Chapter 1712: Chapter 1712: Nine Layers Mountain

"Oh?"

Li Feng looked at this Bai Xiaosheng.

Bai Xiaosheng chuckled softly and said graciously, "Brother Li, don’t underestimate your reputation in the Sixth Ring right now."

"You single-handedly challenged a family, and after they were defeated by you, they quickly replaced a third-grade aristocratic family."

"In Fengyun Pavilion, you disgraced Shen Xing, who was ranked eighty-ninth on the Human List, and directly took his position. The three Fengyun rankings of Fengyun Tower still hold great credibility. Being able to be listed, you’ve naturally gained fame again, becoming known by more people."

"Just these two points are enough to spread your name far and wide, Brother Li."

"Then why do you say they wouldn’t dare to recruit me?"

Li Feng looked at Bai Xiaosheng, who chuckled, "Brother Li, why ask when you already know the answer? Your fame is rising, but with your ascent, naturally there are others beneath your feet."

"The Zeng Family, able to become a third-grade family, shows their strength, and the Shen Family behind Shen Xing is even a second-grade aristocratic family, not easy to provoke either."

"Moreover, the sects here, truth be told, in the entire Sixth Ring, there’s no particularly strong sect. The strongest sect leader here is only at the Golden Core Middle Stage, and the sect with the most disciples has only two or three hundred people, already considered very promising."

"With such strength, how could they accommodate a great figure like you, Brother Li? Not to mention the sect leader has nothing to teach you, even if they did, they’re afraid to recruit you, since doing so means facing third-grade families and even second-grade families."

"They wouldn’t dare."

Listening to Bai Xiaosheng’s analysis, Li Feng glanced at him, "Then who do you think would dare to recruit me if I want to join a sect?"

Bai Xiaosheng laughed heartily.

"This is indeed a difficult question. Brother Li, you came to West City, clearly intending to find support, which is nothing to hide."

"But those mentioned earlier are clearly not options, too small, too weak. To be able to act as support for you, I think only the top ten sects can do. Even the slightly lesser sects won’t suffice."

"Oh, why is that?"

"It’s as I said before, a sect not strong enough won’t have a strong enough force, so naturally, they must consider many aspects. Only the top ten sects don’t need to consider this."

"No matter what trouble you’ve stirred up, the top ten sects can ignore it, even offering protection as long as you can join. Then the top ten sects can provide you shelter."

"If someone wants to kill you, they must do it openly and respectably."

Bai Xiaosheng said, glancing at Li Feng, then continued, "If they want to use large numbers to bully you, or use the strong to bully the weak, as your support, the sect naturally can’t pretend not to see it; otherwise, their reputation wouldn’t stand."

"Thus, joining one of the top ten sects is the only solution."

"However, the top ten sects aren’t so easy to join, especially the top three, Three Mountains is out of the question for now. They have a cumbersome recruitment process that heavily relies on fate, not just anyone can join."

"As for the remaining seven sects, each has its merits, but they all have different recruitment criteria. A few of them recruit disciples at a fixed time each year, and recently, only three meet this criterion."

"Wanfa Sect in a week, and Sword Control Pavilion in half a month."

"You just mentioned three sects, why only two now?"

"The third one is Nine Layers Mountain, the only sect among the top ten that recruits disciples at any time."

"Previously, Brother Li offended Shen Xing over some disciples from Nine Layers Mountain in Fengyun Tower, and also aggravated a female disciple from Wanfa Sect, making joining Wanfa Sect quite troublesome."

"As for Sword Control Pavilion, it seems Brother Li previously fought with Chen Ziming, one of the top ten experts of Sword Control Pavilion’s Outer Sect, and even took his sword. Though the matter wasn’t made public, as far as I know, they’re holding a grudge and want to trouble you, Brother Li, so going to Sword Control Pavilion means running into trouble."

"From this analysis, it seems Brother Li has only one path left, to go to Nine Layers Mountain."

"Am I right?"

Li Feng glanced at Bai Xiaosheng, "Your analysis is very accurate, I’m indeed considering Nine Layers Mountain. Do you think they would reject me?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Xiaosheng chuckled, "Brother Li, asking this shows you’re not very familiar with Nine Layers Mountain."

"Oh, how so?"

Bai Xiaosheng began speaking, "Nine Layers Mountain is a gathering place for a bunch of brutes. Nine Layers Mountain focuses on physical martial arts, akin to a group of brainless martial artists in the past, hence they fear no trouble."

"Moreover, don’t be fooled by its lower ranking among the top ten sects, its reputation doesn’t match others, but it holds a significant position in Ancestor Dragon City’s official circles."

"Oh?"

"Ancestor Dragon City has a guard, and within the Ancestor Dragon military, Nine Layers Mountain plays a leading role, with almost all commanders and generals coming from Nine Layers Mountain. After leaving the sect, seven or eight out of ten disciples join the Ancestor Dragon military, making them almost one entity."

Li Feng took a slight breath; he hadn’t anticipated Nine Layers Mountain having a military background.

"Thus, entering Nine Layers Mountain provides solid backing, and the sect is known for prioritizing family over principles."

"Of course, the prerequisite is gaining Nine Layers Mountain’s approval, earning recognition from ’that person.’ As long as they acknowledge you, neither the Zeng Family nor the Shen Family is a problem."

Bai Xiaosheng said.

"Oh, who is ’that person’ you mentioned?"

"Ha, once you enter Nine Layers Mountain, you’ll naturally know who they are. However, Brother Li, you should be mentally prepared."

"Despite being one of the top ten sects, Nine Layers Mountain doesn’t restrict applicants; anyone can take the test, but it’s not easy."

"Nine Layers Mountain has three assessments: Martial, Intellectual, and Mental; passing all three makes you a probationary disciple. A probationary disciple undergoes a month of training within Nine Layers Mountain, only then truly becoming a member."

"Do you know what’s assessed in all three?"

Li Feng asked.

"Ha, it’s generally known, the three assessments of Nine Layers Mountain are no secret."

"The first exam, Martial, tests power, physicality, technique, and reaction—all without using any True Qi, relying solely on physical strength."

"The second exam, Intellectual, involves military-related topics with specific questions posed for you to solve. This one is easier; familiarizing yourself with a hundred volumes of Military Books and Strategies usually works."

"The first two aren’t the hardest, the toughest is the third, Mental."

"How to pass has never had a specific standard. All I know is that strong willpower is required for this exam. As for other details, I’m not sure, although I’ve heard of individuals who’ve failed this test and lost their sanity."