The second day of the second month of the lunar calendar is a good day to travel.
The moderate rain was pouring down, falling on the ground, splashing the fragrance of the earth, falling on the lake, creating ripples, and falling on the heads of passers-by, causing them to shout and curse.
"Who said it's a good day to travel today? It's raining as soon as I go out." Lu Yang complained, regretting not bringing a raincoat with him in advance.
It was his first time to travel far away and he had no experience. The rain came suddenly and soaked him all over. His shoes were muddy and he could feel the malice of the ground when he walked - he needed to pull his feet out of the mud.
The sound of "da da da" came from behind, attracting Lu Yang's attention.
Lu Yang turned his head and found that there was a carriage approaching him. There was no coachman in the carriage. The old horse seemed to know the way and did not need anyone to drive it.
"What a magical horse." Lu Yang exclaimed. There were several scales on the old horse's forehead, like snake scales. It was obviously some kind of alien monster.
Although he didn't understand the value of the horse, he knew how precious the old horse was.
At least he couldn't afford it with his financial resources.
"Brother, you are in a very elegant mood to take a walk in the rain. Why don't you take a seat in the car?"
A man's hearty laughter came from the carriage. Lu Yang accepted the man's kindness, pulled his feet out of the mud, and hurriedly got into the carriage.
"Sorry to bother you. I'm Lu Yang." Lu Yang got into the carriage carefully, afraid that the rain and mud on his body would dirty the carriage.
"Meng Jingzhou." The owner of the carriage was just like his voice, a carefree young man, optimistic and cheerful, as if he could talk to anyone.
"Brother Lu is also here to participate in the selection of the Daodao Sect?"
"Just try your luck."
Meng Jingzhou laughed loudly: "Brother Lu, why not be honest? If you really just wanted to try your luck, you wouldn't have walked in the rain to the Dao Sect."
Lu Yang felt a little ashamed: "Who doesn't want to join the Dao Sect?"
The Wendao Sect is one of the five major immortal sects in the central continent. It has countless great immortal cultivators and is extremely powerful. Today, the Wendao Sect is recruiting disciples. I wonder how many people would like to give it a try.
Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou are two of them.
Lu Yang traveled to the Central Continent. His parents died early, and he survived by relying on the inheritance left by his parents and the help from his neighbors.
During the more than ten years he lived in the small town, he had heard storytellers talk about an immortal sword knocking at the gate of heaven, he had heard about a river monster rising up five hundred miles away and flooding, he had heard about immortal disciples using flying swords to slay monsters and eliminate evil to defend the way of Taoism, he had seen a sloppy Taoist priest cheating, soaring into the sky, escaping from prison in public, only to be caught by the government who had soared into the sky.
At that time he knew that this was not the world he was familiar with, nor was it any dynasty he was familiar with. This was a world of immortal cultivation where all personal power was concentrated in one person.
He wanted to seek the immortality and learn the secret of longevity.
Wendao Sect was the first stop he chose.
There was no other reason for choosing the Wendao Sect, it was simply that there were no other sects around his home except the Wendao Sect.
Since the Daodao Sect is here, other sects will not seek trouble and will choose to establish their own sects nearby.
During the conversation, Lu Yang learned that Meng Jingzhou came from a family of immortal cultivators and had much more knowledge about immortal cultivation than Lu Yang.
"The requirement for the Daowen Sect to recruit disciples is that they must be mortals under the age of sixteen. This is not only the requirement for the Daowen Sect, but most sects have this requirement."
"The road to immortal cultivation is long and arduous, from Qi training, foundation building, golden elixir, Nascent Soul, spirit transformation, emptiness training, fusion, and tribulation crossing. Each realm is a watershed, and countless people are stuck there. Only one out of ten, one out of twenty, or even one out of a hundred will make it."
"There are many factors that determine the success of cultivation, such as luck, wisdom, spiritual roots... By the way, Brother Lu, do you know what your spiritual roots are?"
“Although the requirements for spiritual roots in the Dao Sect are not high, spiritual roots that are too poor are not accepted.”
Lu Yang frowned. He knew the term spiritual root from a storyteller and had no idea what kind of spiritual root he had.
"I don't know, what about you, Brother Meng?"
Meng Jingzhou's face became very confused, and he also shook his head: "I once tested my spiritual roots in the clan, but the elders looked worried and didn't tell me the results. They just said that my talent was amazing and it would not be a problem for me to join the five major immortal sects. I will know when I join the five major immortal sects in the future. I secretly asked my parents, but they were even more worried than the elders and didn't tell me either."
Lu Yang speculated: "It is possible that your spiritual roots are too shocking and can easily bring disaster to the Meng family. Only a behemoth like the Asking Dao Sect can save you."
"Just as I guessed." Meng Jingzhou patted Lu Yang's shoulder, as if he had met a close friend. The more he looked at Lu Yang, the more he felt that this person was as talented as himself, and was a natural seed for cultivating Taoism.
Lu Yang listened to the increasingly heavy rain outside and was glad that Meng Jingzhou let him get in the car.
"Stop." Meng Jingzhou suddenly shouted, and the old horse took a few steps and slowly stopped.
The carriage was considered a rare treasure, and Meng Jingzhou could see what was happening outside the carriage.
Meng Jingzhou saw a woman walking in the rain outside the carriage, just like Lu Yang just now.
"This sister is walking in this direction, so she must be going to the Dao Sect to take part in the test. It's raining so hard, why don't you take a rest in the car?"
The woman was a little surprised by Meng Jingzhou's proposal, but after thinking about it, she agreed.
As soon as the woman got in the car, Meng Jingzhou and Lu Yang were both stunned.
Meng Jingzhou thought he had seen the world, but he had never seen a woman as beautiful as this one. Not to mention Lu Yang, the most beautiful woman he had ever seen was the young widow who sold tofu next door.
Of course, Lu Yang is a gentleman and has no improper thoughts about the young widow.
The woman was like a charming but not gaudy lotus, dressed in white, slender and graceful, with bright eyes and white teeth, giving people a feeling as if she were from another world.
The woman also wore a string of golden bells on her right wrist.
"Yunzhi thanks you two."
The woman's voice was like a clear spring, very comfortable to listen to.
Lu Yang noticed something strange and whispered, "Brother Meng, why is her body dry? Could it be a monster?"
In storytelling stories, monsters often transform themselves into beautiful women to seduce young and strong guys like them.
Just now, Lu Yang was soaked like a drowned rat and looked miserable. On the other hand, Yun Zhi had not a single drop of rain on her body and did not look like she had walked in the rain at all.
Meng Jingzhou didn't think much about it: "Maybe he has a rare treasure that can protect him from the rain. This is common among noble families."
Meng Jingzhou was not worried that Yunzhi was a demon or a monster. This was the territory of the Taoist sect. Which demon was so desperate that it would dare to come to the Taoist sect to cause trouble
"Miss Yunzhi is here to take part in the test of the Dao Sect?"
"Exactly."
Meng Jingzhou said attentively: "I happen to have the content of the test of the Wendao Sect here. I spent a lot of money to buy it from the elders of the Wendao Sect. Miss Yunzhi, would you like to listen to it?"
Lu Yang looked at Meng Jingzhou in surprise, why didn’t you tell me
Yun Zhi was even more surprised than Lu Yang: "This is cheating. What if the Dao Sect finds out..."
Meng Jingzhou waved his hand, with a confident look on his face: "My carriage is a rare treasure. Even those powerful immortal cultivators and secluded old monsters cannot use their spiritual sense to detect this place."
"I see. Mr. Meng, please tell me the content of the test."
Upon hearing this, Lu Yang also pricked up his ears and listened.
Meng Jingzhou cleared his throat and said, "The Daodao Sect test is divided into three levels. The first level tests your spiritual roots. This is a hard test. There is no room for tricks or shortcuts. The second and third levels have room for maneuver."
"The second level tests your character. A carriage is out of control and is about to hit five people lying on the roadside. They will surely die. There is another person lying not far away. As outsiders, we can control the direction of the carriage. Should we ignore it and kill five people, or change direction and kill another person?"
Lu Yang said without hesitation: "Kill another person."
Meng Jingzhou was very surprised. He had not thought of a solution since he learned about the content of the second level. How could Lu Yang make a decision immediately
If you choose to ignore it, you will have to watch five people being hit and killed. It may be reasonable, but you will feel bad about it.
If you choose to change direction and hit and kill another person, then that person is so unlucky and deserves to be killed, and it was his own fault.
Meng Jingzhou expressed his doubts, and Lu Yang explained: "How can you have so much time to think? By the time you figured out the result, the five people would have been killed. I guess the Taoist test is not whether you choose to save five people or one person, but whether you can make a decision quickly."
"I heard from the book teller that when monks fight, a slight difference in their skills can mean life or death. The second level tests your character. It tests whether you are indecisive or decisive. Making a decision in the shortest possible time is the most important thing."
Meng Jingzhou suddenly realized.
"The third level tests your honesty. There is a mirror in the Dao Sect that can tell whether you are telling the truth or a lie. If you are found to be lying, you will be kicked out of the test."
Lu Yang thought: "This level is simple. If you don't warn me in advance, it's easy to tell lies to cover yourself up. But since I know it in advance, just tell the truth."
Meng Jingzhou nodded, he thought so too.
The two discussed for a while, came up with a lot of possible accidents and countermeasures, and after putting them together, they felt that it was perfect.
Miss Yunzhi smiled, as if she thought what the two people were saying was a good idea.
"Thank you, Young Master Lu, for telling me."
"Well, has the rain stopped?" Lu Yang found that there was no more sound of raindrops falling outside the car, so he couldn't help but look outside curiously.
It was still raining heavily in the place they had just passed, but where they were, the sun was shining, with birds singing and flowers blooming. It was as if a peerless sword energy had divided the world into yin and yang halves, never to intersect.
Lu Yang looked up and saw countless rare and exotic animals and magical treasures rushing towards the towering mountains that reached the sky.
The towering mountains were coated with a layer of light gold by the sunlight, and gorgeous patterns spread out from behind the mountains, covering the sky and the earth, blocking the heavy rain.
That is the gateway mountain to the Wendao Sect, and on top of it is a great formation to protect the sect that no one can break.
Out of respect for the Wendao Sect, the Taoist genius, under the guidance of his elders, landed at the foot of the mountain, waiting for the Wendao Sect to start the test.
Old Horse is already a rather rare alien monster, but it is still inferior to the handsome and exotic beasts resting at the foot of the mountain.
"Oh my god, this is much more magnificent than our Meng family's house." Meng Jingzhou rubbed his hands, feeling a little nervous. Thinking that he would soon pass the test and become a member of the Wendao Sect, he felt more excited.
Lu Yang said nothing. He could see this mountain when he was at home, but the distance was too far and he didn't feel anything. Only when he stood at the foot of the mountain did he realize how huge it was.
He was a little nervous. He had ways to pass the second and third levels, but he still didn't know what his spiritual roots were. He might not even be able to pass the first test.
Dozens of cultivators stood in the air, guarding in front of the mountain, all emitting powerful aura fluctuations. Lu Yang suspected that if they completely released their aura, there would be few who could even stand.
These monks remained silent, which put psychological pressure on people for no reason.
Lu Yang heard an elder in the family introduce the younger generation: "Look at the style of their robes. These are the core disciples of the Dao Sect. They all worship under the great elders. From now on, these people will be your fellow disciples."
"Don't be nervous. They are not deliberately putting pressure on you. It seems that they are waiting for the person who will host the test. Once the host arrives, the test will begin."
Lu Yang turned his head, wanting to see Miss Yunzhi's reaction, whether she was excited or nervous.
You can't just keep looking indifferent, right
"Miss Yunzhi, you..."
Just as Lu Yang was about to say something, he saw Miss Yunzhi taking light steps. Before each step, a white lotus would support her fragile body.
Everyone was in an uproar. The elders of the family broke out in sweat and quickly silenced the younger generation.
White lotus paved the way to form a path, spanning the crowd. Miss Yunzhi came to the center of the core disciples of the Wendao Sect. The disciples bowed to her to show their respect. Miss Yunzhi raised her hand slightly, then faced the crowd and smiled.
"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. I'm the senior sister of the Dao Sect and the host of this test."
"I declare that the test officially begins."
After saying that, Miss Yunzhi glanced at the dazed Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou with a half-smile.
She was indeed here to take part in the test of the Wending Sect, but she was not a candidate, but an examiner.