Chapter 1083: Chapter 1083

"I've heard the exam is really difficult, and I don't even know what we're supposed to do at Cloud Ascension Peak..."

"That Cloud Ascension Peak is not just high, it's super high! Normally, the first test should involve some written exams, right?"

"Yeah... I really can't understand why they're sending everyone to that place..."

"But don't tell me you're not nervous! You know, I've been preparing for this disciple recruitment competition for who knows how many months..."

"Oh, who hasn't? I heard about it six months ago. I've been cultivating like crazy during this time..."

For a while, Ding Fan and the others walked along the street, occasionally hearing discussions. Xueling City was already a very large and famous city, and its infrastructure was quite excellent. Just take these streets for example; they were very spacious, wide enough for ten carriages to walk side by side without issue, but now the throngs of people made it seem a bit crowded.

You can imagine how many people were actually here, all heading in one direction - to Cloud Ascension Peak, to participate in the first exam of the Dayang Sect's disciple recruitment.

As he looked at the throng of people, Ding Fan felt a moment of awe. Even the biggest festival on Earth had never gathered this many people on the streets. The scene was so lively it made Ding Fan a bit embarrassed.

"Senior, you might not know this, but the Dayang Sect is taking this disciple recruitment very seriously. I heard that numerous formations have been set up at the exam site, and some masters and elders of the Dayang Sect, though far away in the sect, can see everything."

At this moment, Ye Ming spoke to Ding Fan with a look of surprise.

Ding Fan nodded silently. He was quite familiar with formations, and making it so that people miles away could see was indeed feasible. Still, it required a high level of skill, but for a Great Gate Sect, it wasn't that hard.

The noisy crowd on the street soon reached the foot of the towering Cloud Ascension Peak.

Ding Fan and others naturally among them. The plaza at the mountain's base was huge, spanning several thousand square meters; usually, it could accommodate tens of thousands without feeling crowded, but the current sea of people seemed to exceed tens of thousands, feeling slightly cramped.

Presumably, cultivators from dozens of nearby cities had gathered here.

Ding Fan felt a sense of wonder.

Not all cultivators could join the Dayang Sect's disciple recruitment. After all, everyone knew that to become a disciple of the Dayang Sect, one's cultivation had to be outstanding. So, naturally, many self-aware cultivators hadn't come. Also, those too old naturally couldn't attend. Content orıginally comes from 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝓷𝓮𝓽

Scanning the crowd, Ding Fan noticed that most cultivators were around his age, all quite young, clearly because they were recruiting disciples, not older individuals.

To a cultivator, one's talent is usually assessed at a young age. Clearly, a grand sect like the Dayang Sect does not want to recruit mediocre individuals.

Even though there was still quite some time before the disciple recruitment exam started, a large crowd had already gathered on the plaza. Ding Fan noticed that these people's cultivation levels were within the embryonic breathing stage, with only a few decent cultivators at the early Nascent Soul Stage.

Suddenly, Ding Fan's attention was drawn to a disturbance in the plaza.

A young male cultivator, wearing a light blue robe and holding a folding fan, walked into the crowd with a leisurely air. A group of young men and women, presumably his supporters, trailed behind him.

The blue-clad man reached the crowd, and they instinctively made way for him, causing a flurry of discussions and even some squeals from the girls.

"Look, Young Master Ling Fen is here! Just look at his aura, he's so handsome..."

"I heard Young Master Ling Fen's cultivation has remarkably increased a few days ago, and now he's at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage, really impressive!"

"This spectacle is too grand, as if it's his show..."

"If you had that kind of ability, you could have such a scene too!"

For a moment, this man became the focal point of the plaza, attracting the attention of many young onlookers.

Glancing indifferently at the man, Ding Fan found his cultivation quite good, though he seemed older than himself. Reaching the Nascent Soul Middle Stage was indeed outstanding. However, Ding Fan disapproved of his demeanor, viewing him as somewhat arrogant.

Still, Ding Fan wasn't particularly concerned. It had nothing to do with him, so why bother?

Shortly thereafter, a few elders came to the front of the plaza. The elders varied in appearance, with two slightly taller ones flanking a shorter, slightly plump elder.

The three elders exuded a powerful True Qi presence, full of imposing aura. As they reached the plaza, everyone felt an inexplicable pressure, causing the once bustling crowd to fall silent.

At this moment, one of the taller elders slowly stepped to the front of the plaza, then calmly surveyed the densely packed crowd and said:

"First, let me introduce myself. I'm Zhao Chenxin, an elder of the Dayang Sect. I welcome all cultivators here to participate in the Dayang Sect disciple recruitment competition. Those of you who made it here are the elite among cultivators. Regardless of your final results, I sincerely wish all of you an early breakthrough..."

The tall elder Zhao Chenxin began with a graceful opening speech. Upon learning he was an elder from the Dayang Sect, the crowd showed utmost respect, as seeing a sect elder is quite a rarity for unaffiliated cultivators.

Ding Fan stood amidst the crowd, feeling no emotional stirrings, his face as calm as ever. However, when he saw Ye Ming and others nearby looking so excited, he couldn't help but feel a bit surprised.

"Elder Zhao speaks well! We will definitely devote ourselves entirely to Dayang Sect, sparing no effort!"

"Dayang Sect is mighty! Elder Zhao is mighty!"

For a moment, after Zhao Chenxin finished his opening speech, the crowd was instantly excited, with screams and shouts rising one after another.

Seeing their expressions, Zhao Chenxin couldn't help but smile slightly, then his face turned somewhat solemn as he said:

"Good! Now let's proceed with our first trial. Do you see the Cloud Ascension Peak behind us?..."

Upon hearing Zhao Chenxin's words, everyone couldn't help but look up at the towering peak. The Cloud Ascension Peak seemed endless, and at present, even the topmost peak was out of sight. It was surrounded by thick white clouds, and the side facing the crowd appeared as if it was neatly sliced by a sharp blade, like a gigantic sword pointing straight to the sky.

Moreover, if you look closely at this side of the Cloud Ascension Peak, a large chain-woven net is placed on the seemingly smooth surface seen from afar. This iron chain net seems to hang all the way above the peak.

Anyone attempting to climb up through this iron chain net would find it extremely difficult since the Cloud Ascension Peak is just too high.

Seeing the crowd nodding in acknowledgment, Zhao Chenxin continued:

"Then the first trial is here. Those who successfully reach the peak within the time it takes three incense sticks to burn will pass."

As soon as Zhao Chenxin finished speaking, there was an immediate uproar below, with a cacophony of discussions among the people.

"What? They really want us to climb this Cloud Ascension Peak! It's so high that falling is certain death!"

"Even if we don't fall, we can't even see the top right now. How long will it take to climb up there?"

"It's simply impossible to accomplish! This is just too hard!"

"Forget it, I'm planning to give up..."

For a time, everyone engaged in heated discussions, all astonished by the trial content. Some timid individuals were already considering quitting.

After all, the peak is over a thousand meters high, and falling would leave nothing behind!

Of course, there were also some cultivators with decent cultivation who said nothing, only showing a bit of concern on their faces, but without any fear.

Among them was a person named Ling Fen. Looking at the towering peak, his eyes suddenly became resolute.

At this moment, Ding Fan's expression was calm, his eyes occasionally scanning the crowd. To him, finding Zhou Ruoran was his ultimate purpose for coming here.

Unfortunately, after searching around, he still couldn't find her, and a hint of seriousness appeared on his face.

Meanwhile, Ye Ming and the others beside him looked utterly disheartened. Clearly, they had little confidence in the upcoming trial. It was not just about climbing to the peak but doing so within the time of three incense sticks burning, which seemed too difficult for them.

At this time, Meng Zihao looked completely relaxed, with a somewhat gloating expression, especially when he glanced at Ding Fan.

"Hehe, there's sure to be a good show to watch!"

Meng Zihao said, eyes gleaming with delight as he occasionally glanced at Ding Fan.

The surrounding people couldn't help but hear his words and suddenly felt a bit irritated. When they angrily looked over, they found that his gaze was only fixed on someone not far away. Clearly, it wasn't aimed at them. Following Meng Zihao's gaze, they saw Ding Fan, and their faces immediately broke into a sleazy smile.

"Haha, there's actually someone here without any cultivation! What are we afraid of?"

"Huh? Where? Where? Damn! There really is one! Haha, is this guy here for comic relief?"

"With someone like that, forget about climbing, when everyone rushes onto the net, he'll be trampled to death!"

"Haha... Indeed, there's a bit of everything in this world..."

"Haha... There's a good show coming!"

Soon, a lot of people's gaze focused on Ding Fan, discussing among themselves with an expression of anticipating a good show.