Tianyan.

When Wu Wang returned from the guest hall to the main hall of the Xuan Nu Sect, the term suddenly surfaced in his mind, and with it, some doubts arose.

Were the Tianyan Xuan Nu Sect's cultivation techniques and that Tianyan Stone truly from the Outer Sky?

However, according to the commonly circulated tales in the Human Domain, the cultivation techniques of the Human Domain were first explored by the generation of Emperor Suiren, began to flourish in the era of Emperor Fu Xi, and eventually evolved into the myriad forms present today.

Cultivation refines the self, a leap towards transcendence.

Based on the books Wu Wang collected from the Northern Wilderness and the Human Domain, he was certain that the majority of the cultivation techniques in the Human Domain were developed by the Human race itself.

To give a perhaps inappropriate example:

[Initially, there were millions of followers of Fire Emperor Suiren who continuously explored and comprehended. Ultimately, a hundred people gained great power. These hundred individuals, along with other followers of considerable strength, summarized the processes that made them powerful, leaving these summaries for future generations, sparing them from taking detours. These invaluable experiences became the prototypes of today's cultivation techniques.]

Emperor Fu Xi, with his Hetu and Luoshu, deduced countless methods, likely organizing and perfecting the cultivation techniques of the Human Domain, establishing the current path of cultivation towards transcendence.

What about the cultivation techniques of the Xuan Nu Sect then?

Were they truly from the Outer Sky? And what is there in the Outer Sky?

The current standing of the Xuan Nu Sect in the Human Domain is quite prominent, so even if their techniques were from the Outer Sky, their spread must have been allowed by the previous Human Emperor.

Or, could the claim of being [from the Outer Sky] simply be an act of self-aggrandizing pretense?

Wu Wang recalled the jade statue of the ancestral founder of the Xuan Nu Sect he saw upon his arrival—undoubtedly a very beautiful Fairy Immortal, with a melon-seed face, phoenix eyes, and a demeanor of gentleness accompanied by an inherent majestic aura.

Later on, I should just ask Fairy Ling or Sister Jing Yue straightaway, Wu Wang thought to himself.

He had become quite accustomed to calling Sister Jing Yue by this title.

Unconcealed conversation drifted from the side door:

"Young Master Xingtian, please take a seat in the front."

"No need, no need. We in the Northern Wilderness don't have so many cumbersome rules. Everyone does as they please. I'm going to find Brother Ji Mo!"

Thus, a rockery soon appeared between the seats of Wu Wang and Ji Mo. The cluster of clouds holding the cushion and low table underneath nearly dissipated under the weight.

Glances from all around converged in this direction, so Wu Wang simply closed his eyes to meditate, not paying attention to outside matters.

After some thought, Ji Mo took the initiative to strike up a conversation with Xingtian.

He inquired about the customs of the Northern Wilderness, talked about the local news and amusing stories of the Human Domain, and discussed the more established Human clans in the Great Wilderness, to prevent Xingtian from becoming too bored.

This also made Lin Qi, who was always focused on his cultivation, frown and glare at Ji Mo a few times, finding him too noisy.

The number of children and young girls standing in the corners of the main hall gradually increased. The efficiency of the Xuan Nu Sect in selecting disciples was quite high, and quite a few were retained.

Wu Wang also overheard the whispers of others.

The children and young girls recognized by the Tianyan Stone were not yet officially disciples of the Xuan Nu Sect. There were several more rounds of trials to test their temperament and background.

The ceremony for accepting disciples was just the first round of 'preliminary tests'.

It really wasn't easy to get into such a large sect.

The ceremony went on for an indeterminate time when suddenly, Wu Wang caught a glimpse of faint Immortal Light from the corner of his eye and heard some soft exclamations.

"The aptitude of a Saintess! It's the aptitude of a Saintess!"

"Six stars already!"

"The last one to light up the sixth star was Fairy Ling, right? Who has the brighter sixth star between the two?"

"How could one remember that? It seems like Fairy Ling had a full sixth star, while this girl's sixth star is a bit dim."

"Right, Fairy Ling had six fully lit stars, and this girl's sixth star is only half-lit. Half a star's difference is not small; after all, whether one can break through a bottleneck often depends on the slightest margin."

Wu Wang raised an eyebrow and opened his eyes to watch the Tianyan Stone, seeing the girl in simple clothing, her expression somewhat panicked.

An Elder was already moving forward, guiding the girl to the side.

Was this person's talent, or rather the fit with the Xuan Nu Sect's cultivation techniques, not as good as Fairy Ling's?

'Carrying the title of Saintess is truly exhausting,' Wu Wang recalled Ling Xiaolan once saying, her jade-like face tinged with melancholy at the time.

This Fairy Immortal seemed quite competitive at heart; the name of Saintess might indeed be a burden to her, making her feel that her current cultivation and reputation were not due to her own efforts but the result of the title bestowed upon her by the Xuan Nu Sect.

However, it looked like Fairy Ling would continue to wear her Saintess title for some time to come.

Wu Wang gently exhaled a breath of turbid air, strengthened the Ice Crystal film around his body, and continued to close his eyes to perceive the Great Dao.

Yet before he could settle into that state, bright flashes of Immortal Light appeared outside his eyelids, accompanied by a continuous stream of gasps from nearby.

"Another one with Saintess-level aptitude! Six stars are full!"

"Does the Xuan Nu Sect reap such rewards every disciple recruitment? Or have the younger generation's constitutions improved? This won't do; when I return, I must also urge the Sect Leader to hold a grand disciple induction ceremony!"

"This time six stars are full. Will the title of Saintess be given to a newcomer?"

"According to the rules of the Xuan Nu Sect, they should ask Fairy Ling to test again later to compare... The Xuan Nu Sect highly regards the title of Saintess, and any slight difference will be repeatedly confirmed."

Wu Wang glanced below and saw a young girl in her budding years wearing a pink dress, already possessing a faint cultivation base, her face full of joy at this moment.

Even more joyful were the Xuan Nu Sect Elders. By now, two Elders had come forward to take the girl aside, asking where she was from, her family name and given name, how many relatives she had at home, and whether she was engaged to anyone...

Wu Wang's Spiritual Sense swept over the people waiting outside the sect gates, noting that there weren't many left.

Would Fairy Ling really have to compete with these girls who had yet to be formally initiated in talent later?

No matter the outcome, the matter itself was quite embarrassing. However, since these were the rules of the Xuan Nu Sect, Wu Wang, a Sect Master of a Demonic Sect, couldn't very well speak up about it.

And so, after about an hour, the Lotus Platform brought the last dozen or so young girls, and only three remained in the main hall.

This round of initial testing came to a close, and the hall now contained an additional two to three hundred innocent young faces.

As expected, Ling Xiaolan was summoned by the Elders to this place to undergo the talent assessment.

The moment she appeared, the entire main hall became much brighter, and Wu Wang also gazed at her, unable to look away.

Fairy Ling must be preparing for the sword dance to come. Dressed in a light pink tube-top long dress, in contrast to her usual style of wrapping herself tightly in layers, she had sheer Immortal ribbons of white fabric flowing behind her, and her long hair was styled in cloud-like buns.

Her bare feet, without any footwear, were simply encircled by a few strands of gold threads, making her skin appear even more delicate and fair.

At this moment, she stepped on air an inch above the ground, obviously unwilling to let her feet touch the ground.

Xing Tian muttered softly, "Wow, this Fairy Immortal is beautiful! She has a different style from the girls in the Northern Wilderness, but she's beautiful too."

"Young Master Xingtian," Ji Mo grabbed Xing Tian's arm and whispered a few words into his ear.

Xing Tian's eyes lit up. He turned his head to glance at Wu Wang, then at Fairy Ling, and his gaze became more critical.

"She's just a little less than my sister, but still not as good as my sister."

Ji Mo glared at Xing Tian and then craned his neck towards the Sect Master.

Wu Wang twitched the corners of his mouth as he looked away, making no comments on the matter.

Below, Fairy Ling whispered a few words to the Elder beside her, then raised her left hand.

The main hall became quiet enough to hear a pin drop, all eyes focused on the fingertips of Fairy Ling, watching as she slowly pressed them against the Tianyan Stone.

For some reason, Wu Wang felt a bit nervous.

As a friend who had shared hardships with Fairy Ling, Wu Wang naturally hoped that she would be well and not become despondent or hollow due to today's event...

The Tianyan Stone burst into brilliant light!

The radiant Immortal Light illuminated the whole hall, and within that light, Stars lit up from the bottom, arranged in a certain pattern, seemingly corresponding to a constellation in the starry sky.

Four stars, five stars, six stars!

Six full stars, the aptitude of a Saintess, and the brightness of the Immortal Light was clearly several times stronger than that of the previous girl.

Suddenly, the Tianyan Stone trembled lightly. This damaged Stele, right at its fractured edge, suddenly burst forth with a streak of azure light.

The azure light grew brighter and in a moment condensed into the seventh star!

As if touching some kind of prohibition, the six glowing orbs below also revealed their colors. The seven-color radiance reflected off Ling Xiaolan's face, which was filled with astonishment, leaving her unable to recover her senses for a long time.

The position of the Saintess seemed... even more secure.

...

At the end of the disciple induction ceremony, inside the main hall of the Xuan Nu Sect, the seven-colored Immortal Light flashed five or six times.

It was Ling Xiaolan repeatedly pressing the Tianyan Stone, somewhat in disbelief.

The Supreme Elders were all alerted, and Sect Master Jingyue also came to watch, as Ling Xiaolan was quickly surrounded by the Elders and led out of the main hall.

The sheer security detail made it seem as if they were guarding against an immediate assassination attempt.

Another Elder summoned the disciples from the same batch as Ling Xiaolan, asking each of them to try in turn, and each person retained their original Star Number.

The Star Number of the Tianyan Stone had never shown such an "increase" before.

Ling Xiaolan was no longer merely the disciple with the highest aptitude who would traditionally become the contemporary Saintess.

Shining Seven Stars, seven-colored Immortal Light—this was the true Saintess of the Xuan Nu Sect.

Tianyan Saintess!

Since the founding of the Xuan Nu Sect, such a phenomenon had only occurred once, and there had only been one Tianyan Saintess.

That was shortly after the foundation of the Xuan Nu Sect when Emperor Fu Xi was the reigning Human Emperor, which was indeed a long time ago from today.

The previous Tianyan Saintess who caused such a phenomenon later encountered a young man with the surname Jiang, who was not yet well-known. They became Dao companions for just over twenty years, and that young man rose to prominence, taking up the legacy of the Human race passed down by Emperor Fu Xi and became the contemporary Human Emperor.

That man was none other than His Majesty Shennong.

The previous Tianyan Saintess was none other than Ting Huan, the master of Jing Yue, the current Sect Master of the Xuan Nu Sect!

As such a tale spread, the Cultivators who had come to observe the ceremony were all abuzz with excitement.

With the precedent of Senior Ting Huan's story, it was hard not to speculate—could Ling Xiaolan possibly be the Dao companion of the next Human Emperor?

The young Cultivators certainly had such thoughts, while the older Cultivators began to ponder how to propose marriage alliances.

The most composed of all was Ji Mo; this fellow turned his head and glared at Wu Wang, as if trying to see something extraordinary from Wu Wang's face.

"Brother Wuwang?"

Wu Wang, who was lost in thought, glared back at Ji Mo and transmitted a rebuke, "Dare to speak nonsense, and when we get back, I'll have you tied up for the female disciples of the Black Desire Door to broaden their horizons!"

"Huh?"

Ji Mo hurriedly said, "I just wanted to ask if we should go and congratulate Fairy Ling. After all, the Fairy doesn't have many friends."

"Let's go, take a walk out back."

Wu Wang stood up, clasping the Short Sword given by Sect Master Jing Yue in his hand, and Lin Qi also immediately stood up.

Xing Tian raised his hand and grabbed Wu Wang's arm but suddenly remembered he could not recognize Wu Wang directly, so he turned and grabbed Ji Mo by the neck instead.

"Where you headed?"

Wu Wang said, "Young Master Xingtian, please wait here for now. The Xuan Nu Sect will soon have arrangements for you to drink and dine. We're going to visit a friend."

"Alright then," Xing Tian released Ji Mo, waving his hand somewhat unenthusiastically. "We'll have a big drink later on for several days and nights."

Without further delay, Wu Wang and the other two headed for the side door of the main hall. Coincidentally, an Elder arrived and conveyed that Sect Master Jing Yue requested Wu Wang's presence.

Due to such a phenomenon, the disciple acceptance ceremony could not continue.

The scheduled performance of the Fairy's sword dance was consequently canceled.

An Elder of the Xuan Nu Sect announced the formal conclusion of the disciple acceptance ceremony, stating that the position of the Xuan Nu Sect's Saintess still belonged to Ling Xiaolan, and arranged for the female disciples to escort the guests back to the guest hall for rest.

Several more days of the Immortal banquet were to follow.

In the familiar bamboo forest on the back mountain, within the loft where Ling Xiaolan usually cultivated and resided, the Xuan Nu Sect's masters had formed a tight cordon. Old crones and Daoists stood everywhere, both inside and out, while many disciples lingered and watched from afar.

When Wu Wang, Ji Mo, and Lin Qi arrived, they only stayed outside the loft.

The three whispered among themselves for a while until Sect Master Jing Yue's voice came from within the loft, "Alright, disperse everyone."

All the Immortals replied in unison and slowly left the bamboo forest.

Soon, only Jing Yue and a few Supreme Elders remained inside the loft. Fairy Jue Tian, Ling Xiaolan's master, had also rushed over despite her injuries and illness.

Ling Xiaolan sat on the edge of her bed, her eyes somewhat vacant, as if her soul was missing.

That was until she heard these words:

"The three of you, please come in."

Ling Xiaolan's eyes immediately lit up, and she stood up from the edge of the bed.

Fairy Jue Tian and the Supreme Elders exchanged glances, each showing a touch of a warm smile.

Wu Wang's voice came from outside, "Junior greets the Seniors."

Ji Mo and Lin Qi also offered their respects, following Wu Wang into the room. Today, they also had a glimpse into Fairy Ling's private chamber.

It was impeccably clean.

Wu Wang looked at the stone floor that had been scrubbed to mirror-like perfection and truly felt embarrassed to set foot on it.

"It's alright," Ling Xiaolan said. "I'll just clean it again later."

Ji Mo clasped his hands and smiled. "Congratulations to Fairy Ling, and congratulations to the Xuan Nu Sect."

Lin Qi, however, said, "Does a higher Star Number mean greater aptitude? Can men try their luck with the Tianyan Stone too?"

"Let's not go there, Brother Lin, let's not."

Wu Wang hurriedly interjected. Seeing Sect Master Jingyue's expression grow somber, he dared not utter any fancy words, smiling instead. "Sect Master Jingyue, Seniors, you summoned us here—may I ask for what reason?"

"Please, have a seat."

Dressed in her Taoist robe, Sect Master Jingyue sat by a round table on one side, and Wu Wang and the other two followed suit and sat down.

A Supreme Elder next to them opened a Barrier so that their conversation would not be overheard by others.

Jingyue fixed her gaze on Wu Wang and asked directly, "Wuwang, what do you make of this situation?"

Ji Mo and Lin Qi exchanged glances, both somewhat puzzled and evidently unaware of the gravity of the situation.

"It's a bit troublesome."

Wu Wang slowly uttered these four words, his gaze shifting to Ling Xiaolan, still dressed as if ready for a sword dance. He only just noticed she had applied subtle makeup today, her willow-leaf arched brows adding to her charm.

He said, "With the precedent of Senior Ting Huan's story, Fairy Ling might now be seen as the predestined Dao companion to the next Human Emperor. Moreover, the time is soon approaching for a change in the Human Emperor's position after a thousand years. The pressure Fairy Ling will face comes not just from the Heaven Palace and the Ten Evil Gods, but also from the various major forces within the Human Domain."

Fairy Ling interjected from the side, "I don't care about them. If someone tries to force me, I simply will not marry for the rest of my life."

Wu Wang laughed. "No need to get worked up, Fairy. Who could compel you to marry? Isn't the influence of the Xuan Nu Sect grand enough to protect you?"

"Alas," Jingyue sighed softly. "If only my Master's Lifespan had not been exhausted, he would have been immensely gratified to witness the Seven Stars Reappearance."

Wu Wang asked, "Is the Seven-star Phenomenon really connected to the next Human Emperor?"

"The two are unrelated."

Jingyue's eyes carried a hint of reminiscence.

"My Master and His Majesty were childhood sweethearts, deeply in love. They supported each other through thick and thin, but it's a pity my Master couldn't accompany His Majesty through the last part of his journey.

The seventh star on the Tianyan Stone does not signify talent, but rather one's own fortune.

My Master once said that if she had not met His Majesty, she would not have been able to light up the seven stars."

Wu Wang immediately realized the implication.

A person of strong fate!

Wu Wang recalled Senior Shennong once boasting that he was a man of strong fate, a Heavenly Immortal by the age of a hundred, who could turn disasters into blessings, and for whom attaining the position of Human Emperor came without any trouble.

Ji Mo whispered, "Could it be that Fairy Ling has already encountered the next Human Emperor?"

"It's premature to say that. Being a person of strong fate does not necessarily mean one will be the next Human Emperor."

A warm voice from a Supreme Elder chimed in:

"However, this person will certainly have a fate and fortune not weaker than that of His Majesty Shennong.

In danger, they can turn misfortune into luck. Breakthroughs in cultivation are like waking from a dream. Upon waking, they might find they've leaped over three or four ranks, and they can also provide considerable help to those around them..."

All of a sudden, Wu Wang blurted out, "Why are you two looking at me like that!"

Ji Mo and Lin Qi exchanged a look and, in perfect tacit understanding, stood up.

Ji Mo smiled and said, "It seems this matter does not concern us. If there's nothing else, we'll wait outside."

Lin Qi spoke solemnly, "My teacher once slept for three days. Before sleeping, he had not yet achieved Pill Solidification, but upon awakening, he had already formed his Nascent Soul. The entire Annihilation Sect can attest to this."

The two clasped their hands together and said, "We'll take our leave."

With that, they turned and walked toward the door, their backs radiating decisiveness. After exiting the pavilion, they burst out laughing together.

Wu Wang's forehead was crisscrossed with metaphorical dark lines. He was just about to complain about his friends' lack of loyalty when he suddenly felt a sharp gaze land on the back of his neck.

Sect Master Jingyue's brow arched, her gaze ice-cold, as she telepathically sent a message to Wu Wang, "What? Is Xiaolan's phenomenon today... related to you, Junior Brother?"

A massive character for 'Danger' was now hanging over Wu Wang's head.

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