CHAPTER 358: TIANXUAN SECT

The rowboats were two metres long and one metre wide.

Each had two oars and tiny benches on either end of the boat.

At this time, Zhen Yuan sat at the end, with two oars in his hands, while Shen Xu sat at the front but facing Zhen Yuan.

"Raise the anchor. It’s time to set off." Shen Xu instructed with an excited expression.

’What anchor?’ Zhen Yuan wondered, but still cooperated with the double and began rowing.

The lake water was more viscous than ordinary water.

However, Zhen Yuan rowed effortlessly, and their boat easily cut through the water.

"I suddenly remember ZZ Park." Shen Xu said with a nostalgic expression.

"ZZ Park? What is it?" Zhen Yuan asked.

"It’s a park in my hometown. I used to go there to enjoy boat tours, watch bamboos and lotuses, and drink tea."

"You miss it very much?" Zhen Yuan asked, but Shen Xu shook his head.

"Not really. I wouldn’t have remembered it if this lake and boat weren’t so similar." The double said.

Although he sometimes recalled Earth, he didn’t miss it in the literal sense.

After all, he had everything in the cultivation world and nothing in the modern world.

’It’s enough to have Ayuan in my life. He is everything.’ He thought, and his eyes subconsciously softened.

Unfortunately, the good mood was ruined by a sudden scream!

Hearing the scream, Shen Xu turned to the side, just in time to see one of the boats overturn, and the driver being dumped into the lake.

"What a daring person! He actually tried his luck while knowing his conscience is not clear?" Shen Xu muttered and shook his head.

After the first was a second, a third, and even a forty-third.

"Why did so many evildoers attempt to enter the Tianxuan sect?" Shen Xu wondered in a confused voice.

"Have you forgotten Cai Lan and the others?" Zhen Yuan asked, his eyes narrowed into slits.

"You think these people are disciples of the Ten Evils sect who have been sent to infiltrate the Tianxuan sect?"

"It’s my guess." Zhen Yuan nodded.

"I don’t know if this heart-revealing lake is enough to weed them all out?!"

"Maybe it is or maybe it is not. Either way, we must be careful and never give anyone an opportunity to mess with us."

"I know." Shen Xu said.

One hour later, their boat landed on the shore, and the two got off.

Simultaneously, the boat jerked up, flew in an arc, and landed on the original side of the lake.

"What a neat trick?! I wonder how it was done?" Shen Xu asked in a curious voice.

"Conditional boomerang inscription." Zhen Yuan answered.

"Conditional boomerang inscription..., I have never heard of it."

"It’s probably a weight conditional boomerang inscription." Zhen Yuan said and began explaining.

"When the boat is empty, the inscription detects the weight change and activates, returning the boat to its original position."

"Little friend, are you an inscription master?" A voice sounded, and the two turned to look.

The speaker was an elder with white hair and a friendly smile.

"The boomerang inscription is an obscure rune, and the conditional type is even more so. It’s rare for anyone to understand the situation on their first trip to the Tianxuan sect." The elder said, looking at Zhen Yuan with speculative eyes.

"I am indeed an inscription master." Zhen Yuan said, and the elder nodded.

"Who is your teacher?" The elder asked.

In his opinion, a boomerang inscription was not the kind of rune that a cultivator could learn without a master.

Considering that, he suspected that the youngster had a famous teacher or came from an affluent family.

"I don’t have a teacher. I am self-taught."

"Self-taught?" The elder tilted his head, and a trace of doubt flashed in his eyes.

He didn’t believe the young man.

However, since the person was unwilling to tell the truth, the elder didn’t force it.

"If your plan is to become a powerful inscription master, you should consider the seventh or fifteenth peaks." He said instead.

"Thank you for guiding us." Zhen Yuan said, and the elder nodded before looking away.

All the new disciples crossed the lake within two days.

After the last boat arrived, everyone gathered and followed an elder towards the entrance.

The entrance was two pillars that were ten metres tall and ten metres apart.

Between the pillars was a colourless thin film that rippled like flowing water.

[It’s a quasi-immortal mountain guarding formation.] Zhen Yuan transmitted, and the double subconsciously narrowed his eyes.

At this time, the leading elder stopped and gestured for everyone to stop.

"Entering and exiting the sect requires a disciple identity token." The elder said and quickly continued.

"You will receive such a token after you choose your peak."

"Elder, don’t we already have a disciple token?" Someone asked, producing the token he got after being successfully recruited.

"That is only a temporary token and can’t be used to pass through the sect’s formation." The elder answered.

Soon after, he took out his token and placed it on the formation, causing the thin film to retract to the pillars.

"Get in." He said and stepped aside to let the new disciples enter the sect.

Shen Xu was amazed as soon as he entered the sect.

At a glance, he saw hundreds of mountains with countless palaces built on the peaks and sides.

In the same instant, he saw spirit cranes flying around and inhaled a rich qi that was at least three times more potent than the outside Tianxuan continent.

’Now I understand why cultivators are so eager to join the Tianxuan sect.’ He thought with a complicated expression.

After all, the qi at the entrance was three times richer.

What about the mountains and cultivation caves?

Thinking of this, Shen Xu suddenly recalled the ninety-seventh peak.

From the information they had, the ninety-seventh peak was barren and barely had any qi.

Knowing this and feeling the qi at the entrance, the double couldn’t help but feel aggrieved for the triplets.

’The sect can afford such qi at the entrance but can’t afford to give the triplets a proper mountain?’ He thought, and a trace of anger flashed in his eyes.

’I will get everything back for you.’ He decided.

After everyone entered the sect, the elder closed the gap before leading the new disciples to the foot of a small mountain.

The mountain was about ten kilometres wide and had one hundred entrances.

"Each entrance represents a peak. Once inside, you will face a test, and if you pass, you will become a disciple of that peak." The elder started and quickly continued.

"Everyone has three chances. If you fail the test three times, you will forever lose the chance to enter that peak."

"That said, failing a peak’s test does not mean failing all peak tests. As long as the test time has not run out, you can attempt the test for other peaks."

"However, if you haven’t passed the test before the time runs out, you will automatically become a disciple of the ninety-seventh peak."

Shen Xu was shocked when he heard this.

At the same time, his heart filled with anger.

Wasn’t allowing the losers to enter the ninety-seventh peak synonymous with calling it a garbage dump?

"I heard the masters of the ninety-seventh peak are either injured or crippled. It’s not a good place." Someone whispered.

"It has no teachers, and everyone who goes there is trash."

"That’s not exactly true."

"What do you mean?"

"The Tianxuan sect has a group of disciples called registered disciples. They don’t enter the sect through recruitment but pay to be disciples. These registered disciples are all dumped in the ninety-seventh peak."

"Doesn’t that mean the ninety-seventh peak is very rich? Then..."

"Don’t think about it." Someone said and quickly continued.

"The registered disciples are dumped there, but the spirit stones are taken elsewhere. Also, after registering, those disciples rarely stay on the ninety-seventh peak. Instead, they rent a house elsewhere and are only ninety-seventh peak disciples in name."

"The ninety-seventh peak is really not a good place."

"How can it be a good place? It’s always last in the sect competitions."

Shen Xu and Zhen Yuan listened to these and sighed.

’Xuanyuan Han is really not a good thing. He should be drawn and quartered.’ The double thought and a trace of murderous intent subconsciously leaked from his body.

Sensing the intent, Zhen Yuan stretched his hand and rubbed the double’s hair.

[We are here, aren’t we? Do you doubt we can turn things around?] He asked, and Shen Xu immediately relaxed.

Zhen Yuan was right.

Combined, the two of them had mastered most of the disciplines, and they would not only cure the triplets but also help them get back what was owed to them.

Thinking of this, Shen Xu looked at the entrances.

At the top of each entrance was a number and a discipline.

The disciplines included alchemy, talismans, weapons refining, formations, inscriptions, culinary arts, martial arts, swordsmanship, beast taming, and spiritual planting.

However, the discipline etched above the ninety-seventh entrance was none of these.