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"Lu Chen, age sixteen, Qigong Level One, Body Refinement Explosive Qi Realm."
A middle-aged Scholar held a large brush, recording Lu Chen's information on paper before passing it to another person nearby for folding and storage. That person took out a stone mirror and made a few gestures over it; the stone mirror recorded the information, and a flash of Spirit Light appeared and disappeared, marking the completion of the registration.
Of course, registration only indicated an intention to join the Five Element Sect. After this, one would have to pass through numerous assessments to officially enter.
After completing the registration, the middle-aged Scholar handed Lu Chen a token. Lu Chen took it and saw several lines of text on it.
The first line indicated that it was the Five Element Sect Sixty-First Generation Disciple Assessment Token.
Then, the first line stated the assessment date: Vernal Equinox, February 25, which would start tomorrow.
The first round of assessments would begin then and last for three days. Those who passed would become registered disciples of the Five Element Sect. Those who did not pass could choose to leave; if they wished to stay, the Five Element Sect would arrange for them to remain in service roles such as miscellaneous tasks.
"What kind of test takes so long?" Lu Chen murmured.
The second line indicated that the outer sect assessment would begin on March 1, meaning five days later, with an assessment period of one day.
Outer sect disciples are ordinary disciples; passing this assessment allows them to continue testing. Those who do not pass can choose to stay and will be automatically assigned to various peaks for roles such as gatekeepers, guards, or procurement tasks.
The third line stated that the inner sect assessment would begin on March 5, also lasting one day. If one became an Inner Sect Disciple, they would truly belong to the Five Element Sect as a Sixty-First Generation Disciple, becoming part of the future backbone of the Five Element Sect. They would have their own Cave and could freely choose to study under any of the five veins.
The Five Element Sect is composed of two Supreme leaders: the Supreme Emperor and Young Sovereign, along with the Earth Second Artisan, Tingfeng Elder's Immortal Academy, Five Great Guardians, and Five Major Meridians.
The training for Inner Sect Disciples begins with joining one of the five veins.
In terms of the Five Elements and their corresponding symbols, many things within the Five Element Sect are categorized or named based on the number five or directly according to the five elements.
"Establish True Disciple status; time: The Ninety-First Year of the Great Zhou, Summer Solstice."
Although the Five Element Sect does not belong to the Great Zhou Dynasty and there is little connection between them—one could say they are worlds apart—the Great Zhou Dynasty dominates Central Plains and views other regions as barbaric. Therefore, their lunar calendar is established according to the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Lu Chen looked at the last line of text on the Wooden Plaque and murmured, "Competing True Inheritor Disciple," noting that the Next Summer Solstice was about a year and a month away.
(Sorry for the change in the timing for establishing True Disciple; it needed to be delayed a bit to avoid conflicts.) Su Wutong instructed him to choose a Qigong technique called "Five Animal Vitality Magic Technique" to strengthen his Flesh and compete for the True Disciple spot.
To cover all bases, she also left Lu Chen an alternative path: if he couldn't secure the True Disciple position, he should seek out an elder with the surname Yin at Tingfeng.
During the time Lu Chen was examining the Wooden Plaque, several groups of people arrived at the Five Element Sect's registration area.
Following Lu Chen was a pair of siblings. He faintly heard the middle-aged Scholar announce, "Yin Xingyun, age twenty, Qigong first level, Body Refinement Explosive Qi Realm... Yin Xingyu, age nineteen, Qigong first level, Body Refinement Explosive Qi Realm."
Lu Chen glanced over at the girl named Yin Xingyu; she was exceptionally beautiful with a triangular face, phoenix eyes, and red lips with white teeth, much more delicate than Chu Yuzhu.
At eighteen years old, reaching the first level of Qigong and Body Refinement Explosive Qi Realm was quite impressive.
Then he looked at Yin Xingyun, who was also strikingly handsome. Aside from his physical characteristics, his features were almost indistinguishable from those of a woman, drawing glances from many passing girls.
Yin Xingyun was twenty years old and also at the first level of Body Refinement Explosive Qi Realm, with average aptitude.
"Di Wanren, age twenty," announced the Scholar. "Body Refinement Explosive Qi Realm."
"He Zai Jin, age eighteen," he continued. "Body Refinement Explosive Qi Realm."
"Huangfu Xun, age sixteen," he added. "Qi Training and Qi Explosion realm."
Lu Chen tucked the Wooden Plaque into his chest and prepared to leave with Old Mu when he heard what the middle-aged Scholar announced next.
Although his voice was not loud, Lu Chen's Yin Spirit had recently separated from his body and had been nourished by the Yin Yuan Pearl, giving him superior hearing abilities compared to ordinary people.
"A double-surname Huangfu? A royal relative of the Zhou Wu Dynasty," Lu Chen thought to himself as he turned around to take another look.
Di Wanren, He Zai Jin, and Huangfu Xun stood together. Di Wanren had a proud expression, He Zai Jin held a folding fan and maintained a serious demeanor, while Huangfu Xun was a young girl. It was clear they had come together.
Meanwhile, someone in the crowd remarked, "Sixteen years old, Body Refinement Explosive Qi Realm? And she's still a girl."
"Huangfu Xun, isn't she the Princess of our Qi Kingdom?" Another young man with a folding fan exclaimed in surprise.
"Chen Shih-Hsiung, what are you doing here?" Huangfu Xun, dressed in a pale yellow brocade, with a slender figure, addressed the young man in the crowd.
"Princess Huangfu, it really is you! I thought I was mistaken!" The young man hurried over and clasped his fists in greeting.
The young man in the crowd was none other than Chen Shihu, the son of Governor of the Seven Provinces of Luzhou, Chen Daren. However, since Lu Prefecture is one of the northeastern five states of Qi Kingdom, Chen Daren was technically subordinate to Huangfu Yi, serving as his right-hand man. Huangfu Xun was Huangfu Yi's beloved daughter and had been conferred the title of Crimson Lotus Princess by the court.
Chen Shihu should have taken the initiative to greet Huangfu Xun.
However, Lu Prefecture is the leading state among the northeastern five states. Although it still bore the title of a state, it governed seven provinces and was a major grain-producing area. Out of the 250,000 households in Qi Kingdom, 110,000 came from Lu Prefecture, indicating that the Governor of Luzhou held significant power.
"Shi Hu, do you know her?"
Among the crowd, a Sword youth who had come with Chen Shihu asked curiously when he saw Chen Shihu approach Huangfu Xun.
"Hey, Nineteen Lord, this is our King of Qi's daughter, Crimson Lotus Princess. You are also relatives; let me introduce you," Chen Shihu said to the Sword youth.
Chen Shihu referred to the Sword youth as Nineteen Lord, indicating that this young man was not an ordinary character. Especially notable was the sword he carried; its sheath adorned with golden dragons and mountains. This sword was named Deep Dragon and symbolized a hidden dragon in the abyss. It was a treasured sword bestowed by the Great Zhou Emperor and could cut through iron like mud.
"Nineteen Lord, this is Crimson Lotus Princess," Chen Shihu said while pulling the Sword youth towards Huangfu Xun.
"Sister, this is Prince Fu," Chen Shihu added.
"I greet you, Nineteen Lord. I pay my respects," Huangfu Xun said with slight surprise on her delicate face as she bowed.
“Crimson Lotus Princess, there's no need for formalities here; we don't follow the palace rules, right? By the way, you also came to Five Element Sect Cultivation, but I haven't heard Ninth Uncle mention you.”
This Nineteen Lord is none other than Huangfu Qi, the ninth son of the Great Zhou Emperor, titled Prince Fu. He is relatively young. The capital of Great Zhou is thousands of miles away from Qi Kingdom, and since Huangfu Qi rarely leaves the palace, it is understandable that he does not recognize Huangfu Xun.
Seeing that Huangfu Xun brought a few people to Five Element Sect Cultivation, a hint of coldness flashed in Huangfu Qi's eyes, but he pretended to be nonchalant and asked casually.
“Brother Nineteen, my father has already written this matter into a memorial and sent it to the capital; he is about to report it to the emperor,” Huangfu Xun said, displaying great courtesy in front of Prince Fu, showing no signs of flaw.
Only the two people accompanying her were different; one was He Zai Jin, who remained serious and did not even glance this way.
The other, Di Wanren, always wore a cold smile, as if he regarded Prince Fu as worthless.
“It’s nothing, nothing at all. I was just asking casually; Crimson Lotus Princess, please don’t take it to heart,” Prince Fu Huangfu Qi looked around and smiled without sincerity.
“Where has Uncle Nineteen gone? By the way, where does Uncle Nineteen live? I brought some specialties from Qi Kingdom; I’ll have someone send some over later,” Huangfu Xun said.
“There’s no need for that; Crimson Lotus Princess is too polite…”
After that, Lu Chen lost interest in listening further. He had clearly heard their previous conversation. These people brought the palace's scheming and intrigue with them; if it were before, he might have thought they were just exchanging pleasantries.
However, ever since he read the “Human Book,” his cunning had increased significantly, allowing him to easily detect hidden meanings in others' words. Deception is essential in warfare; Prince Fu’s words were subtly probing for information from Huangfu Xun, while this Huangfu Xun was not simple either, always managing to evade his inquiries. In the end, under the guise of sending specialties, she seemed to want to find out where Prince Fu lived, likely hoping for an opportunity to eliminate him. If Prince Fu were to die in the palace, it would certainly be a major incident; if he died here at Five Element Sect, tracing it would be difficult.
But that Prince Fu was also shrewd, clearly refusing to disclose his address to avoid bringing about his own demise.
Suddenly encountering two significant figures from the Great Zhou Dynasty made Lu Chen particularly attentive. He had promised Li Shian to gradually dismantle Great Zhou and establish a kingdom for the Han people. Now that these individuals were at odds with each other, he found it quite enjoyable.
Great Zhou was initially established by vassal kings; now that these kings are divided among themselves, they have become the greatest threat. Throughout history, the more vassal kings there are, the closer a dynasty is to its end.
Master Li Shian passed away not long ago; with less than a hundred years since the establishment of the Great Zhou Dynasty, it seems there are only about ten years left for its fate.
In the current world of the Human Book, it is only when I am about to reach an unmanageable situation that the Revered Divine Bird will arrive with a book in its beak.
All signs indicate that within a decade, the great tree of the Great Zhou will collapse, marking not only its complete overthrow but also the beginning of a chaotic era.
"Starting tomorrow, I need to take attendance for three whole days. I should first sort out my own issues," Lu Chen said after listening for a while, and then he left with Old Mu.
It was now past noon. The two of them had eaten something at a tavern by the roadside, but when they tried to find lodging, they were informed that all the rooms were full.
After asking several places, they received the same response. After some thought, they realized it was to be expected; there were tens of thousands of people participating in the Five Element Sect's disciple assessment, and with so many people, the situation became complicated. It seemed they would have to find another way to secure accommodation.
On their way here, they had seen many farmlands and cottages; those people were tenants of the Five Element Sect. Perhaps they could check there.
Lu Chen and Old Mu discussed it and decided to go.
Before Lu Chen and Old Mu arrived, many others had already done the same. They walked two or three miles before finding a family willing to take them in temporarily.
This family was also tenants of the Five Element Sect. The head of the household was named Lian, a middle-aged farmer in his thirties. His wife was also in her thirties. Due to their rural lifestyle, their skin was not very good and appeared somewhat rough.
They had a pair of twin sons who were exactly seven years old, named Big Shuang and Shuang.
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