Eternal Life: I Have the Favor System

He couldn’t help but walk toward it.

As he got closer, Chu Lingguang felt a momentary wave of dizziness, but it vanished in an instant. His Sea of Consciousness was protected by several layers of glowing rings. Within that small ocean, a divine light flared as streams of Telekinesis surged. The strange ripples emanating from the mirror seemed to disappear in a flash.

Chu Lingguang passed through the mirror effortlessly.

The little boy frowned slightly.

The girl in the floral dress had passed through the mirror so easily not because of her powerful Sea of Consciousness, but because her Mental Realm was far beyond that of an ordinary person. It had actually reached the sixth level: Unity of Heart and Spirit. It was as if she existed in a special domain where ordinary attacks using Sea of Consciousness Power posed no threat to her.

Furthermore, the girl’s Mental Realm had transformed without being fully awakened—a rare occurrence even within the Profound Celestial Sect.

However, the boy could also see that Chu Lingguang had passed through the mirror with ease by relying on his immense Sea of Consciousness Power. Despite being at the fourth level of Qi Refining, he possessed Sea of Consciousness Power comparable to someone at the sixth or seventh level.

Coupled with Chu Lingguang’s Spirit Root Level, which had reached the second grade, his qualifications were more than enough to become a disciple of the Profound Celestial Sect.

But the little boy did not have Chu Lingguang stop the assessment.

He wanted to see what kind of strength Chu Lingguang would display in the third round of the assessment.

After Chu Lingguang went through, it was Guo Wei’s turn.

Guo Wei took a deep breath.

He walked straight toward the mirror. He knew the mysterious rings of light it emitted could cause dizziness or even a mental collapse, so he tried not to look.

But the more he tried not to look, the denser the strange power of the rings became, as if there was no escape. Steeling his resolve, Guo Wei forced himself to stare at it and quickened his pace toward the mirror.

As a result, he started to veer off course.

Under the influence of those ripples, he seemed to be moving away from the mirror.

"Master."

Chu Lingguang muttered.

As if hearing Chu Lingguang’s voice, Guo Wei bit down hard on the tip of his tongue. With his mouth full of blood, he forced his feet back on course. Fighting the urge to collapse at any moment, he successfully passed through the mirror under everyone’s watchful eyes, clearing the second stage of the assessment on pure willpower.

"Master."

Chu Lingguang wanted to go over and support Guo Wei, but Guo Wei pushed him away. He struggled to stay on his feet. Chu Lingguang saw that his forehead was drenched in cold sweat and his entire body was trembling. It was obvious that Guo Wei couldn’t withstand the attack from the Sea of Consciousness Power; he had only managed to pass on a single burst of sheer will.

Guo Wei’s actions gave people hope.

Many people charged toward the mirror, hoping to overcome it with willpower and force their way through. Unfortunately, without exception, they all quickly veered off course or collapsed to the ground. No one else was able to stagger onward like Guo Wei and ultimately pass through the mirror on willpower alone to successfully enter the third round of the assessment.

In the end, about half of the remaining people were eliminated in the second stage.

Fewer than thirty people were left standing on the Martial Arts Arena to take part in the third assessment.

And among these twenty-odd people, how many would be able to make it to the very end?

"Do you see that cave mansion on the mountainside, the one shaped like a triangle? If you can reach it within one hour, you will henceforth be official disciples of our Profound Celestial Sect. You will gain supreme glory through the Profound Celestial Sect, and the Profound Celestial Sect will grow even stronger because of you."

The little boy said.

Then, he and all the black-robed youths in the Martial Arts Arena disappeared.

The Gang Shield array covering the sky above the Martial Arts Arena also opened up at that moment, revealing a path leading straight to the Triangular Cave Mansion on the mountainside.

"Go."

Three cultivators, who appeared to be in their early twenties but were actually over sixty or seventy years old, were the first to charge toward the exit.

Above the Triangular Cave Mansion, a young man in white stood with his hands clasped behind his back. Watching the three figures who had taken the lead, he couldn’t help but chuckle. ’I’ve already paved the way for you. If you still can’t get first place even with this, then you can only blame your own lack of strength. After today, my debt to your Jiang Family will be paid.’

The white-robed youth was named Chen Liang, an Outer Disciple of the Profound Celestial Sect. His entry into the Profound Celestial Sect was inextricably linked to the support he had once received from the Jiang Family.

The leader among the three cultivators in his line of sight was the Jiang Family’s eldest young master, Jiang Ruhong.

The other two cultivators had been planted there by the Jiang Family, who had paid to have them assist Jiang Ruhong in securing first place in the assessment.

There was something that outsiders didn’t know.

Whoever took first place in the assessment would receive a greater share of resources after entering the Profound Celestial Sect.

To repay the Jiang Family’s kindness, Chen Liang had tampered with the final round, setting up a relatively safe and easy route for Jiang Ruhong to help him take first place.

"Master, let’s go!"

Chu Lingguang didn’t dare to delay.

Although the Triangular Cave Mansion on the mountainside didn’t look far, seeming almost within reach, Chu Lingguang didn’t dare to be complacent. The time limit would be up before he knew it.

Moreover, the incense stick burning before them was consumed far faster than any mundane candle, as if the people from the Profound Celestial Sect had done it on purpose.

"Hurry!"

Guo Wei shook his head sharply to force himself to calm down. He channeled Spiritual Power to the soles of his feet, and together with Chu Lingguang, shot off toward the Triangular Cave Mansion like an arrow loosed from a bow.

Chu Lingguang looked at the Triangular Cave Mansion on the mountainside, then at the terrain outside the Martial Arts Arena, and felt that something was strange.

’The third stage of this assessment is definitely not as simple as it seems. There must be some kind of trick.’

So he activated his Void Technique to examine his surroundings.

Sure enough, he discovered some problems.

Unfortunately, the Void Technique was a low-level Cultivation Technique.

On the Profound Celestial Sect’s territory, Chu Lingguang couldn’t perceive every minute detail. Fortunately, his Sea of Consciousness Power was immense, and he had mastered Telekinesis Divine Abilities. He sent his Spiritual Sense drifting forward and was finally able to see the trick.

As it turned out, the path was lined with Restriction Arrays.

With their cultivation level, even he wouldn’t be able to escape in a short time if he got trapped in a Restriction Array.

Therefore, to reach the Triangular Cave Mansion safely, they had to avoid those Restriction Arrays. For an ordinary cultivator, the only way to detect these arrays was to sense them with Spiritual Power or catch their abnormal energy fluctuations, but that required the support of a powerful Sea of Consciousness.

Most people simply couldn’t do it.

The same was true for Guo Wei.

"AHH!"

Soon, someone fell into an Array and was caught by its power, unable to break free, as if trapped in a swamp.

"Master, follow me!"

Chu Lingguang shouted to Guo Wei.

"Alright!"

The master and disciple trusted each other completely.

Under Chu Lingguang’s guidance, the pair quickly surpassed the three cultivators ahead of them.

In front of the cave mansion, Chen Liang’s brow furrowed.

Watching Chu Lingguang and Guo Wei’s forceful advance, his expression gradually darkened.

To avoid arousing suspicion, he hadn’t dared to tell Jiang Ruhong and his companions the optimal route. Instead, he had chosen a relatively easy path for them—one that was plausible enough to make it seem like they had found it on their own.

Who would have thought that a candidate would suddenly emerge who could use their Sea of Consciousness Power to detect the Restriction Arrays along the way? In just a short time, this person had found the optimal route and effortlessly surpassed Jiang Ruhong and his group.

’How can this be?’

’Could they also have someone on the inside at the Profound Celestial Sect?’

Jiang Ruhong was caught completely off guard.

In the first stage, Chu Lingguang had caused the bell to ring twice, and so had he.

But in the second stage, against the power from the mirror, Chu Lingguang had passed through rather easily, while he himself had been slightly inferior.

If Chu Lingguang reached the summit one step ahead of him, the generous reward would fall into Chu Lingguang’s hands.

With Guo Wei also rushing ahead of him, he wouldn’t gain any advantage at all.

Yet he could only watch helplessly as Chu Lingguang led Guo Wei along another route, pulling ahead of him with no way for him to catch up.

At this thought, Jiang Ruhong stared intently at Chen Liang.

Chen Liang hesitated.

The Jiang Family had given him their full support to help him enter the Profound Celestial Sect. They had an agreement back then: once he was in, he would do everything in his power to get Jiang Ruhong in as well, helping him achieve the best score and stand out among the Outer Disciples.

If he failed, he feared the Jiang Family would never let the matter go, and he would be unable to face Jiang Ruhong in the future.

Thinking of this, Chen Liang snorted coldly. He stomped his foot on the ground, sending a piece of rubble flying toward Chu Lingguang.