Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Cultivation Through Copulation.

Episode 11: Entrance Exam (3).

When Yuk-gyeong’s singular Spiritual Root was revealed, even Elder Iron-faced Geum, who had been quietly closing his eyes at the front gate, suddenly opened them wide.

Elder Geum was genuinely shocked for the first time in over a decade, losing his composure.

When was the last time he was so surprised?

It was when he saw the hidden trump card that his arch-nemesis, the demon, Slaughter Monarch Baek Do-geon, had kept in reserve as he was cornered and about to be killed.

Back then, Elder Geum merely twitched his eyebrows in surprise.

Even when the Slaughter Monarch suddenly stripped naked and performed a bizarre dance towards the sky as his trump card!

At that time, all he did was twitch his eyebrows, but now…

He was so startled that he even shouted!

In other words, Elder Geum was more shocked now than when he saw his arch-nemesis doing a bizarre naked dance.

The disciples were very surprised because they had never seen Elder Iron-faced Geum shout in excitement.

Elder Geum withdrew his hands from his sleeves and walked briskly.

Approaching Yuk-gyeong, Elder Geum personally lifted his sleeve to welcome him.

“You will definitely pass the entrance exam. Climb the mountain. I will personally greet you.”

Yuk-gyeong was bewildered by the elder’s warm welcome but nodded, thinking it was understandable.

In the novel, a single Spiritual Root was described as extremely rare and highly capable. There were even faction wars to recruit a single Spiritual Root holder.

Even in Hye-chun’s case, didn’t they bring the sect elder to greet her more respectfully?

Surely, the fact that the cultivator temporarily left Hye-chun in her hometown was due to Hye-chun’s own will.

In reality, it was common for a cultivator to part ways with their family and prepare to sever worldly attachments before embarking on the path of cultivation. Otherwise, there was a risk of cracks forming in their Dao heart.

Yuk-gyeong had no lingering attachment to his family after he had been reincarnated, so there was no chance of a crack forming in his Dao heart.

Anyway, Yuk-gyeong hesitantly followed behind Elder Geum. Having a single Spiritual Root is the best, how awesome is it to be able to skip the test.

As Elder Geum was about to take Yuk-gyeong to the sect with great hospitality.

It was then!

“Elder! This is against the rules!”

An inner disciple stepped forward to block the elder’s actions.

There were three inner disciples who came to assist with the entrance exam.

The one with the lowest rank examined the Spiritual Roots, while the remaining two assisted the elder and supervised the entire entrance exam.

Among them, the highest-ranking inner disciple, who oversaw the entire exam, stepped forward to block Elder Geum’s actions.

Dressed in a purple robe adorned with jade ornaments, he appeared more affluent than the other inner disciples, and nobility exuded from his face.

He was a standout figure among the inner disciples.

So handsome that even his sharply raised eyes seemed charming.

Elder Geum frowned with anger at his opposition.

“What? Jang Yeong-ok. What are you doing right now? Are you ignoring the words of an elder?”

This was a serious crime.

How dare an inner disciple block an elder’s actions? This was the height of insubordination.

And to block such actions in front of many people.

It was something that could not be overlooked without punishment.

“No, Elder. I’m merely stating that this goes against the Sect’s rules.”

“Jang Yeong-ok. Are you flaunting that you know the Sect’s regulations better than I do?”

“It’s not that, Elder. What I mean is that the Sect’s rules must be upheld. Even as an elder, you cannot break them at will.”

“So, you’re trying to lecture me now, is that it?”

“How could a disciple dare to do such a thing?”

“If not, then how dare you utter such words in front of me?”

“Elder, many people are watching right now. How can we break the Sect’s rules and let someone pass arbitrarily? This would greatly damage the credibility of our Dark Moon Sect.”

“Is that so? Are you saying, Jang Yeong-ok, that you’re not relying on the Jang family’s backing to oppose me?”

“How could this disciple possibly do such a thing? If you truly thought so, I will willingly enter the Repentance Hall and face the wall in reflection.”

“Hmph, since you insist so, I can’t just let it go. This child will also take the entrance exam. I will definitely look into this matter later.”

“Our Jang family elders will not leave me be either. Please, do not be angry.”

Elder Geum looked at Jang Yeong-ok with inscrutable eyes, as if pondering something.

Among the two families considered prestigious in Dark Moon Sect, Jang Yeong-ok of the Jang family had ulterior motives.

The Sect’s resources are limited.

At present, the Jang family was experiencing an unprecedented period of prosperity. They had produced a rare genius that possessed a Two Spiritual Root, which appears once in decades, and held two elder positions.

Support from the Sect was more needed than ever.

The single Spiritual Root holder will benefit the Sect but not the Jang family.

Yeong-ok was not pleased with the presence of such a person.

Although he planned to get rid of him during the entrance exam, as long as Elder Geum was in charge, there was no way to interfere.

Elder Geum was a neutral figure not affiliated with any faction within the Sect. As a disciple of the late Fire Jade Divine Maiden from Sansu, who had entered the Dark Moon Sect with him, Geum Seung-won was now the Iron-faced True Monarch. Now that she was dead, Elder Geum, who belonged to no faction, was a difficult person to deal with.

Had he been aligned with the Jang family, they could have find an excuse to expel him, but that wasn’t an option with Elder Geum.

Therefore, he openly expressed his opposition and stance against Elder Geum.

The important thing was to inform Elder Geum.

The Jang family was very displeased with the presence of that single Spiritual Root holder.

Yeong-ok was not acting on his own. Would a mere inner disciple dare to defy an elder’s words? If Elder Geum decided to strike him down, he would have no words to defend himself.

The reason he could do this was entirely because the Jang family was backing him.

The elders of the Jang family had spoken directly.

No disciple should drain the Sect’s resources. The next century would be a crucial period for the Jang family.

Therefore, he believed that the elders of the Jang family would handle today’s matter well. At most, he would be punished to reflect in seclusion for a few months. And when he returned, the Jang family would support him even more.

Yeong-ok looked coldly at the young, smug single Spiritual Root holder with a sleek face.

Once you’ve fallen out of the Jang family’s favor, you won’t be able to last in the Sect.

Yuk-gyeong felt uneasy as the man in the purple robe, supposedly an inner disciple and test proctor, subtly glared at him.

He had a bad feeling ever since his free pass entry was blocked, and it was clear the man didn’t like him.

Oh dear, is there already jealousy and envy even before entering the sect?

Even though Yuk-gyeong thought this, he felt slightly uncomfortable inside.

He seemed to be an inner disciple, which meant he likely had considerable influence within the sect. Why would someone like that bother with a new entrant like him? It’s not like they were mortal enemies.

Yuk-gyeong quickly sensed there was some underlying issue.

Perhaps he disliked single Spiritual Roots or something of the sort. What could it be?

Ah, could it be that he resents the resources spent on nurturing a single Spiritual Root holder? He knew from xianxia novels that such factions existed within sects.

Within the vast sect, there were many subgroups. Among them, bloodline groups, often united under family names, sometimes prioritized family interests over those of the sect.

Petty people.

I’m not getting expelled, am I?

“Resume the test of the Spiritual Roots.”

Elder Geum ordered the continuation of the test. Elder Geum stepped back.

Yuk-gyeong was worried about being expelled, but Elder Geum didn’t expel him.

The test simply continued.

The atmosphere, tense from the insubordination, lingered. In particular, the inner and outer disciples, although the exams had resumed, were still acting cautiously.

The uncomfortable atmosphere of the Spiritual Root test persisted until the end.

Yu Yeong-yeong,

“Three Spiritual Root! Over here.”

passed effortlessly.

She seemed to have already undergone a Spiritual Root examination at home by her older sister, who was already an inner disciple. There wasn’t a hint of nervousness.

That’s why blood relations are important.

Other people come here to measure as if heading into the unknown, not even knowing if they have Spiritual Roots, but someone like Yeong-yeong had already been tested and only joined the sect if she had Spiritual Roots, otherwise, she would have given up early.

It means she could use her time as precious as gold.

Anyway, academic, regional, and blood ties are always present.

That doesn’t mean I’m displeased with Yeong-yeong joining. Blood relations are a kind of ability too, after all.

Yuk-gyeong was glad that Yeong-yeong was also accepted into the same Dark Moon Sect as him. It felt like joining a company with a new friend he made during the interview.

“Wow, a singular Spiritual Root. See? You possess an amazing Spiritual Root.”

“I was lucky. I only have my parents to thank for.”

Parents, my foot. If I were to thank anyone, then it should be Hye-chun.

Yeong-yeong became more friendly upon learning that Yuk-gyeong had a single Spiritual Root. She had been friendly before, but now she acted as if she would share any information her sister gave her.

Yuk-gyeong smiled slightly at Yeong-yeong’s cute demeanor.

He didn’t want to label this as materialistic. It’s human nature to want to befriend precious people and distance oneself from less desirable ones.

Moreover, Yeong-yeong’s attitude wasn’t too blatant. It was simply at the level of wanting to be friendly, so it wasn’t something that would make him furrow his brows.

“Let’s get along well. We may be peers now, but who knows, I might have to call you sahyung1 later.”

“Miss Yeong-yeong also possesses a ‘three’ Spiritual Root, therefore your talent is not lacking either.”

Out of hundred plus participants, only four children under twenty and three young adults over twenty remained.

Elder Geum glanced over the remaining individuals and pointed to an outer disciple, saying,

“The Spiritual Root inspection is complete. You will lead the others through the remaining trials.”

“Yes, Elder.”

With those words, Elder Geum mounted a crane that appeared from nowhere and flew away, and the inner disciples also vanished.

Now, only a few outer disciples and the initiates were left.

The outer disciple appointed by the elder clapped to gather everyone’s attention.

“Everyone, come this way. We will enter the mountain gate.”

The initiates obediently followed the outer disciple’s instructions.

Starting from the main gate, the initiates all entered the sect.

That gate seemed to be the dividing line between the mundane world and the cultivation realm.

They were all now people who had left the mundane world to enter the cultivation realm.

Of course, even though it was determined they had Spiritual Roots, not everyone could become a disciple of the Dark Moon Sect.

Perhaps, from now on, the real test was just beginning.

TL/N: Sahyung can be translated as senior brother. It is used to address someone who is of the same generation, studying under the same master, but was admitted earlier ↩️