Wildflowers covered the ground, swaying in the wind like a field of shattered stars twinkling in the air.
There was nothing special about the spot where Feng Qiyuan stood. Even if he turned and casually shifted his feet, the scenery before him would not change much.
Feng Qiyuan glanced at the six people, who now had sweat beading on their foreheads. The two youngest boys and the girl were already breathing heavily. A smile touched the corner of his mouth. The foundations of these few were quite good. He had just been walking at a brisk pace.
This was the true entrance to Falling Star Valley. The previous mountain gate was just a facade, although there were formation restrictions there as well, and disciples patrolled it daily. As for the outer valley where the six youths were brought, that was merely a designated area of Falling Star Valley, indicating that it was the true sphere of influence of the sect, and outsiders were not to trespass.
Falling Star Valley itself was very large. It might seem like the six youths had walked for about an hour from the valley entrance to the mountain gate and then to here, but how many cultivators truly walk step by step? Even for a Qi Condensation disciple, with a flying spirit artifact, it would only take a dozen breaths.
'That Tian Denghu and Feng Tao really have solid foundations. Even when I deliberately increased my speed, only the two of them and the one named Zhang Ming managed to keep their breathing from becoming too chaotic. Especially that Feng Tao, she's a Heaven Spirit Root. In the sect, it seems only Senior Brother Wu Yuandao among the core disciples has a Heaven Spirit Root. I've never heard of this girl before. Her family must have treasured her, only revealing her now.'
Feng Qiyuan thought to himself, his gaze lingering a moment longer on the stout youth and the slightly older girl. As for Li Yan, who was using the alias Zhang Ming, he was ignored. At eighteen or nineteen, he was already a young man. Although he was at the fourth layer of Qi Condensation, with his four-element Profound Spirit Root, it was estimated that reaching Foundation Establishment in this life was hopeless. He had a lifespan of only a hundred years.
While Feng Qiyuan was lost in thought, his hands moved swiftly. He had already taken out a light blue, four-pointed star-shaped object from his robes and waved it towards the empty space in front of him.
As he swung his arm, the calm space in front of him suddenly twisted slightly, and then a semi-transparent, man-high barrier appeared. From Li Yan's group's perspective, the scenery on the hillside behind the barrier was mapped onto it, appearing somewhat blurry and distorted. The wild grasses and flowers on the ground were still swaying, looking extremely unreal.
These few were from cultivation families and small sects, so they had seen formations before. When Feng Qiyuan had stopped here, they had already guessed what was happening. But such an ingenious barrier... if someone hadn't brought them here, they estimated that even the elders of their own families and sects might not be able to find the entrance. They couldn't help but feel amazed.
Li Yan hadn't seen the existence of the barrier before either; he had only made a guess. Now, he too couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
'Falling Star Valley truly deserves its reputation as a great artifact refining sect. Their attainments in the dao of formations are already very profound. If I had come searching alone, my chances of finding the entrance would not have exceeded thirty percent.'
Moreover, Li Yan observed that the spot where Feng Qiyuan stood had no markings on the entire hillside. It was as if he had randomly chosen a spot among the wildflowers to stand. If he were to be forced by someone to find the entrance, even if Feng Qiyuan claimed he was tired and needed to rest after arriving, it wouldn't arouse suspicion. The enemy would at most be on alert for their surroundings, wary of a sudden ambush, while he could vanish without a trace in an instant.
At the same time, from Feng Qiyuan taking out the light-blue, four-pointed star-shaped object, he also discerned something else. It seemed that the cultivation resources of cultivators on the Forsaken Continent were not that abundant. At the very least, this cultivator, who was already at the ninth layer of Qi Condensation, still didn't have a storage-type magical treasure. That star-shaped object was likely the sect's keepsake token, and he could only carry it in his robes.
Seeing the somewhat astonished expressions on the faces of the few, Feng Qiyuan felt a sense of pride. No matter if you all came from immortal cultivation sects, you've never seen a sect-protecting grand formation's entrance barrier like this.
He spoke in a deliberately cool tone.
"Alright, all of you, follow me in."
As Feng Qiyuan's voice fell, he had already taken the lead, stepping into the mottled and distorted entrance. His entire person vanished in an instant.
After Li Yan was the last to enter, the distorted space on the hillside immediately disappeared, leaving only the field of wild grasses and flowers, gently swaying in the wind.
Inside the barrier entrance, seeing that Zhang Ming had also finally entered, Feng Qiyuan put away the four-pointed star token in his hand.
What met Li Yan's eyes was a spacious valley surrounded by mountains on three sides. On either side of them, for about five or six li, the ground was relatively flat, and then behind that, they were enclosed by high mountains. Li Yan and the others were standing at the foot of a mountain. Behind them was a steep, towering mountain with no exit. Li Yan and the others were in a valley.
Facing them below were courtyards of various sizes, some near and some far, appearing in the valley. These courtyards were separated by a considerable distance, scattered and dotting the valley near and far, like stars in the sky.
Although Li Yan and the others were standing at the foot of the mountain behind them, they were still much higher than the valley floor. Looking up, they had a sense of looking down. The peaks on both sides of the valley were about twelve or thirteen li apart, but the deeper into the valley, the wider it became, like a horizontally lying gourd with a small mouth and a large belly. But as it extended further in, the terrain of the valley gradually rose. Without using Divine Sense to scan, just relying on the naked eye, it was impossible to see where the other end of the valley was or how far it was.
Feng Qiyuan no longer spoke and walked straight ahead. While continuously observing their surroundings, Li Yan and the others hurriedly followed.
Li Yan had already sensed that as soon as the seven of them entered, three powerful Divine Senses from within the valley had immediately locked onto them. These Divine Senses carefully scanned everyone except Feng Qiyuan from top to bottom before quietly retracting. From the Divine Senses, Li Yan could tell that these were three Foundation Establishment cultivators: two at the initial stage and one at the mid-stage.
No one came forward to question them upon their entry, but it was clear that security here was tight, though it appeared relaxed on the surface. For a second-rate sect to have three Foundation Establishment experts guarding the entrance at all times was quite strict.
Although Li Yan didn't use his Divine Sense to probe, he already knew that these three Divine Senses came from the depths of the valley. Over there, the auras of many cultivators emanated; that should be the true core of the sect.
Soon, Feng Qiyuan led the five of them to a courtyard in front. The courtyard gate was not closed. After Feng Qiyuan stopped, he turned slightly to the side and said to Li Yan and the other four.
"Wait here. Do not wander around. Don't be fooled by the tranquility here. If you wander carelessly, you might trigger a restriction or mechanism. At best, you'll be injured; at worst, you could be killed instantly."
After speaking, without looking at them again, he walked directly into the courtyard ahead, leaving the few youths behind, looking around with a mixture of curiosity and fear.
At this moment, three people were already standing in the courtyard. As Feng Qiyuan entered, the three of them immediately stopped their conversation and looked up at him.
One of them, a young woman with ordinary looks, spoke softly.
"Qiyuan, you're back so soon. How did your secret test of them go?"
Feng Qiyuan hurriedly stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
"Greetings, Master. Greetings, two Martial Uncles."
The other two were men who appeared to be only twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. One was short and stout, his muscles like chunks of rock. He wore a sleeveless short shirt, seemingly made from the fur of some demonic beast, which bulged from his sturdy frame. The other was tall and slender, his complexion somewhat pale, and he stood with his hands behind his back.
Both of them smiled and waved their hands, indicating that Feng Qiyuan didn't need to be so polite.
After straightening up, Feng Qiyuan continued.
"Among the six this time, five possess both fire and wood spirit roots. The other one, although lacking fire and wood spirit roots, has a three-element Earth Spirit Root, so his aptitude is excellent. Among the other five, one is a wood, metal, and earth three-element Earth Spirit Root at the fifth layer of Qi Condensation, named Tian Denghu, a disciple from Tian Family Fort. There's also a young girl named Feng Tao, who surprisingly has a fire and earth two-element Heaven Spirit Root. She is a genius from the Feng family of Yin Tomb Mountain. I've never heard of this girl before, but she was sent to the sect this time, perhaps in the hopes that she would one day soar like a phoenix from its nest."
Having said this, Feng Qiyuan paused, seeing no need to introduce the others in detail.
"Hehe, of those who are sent here, how many don't dream of soaring like a phoenix or a dragon? I just didn't expect a peerless genius with a Heaven Spirit Root to appear this year," the pale-faced man said with a light laugh.
"A fire and earth two-element... well, that's great then. None of you need to fight me for her. Let her join my tutelage. She's the best seedling for an artifact refiner."
The man who was as sturdy as a small mountain immediately spoke up.
"Senior Brother Zhang, what's wrong with her being an alchemist with a fire attribute? A dominant fire spirit root would allow for even better control over the heat of the alchemy furnace," the ordinary-looking young woman said with a light laugh.
"Junior Sister Shen, you're mistaken there. She doesn't have wood spirit power, so her sensitivity to herbs will be much weaker. I think it's best she directly joins my tutelage," the sturdy man retorted with a pout.
"Alright, alright, you two. I think we should let them come in and have a look first. Except for the disciple without fire and wood spirit roots, the others still need to make their own choices. Otherwise, if they've already laid a relevant foundation in their families, wouldn't it be a waste? Even that youth from Tian Family Fort, he controls fire with wood spirit power, and his fire carries a vibrant life force. This is a great advantage for artifact refining as well; he could definitely do it."
The pale-faced man waved his hand, signaling for Feng Qiyuan to go out and bring the people in.
Feng Qiyuan was somewhat surprised. He wasn't surprised that the elders were fighting over disciples; that was common when new disciples joined the sect. It was just his Master's and the other two's turn this time. Other Foundation Establishment martial uncles would have to wait their turn. As for whether they could get a good disciple, that depended on luck.
What surprised Feng Qiyuan was that he had already stated that Feng Tao was a Heaven Spirit Root disciple. According to the sect's rules, such a disciple could not be easily accepted by a Foundation Establishment martial uncle; the Sect Master had to personally decide, or even take her as his own disciple.
"Martial Uncle, that Feng Tao is a Heaven Spirit Root..."
Confused, Feng Qiyuan reminded them again, wondering if they had gotten carried away with excitement.
This time, the ordinary-looking young woman frowned.
"Didn't you hear Martial Uncle Zhu tell you to bring them in? Hurry up!" she chided softly.
Feng Qiyuan was taken aback and didn't dare to ask any more questions. He quickly walked towards the door, muttering to himself inwardly.
'They heard me clearly, didn't they? Have the sect rules changed this year? Are Heaven Spirit Roots not considered anything special now, to be casually taken as disciples by anyone?'