Yuan's Ascension

Chapter 379: The Dao Temple

"Special recruitment?" Zhuo Haiyue's brows furrowed, a flicker of surprise crossing her features before she composed herself.

The Moonsilver World selected only the most exceptional talents from the entire Immortal Continent. Typically, only one individual was recruited every few decades.

If a genius was already affiliated with a sect, the Moonsilver World typically no longer considered them for recruitment, adhering to the regulations established by the ruler of the Immortal Continent, Immortal Redmoon.

Every ten thousand years, the Moonsilver World extended only ten special recruitment invitations to prodigies who were existing disciples of other sects. In return, the Redmoon Immortal Hall would compensate their former sects. Thus, the chances of receiving such an invitation were extremely low.

Zhuo Haiyue recognized that while Li Xia's Dao comprehension speed made him an eligible candidate for the Moonsilver World, it might not suffice for special recruitment. But if his soul talent was factored in? That was enough for him to make the cut!

Compared to the Moonsilver World's nine elite disciples, Wu Yuan's overall talent was unmatched, save for Zhuo Haiyue herself. As for the other twenty or so ordinary disciples, their talent paled in comparison.

"Mountain Master, how can I help?" Zhuo Haiyue inquired.

"We know that you are on good terms with Li Xia. So, we would like you to contact him and inform him of the benefits of joining the Moonsilver World," the white-robed elderly man explained. "Should you succeed, it shall count as a completed assignment, and you will be rewarded accordingly."

Zhuo Haiyue nodded. "Understood, I will give it a try."

For her, it made little difference whether Wu Yuan remained in the Dragon Star Immortal Sect or was transferred to the Moonsilver World.

"Mm, give it your all..." the elder began. But his expression shifted abruptly mid-sentence.

"Mountain Master?"

"Haiyue, there's no need for you to convince Li Xia any longer," the elder murmured with a bitter smile.

Confusion clouded Zhuo Haiyue's gaze.

The elder exhaled heavily. "Moments ago, word arrived from the Immortal Hall: Dragon Star Immortal Sect has paid three hundred divine crystals to officially secure Li Xia as a permanent disciple."

"Unless the divine court intervenes, the Moonsilver World will be forced to drop the matter here," the elderly man shook his head.

"Three hundred divine crystals?" Zhuo Haiyue's shock was palpable.

Such an enormous sum was enough to purchase an Earth Immortal's life! Yet they gave it up just to keep Li Xia? It was unbelievable.

"This is truly a rare occurrence. Even among the dozens of first-rate sects in the entirety of the immortal continent, such a decision is scarcely made once in tens of thousands of years," the elderly man in white robes shook his head. "It appears that this Li Xia is involved in secrets even we do not know of."

"Haiyue, I apologize for the disturbance," the old man in white robes smiled.

"No trouble at all," Zhuo Haiyue replied graciously. "However, I believe I have an inkling as to why the Dragon Star Immortal Sect would go to such lengths."

"Oh?" the white-robed elder inquired, his interest piqued.

"Li Xia is a sword cultivator, and from my deductions, he likely possesses nine lifebound flying swords," Zhuo Haiyue swiftly recounted the events leading up to Earth Immortal Xiang Sheng's assessment of Wu Yuan.

The elderly man was stunned as he listened.

"If I had known sooner, I would have surely reported it to you, Mountain Master," Zhuo Haiyue said. "But at that time, he had already joined the Dragon Star Immortal Sect. His performance was also not eye-catching compared to now."

In other words, Li Xia was unqualified for special recruitment in the past.

"It’s not your fault. Your intel is already valuable," the elderly man in white robes reassured her with a smile. "It seems that the Dragon Star Immortal Sect holds him in high regard. They will likely invest in his training as much as the Moonsilver World would."

"Alright. I shall take my leave," the elderly man in white robes departed swiftly.

For the old man in white robes, if he was able to recruit Wu Yuan to theMoonsilver World. that would naturally be a positive outcome. If he was unable to recruit him, it wasn’t a huge loss to him either.

To the enormous Redmoon Immortal Hall, the Moonsilver World was a core organization, with the Dragon Star Immortal Sect considered an affiliated entity.

Ultimately, the immortals of the Dragon Star Immortal Sect would go on to join the immortal hall, albeit in less important positions due to the relatively lower trust built between them and the organization. But, there was no essential difference.

Watching the Mountain Master take his leave, Zhuo Haiyue couldn't help but feel a sense of disbelief. In just eight years, Li Xia has grown to such a level?

Not yet fifty years old, yet he cleared level fifty-seven of the one-star tower!

My fortune is great indeed. The youth I chanced upon several years ago is actually this talented? Zhuo Haiyue shook her head in amazement.

Initially, her aspirations for Wu Yuan were limited to becoming a Tribulation Sword Immortal in the future, a goal fraught with uncertainty but still within reach.

As for becoming an Archimmortal? It seemed far-fetched. Throughout the Redmoon Immortal Continent, the emergence of a new Archimmortal typically took hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of years.

And yet, considering Wu Yuan's recent achievements, the prospect of him becoming an Archimmortal was not entirely out of reach.

His talents are still somewhat inferior to mine. Once he becomes a Sixth-Tribulation High Immortal, his combat power as a sword cultivator might rival that of an Archimmortal.

If he is willing to assist me, it would be a huge help.

Seeking answers, Zhuo Haiyue sent a message to Wu Yuan.

Soon, a reply from Little Moon arrived, stating, "The individual you are attempting to contact is currently in a special condition and unable to read your message."

Special condition? Zhuo Haiyue was surprised, but decided to leave a message regardless.

Then, she departed from the Redmoon Immortal Realm.

...

The higher echelons of the sect and the Moonsilver World, where the top-tier geniuses of the immortal continent gathered, each made their moves.

Meanwhile, Wu Yuan was currently in a special space within the Redmoon Immortal Realm, unaware of the chaos he had caused.

Is this the Dao temple? Surveying the empty space, he saw strange lights and shadows dancing around.

Numerous lights obscured his vision, making it difficult to see beyond a certain distance. Wu Yuan refrained from acting impulsively.

Guided by the spirit of the Seven Star Luminaries Tower, he had arrived at the Dao Temple for the True Intent perception experience.

This seemed to be a mysterious place within the Redmoon Immortal Realm. Yet, Wu Yuan had a feeling that this place might not be part of the Redmoon Immortal Realm at all.

Because, his soul was unable to leave.

What should I do? Wu Yuan looked around.

Suddenly, the raging and chaotic lights before Wu Yuan parted to both sides, revealing a clear path.

At the end of the space was a moderately sized temple. It exuded an ancient aura, as if it contained boundless Dao resonance.

Just looking at it from afar filled Wu Yuan's heart with an instinctive reverence. He vaguely understood that this might be the Dao Temple.

"Come," a deep voice suddenly resounded in Wu Yuan's ears.

Next, a beam of light enveloped Wu Yuan. The scenery around him changed, and he was deposited on the plaza in front of the temple.

The temple door was firmly shut.

This? Wu Yuan looked at it, perplexed.

Countless points of light converged, turning into the figure of an old man clad in white robes. Seated in lotus position on a jade platform beneath him, his hair and beard were pure white, exuding an ancient aura.

At first glance, he appeared to be a mortal, yet when Wu Yuan's gaze met the old man's, a sense of calm washed over his heart.

"Greetings, Senior," Wu Yuan spoke with respect.

Wu Yuan was uncertain whether the figure before him was a living being or a spirit, so he simply acted on instinct.

"I see you know your manners, young one," a smile graced the old man's face. "You may call me Yuan Gu."

"Senior Yuan Gu," Wu Yuan greeted.

"Arriving at the Dao Temple at such a tender age is commendable," the old man said. His smile was warm, his gaze penetrating, as if peeling away the layers of Wu Yuan's innermost secrets.

Wu Yuan felt completely exposed before him, as if he were naked.

"You have accumulated two points. Thus, you may choose to experience a Lesser Law inheritance twice, or an Intermediate Law once," the old man explained.

Wu Yuan looked at him blankly.

"Senior, could you elaborate?" Wu Yuan asked with a polite smile, a bit anxious that the old man might take offense.

"Have a look," the old man did not seem to mind the question. With a gesture, he conjured a light screen before Wu Yuan.

After reading through the information on the screen, Wu Yuan finally understood what was going on.

For every ten levels of the Seven Star Luminaries Tower cleared starting from level forty, the Dao Temple would award one point.

These points could be exchanged for Dao comprehension simulation opportunities!

One point was required to undergo a Lesser Law perception experience once.

Two points were required to undergo an Intermediate Law perception experience once.

Five points were required to undergo a Greater Law perception experience once.

Thirty points were required to undergo an incomplete Great Dao Essence perception experience once.

Wu Yuan was inwardly stunned.

He grasped the concepts of the Intermediate and Greater Laws, but he had never heard of an incomplete Great Dao Essence.

All he knew was that it came with a hefty cost in points: thirty!

On average, completing level eighty of each star tower would grant five points. One will have to complete level eighty from the one-star to the six-star tower to accumulate thirty points. Wu Yuan swiftly calculated.

Such a feat was near-impossible. A genius of such caliber could rarely be found in the Redmoon Immortal Continent, or even the entirety of the Silvermist Immortal Nation in hundreds of millions of years.

This realization only served to emphasize the value of the points awarded by the Dao Temple.

Completing level sixty before I reach a hundred years old shouldn't be too challenging. As for level seventy, there is a sliver of hope. Wu Yuan cautiously assessed, not daring to set his sights on conquering level eighty of the one-star tower.

Ambitions should be lofty, but plans must remain grounded in reality.

In other words, before his hundredth year, he would earn a minimum of three points, and a maximum of four.

“Would you like to experience a Lesser Law or an Intermediate Law?” the white-robed old man asked with a friendly smile. "If you are uncertain, you may depart for now and return to the Dao Temple later once you've made your choice."

After careful consideration, Wu Yuan declared solemnly, "I choose to experience an Intermediate Law."

Lesser Law? His only options were the Land Dao, Gravity Dao, and Earth Origin Dao. Among them, his comprehension of the Law of Land was the deepest, while he could only be considered an initiate for the latter two.

But Wu Yuan understood that his foundation lay in the Celestial Body Dao.

No matter which Lesser Law simulation he chose to experience, it would easily lead to an imbalance in the progress of the three laws, affecting the Celestial Body Dao.

On the contrary, experiencing the Celestial Body Dao simulation could promote the simultaneous progression of the three Lesser Laws.

"Very well," the white-robed old man agreed without objection, maintaining his amiable demeanor. "I observed that you specialize in the Celestial Body Dao during your battles in the one-star tower. Would you like to choose the Celestial Body Dao?"

“Yes,” Wu Yuan nodded affirmatively.

"All right. Enter the Dao Temple. You will naturally understand," the white-robed old man gestured towards the ancient temple in the distance.

With a loud rumble, the gates opened. Countless rays of light shone out from behind, so dazzling that Wu Yuan could hardly open his eyes.

Following that, with a mere flick of the old man’s hand, Wu Yuan was effortlessly hoisted into the air and sent straight into the temple.

Then, the gates closed shut, looking the same as before, as though nothing had ever happened.

Whoosh! The elder in white robes gestured once more, conjuring a colossal light screen.

Within the radiant screen, a multitude of names appeared, their intricately written characters spanning the width of the screen.

Among them was the following: “Li Xia of the Silvermist Immortal Nation. Requirements for second-tier elite status met. Eligible for recruitment into the divine court headquarters.”

A moment later, the light screen vanished.

...

As Wu Yuan stepped into the Dao Temple, he found himself bathed in a glowing light that captivated his entire being, leaving no room for any other thoughts to intrude.

Of course, only his qi-refining self was truly lost in this ethereal experience, while his body-refining self, in the distant Middle Land, still maintained a thread of awareness amidst the strange enchantment.

A resonant hum filled the air, and Wu Yuan felt as though he had been transported to the vast cosmos.

A brilliant star hung in outer space, pulsing with the majestic, never-ending fluctuations of the Dao.

A star? Wu Yuan pondered. The purpose of his presence in this place had disappeared from his mind.

Driven by an inexplicable urge, he drew closer to the radiant star, only to witness a dazzling sword light streaking across the space above.

The sight of it stirred a wellspring of profundities within him, flooding his thoughts.

What a profound strike. Wu Yuan breathed. The depth of the Dao’s profundity contained within this sword art seems shallow, yet it holds the power to stir one’s heart.

An overwhelming wave of emotion threatened to engulf him, and his eyes welled up with tears.

Before he had time to continue pondering, another brilliant stream of sword light flew from the star.