Among these three sects, the one Han Li had initially taken the most interest in was not the "Luoyun Sect," but rather the "Baiqiao Institute," renowned throughout the immortal realm for its mastery in crafting artifacts. Beyond its unique techniques in cultivation arts, the institute's disciples were exceptionally skilled in producing artifacts of various ranks, and even housed several legendary methods for crafting top-tier treasures. Indeed, the original body of the "Qiankun Tower" talisman, a famed artifact from the first family of Yue State, was created using one of these specialized crafting techniques. This fact particularly appealed to Han Li. However, unfortunately, the institute's approach to admitting new disciples resembled that of the seven sects of Yue State—largely focused on students from established immortal families, with few external recruits. Moreover, at its core, the institute was jointly controlled by five of the most powerful immortal families, holding sway over a stretch of mountain range in the western part of Yunmeng Mountain. This aspect left Han Li somewhat disappointed, and thus, he ultimately had to set it aside. By name, the "Ancient Sword Sect" is renowned for its mastery of sword-based techniques. Whether it's ritual tools or divine artifacts, the sect's inventory is filled with a wide variety of sword-like implements. Its foundational martial art, the "Tai Bai Sword Technique," is especially celebrated throughout Xī Kingdom for its sharpness and effectiveness. While the sect primarily recruits disciples from noble families of cultivators, it also actively recruits young, independent practitioners. However, its internal cultivation techniques place exceptionally high demands on one's innate potential—those with slightly weaker spiritual roots typically find it difficult to master the sect's teachings. As a result, despite frequent recruitment, the sect maintains the smallest number of disciples among the three. Once disciples achieve a high level of cultivation, their formidable offensive capabilities often make them superior to peers of the same rank, rendering the sect the strongest among the three. Consequently, it naturally occupies the central mountain range of Yunmeng Mountain. The final remaining sect, "Luoyun Sect," in certain aspects bears a striking resemblance to the "Baiqiao Academy." Though its core techniques are eclectic and lack refinement, the sect is renowned for its expertise in alchemical practices—particularly the famed Dingling Pill, which, in the Xi State, can only be crafted by a few of its senior elders. Thus, despite being significantly weaker than the other two sects in overall strength, Luoyun Sect has managed to establish a solid foothold in the eastern region of Yunmeng Mountain. Among the three sects, Luoyun Sect recruits the largest number of disciples and maintains the lowest entry requirements. Essentially, it has only two admission criteria. First, a promising spiritual root with strong potential for development—such cases are eagerly accepted, just like other sects. Second, those who already possess a certain level of cultivation and have progressed through the foundational practices to a higher stage, even if their spiritual root is subpar, are also welcomed. After all, beyond its reputation in alchemy, Luoyun Sect also engages in various ancillary disciplines such as seal-making and array techniques—activities that require a large number of junior disciples to operate and sustain on a continuous basis. Meanwhile, among the established Qi-Stage independent practitioners, those with less favorable spiritual roots knew that entering a major sect with their current aptitude would likely offer little promise—perhaps they would remain mere junior disciples for life. Yet, much like Han Li had anticipated, they still believed that sheltering beneath a great tree was advantageous, and indeed, many chose to join Luoyun Sect. Thus, Luoyun Sect appears to be the most open-minded among the three sects in terms of recruitment, especially when combined with the allure of the famed "Determined Spirit Pill." It seemed truly the most suitable choice for joining this sect. After some hesitation and further inquiry, Han Li learned that the sect would soon be conducting another recruitment drive, which settled his decision. After parting ways with his two companions, he did not disclose his plans or destination. He simply made a few preparations and immediately took off by flight. After waiting several days at the foot of the mountain, observing that the number of Qi-Stage practitioners arriving from various regions steadily increased as the time approached, Han Li finally appeared calmly on the winding stone path leading up the mountain. At present, Han Li has been walking slowly from the foot of the mountain to this point for about an hour. Of course, the mountain itself isn't that tall—rather, the stone path has been enchanted with some simple illusions, likely intended by Luoyun Sect to temper the patience of aspiring disciples. After all, no matter how lenient Luoyun Sect is in admitting new students, it would hardly accept those who grow impatient even with this modest path. At this moment, the several young male and female cultivators walking ahead of Han Li noticed the oddity and gathered together to whisper among themselves. After a brief exchange, they seemed to have deduced the secret and resumed their journey without paying any further attention. These individuals appeared to be acquainted with one another and had made no effort to greet Han Li. Han Li remained unconcerned and followed them silently. After another half-hour of walking on the stone path, he finally reached the end of the stone steps, where the young people eagerly hastened upward. Only after stepping onto the final stone step with composure did Han Li take a calm, thorough glance at the scene before him. This was a vast platform stretching over a hundred zhang wide. Aside from a small pavilion on the opposite side, which appeared unremarkable, the surroundings were blank and white, as though nothing existed there at all. Before the unnamed brother's pavilion, there were scattered dozens of cultivators in various attire, seated quietly, yet none dared to enter the pavilion. The male and female cultivators who had ascended with Han Li remained silent and joined the crowd. Seeing this, Han Li's expression remained unchanged, though a quiet smile of contempt formed in his mind. While the individual cultivators at the Qi stage might have seen nothing extraordinary, Han Li's awareness revealed the true nature of the scene—before him stood not a pavilion, but a magnificent white jade pavilion, adorned with a large scroll bearing the characters "Huan Yun Hall" inscribed in golden script. Standing beneath the grand scroll at the entrance of this pavilion, three figures were gesturing and pointing at the bewildered Qi-level cultivators before them, speaking without any hesitation. Thanks to the remarkable effects of the array, they showed no sense of embarrassment or reserve. Among the three, two were in their early Foundation Stage, and one was in the mid-Foundation Stage—clearly the disciples from Luoyun Sect who had been assigned to guide them. Han Li remained silent, walking along the outer edge of the crowd, bowed his head, and settled down, closing his eyes to enter meditation. Yet, with his consciousness gently enveloping the three figures, he effortlessly heard every word they exchanged clearly. "Qiu brother! Though the time hasn't come yet, it seems that the number of independent cultivators joining us this time is far less than expected. Moreover, a majority of them appear clearly unqualified. These cultivators only have basic techniques at the seventh or eighth layer—yet they dare to come here to enroll. Do they truly believe that Luoyun Sect will accept anyone?" A young man with a pale complexion, appearing only in his early twenties, gestured pointedly at several figures among the crowd, his tone suggesting some dissatisfaction. "What can we do? After all, just three years ago, we recently admitted a batch of disciples. Now having so many come is already quite impressive. Moreover, last time, due to a shortage of personnel, several of our senior brothers had to make an exception and took in two external cultivators with only Qi Condensation Level Eight. This naturally gave the impression to outsiders that the entry threshold for our Luoyun Sect had been lowered, prompting some external cultivators to come hoping for a chance." The one referred to as "Fall Brother" was a mid-Ji cultivator in his forties, dressed in a long white robe, with a square, serious face and bright, alert eyes. "This time, however, our brothers will certainly not be lenient. Indeed, the newly admitted junior disciples have been rather underwhelming in both cultivation level and spiritual root—so much so that one of our senior elders has already gently reminded the Abbot several times about the situation." So, according to the abbot's intention, this time we're truly being stringent—selecting only the very best. "The other young man, full of vigor, chuckled and offered that as an excuse. "Strictly stringent! If we're lucky, we'll manage to secure ten disciples. Out of the ten, I'd wager nine or ten will have to return home. Don't underestimate these independent practitioners, Liu brother—there may indeed be hidden talents among them, who've simply gone unnoticed. Think of Sun Huo, for instance. He entered our order as a self-taught practitioner. Yet within just five or six years, Sun achieved the foundational stage. Of course, this was partly due to the suitability of the cultivation method chosen and the fact that he earned a foundational pill for his outstanding contributions. Still, it's also a reflection of his exceptional talent—his ability to stand out among many. "Chu, the elder brother, glanced sideways at Liu, a young man from a prominent cultivation family, with a calm, slightly dismissive tone. "Ah! Yes,师兄 is quite right. It's just that I was a bit too blunt in my remarks!" Upon hearing what the other had just said, the young man with a pale face suddenly remembered something and quickly cleared his throat, smiling warmly as if somewhat intimidated by the autumn senior. "Li, brother..." the autumn senior seemed to have more to say, but Han Li had no interest in listening further. He immediately focused his inner awareness, closing his eyes and meditating. Now that he had subdued his aura, he appeared to be at the tenth level of Qi cultivation—exactly the level that would make it quite feasible for him to join the Luoyun Sect. Several hours later, as more cultivators began walking up the stone steps from below, the number steadily increased. By the time the sun was nearly setting, the platform square was filled with nearly a hundred Qi cultivators, mostly young men and women, with a few more experienced middle-aged and mature cultivators as well. At that moment, a sudden surge of bright red light erupted across the stone pavilion, and then, amid the霞glow, the pavilion vanished entirely, replaced by a towering pavilion several dozen zhang high, with three figures standing before it. "Welcome, esteemed disciples, to the Luoyun Sect! Below, it will be our brothers and sisters who will oversee the selection of the new disciples. Please listen attentively to what Qiu will say next—do not miss a single word." With a sharp, focused gaze sweeping over the gathered guests, Brother Qiu spoke calmly and composedly.