Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

The next day.

Qiu Changtian continued to bring Junior Sister Xu along. The two of them flew around the heaven pillar with sword lights revolving around them as they chatted and laughed. They were extremely content.

Guan Zhan, who was on the Kunlun Path to Heaven below, had been running on the mountain road for an entire day and night. He was already exhausted.

On the day of the Mountain Opening, before ascending the mountain, Kunlun Sect gave everyone a mountain climbing token. It had the effect of making the carrier feel no hungry.

However, even though he did not need to eat or drink, during the long climb up the mountain, it was inevitable that he would suffer physical and mental torture.

When he reached the 90,000th step, he saw Yan Zhitui chasing after him.

Shocked, Guan Zhan forcefully increased his speed.

Running and stopping like this was harder than walking at normal speed.

When he reached the last dozen steps of the 100,000 steps, Guan Zhan finally ran out of energy and accidentally fell onto the stone steps, still forcefully climbing upwards.

Yan Zhi watched from behind but didn’t take the opportunity to overpass him.

Although he did not look tired, he was still a mortal after all. At this moment, his limbs were already moving like lead.

It was just that he had been taught from a young age to be a gentleman, so no matter how tired he was, he could not lose his composure. Therefore, he forced himself to keep a normal expression.

In the end, Guan Zhan finally reached the finish line. He was only three ranks ahead of Yan Zhi.

He was sprawled on the ground, his chest heaving up and down. He did not even have the strength to turn over.

Yan Zhifei calmly lifted his foot and walked past him, sitting down on a nearby rock to rest.

After a short while, a red sword light flew over.

Xu Yinglian pressed down the sword light and glanced at Guan Zhan, who was lying on the ground, then looked at Yan Zhitui, who was sitting on a rock. She said coldly, “The two of you have already completed the path to heaven. You can rest here for a while. Later, there will be a disciple who will guide the two of you to attend the ceremony.”

Guan Zhan raised his head and said weakly, “You guys go ahead, I still need to rest.”

“You have to go now.” Xu Yinglian frowned and said, “After the ceremony is the disciple recruitment event.”

“You need to choose the Kunlun Elder who is willing to accept you as a disciple according to the order of finishing the Path to Heaven.”

Guan Zhan shook his head and said, “I’m the first one this time. According to the sect rules, I should be the chief disciple of this generation. What else can I choose?”

Xu Yinglian sneered.

“The 280th generation’s chief disciple is Senior Qiu Changtian, and has nothing to do with you.”

“What!?” Guan Zhan cried out. Even his voice became shrill. “But I.. I’m clearly the champion this time! Who is Qiu Changtian?!”

“Senior Brother finished the Path to Heaven on foot long before the Mountain-Opening Day, so the Sect Master appointed him as the Chief Disciple of this generation,” Xu Yinglian said coldly. “If you’re not convinced, you can also ascend the mountain on a day other than the Mountain-Opening Day.”

Guan Zhan was lying on the ground in rage, cursing something.

On the other hand, Yan Zhitui was deep in thought and asked, “Senior Sister, I remember that on the day when the Kunlun Path to Heaven wasn’t opened, from the 85,000th step up, there were winds of calamity from beyond the heavens. The color was like nothing, the smell was like aroma, the sharpness was like a blade, the keenness was like an awl, and there was even the sound of a demon’s soul corroding.”

“That Senior Brother Qiu was only a mortal body at that time, right? Even with the mountain climbing token on him, he didn’t know how to control it. The moment he had the slightest desire to enter the demonic path, that disaster wind would enter the mind, skewering his bones, until it surged into the meridian, turning his entire body into feather threads, and he would pass away with the wind.”

“You’re right.” Xu Yinglian turned his gaze over and nodded indifferently. “However, Senior Brother Qiu has the peerless talent of ‘Enlightened Dao Heart’. What’s so strange about being able to complete the path to heaven on the non-mountain opening day?”

“Enlightened Dao Heart?” Guan Zhan immediately became stunned when he heard this. Yan Zhitui also sucked in a cold breath of air. It was clear that he understood the weight of these words.

That was an unparalleled cultivation talent! According to ancient records, it was hard to find one in ten thousand years!

Seeing that both of them were at a loss for words, Xu Yinglian felt a sense of satisfaction in her heart.

In the past, she had been bullied by her senior brother for his peerless talent. She felt extremely aggrieved, but now, she used her senior brother’s name to intimidate these newbies.

In next to no time, the path to heaven closed once more.

Those who failed to reach the peak of the heaven pillar before the end were sent out of Kunlun by the mountain-protecting array formation.

At this point, there were a total of 323 people who successfully completed the path to the heavens. 107 of them became inner court disciples, and 216 became outer court disciples.

Apart from Qiu Changtian and Xu Yinglian, the seven spots of Sect Master Polestar were coincidentally occupied by the top five disciples among those who had successfully ascended the mountain this time. It could be seen just how great the allure of the Nine Heavens Clarity Entering Enlightenment Mantra was.

Qiu Changtian had also participated in the disciple recruitment event. The five disciples who had chosen to become disciples of the Kunlun Sect’s Leader were:

Longyou Guan Clan, Guan Zhan.

White Deer Cave Academy, Yan Zhitui.

Guangling Chen Clan, Chen Zhen.

Nanyang Zhong Family, Zhong Tianhuai.

Qingzhou Jian Clan, Jian Qingnan.

Among them, the Longyou Guan Family had been sword immortals for generations. White Deer Cave Academy was a sacred land of Confucianism.

The Chen Family of Guangling and the Zhong Family of Nanyang both had a small cultivation sect with many disciples.

The Jian family of Qingzhou was always talented in calculating. The head of this generation was a master of divination.

From this, it could be seen that these five junior brothers and sisters were actually all second-generation immortals..

Qiu Changtian sighed and began to think in his heart.

The phenomenon of inner sect disciples being occupied by cultivation clans had to be traced back to the source of the dispute between the Chan Sect and the Jie Sect.

The ancient Chan Sect emphasized teaching according to one’s talents.

The so-called ‘Chan’ was the meaning of ‘expounding’ according to aptitude.

The result of this was that the sect of Chan Sect would only take in disciples with great talent. They thought that one would not be able to cultivate immortality if one did not have the talent.

Now that the Chan Sect was already separated into three parts, they still maintained such sect customs.

The Taiqing Sect of Kunlun tested one’s temperament. The Shangqing Sect of Mount Shu focused on one’s roots, while the Yuqing Temple of Penglai focused on one’s comprehension.

As for the aptitude for cultivation, how could the commoner disciples who had nothing compare to the disciples of cultivation families who had fed Heavenly Treasures from a young age and had the guidance of famous teachers?

The result was that the ascending path was completely controlled by the aristocratic descendants.

On the other hand, the ancient Jie Sect emphasized “teaching without discrimination”. Regardless of whether one’s aptitude was good or bad, one could cultivate it. It could be considered as bringing hope to the disciples of the commoners.

In the end, the disciples of the sect were extremely different in the talent, and it was even to the extent that for the sake of avoiding the lack of natural endowments, they’d invented all sorts of unorthodox methods like sacrificial streams, blood consumption streams, nourishment streams, and so on and so forth, causing their reputation to be utterly ruined.

Putting aside the historical background, there were now four junior brothers and a junior sister. Furthermore, they were all second-generation immortals. They were probably people with high aspirations.

He had to think of a way to show off and establish his might.. No, he had to educate them well and nurture them into obedient and sensible juniors like Junior Sister Xu.

Qiu Changtian turned to look at Xu Yinglian.

Junior Sister Xu is really cute. I have to tease her again!

“Why are you looking at me?” Xu Yinglian was puzzled. “You’re the chief disciple of this generation now. Your words and actions must be dignified. Don’t look around.”

“Junior Sister is willing to recognize me as the Chief Disciple?” Qiu Changtian asked with surprise.

“I can’t accept this!” Xu Yinglian said angrily, “Sooner or later, I will defeat you and take this chief disciple position!”