Chapter 74 Questioning the Heart
Chapter 74 Questioning the Heart
As the middle-aged monk finished speaking, he stroked his storage bag, and a green flying boat about a foot long appeared out of thin air in front of him.
He pinched his fingers to form a spell, and a light blue thread of magic power came out from his fingertips, injected into the flying boat, and muttered something.
The flying boat gradually grew larger until it was ten feet long before it stopped.
The middle-aged monk's forehead was slightly sweaty. He came to the flying boat and said in a deep voice:
"Come up quickly!"
No one dared to delay and they all used the art of lightening their bodies to rush into the boat.
More than twenty disciples of the Lingyun Sect stationed in Zhaoxian Valley also came onto the boat.
"rise!"
The middle-aged cultivator made some hand gestures and the flying boat slowly rose into the air. The boat turned around and flew towards the Lingyun Mountains.
The other nineteen foundation-building monks all rode on their lights, followed the flying boat, and returned to the mountain gate.
The bustling Zhaoxian Valley became quiet again, waiting for the next Ascension Conference ten years later.
……
The flying boat was not fast, but it was extremely stable, and there was a layer of green light shield to block the strong winds in the sky.
Chen Yuan stood on the edge of the flying boat, overlooking the mountains, rivers, and vast forests passing by below, and felt envious.
I don’t know when he will be able to successfully build his foundation, fly into the sky and hide in the ground, and proudly roam the sea of clouds.
Half an hour later, a cloud that covered the sky and the sun suddenly appeared in front of the flying boat, reaching up to the sky, like a thousand-foot-high wall of cloud, dividing the sky and the earth into two halves.
The flying boat slowly stopped, and the middle-aged monk took out a jade token with cloud patterns painted on it and threw it forward.
The jade plate shone brightly, and clouds and mist slowly flowed in all directions.
A circular passage ten feet in size appeared on the huge cloud wall.
The middle-aged monk summoned his magic power and the flying boat slowly flew into the passage.
Behind the flying boat, the clouds and fog disappeared again, and the flying boat was surrounded by thick clouds and fog in all directions, up and down, front and back.
A quarter of an hour later, the clouds in front of the flying boat gradually became thinner until they disappeared completely.
An endless stretch of mountain range came into Chen Yuan's sight.
There are more than a dozen thousand-foot peaks piercing the sky, with lush green pines and cypresses, towering ancient trees, waterfalls flying in the sky, gurgling springs, cranes spreading their wings, and white apes playing around.
Grand palaces and pavilions, magnificent buildings are dotted among them. Long stone corridors are like ropes tied to the mountainside, connecting the buildings together.
Looking down, one could see rays of light flying back and forth, and in the valleys between the mountains, the monks were flying as small as ants.
The cultivators on the boat all had expressions of shock on their faces, even Xue Lin, Song Qingru and others who came from cultivation families were no exception.
Only Chen Yuan looked calm. He had seen scenes hundreds and thousands of times more magnificent than this one. This fairyland scene was not as shocking as the one brought to him by the thousand-foot-high wall of clouds.
The flying boat slowly lowered its altitude and landed on the top of one of the mountains.
Without the middle-aged monk's instructions, everyone used the light body technique to fly down the flying boat.
The cultivators who passed the Ascension Conference stood together, while the Lingyun Sect's Qi-refining disciples stood elsewhere.
This is a huge square. In front of it is a vast hall with a plaque with the words "Hall of Questioning the Heart" inscribed on it.
Of the nineteen foundation-building cultivators who were following the flying boat, fifteen left after entering the mountain gate of Lingyun Sect, leaving only four.
The black-faced monk who reminded Chen Yuan was also among them.
The middle-aged monk put away the flying boat, glanced at everyone, and said to a monk:
"You follow me into the temple, and the others will wait outside."
The cultivator who was called out was a casual cultivator. He quickly bowed to the middle-aged cultivator and followed him into the Hall of Inquiry.
Two foundation-building monks followed him into the Hall of Inquiry, while the other two monks stayed outside the hall.
Chen Yuan looked at the deep gate of the Hall of Questioning the Heart, and the information about the Lingyun Sect's Ascension Conference that he had painstakingly collected emerged in his mind.
After a cultivator passes the Immortal Ascension Conference, he still needs to go through a test of the Heart-Searching Array and answer a few questions. Only after passing the test can he officially enter the sect.
These questions are related to the cultivator's origin and intention of joining the Lingyun Sect, but they do not care at all about the cultivator's own qualifications, cultivation, and opportunities for magical tools.
If not for this, Chen Yuan would not dare to participate in the Ascension Conference.
The secret of Yujue must never be exposed.
A quarter of an hour later, the wandering cultivator followed the black-faced cultivator out of the hall with a dazed look in his eyes.
A Lingyun Sect Qi Refining disciple came forward to greet him:
"Brother, please follow me."
The casual cultivator saluted hastily:
"Thank you, senior brother."
The two turned and left. The black-faced monk glanced at Chen Yuan and said:
"You come with me."
After saying that, he turned and walked into the hall, and Chen Yuan hurriedly followed.
After entering the hall, the two walked for a while and came to a tall stone statue.
The stone statue is about ten feet tall and is an old man in Taoist robes, with three long beards and a dignified expression.
There is a cushion in front of the stone statue, and a middle-aged monk is standing beside it, holding a jade bottle in his hand.
He poured out a black pill from the jade bottle, raised his hand slightly, and the pill flew in front of Chen Yuan.
"Take this Heart-Searching Pill and accept the Heart-Searching Test. Once you pass it, you will officially become a disciple of our sect."
Chen Yuan's expression changed when he heard this.
The entrance test for Lingyun Sect was clearly the Heart-Searching Formation, when did it become the Heart-Searching Pill?
He took the pill and asked:
"Senior, what is this Heart-Searching Pill? I heard before that the entrance test for our sect is a Heart-Searching Array..."
The middle-aged monk said calmly:
"Since the last entry test, it has been changed to the Heart-Searching Pill. This pill will only make you tell the truth. It has the effect of nourishing your spiritual consciousness and is beneficial without any harm."
Chen Yuan wanted to ask more, but facing the cold gaze of the middle-aged monk, he finally gave up the idea.
The arrow is on the string and must be fired.
Now that you have entered the Hall of Self-Examination, you have to take the Self-Examination Pill no matter what it is.
He gritted his teeth, swallowed the Heart-Self-Searching Pill, and sat cross-legged on the cushion.
After a moment, I felt sleepy.
Chen Yuan slowly closed his eyes and fell asleep.
He felt like he had entered a grey space. In front of him sat a transparent reddish shadow that looked exactly like him.
There were wisps of white mist swirling around the phantom, gradually rising from the bottom to the top.
When the white mist rose to the phantom's chest, a silver light suddenly emanated from the phantom's body, piercing through the mist!
Under the shining silver light, the clouds and mist quickly melted away and turned into nothingness.
Chen Yuan suddenly woke up and opened his eyes. The middle-aged monk was surprised and said:
"The Heart-Searching Pill actually took effect so quickly?"
The black-faced monk frowned:
"It should be that this person's soul is weak and cannot resist the power of the Heart-Searching Pill."
The middle-aged monk nodded:
"Then let's start asking questions... What's your name?"
Chen Yuan did not dare to show any abnormality and answered honestly:
"Chen Yuan."
"what country are you from?"
"A man from Qi."
"Are you a demon monk?"
"No."
"Why do you want to join the Lingyun Sect?"
"Only by joining the six major sects can I have the opportunity to build my foundation."
"Are you sent by Ziyang Sect, Guiyuan Sect, Mingyin Valley, Wanshou Mountain, and Tiangang Sword Sect to Lingyun Sect to gather information?"
"No."
"Are you sent by other immortal cultivation families to Lingyun Sect to gather information?"
"No."
"What kind of skills do you practice?"
"Red Flame Art."
"Have you accepted a mission from a mysterious person or force to find out the news about Lingyun Sect?"
"No."
"Before entering Lingyun Sect, where did you practice?"
"Fantasy Moon Market."
The middle-aged monk asked nine questions in a row before stopping.
Throughout the whole process, Chen Yuan answered honestly.
The black-faced monk laughed and said:
"It seems that this person has no problem."
The middle-aged monk asked again:
"Tell me in detail your experience of monasticism"
Chen Yuan's mind raced, and he answered slowly:
"I was originally a martial artist. I happened to meet a cultivator in the Chimang Mountains and learned some skills from him..."
He concealed the facts about his five spiritual roots, the starlight infusing his body, the killing of Master Duan Fang, and the secret magic techniques, but he did not hide his identity as an alchemist.
The black-faced monk said in surprise:
"This person is actually an alchemist."
The middle-aged monk said calmly:
"It is indeed not easy for an alchemist to pass the Immortal Ascension Conference."
He raised his hand and brushed Chen Yuan's head, injecting a trace of magic power, and shouted:
"wake up!"
Chen Yuan felt a chill rising from the bottom of his heart and shivered instinctively.
He blinked his eyes, imitating the appearance of the casual cultivator who had just walked out of the Heart-Searching Hall, and looked at the middle-aged cultivator with a dazed look in his eyes, and said in confusion:
"What's wrong with me?"
The middle-aged monk said calmly:
"Chen Yuan, you have passed the test of conscience. From today on, you are a disciple of my Lingyun Sect. Hurry up and stand up and salute our sect's founder, Lingyunzi!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Yuan immediately stood up, bowed deeply, and knelt down.
"Disciple Chen Yuan pays homage to Grandmaster Ling Yunzi!"
The middle-aged monk said in a deep voice:
"After entering the door, you must practice diligently and never slack off!"
"I will follow the teachings of my predecessors and keep them in mind!"
The middle-aged monk smiled slightly:
"Now that you have entered the sect, you can just call me Uncle Master. Now go out."
"Yes, uncle."
Chen Yuan bowed to the middle-aged monk and followed the black-faced monk out of the hall.
The black-faced monk suddenly spoke:
"Master Chen is an alchemist?"
Chen Yuan's expression changed slightly, and then he replied:
"Uncle Master has a keen eye. This disciple is actually an alchemist."
The black-faced monk touched his storage bag, took out a talisman, and handed it to Chen Yuan:
"I'm giving you a piece of advice. Don't rush to accept the sect's mission. Come to Lock Dragon Peak to find me tomorrow morning."
Chen Yuan took it and saw that it was a sound transmission talisman.
"Yes, I will follow the instructions of my uncle."
He put away the sound transmission note, and the two of them just walked out of the hall.
A Lingyun Sect Qi Refining disciple came forward:
"Brother Chen, please follow me."
Chen Yuan looked carefully and found that this person was none other than the Senior Brother Yuan whom he met when he came to Zhaoxian Valley.
"Thank you, Senior Brother Yuan."
Chen Yuan followed him and walked out of the square.
Suddenly, a faint voice sounded in Chen Yuan's ears:
"Congratulations to Mr. Chen Daoyou for passing the test of conscience."
Chen Yuan turned his head and saw Xue Lin looking at him with a smile on his face.
Chen Yuan nodded to him, turned and left.
……
After Chen Yuan and Senior Brother Yuan left the square, they used the art of lightness to walk down the mountain along a long stone staircase.
Senior Brother Yuan took the initiative to speak:
"Junior Brother Chen, I will take you to the Weapon Refining Pavilion to receive the standard robes, magic tools, and storage bags for our disciples, and then take you to the Sutra Library to receive the basic skills."
Chen Yuan wondered:
"Basic skills?"
"According to the rules of our sect, after a disciple enters the sect, he can receive a basic practice method from the Sutra Pavilion. Of course, this is just a formality for Junior Brother Chen. Come, let me introduce you to the mountain gate of our sect. Over there is the Weapon Refining Pavilion. All the magic tools and spiritual tools of our sect are refined by the Weapon Refining Pavilion. Let's go there first to get the storage bag and standard magic tools..."
(End of this chapter)