Chapter Thirteen: The Sect Admission Examination

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For the next three days, Lu Xingchen and Lin Wanqing explored Great Wilderness City, enjoying a rare stretch of leisure.

Three days later, Lu Xingchen and Lin Wanqing followed an elder of the Cloud Soaring Sect to Sunset Forest.

Sunset Forest covered an immense area, roughly half the size of the Great Yan Kingdom, and formed a natural boundary between three nations.

Countless powerful demon beasts lived within it, and the deeper one ventured, the stronger they became.

Because Sunset Forest contained numerous heavenly treasures, while the demon cores and bodies of its beasts were also highly valuable, it had become a sacred ground for adventurers.

Countless unaffiliated cultivators flocked there one after another, all in search of opportunities to grow stronger.

Of course, many entered—but few came back out.

Along the way, the elder introduced everyone to the Cloud Soaring Sect.

The Cloud Soaring Sect stood on the outskirts of Sunset Forest and was divided into seven peaks: Spirit Sword Peak, Heavenlink Peak, Returning Wind Peak, Rising Sun Peak, Falling Cloud Peak, Great Bamboo Peak, and Little Bamboo Peak.

The master of each peak was a powerful Grand Martial Master.

According to legend, the sect master had already reached the pinnacle of the Grand Martial Master realm and was only one step away from becoming a Martial Spirit.

Once the sect master became a Martial Spirit, the Cloud Soaring Sect would be promoted from a third-grade sect to a fourth-grade sect.

After hearing all this, Lu Xingchen was deeply astonished.

All seven peak masters were Grand Martial Masters!

And if the sect master were included, the Cloud Soaring Sect possessed a total of eight Grand Martial Masters.

That power was truly terrifying.

No wonder the Cloud Soaring Sect could rank among the third-grade sects.

An hour later, they arrived before Sunset Forest.

The elder of the Cloud Soaring Sect handed each person a map and said solemnly, “This is a map of the forest’s outskirts. Your entrance examination is to reach the sect entrance within a single day. If you succeed, you will be admitted to the Cloud Soaring Sect.”

“You are all from the Great Yan Kingdom. People from four other low-level kingdoms will be taking the examination simultaneously from the other four directions. The first ten people to reach the sect entrance may choose their own peak and will also receive rewards from the Cloud Soaring Sect.”

“Is that clear?”

“Understood!” everyone replied in unison.

“Now, the examination begins!”

The moment the elder finished speaking, everyone shot forward like arrows released from a bow.

Lu Xingchen and Lin Wanqing were no exception.

Lin Wanqing was somewhat puzzled.

“Big Strong, according to the map, the sect entrance is only a three-hour journey from here. Isn’t one day far too generous? Surely many people will complete the examination. Will this really accomplish the purpose of selecting disciples?”

Lu Xingchen chuckled. “Three hours is only enough for Martial Masters like us. There are plenty of Martial Warriors among the crowd. Their stamina and speed are far inferior to ours, so they will need much more time.”

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“More importantly, this is Sunset Forest. Demon beasts are everywhere. Reaching the sect entrance alive is no easy feat, let alone doing so within a time limit.”

Lin Wanqing suddenly understood.

“Oh, so that’s how it is. Then we’d better hurry!”

“Of course. I still want to break into the top ten and claim the reward!”

The two traveled side by side, taking a direct route toward the mountain where the sect entrance stood.

Whenever they encountered a demon beast along the way, Lu Xingchen dealt with it the same way: he killed it.

Killing demon beasts also earned him experience points, and Lu Xingchen naturally refused to let any opportunity pass.

In only six hours, Lu Xingchen had fought his way from the entrance of Sunset Forest to the foot of the mountain where the sect entrance was located.

By then, he was drenched in blood from head to toe.

His cultivation had also risen from a two-star Martial Master to a three-star Martial Master.

Lin Wanqing, meanwhile, remained immaculate.

That was because Lu Xingchen feared she would steal his kills and refused to let her fight at all.

The two arrived at the foot of the mountain beneath the sect entrance and began to climb.

The moment Lu Xingchen set foot on the mountain, he immediately sensed that something was wrong.

The gravity at the foot of the mountain was twice that of the outside world.

Although such pressure could not stop Lu Xingchen, it nevertheless increased the rate at which he expended his strength.

Lin Wanqing said solemnly, “It seems the examination has only just begun.”

Lu Xingchen chuckled. “This level of pressure still isn’t enough to select disciples. If my guess is correct, the higher we climb, the stronger the gravity will become.”

“Then let’s go. After all, we intend to claim places in the top ten.”

The two exchanged smiles and continued toward the summit together.

Just as Lu Xingchen had expected, the gravity grew stronger the higher they climbed.

By the time they reached the mountainside, it had already increased to five times normal gravity.

Even Lin Wanqing, a powerful Martial Master, felt tremendous pressure.

At that moment, Lu Xingchen spotted a stone door and came to a stop.

Lin Wanqing was puzzled.

“Big Strong, are you tired?”

She could still continue, and with Lu Xingchen’s strength, he should not have reached his limit.

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Lu Xingchen pointed toward the stone door and said solemnly, “I want to go inside and take a look.”

Lin Wanqing was dumbfounded.

“What? The competition is so fierce, and you still have time to wander around? That stone door looks so dilapidated. What good things could possibly be inside? We should put in more effort and hurry to the summit.”

Lu Xingchen shook his head firmly.

“I want to take a look. Miss Wanqing, go on ahead without waiting for me. Even if I spend a little time here, I can still make the top ten.”

Lin Wanqing sighed softly. “I trust your judgment. In that case, I’ll see you at the summit!”

Why had Lu Xingchen made such a decision?

Because he had discovered through the system map that there was a vast space beyond the stone door—and the map displayed an icon representing a treasure chest.

What could that mean?

There had to be a treasure inside!

Moreover, Lu Xingchen had a feeling that the treasure’s value definitely surpassed the reward for ranking among the top ten.

There was nothing more to discuss. He would simply go inside and see for himself.

Lu Xingchen tried pushing the stone door. It opened with ease, without the slightest resistance.

He continued deeper inside. Beyond the door lay a gloomy, narrow passage shrouded in darkness.

Lu Xingchen lit a fire starter and followed the faint glow farther in.

At the same time, the seven peak masters of the Cloud Soaring Sect gathered at the sect entrance, waiting for the new disciples who passed the examination.

They had come, of course, to compete for recruits—primarily the outstanding disciples who ranked among the top ten.

Yi Hong, master of Spirit Sword Peak, said with a laugh, “Everyone, how many new disciples do you think will pass the examination this time?”

Hu Yuan, master of Heavenlink Peak, said solemnly, “There should be more than a thousand participants from the five kingdoms combined, shouldn’t there? It would be quite good if a hundred managed to pass. After all, our Cloud Soaring Sect accepts only elites, not ordinary people.”

Tan Xiaotao, master of Returning Wind Peak, said unhurriedly, “It doesn’t matter how many pass. I’m not concerned with that. I only want the top ten prodigies.”

…

The seven men were chatting animatedly when a girl dressed entirely in white became the first to step onto the summit.

It was Lin Wanqing, who had parted ways with Lu Xingchen.

On the outskirts of Sunset Forest, Lu Xingchen’s methods had been exceptionally fierce, greatly accelerating their progress.

Combined with Lin Wanqing’s already solid foundation, this had allowed her to become the first person to reach the summit.

However, before she could enter the Cloud Soaring Sect, Lin Wanqing still had one final trial to overcome.