"Look at those misshapen people, I feel like I've got a chance again."

Half an hour later, people started arriving one after another at the city gate, and soon, the entrance of the Guardian Mansion was crowded. Young Master Lin observed a scholar with a sallow complexion, looking as if years had drained his vitality.

A burly man with huge arms and a thick waist, his face rough with savage eyes that seemed to glare at everyone. Clad in a beast-skin coat, with a large cleaver at his waist, he must be a butcher by trade?

In short, as Young Master Lin looked at this crowd, he felt his confidence returning.

What about these cultivator sects, don't they care about appearances? Just imagine these people wearing white robes, or leisurely cultivator clothes, then flying on swords—it's such a ridiculous image.

The Qilin still appeared listless, rolling its eyes in Lin Fei's Sea of Consciousness, and thinking how his host's blind optimism seemed ingrained to the bone, often leading to comical actions.

It sighed and corrected, "Lin Fei, in cultivation, strength is revered, not appearances."

Whether Young Master Lin listened or not is unknown.

Zhu Yu looked up at the sky, and by now it was already mid-morning, his eyebrows furrowed as he calculated that based on the recommended quotas from the major state prefectures, they were short by 40%.

Although there were about a hundred people gathered outside the government office, Zhu Lingyun's list had nearly two hundred names on it.

"They shouldn't resort to such petty tricks, right?"

Zhu Yu murmured as he stroked his chin.

The Northern Border is different from the Southern Border, here, cultivator sects are as numerous as grains of sand, with countless small factions, and for some of the bigger sects, the criteria for accepting disciples naturally become more stringent.

The first threshold of a sect is that anyone with qualifications lower than three spirit roots does not enter the assessment. This policy alone excludes most ordinary people.

The second threshold is that every sect has different cultivation techniques, and if one's spirit root does not match the sect's specialty, they do not enter the assessment either. Take the Cyan Sun Sect for example, they excel in the Gold, Water, and Fire series, but are weaker in the Earth and Wood series.

So when you encounter a single spirit root that doesn't match the sect, it's the most painful situation. If kept, the sect struggles to cultivate them, as it's not just about purchasing a few cultivation techniques but establishing a complete system for cultivation.

If abandoned, single spirit root disciples are hard to come by, and the sect will regret it for a whole year.

For those with dual spirit roots and three series spirit roots, the situation is slightly better; as long as one series matches, they have a chance. Being blocked is often due to bad timing.

These two criteria alone often made the entrance of sect initiation ceremonies deserted, so some sects privately agreed to set up Spirit Testing Pillars at the state prefecture's office, especially since they have disciples training as Guardians at the Northern Border's state prefectures. Firstly, this allows their disciples to scout for suitable talents,

and secondly, if they encounter promising candidates, they can recommend them to each other even if they don't fit their sect. This would be beneficial for everyone.

Noticing the numbers mismatch, Zhu Yu first suspected some other state prefectures of foul play, but on second thought, such a harmful act benefits no one, and nobody would commit it unless they're exceptionally foolish.

Having waited for an extra half-hour, and given that the remaining people had not arrived, regardless of bad luck or delay, tardiness is still tardiness, and the hundred people present need to head to the mountain urgently. They can't wait any longer.

Zhu Lingyun hurried back at this moment, with a gleeful look that suggested she hadn't yet had her fill of fun in Ink Cloud City.

Zhu Yu always found his sister's whimsical nature a headache, especially feeling the gaze from Lin Fei, which intensified his unease.

He couldn't figure out exactly how Lin Fei managed Ye Hai; he'd pondered for two days without understanding. The conundrum intended was to make him retreat, as Ye Hai, regardless of being only at the Divine Bridge Realm, was an extraordinary existence to ordinary people.

While he had proven his exceptional skills, his talent was still unimpressive, and getting scolded upon returning to the sect was inevitable.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yu glared at Lin Fei, who was grinning smugly, then stepped forward, clearing his throat.

The crowd fell silent, eyes focused on him as Zhu Yu scanned everyone before slowly speaking, "Outside the city, eighty miles north, those who reach the foot of Jade Screen Mountain within one hour will proceed to the next round of assessment."

There was a stir among the crowd, eighty miles within an hour, one would die of exhaustion running nonstop for an hour without any rest.

Zhu Yu frowned and reminded them sternly, "Timing starts now. If you dawdle any longer, you truly won't make it."

Upon hearing this, figures started running towards the city exit regardless of their expressions, as if in synchrony.

Young Master Lin was stunned, watching incredulously as those people he had ridiculed moments ago suddenly burst into action. Even the seemingly feeble scholar ran surprisingly fast?

"Are you planning to give up?"

Zhu Yu noticed the lone person left in the field—it was Lin Fei—and felt surprised, yet amused. If he gave up here, it wouldn't be a bad thing.

Lin Fei still looked unhurried and dismissed, "I'll let them run a bit before I start."

"Lin Fei, don't be reckless and set off quickly."

Even the Qilin in his heart couldn't resist urging him.

Zhu Yu, along with Zhu Lingyun, was curious to see what Lin Fei was up to. After about a tea break's time, Young Master Lin leisurely walked out.

Zhu Yu's expression was blank; this behavior did not resemble someone eager to join a sect. However, before long, Young Master Lin returned leading a tall, spirited horse.

"Lord Zhu only mentioned arriving within the time limit, without restricting the method. I'm not violating any rules, am I?"

Though Lin Fei's face wore a cheeky smile, his demeanor was full of confidence.

Zhu Yu's expression was hard to read, not because Lin Fei violated any rules, but quite the opposite. His approach was correct and, in fact, not the optimal solution. Cyan Sun Sect doesn't want cultivators who only bury their heads in cultivation; it doesn't require you to be extremely smart, but you certainly can't be foolish.

The first stage of the assessment had loopholes on purpose. Choosing to ride a horse wasn't outrageous; after all, Zhu Yu recollected how he had once paid a Divine Bridge cultivator to fly him directly to the destination.

"Why didn't you set off earlier?"

Zhu Yu, looking at Lin Fei's smug face, asked gruffly, feeling slightly irked.

Lin Fei, while mounting the horse, grinned, "Because I plan to make them run back again."

After saying this, he nudged the horse into a gallop, and it bolted like a flash of lightning.

Damn it, Zhu Yu realized this punk kid was adept at causing trouble, if not clever. His delayed departure was merely to prevent others from imitating his strategy.

Shaking his head, Zhu Yu took Zhu Lingyun and flew off following him with Sword Control immediately.

No sooner had they left than ten or so figures followed, cutting through the sky.

Most sects do not restrict outsiders from watching their recruitment assessments; instead, they welcome it. It allows the sect to showcase itself and, in turn, fosters goodwill.

Because those who could arrive timely were no ordinary people but cultivators, most of whom were from smaller sects. They attended both to observe and with hopes that what major sects discarded, they might acquire.

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