"He's an elder of the Profound Sword Sect… a Nascent Soul Realm expert."
Gui Yiyi's lips parted slightly, her breath catching in her throat. Awe shimmered in her wide, dark eyes as she gazed at the young man standing beside Jian Nantian.
Xuan Yi.
He appeared no more than a few years older than she was—yet he had already ascended to the Nascent Soul Realm, a realm most cultivators could only dream of reaching in a lifetime.
"Twenty years old? Nascent Soul Realm?!"
The thought thundered through her mind, almost absurd in its impossibility. Compared to such a monstrous talent, her own achievements felt like a single drop in a vast, endless sea.
Before she could collect herself, Jian Nantian's voice resounded through the square, majestic and unshakable.
"Everyone, since you've come all this way, I will not delay. I now officially announce the beginning of the Profound Sword Sect's disciple recruitment ceremony!"
A visible ripple ran through the crowd.
Thousands of young cultivators stiffened where they stood, their spines straightening instinctively, eyes burning with a mixture of hope, excitement, and terror. Years—no, lifetimes—of effort had been poured into reaching this moment. Success meant a future. Failure meant oblivion.
The recruitment process was divided into two stages.
The first stage was simple in form but uncompromising in standard: a test of bone age and cultivation.
Only those under the age of twenty and who had reached at least the third level of Qi Condensation would pass. For most present, this was a baseline they had meticulously prepared for, cultivating day and night, sacrificing everything to qualify.
But the second stage—the true test—was where the culling would occur.
A field trial inside the Demon Beast Forest, situated just beyond the boundaries of the Profound Sword Sect.
The rules were brutal in their simplicity.
Candidates would be led into the forest, left to fend for themselves against demon beasts ranging from the second to the ninth level of Qi Condensation. Success wasn't determined merely by survival. The number of kills, the quality of opponents faced, and most importantly, the manner in which one fought, would all be evaluated.
It wasn't raw power that guaranteed a place—it was skill, instinct, and willpower.
Someone with sharp tactics and quick thinking could outshine a cultivator with brute strength but no control.
When the trial ended, the top one thousand would earn the right to become Outer Disciples of the Profound Sword Sect. Among those few, a rarer opportunity existed: to be noticed by an elder, to be chosen as a Personal Disciple—an honor greater than any title.
It was the dream that fueled every young heart present.
But the odds were cruel.
Out of nearly ten thousand hopefuls gathered, only one thousand would succeed.
Nine out of ten would be cast aside.
As the crowd buzzed with nervous energy, ten massive Violet Spirit Crystals were carried onto the square, lined up before the sea of cultivators. These crystals, gleaming with a faint inner light, could precisely detect bone age, cultivation level, and the quality of spiritual energy.
Though not particularly rare, they were prized for their accuracy.
No one could cheat them.
Jian Nantian's announcement was still fresh in the air as the cultivators surged forward, forming neat lines in front of the crystals.
One by one, the evaluations began.
"Yingli, bone age seventeen, Qi Condensation fourth level—qualified!"
"Li Tao, bone age nineteen, Qi Condensation third level—qualified!"
"Yuan Zhihong, bone age nineteen, Qi Condensation second level—unqualified."
"Fang Man, bone age sixteen, Qi Condensation fourth level—qualified!"
The names and results rolled out like a relentless tide.
Most had met the standard, faces lighting up with relief. But for the few who failed—whether through arrogance or bad luck—their faces crumbled, hopes shattering in an instant.
High above on the ceremonial platform, Elder Xuan Yi watched silently, his hands folded behind his back.
His eyes, sharp and clear as polished jade, scanned the sea of young faces below, weighing, judging.
Yet inside, a faint frustration brewed.
"Natural talent 31... no."
"Grade 39... too low."
"Talent 71—barely acceptable, but still lacking."
A faint sigh escaped him, unheard amidst the chaos.
"I was too optimistic. Even Bai Zisong, the so-called number one genius of the sect, has only reached a talent grade of 92…"
His expectations for completing his secret mission—to find a disciple with a natural talent score exceeding 100—were slipping away.
Then, like a star emerging in a night sky, he saw her.
At first, she was just another face in the crowd—a young woman, calm and poised, waiting her turn. Her features were delicate yet resilient, her bearing elegant without arrogance. There was something about her—an unspoken grace—that drew the eye naturally.
But it wasn't her appearance that froze Xuan Yi in place.
Above her head, shining with radiant golden light, floated a number.
Natural Talent... 197!
Xuan Yi's breath caught.
He blinked, once, then twice, disbelief flashing across his usually stoic face.
"Am I hallucinating?"
No mistake.
197.
Not merely exceeding 100—but more than double the sect's highest recorded talent.
Shock pulsed through him.
"This… this is unprecedented! A once-in-a-thousand-year prodigy!"
His heart hammered in his chest.
Yet even amidst his elation, a sharp confusion stabbed through his thoughts.
"With such monstrous talent, why is she only at the fourth level of Qi Condensation?"
Given her bone age—seventeen or eighteen—she should have long since eclipsed this realm.
Suddenly, as if sensing his doubt, a soft shimmer of text appeared in his vision, courtesy of the system he relied on.
Cold Ice Spirit Body [Inactive]Activation Method: Ice Spirit Grass
Xuan Yi's gaze sharpened.
"So that's it…"
The girl possessed a Cold Ice Spirit Body—a rare, powerful physique known to skyrocket cultivation speed and amplify battle power beyond normal comprehension.
But it lay dormant, sealed.
Without the Ice Spirit Grass, her true potential would remain locked away.
The herb itself wasn't considered particularly high-grade, but it was exceedingly rare, a treasure nearly impossible for an ordinary family to obtain.
Still, to Xuan Yi, it changed nothing.
She was the one he had been searching for.
"I must have her."
Every fiber of his being urged him to step down immediately, to claim her as his disciple before another elder could even blink.
But caution tempered his excitement.
No… better to watch a little longer.I must see her will, her judgment, her spirit.
If she lived up to her stunning talent, he wouldn't merely accept her—he would mold her, guide her personally, until she became the future pillar of the Profound Sword Sect itself.
Down in the square, oblivious to the storm she had stirred, Gui Yiyi calmly stepped forward and placed her slender hand upon the Violet Spirit Crystal.
A soft light enveloped her hand, the crystal pulsing gently.
"Gui Yiyi, bone age seventeen, Qi Condensation fourth level—qualified!"
The announcement rang out clearly.
Yiyi stepped back from the crystal with quiet grace, her expression serene. Her heart fluttered, but she kept it hidden, projecting only calm confidence.
To the crowd, she was just another face among a thousand qualified candidates.
But to Xuan Yi—
She was the key to a future he had only dared to imagine.
And soon, both their fates would intertwine in ways neither could yet foresee.