Ten Thousand Years in Seclusion

The two Falling Cloud Sect disciples needed no instruction from the elders. They immediately hauled the unconscious young man away, one on either side, dragging him out of the hall like a dead dog and leaving behind a glaring trail of blood.

Yet none of the elders paid the incident any mind, as though it had been nothing more than a trivial interruption.

Elder Zhang spoke calmly. "Continue the test."

Pei Yi flipped through the register and called out, "Number two hundred and sixteen!"

Elder Li glanced at Qi Tian once more. Only after confirming that he was indeed unharmed did he turn and return to the elders’ seats.

No further incidents occurred.

Qi Tian watched coldly from the back of the crowd. He noticed that when some candidates answered the third question, a few wisps of black mist as fine as silk would rise within the Heart-Questioning Stone—clearly indicating that they harbored some ulterior motives.

Yet Elder Zhang did not even bother to raise his eyelids. With nothing more than a wave of his hand, he let them pass.

Qi Tian immediately relaxed.

Looks like only the first two questions really matter.

Soon, Pei Yi called Qi Tian’s number.

Qi Tian had barely taken two steps forward when Elder Wei suddenly walked over to Elder Zhang and leaned in, whispering a few words into his ear.

Elder Zhang was slightly taken aback. He looked up at Qi Tian, surprise flickering in his eyes.

"Wait here for now. Let the others go first."

Qi Tian’s heart tightened.

What are they up to now?

His expression remained unchanged. He simply nodded and took half a step back.

Pei Yi understood and called the next number.

There were only a handful of candidates left, and the rest of the tests were completed quickly.

Elder Zhang rose and looked around at the group.

"Wait here for a moment."

Then he pointed at Qi Tian.

"You. Come with me."

He picked up the Heart-Questioning Stone from the table and turned toward the rear of the hall.

Qi Tian followed, though not without some reluctance.

The other elders exchanged glances before rising and following as well.

They passed through a corridor and stopped before a secluded chamber at the back of the hall. Elder Zhang pushed the door open, and the hinges gave a soft creak.

Qi Tian stopped short, his brows drawing together.

He sensed a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy within the room, spreading over the entire space like ripples on water.

Clearly, some kind of soundproofing barrier had been set up to prevent anyone from eavesdropping.

Could they be trying to lure me inside, shut the door, and make their move?

If they attacked him now, he was confident these elders couldn’t stop him. But once he stepped inside, there was no telling what other formations or methods might be waiting for him...

His thoughts raced. Spiritual energy quietly gathered at his fingertips.

Seeing him standing there without moving, Elder Li spoke gently.

"Go on. Don’t be nervous. We just want to ask you a few questions about your spiritual root."

Qi Tian finally understood.

After a moment’s hesitation, he stepped inside.

The elders filed in after him.

Creak—

The door slowly swung shut behind them.

The secluded chamber was not large. It was bare save for a single round table made of dark, lustrous wood at the very center.

Elder Zhang placed the Heart-Questioning Stone on the table. He then whispered with the other elders behind it, their gazes occasionally flicking toward Qi Tian as they quietly discussed something among themselves.

"Come over. We’ll begin."

Elder Zhang beckoned him over.

Qi Tian stepped forward and, following his instructions, placed his palm against the Heart-Questioning Stone’s warm, smooth surface.

Elder Zhang’s first question was the same as before.

"Do you harbor any ill will toward the Falling Cloud Sect?"

"No." Qi Tian’s voice was calm.

The moment he answered, the Heart-Questioning Stone suddenly lit up. A warm, milky-white radiance filled the stone, clear and luminous.

Elder Zhang continued.

"Second question—do you possess a variant spiritual root?"

All the elders unconsciously held their breath. Their eyes fixed on Qi Tian’s face, unable to conceal the anticipation in their gazes.

"No." Qi Tian shook his head.

So that’s what these people thought. They assumed I had a variant spiritual root.

The Heart-Questioning Stone remained brilliantly illuminated, without the slightest abnormality.

Several disappointed sighs immediately sounded from within the chamber.

The elders exchanged glances. Elder Liu gave a cold laugh.

"Looks like my final guess was right. His spiritual root is simply too poor. His elders must have thought it shameful and helped conceal it."

Qi Tian glanced at him, finding the speculation rather amusing.

He was only half right.

His Five-Element Spiritual Root was indeed poor, but Qi Tian had never considered it something to be ashamed of.

As for his elders helping conceal it—

That was even more absurd.

The elders began whispering among themselves again, their voices filling the chamber with a low hum.

Elder Zhang raised a hand to quiet them, then looked at Qi Tian.

"Third question—do you come from a major clan or faction?"

"I’ve been an orphan since I was young. I don’t come from any major clan."

The Heart-Questioning Stone remained brightly lit, its radiance as warm and clear as before.

Only then did Qi Tian withdraw his hand.

The elders were completely baffled this time.

"That’s strange," one elder murmured with a frown. "If he has no background, then who concealed his spiritual root for him?"

Unable to hold himself back any longer, Elder Li asked Qi Tian directly, "Then do you know what’s going on with you? Why was the Spirit-Assessment Stele unable to detect your spiritual root?"

Qi Tian fell silent for a moment.

Then he extended his palm again, intending to place it against the Heart-Questioning Stone.

"No need."

Elder Zhang raised a hand to stop him.

"The Heart-Questioning Stone can only test three questions per person."

Qi Tian smiled and withdrew his hand.

"I don’t really know what’s going on either..." He paused, then looked up at Elder Zhang. "So... did I pass?"

Elder Zhang’s expression changed instantly. He whipped around and glared at Elder Wei.

"This is all your fault! You botched the whole thing and skipped the second question we were supposed to ask!"

Elder Wei looked embarrassed and could only remain silent.

Seeing this, Qi Tian quickly added, "Don’t worry. I’m not a spy, and no one instructed me to come here."

Elder Zhang snorted and turned back to Qi Tian, his gaze sharp as a blade.

"I hope you’re not. Otherwise... your fate will be miserable."

He waved a hand.

"Go."

Qi Tian’s face immediately lit up. He cupped his fists.

"Thank you, Elder Zhang!"

Everyone filed out and returned to the main hall.

Elder Zhang resumed his seat behind the long table. His gaze swept across the more than two hundred new disciples in the hall before he announced solemnly,

"The examination is over. From this day onward, you are all disciples of the Falling Cloud Sect."

A low cheer immediately rose through the hall.

Elder Zhang then instructed Pei Yi, "Take them to their quarters and let them rest. Tomorrow, we’ll make the arrangements."

"Yes!"

Pei Yi stepped forward and called out,

"New disciples, follow me!"

Qi Tian blended into the crowd and followed Pei Yi out of the hall.

The dozens of senior disciples who had assisted with today’s recruitment ceremony followed as well. Nearly three hundred people in total moved in a vast procession along the mountain path.

Halfway up the mountain, a gigantic dome of spiritual light suddenly appeared across the path ahead.

The barrier descended from the sky like an enormous inverted bowl. Multicolored light flowed across its surface, with faint runes moving within it, radiating an oppressive presence that made the heart tremble.

Pei Yi stopped and took a bronze command token from his robes.

"This is the Falling Cloud Sect’s sect-protecting formation. Without a command token, no one is permitted to enter or leave at will."

With that, he pressed the token against the barrier.

Hum—

The surface of the barrier rippled like water, waves spreading outward in all directions. Then it slowly tore open, forming a doorway just wide enough for several people to pass through side by side.

"Move!"

Pei Yi stepped through first, and everyone followed close behind.

The moment Qi Tian crossed the barrier, his pupils contracted and his heart jolted.

He sensed them.

Several powerful auras were scattered throughout Qingyun Mountain, each one far stronger than any of the elders he had encountered in the hall.

Late-stage Foundation Establishment!

And what shocked him even more was the faint aura coming from the mountain peak.

It was ethereal as smoke, yet deep as the sea...

Half-step Golden Core!

Qi Tian secretly drew in a cold breath.

Looks like I’d still underestimated the Falling Cloud Sect.

He had assumed that the mid-stage Foundation Establishment elders he had seen today represented the sect’s highest combat strength. He had never imagined that there were still powerful figures who had yet to reveal themselves.

This is going to be troublesome.

Although cultivators whose cultivation realms surpassed his could not normally discern his true cultivation unless they deliberately probed him with their divine sense, what if he happened to cross paths with one of them inside the sect and they casually swept him with their divine sense on a whim?

Qi Tian lowered his eyes and continued forward with the crowd.

There was now a trace of gravity in his heart.