The morning sun burned like a golden orb, swallowing the horizon. Above it, the clear azure sky stretched out, a fragile barrier protecting humanity from the might of the gods.
Atop the highest peak of the Lower Realm, a young man in black and white robes stood looking out. From here, the terrain stretched as far as the eye could see.
His red eyes gazed through the very fabric of the realm. To him, the world was just paper, ready to be read at will. The air around him grew perfectly still, bowing to his mere presence.
He was Luo Fan, Young Master of the Luo Clan's Main Branch from the Pinnacle of All Realms.
'I have remained secluded for almost a decade. This is the first time I have come out,' he thought. 'The Lower Realm and the Supreme Boundless Origin Realm are so different. In the Supreme Boundless Origin Realm, the Supreme Origin Law flows denser than the air we breathe. Here, there is only a faint trace of elemental law.'
'I should just go to the Slave family. The Family Head from the Upper Realm told me about it first.'
'Primal Sword Sect and Divine Demonic Land.'
"Ancestor Twelve, lead me to the Primal Sword Sect first," Luo Fan spoke up. His voice was calm, yet it carried an undeniable weight.
Behind Luo Fan, space and time did not even fluctuate. Yet, a figure slowly emerged.
It was a man who looked no older than twenty-five, in the prime of his life. He was the Twelfth Ancestor of the Luo Clan's Upper Realm Branch, Luo Lang.
Luo Lang bowed deeply toward Luo Fan. With a skillful wave of his hand, he tore open a space-time portal. It was so precise that not a single ripple of energy disturbed the air.
Meanwhile, at the Primal Sword Sect.
At the entrance gate, countless rogue cultivators of various backgrounds waited for the once-in-ten-years recruitment examination. The Primal Sword Sect was the number one sect in the entire realm.
The crowd was a sea of noise and anticipation. The masses ranged from true beggar cultivators to the princes and princesses of imperial dynasties. It was the only time people from so many different backgrounds stood on the same level.
"Isn't this the famous young miss of the Su Clan?"
The Third Prince of the Imperial Dynasty looked toward Su Qingxuan, speaking mockingly.
The people around slowly turned their gazes between the Third Prince and Su Qingxuan, expecting an interesting scene. Whispers rippled through the crowd.
"Is that Su Qingxuan?"
"It should be her."
"Isn't the Third Prince Su Qingxuan's fiancé?"
"No, I heard the Third Prince's people spread rumors and tried to force the Su Clan to submit to him and hand over Su Qingxuan. But she flatly refused. She even told everyone she would never like a guy like the Third Prince."
"I see. That is why he is openly targeting Su Qingxuan. They have such a history."
Su Qingxuan didn't turn back. She hadn't shown the slightest interest in the Third Prince before, and she certainly didn't now. Her posture remained perfectly straight, completely ignoring him.
"Su Qingxuan, you dare not respond to me?"
The Third Prince was not a calm or patient man. Su Qingxuan not even giving him a glance made him feel looked down upon. His face flushed with anger.
More gazes landed on the Third Prince, who was now the loudest person in the square. A few people nearby suppressed their smiles.
'How dare this bitch,' he thought. 'Even her father needs to bow to me, but now she doesn't even look at me. It's like I'm just some air.'
"You..."
Before the Third Prince could step forward to confront Su Qingxuan, a loud bell echoed throughout the sect.
An old man in white robes floated in the sky. He appeared with a speed that not a single person could track. The air grew heavy under his presence. Several candidates in the front row took an involuntary step back.
"I am Outer Elder Xiao. Full name Xiaogang. I will be the one who judges and conducts the evaluation."
"The names will be called shortly. You will come up one by one, touch the evaluating stone, and it will show your talent level."
As he finished speaking, he vanished into thin air. The sheer dominating aura he left behind made a deep impression on every candidate.
An Outer Elder of the Primal Sword Sect could be the Sect Leader or Ancestor of some other sects. It could be said that the Primal Sword Sect would be the number one sect forever.
The Third Prince then turned his gaze back to Su Qingxuan.
"Su Qingxuan, if you keep ignoring me like this, your father will be in a lot of trouble, you know."
Su Qingxuan heard that, and her hand slowly formed a fist.
'Even though he was born with the Emperor Bloodline, he surely acts like a spoiled brat,' she thought. 'He is more suited to be a thug than a Prince.'
"Do you really think if you join the Primal Sword Sect, you will escape my grasp?"
Then, one of the female rogue cultivators spoke up.
"What are you barking about, disturbing other people? Do you have no manners at all?"
The Third Prince turned towards the voice quickly, and his face turned ugly.
"Sister, what are you doing here?"
That rogue female cultivator was the Ninth Princess of the Imperial Empire, and the one the Emperor adored the most.
"Third Brother, what are you talking about? I'm here for the recruitment."
"It seems like you are harassing Lady Su. Are you trying to make your name as the number one harasser?"
Shortly after, the line moved forward. Group by group, they approached the Evaluation Stone. Most of them didn't even meet the minimum baseline, but some with an Earth Level Spirit Root were accepted as Labor Disciples.
Then it was the Third Prince's turn. He walked to the platform, raised his hand with confidence, and rested it on the stone tablet.
The stone shined, and words carved into it appeared.
'Top Tier Earth Spirit Root'
"Outer Disciple, go get your badge and receive your uniform later," Elder Xiao announced.
The surrounding crowd looked at the stone tablet and couldn't help but praise.
"As expected of the Third Prince."
"Even a Top Tier Earth Spirit Root only deserves to be an Outer Disciple. The Primal Sword Sect truly deserves to be the Number One Sect."
Then it was the Ninth Princess's turn. She didn't move arrogantly like the Third Prince, but with the elegance of nobility and royalty. She didn't look down on the commoners, but the aura of a ruler was impossible to conceal.
As she touched the stone tablet, the stone didn't just slowly glow. It instantly lit up and displayed the words.
'Mid Tier Heaven Spirit Root'
"Inner Disciple, go get your badge and receive your uniform later," Elder Xiao announced.
The surrounding crowd looked at the stone tablet and gasped in awe.
"The Ninth Princess surely lives up to her status. Well, it even exceeds our expectations."
"Who would have thought that the lovely Ninth Princess holds such a terrifying spiritual root?"
The Third Prince didn't look happy or jealous on the outside, but in his heart, jealousy was eating him. He never compared himself with his Ninth Sister before, since she was just a spoiled sister who acted like she was the saint of the human world. But in reality, she could be as cruel and calculating as a demon.
He was the only one who knew that side of the Ninth Princess, since she saw him as no threat. That terrified him a lot. But aside from her terrifying nature that was impossible to see through, he never expected her to have this kind of cultivation talent.
Then, after a few other people who didn't pass the bare minimum baseline, it was Su Qingxuan's turn.
She took a step and rested her hand on the stone tablet.
A few seconds passed. Nothing happened.
Su Qingxuan didn't panic on the outside. However, inside she felt an overwhelming sense of disappointment and panic. She didn't expect this result at all.
The Third Prince laughed a little in his heart.
'This Su Qingxuan acts all cold and mighty, but doesn't even have a spiritual root?'
Just as Elder Xiao was about to announce the result, a transmission came from the deep part of the Sect, making him stop for a second.
"Su Qingxuan, go straight to the Sect Master Hall."
No one dared to speak. The entire square fell into a stunned silence. Faces turned pale with confusion.
'It's too unreasonable. She didn't even show a spiritual root.'
No one could understand Elder Xiao's actions.
Meanwhile, inside the Sect Leader Hall.
Luo Fan sat on the Sect Leader's seat. The Ancestor, Sect Leader, Core Elders, and Inner Elders present were all sitting in lower seats. They kept their heads bowed, not daring to meet his red eyes.
"This girl Su Qingxuan has talent beyond this world, and even has a bloodline that exceeds this realm. Either her mother or father must have origin from the Upper Realm."
'As well as her Primal Yin Body that when cultivated to the extreme, its can stop even time. This kind of talent is rare even in the Upper Realm, or even in any realm above. It is not easy to find such a complete Primal Yin Body.'