Three days remained before the Martial Ascension Gate began recruiting new disciples.
For the past five months, Li Yun had lived a single-minded life of travel, cultivation, and relentless martial practice. Only a week earlier had he finally reached a city close to Martial Ascension City, where he rented a room at an inn to rest and recover. After several days of proper rest and adjustment, today he was ready to set out for his final destination.
"I finally pushed both top-grade mortal rank cultivation arts to the ninth layer," Li Yun murmured as a steady breath escaped his lips and his qi flowed smoothly through his body. "Sun Refining Scripture for flames, and Heavenflow Wind Scripture for wind. At last, they are complete."
[Ding! Quest Completed: Cultivate top grade mortal rank cultivation art to 9th layer for wind and flame element]
– Reward: [500 low grade spirit stones, 4000 EXP]
"Top grade mortal rank cultivation arts took some time to cultivate them to high level probably because I was traveling and training them with other martial arts." Li Yun muttered as he checked his status.
[Name: Li Yun]
– Cultivation: [9th level of Body Tempering Realm]
– Physique: [Primal Chaos Body]
– Eye: [Nine Tribulations Divine Eye(Dormant)]
– Spirit Soul: [Yellow Soul]
– Comprehension: [3rd Tier]
– Experience: [13200]
’So, I have more than enough EXP to awaken my Nine Tribulations Divine Eye.’ Li Yun realized at that moment that he had finally accumulated more than enough EXP to awaken the Nine Tribulations Divine Eye. The awakening required ten thousand EXP, and he now met that requirement without difficulty.
He considered it briefly before making his decision. He had no way of knowing when or where the divine eye might prove useful in the future, and it was far better to be fully prepared at all times.
[10,000 EXP deducted.]
[Nine Tribulations Divine Eye (left) has been awakened.]
The instant the awakening was completed, a sharp tingling sensation spread through Li Yun’s left eye. It vanished almost as quickly as it appeared, yet in its wake came a flood of new memories. These memories contained information about the abilities of the Nine Tribulations Divine Eye, imprinting themselves clearly within his mind.
"Most of its abilities are fundamental ones shared by many ocular techniques," Li Yun thought as he calmly absorbed the information, "but some of them are exceptionally powerful."
With the awakening complete, Li Yun opened his status once more.
[Name: Li Yun]
– Cultivation: [9th level of Body Tempering Realm]
– Physique: [Primal Chaos Body]
– Eye: [Nine Tribulations Divine Eye]
– Spirit Soul: [Yellow Soul]
– Comprehension: [3rd Tier]
– Experience: [3200]
"I am only left with three thousand two hundred EXP now," Li Yun sighed softly. The faster he earned EXP, the faster it seemed to disappear from his reserves.
"At least with this, I am fully prepared for the disciple recruitment test of the Martial Ascension Gate," he murmured, clenching his fist with quiet resolve.
At present, he had completely mastered two top grade mortal rank cultivation arts of wind and flame to the ninth layer. His lightning element cultivation art, the low grade profound rank Overlord Thunder Scripture, had reached the sixth layer, while his top grade mortal rank body refining art, the Golden Battle Body Art, had advanced to the completion fourth stage.
In terms of combat techniques, he possessed two high grade mortal rank sword arts, Blazing Sky Sword Art and Skybreaker Sword Art, both cultivated to the realm of true meaning. He had also mastered the Blazing Dragon Fist, a high grade mortal rank fist technique, to the same level.
Beyond these was the Dragon Tiger Fist which had undergone further refinement through the integration of wind and flame cultivation art, elevating its power to that of a top grade mortal rank fist art or even higher.
From his father’s storage ring, he had cultivated two additional techniques. The first was the low grade profound rank palm art Dominant Thunder Palm, which he had brought to the advanced stage of mastery. The second was the top grade mortal rank Sky Cleaving Sword Scripture, which had impressively reached the true meaning stage of mastery.
With such cultivation and martial techniques at his command, all honed to exceptionally high levels, Li Yun was confident that his combat strength could rival experts at the fourth level of the Xiantian Realm, and possibly even those at the fifth level. This was despite the fact that his cultivation remained at only the ninth level of the Body Tempering Realm.
"It is time to head to Martial Ascension City," Li Yun said quietly, feeling that he was ready for whatever awaited him.
A day later, Li Yun arrived before Martial Ascension City.
Ahead of him stretched a colossal city rising from the vast, level plains, its immense silhouette resembling an ancient, slumbering beast. A majestic and imposing aura radiated from its towering walls, pressing down on all who approached.
This place was known as Martial Ascension City.
Even the name alone made its connection clear. The city was inseparably tied to Martial Ascension Gate, one of the Four Great Sects of the Southern Martial Domain.
In fact, Martial Ascension City had been constructed by Martial Ascension Gate itself. Whenever the sect held major events, they were almost always conducted here, including the all important disciple recruitment assembly.
Because the recruitment was about to begin, the city was more bustling than ever.
As Li Yun passed through the broad city gates, a wave of noise and movement greeted him. The wide streets were packed with people flowing in every direction, voices overlapping into a deafening roar that filled the air with excitement and tension.
Most of the crowd consisted of young men and women.
It was clear that the majority of them had come with the same goal in mind. They hoped to register and earn a chance to enter Martial Ascension Gate, one of the supreme sects of the Southern Martial Domain.
"Registration for the Martial Ascension Gate disciple recruitment assembly has begun. Everyone hurry!"
Li Yun had not known the exact timing of the recruitment. His original plan had been to find a place to stay and wait patiently. However, fortune favored him. Just as he was considering his next move, a loud shout rang out from the distance.
"Registration has already begun?"
Li Yun’s expression shifted, and without hesitation, he moved toward the registration area.
At the same time, the countless young cultivators scattered across the streets surged forward like a tidal wave, all rushing in the same direction. Tens of thousands moved at once, their combined momentum overwhelming.
The ground trembled beneath their feet, as though Martial Ascension City itself were experiencing a minor earthquake.
The registration grounds for the Martial Ascension Gate disciple recruitment assembly lay in the very heart of the city.
"Damn it, there are far too many people!"
When Li Yun arrived and took in the scene before him, he froze on the spot, his expression filled with genuine shock.
The registration grounds for the disciple recruitment assembly were enormous, spanning tens of thousands of square meters. The area was easily several times larger than a football field from Li Yun’s previous life. Yet despite its vast size, it was packed so tightly with people that there was barely any open space left.
Some participants had no choice but to stand at the very back because there was simply nowhere to stand.
Li Yun was one of them.
"Martial Ascension Gate truly deserves its reputation as one of the Four Great Sects of the Southern Martial Domain. Its influence is overwhelming."
Standing behind, Li Yun swept his gaze across the surroundings. Even with a rough estimate, it was clear that several million people had already gathered to take part in this disciple recruitment assembly.
And this was only the first day.
More people would inevitably arrive over the next few days.
By conservative estimates, the total number of participants would easily reach into the tens of millions.
A disciple recruitment assembly attended by tens of millions of people was nothing short of staggering.
Yet, after giving it some thought, Li Yun realized that this situation was only natural.
Martial Ascension Gate stood among the Four Great Sects of the Southern Martial Domain. Such a sect inevitably possessed countless experts and unimaginably rich cultivation resources.
If one could become a disciple of Martial Ascension Gate, they would gain access to those resources and have the chance to listen to the cultivation insights of powerful figures within the sect. With enough luck, one might even receive direct guidance on the martial path or be accepted as a personal disciple, rising in status in a single leap.
This was a chance for a carp to leap over the dragon gate and transform its fate. What young cultivator across the Southern Martial Domain would not want to seize such an opportunity?
The Southern Martial Domain alone housed hundreds of millions of people, with young cultivators making up at least a third of that population. Under such circumstances, it was entirely reasonable for Martial Ascension Gate to attract tens of millions of hopeful applicants to its disciple recruitment assembly.
"The number of participants in this Martial Ascension Gate disciple recruitment assembly is far higher than the previous one. It has probably already surpassed ten million!"
A voice suddenly sounded from beside Li Yun.
"Heh, the numbers may be huge, but the quality is uneven. In the end, only twenty to thirty thousand people will likely pass the assessment," another person replied calmly.
"That sounds about right. The first round will probably eliminate nearly two thirds of the crowd, and the second round will wipe out another two thirds," someone else added after a quick calculation.
"What the hell!"
Hearing their discussion, Li Yun was thoroughly shaken.
He knew that entering Martial Ascension Gate required passing an assessment, but he never imagined it would be this brutal. Out of tens of millions of participants, only twenty or thirty thousand would make it through. The elimination rate was terrifying.
What kind of trials awaited them ahead? Just thinking about it made his scalp tingle.
"Quiet!"
Just as Li Yun was still reeling, a deep and powerful voice rang out, cutting through the air and echoing in everyone’s ears.
In an instant, the previously deafening scene fell completely silent.
All eyes turned forward as a middle aged man in white robes descended into the air. His presence alone radiated an overwhelming pressure.
"So strong. At the very least, he is at the sixth level of the Xiantian Realm."
Sensing that aura, Li Yun’s pupils tightened involuntarily.
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lan Mu, a deacon of Martial Ascension Gate. I will be overseeing today’s disciple recruitment registration," the white robed man said in an unhurried tone.
"As expected of one of the Four Great Sects of the Southern Martial Domain. Even a deacon possesses cultivation at the sixth level of the Xiantian Realm. Then how terrifying must the elders and the sect master be? They are likely experts who have already surpassed the Xiantian Realm and stepped into the Qi Sea Realm."
Li Yun felt a deep shock rise within him.
He had often heard people speak of the overwhelming power of the Four Great Sects of the Southern Martial Domain, yet those words had always felt vague and distant. Only now did he truly understand what that power meant.
Martial Ascension Gate truly lived up to its name as a colossal force standing at the very peak of the Southern Martial Domain.
While Li Yun was still reeling from shock, Lan Mu continued speaking in a steady tone. "I will not waste words. I will simply state the standards for Martial Ascension Gate’s disciple recruitment. Only martial artists who have reached the ninth level of the Body Tempering Realm are qualified to join. Do you see that green stone wall? It is called the Origin Link Jade Tablet. Strike it, and it will reveal your cultivation realm."
Hearing this, Li Yun turned his gaze toward the center of the field. There, he saw a towering jade tablet standing silently. It was five or six meters tall, its surface a deep green that reflected the sunlight and released a shimmering glow, giving it an air of mystery.
This was clearly the Origin Link Jade Tablet Lan Mu had mentioned.
"The disciple recruitment registration will now begin," Lan Mu said as his eyes swept calmly over the vast crowd. A faint, cold smile appeared at the corner of his mouth as he added, "One more thing. Registration will only last for three days. After three days, no one will be allowed to register."
With that, Lan Mu descended from the air and took a seat beside the Origin Link Jade Tablet, closing his eyes as if the matter no longer concerned him.
"What kind of nonsense is this?" someone cried out in disbelief. "There are tens of millions of people here. If everyone lines up one by one, even seven days and seven nights would not be enough. Martial Ascension Gate only gives three days. What kind of scheme is this?"
"Are you stupid?" another voice replied sharply. "Who said you have to line up honestly? Tens of millions of people can never all register within three days. If you want to register, you have to force your way forward. Whether you can do that depends on your strength."
"Even if people fight their way through, at most five or six million can register within three days," someone else said grimly. "That means the rest will be eliminated without even getting the chance to register. Is this the first round of Martial Ascension Gate’s assessment?"
"You are right, and also wrong," another person countered. "This is indeed part of the first round, but it is only the beginning. There is still more to come."
"In that case, why are you still standing there?" a voice shouted urgently. "Move!"
"Charge!"
As soon as the final word fell, the crowd erupted. Shouts filled the air, and the orderly gathering instantly dissolved into chaos as countless figures surged forward, turning the registration ground into a fierce and turbulent battlefield.

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