Passing the Assessment

The Red Giant Turtle opened its blood-red maw and spat out a stream of Crimson Fireball as thick as an adult's arm, heading straight for Shen Long.

The Silver Giant Goose flapped its wings gently and took to the air, circling high above. With a thunderous crack, a bolt of Silver Lightning as thick as an infant's arm struck down toward Shen Long.

The White Centipede spat out White Ice Spike, moving rapidly toward Shen Long, its sharp claws flashing with a chilling, sinister light.

Shen Long released the Iron Tail Scorpion, ordering it to entangle the Red Giant Turtle.

He then unleashed the Parent-Child Blades to attack the White Centipede.

The Silver Lightning struck the Blue Water Screen covering Shen Long's body, causing ripples to spread across its surface.

The four Child Blades shattered the incoming White Ice Spike and struck the White Centipede one after another, producing the sound of clashing metal.

A giant fireball flew through the air and slammed into the White Centipede.

Just as the White Centipede tried to dodge, a thick Cyan Vine erupted from the ground and coiled around its body.

The White Centipede's claws slashed at the Cyan Vine, shredding it to pieces, but the giant fireball also struck the creature, and rolling flames instantly engulfed its body.

Before the flames could dissipate, more giant fireballs flew in, slamming into the White Centipede one after another.

With a series of deafening roars, the fire intensified.

The Parent Blade in Shen Long's hand glowed with a dazzling yellow light, and the four Child Blades followed suit, diving into the sea of fire.

The power of a set of magical artifacts was truly formidable; before long, the White Centipede was hacked to pieces by the four Child Blades.

A shrill cry rang out, and as Shen Long turned his head, he saw the Iron Tail Scorpion being swallowed by rolling flames.

It was clearly no match for the Red Giant Turtle, while the Silver Giant Goose circled high above, unleashing bolts of Silver Lightning to attack Shen Long.

Bolts of Silver Lightning struck the Blue Water Screen, causing its spiritual glow to dim.

The Red Giant Turtle moved rapidly toward the Iron Tail Scorpion, opening its blood-red maw as if to devour it.

A three-foot-long White Ice Spike flew toward it, but the Red Giant Turtle spat out a thick stream of crimson flame, turning the ice spike into nothingness.

A yellow-glowing talisman flew through the air. Just as the Red Giant Turtle prepared to attack, the yellow talisman burst open, transforming into a yellow light screen over ten feet wide, like a giant yellow bowl, trapping the Red Giant Turtle inside.

It was a First Rank Demon-Trapping Talisman, worth two hundred spirit stones each.

The Red Giant Turtle spat out a dozen bowl-sized crimson fireballs, which struck the yellow light screen one after another, but the screen remained motionless.

Shen Long recalled the Iron Tail Scorpion into his Spirit Beast Bag and sent the four Child Blades toward the Silver Giant Goose, simultaneously releasing Crimson Fireball and White Ice Spike to assault the avian beast.

The Silver Giant Goose reacted quickly, flapping its wings to dodge the four incoming Child Blades, but soon, a house-sized Crimson Fireball came crashing down.

It opened its beak and spat out a bolt of Silver Lightning as thick as an infant's arm, striking the Crimson Fireball. The fireball exploded, sending flames splattering everywhere with terrifying heat.

Before the flames could fade, another giant fireball came crashing down.

The Silver Giant Goose had to dodge both the four Child Blades and the attacks of the giant fireballs.

Shen Long took out a Qi Recovery Pill and swallowed it.

The pill melted the moment it touched his tongue, and the paleness of his face slowly returned to a healthy flush.

Turtle-type spirit beasts had high defenses, and since Shen Long couldn't finish off the Red Giant Turtle quickly, he would use the Demon-Trapping Talisman to contain it while he focused his full strength on the Silver Giant Goose.

Half a quarter of an hour later, the Silver Giant Goose's reactions slowed; after all, it was only a First Rank Late Stage avian beast with limited spiritual power.

Shen Long's casting speed was too fast; before the Silver Giant Goose could even dodge one giant fireball, Shen Long had already released three more.

Just as the Silver Giant Goose dodged the four Child Blades, a giant fireball flew in and slammed into its body.

With a deafening roar, rolling flames engulfed the Silver Giant Goose.

Before the flames could dissipate, a second and third giant fireball flew in, striking the Silver Giant Goose one after another.

Shen Long's face was pale, his spiritual power nearly exhausted after clearing nine levels in a row. He swallowed another Qi Recovery Pill, and a flush of color returned to his face.

He released multiple giant fireballs, which struck the Silver Giant Goose in succession. A massive explosion echoed, and a giant ball of crimson fire lit up the high sky.

The four Child Blades glowed with intense yellow light and plunged into the sea of fire. A shrill bird cry rang out, and the Silver Giant Goose plummeted from the sky, its body charred black.

Before it even hit the ground, its corpse dissolved into specks of spiritual light.

By this time, the Red Giant Turtle had yet to break free.

With the White Centipede and the Silver Giant Goose dealt with, the remaining Red Giant Turtle was no match for Shen Long.

A short quarter of an hour later, Shen Long finished off the Red Giant Turtle.

A dazzling cyan light glowed beneath his feet. He quickly put away the Parent-Child Blades, and the cyan light swallowed his body.

As the cyan light faded, Shen Long appeared in a spacious and bright hall. Not far away stood a group of Spirit Control Sect cultivators, and a middle-aged man of average build sat behind a cyan wooden table.

"Congratulations on passing the assessment, but if you wish to join our Spirit Control Sect, you must still undergo a background check."

The middle-aged man said.

"A background check?"

Shen Long was slightly stunned.

"It is merely to ask a few questions. If you fail the check, at most you will simply not be admitted into our Spirit Control Sect. However, if you are a spy sent by the Barbarian Race, today will be your last day."

The middle-aged man's tone was icy.

"I ask that you please examine me, Senior! I will cooperate fully."

Shen Long said.

The middle-aged man took out a pale gold mirror, injected his mana into it, and the mirror surface shone brightly, spraying out a beam of golden light that enveloped Shen Long.

"Where are you from? What is your spiritual root? Have you ever harmed the innocent or defiled virtuous women? Have you ever had contact with Barbarian Race cultivators, and why do you wish to join the Spirit Control Sect?"

The middle-aged man threw out several questions.

Shen Long answered them one by one; he did not mention the struggle with Xu Lei over the Spirit Control Token, and the golden mirror in the middle-aged man's hand showed no abnormalities.

"There are no issues. Congratulations, you are now a disciple of our Spirit Control Sect. Disciple Huang, take him to complete the procedures and return to the main altar. Only after paying respects to the Patriarchs will he truly be considered a disciple of our Spirit Control Sect."

The middle-aged man instructed.

Shen Long felt a sense of relief. He had feared that concealing the struggle with Xu Lei over the Spirit Control Token would be discovered, but it seemed the Spirit Control Sect cared more about contact with Barbarian Race cultivators.

A refined-looking young man in a yellow shirt responded and led Shen Long into a secret room.

The yellow-shirted youth took out a cyan square token, handed it to Shen Long, and said, "Junior Brother Shen, this is your Identity Plaque. Drip a drop of your essence blood onto it to bind it; only you will be able to activate this Identity Plaque, and it serves as proof of identity for entering and exiting the main altar. You must keep it safe; you will have to pay to replace it if you lose it."

Shen Long expressed his thanks, took the cyan token, bit his right index finger on the spot, and dripped a drop of essence blood onto the cyan plaque.

The cyan token quickly absorbed the essence blood and lit up with a cyan glow.

"May I ask how to address you, Senior Brother? I hope for your guidance in the future."

Shen Long said politely, taking out twenty spirit stones and handing them to the yellow-shirted youth.