The autumn rains that had continued for several days finally stopped the night before the sect assessment.

The dawn rooster began crowing wildly early in the morning. When Zanxing got up to wash, Duan Xiangrao had already finished her morning routine and was looking in the mirror. During these days at the Taiyan Sect, nourished daily by spiritual energy and eating food abundant with spiritual power, Duan Xiangrao’s complexion had improved. The beauty had a peach blossom complexion, graceful and delicate. Her makeup was applied just right, and she had changed to cherry-colored lip rouge. Today, her belt was tied tighter than usual, and the originally plain gauze robe was worn by Duan Xiangrao with a subtle allure.

This didn’t look like going to compete – it looked like going to a beauty contest.

Zanxing washed her face and also glanced at the mirror.

The woman in the mirror, if she covered her right cheek, could be considered a beauty with bright eyes, red lips, and white teeth. Unfortunately, the crisscrossing black marks on her right face destroyed the beauty of her entire face. Zanxing looked once and couldn’t bear to look anymore. It was troubling – she’d better quickly enter the inner sect and get high-grade spiritual medicine to heal her injury.

After finishing her morning routine and eating something to fill her stomach, Zanxing arrived at the competition platform before the sect assessment began.

The place usually used for cultivation had, overnight, sprouted a huge stone platform. The stone platform was square and flat, about one person’s height. It was surrounded by iron chains and ropes as boundaries. This sect assessment was mainly in the form of drawing lots, with two rounds total. Two-person duels, with the sixty winners of the first round advancing to the second round assessment. The second round assessment continued with two-person duels as the assessment format. After the second round, the thirty winners could become inner disciples of the Taiyan Sect.

The assessment method was quite simple and brutal, but thinking carefully, the rules were also very cruel.

The newly enrolled disciples came from all over Duzhou – there were geniuses from wealthy clan families, as well as poor and destitute self-taught scattered cultivators. Clan geniuses didn’t lack Spirit Stones or spirit artifacts. For example, Hua Yue, who ranked first in the selection competition, had a long sword embedded with gemstones that was a fourth-grade spirit artifact. If he fought an evenly matched opponent, that sword could provide a considerable advantage.

But poor people like Zanxing and Tian Fangfang, who didn’t have a single Spirit Stone, could only use ordinary weapons distributed by the sect, giving them no advantages.

Zi Luo was again responsible for this sect assessment. Zanxing felt that Zi Luo was probably something like a teaching assistant, responsible for proctoring the entire exam.

Zi Luo stood on the competition platform and extended her right hand. From her palm, a golden glow gradually rose. After a moment, the golden light dispersed, leaving only a round small furnace. She waved her hand, and the round small furnace swayed as it floated up, drifting to the cultivators below the platform.

“There are one hundred twenty wooden lots in the lot furnace,” Zi Luo said. “The wooden lots are marked with competition order numbers. Those who draw the same numbers will be opponents in this assessment. Now, please draw your wooden lots.”

The new disciples reached up toward the lot furnace. Each time someone drew one, the lot furnace automatically floated to the next person.

Tian Fangfang nudged Zanxing’s arm: “Junior Sister, we absolutely must not draw the same number. I don’t want you to leave.”

Zanxing: “……”

It wasn’t that Tian Fangfang was being arrogant or boastful. In the previous selection competition, Tian Fangfang had originally ranked second. Before entering the sect, she was already at the second level of the Foundation Establishment Stage. After these days of hard practice, her cultivation should have grown even more. In terms of strength, she was far above Zanxing.

As they were talking, the lot furnace had floated before them. Tian Fangfang drew first, Zanxing second. After the lot furnace floated to the next person, Zanxing looked down at the wooden lot in her hand. This wooden lot was about finger-width, very thin, with several sharp red characters carved on it: thirty-six.

“I’m fifteen. Junior Sister, what number are you?” Tian Fangfang leaned over to look. After seeing Zanxing’s wooden lot clearly, she was overjoyed: “Excellent! You and I aren’t opponents!”

Zanxing said nothing and looked up toward the other end.

The novel “Nine Heaven Summit” was too long, with over ten million words, all repetitive face-slapping segments. She could no longer remember many details and characters clearly. Sometimes, only when the plot reached specific points would she suddenly recall certain fragments. Like now, Zanxing vaguely remembered that in the sect assessment, the original male protagonist Mu Cengxiao had drawn the wooden lot for the first platform competition, amazing everyone. In the second round competition, he directly overshadowed Hua Yue, who ranked first in the selection competition, causing Hua Yue’s jealousy and later forming a deadly feud.

Now that the plot had been disrupted somewhat, she wondered if Mu Cengxiao’s storyline would still develop as before.

Just as she was thinking this, the last disciple finished drawing their lot. Zi Luo put away the lot furnace, looked at everyone below the platform, and said with a smile: “Lot drawing is complete. The sect assessment begins—”

The water clock placed beside the competition platform let out a deep, resonant boom.

The first group of assessment disciples walked onto the platform.

Standing on one side of the competition platform was a young cultivator holding a long sword. Standing opposite him was a youth of about seventeen or eighteen, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, handsome and upright. His wheat-colored skin made him look quite spirited for his age – it was Mu Cengxiao.

Zanxing sighed inwardly. The original storyline hadn’t changed. The male protagonist Mu Cengxiao was still, as written in the text, the first to take the platform.

Mu Cengxiao’s opponent, that young cultivator, cupped his hands slightly toward him: “Guo Hao.”

Mu Cengxiao also returned the courtesy: “Mu Cengxiao.”

But before he could finish pronouncing the “xiao” character, his opponent’s sword light was already before his eyes.

Exclamations arose from below the platform. Tian Fangfang cried out in alarm: “A sneak attack! How shameless this person is! That young brother is in trouble!”

Zanxing thought to herself that the one in trouble was probably the other one.

Sure enough, the next moment, even louder exclamations came from beside her. On the platform, the young man’s posture hadn’t moved. He didn’t even draw the sword at his waist – he simply extended one palm and grasped his opponent’s sword edge.

“How is that possible?” Tian Fangfang was stunned.

Even the worst newly enrolled disciples had Foundation Establishment cultivation. A Foundation Establishment cultivator’s sword strike was no child’s play, yet this young man had simply grasped lightly and blocked the sword edge, then suddenly stepped forward and pushed the sword edge back with his reverse grip.

This block and push took only an instant. With a “thud,” that young cultivator had already flown out, falling heavily below the competition platform, unable to get up for a long time.

In the distance, standing in the pavilion with a clear view of everything on the competition platform, Xuan Lingzi spoke in shock: “He…”

Yueguang Daoren stroked his long beard meaningfully: “To display the ‘Five Elements God-Breaking Technique’ with such power, this child is not simple. Junior Brother, it seems this time you can take on a good disciple.”

Below the platform, the inner disciple announcing results spoke without any emotion: “First group, Mu Cengxiao wins.”

The disciples below the platform were in an uproar. One move – just one move, without even drawing his sword, this young man had won.