At the same time.
Inside Falling Cloud Valley.
A giant magic mirror floated in the sky, reflecting scenes from outside the valley with extreme clarity and precision.
Below the magic mirror stood several Luoyun Sect Cultivators, who were currently concentrating on the images, their expressions varied.
Upon seeing Lin Zhen leave in a huff, an old man in a green robe with a golden cloud pattern embroidered on his chest frowned and couldn't help but say,
"Elder Yin, this child is clearly in danger. Why not send someone to escort him for a while?"
"He also traveled thousands of miles to participate in the assessment as someone seeking the Dao. If he truly dies here, wouldn't it be the fault of our Luoyun Sect?"
"Elder Mo is mistaken! This path was chosen by him, what does it have to do with my Falling Cloud Valley!"
At this moment, a tall, thin, and distinguished middle-aged male Cultivator among the group immediately shook his head and said coldly, "This child loses his composure and becomes disheartened at the slightest setback, giving up a hard-won Opportunity to enter the Dao over a trivial matter. His Heart-Nature is so impetuous, he will surely achieve nothing in the future. How can he be worthy of being a Disciple of our Sect?"
"My previous suggestion to postpone the entrance test for a few days was precisely to eliminate those with unstable willpower in advance, to avoid wasting time. Now it seems the effect is quite good."
The middle-aged male Cultivator was named Yin Qingyuan, an Elder of the Ru Dao Pavilion specifically responsible for recruiting Disciples.
Hearing this, the Elder surnamed Mo's face darkened, and he retorted unhappily,
"That junior named Wang Luchuan is your nephew, isn't he? This child, at such a young age, is already ruthless and likes to bully others by relying on power. Why recruit such a morally corrupt scoundrel?"
"Hmph!"
Upon hearing this, Yin Qingyuan's face showed a hint of anger, and he immediately refuted,
"Although our Luoyun Sect is not an evil demonic Dao, it is not a charity either."
"The struggle for the Great Dao is inherently cruel and ruthless, where the strong prevail and the weak fall. Only those with strong personalities, decisive and ruthless, are qualified to reach the end. When facing competitors, no means are too extreme."
"Moreover, Wang Luchuan was born with dual Wood and Water Spiritual Roots, a rare immortal seedling and Dao seed. Such Aptitude is more than enough even to join the Seven Great Holy Lands. If I hadn't personally pleaded with him, he might not have chosen to join our Luoyun Sect."
"As for the Heart-Nature issue, we can guide him well after he enters the Sect. It's better than cultivating some mediocre individuals."
The Elder surnamed Mo's eyebrows shot up in anger, and he countered again,
"This is outrageous!"
"According to the Sect rules, new Disciples are tested first for Spiritual Root Aptitude, and second for Heart-Nature and will. If Wang Luchuan cannot pass the second test, this old man will absolutely not agree to accept him into the Sect!"
After being choked by the retort, Yin Qingyuan's expression was somewhat displeased, and just as he was about to say something, he was interrupted by a clear and pleasant voice.
"The two Elders merely have different views. In fact, both of you are thinking for the Sect, so why engage in such pointless disputes?"
The speaker was a beautiful female Cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Realm among the group. Her features were picturesque, her face exquisite, and she wore a light blue long dress that accentuated her graceful figure and slender, willow-like waist.
The woman's words instantly quieted the two Golden Core Realm Elders, who both fell silent.
Her identity was very special; she was the Sect Leader of Luoyun Sect's daughter, Bai Xirou.
Seeing the situation calm down, Bai Xirou smiled faintly and continued,
"That young man is, after all, a Mortal who specifically came to seek the Dao. Since we've encountered him, we cannot just watch him die along the way."
"I'll entrust the matters here to the Elders for now. I will go and save him once. As for whether he lives or dies afterward, that will be entirely up to his own Opportunity."
With that, Bai Xirou's light steps carried her gracefully, and she flew out of the valley.
......
Not long after.
Another part of Canglan Mountain.
Lin Zhen walked distractedly through the dense forest, his slightly immature face filled with confusion and dejection, muttering to himself,
"Why? Yingying would rather choose a scumbag than be with me. What did I do wrong? I can change."
"We were clearly about to pass the entrance test and become Disciples of the Luoyun Sect together. Why did this happen to me...?"
The next moment, his foot tripped, and he almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, he stabilized himself in time, preventing a face-plant.
The sudden incident startled Lin Zhen, and he instinctively turned his head to look, discovering that what had tripped him was a half-buried stone.
This fist-sized stone was buried shallowly and had been kicked out of the mud. Strangely, a dark ring lay in the newly exposed pit.
For some reason, at the sight of the ring, Lin Zhen suddenly felt an inexplicable palpitation.
It was as if there was a mysterious summons, compelling him to step forward and pick up the ring.
When he touched the ring, no unusual phenomena occurred. Instead, a vague sense of calm settled in his heart, as if everything was as it should be.
Then, Lin Zhen rubbed his eyes and looked closely at it.
The ring looked very ordinary, made of an unknown material. Its surface had no embellishments, the outside was smooth and rounded, but the inside was carved with many incomprehensible patterns.
Lin Zhen only glanced at it and immediately felt dizzy, which scared him into quickly averting his gaze, not daring to look again.
As if possessed, he put the ring on his right index finger, intending to continue his journey.
Unlike when he came with a group, he was now alone. Any wild beast could take his life. To return home safely, he had to leave this dangerous mountain forest as soon as possible before dark.
Suddenly.
A rustling sound came from the previously silent jungle, and then three ill-intentioned figures emerged from the trees, blocking his path.
Upon seeing the approaching figures, Lin Zhen's heart leaped, and he cautiously retreated two steps, saying in a deep voice,
"What do you want?"
He recognized these people; they were Wang Luchuan's household retainers. Now that these people had caught up, it certainly wouldn't be for anything good.
"Heh heh, our young master said that this place is mountainous and densely forested, and he was afraid you might accidentally die in there, so he specifically told us brothers to come and see you off."
The leading retainer smiled sinisterly, not concealing his malicious intent:
"Little brat, I advise you not to resist. Just let me give you a quick death, otherwise, I guarantee you'll wish for death but cannot have it."
Lin Zhen's expression changed:
"I have no grievances with you, why must you be so ruthless?"
"Bah, stinky brat, you're about to die, and you're still talking so much nonsense."
The retainer spat, then directly waved his hand, "Everyone, attack! Kill him!"
As his words fell, the three retainers simultaneously drew their blades and lunged at Lin Zhen.
Although these retainers were all ordinary Mortals, each of them had excellent martial arts skills. Lin Zhen was naturally no match, so he quickly turned and ran.
"Am I... destined to die here?"
The sound of footsteps behind him grew closer and closer. With him about to be caught, Lin Zhen's face was filled with despair.
Just then, a loud shout suddenly boomed in his ear:
"Brother, don't panic! I'm here to help you!"
Then, a figure darted out from the side like a leopard, delivering a whip kick that sent the leading retainer sprawling to the ground.
Then, his figure flashed, and a faint glow appeared on his palms, striking heavily like iron hammers on the chests of the other two retainers.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The pursuers who had been so arrogant moments ago were instantly subdued on the spot, lying on the ground, barely breathing, clearly not long for this world.
After dealing with these retainers, the newcomer clapped the dust off his hands, grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, and said with a warm expression,
"Alright, Brother Lin, it's over."
Lin Zhen's expression froze, and he looked at his rescuer with some confusion.
"Excuse me, who are you?"
The other person's appearance was ordinary, his build was ordinary, and his clothes were ordinary. There were no distinguishing features that would make him memorable. He couldn't recall where he had ever seen this person.
Qi Yuan didn't mind and said with a smile,
"My name is Qi Da, and I am a Loose Cultivator who came to participate in the Falling Cloud Valley entrance test. Earlier, I saw that little fatty bullying you so wantonly, and I simply couldn't stand it. Out of righteous indignation, I decided to come and save your life."
Lin Zhen felt a warmth in his heart upon hearing this, and he said with a face full of gratitude,
"Thank you, Qi brother, for saving my life. Lin Zhen will never forget this kindness."
Saying that, he cupped his hands and bowed deeply to Qi Yuan.
The situation he had just faced was a certain death. If the other party hadn't arrived in time, he would probably already be a cold corpse.
This kindness was truly too great.
Qi Yuan waved his hand:
"It was just a small matter, Brother Lin, you don't need to take it to heart."
At the same time, a graceful figure hidden in the shadows let out a soft sigh, then drifted away.
Noticing this, Qi Yuan silently withdrew his Divine Sense, a smile playing on his lips.
She still knew to come and save someone. It seems this Falling Cloud Valley isn't a completely heartless place.
However, this girl was a step too late. If he hadn't arrived in time, she probably would have only been able to collect Lin Zhen's corpse.
Of course, he wasn't worried about a mere Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator seeing through his disguise.
When he took action just now, he deliberately controlled his strength to the Qi Refining Second Layer, appearing to be unskilled in spell arts and only capable of gathering True Qi in his fists and feet for combat, perfectly fitting his Loose Cultivator persona.
According to the rules of Falling Cloud Valley, they generally only recruit Mortals under the age of eighteen.
However, there is an exception for Loose Cultivators who already possess a certain level of cultivation, where the age limit is appropriately relaxed.
Qi Refining First Layer Cultivators are relaxed to twenty years old, while Qi Refining Second Layer Cultivators have an age limit of under twenty-two.
Qi Yuan is currently twenty-one years old, and registering with Qi Refining Second Layer cultivation perfectly meets the requirements.
In the mission, the System told him to Breakthrough to Qi Refining Second Layer first, which must be for this reason.