Cultivation of immortality begins with an eighty-year-old eunuch.

Chapter 579 Zhao State's Selection Method! Another assassin has arrived!

"Fellow Daoist Chen has arrived." Qin Taiyue stood up to greet him, pointing to the seat opposite him, "Please sit down."

Chen Fan bowed and sat down in the guest seat.

As soon as he sat down, Qin Zhan picked up the wine pot and personally poured him a cup of wine, his voice booming: "Chen Fan, I heard Minister Qin mention you on my way here. In the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons, you slew a Nascent Soul cultivator with a single sword strike, your Black Banner swallowed the Blood River, leaving no one alive in Yunzhou and Leizhou, and you even killed that brat from the Wang family. How exhilarating! I've fought against demonic cultivators on the border for over a hundred years, and what I admire most is a ruthless person like you who dares to fight and kill. Come, let me toast you."

He picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp, his hearty manner belying his status as a nobleman rather than a seasoned veteran of the border army.

Chen Fan picked up his wine glass and took a small sip.

The liquor was fiery and spicy as it went down my throat, but its spiritual energy was surprisingly abundant. It was a strong liquor brewed from fifth-grade spiritual fruit, and one sip warmed my dantian.

He put down his wine cup, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Highness flatters me. I was merely protecting myself; I do not deserve such praise."

"Self-preservation?" Qin Zhan laughed heartily, his voice shaking the roof tiles. "To be able to preserve yourself all the way to the top spot in the Great Yu Kingdom, your self-preservation skills are truly remarkable. Alright, I don't like those empty pleasantries. I called you here today because there are a few things I need to tell you in person."

He put down his wine cup, his expression becoming more serious: "First of all, in this selection process for Zhao, I will be the one leading the delegation for Da Yu. Minister Qin has already informed me of your situation, and I am also aware of the attitudes of those two old geezers from the Wang family. Rest assured, with me here, the Wang family will not dare to lay a finger on you along the way. Although that old fox Wang Zhenyue's cultivation is a minor realm higher than mine, he doesn't have the guts to be presumptuous in front of me."

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Thank you for your protection, Your Highness."

Qin Zhan waved his hand: "No need to thank me. I protected you because you brought glory to Yu the Great in the national competition. This honor is the honor of the Yu the Great court, and also my honor. Protecting you is my duty; not protecting you would be dereliction of duty. Sit down and drink."

Chen Fan sat down again, his face still calm, but he secretly remembered this kindness in his heart.

Qin Taiyue's words in the bamboo forest, coupled with Qin Zhan's frankness today, improved his impression of these two members of the royal family considerably.

Whether they acted out of public interest or personal motives, at least the protection they received was genuine.

Qin Zhan drank another cup of wine, then changed the subject: "The second matter concerns the selection process in Zhao. How much do you know about Zhao's selection process?"

Chen Fan shook his head: "I don't know much, except that the selection is held once every hundred years, and those who pass will receive a token of worship."

"Then you're far from it." Qin Zhan put down his wine cup, leaned forward slightly, and his tone became serious. "I will explain it to you in detail, listen carefully. Zhao is a second-level cultivation country, and its strength is far superior to that of Da Yu. Zhao's selection of its worshippers is held every hundred years, and at that time, the four first-level cultivation countries—Da Yu, Da Yan, Da Chu, and Da Qi—will all send cultivators to participate. In addition, the demonic cultivators of the Boundless Sea and the Gu cultivators of the Great Desert Grasslands will each send a team. The six forces gather in the capital of Zhao to compete for those limited number of worship tokens. The competition is far more intense than the Ten Thousand Demon Valley Kingdom Competition you just experienced."

He paused, then continued, "The highest cultivation level for candidates is the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, and the lowest is the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul realm. Although you are at the late Nascent Soul stage, your combat strength far surpasses that of your peers, so I'm not worried about that. However, you need to pay attention to the selection method. The selection of offerings in the Zhao Kingdom is divided into three types: one is based on cultivation strength, the second on alchemy skills, and the third on array formation expertise. Candidates can choose to participate in any one of these selections. The points for each selection are calculated independently, and the top few in each selection will be awarded offering tokens."

Three selection methods.

Chen Fan paused slightly, his hand holding the wine glass, a considerable ripple stirring within him.

Putting aside the question of cultivation level, alchemy and formations are precisely the two things he excels at.

He had just broken through to the fifth rank in alchemy, which was already a rare talent in a first-class cultivation country, and he might not be inferior to others even in the Zhao Kingdom.

As for formations, he began studying them in the sealed land, and his mastery of formations had unknowingly reached an extremely high level.

These two selections were practically tailor-made for him.

Chen Fan suppressed the turmoil in his heart, his face remaining calm and composed, as he simply picked up his wine glass and took another sip.

Qin Zhan, oblivious to his momentary unease, continued, "But don't get too excited. While Zhao's selection rules offer candidates choices, each selection is extremely difficult. Take alchemy, for example; previous top performers were at least master alchemists capable of producing high-grade fifth-rank pills. The formation selection is even more grueling. It's said that one year the test required candidates to repair an ancient, damaged formation within three days. None of the dozens of formation masters from the six factions could complete it, leaving that year's formation selection vacant."

Chen Fan's understanding grew clearer with each word, but he merely nodded slightly and said calmly, "Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness. I will remember it."

Seeing his calm demeanor, Qin Zhan's admiration deepened: "Good, with your composure, I am at ease. Tomorrow morning I will lead my troops to the capital of Zhao. You should rest well tonight and need not worry about anything else. I will take care of everything."

Chen Fan stood up, bowed to Qin Zhan and Qin Taiyue, and took his leave.

When they left the main hall, it was already late at night. The lanterns on the streets of the imperial city were becoming sparse, and there were far fewer cultivators coming and going.

Chen Fan walked back along the way he came, his pace unhurried, but his mind was racing as he processed the information he had just received.

He was originally worried that Zhao State would only consider the strength of cultivation when selecting candidates. In that case, with his late Nascent Soul cultivation, he would not have much of a chance against an opponent in the mid-Deity Transformation stage.

But now that they know alchemy and formations are also among the candidates, this path has become more than twice as wide.

He could participate in all three selections at the same time. Even if he didn't get a spot in the cultivation selection, he could still excel in alchemy and formation.

It was late at night when we returned to the inn.

Chen Fan pushed open the door to the side room and, as usual, set up two isolation barriers at the entrance. He then checked the four corners of the fixed-character trapping array.

After confirming that everything was correct, he sat cross-legged on the wooden bed!

Chen Fan slowly closed his eyes, about to enter the golden bowl to continue his cultivation, when he suddenly opened his eyes.

There was a presence outside the courtyard.

The aura was extremely subtle, like a wisp of smoke blending into the night. If he hadn't cultivated the Fixed Word Technique, which gave him a far superior perception of the surrounding energy compared to others of the same level, he probably wouldn't have been able to detect it at all.

The newcomer's concealment technique was several times more advanced than that of the Yin Bone from Yunzhou, and his cultivation had reached the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

Chen Fan felt a slight stirring in his heart, but he remained completely calm.

He slowly stood up, took the Black Soul Banner from the headboard and held it in his hand, then took the Phoenix Flame Sword from under his pillow and hid it in his sleeve.

Then he pushed open the door of the side room and walked into the courtyard.