"Originally, there were only six months to prepare. Now, under the impact of the immortal-mortal miasma, the induction examination has been forced to be postponed. It is still unknown when it will be held, but I am already eager to try."
"Cough, cough." He Zhenghao coughed lightly, yet his face was filled with confident composure.
"A blessing in disguise, truly a blessing in disguise!" The others also murmured with emotion.
"Even though we have taken two rounds of the targeted medicine, you still cannot be careless regarding the immortal-mortal miasma," Ji Shaoli cautioned in a solemn voice.
"Recently, quite a sensational event took place. In our Congyun Sea, a cultivator named Wen Yue, relying on having contracted the immortal-mortal miasma and possessing so-called immunity, wanted to test whether the miasma harbored in mortal bodies still had any effect on him."
"In front of many cultivators, he drenched his body in mortal blood."
"The result was that he died violently on the spot, reduced to withered bones. The scene was truly gruesome beyond bearing!" Ji Shaoli sighed.
He Zhenghao and the others were all stunned. "There is actually such a fool in this world? To gamble with his own life?"
Then came another shock: "Does that mean our immunity to the immortal-mortal miasma is purely an illusion?"
Ji Shaoli nodded slightly. "Regarding this matter, the Alliance has already issued an announcement and provided an explanation. The existence of the immortal-mortal miasma is a principle of heaven and earth. One can only adapt to its presence, but it will never disappear."
"So, in the end, nothing has really changed. Many cultivators simply died in vain?" He Zhenghao could not help feeling somewhat at a loss.
Pei Tuo said with even greater resentment, "Damn it! If the day comes when I achieve Dao Integration, I will surely overturn this principle!"
"A great ambition, Brother Pei!"
The others were filled with endless emotion.
After a moment, Ji Shaoli waved his hand to interrupt them.
"Venting is harmless. All we can do is endure and survive."
"In truth, the mutated outbreak of this immortal-mortal miasma might not be a bad thing for those of us cultivators who survived," Ji Shaoli said in a low voice.
"Oh? What do you mean by that?" Everyone could not help turning their gazes toward Ji Shaoli.
"Do you know how many establishment cultivators alone were lost in this catastrophe in the Congyun Sea?" Ji Shaoli asked with a rather enigmatic smile.
Seeing everyone's eyes suddenly light up, Ji Shaoli conveyed a number via voice transmission.
"More than five hundred?"
Everyone gasped.
"Yes. If the Congyun Sea is like this, one can easily imagine the situation across the world."
"These positions left vacant by the fall of cultivators are all opportunities for us survivors," Ji Shaoli said in an eerie, quiet tone.
"While the vast majority of cultivators are still immersed in the agony brought by the disaster of the immortal-mortal miasma, those with foresight have already begun quietly operating behind the scenes."
These words made everyone present feel a surge of excitement.
"Fellow Daoist Ji, does that mean we should still take part in the examination?"
"Indeed, although we've prepared thoroughly, competition in this examination will certainly be even fiercer..."
The crowd showed differing expressions. Ji Shaoli said solemnly, "Barring any surprises, the scale of this examination may far exceed expectations. Not only in the number of cultivators recruited, but also in the quality of the positions!"
"In the past, those positions that required decades of seasoning before one could be promoted—this time, it is very likely that those with outstanding results can be appointed directly!"
"So my advice is to take your chances in the induction examination!"
"Perhaps you will leap over the dragon gate and defy your fate!"
Everyone present, especially He Zhenghao, suddenly had eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Furthermore, aside from official positions, scarce resources such as cultivation techniques and grotto-heavens are extremely likely to be made available. In short, the Alliance's primary task right now is to restore itself to the level prior to the calamity, at any cost," Ji Shaoli added.
"Does Fellow Daoist Ji mean that the Alliance fears the Five Elders Association might take advantage of this fragile recovery period to launch an attack?" someone asked immediately.
"Speaking of which, it's also strange. Earlier, when the Alliance was hit hardest, the Five Elders Association didn't kick us while we were down."
"What is so puzzling about that? With the immortal-mortal miasma breaking out on our side, how could they stay untainted? In my view, the Five Elders Association must have suffered heavy losses as well. Right now, it's a contest of who can recover faster; whoever does will hold the upper hand in the confrontation."
"Regardless, this is indeed a once-in-a-millennium opportunity for ordinary cultivators like us."
...
Silently listening to their discussion, Ji Shaoli did not explain.
In fact, he had previously sent Lin Ling to make contact with the Five Elders Association.
While raking in another fortune using the Alliance's induction examination question bank, he had also secretly investigated the situation of the Five Elders Association during this outbreak of the immortal-mortal miasma.
Compared to the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, where the outbreak originated, their losses were much smaller.
Because the transmission of the immortal-mortal miasma had a certain latency, by the time it spread to the territory of the Five Elders Association, they had already received word of the outbreak in the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals.
They had taken precautions in advance.
Moreover, the Five Elders Association was ruled by the five Venerables.
Order after order was issued, and cultivators obediently stayed hunkered down in their homes. To a great extent, this slowed the spread of the immortal-mortal miasma.
Most importantly, regarding how to handle the immortal-mortal miasma, the Five Elders Association actually possessed far more detailed records than the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals.
After all, in the ancient cultivation world, it was the cultivation sects that had confronted the immortal-mortal miasma head-on back then.
The specific measures were not disclosed by the other party.
However, it was true that the Five Elders Association had not suffered severe blows in this catastrophe.
The only thing that somewhat puzzled the Five Elders Association was that a Heavenly Venerable had personally issued a decree, vetoing the plan to attack the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals amid the chaos.
A Heavenly Venerable's order could not be disobeyed.
They could only bide their time and build up their strength, waiting to launch a fatal strike against the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals.
...
The Beast Seed Realm.
Lin Ling and Tianyang did not unleash their true strength.
They merely suppressed their combat power to the Soul Formation realm, battling alongside each other against the tide of beast seeds surging like a flood.
This was, naturally, Li Fan's command.
Apart from harvesting beast cores to serve as raw materials for the Immortal Spirit Tower to convert into spiritual energy, what mattered more was having Lin Ling and Tianyang temper their actual combat proficiency through battle.
Tianyang was fine.
In the previous battle against Mo Shi, Lin Ling, as a newborn Tree Spirit, had displayed a combat awareness that was almost a blank slate. Her way of attacking relied entirely on instinct, which truly fell short of her Dao Integration cultivation.
So Li Fan had Tianyang bring her here during this rare period of calm to train in the Beast Seed Realm.
No one knew how many beast seeds they had slaughtered by now.
Under the baptism of endless blood, Lin Ling's once naive, tender face had taken on a faint tinge of baleful aura.
Her moves grew increasingly fluent and natural. At times, images would even surface spontaneously in her mind, instructing her on how to fight with greater efficiency.
Her actual combat strength was growing by leaps and bounds.
They looked toward the tall tower in the distance.
As long as they ascended that place, Li Fan's orders would be fulfilled.
Chapter 843