The Core Nexus and Its Dark Secrets

“So be it. It’s good for my disciple to gain more experience. Only then will they truly understand that there are always those more capable, and always a higher heaven to reach. Only when a frog at the bottom of a well leaps out can it comprehend the vastness of the world.”

Meanwhile, Lin Xingjian, clutching a secret letter, hurried along.

His footsteps were light, his form swift as lightning, stirring a faint breeze with his rapid movement.

Though his expression remained as calm as ever, his tightly clenched fists inadvertently betrayed the tension and vexation churning within him.

The destination he was headed for was a forbidden zone, one that even ordinary disciples, let alone inner sect members, were not permitted to enter without authorization, truly the core nexus of the Xuantian Dao Sect.

His destination was neither the Sword Dao Sect, nor the Confucian Sect, known for cultivating refinement and elegance through its scholarly path.

Instead, it was the very core of the Xuantian Dao Sect – the Dao Gate Sect.

What, then, was the Dao Gate Sect?

It was a place steeped in mystery and legend.

Only cultivators who had grasped the profound methods of a particular Dao and whose cultivation path stood unrivalled beneath the heavens were granted the opportunity to enter.

This was where the majority of Southern Frontier’s prodigies gathered, a dazzling constellation of stars converging in the nine heavens.

Aspiring to enter the Dao Gate Sect, however, meant facing an incredibly arduous assessment, fraught with a thousand difficulties and ten thousand perils.

First, one had to belong to a sect under the Xuantian Dao Sect’s jurisdiction and, through their exceptional cultivation talent and moral character, earn the unanimous approval of the sect elders, culminating in a personal letter of recommendation from the sect master.

Following this, the Dao Gate Sect would conduct a comprehensive assessment, encompassing a vast array of challenges.

These included various arduous trials and troublesome dilemmas, alongside rigorous tests of one’s character and moral integrity.

The Dao Gate Sect would never inform candidates that they had entered the assessment phase; everything proceeded covertly and without a trace.

As the assessment neared its conclusion, the powerful cultivators of the Dao Gate Sect would delve deeply into the candidate’s character, conduct, and daily habits.

They would comprehensively verify whether the individual possessed sufficient qualifications to join the sect.

Even after all these stages were passed, the candidate still had to break through numerous bottlenecks to reach the Golden Core stage within a mere five years, and simultaneously earn a prestigious honor within their respective sect.

Furthermore, possessing a unique special physique was an absolute prerequisite for joining the Dao Gate Sect.

Such conditions were akin to a dragon gate hanging high, almost impossible to surmount.

Considered individually, any one of these requirements might not be entirely out of reach for a truly gifted cultivator.

However, to meet every single one of them was akin to plucking the moon from the sky, a feat as difficult as ascending to heaven itself.

The root of this immense difficulty lay in the final requirement: reaching the Golden Core stage within five years of cultivating the Dao.

This single stipulation alone could filter out ninety-nine percent of all those in the Southern Frontier who possessed cultivation talent.

It was well known that the Southern Frontier was vast and boundless, with mortals as numerous as the stars.

Among them, only about ten percent possessed the spiritual roots suitable for cultivation.

And among that ten percent of cultivators, those who could endure countless hardships and eventually reach the Golden Core stage were exceedingly rare, again less than one percent.

Of that one percent of Golden Core cultivators, those capable of breaking through to the Golden Core stage within a mere five years possessed talent and aptitude that truly stood unparalleled in the world.

Such individuals were hard to find even among a hundred, truly peerless geniuses, one in ten thousand.

Lin Xingjian, having cultivated for just over a year, had already reached the early Foundation Establishment stage through his own diligent efforts and innate talent.

His master, Yao Guang, had unequivocally stated that with his abilities, as long as he maintained his effort and talent, he would certainly reach the Golden Core stage within five years, a promising future indeed.

As a member of the Shadow Sect, he was markedly different from other cultivators.

He still remembered his last visit to the Dao Gate Sect, where his simple attire and unpolished demeanor had drawn ridicule from many of its disciples.

They whispered amongst themselves, speculating about where this unknown nobody had emerged from, their mocking comments ceaseless.

Lin Xingjian had paid them no mind, yet he felt that the prevailing atmosphere of the Dao Gate Sect was vastly different from what he had imagined.

It truly diminished the Dao Gate Sect’s standing in his heart.

Later, he learned the truth from Yao Guang.

The Dao Gate Sect was no longer what it once was; it had changed significantly from its former self.

In the past, the Dao Gate Sect had been a true sacred ground for nurturing powerful cultivators of the Xuantian Dao Sect, where countless brilliant and outstanding individuals had risen to prominence and dominated their era.

Nowadays, however, the Dao Gate Sect was a mixed bag of good and bad.

Especially the scions of influential families from various sects, who, by resorting to all sorts of illicit means, managed to sneak their way in.

This had caused the Dao Gate Sect’s once clear mirror to be sullied by dust, and its atmosphere had deteriorated significantly.

Puzzled, Lin Xingjian couldn’t help but ask Yao Guang.

“Even if the initial tests can be faked, surely the final test cannot be manipulated as well?”

Yao Guang remained silent, gently shaking her head.

Her silence spoke volumes.

The darkness that had festered within the Xuantian Dao Sect during its long development far exceeded their wildest imagination.

As Lin Xingjian gradually matured and encountered many unknown dark facets, he also began to discern the various fraudulent schemes hidden behind gaining entry into the Dao Gate Sect.

While cultivation level itself could not be faked, requiring a genuine attainment of the Golden Core stage, this did not mean other aspects couldn’t be falsified.

For instance, some would utilize special magical artifacts or secret techniques to alter their cultivation duration, changing a decade of cultivation experience to five years, or eight years to four, and so on.

Such ‘burying one’s head in the sand’ (TL Note: An idiom meaning self-deception or pretending not to see something obvious) tactics were still considered the most rudimentary forms of cheating; more advanced methods included…

During certain Dao competitions, unscrupulous individuals would collude with others and fellow disciples to meticulously orchestrate a rigged match.

This would allow a scion of an influential family to stand out and acquire an enviable record of achievements.

As for special physiques…

There were numerous types of special physiques in this world, most of which were of little practical use, and many could even be transplanted through illicit, unsavory methods, merely serving as a source of ridicule.

Only physiques like Bai Qingxue’s Sword Heart Enlightenment, which allowed her mind to be as still as water and grasp the true essence of the sword, or Yu Linglong’s Five-Poison Saint Body, an extraordinary physique immune to all poisons and capable of controlling all poisons under heaven, could truly be called special.

As for ordinary physiques that merely accelerated cultivation speed or hastened injury recovery, they were utterly insignificant before a top-tier sect like the Dao Gate Sect; one could even say they brought shame upon its name.

One reason Lin Xingjian harbored reluctance about coming to the Dao Gate Sect was a rumor that a certain Confucian female disciple had joined the sect half a year ago.

If he could help it, Lin Xingjian wished to avoid encountering that woman.

Even with less than a ten percent chance, an encounter, should it occur, was highly likely to cause him endless trouble.

‘Forget it,’ he thought. ‘Surely I can’t be that unlucky.’

Lin Xingjian’s thoughts incessantly flitted about, and a serene, elegant female face surfaced in his mind’s eye.

He dismissed the impractical thoughts swirling in his head, swiftly traversed the dense mountain forest, and finally arrived at an exceedingly secluded location.