“It’s not that they aren’t there; you simply can’t see them. Once you advance to the Mortal Realm, you’ll start to catch glimpses. You’ll get used to it over time.”
Master Baiyun smiled and led the three onward up the path.
By now, the sun had risen to its zenith, yet its light struggled to pierce the dense forest canopy, leaving only dappled spots of brightness on the ground.
Ling Xiao kept his attention on the mountain’s peak, sensing a peculiar, ancient power residing within Yuehua Mountain.
This power had unexpectedly awakened ten more of his golden dragon cells, increasing the count from twenty to thirty in an instant.
Tiny golden dragons swirled and danced within the cells, brimming with vitality.
Moreover, his Mountain River Martial Soul seemed to resonate with a familiar force, activating on its own accord.
In that moment, under his soul-entered state, Ling Xiao found his vision sharper, his thoughts keener.
All his abilities seemed to have made a significant leap.
Naturally, he dared not share this with anyone or ask Master Baiyun about it.
After all, whether it was the golden dragon cells or the Mountain River Martial Soul, these were secrets he could never reveal, lest he invite grave consequences.
The mountain path of the Yuehua Sect was far longer than that of Baiyun Temple, with steps numbering four or five times as many.
What was most daunting was that these stone steps were no ordinary ones. They seemed imbued with a strange force that tugged at the body, making each step feel as though one’s legs were filled with lead.
Ling Xiao suddenly recalled the Baiyun Temple assessment.
Since Master Baiyun was a disciple of the Yuehua Sect, he had likely modelled many of his assessments after theirs.
Could these steps themselves be part of the assessment?
With this thought, he glanced at Master Baiyun.
But Master Baiyun only gave a wry smile and remained silent.
It seemed that, upon arriving here, Master Baiyun was restricted from speaking freely, especially about the assessment. Revealing secrets might lead to the immediate disqualification of his recommended candidates.
Ling Xiao wasn’t certain if this was the case, but his instincts told him he was right.
He began to quicken his pace.
Seeing this, Dai Yuling and Leng Mei followed suit.
Since he couldn’t reveal too much of his potential, Ling Xiao needed to score highly in the other assessment components.
If this was the first test, he couldn’t afford to slack off. At the very least, he should aim for a perfect score.
Having good stamina was merely a matter of physical prowess—it wouldn’t draw undue attention.
Besides, he believed many others would also achieve a perfect score in this component.
Along the way, he noticed some young prodigies riding on the backs of their family members or servants, and he shook his head inwardly.
If they couldn’t endure even this small hardship, how could they possibly pass the assessment? They were likely to score zero in this component.
Among them was a boy of twelve or thirteen, fair and delicate, but physically frail.
He looked as though a gust of wind could knock him over.
Despite his young age, his cultivation was no less than Ling Xiao’s, a testament to his remarkable potential. Yet, in this component, he would surely score zero.
He was relying on a mechanical beast with only legs to carry him, sitting comfortably atop it.
After about a quarter of an hour, Ling Xiao and the first group of youths reached the thousandth step.
This was not the peak but somewhere on the mountainside.
Here stood another grand gate, clearly made of special materials, likely impervious even to Mortal Realm martial artists.
At this point, each of them received a jade token with a number.
Ling Xiao’s number was “3,” as he was the third to arrive.
The first was Zhao Zhi.
The second was Xu Ying.
Leng Mei was fourth, while Dai Yuling lagged behind, ranking twentieth.
Several Yuehua Sect disciples were distributing the jade tokens, while one figure sat atop a stone stool, flanked by seven or eight Mortal Realm disciples on either side.
Master Baiyun and Xu Ling stepped forward, bowing to the middle-aged man seated on the stone stool.
“Greetings, Elder Bai!”
The man, though only in his forties, was an elder, and his cultivation appeared terrifyingly formidable.
He was far stronger than those standing beside him.
Ling Xiao didn’t dare probe the man’s cultivation, but he could sense that this elder’s power far surpassed that of his master, Baiyun.
As an elder, even if he wasn’t at the Celestial Realm, he was likely close to it.
Within the Yuehua Sect, there were inner and outer elders.
This middle-aged man was likely an outer elder, so Celestial Realm cultivation wasn’t a strict requirement, but his strength was undoubtedly among the pinnacle of the outer sect.
“Hm.”
Elder Bai merely glanced at the group and nodded.
He sat there sipping tea, continuing to wait. The others stood respectfully nearby, keeping their voices low, not daring to make a move.
After a full hour, all the disciples participating in the assessment finally gathered at this point.
“I forgot to mention, the stone steps were the first assessment. Some of you scored a perfect ten, while others received zero. Now, we proceed to the second assessment.”
He seemed uninterested in explaining further, standing and walking toward the massive gate.
“I object! You didn’t tell us that was an assessment. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have scored zero!”
There are all sorts of people in the world, and impulsive, arrogant ones are countless. Naturally, some who scored zero were displeased.
One young prodigy stepped forward and shouted.
“Who else objects?” Elder Bai asked with a faint smile, showing no sign of anger.
“I object too!”
“Why does it count like that? It’s unfair!”
Over a dozen others stepped forward. Some of their elders tried to stop them, but it was either too late or impossible to restrain them.
“Sixteen in total. Very well. Hei Suo, collect the jade tokens from these sixteen and have them leave immediately. If they resist, throw them down the mountain to feed the dogs!”
With that, Elder Bai ignored them and walked straight toward the gate.
Ling Xiao couldn’t help but draw a sharp breath.
The Yuehua Sect was indeed domineering. For such a minor issue, they disqualified candidates outright.
He then looked at Hei Suo.
This Mortal Realm martial artist had once gravely injured Master Baiyun, only to be wounded by Ling Xiao’s “Void-Breaking Strike.” Nearly half his body was now a mechanical construct, like a puppet.
The metal-crafted frame was somewhat rigid but appeared quite durable.
This was likely achieved using the mechanical arts of the Blue-Eyed Clan.
No, that wasn’t quite right. The Blue-Eyed Clan’s mechanical arts had branched off from the human race. The Yuehua Sect’s mechanical arts were more orthodox and ancient.
Hei Suo gave Ling Xiao a cold glance but didn’t dare act.
With Elder Bai present, he wouldn’t dare make a move.
“No need to worry, you three. Hei Suo is merely a second-stage Mortal Realm martial artist. In Elder Bai’s presence, he wouldn’t dare act recklessly. Just focus on the assessment.”
Fearing his three disciples might underperform due to their fear of Hei Suo, Master Baiyun offered some reassurance beforehand.
