The horse neighed, galloping on the official road, kicking up dust.
The bluestone road led all the way to the foot of Divine Sect Mountain, where a giant white jade arch stood tall.
The entrance to the Divine Sect Mountain was guarded, and both Li Che and Zhang Ya were already familiar with the sect’s guarding cultivators.
“Master Li, are you visiting your daughter on the mountain again?”
The guard, an old man who reached the Primary God-Base Realm in his cultivation, was not considered weak, but with limited talent, he had long lost any chance of promotion.
Thus, he served as the mountain’s gatekeeper.
“Elder Qian, come, try this braised pork my wife made. It’s no less superb than the chefs at Yunfang Boat!”
Li Che smiled as he deftly pulled a plate of braised pork he had prepared from the lunchbox, sending it floating towards the figure in the small pavilion beside the white jade arch.
The bent figure caught the plate of braised pork, took a deep breath, and began to laugh loudly.
Li Che, carrying the red lacquer lunchbox, grabbed Zhang Ya’s hand, dismounted the carriage, and started climbing up the mountain via the bluestone steps.
Like lovers strolling on a mountain trail, they bathed in the mountain breeze and forest shade.
Soon, the couple reached the large platform of the Divine Sect’s Inner Gate.
The platform was bustling, gathering disciples from various peaks of the Divine Sect. Every month, the sect held a grand assembly to rank the disciples based on their cultivation progress.
Similar to a monthly exam, this event ranked disciples of the same period, and even true successors participated alongside Inner Sect disciples.
For instance, out of five true successors, they each had to be ranked among the top six at every monthly exam; failing to do so more than three times would jeopardize their privileged slots, allowing them to be replaced by the number one Inner Sect disciple.
Of course, failing the exam once or twice wouldn’t impact their status, but failing to rank within the top six more than three times was perilous.
During the annual assessment, defeat could potentially result in them losing their position as true successors.
Besides, at the monthly assessment, Inner Sect disciples had a chance to challenge true successors.
A successful challenge three months in a row could replace a true successor without waiting for the annual assessment.
Naturally, the same principle applied to Inner Sect disciples, hence the monthly assessment also provided an opportunity for many Outer Sect disciples to enter the Inner Sect; each year many diligent Outer Sect disciples replaced those from the Inner Sect.
However, cases of true successors being replaced were exceedingly rare.
As Li Che and Zhang Ya arrived at the platform, Elder Zhang Qing Zheng, clad in a Confucian robe and sporting a permanently sour expression, stood on the stage.
He called out a name from a roster and soon a Spirit Child disciple from the Divine Sect eagerly climbed onto the stage.
Paying respects to Zhang Qing Zheng, the disciple began to demonstrate martial techniques while bursting forth with energy to display his Martial Cultivation.
The sequence of moves was completed in mere breaths.
“Inner Sect Disciple, Liu Yue, seven years old, Minor Achievement in Muscle Development, Nurture Nature like a Lamp, alright, off you go now.”
“Next, Inner Sect Disciple, Zhang Kai.”
Zhang Qing Zheng nodded then, with a grunt, called out.
The disciple promptly descended the stage, maintaining excellent order, as no one dared to defy Elder Zhang Qing Zheng.
On the spectator stand.
Not only were Li Che and Zhang Ya there, but many other parents of Spirit Children were also sitting, watching their own children participate in the Divine Sect’s monthly exam.
“My husband, look quickly, Xi Xi is over there!”
Zhang Ya scanned the crowd eagerly, and soon spotted Xi Xi, who was surrounded by a bunch of small kids. She joyfully pulled on Li Che’s hand and called out.
Li Che had already spotted Xi Xi’s location. With his perception power transformed to Level 3 through the Chess Saint’s Dao Fruit, his senses were far better than before.
He frowned slightly and nodded subtly.
Because around Xi Xi, there was a group of boys.
Gong Yuanliang from the Gong Family, Gong Yang Xiu from the Gongyang Family, and many other boys from Noble Families and Clans of Golden Light Prefecture City, each staying close to Xi Xi, showing off.
Li Che looked grim, sitting high on the platform, watching with a cold gaze, for he knew the intentions of these clan juniors without needing to say.
They were surely acting under their families’ orders to make contact with Xi Xi within the sect.
Xixi was now the true successor of Golden Light Peak, a status far beyond ordinary successors, and crucially, she was a girl.
In the eyes of these Noble Families and Clans, girls were ultimately destined to marry, even if they were a sect master’s true successor.
So, if they could marry her into their families, it was as if they were obtaining a huge resource as a dowry. Moreover, the power and background that came with a sect master’s true successor were not to be underestimated.
How could Li Che overlook the thoughts of these boys?
Usually, when Xi Xi was cultivating on Golden Light Peak, her senior sister Sang Guanyin and senior brother Liu Yangyuan were around, which kept these boys at bay.
But the sect’s monthly assessment was their best opportunity each month to approach Xi Xi.
“These boys have impure motives.”
Li Che exhaled sharply, squinting.
Zhang Ya couldn’t help but chuckle. “My dear, they are just children, after all.”
“What are you thinking?”
“Xi Xi is only three years old.”
Li Che ruffled Zhang Ya’s hair, saying, “Of course, I know they’re just kids, but… kids eventually grow up! They are laying groundwork for the future, it’s something we must guard against!”
Zhang Ya chuckled silently, her husband always planning ahead, thinking far into the future.
…
…
Xi Xi sat on a chair, in high spirits. She pulled out a handful of sunflower seeds from her pocket and began nibbling on them slowly; they were brought to her by Shangguan Qinghong a few days earlier when he came to see her.