Chapter 47: The Nine-Ring Prodigy

Over the next half-hour, nearly a hundred cultivators stepped forward to test their aptitude one after another. The bell tolls mostly ranged between three and six rings.

When a young girl from a mid-tier family struck the bell five times, her family head wept tears of joy, his face streaming with emotion: "My daughter actually possesses the potential of a Nascent Soul realm cultivator! Our family finally has hope of rising to prominence!"

After all, this meant she had a realistic chance of reaching the Nascent Soul realm in the future, which was more than enough for the clan to establish a firm foothold in the commandery city.

"Is five rings the limit? It seems the standard for six rings is indeed harsh."

Just as the crowd was sighing in admiration, a youth clad in silver armor stepped out from the ranks.

His name was Zhao Hao, the direct descendant of the capital's Zhao family. Since childhood, he had been hailed as having the "natural-born celestial sword bone," and this time he came bearing the heavy expectations of his clan.

He took a deep breath, clenching his fists in secret: I, Zhao Hao, will definitely ring the bell at least six times. I must not shame the Zhao family!

The instant Zhao Hao's palm pressed against the Chaos Bell, the vessel suddenly erupted with a dazzling cyan glow. The resonance of a sword and the peal of the bell rang out simultaneously.

"Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!"

Six bell tolls merged into a continuous wave, sounding like a sharp sword being drawn from its scabbard, sending ripples of spiritual energy surging through the surrounding cultivators.

"Six rings! There's finally a six-ring result!"

"As expected of the Zhao family lad, he is truly extraordinary. With the enhancement of his sword bone, reaching the Deity Transformation realm in the future is well within his grasp!"

An expression of arrogance appeared on Zhao Hao's face. Just as he was about to step forward to express his gratitude, he noticed that the cyan glow on the Chaos Bell had not dissipated. A seventh bell toll suddenly exploded—"Dong!"

This ring was even more resonant than the previous six, condensing into an illusory sword shadow in mid-air!

"Seven rings! It is saintly aptitude! The Mahayana realm awaits!"

The accompanying elder of the Zhao family trembled all over with excitement. Looking at the sword shadow suspended in the air, he muttered to himself: "My Zhao family is about to produce a Mahayana cultivator! With such talent, he will at least become a dominant overlord in the Eastern Region in the future, controlling the cultivation resources of an entire domain!"

Ye Chentian gave a slight nod: "Zhao Hao, join the Outer Sect. Bestowed: fifty thousand low-grade spiritual stones, the Earth-grade lower-tier cultivation manual *Azure Edge Sword Technique*, one hundred first-tier spiritual herbs, and permission to cultivate in the outer perimeter of the spiritual vein for three days every month."

"Hiss—an outer disciple receives rewards of this magnitude?"

A gasp of astonishment erupted from the crowd, and a cultivator could not help whispering: "Fifty thousand low-grade spiritual stones are enough for an ordinary cultivator to train for ten years! And an Earth-grade lower-tier manual—in sects like ours, that would be a supreme ancestral treasure!"

"The right to cultivate in the outer perimeter of the spiritual vein? Rumors say the Xuantian Sect's spiritual vein is of the second-grade superior tier, and even its outer perimeter has spiritual qi three times denser than the outside world!"

The astonishment in Zhao Hao's eyes instantly transformed into wild elation. As he bowed, he bent even lower, thinking to himself: Indeed, joining the Xuantian Sect was the most correct choice!

Suddenly, a tattered-looking young girl squeezed out from the crowd. Clutching a patched cloth bundle, with withered yellow hair and mud smeared across her face, she possessed a pair of eyes as clear as a mountain stream.

Her name was Lin Wan'er. An orphan who survived by begging, she had been dragged here today by kind-hearted strangers just to make up the numbers.

She shrank her neck back, frightened by the waves of mockery, yet her small hands gripped the bundle even tighter: I want to try... even if there is only a sliver of hope...

"Where did this beggar come from? How dare she defile the divine bell?"

"Get lost right now! Don't waste the time of proper people taking the test!"

Amidst the jeers, Lin Wan'er timidly pressed her frost-bitten palm against the bell.

The next second, the Chaos Bell suddenly bloomed with a soft, seven-colored celestial radiance, and the bell tolls rang out like celestial music—"Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!"

Eight bell tolls!

Within the colorful radiance, an illusory phantom of a Dao fetus actually manifested, driving the spiritual qi of heaven and earth to converge frantically!

"Eight rings! It is Daoist aptitude! The Tribulation Crossing realm is well within reach. This is a congenital Dao fetus! A physique found once in a million, no wonder it triggered such auspicious celestial phenomena!"

Startled, Lin Wan'er stepped back repeatedly, dropping her cloth bundle to the ground, from which half a hard, dry wheat cake rolled out.

She looked at her own palm, then gazed at the illusory Dao fetus phantom, her eyes filled with sheer disbelief: I... did I really ring the bell eight times?

Looking at the purity in her eyes, Ye Chentian's tone softened rarely: "Lin Wan'er, join the Inner Sect.

Bestowed: three thousand medium-grade spiritual stones, the Heaven-grade lower-tier cultivation manual *Dao Fetus Nourishing Origin Scripture*, three bottles of Mystic Ice Body-Tempering Liquid, and fifty second-tier spiritual plants. You are granted free access to the first floor of the Myriad Laws Pavilion, and you may cultivate in the core area of the spiritual vein for five days every month."

"Three thousand medium-grade spiritual stones?!"

A Void Remodeling realm rogue cultivator gasped in involuntary shock, his eyes widening: "That equates to three hundred thousand low-grade spiritual stones! Enough to buy a Mystic-grade magical artifact!"

"Heaven-grade lower-tier! The first floor of the Myriad Laws Pavilion! This treatment is ten times better than the personal disciples of our own sect!"

"The core area of the spiritual vein? That's a place where only the Sect Master and a few personal disciples are allowed to go! What kind of celestial fortune has this young girl stumbled upon?!"

The crowd completely boiled over, their gazes towards Lin Wan'er filled with awe and envy.

Clutching her tattered cloth bundle with reddened eye rims, Lin Wan'er kowtowed heavily three times toward Ye Chentian, chanting inwardly: I am no longer an unwanted child! I finally have a sect!

Her voice was laced with a sob: "Thank... thank you, Sect Master!"

The exact moment Lin Wan'er kowtowed, the Chaos Bell trembled violently. The primordial-opening runes on its surface swirled as if they had come to life, and a pressure far more terrifying than the eight bell tolls swept across the entire arena!

"What is that?!"

Someone in the crowd pointed toward the horizon and screamed in panic.

They saw the sea of clouds at the end of the seven-colored rainbow bridge churning violently as a pillar of purple-gold light tore through the firmament, plunging directly into the Chaos Bell.

A ninth pattern emerged on the surface of the bell, and right after—

"Dong—!"

The ninth bell toll exploded, producing a heaven-shattering roar that forced all cultivators within a ten-mile radius to drop to their knees simultaneously. Those below the Void Remodeling realm suffered bleeding from their seven orifices, and even Xiao Yi and Su Wan had to channel their spiritual energy just to steady their stances!

Amidst the lingering shockwaves of the bell, a youth clad in coarse grey linen walked out slowly.

He was none other than Qin Feng, the sole surviving orphan of the "Heavenly Sword Manor," which had been exterminated three years ago.

Back then, the manor was massacred by the Black Fiend Sect, and out of three hundred and seventy-three souls, he alone was rescued by a reclusive expert. Today, he had come specifically to seek a glimmer of survival.

A flash of resolute determination crossed his eyes as he gripped the hilt of his sword even tighter: The blood debt of the three hundred and seventy-three souls of Heavenly Sword Manor—today, perhaps I can rely on the power of the Xuantian Sect to avenge it!

"Nine rings! It is immortal aptitude! In the future, he can ascend to an immortal throne!"

A Void Remodeling rogue cultivator who had past ties with Heavenly Sword Manor wept old tears, pointing at Qin Feng as he trembled: "The 'Heaven-Slicing Sword Bone' of Heavenly Sword Manor has not been snuffed out after all! This is the will of heaven!"

When Qin Feng lifted his palm from the bell, the phantom of a shattered ancient sword was actually branded onto the surface of the bell. The sword shadow circled around him three times, emitting a mournful, piercing wail as if recounting the tragedy of his clan's destruction.

Feeling the surging power within his body, he thought: The Chaos Bell is actually capable of reflecting the sword bone hidden deep within me? Even it is lamenting the destruction of the manor...

A sharp glint flashed across Ye Chentian's eyes: "Qin Feng, join as a personal disciple.

Bestowed: fifty thousand superior-grade spiritual stones, the Heaven-grade superior-grade cultivation manual *Dome-Splitting Sword Canon*, clearance to the ninety-ninth floor of the Nine Revolutions Dao Heart Tower, and authorization to access half of the sword manuals in the sect's Myriad Laws Pavilion. Follow me in cultivation."

"Hiss—the Heaven-grade superior-grade *Dome-Splitting Sword Canon*?!"

A monstrous uproar surged through the crowd. An elder of a sword-cultivating aristocratic family cried out in a lapse of composure, staring fixedly at the illusory sword manual in Qin Feng's grasp as he muttered: "That is the supreme sword canon of legend said to be able to split three thousand realms with a single stroke! Back then, the Fallen Immortal Secret Realm ran red with blood over it, yet it turns out to be here in the Xuantian Sect!"

"Half of the sword manuals in the Myriad Laws Pavilion? There are hundreds of Earth-grade sword techniques alone in there, not to mention countless Mystic-grade ones!"

"Armed with this manual, coupled with his Heaven-Slicing Sword Bone, Qin Feng will likely be able to cut down Deity Transformation experts with a single sword strike in the future! The Black Fiend Sect won't be able to sleep peacefully from now on!"

Qin Feng clenched his fists until his knuckles turned pale, a raging fire of vengeance blazing in his eyes.

He bowed deeply toward Ye Chentian, his voice hoarse yet carrying the weight of a thousand jun: "This disciple will certainly not fail the high expectations of Master! The Black Fiend Sect owes the three hundred and seventy-three lives of Heavenly Sword Manor, and one day, I shall repay it a hundredfold!"