LAVW – Chapter 53 Recruitment Assembly

The island where Shi Qian and the others landed had been weathered by years of storms and waves. Its terrain was uniquely rugged and uneven, filled with caves everywhere.

Most of the buildings were constructed in accordance with the terrain, each with its own unique character.

Before they could even find a place to stay, Shi Qian caught a whiff of something delicious.

This time, it was simply the aroma of food.

Was it chicken soup?

It smelled amazing.

Who would’ve thought—some spirit beasts had been roaming the cultivation world for over ten years, mostly flying over the seas on their swords.

Boredom was one thing, but when it got too much, they could at least use cultivation to pass the time. Once you started cultivating, you’d forget how fast the years went by.

But when it came to food—now that was the real tragedy.

At first, Shi Qian lived off stored rations, then started pairing them with fasting pills. Once those ran out, he and the Foundation Establishment cultivators began hunting sea monsters for food. Unfortunately, they had no ingredients, so their choices were between raw roasting or just eating it raw. After a while, even fasting pills started to taste like gourmet cuisine.

Now a little chubbier, Shi Qian squatted on Long Ye’s shoulder and tapped his ear. “Squeak.”

Brother Ye, let’s get some food first!

Long Ye was hungry too. He looked at the others and said, “Brother Qian says we should eat. You all coming?”

“All in.”

“Definitely in.”

Even Mo Sanshi, who hadn’t eaten in a decade, didn’t turn them down.

The group followed the scent toward its source and first saw a signboard reading Fresh Flavor Pavilion, followed by a winding stone staircase.

As they climbed the stairs, the aroma of food grew stronger, and faint sounds of conversation became clearer.

At the top of the steps, Long Ye and Shi Qian, perched on his shoulder, looked ahead and saw a seaside pavilion filled with diners sipping hot soup at their tables.

A man in gray robes—at the Foundation Establishment stage—came up to greet them. “Seniors, how many in your party?”

Long Ye replied, “Everyone behind me.”

Nearly twenty people followed behind, all with faces full of hunger. Many of them were highly cultivated, which made the gray-robed man both nervous and excited.

—My wife’s cooking must really be something!

“There’s room. Please follow me.”

He led them to an open area in the corner and pulled a large stone table from his storage pouch, setting it down and expanding the seating so there was plenty of space for everyone.

But who cared where they sat—Shi Qian looked up and urged, “Squeak.”

Let’s go! Menu, food—bring it on.

Long Ye patted his head and pointed toward a hanging board with dish names carved into it. “You order from there.”

Gray-robed man: ?

Are spirit beasts really this smart? Guess he hadn’t seen it all.

Shi Qian waved a paw. “Squeak.”

Bring the fastest stuff.

“Bring out everything that’s ready first,” Long Ye added after glancing at the prices. Pretty expensive, but considering how busy the place was, it probably lived up to the cost. After checking with the others, they avoided seafood and randomly ordered some other dishes—everything was something they hadn’t tasted in ten years, anyway.

“Coming right up.”

The chicken soup was served first—each person got a large bowl. It was also the most ordered dish. Even Shi Qian got his own serving, complete with a thoughtfully provided shallow dish.

Too bad he didn’t need it. Shi Qian used spiritual power to form a hand and expertly handled chopsticks and a ladle.

The kid at the next table stared at him wide-eyed, round eyes getting even rounder.

The few cultivators beside the child glanced over but didn’t pay much attention. They kept looking out toward the sea with worried expressions.

“It’s been ten days, and Old Wu’s team still hasn’t returned from hunting that bony sea beast.”

“Don’t worry. That sea beast is only at mid-Golden Core stage. Old Wu’s team has two Golden Core cultivators. As long as nothing unexpected happens, they should be fine. Let’s just wait.”

“Yeah, don’t overthink it. Better to worry about that millipede sea monster in the deep sea. If it stirs things up again this year, our island’s in trouble.”

“If only that monster would accidentally wander into the Endless Sea. It’d be stuck in there for at least a decade!”

Shi Qian remembered that roasted giant octopus from not long ago, but after years of eating nothing but seafood, its taste had faded into mediocrity in his memory.

Mo Sanshi then spoke up, “If that millipede sea monster was yellowish-white, then yes—it has entered the Endless Sea.”

Mo Sanshi, now at late-stage Nascent Soul, had a cultivation level that was shockingly high for this ordinary island. If she released her full spiritual pressure, no one else here could even sit and eat. She had already suppressed her aura before coming ashore, so she appeared to be just another Golden Core cultivator.

Shi Qian had done the same. He’d learned beast concealment techniques from inherited memory and could now pass as Foundation Establishment stage. It reminded him of being back at Wuye Mountain. Good thing his strength remained—he had even startled himself the first time.

In their group, the one who looked the most powerful was Long Ye, at mid-stage Nascent Soul.

Coincidentally, the male cultivator sitting next to the wide-eyed child was also a Nascent Soul cultivator. He asked, “May I ask—how do you all know that?”

Shi Qian thought: We just came from that damn place. Of course we’d know.

But he couldn’t be bothered to speak. Instead, he took a bite of the tender chicken drumstick, savoring the double joy of spiritual energy and delicious flavor, utterly content.

Mo Sanshi answered honestly as well.

But the man didn’t believe her. He looked at Shi Qian, who was still munching on his chicken leg, and directly exposed what he thought was a lie: “If you really came from the Endless Sea, a Nascent Soul cultivator would take nearly twenty years to fly out. But this spirit beast cub looks at most one or two years old—how did he get out? Was he born halfway through or something?”

Shi Qian: ?

Suddenly, the chicken leg in his hand didn’t taste quite so good.

What do you mean, at most one or two years old?

Shi Qian turned his head with wide eyes and seriously emphasized: “Squeak.”

I’m sixteen.

Long Ye, ever the wet blanket, added, “He really doesn’t look like he’s in his teens.”

The rest of the group made it worse by bursting out laughing.

Only Wang Xingzhi tried to comfort Brother Qian, the group’s go-to mood maker on the journey.  “Don’t be mad, Brother Qian. Look at me—after ten years, I haven’t grown at all. You’re already way ahead of me.”

That extra finger-width in height may not seem like much, but Wang Xingzhi truly longed for it.

Shi Qian: …An extra finger’s height is something to brag about now?

In the past ten years, Shi Qian had aged, but hadn’t grown much in size.

What’s worse, his dragon horns still hadn’t come in. They were just slightly bigger bumps that grew with his body. Meanwhile, Long Ye’s horns had fully developed—they could retract and extend, and looked ridiculously cool.

The Nascent Soul cultivator at the neighboring table finally understood: “So this spirit beast… just grows really slowly?”

But his self-rescue realization came too late.

Shi Qian leapt onto his side of the table and reached a devilish paw toward the wide-eyed child who had been staring at him the whole time.

“Squeak.”

Come here, kid. Time for a hug.

The kid had never seen anything like this before.

Their little island didn’t have much going for it. Apart from the plentiful spiritual energy by the sea, the land was poor in resources. Forget spirit beasts—even flowers and plants didn’t grow well.

After playing with the child for a while, Shi Qian munched on some leafy greens before they left. He generously gave the child a sweet pastry as a parting gift, leaving the little one teary-eyed and reluctant to let go.

The Nascent Soul cultivator didn’t notice anything amiss at the time. Not until later that night, when he got home and his kid started bawling, shouting that he wanted a spirit beast—one that was pure white, round, super soft, and exactly like the one from earlier—did he realize the dangers lurking in this world.

“Bao’er just wants a spirit beast! You’re the most powerful cultivator on this island—how can you not get him one?!”

“Yes, yes, fine. I’ll go find one tomorrow.”

But in his heart, he muttered darkly: That little spirit beast from earlier—definitely not as young as he looks. What a schemer.

As for what came after…

Let’s just say that island lord never did find one.

After eating their fill and resting on the island for two days, Shi Qian’s group set out once more—after spending a small fortune and becoming well-known as the island’s generous patrons.

This time, as they moved forward, signs of civilization began to appear—quite different from the seemingly endless sea they had traveled through.

Perhaps because there was something to look forward to now, everyone picked up the pace.

They flew over towering mountains and great rivers, rapidly approaching the Sword Sect.

On this particular day, they arrived in the vicinity of the sect’s territory.

Wang Xingzhi pointed toward a tall mountain in the distance and said to Long Ye and Shi Qian, “See that peak? That’s Lone Sword Mountain. From here on, all the large and small cultivation sects are under the jurisdiction of the Sword Sect, so it’s considered an outer gate of the sect.”

“Tomorrow, we’ll be able to see the real inner gates. And it just so happens it’s been ten years—time for another recruitment event. The sect’s probably buzzing with activity right now.”

At that, Wang Xingzhi chuckled and brought up how Long Ye had aged out of eligibility: “But with your current cultivation level, you could be hired as an external elder for a small peak.”

Wang Xingzhi looked at Long Ye before him and thought back to when they first met. His expression was full of emotion.

It hadn’t been that long ago, yet he himself had only reached the late Core Formation stage and was about to break through to Nascent Soul—a pace considered outstanding in most sects. But Long Ye had gone from Qi Refining all the way to Nascent Soul. Out in the world, people would be calling him “Master.”

Long Ye smiled. “You flatter me. Time really flies. It still feels like we were just talking about going to the recruitment event.”

Shi Qian: “Squeak.”

Exactly. Feels like someone stole ten whole years.

Before Long Ye could translate for him, Shi Qian saw a group of cultivators rush out from behind Lone Sword Mountain, surrounding them with overwhelming momentum.

Then—suddenly it was all hugs and tears.

“Senior Sister, it’s been ten years!”

“Where’s Senior Brother? Is he behind you? Waaah—”

“Little Grandmaster! The Grand Elder and Sect Master went into seclusion together. If she weren’t closed off, she’d probably have come out herself to welcome you!”

More and more people came to greet them, and things got a bit rowdy—but also slightly awkward.

Long Ye was worried Brother Qian might feel out of place, but when he turned to look, he saw Shi Qian had already taken off with Little Silver and a few other spirit swords.

For “driving” the group, one steady green longsword was enough.

Shi Qian went off to play with the spirit swords for a bit, and when he returned and took a nap, he woke up to find himself right in front of the Sword Sect’s mountain gate.

Before a towering range shrouded in spiritual mist, an ancient stone greatsword was thrust into the ground—dozens of meters tall.

No inscriptions were necessary. The sharp aura radiating from the sword alone made it clear: This was the Sword Sect.

Behind the giant sword stood a stone mountain, its face carved into neat steps. Each step ran across the entire mountain.

From the summit downward, a central segment of stairs—about five meters wide—was noticeably darker in color, as if coated with a layer of dark brown lacquer.

Looking up from below, Shi Qian thought it resembled the side of a pyramid.

But far more majestic.

Because there were exactly 999 steps—and they had to be climbed on foot.

Shi Qian lay draped over Long Ye’s head, clutching his hair tightly, unwilling to come down.

Mo Sanshi grabbed him: “These are the Heart-Tempering Steps. They’re good for you. Come down and walk, Brother Qian.”

Long Ye added, “Come on, Brother Qian. You’ve already pulled out a few strands of my hair.”

Shi Qian looked at his stubby little legs, then looked at their long ones.

You human cultivators say this stuff with a straight face? Doesn’t your conscience hurt?

And what was really weird was how these two never talked to each other, but were always weirdly united when it came to pushing him to “improve.”

I really have to thank you both. Shi Qian sighed, turned around, and started hopping up the steps.

Don’t ask why he didn’t just walk—silence is golden.

As he hopped, Shi Qian quickly realized that these stone steps were just as intense as they were described in the story. The higher you went, the greater the pressure became. If you knelt down, though, the pressure vanished instantly.

Shi Qian didn’t mind kneeling, but there were a lot of people behind him—each one fired up like they’d just been injected with chicken blood. He still had some pride to maintain.

Besides, he wanted to see how strong he was now.

Ten years of hard cultivation couldn’t go to waste!

He charged forward—100 steps, 200 steps…

Soon enough, people began overtaking him. A few even tried to pat his head like they were copying the Little Grandmaster, but Shi Qian kicked them away.

When he reached the romantically numbered 520th step, he paused to catch his breath, having already used up most of his spiritual energy. Every step from here on out demanded a serious effort—it was a true test of both willpower and strength.

Then he looked up—Mo Sanshi was way ahead, nearly at the top.

Following behind him were Long Ye and several other Sword Sect disciples.

Long Ye was probably around the 600th step. He turned back and waved to Shi Qian: “Hang in there, Brother Qian!”

Wang Xingzhi, about twenty steps below Long Ye, also turned to cheer him on when he heard the call.

Shi Qian figured it wasn’t that far, so he kept going.

But before he even made it to the 600th step, his legs buckled under the pressure, and he collapsed onto the stair.

The intense pressure instantly disappeared, and Shi Qian was alive again.

Now, he could bounce five or ten steps at a time, and in just a few hops, he reached Long Ye’s level: “Squeak!”

That nearly killed me!

Long Ye picked him up. “You did great—562 steps.”

Wang Xingzhi, who’d also reached them, said, “Not bad at all. For your current cultivation level, Sword Sect disciples usually make it to about 550.”

Shi Qian turned to look at Wang Xingzhi: “Squeak.”

Long Ye translated: “Brother Qian’s asking—Wang bro, are you one of the ‘not normal’ ones?”

Wang Xingzhi chuckled. “I am a little genius. Let’s keep going, or the senior brothers and sisters up ahead might get tired of waiting.”

With that, they continued their climb.

Wang Xingzhi stopped at the 603rd step, dropped to one knee, and then continued upward with ease.

Being able to pass the 600th step meant his strength was equivalent to that of an average Nascent Soul cultivator. And it wasn’t just about raw power—it was a comprehensive assessment of one’s potential.

Long Ye was still going. He climbed slowly, with breaks here and there, until he reached the 700th step, clearly exhausted.

Shi Qian had already gotten down and was walking on his own.

His sweat soaked the steps behind him, and seeing how wet they were, Shi Qian thought to himself—No wonder the central steps were darker in color. Besides the original stone, all that sweat was probably staining them.

Shi Qian couldn’t help but try to persuade him: “Squeak.”

Maybe just give up now?

Long Ye shook his head. “I’m okay.”

He took a deep breath and continued climbing, step by slow step.

Shi Qian jumped a bit ahead and waited for him a few steps up.

Meanwhile, at the foot of the mountain, a large carriage was slowly approaching.

The grown-up and handsome Xu Miao looked nervously at the Sword Sect’s mountain gate as it came into view. “Sis, I’m already past the age limit. What’s the point of bringing me here?”

Already in the Core Formation stage, Xu Rui glanced at her silly younger brother and said, “Xu Miao, don’t you know? Besides joining the sect through the recruitment trials to become an inner disciple, you can also join as an outer disciple first.”

“But outer disciples have to pay spirit stones…”

“Don’t worry. Your sister’s been hired as an external steward—I can bring you in directly.”

Xu Miao: !!

He asked in delight, “Sis, since when?”

“When someone was crying in the middle of the night.”

“You snoo— I wasn’t!”

“Alright, we’re here. Get down and try walking up the Sword Sect’s Heart-Tempering Steps.”

And so, two more people joined the Heart-Tempering Steps. But since the sect was holding its recruitment right now, the lower levels of the steps were crowded with people coming and going, making them rather unremarkable.

Meanwhile, on Long Ye and Shi Qian’s side—

By the time Long Ye reached the 717th step, he was on the verge of collapse, barely holding himself up, teetering in a half-kneeling posture.

A good number of spectators had gathered, all amazed at Long Ye’s endurance, speculating that he must be in the late Nascent Soul stage.

After all, even the weakest Soul Transformation cultivators only made it to this point.

The Sword Sect’s entry stairway was said to go up to nine hundred steps. If you hadn’t undergone Tribulation, don’t even bother coming—so domineering, who even needs a signboard?

Reaching this point, Long Ye was already quite satisfied.

But still… he couldn’t help but wonder—could he go just one step further?

Shi Qian had long since stopped trying to persuade him. He’d waited so long he’d gone numb.

Each step took an eternity—Long Ye had spent fifteen whole minutes just trying to move up one.

Every time Shi Qian thought Long Ye had reached his limit, Long Ye proved him wrong with action: He could go on.

So tenacious… just a little time-consuming.

Wang Xingzhi had already left. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be a good bro—it was just that his unlucky, shift-working master had gotten impatient waiting and snuck over to fetch his little disciple. Sneaking out on duty… who knew if that’d cost him some spirit stones?

One senior sister, however, was patiently waiting nearby. She’d probably been assigned to welcome Long Ye.

Seeing that Shi Qian looked tired, the senior sister pulled out a yellow stone and offered it to him: “Brother Qian, you can eat this.”

“Squeak.”

Thank you, Senior Sister.

Shi Qian thanked her and took a crunchy bite out of the yellow mineral.

To his surprise, it tasted just like pineapple! And it had the texture of biting into a lollipop.

As for Long Ye, when he saw how relaxed Shi Qian looked, a wave of stubborn competitiveness welled up again in his chest.

If he gave up now, he could rest like Shi Qian.

But he still wanted to grow stronger—so that wherever Shi Qian was, he could live so carefree.

Teetering and on the verge of collapse, Long Ye gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, and finally stepped onto the 718th step.

And at that step… he suddenly felt his entire body relax. Spiritual energy surged into him in waves, flooding his body, bringing a deep sense of ease and clarity. It felt like he had broken through some kind of bottleneck.

Just like that, Long Ye pushed himself all the way to the 720th step, before finally collapsing from exhaustion.

But once he hit the ground, all the pressure vanished, and he instantly relaxed. Long Ye jokingly reached for Shi Qian to wipe his sweat, scaring Shi Qian so badly he immediately grabbed the senior sister to use as a human shield—and then fired off ten cleansing spells in a row.

And with that bit of chaos, they finally stepped past the final stair and were greeted by the sight of the grand Sword Assembly Platform. The mountain-protecting formation was also activated at this spot.

Behind the Sword Assembly Platform stood a pavilion, with a road leading down the mountain.

Of course, if you preferred, you could also fly on your sword from there.

Straight ahead stretched an unbroken chain of mountains. Beyond them, you could see the tallest peak of the Sword Sect’s main mountain.

If you channeled spiritual energy into your eyes, you’d see a majestic cluster of palaces built atop the main peak. There weren’t any immortal cranes circling above, but the spiritual energy drifting between the mountains shimmered with sword light that streaked through the sky like shooting stars.

To the left, from a far distance, came the faint sound of voices—that was where the sect’s recruitment event was being held.

On the right was said to be where guests were received, and where disciples from all the different peaks normally had classes and sword training. But everything stretched out so far it was impossible to see the full extent of the sect. No one really knew how vast it was.

The senior sister gave a quick introduction, then said, “Little Ancestor said I should take you to the Elder Hall. The island demon subjugation qualifies you for a reward. He went ahead to inform the elders.”

Long Ye asked, “A big sect like this really bothers with things like that?”

After all, someone like Mo Sanshi had gone through the trouble of bringing those female cultivators back, only for the sect to send people to receive them—troublesome, and a drain on resources. If it were up to Long Ye, he wouldn’t have bothered.

“Of course. The three major sects and the Rogue Cultivator Alliance take turns every twenty years. It’s currently our Sword Sect’s turn.”

This shocked Long Ye a little, and he praised, “Now that’s the bearing of a top-tier sect.”

Meanwhile, Shi Qian was staring at the recruitment area, clearly interested.

He asked Long Ye: “Squeak.”

I’m not even twenty yet. Can I go to the recruitment trials?

Long Ye, who understood him: ?

But then again… the Sword Sect had never explicitly said you had to be human.

So Long Ye asked the senior sister directly, who looked completely bewildered and admitted she didn’t know either.

Shi Qian: “Squeak.”

Let’s go, let me try! I heard if you’re lucky, you can get a spirit sword!

The only way to obtain a spirit sword during the Sword Sect’s recruitment was one—be exceptional enough to earn access to the Sword Cavern, and receive the sword’s recognition.

Reportedly, quite a few entered the Sword Cavern every ten years, but those who obtained a spirit sword upon joining were rarer than rare—true prodigies.

Most inner disciples were only at the Foundation Establishment stage. The majority had to grind for sect contributions and make multiple visits to the Sword Cavern before obtaining a spirit sword. There was even a record of someone at the Nascent Soul stage failing to gain a sword’s approval.

Long Ye analyzed the situation and realized—if Shi Qian really got in, he might actually get one. This was exactly what Shi Qian had called “free loot.”

So Long Ye was tempted too. After making a few very reasonable points, he mounted his sword and flew toward the recruitment area.

The senior sister, who had somehow ended up on the sword with them: “……”

Was she being kidnapped by bandits or something?

This year, the Sword Sect’s recruitment was being held on a huge barren stone mountain. The surrounding ten li from the mountain’s base were covered by a formation.

The mountain face was almost vertical, like a sheer cliff—“thrilling” was the only word to describe it. Quite a few teenagers had already fallen off the cliff, ending up badly bruised, after which the inner formation would teleport them back to the mountain’s base for their families to pick them up.

Each person only got one chance, and if they met the requirements, ten low-grade spirit stones was enough to enter.

Shi Qian crouched on Long Ye’s shoulder and soon spotted the entrance.

Long Ye squeezed his way in. With his mature features and steady demeanor, he definitely didn’t look under twenty.

Considering how cultivators in the cultivation world tended to look perpetually youthful, with his vibe, people would probably believe he was over two hundred.

Someone muttered suspiciously, “What’s this senior doing here?”

The implication being: You’re too old to be here.

Long Ye sighed internally. He agreed—it was unfortunate that he seemed to have aged ten years for no reason.

But it was fine. There was still Brother Qian who could try.

Shi Qian, hearing this, protested: “Squeak!”

Thirty is old? My Brother Ye is still young—

Long Ye: ?

He wasn’t even thirty yet, but the more Brother Qian talked, the older he sounded.

Long Ye clamped a hand over Brother Qian’s mouth, scooped him into his arms, and walked toward the entry checkpoint, where they tested age and spiritual roots.

Despite being called a checkpoint, the area was quite spacious—dozens of Sword Sect disciples in uniform stood loosely spaced throughout.

There was still a line, so Long Ye queued up.

The senior sister had already gone ahead and gave a heads-up to the disciple in charge of their group.

When it was Long Ye’s turn, the disciple, upon seeing the spirit beast in his arms, didn’t bring out the usual age-testing stone. Instead, he took out a formation token and activated it in front of Shi Qian.

Then he said, “I can’t tell—please let the Formation Grandmaster judge.”

A deep, aged voice came from within the formation: “Just over a year old… Oh wait, no—it’s sixteen. Not a low cultivation level either.”

“But a mere spirit beast that hasn’t even taken human form? What’s it doing here messing around?”

“Go back. Don’t cause trouble.”

Shi Qian immediately drew his sword: “Squeak!”

I have a sword too! Why can’t I go in?

The old voice in the formation continued: “Can’t understand a word.”

Long Ye spoke up, “He does have a sword, and he knows sword techniques. He meets the age and cultivation requirements. Why shouldn’t he be allowed to try? Your sect doesn’t explicitly forbid spirit beasts from entering, correct? Surely, a wise senior wouldn’t reject such a reasonable request?”

“…Fine, he meets the requirements,” the Formation Grandmaster said, far more agreeable than either Long Ye or Shi Qian had expected.

Shi Qian’s eyes lit up. He added: “Squeak!”

Other human cultivators can bring spirit beasts, right? Then can I bring a human cultivator with me?

Long Ye was stunned too. But he thickened his skin, passed the question along, and even praised the Formation Grandmaster a few more times to cover up his shamelessness.

“…Makes sense,” the old man said after a moment of contemplation.

“Let them in. But from now on, we’ll add a new rule: no untransformed spirit beasts or monsters allowed in recruitment trials.”

Everyone nearby was already dumbfounded.

It can be done like that?!

Too bad this clever loophole has now been closed.