Chapter 127: The Recruitment of the Six Sacred Lands!

Cao Xuan did not consider himself particularly special. His exceptional spiritual root and seventh-grade cultivation talent were improvements granted by the system. To him, this was merely the bare minimum to be able to cultivate.

Therefore, upon hearing that representatives from the Six Great Sacred Lands had come, he could only conclude it was a reward for securing first place in the Qingyun Sect’s martial gathering.

With this in mind, Cao Xuan maintained a calm and respectful demeanor. Even though the immortal named Liu Ruyan, clad in a revealing outfit, drew attention, he still respectfully cupped his fists and said, “Disciple Cao Xuan greets the Patriarch and Elders.”

Cao Xuan could not reveal that he already knew the cultivation levels of at least two people present, nor could he imply they were not from Qingyun Sect. The logical conclusion was that, aside from Patriarch Qingmu, the others must be sect elders.

Just like Xian Xiangqiu, a peak Nascent Soul cultivator, who was also referred to as an elder by Sister Bai Tianxiang.

Noticing Cao Xuan’s composed expression, Patriarch Qingmu revealed a hint of admiration. “Cao Xuan, I am Qingmu, the Supreme Elder of Qingyun Sect. You may address me as Patriarch Qingmu.”

“As for these six before you, they are not supreme elders of our sect, but elders of the Six Great Sacred Lands of Zhongzhou!”

Upon hearing this, Cao Xuan skillfully displayed a trace of surprise. He thought to himself that his acting could be included in Beijing Film Academy teachings. This was what it meant to be a seasoned actor—knowing the truth yet pretending ignorance.

“If this were a previous Qingyun gathering, I might indeed have taken you as my direct disciple,” Qingmu continued. “But with the Six Great Sacred Lands present this time, I won’t embarrass myself by misleading you.”

For Patriarch Qingmu, as a peak Nascent Soul cultivator, he was naturally inferior to the Void Refining elders of the Six Great Sacred Lands. It would be unwise to show off.

No matter where Cao Xuan originated, he was essentially a member of Qingyun Sect. Especially for a young cultivator like him, with such cultivation, it was probable he had grown up in Qingyun Sect of Yunzhou, nurturing an innate closeness to the sect.

Thus, even if he joined one of the Six Great Sacred Lands, Qingyun Sect would always be his “home.”

Therefore, Patriarch Qingmu was eager for Cao Xuan to enter one of the Sacred Lands, become powerful, and protect Qingyun Sect.

Just like Xian Xiangqiu, in his eyes, Cao Xuan was unlikely to return to Qingyun Sect and was destined for great achievements.

Hearing Patriarch Qingmu’s words, Cao Xuan quickly replied, “My talents are mediocre. To receive the Patriarch’s favor is already a great honor. I dare not hope to be accepted as a disciple by the Six Great Sacred Lands.”

To Cao Xuan, his aptitude was worlds apart from that of his master, Xian Xiangqiu. He had only reached this point thanks to the system.

He truly did not expect to be directly accepted by the Six Great Sacred Lands, especially since he had only achieved first place in a minor Qingyun martial gathering.

This was the cultivation world, not the mundane imperial court. Excelling in an exam did not guarantee a high position; it depended on innate talent and aptitude.

Cao Xuan lowered his head as he spoke, unaware that the elders of the Six Great Sacred Lands twitched their lips slightly.

To their ears, his words were not modesty but bravado.

Mediocre talent, yet reaching peak Foundation Establishment within a year and comprehending sword intent? That suggested his aptitude was not merely seventh-grade.

Even Qingyin Sword Immortal, holder of the Qingfeng Sword Body and pillar of the Ziyang Sword Sect, silently muttered to herself, “If that’s mediocre talent, then mine must be terrible!”

Though she had also reached peak Foundation Establishment at that age, even advancing further to Golden Core, comprehending sword intent as well.

Thirty years to Golden Core for him, twenty years for her, yet both comprehended sword intent!

But Qingyin knew the disparity in environments—one in a Sacred Land, the other in remote Yunzhou.

To be honest, the spiritual energy density within the Sacred Lands was incomparable to Yunzhou.

A cultivator with the same spiritual root and talent in Yunzhou, even with medicinal aid, could hardly match one casually training in a Sacred Land.

Though the elders suspected Cao Xuan’s words were boastful, they said nothing further.

Qingyin Sword Immortal was the first to speak up: “Cao Xuan, to have comprehended sword intent at such a young age, you must possess great talent in the sword path!”

“You say your talent is mediocre, so I won’t flatter you further,” she thought inwardly before continuing, “Our Ziyang Sword Sect is not only one of the Six Great Sacred Lands of Zhongzhou but also the sword path sanctuary of the Xuanhua Continent!”

“Should you join the Ziyang Sword Sect, although you would start as an outer disciple due to your current realm, I am willing to make an exception and accept you as a direct disciple, granting you the privileges thereof!”

Her words drew glances from the other elders of the Six Great Sacred Lands.

In truth, they all harbored some desire to recruit Cao Xuan, to varying degrees.

For instance, Qianyuan Academy’s interest was minimal, as it was a thankless effort; they had no wish to compete with the indispensable Ziyang Sword Sect.

One must understand that the status of direct disciple in a Sacred Land often meant access to resources sufficient to support cultivation up to the Void Refining stage.

To them, Cao Xuan was merely a promising Nascent Soul sword cultivator.

Even if he comprehended sword intent at Foundation Establishment, his cultivation talent might not be as low as seventh-grade as previously assessed.

Talent is ultimately intangible and difficult to measure precisely, but his spiritual root aptitude was unquestionable.

Cao Xuan had an exceptional spiritual root, not even an Earth Spiritual Root, so considerable resources would be needed to reach Golden Core or Nascent Soul stages.

He might break through to Nascent Soul without barriers due to sword intent, but that was an uncertain number of years away.

Nonetheless, a Nascent Soul sword cultivator naturally brought significant benefits to the sect as a frontline combatant.

At the Nascent Soul level, one had innate advantages in competition with other Sacred Lands.

Yet, in their view, this did not merit the qualification of a direct disciple of a Sacred Land; granting inner disciple status was already generous.

It seemed Qingyin Sword Immortal was willing to invest heavily!

They were unaware that the Ziyang Sword Sect possessed a divine artifact known as the Sword Cleansing Pool, capable of refining sword spiritual roots comparable to Heavenly Spiritual Roots.

To others, Cao Xuan was just a talent with an exceptional spiritual root and some aptitude.

To her, he was a potential contender for the sect’s ultimate path, rendering the status of direct disciple trivial.

With Qingyin Sword Immortal initiating, the other Sacred Lands also began to speak.

However, their conditions were more modest.

For example, Qianyuan Academy said, “Cao Xuan, if you join us, you may obtain the status of Scholar.”

“This grants you access to our Sacred Land’s ‘Confucian Sword Art’ and the opportunity to receive the Great Confucian’s Teachings four times.”

The Scholar status was akin to an inner disciple, but the ‘Confucian Sword Art’ and the Great Confucian’s Teachings were privileges usually reserved for direct disciples.

Qianyuan Academy, unwilling to be outdone by Ziyang Sword Sect, had made a considerable offer.

Only Chen Ru knew that becoming a Scholar was feasible, and as a sword cultivator, Cao Xuan could indeed comprehend the ‘Confucian Sword Art.’

However, receiving the Great Confucian’s Teachings was unlikely unless Chen Ru gave up part of his own share.

Following this, the Blood Spirit Divine Sect, Xuanhua Dao Sect, and Holy Dragon Temple presented similar offers.

Lastly, the Jade Maiden Sect, represented by the “Lady Bodhisattva” Liu Ruyan, surprised Cao Xuan by offering terms comparable to the Ziyang Sword Sect.