Su Hongzhen nodded thoughtfully, understanding what Chen Yan had just said.

The Five Great Sects of Chenping Continent sat high above, each supporting over a thousand cultivators in the Middle Three Realms and nearly a hundred in the Upper Three Realms.

But one truth must be understood: the towering tree standing above the heavens still needs to draw nourishment from the earth.

The heaven-chosen talents of the Five Great Sects also came from countless living beings.

Although the concept of the Five Great Sects was nothing more than a vague notion for the lowest-level cultivators—such as the obscure, unranked sects and cultivation families in remote regions—they still needed to deeply implant the prestige of the Five Great Sects into everyone’s heart.

That, in essence, was the reason the Five Great Sects cared so much about the Dao Inquiry Assembly of Chenping Continent.

As for the top-tier sects outside the Five Great Sects, their reasons were quite similar.

As for the second-rate and third-rate cultivation sects, as well as the rogue cultivators who exhausted every means to obtain a spot for the Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry, what they sought was ultimately just a reputation.

A sect needed a cultivator above the Spirit Connection Realm to sit in charge, or its history must have produced a great power above the Myriad Transformations Realm, in order to qualify for the Dao Inquiry Assembly of Chenping Continent and be allocated spots for the Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry.

However, if the sect had no genius who had reached the Martial Spring Realm before the age of twenty, that spot would be wasted.

In this era, eight thousand years ago, the scrutiny for qualification to the Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry was far less strict than it would be eight thousand years later.

For someone like Su Hongzhen, being personally recommended by a Daomen Xingzou from Mirage Palace was a one hundred percent legitimate channel.

But there were also many geniuses from obscure sects and rogue cultivators who rose from humble beginnings, borrowing spots from cultivation sects that qualified for the Dao Inquiry Assembly of Chenping Continent but lacked any genius who had reached the Martial Spring Realm before twenty.

Although this route was easy to detect, the Five Great Sects usually adopted a "see no evil, hear no evil" attitude.

After all, it provided a hard-won path of upward mobility for those heaven-chosen talents from the bottom.

Moreover, any cultivator who could reach the Martial Spring Realm before twenty would certainly receive considerable attention, even within the Five Great Sects.

Of course, the Five Great Sects never lacked heaven-chosen talents and wouldn’t easily absorb external geniuses.

So what would happen to those geniuses from minor sects or rogue cultivators after participating in the Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry?

The answer, of course, was that they would be pursued and celebrated, their names spreading across the world.

Even if they were kicked to death without a chance to fight back in the very first round by a Dao Inquirer from the Five Great Sects at Heavenly Summit Mountain, they would still earn admiration and respect from many small sects, and even some first-rate sects.

The Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry, as the most renowned Dao Inquiry assembly on Chenping Continent, was an event no one could refuse.

"So, do you have confidence?"

Chen Yan asked in Su Hongzhen’s direction.

"Actually... I’m not really sure."

Su Hongzhen gently shook his head.

"So that means no confidence, huh?"

Chen Yan said with a hint of amusement.

"Because, until today..."

Su Hongzhen wore an expression as if he wanted to say something but held back:

"I’ve never won even once..."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yan was slightly taken aback.

It was true. Until today, aside from that time at Moxu Mountain, Su Hongzhen had never achieved a single victory in any confrontation with others.

Four years ago, the person he sparred with was the chief disciple of Weaving Dreams Tower at Mirage Palace, now the Daomen Xingzou of Mirage Palace, Zhou Jinyun.

And during these four years, the person Su Hongzhen sparred with was the one who bore a forged "Cause and Effect" weighing over sixty thousand years, the future chief disciple of Kongyuan Mountain at Kongshan Sect eight thousand years later, and the Sect Leader of North Pass Sect—Chen Yan.

This future Falling Star Realman seemed to have been constantly frustrated during this period before his adulthood.

Thinking this, Chen Yan actually found it a bit amusing.

But soon, the smile on his face froze, and he looked seriously toward the young man across from him:

"Hongzhen, I have something very important to tell you."

"What’s wrong, big brother?"

Su Hongzhen’s expression immediately turned serious.

He knew well that on ordinary days, Chen Yan called him "Little Su," but now big brother had called him by his full name. Clearly, whatever he was about to say must be extremely important.

"When you participate in the Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry, you must remember one thing: absolutely never use your Innate Sword Intent."

Chen Yan said gravely.

Hearing this, Su Hongzhen frowned slightly, then asked in confusion:

"But big brother, what if I can’t win?"

"...Then you still can’t use it."

Chen Yan replied dismissively:

"When you step onto the arena platform, remember not to fight back at first. Let them hit you first, gauge your opponent’s strength, and then decide how to strike. Understand?"

"Yes."

Although Su Hongzhen still looked very puzzled, he agreed to Chen Yan’s request.

Chen Yan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

To this day, Chen Yan still remembered the scene from years ago at the outer court competition of Kongshan Sect, where Elder Song’s beloved disciple, Qi Yadong, was killed by a single punch from him.

Back then, Chen Yan had indeed gone all out, but without channeling true qi, just to test the limits of his pure true qi from the Hidden Immortal Art.

Chen Yan had prepared to kill Qi Yadong with one punch, and also prepared to be killed as a Cause of Calamity afterward, then perform a save-scum.

But he had never imagined that Lin Qifeng, who surely knew something was off about him, would take the blame and protect him.

The result was that Qi Yadong died on the spot.

Even now, when Chen Yan recalled those past events, he still found them somewhat speechless.

At the Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry, Innate Sword Intent could be said to kill anyone it touched.

Even without activating his Innate Sword Intent, if Su Hongzhen held nothing back and went straight for lethal moves, his opponent would likely face a nine-to-one chance of death.

Perhaps the Dao Inquirers from the Five Great Sects would have some ability to fight back.

Chen Yan certainly knew Su Hongzhen’s personality, and he also knew that, historically, Su Hongzhen hadn’t killed anyone by accident during his Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry.

Still, it was better to give more reminders, just in case an accident happened.

...

Nearly two months passed.

There were only three days left before the official start of the Dao Inquiry Assembly of Chenping Continent.

Two young men, one in a plain white daoist robe and the other in a cyan one, stood at the foot of a mountain peak over eight thousand zhang tall.

From this angle, the Heavenly Summit Palace above Heavenly Summit Mountain appeared as nothing more than a tiny white dot.

Like a star.

Exactly the same as eight thousand years later.

Chen Yan thought to himself.

He looked up at the sky, where a colossal ferry ship, blotting out the sun, slowly sailed past.

"Big brother, what’s that?"

"The flagship of Kongshan Sect."

Chen Yan gazed at the huge ferry ship, at the cloud crane statue on its bow, and said calmly.

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