The spirit stone only emitted light after a while. The elder observed it for a moment before nodding, "Your talent is quite good; you can enter the Heavenly Soldier Mansion!"
Upon hearing this, Ling'er's face lit up with joy. He had been somewhat worried, but now it seemed unnecessary, as this matter had naturally fallen into place.
Witnessing this scene, Lu Fan was also quite pleased. Following Ling'er, it was Zhao Xue's turn. After a test, she too was able to enter the Heavenly Soldier Mansion.
Lu Fan did not stand on ceremony and directly approached the immortal stone. The immortal stone immediately shone brightly, attracting the elder's attention. The elder was somewhat shocked, clearly not expecting Lu Fan to make the immortal stone emit such a radiance.
"He's stronger than both of us. It seems this immortal stone is truly extraordinary!" Ling'er exclaimed in surprise. "If we can enter the Heavenly Soldier Mansion, that would be the best."
After a series of tests, the elder led Lu Fan and the others into the Heavenly Soldier Mansion. Inside, it was like a world of its own, filled with abundant spiritual energy and many heavenly soldiers training. Although their movements appeared ancient, every move was profound, leaving one in awe.
"Within the entire Heavenly Soldier Mansion, there is a competition held every three years. If you can win in the competition, you will receive many rewards. Furthermore, if you can break through to the Martial Emperor realm, you will become a Heavenly General of the Heavenly Soldier Mansion and have your own dedicated residence!" the elder explained. "There are currently eight Heavenly Generals in the entire Heavenly Soldier Mansion, so do not provoke them lightly!"
"Eight Heavenly Generals?"
Ling'er asked in surprise, "Does that mean there are eight Martial Emperor level experts?"
"You could say that!" the elder nodded slightly. "As heavenly soldiers of the Heavenly Soldier Mansion, besides daily cultivation, you will also need to complete missions assigned by the mansion. For the rest of your time, you can cultivate freely, and you can also utilize the resources of the Heavenly Soldier Mansion as you please. However, one thing is certain: once you enter the Heavenly Soldier Mansion, you must obey its arrangements!"
Everyone nodded, not daring to be negligent. They understood the elder's words clearly.
"Old man, more new recruits?"
Just then, a shifty-eyed old man approached, glancing at Lu Fan and the others with a knowing look.
"That's right, a few more promising talents!" the elder smiled slightly and said, "Did the Hunyuan Heavenly General take a liking to them? If so, he can take them directly, saving me the trouble of assigning them elsewhere."
"These two young ladies are quite good; I'll take them," the Hunyuan old man said with a smile, his gaze full of meaning.
Ling'er and Zhao Xue frowned. The Hunyuan old man looked rather untrustworthy, and his previous remark made them feel uneasy.
"No way!"
Ling'er said emphatically, "I want to be with Lu Fan. If you want to take anyone, take all of us, or I won't go with you!"
"Oh ho, there are very few people in the entire Heavenly Soldier Mansion who dare to speak to me like this!"
The Hunyuan old man said mischievously and then reached out towards Lu Fan. Lu Fan quickly retreated, but the Hunyuan old man became more interested. With a mere turn, he had retreated a hundred meters.
"Why are you so nervous, kid? I wasn't planning to make a move on you," the Hunyuan old man said with a roll of his eyes. "I was just playing around, seeing how nervous you look."
"Hunyuan old man, they are new and don't know much. Don't bother them!"
The white-haired elder rolled his eyes and then looked at Lu Fan. "You, kid, will follow the Hunyuan old man from now on. He's a good person, and in the entire Heavenly Soldier Mansion, at least you won't be bullied following him."
"Look at what you're saying. I wasn't planning to take him, so why are you letting him fall under my wing?" the Hunyuan old man said indignantly.
"I don't care. As long as he's handed over to you, you'll be responsible if anything happens!"
After saying this, the elder turned and left, as if his task was complete.
The Hunyuan old man looked helpless and waved his hand. "Fine, fine. From now on, you are all my subordinates under Hunyuan. But you must be obedient. If you cause trouble in the Heavenly Soldier Mansion, I won't be lenient!"
"Thank you, Heavenly General Hunyuan!" Ling'er quickly clasped his hands and smiled.
Led by Heavenly General Hunyuan, they arrived at a certain area of the Heavenly Soldier Mansion. There were many people there, all subordinates of Heavenly General Hunyuan. Everyone was quite friendly, and since Heavenly General Hunyuan was easygoing, they were the same.
"Heavenly General, have some new recruits arrived?"
A man walked over, looking obsequious. He had a pair of dragon horns growing from his forehead, suggesting he was not human.
"Take good care of these newcomers. Teach them well if they have any questions!" Heavenly General Hunyuan said casually and then left, not paying much attention to such matters.
"Hello, my name is Zhulong, and I am a descendant of the Dragon Clan!" Zhulong said with a smile. "Welcome to the Heavenly Soldier Mansion. From now on, we will fight side by side. Within the Heavenly Soldier Mansion, we must be united, or we will be bullied!"
"Bullied?" Ling'er asked in surprise. "Why is that? Are private fights allowed within the Heavenly Soldier Mansion?"
"The eight Heavenly Generals of the Heavenly Soldier Mansion have their own hidden conflicts, so the subordinates of each Heavenly General are not to be trifled with!"
Zhulong stated directly, "You will understand gradually!"
"On my way here, I saw a tower that seemed to be infused with a great deal of immortal energy!" Lu Fan said. "Is that a place where one can cultivate?"
"Naturally, that is the Exquisite Treasure Pagoda!"
Zhulong explained, "It is the supreme treasure of the entire Heavenly Soldier Mansion. Heavenly soldiers and generals can all go there to cultivate, and the speed of cultivation will be significantly faster. However..."
"However, what?" Ling'er asked, somewhat surprised.
"You may not know this, but among the eight Heavenly Generals, Heavenly General Hunyuan's subordinates are the weakest. They have no status in the entire Heavenly Soldier Mansion, so they have no place in that cultivation pagoda," Zhulong said with a wry smile.
"Since it is a public place, why should we be concerned about such matters?" Lu Fan's expression was indifferent, appearing somewhat unconcerned, as if he didn't care at all.
"While that may be true, bringing you into the Exquisite Treasure Pagoda might face obstruction, especially for Heavenly General Hunyuan's subordinates. Boss Hunyuan doesn't manage anything, so we can only be bullied!" Zhulong said with a wry smile, looking somewhat embarrassed.
After all, their skills were inferior, and being bullied by others was a normal occurrence, entirely understandable.