Chapter 11: Introduction to Enrollments in the Cultivation World

Upon seeing this, Lu Ye immediately understood that the test involved two stages: first, checking for cultivation aptitude, and second, assessing talent level.

Aptitude and talent are distinct. Aptitude determines whether someone can cultivate and if they possess the qualification to do so, while talent dictates how high their future achievements will be. Theoretically, the greater the talent, the higher one's future accomplishments. Of course, due to limited conditions, the talent test here is a general assessment and not guaranteed to be entirely accurate. However, it's usually very close, with minimal deviation. Lu Ye wasn't concerned about aptitude; he had already opened his spiritual aperture, so he was certainly capable of cultivation. As for his talent level, that remained uncertain. He didn't know what his talent was like and would only find out after testing in the tent behind.

The appearance of the first person with cultivation aptitude brought a spark of life to the previously stagnant queue, instantly instilling a renewed sense of hope in everyone. However, reality proved to be harsh. In the subsequent tests, more than ten people were eliminated before another individual with cultivation aptitude finally emerged. The previous scene played out once more. The long queue steadily shortened, as one enslaved person after another transitioned from hope to disappointment. Overall, roughly one in ten people possessed cultivation aptitude, a ratio consistent with what Lu Ye understood.

He stood in the latter half of the queue, but due to the swift pace of the tests, he found himself before the desk in less than the time it takes an incense stick to burn.

"Have you opened your aperture?" the cultivator behind the desk asked in a rote manner.

"I've opened one aperture," Lu Ye replied honestly.

The cultivator immediately looked up, scrutinizing Lu Ye before smiling broadly. "Good, finally someone who has opened an aperture." Although seven or eight individuals had previously passed the aptitude test, none of them had opened their spiritual apertures. Among those in this queue, Lu Ye was the very first to truly open one!

"Come, place your hands on this," the cultivator instructed, pointing to a crystal ball on the desk.

Lu Ye was puzzled. *Isn't this thing for testing aptitude? Since I've opened my spiritual aperture, what else needs testing?*

The cultivator, sensing Lu Ye's confusion, explained, "Here, we not only test aptitude but also check elemental affinity."

"Elemental affinity?" Lu Ye was even more bewildered; he had never heard of such a thing.

Perhaps because Lu Ye had opened his spiritual aperture, the cultivator patiently explained, "Among the five elements — Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth — each person's spiritual energy leans towards one. This is elemental affinity, and each affinity has different strengths."

"I see!" Lu Ye suddenly understood, then wondered, "What about before...?"

The cultivator chuckled. "They hadn't even opened their spiritual apertures; they had no spiritual energy, so elemental affinity couldn't be detected."

"Ah, I understand," Lu Ye murmured, raising his hands to cover the crystal ball.

"Activate your spiritual energy and inject it into the sphere," the cultivator instructed.

Lu Ye complied, his eyes fixed on the changing crystal ball, curious about his own elemental affinity. The crystal ball first lit up, indicating Lu Ye had cultivation aptitude, though for someone who had already opened their aperture, this result was meaningless. The subsequent change was the elemental affinity test. As Lu Ye watched, a tangerine-orange flame suddenly ignited within the crystal ball, burning brightly! This sight made his pupils contract involuntarily, for the orange flame looked... eerily familiar.

"Oh?" The cultivator behind the desk raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued. "Primary affinity is Fire, and... a touch of Metal too. Excellent, excellent. All right, you can stop now."

Lu Ye could understand his primary affinity being Fire; after all, his ability to open an aperture was thanks to the Talent Tree, which had absorbed a mass of tangerine-orange flame, suddenly enabling him to open his spiritual aperture. The leaf on the Talent Tree, imbued with the Sharpness Spirit Pattern, also burned fiercely. However, he couldn't comprehend the Metal affinity, though he vaguely wondered if it might be his original elemental attribute.

"Keep this token safe and go find my third senior brother in the tent behind," the cultivator said, handing Lu Ye a jade token. Lu Ye thanked him and took it. On one side of the token was his name with the character for "one" beneath it, presumably indicating he had opened one aperture. On the other side, his elemental affinity was engraved.

Stepping past the desk, Lu Ye headed towards the back. Not far away was a makeshift tent, where all those who had passed the aptitude test earlier had entered to have their talent checked. Standing before the tent, Lu Ye first offered an apology before lifting the flap and entering.

The tent's interior was spacious. Inside, a meticulous-looking cultivator with a stern expression sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, eyes closed in contemplation. This must be the third senior brother. A short distance in front of the third senior brother was a round disk, about the size of a tabletop, made of an unknown type of wood. Its edges featured eight indentations, beside which some bare saplings grew.

Lu Ye approached him, cupped his fist in a bow, and said, "Lu Ye greets Senior Brother. Here is my jade token; please examine it."

The third senior brother opened his eyes, took the token, and inspected both sides. His eyebrow twitched. "One who's opened an aperture?" He gestured. "Have a seat."

It seemed this round disk was indeed for testing talent levels. Lu Ye walked over and sat cross-legged in the center. He inadvertently noticed that the disk was etched with numerous intricate and complex patterns and designs. *Spirit patterns?* Lu Ye's interest was immediately piqued. He scrutinized them, but with his current level of discernment, he couldn't tell what these spirit patterns were used for. The only spirit pattern he knew was Sharpness. The spirit patterns carved onto the disk were numerous and dense, intricately linked and forming a cohesive whole. *This isn't just spirit patterns,* Lu Ye realized, recalling something he had once heard. *This is a formation! Are formations constructed from spirit patterns?*

"Ahem!" The third senior brother's light cough interrupted his thoughts, and Lu Ye quickly sat up straight.

Their eyes met, followed by a brief silence, then the third senior brother began, "Our Azure Jade Sect is located in Mount Cangluan, deep within Bingzhou, comprising three hundred spiritual peaks of varying sizes. In terms of overall strength, we rank among the top five in Bingzhou. The Sect Master and all Vice Sect Masters are in the Divine Sea Realm, and beneath the Sect Master, there are over a hundred cultivators in the True Lake Realm..."

Lu Ye had initially thought the third senior brother was a taciturn individual, but now he realized he was mistaken. Once the third senior brother started speaking, he went on ceaselessly, detailing various aspects of the Azure Jade Sect. Lu Ye listened in a daze, impressed by the grandeur he didn't fully grasp. And somehow, the third senior brother's discourse gave him a strong sense of déjà vu. When the third senior brother continued rambling about "how the Sword Faction within the sect is this and that, how the Law Faction is this and that...", Lu Ye's long-dormant memories resurfaced.

Lu Ye's mouth twitched slightly as he mused, *Is this the cultivation world's recruitment brochure?*