Dongxuan Great Continent, Eastern Region.
Star-Moon Kingdom, Six Sword Sect.
The Six Sword Sect was unusually lively today, with thousands of people gathered in the open space outside the sect.
As the foremost sect in the Star-Moon Kingdom, it only recruited disciples once every three years.
This was a place that countless young people dreamed of.
Amidst the crowd, a young man looked at the scene, his heart filled with excitement. "This is the foremost sect in the Star-Moon Kingdom. It's quite imposing."
The young man was dressed in white, tall and slender, with long hair cascading over his shoulders. He possessed an exceptionally handsome face, yet his complexion was pale, as if he were gravely ill, resembling an immortal from the heavens, utterly out of place among the common folk.
Thinking of his system, Yu Que couldn't help but grumble, "The forest is vast, and there are all sorts of systems. I've seen villain systems, transcendence systems, and show-off systems. What's with this sworn brotherhood system? It's too casual."
[Sworn Brotherhood System 2.0]
[Task Completed: Arrive at the Six Sword Sect, Reward: Beginner's Gift Pack]
Yu Que gazed at the system page, visible only to him, and felt tears of excitement welling up.
Three months!
It hadn't been easy!
He had dragged his sickly body for a full five months to reach the Six Sword Sect.
Yu Que was not from this world. He was originally an ordinary, struggling author from Earth's Huaxia. He had choked to death on water while staying up late to code because readers didn't tip or urge him to update, leaving him with no income.
He had expected to receive a beginner's gift pack upon transmigration, just like other transmigrators. However, this broken system had issued a beginner's task and then gone silent.
Yu Que excitedly clicked open the beginner's gift pack.
Judging by the typical tropes of system novels, the beginner's gift pack shouldn't be too bad.
[Ding, Congratulations Host for obtaining the Strongest Physique: Profound Dragon Sacred Body]
[Ding, Congratulations Host for obtaining the Strongest Cultivation Method: "Sworn Brotherhood Cultivation Technique"]
[Ding, Congratulations Host for obtaining the Golden Finger: Hand of God]
[Ding, Congratulations Host for a one-level increase in cultivation]
[Ding, Congratulations Host for obtaining one Trial Card: 50/50 Trial Card]
[Ding, Congratulations Host for obtaining seven Great Strength Pills]
A series of system prompts sounded in his mind.
Yu Que was so excited he almost jumped two meters high.
He clicked open the attribute page.
...
Host: Yu Que
Cultivation: Qi Condensation First Layer
Physique: Profound Dragon Sacred Body
Cultivation Method: "Sworn Brotherhood Cultivation Technique"
Skills: Basic Fist and Footwork
Golden Finger: Hand of God
Items: Great Strength Pill x7, 50/50 Trial Card x1.
Yu Que was stunned. He was a cultivator now!
Weren't cultivators supposed to be immune to all illnesses? He was at least at the first layer of Qi Condensation, so why did his body still look so weak and deficient?
[Ding, this system follows a path of appearance. To maintain the Host's critically ill appearance, all pills and cultivation methods that enhance the Host's physique are ineffective.]
Yu Que: "..."
So, no matter how strong I become, I have to maintain this sickly appearance? This is outrageous!
Yu Que was helpless, but even so, it couldn't stop him from showing off.
"Rumble~"
With several loud noises, seven stone pillars grew from the ground.
The stone pillars stood tall, piercing the clouds.
Three figures, riding on swords, arrived above the crowd.
Below, the crowd gazed up with admiration.
Yu Que's face also showed admiration.
Flying on swords was the dream of every boy.
"The test begins now!"
With a command, the crowd lined up to prepare for the test.
These seven stone pillars were the testing pillars of the Six Sword Sect, capable of measuring a cultivator's potential.
Heaven, Earth, Profound, Yellow – four grades of potential, from highest to lowest.
These four grades corresponded to four colors.
White: Yellow-grade potential.
Yellow: Profound-grade potential.
Purple: Earth-grade potential.
Red: Heaven-grade potential.
Yellow-grade potential was sufficient to be accepted into the Six Sword Sect.
[Task: Swear brotherhood with Zhou Jie, Reward: Cultivation level increased to Foundation Establishment and a gift pack, unlock lottery mode]
The system prompt sounded.
Yu Que clicked on Zhou Jie's information.
...
Zhou Jie
Gender: Male
Future Peak Strength: Spirit Severing Stage
Future Status: Sect Master of the Six Sword Sect
Personality: Cheerful, loyal and righteous, possesses a mysterious confidence in his own appearance. Appears upright on the surface, but is a bit reserved inside. Becomes arrogant once he gains power later on.
Destiny: Due to an accidental fall from a cliff, he obtained an ancient inheritance, thus embarking on the peak of his life.
After reading the information, Yu Que scanned the crowd lining up for the test. His gaze swept over everyone, finally stopping at a young man at the very end.
The young man had a refined appearance. Although dressed ordinarily, he exuded an extraordinary aura.
Yu Que looked at the golden exclamation mark above the young man's head and muttered, "He must be Zhou Jie, the future Sect Master of the Six Sword Sect. As expected of a chosen one, his appearance is only slightly inferior to mine by a tiny bit."
Yu Que walked forward and lined up behind Zhou Jie.
"Hello, brother. I am Yu Que. May I know your name, brother?"
Zhou Jie turned to look at Yu Que, his eyebrows slightly raised.
"Zhou Jie."
He had originally thought his appearance was one in ten thousand, but today he encountered someone even more handsome than himself.
[Ding, Zhou Jie is astonished by the Host's peerless beauty, Favorability +2%, Current Favorability: 2%]
Yu Que was completely bewildered. This worked too!
The tests proceeded one by one.
"Alas, each generation is worse than the last."
"Indeed. Not a single Earth-grade potential has appeared so far."
"The previous generation at least had two Earth-grade potentials. I don't think there's any hope this year."
The three elders presiding over the test in the sky sighed, having lost hope.
"Boom~"
"The testing pillar emits purple light!"
"Holy cow, Earth-grade potential!"
"..."
The three elders all looked over, their eyes flashing with golden light.
The middle testing pillar was now dyed purple.
A purple aura shot straight into the sky, dyeing the surrounding white clouds purple.
The crowd gazed at the youth before the testing pillar who had activated Earth-grade potential.
The youth was dressed in green, a smug smile on his face, as if this were all to be expected.
Soon, someone recognized the youth's identity.
"Isn't that Young Master Zhou Li of the Zhou family!"
"It really is Young Master Zhou Li of the Zhou family."
Discussions erupted in the crowd.
The Zhou family was a prominent family in the Star-Moon Kingdom, with a Golden Core stage cultivator guarding it.
The three elders in the sky showed appreciation. One elder even remarked, "As expected of a prominent family in the Star-Moon Kingdom. This year, perhaps only that young man will have Earth-grade potential."
Someone in the crowd shouted, "I heard two people from the Zhou family came this year. Their talent must also be extraordinary."
Everyone turned to look at Zhou Li in front.
Zhou Li smiled proudly and said, "My cousin, Zhou Jie, the future successor of the Zhou family, also came with me. However..."
At this point, Zhou Li sighed, hesitating to speak further.
Everyone was confused as to why Young Master Zhou was hesitating.
Seeing the confusion in the crowd, Zhou Li nodded with satisfaction.
The person who had shouted earlier was none other than his attendant, Biesan.
Everything was proceeding according to his plan.
Yu Que, standing behind, raised an eyebrow, sensing something was amiss.
The tests proceeded in an orderly fashion.
By noon, only Zhou Jie and Yu Que remained to be tested.
Zhou Jie slowly walked towards the stone pillar.
Zhou Li, standing beside him, sneered. He had been waiting for this moment. He shouted to the surrounding crowd, "He is the Young Master of the Zhou family, Zhou Jie!"
The crowd around them sized up Zhou Jie. As the Young Master of the Zhou family, his talent was undoubtedly extraordinary.
The three elders in the sky also looked down at Zhou Jie with curiosity.
Zhou Jie approached the testing pillar and placed his hand on it under everyone's gaze.
No reaction!
After a moment, still no reaction!
Zhou Jie's expression turned grim. He had known this would be the outcome before coming, but he wanted to take a gamble.
"Holy cow, is this really the Young Master of the Zhou family? He's not even Yellow-grade potential."
"No wonder Young Master Zhou Li was hesitating earlier. If I were the Patriarch of the Zhou family, I would immediately pass the position of Young Master to Young Master Zhou Li."
"..."
People behind them began to comment.
The three elders in the sky sighed regretfully, "Alas, not even Yellow-grade potential. It seems the path of cultivation is not for him."
The other two elders nodded in agreement.
Yu Que watched the situation unfold, a slight smile on his lips. It was time for him to make his appearance.
Yu Que walked forward and shouted, "Don't be nervous, relax, and feel that power with your heart."
Amidst the jeers, this voice stood out conspicuously.
Everyone turned to look at Yu Que in unison.
Many female disciples' eyes sparkled with adoration, their faces slightly flushed, their hearts pounding.
So handsome!!!
Could there be such a handsome man in this world?
Zhou Jie turned to look, his heart warming.
He hadn't expected that at this moment, the only one encouraging him would be a stranger he had met only three hours ago.
"White light, it's Yellow-grade potential," someone in the crowd shouted.
A white light appeared on the testing pillar.
Zhou Jie breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he could join the Six Sword Sect, any potential was fine.
Zhou Jie looked at Yu Que, a smile on his face.
If it weren't for Yu Que, he might have bid farewell to the path of cultivation.
[Ding, Zhou Jie is encouraged by the Host's words, Favorability +7%, Current Favorability: 9%]
Hearing the system prompt, Yu Que remained expressionless, but inwardly he was ecstatic. A single sentence earned him +7% favorability.
Zhou Li, standing beside them, his eyes cold, clenched his fists until they creaked. He stared at Yu Que and said, "May I ask which noble family's young master you are?"
Yu Que chuckled inwardly. It was his time to shine.
"I am merely an ordinary person. My family has been farmers for three generations."
Zhou Li snorted, his face filled with disdain.
Not a young master from a noble family, and so frail. His potential couldn't possibly be any good.
He concluded that apart from his looks, Yu Que was utterly useless.