บท 14: Imperial Capital
[Chapter 14]
After passing through towering mountains and steep ridges, plains and highlands, and bypassing countless counties, Luo Zheng finally arrived at the Imperial Capital after half a month.
Luo Zheng thought that Chongyang County was not a small city among all the counties, but when Luo Zheng stood at the entrance of the Imperial Capital and looked up at the tall golden city gate, his mouth was still wide open.
Even though Luo Zheng was mentally prepared for the grandeur and extravagance of the Imperial Capital after reading all kinds of books, he was still deeply shocked like a country bumpkin who had just entered the city for the first time.
In fact, Luo Zheng had seen many of the Imperial Capital's sceneries from books. The records in the books were incomparably detailed, and there were even pictures of the sceneries.
For example, the golden city gate in front of him was called the Wang Tian Gate. It was three hundred and sixty feet tall and nine feet wide.
Thirty years ago, the Demon Race's Princess Qi married the Burning Sky Dynasty's Crown Prince. This Wang Tian Gate was Princess Qi's dowry.
Seeing was believing. When Luo Zheng saw the golden city gate made of pure gold and various gems, he understood the meaning of Princess Qi's dowry: In the eyes of the Demon Race, the humans of the Eastern Region were all poor.
After passing through the Wang Tian Gate, Luo Zheng walked on the main road of the Imperial Capital. Along the way, he admired the various sceneries on both sides. The towering Blazing Sky Pavilion, the towering Earth Dragon Altar, and various flying chariots shuttling back and forth ...
These sceneries hurriedly flitted past Luo Zheng's eyes. What he was most concerned about was the Blue Cloud Sect.
After asking around, Luo Zheng finally found the location of the Blue Cloud Sect after a day of traveling through more than half of the Imperial Capital.
The huge Blue Cloud Sect occupied almost a quarter of the Imperial Capital's surface area. It was several times larger than the Imperial Capital, and this did not include the Green Cloud Mountain Range that stretched endlessly behind the Blue Cloud Sect.
Compared to the boundlessly noble Wang Tian Sect, the Blue Cloud Sect's Sect seemed to be much more stingy. Except for the three big words "Blue Cloud Sect", there was basically no other redeeming feature. Surrounded by lush green trees, there were also green vines entrenched, making it seem ancient.
Next to the sect, there were two lines of people lining up to register.
The line on the left only had a dozen people, while the line on the right formed a long line. It was so long that one could not see the end of it. It was estimated that there were at least a thousand people.
Luo Zheng walked to the line on the left of the Blue Cloud Sect's line. Because there were fewer people in a short time, Luo Zheng's turn.
The receptionist in charge of registration took a glance at Luo Zheng, then extended his hand towards him and said, "Please take out your landowning household document."
"Landowning household document?" Luo Zheng was stunned.
The receptionist pointed to the table and said, "We only receive landlords here. If you don't have a Blue Cloud Sect's document, please line up over there!" The receptionist pointed to the long line at the side.
Luo Zheng finally understood why there were not many people lining up here. It turned out that this was a place that specifically served landlords.
Landlords were a special class that was conferred by the Emperor.
In the entire Empire, only a very small number of wealthy families were qualified to be called landlords, and these wealthy families were basically concentrated in the Imperial Capital.
The Luo Family of Chongyang County was obviously not a landlords, so Luo Zheng naturally could not take out a "Blue Cloud Sect's document".
Seeing this scene, the people in the long line at the side all let out a burst of low laughter, and their faces showed contempt. Lining up was indeed a boring thing, and Luo Zheng's action was a rare source of laughter.
"Where did this country bumpkin come from ..."
"He doesn't even know about a Blue Cloud Sect's document. These days, everyone is trying to squeeze into the Blue Cloud Sect ..."
Luo Zheng did not respond to these disturbing voices. He only nodded to the receptionist and walked to the end of the long line under the contemptuous gazes of the crowd.
Two years of life as a servant and several narrow escapes from death had already made Luo Zheng's state of mind very calm. Insignificant provocations and taunts were not enough to make him angry. On the contrary, they calmed him down.
The line moved forward very slowly. Luo Zheng simply closed his eyes and rested.
"Is this your first time participating in the sea examination?" Not long after, a voice came from in front of Luo Zheng.
Luo Zheng nodded and opened his eyes. The one who spoke was an eighteen or nineteen year old youth. His tone was kind, and his face was kind.
When the youth saw that Luo Zheng had opened his eyes, he smiled at Luo Zheng and said, "This is my second time."
"What do you mean by 'sea examination'?" Luo Zheng asked his own confusion. Luo Zheng knew that the Blue Cloud Sect's requirements for recruiting disciples were very strict. They had to pass through layers upon layers of tests before they were qualified to enter the Blue Cloud Sect. However, he was not from the Imperial Capital and was not very clear about the process of recruiting disciples.
The youth smiled faintly and said, "The Blue Cloud Sect is the world's holy land for cultivation. There are countless people who want to join. If everyone were to undergo a test, I'm afraid that even if the entire sect was invited, it would be too busy. Therefore, the Blue Cloud Sect's rule is that apart from the children of landowning households, everyone else must pass the sea examination before they can participate in the Blue Cloud Sect's test."
"This dear friend, may I ask what the contents of the sea examination are?" It was said that the Blue Cloud Sect was very difficult to enter. Now that he heard it, it was indeed so. There were actually so many rules, but he did not know what price Luo Peiran paid to directly recruit him as an inner disciple.
The youth smiled and said, "The so-called sea examination is actually for us to gather together and run. The Blue Cloud Sect's rule is that the lowest realm to participate in the sea examination is the Bone Refining Realm. However, the Viscera Refining Realm and Marrow Refining Realm can also participate. However, the requirements for each realm are different. For example, the Bone Refining Realm only needs to run a certain distance, while the Viscera Refining Realm needs to run even further ..."
Only running? Luo Zheng blinked. This sea examination did not sound difficult. After all, anyone could run. After Luo Zheng entered the Viscera Refining Realm, his breathing was long and his body's breathing was coordinated. Even if the distance was far, he would be able to persist.
After knowing the requirements of the sea examination, Luo Zheng's heart calmed down. He chatted with the youth for a while and found out that this youth was called Mo Can. He was a disciple of a small family in the imperial capital.
The Blue Cloud Sect's sea examination was held once a month. Mo Can had already failed once last month, so this was his second time participating this year.
As they chatted, time passed very quickly. Unknowingly, it was their turn.
After Luo Zheng registered his name, he received a jade pendant from the reception area. Luo Zheng's identity information was recorded in this jade pendant.
Carefully putting away the jade pendant, Mo Can said, "Brother Luo Zheng, it's best if you rest more tonight. The word 'running' sounds simple, but the path in the Blue Cloud Sect is a bit special. As for the specifics ... you'll know the day after tomorrow." Mo Can thought and said, "I see that Brother Luo Zheng is a foreigner. If you don't have a place to stay, you can stay at my house."
This Mo Can was a warm-hearted person.
However, Luo Zheng declined Mo Can's invitation. Two years of experiencing the ups and downs of the world had made him see many things clearly. One should not accept a reward without any effort. There were many things that he would not easily suspect, but also would not easily trust.
At this time, many people walked out of the Blue Cloud Sect. Most of them were wearing white robes, but there were a few scattered people wearing black robes.
Seeing that Luo Zheng was carefully sizing them up, Mo Can told Luo Zheng, "Those white robes are all outer sect disciples of the Blue Cloud Sect. After we pass the sea examination and pass the Blue Cloud Sect's assessment, we will be qualified to wear the white robes."
"What about the black robes?" Luo Zheng asked.
"Black robes? A black robe is an inner sect disciple! Whether it's status or the pills they can receive every month, they are much more than white robes! The goal my father gave me was to wear the black robes and become an inner sect disciple. "Mo Can's face revealed an expression of infinite yearning.
Luo Zheng nodded, but then he thought of Luo Peiran. That day, Luo Junyi announced that Luo Peiran had been accepted as an inner sect disciple. What was the reason for this? Could it be that the Heaven and Earth Fortune Pill really had such a miraculous effect that it could actually allow Luo Peiran's skills to advance so quickly?
Just as he was thinking about this, six or seven black robed disciples walked over. One of them glanced at Luo Zheng and his face revealed a strange expression. "Luo Zheng! I didn't expect you to still be alive. You actually dared to sign up and have delusions of entering the Blue Cloud Sect? "
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