After Zhao Zhi’s test, the second assessment was fully completed.
A total of sixty-eight people passed.
This number wasn’t small.
However, Elder Bai didn’t announce the score rankings, so no one knew their exact placement yet.
In Ling Xiao’s view, the top ranks likely belonged to just a few.
Zhao Zhi, Xu Ying, Leng Mei, and Zhao Ci were surely among them, and his own ranking probably wasn’t low either.
“Dai Yuling, follow this senior brother to Medicine Mountain. The rest, come with me to the next stage.”
Elder Bai stood, instructing a female Moonlight Sect disciple to take Dai Yuling to Medicine Mountain.
It was likely one of the peaks on Moonlight Mountain.
“Master, what level is that Jinguang Tianzun who took Leng Hao? How does he compare to Moyan Tianzun?” Ling Xiao finally couldn’t resist asking on the way.
“Jinguang Tianzun is a high-tier Heavenly Human Realm expert, while Moyan Tianzun has only just entered the Heavenly Human Realm. The gap is vast. Once you reach the Heavenly Human Realm, you almost completely shed the mortal body. From soul to physique, everything is renewed, allowing flight without any external aid!” Master Baiyun explained.
He shook his head with a bitter smile. “I’ll never reach the Heavenly Human Realm in my lifetime.”
Below the Heavenly Human Realm lies the Mortal Realm.
Like the Martial Channel Realm, the Mortal Realm has nine layers.
Unlike the Martial Channel Realm, where each layer unlocks a martial channel, each layer of the Mortal Realm transforms the body until the mortal shell is fully transcended, achieving the Heavenly Human Realm.
In a sense, the Heavenly Human Realm represents a higher form of humanity, capable of feats ordinary people can’t imagine.
What common folk see as miraculous, they find mundane.
Unfortunately, Master Baiyun had never reached this realm, so he couldn’t explain it clearly. Ling Xiao would have to explore it himself.
“Quiet down. There are two more assessments: ‘Mechanical Giant Beast’ and ‘Divine Sealing Record.’ Pay attention, as even if you can’t pass these, you might gain some benefits,” Elder Bai’s voice rang out.
He only named the next two assessments without revealing their details, sparking curiosity.
Ling Xiao planned to aim for full marks if the assessments involved combat or intelligence.
There was no need to hide anymore. His ability to injure Heisuo had already proven his exceptional combat skills.
Moyan Tianzun likely knew this too.
Within the sect, however, there was a belief that combat skills below the Mortal Realm were of little use, merely for survival.
Thus, they accounted for only 10 points in the assessment.
Even if Ling Xiao scored full marks, Moyan Tianzun probably wouldn’t take notice.
Besides, while lying low was wise, hiding too much and getting eliminated would be embarrassing.
Elder Bai opened the sect gate, and the group followed him to a narrow passage.
From here, the passage was pitch black, its length and what lay on the other side impossible to discern.
Ling Xiao could see a dangerous black shadow at the passage’s end, its oppressive aura nearly equivalent to a peak Martial Channel Ninth Layer expert.
“The third assessment is simple: rush from this side to the other end of the passage. You’ll encounter obstacles—either avoid them or fight. Your score is based on the distance you cover,” Elder Bai said calmly. “The passage is ten zhang long. Each zhang forward earns 1 point. If anyone can kill the mechanical giant beast at the end, they’ll get an extra 10 points.”
The rules were straightforward, needing no further explanation.
“Alright, begin. Who’s first? This time, no number order.”
“I’ll go!”
As soon as Elder Bai finished, a peak Martial Channel Seventh Layer youth leapt into the dark passage.
His potential was notable, reaching two stars—a fine treasure body.
But his strength was lacking.
Barely entering the passage, a white light shot out. Unable to react, he was blasted back.
“By the way, for those below Martial Channel Eighth Layer, unless you have special abilities, it’s normal to score zero in this assessment.”
The youth wasn’t injured but looked deeply disappointed.
Indeed, unless your potential was as extraordinary as Leng Hao’s, strength mattered greatly.
“My turn!”
This time, a youth with early Martial Channel Eighth Layer cultivation rushed in.
His strength was greater, his reactions sharper.
But as he entered, the expected white light didn’t appear. Instead, a blade’s glint emerged from the darkness.
“Clang!”
The youth parried hastily, retreating three or four steps, nearly exiting the passage.
The crowd vaguely saw a figure in the passage, forged entirely of steel, wielding a long blade.
It was a mechanical puppet.
This puppet’s strength surpassed peak Martial Channel Seventh Layer but was slightly below early Martial Channel Eighth Layer.
This confirmed Elder Bai’s words—those below early Martial Channel Eighth Layer, without special abilities, would struggle to earn even a single point.
After the initial danger, the youth calmed down, fought, defeated the puppet, and advanced one zhang.
Suddenly, two beams of light shot from the passage’s end, so fast they reached the youth in an instant.
Flying swords?
That was his last thought before he was pierced and fainted.
“You won’t die from injuries in the passage, only faint. Rest assured, we’re here to recruit disciples, not kill,” Elder Bai explained. The Moonlight Sect wasn’t a demonic sect, after all.
“Advanced one zhang, score 1!”
A genius with early Martial Channel Eighth Layer cultivation only managed one zhang, a sobering result.
Thereafter, many others took the assessment.
Each encounter brought different dangers, so going early or late offered no reference.
For others, that is.
For Ling Xiao, going later was highly beneficial.
He noticed that the mechanical puppets and strange attacks followed a fixed frequency. By finding this pattern, he could avoid combat entirely, relying solely on movement techniques to easily score full marks.
“Young master, I’m going!”
Before Leng Mei, Zhao Ci held the highest score at 5 points but couldn’t advance further.
“Wait!”
Ling Xiao stopped Leng Mei and whispered something in her ear.
