Yu Rou entered the game a few moments after Yuan.
"Are we all ready to take this exam?" Yu Rou asked them.
"Exam?" Xiao Hua looked at Yuan, as she had no idea what they were talking about.
Yuan proceeded to explain to Xiao Hua their plans for today and how they are going to partake in this exam to become disciples for the Dragon Essence Temple.
"Brother Tian is going to become a disciple for the Dragon Essence Temple? But it would be much more efficient for you to stay as a Rogue Cultivator and find resources in the wilderness than to join a Sect since you will have to compete against tens of thousands of disciples from the Sect for resources, and the resources you get are not very valuable." Xiao Hua said to him, finding his purpose quite puzzling and unnecessary.
"I know what you mean, but I am not becoming a disciple for the resources. Instead, I want to experience life as a Cultivator and see how the other Cultivators live. If I am going to become stronger as a Cultivator, I should know more about them, right?" Yuan said to her.
"..." Xiao Hua turned silent after hearing his response. Indeed, Yuan needed a better understanding of Cultivators and the cultivation world, as he was quite naive in this regard.
Sometime later, Yuan and Xiao Hua began making their way towards this exam site while being led by Yu Rou.
As they were walking, Yuan asked Xiao Hua, "Xiao Hua, can I ask you a few questions regarding cultivation? I need some advice."
"What is it, Brother Tian?" she looked at him.
"Do you know why one might feel pain all over their body when they try to cultivate? It feels like being stabbed by needles."
Hearing Yuan's words, Xiao Hua immediately frowned with a worried expression on her face.
"Brother Tian, are you feeling pain when cultivating?" She asked him, worried that it might be a side effect from eating too many monster cores.
"Eh? N-No… I am just asking," he quickly shook his head.
"Well… There are a few reasons why one would feel pain during cultivation," Xiao Hua said, and she continued, "One of them is simply because their meridians are blocked by impurities or other unnatural things. Another common reason would be damaged meridians. If one has damaged meridians, they would not be able to cultivate until healing them."
"What about a normal person who is trying to cultivate for the first time? When they try to cultivate, their body will feel intense pain, but it also feels as though they are making progress— like they are getting closer to their breakthrough."
"One's circumstances do not matter, Brother Tian. If their body experiences pain when trying to cultivate, there must be something wrong with their meridians or body," Xiao Hua said to him.
"Hmmm… Then are there any methods to help with that kind of problem?" Yuan asked.
"Yes, there are treasures that cleanses one's meridians with some even restoring them to a healthy condition. If one is having trouble trying to become a Cultivator, there are even treasures that can forcefully assist with their breakthrough. However, since medicines and treasures that can heal or affect one's meridians are very valuable, most people won't be able to buy them."
Xiao Hua then continued, "In fact, the Seven Colored Herb in Brother Tian's possession is a key ingredient in many pill recipes that can affect one's meridians, hence why it's so sought after and valuable."
"The Seven Colored Herb, huh…"
Yuan wondered if he would be able to cultivate in the real world if he consumes these treasures that can heal his meridians.
After walking around the large city for half an hour, Yuan and the others finally reached the place of the exam, and they were able to spot it from very far away due to the large gathering that was already present there.
"Man, I can't wait to join the Dragon Essence Temple!"
"What cultivation level are you now? I just reached fifth level Spirit Apprentice!"
"Haha, since I don't have much time to play, I only managed to reach the third level today."
"What do you think the exam will look like?"
"Who knows. I have never done this before."
"Me neither."
There appeared to be a good chunk of people within the crowd that were players, and they were all filled with excitement as they waited for the exam to start.
"Wow, there's a lot of people here," Yuan exclaimed after seeing the sea of people there.
"That's to be expected, since the Dragon Essence Temple is a renowned Sect, and there are many players that still haven't joined a Sect yet." Yu Rou said to him.
Once they got closer to the area, Yuan looked around for the Xuan Family.
'I don't see Xuan Wuhan or her father… Are they going to be here later?' Yuan wondered to himself when he couldn't see their figures anywhere.
After standing around for a few minutes, a group of individuals wearing similar clothes approached the area.
"If you are here for the initial exam for the Dragon Essence Temple, make a single file line here!" The person in front of the small group— a middle-aged man with an unfriendly face shouted loudly.
Very quickly, the crowd began scrambling around.
A few minutes later, Yuan and Yu Rou managed to secure a spot somewhere in the middle of the line, but they were still behind a least a hundred people.
Once there was an orderly line that snaked around the entire area, the middle-aged man spoke loudly, "I am Elder Kang, a Sect Elder for the Outer Disciples from the Dragon Essence Temple, and I am here today to look for potential new disciples to join our sect. This is just the initial exam to see whether you are qualified to take the real exams, so you won't become a disciple for passing this exam."
"Once you qualify for this exam, you will be able to partake in the real exam directly at the Dragon Essence Temple four days from now."
"Oh… so we won't be able to experience this place together even if we pass this…" Yu Rou sighed, and she continued, "I also have school on that day, so I will miss the real examination regardless."
"Even if we can't go today, we can do it when you can play again," Yuan said to her. "I won't join the sect without you."
"No, I don't want to be a burden for you, brother. My playing schedule is very limited, so I won't be able to play with you too often. I want you to experience the Sect as a disciple even without me!"
"Are you sure…?" Yuan asked her with a slight frown on his face.
"Of course! I wanted to join the sect for you, brother! If you don't join the sect because of me, I'll feel extremely guilty about it, since that's the opposite of my intentions!" Yu Rou said to him.
After a moment of silence, Yuan nodded, "Okay, I'll join the sect."
"That's good!" Yu Rou smiled.
"Once I become a disciple, perhaps I can ask them to make an exception for you, so you will be able to become a disciple even without taking the exam!" Yuan then said to her.
"Unless you become a very important individual in the sect, I don't think they would make that kind of exception…" Yu Rou shook her head.
"There's no need to worry about that because Brother Tian will definitely become a famous disciple in no time," Xiao Hua said to her.
With Yuan's talents, he could easily become a Core Disciple for the Dragon Essence Temple.
"Is that so…?" Yu Rou mumbled, wondering where her confidence was coming from.
While her brother may be exceptionally talented, there are countless geniuses in the cultivation world, and a prominent place such as the Dragon Essence Temple will surely have a few geniuses that could rival Yuan, right? After all, there is a saying 'there's always someone better than you'.
After standing in the line for half an hour, it was finally Yuan's turn to take the exam.
"Name?" Elder Kang asked Yuan without looking at him, keeping his own gaze on the clipboard in his hands.
"Yu Tian," he said.
"What's your cultivation level and age?" Elder Kang then asked in an uninterested tone, almost like he didn't want to be there.
"..."
Yuan immediately hesitated.
"F-Fifth Level Spirit Apprentice, 18 years old," he decided to lie.
'Fifth Level Spirit Apprentice?' Yu Rou looked at him with raised eyebrows and a suspicious gaze. Although she cannot see his cultivation level, surely he must be above Fifth Level Spirit Apprentice, right? After all, he'd defeated four players at the same level with ease!
"Yu Tian, Fifth Level Spirit Apprentice, 18 years old…" Elder Kang wrote his name and age on the clipboard without even looking at him.
"Place your hands on the crystal ball behind me. If it glows green, you pass. Next!"
Yuan nodded and went to touch the crystal ball that was managed by the disciples that came with Elder Kang.
A few moments later, the crystal ball glowed a bright green.
"Congratulations, you pass. Take this token. You'll need it for the real exam. Without it, you won't be able to partake in the examination so don't lose it." The disciple said to Yuan before handing him a small jade token.
«You have obtained 'Dragon Essence Temple Exam Token'»
"Thank you," Yuan said to them before leaving the place with the others.
"You're not going to take the exams, Xiao Hua?" Yu Rou asked her afterward.
"No," Xiao Hua shook her head.