At the same time.
Inside Falling Cloud Valley.
A massive magic mirror hovered in the sky, reflecting the scenes outside the valley in minute detail, clear and vivid.
Beneath the magic mirror stood several Falling Cloud Valley cultivators. At this moment, they were intently watching the images in the mirror, their expressions varied.
After seeing Lin Zhen leave in anger, an old man in a blue robe with a golden cloud pattern embroidered on his chest frowned and couldn’t help but speak up.
“Elder Yin, that child is clearly in danger. Shouldn’t we send someone to escort him?”
“He also traveled a great distance to participate in the assessment as a seeker of the Dao. If he truly dies here, wouldn’t that be our Falling Cloud Valley’s fault?”
“Elder Mo, your words miss the mark. This path was his own choice; what does it have to do with our Falling Cloud Valley!”
At that moment, a tall, thin, and dignified-looking middle-aged male cultivator among the group immediately shook his head and said coldly:
“This boy loses heart and collapses at the slightest setback, abandoning a hard-won opportunity to enter the Dao over a trivial matter. With such a fickle and impatient temperament, he will surely achieve little in the future. How is he worthy of becoming our sect’s disciple?”
“My earlier proposal to postpone the entrance test by a few days was precisely to weed out those with weak resolve in advance, to avoid wasting time. It seems now the effect is quite good.”
The middle-aged male cultivator was named Yin Qingyuan, an elder of the Dao Entry Pavilion specifically responsible for recruiting disciples.
Hearing this, Elder Mo’s expression darkened slightly as he retorted with displeasure:
“That junior named Wang Luchuan is your nephew, isn’t he? That child is ruthless and cruel at such a young age, fond of bullying others with his influence. Why recruit such a degenerate with an unrighteous heart?”
“Hmph!”
Upon hearing this, a trace of anger appeared on Yin Qingyuan’s face as he immediately refuted:
“Our Falling Cloud Valley may not be a demonic sect, but we are no charity either.”
“The struggle for the Great Dao is merciless. The victor takes all. Only those with the strength and resolve to kill when necessary can reach the end. Against a rival, any means are justified.”
“Moreover, Wang Luchuan possesses innate dual wood and water spiritual roots; he is a rare seedling of immortal potential. With such aptitude, joining even one of the Seven Great Sanctuaries would be more than sufficient. If I hadn’t personally gone to persuade him with great effort, he might not have chosen to join our Falling Cloud Valley at all.”
“As for issues of temperament and heart, they can be properly guided after he enters the sect. That’s still better than nurturing certain mediocre individuals.”
Elder Mo was so angered his eyebrows shot up as he countered again:
“This is utterly unreasonable!”
“Our sect’s rules require prospective disciples to pass two tests: one of spiritual root aptitude, the other of character and resolve. If Wang Luchuan fails the second, I will not agree to admit him!”
After being rebutted, Yin Qingyuan’s expression turned somewhat unpleasant. Just as he was about to say something, he was interrupted by a clear and pleasant voice.
“The two elders merely hold different viewpoints; both are actually considering what’s best for the sect. Why engage in such pointless arguments?”
The speaker was a beautiful female cultivator at Foundation Building. She had delicately drawn features, and her light blue dress emphasized her slender figure and willowy waist.
The woman’s words instantly quieted the two Golden Core realm elders, each falling silent.
Seeing the situation calm down, Bai Xirou smiled faintly and continued:
“That youth is after all an ordinary mortal who came specifically seeking the Dao. Since we’ve encountered this situation, we cannot simply watch him die on the road.”
“I’ll entrust matters here to you elders for now. I’ll go save him once. As for whether he lives or dies afterwards, that will depend entirely on his own fortune.”
With that said, Bai Xirou moved with light steps, swiftly flying toward the valley entrance.
……
Not long after.
Another location in Canglan Mountain.
Lin Zhen walked through the dense forest in a daze, his slightly immature face full of confusion and dejection as he muttered to himself.
“Why? Why would Yingying choose a scumbag over me? What did I do wrong? I can change.”
“We could have soon passed the entrance test together and become disciples of Falling Cloud Valley… Why treat me like this…”
The next moment, his foot caught on something, and he nearly fell flat on his face. Fortunately, he steadied himself in time to avoid eating dirt.
The sudden mishap jolted Lin Zhen awake. He instinctively turned his head to look and found that what tripped him was a stone half-buried in the ground.
This fist-sized stone was buried rather shallowly and had already been kicked out of the soil by him. Strangely enough, lying in the newly exposed hole was a pitch-black ring.
For some reason, upon seeing the ring at that moment, Lin Zhen suddenly felt an inexplicable stirring.
It was as if there was a call from fate itself, urging him forward to pick up the ring.
When he touched it, no strange phenomena occurred. He just felt an indistinct sense of peace settle within him—as if everything was meant to be this way.
Then Lin Zhen rubbed his eyes and lowered his head for a closer look.
The ring appeared very ordinary; it was unclear what material it was made from. The surface bore no adornments; its outer side was smooth and rounded, while its inner side was carved with many incomprehensible patterns.
Lin Zhen had only glanced at it briefly before immediately feeling dizzy and lightheaded. Frightened, he quickly shifted his gaze away and dared not look again.
As if drawn by an unseen impulse, he slipped the ring onto his right index finger and prepared to continue on his way. Unlike the journey here, when he had traveled with others, he was now alone; any wild beast could kill him. To get home safely, he had to leave these dangerous woods before dark.
Suddenly…
The silent forest rustled. Three men emerged from the trees and blocked his path, their intentions plain.
Lin Zhen’s heart lurched when he recognized them. He took two wary steps back. “What do you want?”
They were Wang Luchuan’s servants. Nothing good could come of them following him here.
“Heh. Our young master was afraid you might die in these deep forests, so he sent us to see you on your way.” The lead servant made no attempt to hide his malice. “Do not struggle, brat. Let me give you a quick death, or I will make you beg for it.”
Lin Zhen paled. “I have never done anything to you. Why are you so determined to kill me?”
“Pah! Stinking kid talks too much even at death’s door!” The lackey spat, waving his hand dismissively. “All together now—kill him!”
At his command, all three servants drew their blades and lunged at Lin Zhen.
They were mortals, but each was skilled in martial arts. Lin Zhen was no match for them. He spun around and ran.
Footsteps behind were growing ever closer—he was on the verge of being caught—despair filled his face completely.
Just then, a loud shout exploded beside his ear: “Brother, don’t panic! I’m here to help you!”
A figure shot out from the side like a leopard and swept a leg into the leading pursuer, knocking him to the ground.
He moved again, a faint glow spreading over his palms, then slammed them like hammers into the other two servants’ chests.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
Those who moments ago swaggered while pursuing now lay subdued, gasping feebly on the ground—clearly not long for the world.
Having dealt with these lackeys, the newcomer brushed the dust off his hands, grinning widely to reveal gleaming white teeth, speaking amiably: “Alright, Brother Lin, all safe now.”
Lin Zhen stared blankly, somewhat bewildered, looking at the person who saved him. “May I ask… who are you?”
The other party’s appearance was average build, average clothing, average everything—nothing memorable about his looks whatsoever. He couldn’t recall ever meeting him before anywhere.
Qi Yuan smiled cheerfully. “I am Big Qi, a wandering cultivator here for Falling Cloud Valley’s entrance test. I saw how that little fat boy bullied you earlier and could not stand it. So I came to help.”
Warmth filled Lin Zhen’s heart. “Thank you for saving my life, Brother Qi. I will never forget your kindness.”
Saying this, he clasped his fists, bowing deeply toward Qi Yuan.
He had faced certain death. If his rescuer had not arrived in time, he would probably already be a cold corpse.
This debt of kindness was truly immense.
Qi Yuan waved a hand. “It was nothing, Brother Lin. No need to dwell on it.”
Meanwhile, a slender woman hidden nearby let out a quiet breath of relief, then slipped away.
Sensing her departure, Qi Yuan withdrew his Divine Sense, a faint smile on his lips.
So they know to come rescue people after all—seems Falling Cloud Valley is not an entirely heartless place either.
But the girl arrived a step too late, though—if I hadn’t intervened promptly, she’d probably only be collecting the corpse left behind.
Of course, he didn’t worry about a mere Foundation Building late-stage cultivator seeing through his disguise either.
When he acted earlier, he deliberately limited his strength to the second layer of Qi Refining. He made it look as though he knew no spells and could only gather true qi in his fists and feet to fight, perfectly fitting his guise as a wandering cultivator.
According to Falling Cloud Valley rules, they generally only recruit mortals with a bone age under eighteen years old.
There was one exception: the age limit could be relaxed for wandering cultivators who already possessed some cultivation.
For Qi Refining first layer, it was relaxed to twenty years old, while for the Qi Refining second layer, the age limit was under twenty-two years old.
Qi Yuan was currently twenty-one. Using a Qi Refining second layer cultivation to register met the conditions perfectly.
In the mission system, being told to break through to Qi Refining second layer first surely had a reason, too.