The Hundred Candidates

Ji Ning swept his gaze across his surroundings. Over the past month or so, the various Immortal cultivators had been quietly meditating inside their stone or wooden huts. To them… a month of secluded cultivation was an extremely simple affair. As a result, during this past month, he truly hadn’t seen many cultivators at all!

“One hundred people!” Ji Ning’s glance swept across the area, and he found that there were precisely one hundred figures in total.

Ji Ning then turned his gaze forward.

There were three figures standing in front, looking at Ji Ning and the other hundred-plus Immortal cultivators who wished to join the Yinglong Guard.

The leader of these three was an silver-haired, black-robed elder exuding an aura of killing and death. As his gaze swept across them, even Ji Ning felt a formless pressure. It was as if a black dragon were looking down upon a group of ants.

“An Immortal!” Ji Ning thought to himself.

The silver-haired, black-robed elder’s gaze was like the flash of saber-light, causing everyone’s heart to tremble. He spoke in a cold voice: “The batch of one hundred Immortal cultivators has been assembled. You can now head to the Mount Yujue Wasteland.”

Ji Ning and the other hundred listened carefully.

“You are not yet Yinglong Guards,” the silver-haired elder continued coldly. “That is why you were made to stay in this desolate place. Once you truly become Yinglong Guards… you will naturally be able to enter the heartlands of the Crimson Dragon Mountains.”

As he spoke, the silver-haired elder pointed into the distance at the other peaks of the Crimson Dragon Mountains.

“That… is where true Yinglong Guards reside. My Crimson Dragon Mountains are not a place for pleasure. They lack the bustle and excitement of Anchan City. All that exists here is endless tranquility,” the silver-haired elder stated calmly. “Those who are dedicated to cultivation generally occupy a cave estate on the Crimson Dragon Mountains and focus on their training. Right now, there are over twenty Immortals cultivating here in the Crimson Dragon Mountains!”

Upon hearing these words, Ji Ning and the other hundred cultivators all felt their hearts clench.

As expected, the Yinglong Guard truly was one of the two major hegemons of the Anchan Commandery!

Over twenty Immortals?

Ji Ning and Mu Northson were from the Black-White College, which ranked third. And yet, they still felt the immense gap in power. Although the College had several Immortals… here in the Yinglong Guard, there were over twenty just cultivating. This was not even counting the Immortals who could be called in for support from all across the Grand Xia Dynasty at any moment.

“Occasionally, even Celestial Immortals come from the Imperial Capital to give lectures to the Yinglong Guards,” the silver-haired elder’s eyes swept across them. “In terms of combat power, this Yinglong Guard headquarters is fully capable of rivaling the Beishan clan of Anchan. In terms of heritage, the Yinglong Guard far surpasses the Beishan clan of Anchan.”

“If you enter the Yinglong Guard, you will have access to divine abilities, secret arts, and you might even be able to go to the Grand Xia Dynasty’s core, the ‘Imperial Capital’, to train and study at the Yinglong Guard’s main headquarters. None of this is impossible.”

“All of this…”

“Requires that you first become Yinglong Guards!”

The silver-haired, black-robed elder stood there, upright as a mountain, his voice rumbling and stirring the hearts of every listener. “And now, each of you will tell me your origins and your power. To join the Yinglong Guard, you must meet our minimum requirements. If you can’t even meet that, there’s no need for you to go to the Mount Yujue Wasteland. You can go back.”

Swish!

A bronze mirror suddenly rose into the air, hovering high above.

“State your origins and power clearly. If any of you dares to lie, you will be killed without mercy. You.” The silver-haired elder pointed to the black-bearded young man at the very edge, and the bronze mirror began to shine upon him.

The black-bearded young man immediately said, “Fissure Sword Sect, Ki Refining, Wanxiang Adept (mid-stage), Bu Ziyang!”

“Mm.” The silver-haired elder nodded. “Next.”

“Donghe Clan, Ki Refining, Wanxiang Adept (late-stage), Donghe Feiyun.”

…

One by one, the Immortal cultivators began to announce their origins and power. If they wanted to join the Yinglong Guard, the Guard naturally had to know their basic information. By knowing their origins and names… with the Yinglong Guard’s intelligence network, they could easily obtain detailed information.

No one dared to lie.

Lying in front of an Immortal of the Yinglong Guard was suicide.

“You.” The silver-haired elder pointed at Mu Northson.

Mu Northson said, “Black-White College, Ki Refining, Wanxiang Adept (mid-stage), Mu Northson.”

“The Black-White College?”

“The Black-White College sent disciples as well?”

Immediately, the other Immortal cultivators took note of Mu Northson. Although there were many among them from top-tier sects and even some from super clans on the same level as the Black-White College, those super clans and sects had a vast number of disciples. Only the Black-White College, whenever a disciple came out, it was certain to be an unparalleled genius. None of them were easy to deal with.

“You.” The silver-haired elder pointed at Ji Ning.

“Black-White College, dual cultivation of body and Ki. Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens, the ninth layer. Ji Ning,” Ji Ning said directly.

The silver-haired elder shot Ji Ning a surprised look.

Even an Immortal was surprised, so naturally the other Immortal cultivators were utterly astonished. They were all extremely amazed. To join the Yinglong Guard… one generally had to be at least a Wanxiang Adept to meet the minimum threshold. Of course, there was an exception for those who cultivated the legendary number one Fiendgod Body Refining technique, the Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens. If they did, merely being at the Zifu Disciple level was enough.

However, this situation was quite rare. None of them expected to see someone today who had cultivated the Crimsonbright Diagram all the way to the ninth layer.

“The ninth layer of the Crimsonbright Diagram is equivalent to early-stage Wanxiang Adept level for an ordinary Fiendgod Body Refiner. With the use of divine abilities, his strength won’t be weak either, and he is from the Black-White College after all.”

“Too reckless. At best, he’s only equivalent to an early-stage Wanxiang Adept. He didn’t mention his Ki Refining, so it clearly hasn’t reached the Wanxiang level. His Ki Refining is weak, and his body refining barely counts. But once he’s surrounded, the enemy can just kill him from a distance,” the Immortal cultivators thought to themselves.

Those who dared to come and try to join the Yinglong Guard were all quite confident. They were considered elites.

…

“Mm…” The silver-haired, black-robed elder activated the bronze mirror above, shining it on Ji Ning. After a long moment, he slowly nodded. “The ninth layer, indeed.”

“Next.” The silver-haired, black-robed elder looked at another person.

Just then, a voice suddenly rang out in Ji Ning’s mind: “You’re called Ji Ning? The Crimsonbright Diagram has been known as the recognized number one technique since the Fiendgod Era. It has quite a few special qualities. Once you join the Yinglong Guard, you’ll find out how to bring out the full combat power of your Fiendgod body. You need to come back alive from the Mount Yujue Wasteland. Actually, it would be best if you reached the tenth or eleventh layer before going to the Mount Yujue Wasteland. Then, it would be absolutely safe.”

The silver-haired, black-robed elder also glanced at Ji Ning.

Ji Ning understood… it was the Immortal of the Yinglong Guard who was transmitting to him. Ji Ning smiled at the Immortal but had no hesitation whatsoever. His resolve was firm.

“Special?” Ji Ning pondered. “Back in the aquatic palace, that yellow-furred bear also said my Fiendgod body was perfect. Enough to cultivate the divine ability left by Daoist Threelives, ‘Starseizing Hand’. And this Crimsonbright Diagram has been recognized as number one since the Fiendgod Era, and it is so widely spread that it is easy to obtain. Even my Ji Clan had the entire first volume and the first nine layers of cultivation content!”

Ji Ning sensed…

There must be an extremely large force promoting the Crimsonbright Diagram. This technique had been recognized long ago, and the Grand Xia Dynasty was only established at the end of the Fiendgod Era. The technique existed before the Grand Xia Dynasty… yet it was actively promoted by the Dynasty.

“There must be some reason for this,” Ji Ning thought. “But there’s no doubt about the technique itself, even the yellow-furred bear praised it. Since the technique itself is fine… I, a mere pawn, can’t do anything about the other reasons for now.”

“This Immortal of the Yinglong Guard said there are some special qualities, that I can only learn how to bring out the full power of my Fiendgod body after joining the Guard?” Ji Ning began to look forward to it.

The Yinglong Guard was the strongest military force directly under the Grand Xia Dynasty.

It was normal for them to have special secret arts.

In terms of heritage…

The Yinglong Guard naturally surpassed the Black-White College countless times over. Even the Marquis of Anchan couldn’t compare to the entire Yinglong Guard.

“You.” The silver-haired elder asked the last cultivator.

The cultivator was wearing a magnificent, golden robe and said respectfully, “Snowdragon Mountain, Ki Refining, Wanxiang Adept (peak), Dong Yi!”

Ji Ning’s ears twitched, and he turned his head to look.

That cultivator happened to be looking at Ji Ning at that very moment.

The gazes of the two met.

“He knows me.” Ji Ning understood immediately from the moment their eyes met.

The cultivator called Dong Yi revealed a smile on his face and even nodded towards Ji Ning. Ji Ning merely glanced at him indifferently, without a trace of a smile. His parents, his uncle… they had all died because of the disciples of Snowdragon Mountain. How could Ji Ning possibly smile when facing a disciple of Snowdragon Mountain?

Ji Ning’s mind raced with thoughts: “Why has this Wanxiang Adept of Snowdragon Mountain come here? Did he just run into me by chance, or did he follow me on purpose?”

He had been in Anchan City before, and Snowdragon Mountain had never had a chance to retaliate.

The moment he left, Snowdragon Mountain came after him?

“Their intelligence shouldn’t be this fast,” Ji Ning thought to himself. “Besides, I’m a disciple of the Black-White College, and a personal disciple of an Immortal. Snowdragon Mountain shouldn’t be that bold. It might indeed be a coincidence.”

…

Soon, everyone had finished stating their origins and power.

The silver-haired, black-robed elder waved his hand, and streaks of light flew out, flying directly towards each person.

Ji Ning reached out and caught one. It was a talisman.

“This is a talisman,” the silver-haired, black-robed elder said. “Refine it, and you will be able to enter the heartlands of my Crimson Dragon Mountains. The grand teleportation array that leads to the ‘Mount Yujue Wasteland’ is located within the heartlands. Without refining this talisman, the protective formation of my Crimson Dragon Mountains will not allow you to enter.”

Ji Ning and the others did not hesitate. All of them refined the talisman.

“Let’s go.” A large amount of mist and clouds appeared around the silver-haired, black-robed elder, carrying Ji Ning and the others.

However, the great beasts and spirit-beasts brought by the Immortal cultivators were all left behind on the ground.

“The trial to enter the Yinglong Guard must be done by yourselves. None of these spirit-beasts are permitted to enter the Mount Yujue Wasteland,” the silver-haired, black-robed elder said. “Let them wait here for now. If you return alive, you can come looking for them.”

Ji Ning stood on the clouds. He turned his head to look down at the Whitewater Hound below.

“Uncle White. Wait for me.” Ji Ning sent a mental message.

“Be careful.” The Whitewater Hound also looked up at Ji Ning.

Immediately, the silver-haired, black-robed elder led the group of Immortal cultivators, riding the clouds and mist as they quickly flew into the distance. Soon, they flew deep into the heartlands of the distant Crimson Dragon Mountains.