Chapter 3: Sect Examination, Ascending the 30,000 Steps to Immortality!
Lin Chen glanced at the countdown on his arm.
38 hours and 57 minutes.
He had traveled from Zhou Village to the foot of Changchun Mountain, walking through mountain paths and even facing rain along the way. The muddy roads had delayed his progress, taking him over five days to arrive.
He had a day and a half left before his next return to Blue Star.
Before traveling back to Blue Star, Lin Chen needed to understand more about the cultivation world, and joining a sect was undoubtedly the best way to gain insight.
"As long as I can attract the country's attention, I'll be able to get more help…"
"With that, I can secure a place for myself in this dangerous cultivation world."
Lin Chen wandered around the market.
This market, located under Changchun Sect, was surrounded by Changchun Town, a settlement built for those hoping to seek out opportunities for cultivating immortality.
In this town, apart from a few cultivators, there were more commoners, such as wealthy merchants and families, who had settled here in hopes of gaining a connection with immortals.
But how difficult was it to ascend to immortality?
In the market, thousands of thirteen- or fourteen-year-olds gathered, coming from towns and villages within a thousand miles of here.
These youths had come to take part in the Changchun Sect's Immortal Seed Assessment.
Lin Chen walked to the innermost part of the market and quickly arrived at an open square.
After registering his age and name with the assessment officials, Lin Chen arrived at a long set of stairs leading up the mountain.
The stairs twisted and turned, going all the way up to the summit of Changchun Mountain, stretching out of sight.
This was the first trial of the Changchun Sect's Immortal Seed Assessment.
Ascend the 30,000 steps to immortality!
Changchun Mountain stood at a height of 2,400 zhang, nearly 8,000 meters.
From the summit to the base of the mountain, there was only one path: these 30,000 steps.
The first trial of the Immortal Seed Assessment required candidates to ascend all 30,000 steps and reach the top of the mountain within half a day.
For Qi Refining cultivators or warriors, this wouldn't be too difficult.
But those participating in the Immortal Seed Assessment were all youths under the age of eighteen who hadn't begun their cultivation journey yet.
For these young people, many of whom were just fourteen or fifteen years old, even with their youthful energy, climbing all 30,000 steps was no easy task.
This was a test of their physical fitness and willpower.
Lin Chen had already traveled for four days, so he was quite exhausted.
However, he couldn't afford to rest for long because today was the final day of the Immortal Seed Assessment.
He had to climb all 30,000 steps and reach the summit before sunset, or he would have to wait another three years for the next assessment.
After drinking an I-3 type stamina potion, Lin Chen felt his energy quickly recover.
He started ascending the mountain steps!
One step, two steps, then a hundred...
At first, climbing the steps wasn't difficult, even for an ordinary person.
Many of the lively youths around him were laughing and chatting, moving quickly and seeming very relaxed.
But Lin Chen took each step steadily, pacing himself carefully.
He knew that the first ten thousand or even twenty thousand steps wouldn't be too difficult for him. With his body as a ninth-level martial artist, it was relatively easy for him.
But as he neared the final few thousand steps, the mountain's height became increasingly difficult to bear.
At 7,000 or 8,000 meters high, during the cold winter months, the temperature was freezing, and strong winds swept across the peak. Even he couldn't afford to take this lightly.
Therefore, conserving his strength was the best strategy at the moment.
The sun slowly moved west, and after nearly two hours, Lin Chen paused to adjust his breathing and drank half of another stamina potion.
"I've probably climbed about 20,000 steps by now... I'm at an elevation of over 5,000 meters..."
Lin Chen looked back at the mountain below. At this point, fewer and fewer climbers were visible.
The youths who had been joking around earlier had mostly exhausted their stamina and fallen behind or even turned back to descend the mountain.
"Although people here have very good physical fitness, it's still rare for someone to climb over 5,000 meters in one go..."
"Those who made it this far must have extraordinary physical strength, which is also a sign of having a spiritual root..."
Lin Chen thought to himself.
The first trial, climbing the 30,000 steps to immortality, was a selection for one's willpower and character, as well as a test of their aptitude.
Those who could reach the summit not only needed great determination but also good physical strength—usually, they would have a spiritual root.
Only those with a spiritual root could enter the path of cultivation.
Of course, this method of testing spiritual roots wasn't entirely accurate, as there would be a more precise test for spiritual roots after this trial.
"I hope my luck isn't too bad. At least I need to have some cultivation aptitude to make it..." Lin Chen mused.
He took a short break and continued his climb.
In this cultivation world, half of all commoners had cultivation aptitude, meaning they had spiritual roots.
Among these, most had "inferior spiritual roots," meaning they were weak in their connection with spiritual energy and had difficulty cultivating.
Above inferior spiritual roots were "mixed spiritual roots," which contained three or more of the five elements: gold, wood, water, fire, and earth.
Cultivating with mixed spiritual roots was still difficult, but it was better than inferior spiritual roots.
Above mixed roots were "dual spiritual roots," which were rare and highly valued.
Beyond dual roots, there were true spiritual roots, earth spiritual roots, and heaven spiritual roots...
Lin Chen didn't expect to be one of the rare true spiritual roots, but as long as he had mixed roots, it would be enough.
With the support of the entire high martial world behind him, he would still be able to make a name for himself in the cultivation world!
...
One hour later.
The sun had begun to set, and there was less than an hour remaining until the assessment ended.
At this point, Lin Chen continued his steady pace toward the summit.
"With each step, fewer and fewer youths are still climbing..." Lin Chen thought.
He calculated that he had probably ascended 28,000 steps by now, reaching an altitude of over 7,000 meters.
At his current position, he could already see the summit, with only about 3,000 to 4,000 steps remaining.
He had already surpassed many of the youths who had started climbing ahead of him.
Among the few remaining climbers, only a handful could be seen within the last few thousand steps.
"The final stretch will be a huge test of willpower..."
"Out of these 30,000 steps, it's likely that 99% of the youths will drop out..."
Lin Chen drank half a bottle of stamina potion.
At this altitude of over 7,000 meters, the air was extremely thin, and ordinary people couldn't stay for long, let alone do strenuous exercise.
Moreover, the temperature was below freezing, making people shiver.
Fortunately, Lin Chen wore an A-57 light combat suit, which kept him warm enough that he didn't feel much cold.
Lin Chen continued his steady march up the mountain.
Half an hour later, only less than a thousand steps remained.
Among the thousands of youths participating in the assessment, only a few remained at this point.
At the summit, several elders from the Changchun Sect had noticed Lin Chen.
"This boy is steady and methodical, climbing at a consistent pace, and his willpower is excellent..."
"His physical fitness is also outstanding. He's likely a good Immortal Seed with a spiritual root."
One of the elders, dressed in a Daoist robe, stroked his beard, a look of appreciation in his eyes.
"Not bad, this time the Immortal Seed Assessment lasts for seven days, and the number of youths climbing the mountain is no less than forty thousand."
"However, less than three hundred will make it to the top..."
"This boy is a good seed, what's his name?"
With the Changchun Sect elder's inquiry, several disciples handed over a list.
"Lin Chen..."
The elder furrowed his brows slightly and sighed, saying, "What a pity, he's already seventeen. He's past the best age for cultivation..."
Upon hearing this, the other elders on the mountain all showed expressions of regret.
Cultivators were different from martial artists.
Martial artists often begin their training at sixteen, because before then, their bodies are still growing. If they start too early, it could affect their potential.
But in the cultivation world, the best immortal seeds start cultivating at twelve or thirteen, even as young as eight or nine.
After all, the road to immortality is long, and the earlier one starts, the stronger their foundation will be, allowing them to see broader vistas in the future.
At this moment, an elder wearing a blue robe spoke:
"However, it's not necessarily too late... Seventeen is a bit old, but he still meets the sect's requirement of being under eighteen for the assessment."
"If this boy has good spiritual root aptitude, it may still be possible..."
Upon hearing the elder's words, the other elders did not respond, but they understood his meaning.
This blue-robed elder was Han Jihai, the head of the Pill Peak of Changchun Sect, who had reached the peak of Foundation Establishment. Unfortunately, he had failed his breakthrough to the Core Formation stage in recent years, and his age was catching up with him. It seemed that he wanted to take on a closed-door disciple to inherit the position of Pill Peak master.
Changchun Sect was divided into five major peaks: Sword Peak, Array Peak, Artifact Peak, Talisman Peak, and Pill Peak.
Apart from the Sword Peak, which was controlled by the Sect Master, Changchun Sect was most famous for its expertise in array formations, so Array Peak was the most prosperous.
In comparison, Pill Peak was the weakest among the five.
Only a few Pill Masters existed in the entire Changchun Sect, all of them disciples of Han Jihai.
"Hehe, then I'll congratulate Peak Master Han in advance for finding a promising disciple..." said the Peak Master of Array Peak, a refined-looking middle-aged man.
Compared to Lin Chen, he favored a few other youths who had already reached the summit.
At the nearly 8,000-meter altitude of Changchun Mountain.
Lin Chen was already gasping for breath. After several hours of climbing, his stamina was nearly depleted.
On top of that, the lack of oxygen at this high altitude made Lin Chen feel lightheaded.
But Lin Chen gritted his teeth and continued his climb.
"Just a hundred or so steps left..." Lin Chen pushed his body and willpower to the extreme.
One step, ten steps, a hundred steps...
Finally, after taking the last step, Lin Chen felt a sudden shift in his surroundings.
At the base of Changchun Mountain was a frigid, snow-covered wasteland where nothing could grow...
But at the summit of Changchun Mountain, it was a scene of spring, vibrant with life.
Even the air felt extraordinarily fresh. Lin Chen leaned against a large tree and greedily inhaled the oxygen.
"So this is an array... It's like a different world within and outside the array..." Lin Chen thought to himself.
At that moment, Han Jihai, wearing a green robe and with white hair and beard, walked up to him. He smiled and nodded, saying:
"Not bad, congratulations on passing the first trial of the Immortal Seed Assessment."
"Rest for now, and tomorrow morning we'll test your spiritual root aptitude..."
(End of this chapter)