Chapter 11: Entering the Immortal Sect, The Whole Family Celebrates

At this point, Xu Ke looked slightly dejected, with a hint of lingering dissatisfaction.

"I thought that by taking an unconventional path and being saved by the crane, I would be able to break through the maze of the flower sea and take first place in the general examination. I didn't expect to lose to the two of you after all."

Jiang Youling suppressed a smile and recounted the events she had encountered during the examination one by one.

Xu Ke exclaimed repeatedly as he listened, "You were actually pulled into a chessboard and encountered demonic beasts transformed from black and white pieces?"

Jiang Youling nodded. "I recalled the entire game, treated myself as a piece, and after finding the solution, I made the two beasts fight each other to resolve the crisis."

"Impressive, truly impressive. No wonder you took first place. Although I passed, I fell from the cliff on the north side after all. Looking back now, it does seem like I took a shortcut. If not for the crane saving me, I’m afraid I would have been eliminated by now."

"I don't think that's necessarily true."

Jiang Youling analyzed, "Perhaps all four paths—north, south, east, and west—can lead to passing. The key is how you walk them and whether you align with the requirements of the Taixuan Sect."

Xu Ke shrugged. "Perhaps. But the feeling of falling from the top of a cliff is quite unpleasant; I never want to experience that a second time!"

While the two were talking, others passed the examination one after another. Some were excited, some laughed wildly, and others wept with joy, tears streaming down their faces, declaring that their lives had not been lived in vain.

Shen Yingshu was among them, but judging by her expression, she seemed to still be immersed in the illusion, unable to pull herself out.

It was not until an hour later, when no one else emerged from the illusion, that the Immortal Elder finally announced

"In this selection of Taixuan disciples, a total of thirty-six candidates have passed. All are of fine character and talent, with Jiang Youling, Ye Cangzhou, and Xu Ke being the best among them. You must all remember: once you enter my sect, you must obey the teachings of your masters and cultivate diligently without pause."

"Yes, we will surely keep the Immortal Elder's teachings in mind."

Everyone responded, their expressions filled with excitement.

The Immortal Elder smiled and said, "You may follow me into the mountains immediately, or you may return home to inform your families. You must report to Taixuan within three days."

Upon hearing this, many immediately expressed their desire to enter the mountains with the Immortal Elder. These people had already discussed it with their families; everything was centered on immortal cultivation, and if they passed the exam, they would head up the mountain immediately. The sooner they began their cultivation, the sooner they would receive the immortal arts.

However, some still expressed a desire to return home to personally share the good news with their families. After all, the mountains were high and the roads were long; once they entered the Taixuan Sect, it might not be easy to reunite with their loved ones in the future.

The Immortal Elder took out paper whistles and distributed them to the disciples who chose to return home, instructing them

"Blow the paper whistle, and a paper crane will come to pick you up and bring you to the mountain. However, this whistle can be blown at most three times. Remember this well."

Jiang Youling also received a paper whistle. It was small, resting in her palm with a rather rustic charm.

Learning that Jiang Youling could not go up the mountain with him, Xu Ke felt a bit regretful, but then a faint sense of secret joy arose in his heart. Since she wouldn't be entering the sect for these three days, he had to cultivate the immortal arts fiercely to put some distance between them as soon as possible, so he wouldn't fall behind when they were tested on their techniques later!

Thus, he suppressed the smile on his face and pretended to be melancholy as he said to Jiang Youling

"Youling, you must spend these few days well with your family. I heard that one can only ask for leave from the Taixuan Sect once every three years. It will be hard to see your family again in the future!"

Jiang Youling’s expression turned solemn as she cupped her hands to Xu Ke. "Thank you for the reminder. Upon returning home this time, I will certainly serve my elders and leave no regrets."

Xu Ke’s face stiffened slightly at these words. Why did he suddenly feel an urge to go home after hearing that? But the matter had already been decided at home, and he wasn't the type to be clingy. Forget it, he wouldn't go home this time; he was off to cultivate!

After watching Xu Ke and the others leave on the immortal boat with the Immortal Elder, Jiang Youling was about to head down the mountain when a voice reached her ears.

"Sister Jiang, shall we go down the mountain together?"

It was Shen Yingshu, who had also chosen to return home.

"Alright."

Jiang Youling and she smiled at each other. The two walked down the mountain together and agreed to meet at this spot on the third day at noon to head to the Taixuan Sect together.

When they reached the foot of the mountain, Shen Yingshu was surrounded by her anxiously waiting family, and Jiang Youling was also surrounded by the Chen family.

"How was it, Ling-jie'er? Did you pass the general exam?"

Chen Yong, who asked this, was immediately glared at fiercely by Old Madam Cui, who then comforted her

"This is your first time participating in the grand exam. It doesn't matter if you didn't pass; just consider it gaining experience. You can try again next year!"

Although the old woman felt the pinch of the spirit stones, she was a reasonable person. How could this immortal sect exam be so easy? When she was young, she had caught the time when the immortal sect was recruiting disciples widely, and it had taken her two tries to pass. Not to mention, the exams in recent years had become increasingly difficult...

Chen Ling looked at her mother's expression and also let out a sigh of relief, forcing a smile.

"Your grandmother is right. One failure is nothing. Look at your uncle and me; didn't we fail over a dozen times?"

Listening to everyone's comfort, Jiang Youling felt a warmth in her heart. "Grandmother, Mother, I passed."

"It's okay, no need to be discouraged..." Chen Ling stopped mid-sentence, suddenly stunned, her breathing becoming much faster. "What did you say?? You passed??"

Facing everyone's nervous gazes, Jiang Youling nodded with a smile and reached out to show them the paper whistle in her hand.

"This is a Spirit Summoning Talisman made by the Taixuan Sect. If you blow it, you can summon a paper crane to soar through the blue sky!"

Old Madam Cui recognized the object in Jiang Youling's hand at a glance, and her expression immediately became excited.

"Passed, she passed! Ling-jie'er passed the immortal sect exam! Good! Good! Very good!!"

Old Madam Cui was overjoyed, feeling the pent-up frustration of many years vanish in an instant. She couldn't help but shed tears of joy, yet she sang out loud, "A crane soars into the sky, breaking through the clouds; this body feels as if bathed in the winds of the nine heavens!"

Chen Ling couldn't help but have wet eyes as well. Her insistence on letting Ling-jie'er participate in the grand exam had been the right choice!

Everyone was overjoyed. Finally, Jiang Mingyu, who had been squeezed to the very edge but was beaming with joy, gave a heavy cough to remind them

"Since Ling-jie'er has passed the exam, why don't we go home and celebrate properly?"

"Yes, such a joyous occasion, we should celebrate it well!"

Old Madam Cui came back to her senses, instructed Jiang Youling to put the paper whistle away, and called for everyone to head home in a swarm.

On the way home, Old Madam Cui held Jiang Youling's hand and gave her detailed advice.

"The rules of the immortal sect are strict. Once you enter Taixuan, you cannot be as undisciplined as you are at home. In all things, speak less, think more, and do more. Do you understand?"

Seeing Jiang Youling nod obediently, she continued

"All Taixuan disciples receive a monthly stipend based on their cultivation level to assist in their practice: those who have not yet entered the Dao receive one spirit stone and one Cleansing Heart Pill per month; those in the early stage of Qi Refining receive five spirit stones and one bottle of Cleansing Heart Pills (ten pills in total); those in the middle stage receive ten spirit stones, plus one bottle of Cleansing Heart Pills and three Qi Nourishing Pills; those in the late stage can receive up to twenty spirit stones, plus one bottle each of Cleansing Heart Pills and Qi Nourishing Pills, supplemented by several other pills like Spirit Gathering Powder."

Jiang Youling noted down everything Old Madam Cui said, secretly surprised by the Taixuan Sect's generosity. No wonder everyone was striving to join Taixuan; the treatment in this immortal sect was truly excellent.