Chapter 186: Self-examination
"You two, follow me!" Li Yuan Ba had waited for about two hours before a Foundation Establishment Cultivator emerged, glanced at both of them, and spoke in a deep voice.
The Foundation Establishment Cultivator didn't use any spells or magic artifacts but simply walked ahead, which forced Li Yuan Ba and the youth to follow closely behind.
"Before you are officially inducted, you cannot use any spells or magic artifacts within the mountain gate, leave the designated area, or engage in fights. Those who dare to violate this command will die!" the Senluo Sect's Foundation Establishment Cultivator stated indifferently.
They walked for roughly four hours before finally arriving at a simple house that they hadn't even reached the twelve peaks, being just at the foot of the mountain.
"This is where you will stay. Handle the sect induction matters in ten days!" After issuing this instruction, the Senluo Sect's Foundation Establishment Cultivator left.
Li Yuan Ba approached the house, which was a large single room of about three hundred square meters and seemed rather spacious.
But inside, there were quite a few cultivators seated. He counted, including himself, there were as many as thirty-eight cultivators.
The majority of them were Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and even the youth from before was at the Foundation Establishment Stage, with only a very few Qi Refining Cultivators among them.
Li Yuan Ba felt that the Senluo Order might not be as precious as he had thought, as each cultivator here had one in their possession.
"Oh, new faces have arrived!" A thin-faced Foundation Establishment Cultivator said with a smile.
Li Yuan Ba did not pay him any attention and found a spot to sit down.
There was no furniture in the room; thanks to the robust constitution of cultivators and their ability to substitute sleep with meditation, they could endure such conditions.
His bronze mask and the sharp aura he emanated kept the thin-faced Foundation Establishment Cultivator from saying much else to him and instead turned his attention to the youth with the severed arm.
For cultivators, a severed limb was not considered a severe injury, as limb regenerating pills could restore the lost limb, provided they were of the same grade.
However, not to mention the value of the limb regenerating pills, the freshly grown limb would need a long time to match the strength of the original limb.
This could significantly delay a cultivator's practice time, as cultivating their main technique would be less efficient with a severed limb. This is because the main technique requires spiritual power to circulate through the entire body, and missing an arm creates a deficiency in the technique.
"It looks like you were chased quite badly. I have a Second Grade Limb Regeneration Pill here. You only need to give me five hundred contribution points after you join the sect!" the thin-faced Foundation Establishment Cultivator suggested with a smile to the youth. Explore more adventures at My Virtual Library Empire
It was then that Li Yuan Ba realized why this cultivator was behaving this way, as he wanted to capitalize on the youth's new disciple benefits.
"No need!" the youth replied coldly, looking back at Li Yuan Ba with a flash of jealousy in his eyes.
Among the cultivators who entered the room together, Li Yuan Ba was not harassed by the thin-faced Foundation Establishment Cultivator, but he was, and he did not look for the reason within himself.
Seeing that his sales pitch was unsuccessful, the thin-faced Foundation Establishment Cultivator disinterestedly returned to his spot.
In the following ten days, several more cultivators arrived, bringing the number of cultivators in the room up to forty-eight.
At noon on the tenth day, an oppressive presence enveloped the room, and subsequently, a Golden Core cultivator in a black robe appeared in the air outside the room.
The forty-eight cultivators hurriedly left the room and bowed to the Golden Core cultivator in the sky.
"You all possess a Senluo Order. I don't care about your past identities. As long as you pass the upcoming Heart Inquiry phase, you can become disciples of Senluo Sect!" The Golden Core cultivator did not share his name as he declared firmly.
Having dealt with the bearers of the Senluo Order for quite some time, the Golden Core cultivator had grown accustomed to the motives of many of them.
At this moment, he didn't regard these cultivators as disciples of the sect, so naturally, he skipped the introduction phase.
Upon hearing about the Heart Inquiry phase, many of the forty-eight cultivators showed hesitancy in their eyes, but it was too late for them to back out now.
This was the Senluo Sect, one of the most well-known Demon Sects on the Beishu Continent, not a place where one could come and go as they pleased.
The Golden Core cultivator waved his hand grandly, and a medium-sized Flying Boat landed in front of the cultivators.
Since they were forbidden to use any spells or magic artifacts, all the cultivators had to leap onto the Flying Boat using their physical abilities.
The Golden Core cultivator steered the medium-sized Flying Boat towards a mountain peak. With the Flying Boat transporting them, they quickly reached their destination.
This place was a palace, and hanging above it was a signboard that read "Sky Demon Hall."
The Golden Core cultivator waved his hand with a frosty expression, causing the medium-sized Flying Boat to disappear, and the forty-eight cultivators landed on the open space before the Sky Demon Hall.
"Follow me into the Sky Demon Hall!" the Golden Core cultivator instructed as he headed towards the entrance of the Sky Demon Hall.
Li Yuan Ba and the other cultivators entered the Sky Demon Hall. Inside the entrance was a large hall adorned with hundreds of stone tablets, creating an incredibly eerie atmosphere.
Li Yuan Ba, looking up at the ceiling of the hall, saw countless vague figures drifting amongst the clouds, and occasionally, a probing face appeared. Other than its eyes, the face had no other features, and those dark eyes were so eerie they made one's scalp tingle and influenced the mind, making one feel the urge to explore the darkness within them.
He quickly averted his gaze, realizing that if he wasn't vigilant, he might have been pulled in by the darkness.
He reacted swiftly, just like several other cultivators who also observed the ceiling of the hall but were not quick enough to look away.
You couldn't fault these cultivators; they tend to be extremely vigilant about their surroundings, always monitoring everything around them.
This is a good habit, but sometimes it could also be detrimental to a cultivator.