When it came to the use of divine yuan force, Evan Parker still knew very little. However, he excelled in his willingness to experiment, and after spending several days, he became proficient in the various ways of circulating and casting divine yuan force. Although Evan Parker's cultivation realm was still stuck at the initial stage of Innate, his combat power far surpassed that of the eighth stage of Innate, and even compared to those at the ninth stage, he was by no means inferior.

After this turn of events, Evan Parker resolutely gave up his plan to continue exploring deeper into the cave. Especially after gaining divine yuan force, Evan Parker's spiritual sense had greatly improved, and he even developed a kind of crisis sense that he himself could not explain. This feeling was very subtle—whenever Evan Parker intended to venture deeper into the cave, a strong sense of danger would arise in his heart.

If it had been before obtaining the "Cultivation God Slaughtering Heaven Art", even if he sensed danger, Evan Parker would have still risked it all for the chance of great fortune.

But now, having cultivated a technique far superior to the Heaven-rank, the "Cultivation God Slaughtering Heaven Art", Evan Parker no longer needed to risk his life for a few spirit stones. A better cultivation method was already taking shape in his mind.

Chapter 8: The Centennial Selection

Three years had passed—three years in the sunless mine had transformed Evan Parker from a lowly miner into a cultivator. Although he was only at the lowest rank, on Xuanyuan Star, this still placed him above ninety percent of the population.

This is the root cause of why countless ordinary people are willing to risk everything for a chance at cultivation. Becoming a cultivator has always been the best opportunity for commoners on Xuanyuan Star to rise to the top in a single leap.

After leaving the mine, Evan Parker used a few scattered five-element lower-grade spirit stones to exchange for over a thousand supply coins, and headed straight for a restaurant in the market.

Sipping the long-missed "Bailing Brew", Evan Parker waved a waiter over.

"When is the next outer sect selection trial?"

The so-called outer sect selection trial was a benefit for the miners here, established by the Supreme Yuanyang Sect. At regular intervals, a selection would be held in the market, during which the sect would send people to choose miners with outstanding talent or those who had already cultivated to the Innate realm, and accept them as outer sect disciples.

Don't underestimate the seemingly insignificant status of "outer sect disciple". Anyone who could reach this step would see their chances of successful cultivation greatly increased. They wouldn't have to cultivate blindly like many rogue cultivators, nor would they be left without support when bullied, and they wouldn't have to risk their lives over spirit stones and materials needed for cultivation.

Of course, as one of the nine great sects, the Supreme Yuanyang Sect had extremely strict requirements for accepting disciples. Not everyone working in the mines had this opportunity: those with less than three years of service were not accepted, those over thirty years old were not accepted, and those who failed to impress were not accepted.

The waiter took the ten supply coins Evan Parker handed over, his face lighting up with a smile. "Sir, your timing is perfect! Tomorrow afternoon, there will be an outer sect selection at the trial grounds south of the market. And this time, it's different from before—I've heard that several big shots are coming, all of whom are prominent figures in the Supreme Yuanyang Sect. If you can get chosen by one of them, becoming immortal and attaining the Dao is just around the corner!"

"The big shots you mentioned—who are they?" Evan Parker's curiosity was piqued. He tossed the waiter some more money and pressed for details.

The waiter, pleased with Evan Parker's generosity, leaned in and whispered gossip, "I heard from my cousin who works at the trial grounds that five Golden Core Masters are coming tomorrow. Each one is a leading figure among the second-generation disciples of the Supreme Yuanyang Sect..."

"Golden Core Masters!"

Evan Parker was shocked at the news. He was no longer a newcomer to Xuanyuan Star and naturally understood what kind of status a Golden Core Master represented.

Among the million cultivators on Xuanyuan Star, those who could form a Golden Core in their lifetime and earn the title of Master were less than ten percent. The path of cultivation is long and arduous—this says it all.

After sending the waiter away, Evan Parker pondered for a while, then had a good night's sleep. Early the next morning, he left the inn and headed straight for the vast trial grounds at the southern end of the market.

When Evan Parker arrived at the trial grounds, a long line had already formed outside. At a glance, there were at least a thousand people.

"Why are there so many people?"

Muttering to himself, Evan Parker quickly joined the queue. In his memory, the outer sect selection for the mines had never attracted more than a hundred people. Could it be because five Golden Core Masters were coming this time?

In front of Evan Parker stood a burly man over two meters tall, his body packed with iron-like muscles radiating strength. His small eyes were bright and piercing, clearly a seasoned practitioner whose bones and muscles had been tempered to a certain level.

"Brother, with your build, joining the selection is going to be tough!" The big guy grinned at Evan Parker, flashing a set of white teeth.

"Just joining the fun, seeing how my luck holds."

Evan Parker replied with a faint smile. The big guy was honest and straightforward, which made Evan Parker feel some affection for him. Since they were waiting in line, he struck up a conversation.

As a highly educated person from modern society, it didn't take long for Evan Parker to become fast friends with the big guy, as if they had known each other for years. Through this, Evan Parker also learned many details about this selection from the big man's mouth.