The process of registering a team was very simple, requiring only that they report their names to the Setting Sun Sword Manor's manager disciples.
The Setting Sun Sword Manor's manager disciples then recorded the three names—Shi Mingxu, He Xiyao, and Bao Kai—on a bamboo slip and handed three small bronze tokens to each of them.
These were proof of identity tokens.
There were over three hundred Rogue Cultivators in total who had come to participate in the Setting Sun Sword Manor's mountain-opening disciple recruitment ceremony.
These Rogue Cultivators wishing to join the Setting Sun Sword Manor were not all immortal cultivators born in Jin'an Country; among them were also quite a few who had come from neighboring countries.
As the largest immortal cultivation sect in Jin'an Country, the Setting Sun Sword Manor's influence on cultivators from neighboring countries was naturally not to be underestimated.
However, the number of slots available to pass the current trial was only twenty-one at most.
And this was just the first round of assessment. It must be said that the Setting Sun Sword Manor's trial difficulty was still quite stringent.
Among these three hundred-plus Rogue Cultivators, almost everyone quickly formed teams by sticking together.
If, during the assessment process, one found a Mystic Steel Sword only to be besieged by others, that would be troublesome.
There were only seven slots in total, so they had to seize the time.
"Fellow Daoists, follow me!"
Shi Mingxu took the lead, charging ahead at the very front.
As the young master of Jincheng's Shi Family, he had been instilled with one concept by his grandfather since childhood—
For immortal cultivators of the same realm, the importance of movement techniques far outweighed that of offensive techniques.
If you can win, pursue relentlessly; if you can't win, turn and flee immediately.
Shi Mingxu believed his grandfather's words were very reasonable and had implemented this principle in his own cultivation.
He was quite confident in his movement technique and possessed the capital for that confidence.
Among his peers in Jincheng, almost no one dared claim their movement technique was superior to Shi Mingxu's.
And the Setting Sun Sword Manor's first round of assessment was to reach Trial Sword Peak in the shortest time and find the Mystic Steel Sword forged by the Setting Sun Sword Manor's Forging Pavilion elder on the peak.
In this initial stage where every second counted, seizing the initiative was crucial.
A strong wind brushed his face as the scenery on both sides rapidly receded.
At this moment, Shi Mingxu's speed allowed him to easily leap over ten zhang in the time it takes to breathe.
In Jincheng, no Qi Circulation Realm cultivator could keep up with his "Wandering Fish Leap."
Shi Mingxu's figure quickly stood out among the Rogue Cultivators in the town, becoming the frontrunner.
A sense of self-satisfaction welled up in his heart. He slightly glanced sideways, sweeping his peripheral vision toward the direction behind him, and then his heart gave a sudden jolt.
Two figures were actually following closely behind him.
He Xiyao's steps were light, her posture leisurely and relaxed, seemingly still having strength to spare, and her breathing remained as steady as ever.
But this was also within Shi Mingxu's expectations.
He had long known this young woman's background was quite mysterious, so her cultivation level was surely not ordinary.
What shocked him the most was Bao Kai.
Bao Kai didn't seem to be activating any movement technique; he was just striding forward in a running gait. Yet his speed allowed him to keep pace with Shi Mingxu, who was actively using his Wandering Fish Leap.
It seems my judgment was mistaken.
Shi Mingxu thought to himself.
This Rogue Cultivator named Bao Kai probably had cultivation no lower than his own and was most likely a quite seasoned and powerful Qi Circulation Realm cultivator.
While feeling somewhat surprised, Shi Mingxu also relaxed a bit more.
He thought this was good too. Both his teammates had decent strength, and no one was holding them back. Passing the first round of assessment would surely be twice as effective with half the effort.
Soon, the three of them left the noisy town and most of the Rogue Cultivator teams far behind, with only a few people barely able to see the retreating backs of Shi Mingxu and the others.
The mountain path wound upward, the slope growing steeper and steeper.
The higher they went, the sparser the vegetation on Trial Sword Peak became.
"Hurry, while no one else has caught up to Trial Sword Peak yet, quickly find the Setting Sun Sword Manor's Mystic Steel Sword!"
Shi Mingxu focused his spirit and urged in a low voice.
They had opened a long distance between themselves and the Rogue Cultivators behind them, buying them the advantage of half an incense stick's worth of time.
However, finding one of the seven Mystic Steel Swords on such a large mountain peak was no easy task.
The three immediately dispersed, fanning out to quickly search and traverse the rugged mountain rocks.
Shi Mingxu's movement technique was agile, his steps light and his gaze sharp as lightning, scanning every crevice between the rocks where a Setting Sun Sword Manor sword might be hidden.
Right then, from the direction down the mountain came the sounds of cloth tearing through wind and the clamor of voices. The first batch of faster Rogue Cultivator teams had already caught up to Chen Yan and the others' pace.
Those Rogue Cultivators noticed Chen Yan and the others ahead and quickly reacted.
They directly gave up searching the areas on Trial Sword Peak that Shi Mingxu, He Qingling, and the others had just combed through, instead heading straight for the areas ahead of Chen Yan and the others.
"Look! They're searching down there! The areas above definitely haven't been touched yet!"
"Don't bother with the lower areas! Charge straight for the summit!"
"Quick! Go higher! Get ahead of them!"
Amid the shouts, these newly arrived Rogue Cultivators completely abandoned the areas Shi Mingxu and the others had already searched, advancing toward the higher, steeper parts of the peak.
These Rogue Cultivators had made up their minds. Rather than wasting time in areas others had searched, it was better to seize the unexplored higher ground, as the probability of finding a Mystic Steel Sword there was obviously greater.
Seeing this scene, Shi Mingxu's expression instantly turned extremely unpleasant.
The advantage he had worked hard to gain was almost completely negated by these Rogue Cultivators' strategy.
"Damn it!"
Shi Mingxu couldn't help but curse under his breath:
"These people..."
However, compared to Shi Mingxu, who looked quite unwilling, Chen Yan was obviously much calmer.
Because everything happening on this mountain peak was completely within his control.
The divine sense of a Myriad Transformations Realm cultivator had already completely enveloped this Trial Sword Peak, and the locations of all seven Mystic Steel Swords were already fully known to Chen Yan.
For example, one Mystic Steel Sword was right...
"Fellow Daoists, we must hurry!"
Shi Mingxu turned his head to look at He Xiyao and Bao Kai, then said anxiously.
Immediately after, he fixed his gaze on Bao Kai.
He saw Bao Kai using his hand to feel around a rock at the edge of a cliff, then suddenly wrenching it upward. Fragments of the rock were pried off by Chen Yan.
A faint but pure metallic aura emanated from the crevice.
Chen Yan said nothing, merely reaching his hand into the crevice in the mountain rock and giving a sharp pull outward.
A steel sword that appeared dull and dark, yet faintly shimmering with an inner, restrained cold gleam, was pulled by Chen Yan from the crevice in the mountain rock.
Mystic Steel Sword.
From the engraving on the sword body, it could easily be identified as the Mystic Steel Sword forged by the Setting Sun Sword Manor.
"Well done, Fellow Daoist Bao!"
Shi Mingxu shouted excitedly.
But Chen Yan did not turn his gaze toward Shi Mingxu. Instead, he slowly turned to face down the mountain.
Two teams of Rogue Cultivators were standing there, their eyes blazing hotly as they stared at the Mystic Steel Sword in Chen Yan's hand.