were all higher than hers.

Elder Chaoyan announced, “The first round of trials has ended. Any disciple who has not reached the gate of the mountain by now will be considered eliminated. The final step in the assessment is to walk up the mountain; anyone who can safely make it up will become an Outer Sect Disciple of Tianxu Sect.”

One round down, and six to seven out of every ten had been eliminated. There were over ten thousand qualified disciples.

Xie Jiuniang found this far better than her previous life, where nine out of ten were eliminated.

Passing the first round of screening was like having half a foot in the Sect. As for the Ladder to Heaven, that Elder Chaoyan mentioned, it was nothing to worry about at all.

The Ladder to Heaven was only there to intimidate.

Orthodox Cultivators have better physical strength and can easily climb up. On the other hand, Evil Cultivators and Demon Cultivators would find each step increasingly difficult as they ascended, soon revealing their true forms.

The biggest test of the Sect was the first round, traveling from Xi’an City to the Sect’s gate within a month. Those with poor conduct are generally eliminated within that period. Even if someone is capable, the personnel overseeing the Sect trials would sabotage them, ensuring they fail to reach the gate within a month.

Of course, these internal workings would not be openly discussed. Xie Jiuniang also learned of this by chance in her previous life.

Just as Xie Jiuniang knew.

The Xie clan members ascended the Ladder to Heaven with ease, encountering no Illusion Array.

Once they reached the summit, new disciples were arranged to have their Spirit Roots tested again, to be registered and to receive their identity Token, Sect manual, and Disciple Robe.

No sooner had Xie Jiuniang received hers than a cry of alarm came from behind her. She quickly turned around and saw to her shock a burst of blood mist in the shape of a human high in the sky.

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It was Elder Chaoyan using Spiritual Power to hoist someone into the air and crush them violently, leaving not even a trace of remains.

Xie Jiuniang’s heart skipped a beat. “What happened?”

“A Demon Cultivator tried to infiltrate the Sect. Every time we recruit new disciples, we encounter this. It’s nothing new,” the Sect Disciple distributing items explained.

Xie Jiuniang had not encountered this in her previous life; that Demon Cultivator likely didn’t survive the first round.

“Siniang, let’s go to Crane Garden and rent an Immortal Crane to head to Shihao Mountain in the Outer Sect,” Xie Jiuniang pretended to flip through the Sect manual and, pulling Xie Siniang along, walked away.

If one wanted a good place to settle down in the Outer Sect, they had to hurry over—first come, first served.

If they were too slow, they would have to pick from the leftovers that others didn’t want.