"Is there anything else?"
Xu Chunniang stopped in her tracks, her gaze somewhat puzzled.
"Well, I have an unreasonable request."
The beautiful female cultivator brushed back her hair and lowered her head shyly.
She often used this move on male cultivators, but Xu Chunniang was merely a little girl under twelve and naturally did not understand such flirtation. She simply stood where she was, waiting for her to continue.
After waiting for quite a while and seeing that Xu Chunniang had no intention of responding, the beautiful female cultivator had no choice but to go on. "Well, I'd like you to introduce me to your captain and let me join your team. I'm at the fourth level of Qi Condensation. I definitely won't drag the team down!"
Xu Chunniang suddenly understood. So that was what this was about. But she was alone—what team did she have to take her in?
She refused without hesitation. "Sorry, I'm only responsible for odd jobs and errands in the team. Recruiting new members isn't something I have any say in."
A trace of embarrassment and vexation flashed across the beautiful female cultivator's face, but she quickly put on a smile again.
"Junior Sister, you must be joking. Even a Mid-grade Spiritual Artifact needs to pass through your hands. That shows your standing in the team—how could you possibly be just an errand-runner?
"With a single word from you, getting me into the team would be a matter of minutes. As long as you're willing to help me, I certainly won't let you go unrewarded."
Xu Chunniang still shook her head. "I can't make the decision in this matter, but I'll tell the captain about it. As for whether she is willing to take in more people, that is beyond my control."
Having said that, she did not linger and walked straight out of the Treasure Pavilion.
Watching the small figure leave, the beautiful female cultivator could no longer hold herself back and clenched her teeth resentfully.
"A third level Qi Condensation ugly freak, nothing more than an errand-runner. She's only throwing her weight around here by clinging to a senior sister at the sixth level of Qi Condensation, like a fox borrowing a tiger's might. What is there for her to act so high and mighty in front of me for?!"
Naturally, Xu Chunniang knew nothing of what happened behind her. Even if she had known, she would only have dismissed it.
In any case, plenty of people cursed her already. One more made no difference.
After obtaining the soft armor, Xu Chunniang had no time to refine it before hurrying back to the sect.
The sect's major examination was the day after tomorrow. If she did not set off now, she truly would be late.
After traveling for an entire day, Xu Chunniang barely made it to the north gate before nightfall.
The gate guards were still the same two disciples from before. They remembered Xu Chunniang, the junior sister with distinctive looks who had insisted on going out to train alone.
As they took her identity token to register her return, one of the disciples could not suppress his curiosity any longer. "Did you really go train in the Hundred Demonic Mountain Range alone?"
Xu Chunniang smiled and nodded. "But I only went to the outskirts of the Hundred Demonic Mountain Range and caught a few Lair Rabbits. I didn't encounter any powerful demonic beasts."
"That's still quite remarkable. After all, the most dangerous thing in the Hundred Demonic Mountain Range isn't demonic beasts, but people."
He spoke with some admiration. Even knowing that the outskirts of the Hundred Demonic Mountain Range were not dangerous, not everyone had the courage to travel alone.
Xu Chunniang felt the same way. The human heart was far more complicated than demonic beasts.
"I wasn't wearing sect robes. I kept a low profile along the way, gathering medicinal herbs and avoiding people, so I didn't run into anyone."
Xu Chunniang was not lying. Apart from White Lion Ridge, which had more people, Rabbit Slope and Tiger Gorge Mountain were not particularly crowded.
"Then your luck was pretty good."
After saying that, the gate-guarding disciple could not help sighing. "The new disciples of this generation really are incredible. In previous years, I never heard of anyone at the third level Qi Condensation daring to head alone into the Hundred Demonic Mountain Range. Yet this generation has produced two!"
Xu Chunniang's heart stirred. Was there someone else like her who had entered the Hundred Demonic Mountain Range alone?
"Who was that person?" she could not help asking.
"I remember the name. Su Chen. He only returned yesterday."
Xu Chunniang turned the name over in her mind and realized she had no impression of it at all. Since he was not someone she knew, she merely committed the name to memory.
After returning to her cave residence, Xu Chunniang, who had traveled all day, was not tired in the slightest. Instead, she excitedly took out the soft armor. This was a Mid-grade Spiritual Artifact!
Even a young master like Qi Haozhi, born into an Aristocratic Clan of cultivators, might not possess such a Mid-grade Spiritual Artifact, yet she had forcibly earned one through her ruthless determination to risk her life against the Cloud Tiger Beast.
After taking a deep breath and suppressing the excitement in her heart, Xu Chunniang began refining the soft armor with single-minded focus. A Mid-grade Spiritual Artifact had six layers of formations inscribed upon it, making it harder to refine than a low-grade Spiritual Artifact.
By the eve of the major examination, Xu Chunniang had only managed to refine the outer three layers of formations, barely enough to use it.
"The major examination is tomorrow. I'll stop refining it here for now. I can't nearly be late again like last time."
Xu Chunniang did not continue refining it. She put the soft armor on beneath her clothes and went to rest early.
The next day, the major examination arrived as scheduled.
The major examination consisted of two rounds. The first was the Scholarly Trial, which tested theoretical knowledge.
The Scholarly Trial was further divided into two subjects: foundational studies and specialized studies.
The foundational examination had to be taken by all disciples of this batch. As for the specialized examination, the questions differed according to each student's chosen specialization.
The Scholarly Trial was held in the Lecture Hall. Since there were too many participants, the new disciples took the examinations in order of cultivation, from highest to lowest.
With the third level Qi Condensation cultivation Xu Chunniang displayed, she successfully qualified for the first group to take the examination.
Xu Chunniang had chosen spiritual plant studies as her specialization. After finishing the foundational examination that morning, she was assigned to the spiritual plant studies examination hall for the specialized examination in the afternoon.
Upon entering the examination hall, Xu Chunniang discovered that there were only around a hundred people inside.
There were several thousand new disciples in total. This proportion was truly extremely low. It seemed that spiritual plant studies really was quite unpopular.
These thoughts passed through her mind in but an instant, and Xu Chunniang quickly turned her attention back to the examination.
Although she did not intend to become an inner sect disciple's attendant, she still had to take the assessment seriously.
Since this was an assessment for new disciples, it was mainly meant to test what they had learned over the past three years. The questions were therefore not too difficult, and Xu Chunniang quickly finished the test.
After handing in her paper and walking out of the examination hall, she saw that the other halls were packed with people, while even more were waiting outside in lines. The contrast with the desolation of the spiritual plant studies examination hall was stark.
Xu Chunniang took only one glance before withdrawing her gaze and walking outside.
The Scholarly Trial lasted a full three days before finally coming to an end. Starting on the fourth day, the Martial Trial would begin. This was also the centerpiece of the major examination. Many inner sect disciples would come to observe the proceedings and select suitable attendants.
Originally, the sect had not had this attendant-selection process.
Many Outer Sect Disciples remained in the outer sect for nearly a hundred years, unable to break through to Foundation Establishment even as they grew old and frail. In the end, they could only exhaust their lifespans and pass away in meditation.
After all, those who could enter the top ten through the Outer Sect Grand Competition, obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill, successfully achieve Foundation Establishment, and thereby enter the inner sect were always few. Both strength and fortune were indispensable.
Some Outer Sect Disciples, unwilling to remain at Qi Condensation for the rest of their lives, set their sights on the extra Foundation Establishment Pills held by inner sect disciples. In exchange for a chance, they willingly lowered their status to follow inner sect disciples, all for that sliver of opportunity to achieve Foundation Establishment.
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