Hearing her question, Yi Chen smiled and answered, "No, it's my first time in Jade City. I'll be participating in the Heavenly Azure Dragon Sect's entrance test, which is going to happen soon."

"You too?!" Zhou Mein exclaimed with joy apparent on her face and continued, "It's the same with me! I'll also be taking part in that test!"

"That's great to know. Let's give our best at that time, alright?" Yi Chen answered with a smile.

With the entrance test of the Heavenly Azure Dragon Sect being conducted only once in every five years, it's natural for such coincidences happen.

"I definitely will, Brother Chen!" Zhou Mei said with conviction while clenching her fists.

Seeing this determination in her eyes, Yi Chen couldn't help but nod in praise.

Thinking of something, he asked the next moment, "I've only heard a few things about the entrance test. Do you have any idea how it's conducted?"

Hearing Yi Chen's question, a confident smirk appeared on Zhou Mei's face the very next moment as she said with her chin slightly tilted upwards, "Idea? I know it by heart! My Elder Sister had also cleared the entrance test last time, so I consulted her about each and every thing in as much detail as possible."

'That's great!' Yi Chen thought to himself when he heard this. He had tried asking others in his travels about this entrance test, but could gather only a limited amount of information.

Hearing that Zhou Mei's elder sister had not only given the test but had also cleared it gave him the hope he was looking for, and he prodded her the next moment with his words, "Wow. You're really lucky to have a sibling already inside the sect. I can't help but feel envious,"

"I get that a lot, hehe," Zhou Mei chuckled brightly and said, "My sister has told me not share this with any other competitor, but since Brother Chen had saved our life, I'll definitely tell you,"

'Good girl! The efforts I put in are finally paying off!' Yi Chen thought in jubilation and responded.

"Then I'll thank Miss Zhou in advance," Yi Chen said with a shameless smile on his face and leaned a little closer to her so that he could hear each and every word clearly.

Zhou Mei felt elated by Yi Chen's attention towards her and continued enthusiastically, "The entrance test is actually divided into three stages. The first stage is the simplest, and almost everyone who arrives at the test venue manages to clear it.

This stage is a simple screening test which happens just outside the sect's entrance. In this, the cultivation level of all the test takers is tested with the help of a Qi Measuring Orb.

With this test, everyone who does not meet the minimum criteria is sent back.

Now, after all the registrations are over, the second stage begins. It's a comprehension test, and the content of the test changes every time, but its mode remains the same.

We are all given a small, isolated room to ourselves, and inside a small portion of a fighting technique is present.

In a specific timeframe, we need to comprehend the technique as much as possible, and afterwards, we'll be assessed by an instructor.

The ones whose comprehension is deemed to meet the sufficient level are cleared by the instructors, while the rest are sent back."

Zhou Mei took a pause, the next moment and after taking a deep breath, continued with her voice a little higher than before.

"Now comes the last stage, which also has the maximum attrition rate! It's called the Heart Test. Unlike the previous two stages, everything here happens within our minds.

A mental image is played in our mind in which we are faced with certain obstacles and have to deal with them. Only the instructor who is assessing our performance knows how we've performed in this test.

Because all the tests are varied, the information available to everyone is also scattered, and usually, the more one tries to look for the correct answer, the more confused they become.

However, after numerous pleadings, I managed to convince my elder sister to give me some hints, and she agreed!"

'Yes! That's what I was waiting for,' Yi Chen thought excitedly and waited for her next words.

Seeing the enthusiastic glint in Yi Chen's eyes further fueled Zhou Mei's desire to reveal everything, "She said that the images which we would be shown could be anything from our past, and it really doesn't matter. What matters is what is being tested.

What's being tested through these mental images is the heart of the person, whether he or she is suitable to enter the path of cultivation or not. Whether they have enough mental grit, patience and resilience within them or not.

With those mental images as a median what's being tested are these qualities within us, and if we are able to live up to them, then we'll easily be able to clear the last stage of the test. She even stated that in her batch, there was a person who cleared the test in not more than ten breaths of time!

When I heard that example, my sister's words really started making more and more sense, and I think that it's the most appropriate way to tackle the third test. That's about all I know. Did you find it useful?"

Zhou Mei asked with a hesitant expression when she finished.

"Useful? It was much more than that. I greatly appreciate your help here, Miss Zhou," Yi Chen said with a thankful expression apparent on his face.

Hearing his words, Zhou Mei smiled widely while showing her teeth and said, "I'm glad I could be of help to Brother Chen."

She never doubted that Yi Chen, with his strength, would be unable to clear the entrance test, so although she doubted a little whether sharing this information would be of any help to him or not, she still decided to share it fully.

After seeing the bright, thankful expression on his face, all her previous doubts scattered from her mind, and she felt content in being able to be of some help to him.

A smile appeared on Yi Chen's face when he saw her cheerful expression. It was the same with Guard Bai, who had been silently listening to their conversation from the side.

Yi Chen then began asking more and more things about the Jade City from the two of them.

Since they lived there, he was able to get much clearer answers from them compared to what he had gotten by asking other travellers along the way.

Time passed slowly, and in the afternoon, they stopped to have lunch. During this period, the other two guards took care of the horses, and after everyone had finished eating, they began moving once again in half an hour's time.

By now, Zhou Mei had started opening up with Yi Chen more and more, and the conversation started to flow much better.

"Brother Chen, how strong are you really?" She asked Yi Chen with curiosity apparent in her eyes.

"Me? I'm just at the Ninth Level of [Heaven Ascension Stage]," Yi Chen answered her with a smile.

"Bah!" She scoffed at his words in annoyance and said, "Just say 'no' if you don't want to tell me. Why do you have to lie?"

"Because it's fun to see your annoyed expression," Yi Chen said with a chuckle.

"You!" Zhou Mei fumed at his words and pouted her cheeks in anger, which further amused Yi Chen.

He had no intention of telling them the truth, as if they knew that, in reality, he was still at the Ninth Level of [Elementary Transformation Stage], they would naturally panic.

'I'll just let them assume my cultivation stage. If a problem occurs, then with my strength stat, I'll be able to deal with them or avoid them using my stat panel,' Yi Chen thought to himself and continued on his playful conversation with Zhou Mei to pass the time.

Later, they camped at a spot to rest for the night.

"You're not asleep yet?" Yi Chen, who was sitting near the fire, asked.

"I don't feel tired," Zhou Mei answered as she sat next to him on a wooden log and extended her cold palms towards the fire.

They had already eaten their meals by now. Guard Bai was resting in one of the tents while the other two guards were keeping watch in shifts.

Time passed gradually as the two of them calmly stared at the dancing flames while being lost in their own thoughts.

"I was a little curious," Yi Chen suddenly asked, "Why did you sneak out of your home in the first place?"

"Well…it's a long story," Zhou Mei exhaled deeply and continued, "after the decision was made to make me the Royal representative father became stricter and didn't allow me to go outside the bounds of the clan.

I felt very suffocated, but with no way out, I could only endure. However, a few days later, I received a letter from the blacksmith in Tang City stating that the sword, which I had told him to prepare, was ready.

I saw this as an opportunity and sent Guard Bai to recover the sword. What he didn't know was that I had sneaked inside the carriage as well before he left. When I showed myself, it was already too late, and I was able to convince him to take me on the journey."

Zhou Mei said in a depressed mood.

If it weren't for that, then they wouldn't have faced such a crisis.

Seeing this, Yi Chen joked, "Aren't you quite good at sneaking out? You managed to fool your whole clan,"

"Hehe…" Hearing his words of praise, Zhou Mei's mood shifted, and she could only giggle in an embarrassed manner, "I know. However, to make sure they won't worry about me later, I had left a letter to my second uncle. He would have definitely managed the situation at home."

"Is that so?" A frown appeared on Yi Chen's face when he heard her words.

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