Entrance Test

A crane soared amid the many peaks of Yu’hua Immortal Mountain. Currently, Fang Han was laying on Crane Fairy’s back, and looking out over the distance, before finally setting his eyes on a huge plain.

Atop this plain, was a magnificent city.

In this city was one school yard after another, and many Taoist temples.

This was the plain amid the mountains.

It wasn’t natural, but man-made. An immortal had come a long time ago to this area in the middle of the mountains, and had cut down many peaks, creating this plain for his residence.

This showing of power to move mountains, oceans, and skies was simply too astonishing.

This was the training grounds and living s.p.a.ces of the Yu’hua School disciples. The population of the Yu’hua School was astonishingly huge, that was what Fang Han had learned from Fang Qiang.

The outer court alone contained 100,000 disciples.

Those prominent inner court disciples numbered about five thousand.

However, these numbers didn’t include the various people doing various jobs, such as the servants taming spirit beasts and growing medicines. If you added them in, it would become even harder to figure out the school’s population.

These disciples spent their entire days practicing and training in the school, except for when they went out in groups to gain experience, harden their will, and increase their physicality. In order to enter the Divine Realm, one must reach for the sky.

These disciples all had very prominent statuses, and even if they didn’t manage to train to the Divine Realm, they would be able to train their flesh to the peak. Then, after gaining credit through their accomplishments, the Yu’hua School would give them one to two fa’qi or ling’qi. Then, they would return to their families bringing endless wealth and status.

“Aiyah! Fang Han, upon arriving at this plain, I no longer dare to fly, in case some disciples want to face me. Also, the skies above this plain are restricted under the rules. I will let you down here, and return to Purple Lightning Peak. If you need me, just call me using the ‘Spirit Tamer Tablet’.”

Seeing that they were about to reach the plain, Crane Fairy hurriedly reduced her speed, and slowly landed on a wide, open road.

“Okay.”

Fang Han nodded, his feet landing on the ground. Watching Crane Fairy fly away, he began walking along the road, getting ever closer to the magnificent city on the plain.

This city had been constructed using only pure white stones, and was very clean and beautiful. Fang Han couldn’t believe how much more beautiful, clean, and wide the city was compared to those of Long’yuan Province.

Comparing the city with the current capital of Long’yuan Province, the capital was naught but a small nook.

However, Fang Han didn’t waste time looking at the view, but instead, clutching Fang Qing Xue’s signature, immediately walked to a house in the eastern part of the city.

Atop this house was a sign with the characters “Ta Xian Yuan.”

The meaning of these characters was: “By entering this house, you have entered the Immortal Path!” These words were conveyed with great feeling, creating an intimidating atmosphere.

Truthfully, this “Ta Xian Yuan” was one of the Yu’hua School’s courtyards, the one where new disciples were tested.

Indeed, in the square in front of this “Ta Xian Yuan” stood quite a lot of young, richly dressed people of varying gender, all of them looking quite fit. Clearly, they had all been recommended to enter the school.

The Yu’hua School was the top of the Ten Immortal Schools. It controlled multiple large empires, and was far ahead of the next. Just the Da’li Empire’s population was a couple billion. No one knew how many commoners, n.o.bles, and members of the royal family there were, but they all wanted to become people with power. Thus, when entering the Yu’hua School, they were all afraid of becoming outer court disciples, and hoped for immediate promotion, making it easier for them to learn Immortal Techniques.

Thus, every month of every year, people with recommendations would come here, and take the test.

However, the recruiters of the Yu’hua School only recruited young people. This was because the blood and qi of young people were still vigorous and flourishing, giving them more potential to enter the Divine Realm. As for middle aged people, their blood and qi were generally exhausted of the necessary elements for them to be able to train to the Divine Realm.

Because it was like this, although Fang Qing Xue’s father, governor of Long’yuan Province Fang Ze Tao, was at the tenth level of the Mortal Realm, he couldn’t enter the Yu’hua School because he no longer had the potential to advance.

These people are all prominent figures, but I can’t discern the governor’s son from the royal prince, nor differentiate the princesses. However, if they can come to the ‘Ta Xian Yuan,” their status is vastly different from mine, people who I would never have been able to come close to. Yet right now, I am about to become equal to them as an outer court disciple.

Currently, Fang Han was wearing brocaded clothes, and appeared to be dignified, especially since he had broken through to the sixth level and had expelled the impurities from his body. He let off an imposing aura, one that caused people to never guess that he was but a horse breeding servant.

“We can’t even bring servants into the Yu’hua School. Once we’ve entered the school, who will wait on us? Could it be that daily necessities such as cooking and washing will have to be done by ourselves on top of our training?” asked a prince holding a purple fan.

“Upon entering these walls as a disciple of the Yu’hua School, your daily meals will be arranged by the school board. The school board will give out fa’qi level ‘Clean Clothes Seals,’ ‘Dust Avoidance Seals,’ and ‘Spirit Fire Seals.’ Will you still have to wash clothes? Just by applying the seal to your body, your body will immediately become clean, even cleaner than after taking ten baths. The food provided are all high cla.s.s meals including spiritual medicines, and are even better than royal banquets. This is only for the outer court disciples. Upon entering the inner court, living conditions become even better. Liu Kang, if you cannot live without servants, you can give your place to me. I currently have a younger brother who doesn’t have a place,” coldly replied another rich looking youth wearing sulfurous colored clothing.

“Heng, wait until you have truly pa.s.sed the test and entered the outer court before talking. The Yu’hua School entrance test is no easy thing to pa.s.s. Do you believe in your ability to defeat a G.o.dly Strength level puppet?” asked a fifteen/sixteen year old girl with sharp eyes wearing a sword and boots.

The clothes this girl wore represented her high status, especially the fire-red jade hairpin on her head which was inlaid with a glowing pearl about the size of a thumb. Sparkling so much in the light, and glowing so much in the dark, Fang Han had never seen such a high quality pearl in the Fang Clan.

“Hong Yi princess, it seems as if you are confident in your ability to beat the fifth level puppet and pa.s.s the outer court entrance test?”

“Of course.”

“Rumors say that the strength of the fifth level puppet is very great, and it has great agility. Especially its physical body, it is stronger than blades and arrows, three to five times stronger than that of a regular fifth level pract.i.tioner, making it very hard to beat. Last year, the princes of our Da’de Empire were unable to pa.s.s the test, you must be very careful.”

Listening to these prominent kids discuss the test, Fang Han’s heart gradually felt anxious.

That G.o.dly Strength puppet, what exactly is it? These kids all have trained in various martial arts, even the lowest is at the G.o.dly Strength level, yet they are still fearful of the puppet? I must be careful, otherwise, I may not even pa.s.s the first level.

Upon training to the fifth level, one could become a general of ordinary soldiers. If one broke through it, and reached the sixth level, then based on that, they could only have learned very deep, or they were disciples of a large, wealthy household or empire. Only then could they train to the sixth level at such a young age.

If Fang Han hadn’t relied on the Devil School’s Yellow Spring Great Emperor’s ‘Nine Aperture Golden Pellet,’ then he wouldn’t have been able to reach the sixth level during his entire life.

As for right now, out of the disciples who had come to partic.i.p.ate in the test, many were already in the sixth realm, with a couple even further along.

“Guang’dang!”

At this time, the two large doors of the “Ta Xian Yuan” slowly swung open. From inside out came two young people wearing water and fire gowns. Eyeing the many prominent disciples outside, they said in a loud voice, “Today’s outer disciple entrance exam begins now. All who are partic.i.p.ating can enter now.”

Immediately, all of these disciples filled the room.

Entering one after another, the room eventually reached its threshold capacity. Immediately, the room felt different, as it everyone had truly entered the Immortal Path.

“Stand still?”

Just as Fang Han was about to enter, he was obstructed.

“I don’t have any impression of you being in possession of one of the spots. What is your name?” Two young people wearing red robes holding palm sized mirrors directed themselves toward Fang Han. From the other side of the mirror, Fang Han’s face didn’t appear.

“I was recommended by the Purple Lightning Peak. Here is my recommendation.”

Fang Han hurriedly took out Fang Qing Xue’s signature.

“You came from Purple Lightning Peak? That is a peak that is rewarded by the head to true disciples.” Upon hearing the name Purple Lightning Peak, the two young people were surprised for a moment, before grabbing the letter and opening it, and seeing the purple lightning on the seal inside.

“You wait here. I am going to report this to the teacher in charge of this exam.”

One person took the signature and hurriedly walked inside.

Inside the “Ta Xian Yuan,” within one of the deep halls, a couple imposing and lofty middle aged men sat on some chairs. Each one of their temperaments was even more powerful than that of Long’yuan Governor Fang Ze Tao.

“Brother Ting, how many disciples do you think will pa.s.s the test this time and become outer court disciples?” asked one of the middle aged men.

“From how I see it, they are all not bad. They are all prominent disciples of their respective empires, if they don’t manage to pa.s.s, they are disgraces. However, for them to become inner court disciples is extremely difficult,” said a middle aged man wearing a water and fire robe laughingly.

His water and fire robe was obviously a fa’qi, the water moving around and occasionally letting off a red glow.

“If from amidst them one to two geniuses enter the inner court, then I will gain much credit. If we teach a disciple that is gifted by the heavens and becomes a true disciple, then I believe we will receive the notice of the Yu’hua Sky Palace’s grand elder, and be gifted with one of those priceless Yin Yang Longevity Pellets. Then, we will be able to breakthrough.”

“Yin Yang Longevity Pellets, are they truly that precious? I don’t hope for that, I just hope for grand elder to gift me a ling’qi.”

As the entrance test administrators chatted, suddenly, the young man from earlier ran in, and took out Fang Qing Xue’s recommendation letter.

“What? Purple Lightning Peak? Didn’t that Fang Qing Xue recommend her clanmates last month? Why is there another recommendation today? Upon her promotion to true disciple, has she decided that the Yu’hua School is hers to command?” shouted an administrator angrily.

“Xu! Careful, Fang Qing Xue is extremely ruthless. Just a month prior, in a conflict with the Jade Fire Peak, she consecutively killed eight outer court disciples. She is not to be offended, moreover, look at her letters. The purple lightning has been condensed to form characters yet it is still moving, and contains its own soul. If I am not wrong, this is the fourth level, Yin Yang, of the Divine Realm,” stated an administrator.

“The Divine Realm, fourth level, Yin Yang!” They all took a deep breath! “Then if she goes forward another step, she will have entered the fifth level, Person of Heaven, and become able to use magic to create her own arrays and ling’qi! Even the Yu’hua Sky Palace’s grand elder is not at this level. How could this be!”

“I heard that when Fang Qing Xue was an inner court disciple, during an a.s.signment, she traded blows with the Devil School’s Devil Emperor’s first son, the Devil commander Ying Tian Qing. Following this exchange, she immediately entered the Divine Realm, and became a true disciple.”

[TL: Messy sentence]

“Xu, don’t speak of this matter, and don’t make random guesses. This matter has been restricted by the grand elder. Rumor has it that when Fang Qing Xue was promoted to true disciple, the school head inquired about the situation, and found out that Fang Qing Xue didn’t have any abnormalities, and hadn’t lost her Yuan’yin. Otherwise, would the school head promote her to true disciple? He must have been afraid that she killed someone of the Devil School and was in bad terms with the Devil Emperor. Our Yu’hua School has 100,000 disciples, but only slightly more than one hundred true disciples. How high is their status? Anyway, it’s not good to offend Fang Qing Xue, might as well give her the extra spot.”

[TL: So yeah, some s.h.i.t went down and it was really confusing… maybe it’s just late]

An administrator stated, “Go and let Fang Han enter. Let him test with the others. If he cannot pa.s.s, then send him back to Purple Lightning Peak. Then, Fang Qing Xue will have nothing left to say. To pa.s.s the test, that is the sign of a talented person.”