Under the Jade Screen Mountain, the crowd had shrunk significantly, from what was initially over a hundred or so people, now only around sixty remained.

The group all appeared travel-worn, except for Young Master Lin, who maintained a composed demeanor, making him the most conspicuous among the many candidates.

"That kid really lucked out. While others exhausted themselves to get here, he barely consumed much energy, which will be an advantage in the upcoming assessments."

A cultivator, holding his sword, remarked while pointing to Young Master Lin in the distance.

"It's not really about luck. The sect assessments always consider adaptability and situational response. If this person is also highly qualified, then the Cyan Sun Sect will gain another fine talent."

Another cultivator, in gray robes nearby, immediately retorted.

No, you all know nothing of Young Master Lin's aptitude.

With a peculiar expression, Han Yu listened to the surrounding cultivators' comments, seemingly optimistic about Young Master Lin's prospects.

At this moment, numerous external cultivators stood on a stone platform halfway up the Jade Screen Mountain, polished by human hands, offering a panoramic view of the scenery below. Usually not open to the public, today it was specifically made accessible for the opening of the mountain and to allow the cultivators in.

The effect was self-explanatory, and at this moment, a cultivator sighed, saying, "The Cyan Sun Sect has truly grown in size over the years."

Looking down the mountain, cultivators could be seen scattered throughout various parts of the mountain, ready to ensure the candidates' safety during the assessment. In total, more than two hundred disciples were present.

"Their cultivation is not low! The minimum level I see is the Divine Bridge Realm, and there are at least thirty in the Other Shore Realm."

"That's just what you're seeing. Who knows how many more disciples are on the mountain?" someone said ominously, and immediately, the ten or so cultivators nearby fell silent. It seemed the Cyan Sun Sect had firmly established its place among the major sects.

Amidst the chattering discussions around him, Han Yu, feeling bored, looked down the mountain. To him, the assessments seemed much like the Star Sect's, involving testing spiritual roots and were not particularly interesting.

But he was mistaken. The assessments of the major sects in the Northern Border prioritized temperament and wisdom above all, followed by aptitude. Only those possessing both were selected.

Even if one has exceptional aptitude, without ambition, that person is considered a squandering waste with no benefit to the sect and hence not accepted.

Likewise, even if one is exceptionally intelligent but lacks innate ability and poor aptitude, as cultivation progresses, they will find it increasingly difficult to advance, resulting in wasted efforts, and ultimately stagnating at a certain realm for life. Such individuals are also of no benefit to the sect and thus not accepted.

The rules for cultivators in the Northern Border are indeed brutal.

Regarding the Southern Border's assessment system, it mostly follows the Northern Border's traditions. For example, the Star Sect only seems to imitate without grasping the essence, ultimately turning into a farce.

Just like with the Star Sect, a proper temperament assessment ended up being merely an appendage, ultimately taking students based solely on aptitude.

Zhu Yu returned to the foot of the mountain after departing from the sect using Escape Sword, and the field immediately quieted, everyone turning their ears to hear what was to follow.

Zhu Yu looked satisfactorily at the number of people remaining. The fact that more than half could still be present was indeed impressive, regardless of what methods they used to get here they qualified to continue.

Thinking of the upcoming assessments, he also felt a sense of anticipation, for those who could make it to the end would be promising talents. He wondered how many would remain.

After a few light coughs, Zhu Yu spoke in a deep voice, "You are currently at the foot of the mountain. Once you enter the mountain, there are five illusion arrays along the way. After passing through the illusions, you will reach the halfway point and then meet the Cyan Sun Sect disciples."

The crowd suddenly buzzed with excitement. Only needing to pass through five illusion arrays? It seemed so easy, and the group appeared immensely pleased, as if joining the Cyan Sun Sect was now a certainty.

Easy? Zhu Yu's smile carried a deeper meaning, and he simply waved his hand, shouting, "Enter the mountain."

Watching the group of people march from the foot of the mountain, Zhu Yu pondered for a moment before using Escape Sword to ascend halfway up the mountain.

No sooner had each candidate entered the mountain, and after walking just a few dozen meters, the surroundings suddenly lit up with a flash of white light, instantly flooding the entire area. Many candidates' expressions froze, and they stood motionless, as if asleep.

"Damn! Is the Cyan Sun Sect living on the edge? Such extravagance!"

Suddenly someone exclaimed loudly from the stone platform, catching the attention of many external cultivators. Han Yu, too, turned his gaze, drawn by the voice. The cultivator was in his fifties, with an amusing mole on his face.

"Seeing Me Realm junior cultivator," Glass scoffed disdainfully.

Han Yu ignored her, more intrigued by what the cultivator said.

The cultivator, thrilled by the attention, introduced himself, "I am an Elder of the Little Saber Sect, everyone..."

After bringing some attention to his sect, seeing that the crowd was growing impatient, he quickly proceeded to the main point.

"The Cyan Sun Sect is using illusion arrays for this assessment, and it's a large-scale one."

The crowd's attention was immediately piqued, urging him to elaborate.

"Do you know Piaomiao City of the Upper Three Sects? This is the array they used for disciple assessments last year."

Someone was confused, "How can you be sure this is an array? An array covering half of the mountain, isn't this the same as a Sect Protection Array? Can the Cyan Sun Sect afford such a large operation?"

The cultivator had initially wanted to boast that he had been there last year but reconsidered, realizing it was unrealistic for an elder from a small sect to even enter the place. So, he stated the truth.

"Last year, when the great cultivators returned from observing in Piaomiao City, they hand-copied a set of diagrams from the assessment, and our sect purchased a copy. I was fortunate enough to witness it."

When claiming the source was Piaomiao City of the Upper Three Sects, people immediately gathered around the cultivator. Why? Because the Upper Three Sects symbolize the pinnacle of today's sects, a mythic existence.

"How did Piaomiao City's assessment array end up here?"

Someone asked in bewilderment.

The cultivator, equally puzzled, replied, "For Piaomiao City to provide the array to the Cyan Sun Sect, they must have paid a great price to purchase it. That's why I wondered if the Cyan Sun Sect was planning to cut back on living expenses. This operation is too significant. The Celestial Essence Nine Sects can afford such largesse because they have deep foundations, but the Cyan Sun Sect might be doing it either for show..."

"Or they truly intend to adopt an elite disciple path."

For a major sect aspiring to become top-tier, nurturing elite disciples becomes the core focus, just that...

"In that array from last year's assessments, out of a hundred participants, only about ten remained. You can imagine how stringent the requirements for temperament and comprehension are."

The cultivator added, while those listening reacted with mixed expressions; some were delighted, others uncomfortable.

The delighted ones thought, with Cyan Sun Sect's stringent selection, many disciples would slip through the cracks, providing them more opportunities for talent spotting.

The uncomfortable ones felt envious seeing a sect growing bigger and possibly preparing to join the ranks of top-tier sects.

After all, which of the sanctuaries picking up talents here weren't held by someone in their own sects?

Hearing this, Han Yu's interest grew. He leaned forward, looking eagerly down the mountain, but then frowned. For now, all he could see was a group of stupefied individuals, standing dumbly; nothing else caught his attention until he thought more about it.

Shush, shush, shush!

Several whooshing sounds rose from the foot of the mountain, as eight large metal framework structures encasing flat stones flew into the air and hovered. The surfaces of the stones were polished mirror-smooth.

This thing, unseen by anyone before, startled the cultivators as it appeared, leading them to think it might be a magical artifact, making everyone wary.

In the end, it was the cultivator who hesitantly spoke, "This seems to be the Illusion Stones described in the diagrams. They project the contents of the illusion array, although Piaomiao City had over a hundred of them back then."

Following the cultivator's explanation, each of the eight Illusion Stones projected a beam of light from its mirrored surface, gradually revealing human silhouettes. On the eight different reflective surfaces appeared eight different candidates, all in identical illusionary scenarios.

Each was situated outside a farmhouse, flanked on both sides by villagers from different farms. The candidates were caught in the middle, with tensions high on both sides. Each villager clutched farm tools, creating a tense atmosphere.

"The world is vast, and wonders never cease."

Han Yu still felt he had much to learn, amazed at the world's wonders, especially the contents displayed, which left him gaping in awe, truly gaining new insights.

Young Master Lin appeared in one of the viewing panels, truly a stroke of luck, facing a dilemma of his own.

The people from the East Farm had a lake, while the West Farm villagers typically irrigated their fields with the lake's water. But recently, the East Farm had refused access, leading to a conflict between the two small villages, on the verge of violence.

This seemed to be the first challenge for each candidate.

Zhu Yu sat halfway up the mountain, watching the screen with interest, having specifically chosen to view Young Master Lin's illusion.

Unlike other candidates, Lin Fei squeezed through the crowd and, astonishingly, did something unimaginable...

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