Compared with certain supreme sects that occupied mountain ranges stretching a thousand li, the Heavenly Evolution Sect did not cover a particularly vast area. Even so, it encompassed a great sweep of interconnected mountains, not merely a single peak.
As Qi Yan gazed toward the Heavenly Evolution Sect, he could see sword qi crisscrossing the peaks and strange beasts soaring through the clouds. Immortal music drifted lazily from somewhere unseen. Now and then, streaks of light flew in from outside-people returning on their flying swords.
From time to time, the cries of cranes rang out from the deep marshes, stirring the clouds above.
A powerful pressure enveloped the mountains, and the mountain-protecting formation glimmered faintly. Majestic peaks rose over gently flowing waters; grandeur and ethereal beauty met here.
Compared with the scenic destinations he had seen in his previous life, the mountains and waters might have been similar, but the immortal atmosphere far surpassed them.
His first impression matched what he had imagined, and he was quite satisfied.
As he drew closer, he could see an enormous white marble gate standing outside the mountains, facing the main road. A black plaque above it bore three great seal-script characters in gold: "Heavenly Evolution Sect." Spirit birds circled the gate, dancing gracefully.
Qi Yan looked up at it for a long while before finally striding forward.
His cultivation had yet to reach the fourth layer of Qi Refining, which might not quite be enough... But first, what Jiang Jinyue had said was not necessarily the definitive answer, merely a reference. Second, Qi Yan now felt that secluded cultivation was becoming less and less effective. It was just like when he had been advancing from the second layer to the third: however he cultivated aboard the ship, it had done little good, yet after experiencing a disaster, he had broken through smoothly.
Clearly, Witchcraft did not necessarily emphasize quiet cultivation as Dao Arts did. Experience probably mattered more. As for gaining experience, wandering blindly on his own had only landed him in trouble. Now that he was already at the Heavenly Evolution Sect's gates, was he supposed to turn around and cultivate elsewhere for another six months or a year before coming back? That did not feel right.
Qi Yan thought that if he treated the assessment itself as another trial, it seemed worth a try.
When he reached the mountain gate, he found no disciples guarding it. Instead, several white deer wandered in front of the entrance. They showed no fear of a stranger, their eyes studying Qi Yan with unabashed curiosity.
Qi Yan bowed to the white deer. "I am Qi Yan, an unaffiliated cultivator. I have long admired the Heavenly Evolution Sect and wish to ascend the mountain to seek a master. Might you announce my arrival?"
A white deer spoke leisurely. "Unaffiliated cultivators seeking a master usually come because they know a particular immortal and have made the journey specifically to find them. Whom are you looking for?"
How could Qi Yan dare say that the master he wanted was Sect Master Mu? He hurriedly replied, "I have no acquaintances here. I merely admire the Heavenly Evolution Sect's great reputation."
The white deer shook its head. "In that case, you should take our sect's general assessment. The last assessment has already passed. You can wait for the next intake."
"Then... how long until the next one?"
"The last recruitment was seven years ago. There are three years left. Very soon."
Qi Yan: "..."
The white deer spoke as though this were only natural. "On the immortal path, three years pass in a snap of the fingers. You are still young, too. You can first..."
Before it finished, its ears twitched slightly, as though it had heard some transmitted message. Its words stopped in its throat, replaced by a dry cough. "You can first visit our Recruitment Hall and see what the deacons in charge have to say. Follow me."
With that, it led the way up the mountain path. Qi Yan followed, carefully fishing for information. "Brother Deer, how old are the recruitment deacons, and what do they like?"
The white deer sounded amused. "If you want to enter an immortal sect, you had best rein in those worldly thoughts."
Qi Yan inwardly disagreed. Wherever there were people, there were social niceties and relationships... Still, he continued, "I only want to learn a little so I don't behave rudely to their faces..."
The white deer rarely encountered seekers of immortality like this and could not help chuckling. "The deacons are all white-bearded old men, very rigid and strict. I would advise against trying to be clever and cozy up to them. It would only do you harm."
Wasn't that useful information right there? Qi Yan cupped his hands and bowed. "Thank you for your guidance, Brother Deer."
Since they were rigid and strict, he should definitely tidy his hair first, keep anything flashy off his person, and look full of vigor. Those old men would surely have a better first impression that way. Qi Yan straightened his appearance and rubbed his face, trying to look serious rather than frivolous.
A department such as recruitment would not be situated very high up. In fact, it stood on a terrace only a short way up the mountain, in an ordinary building. The white deer brought Qi Yan to the terrace and stopped. "Go inside yourself."
Qi Yan thanked it again, took several deep breaths, thoroughly prepared himself mentally, and slowly entered the hall.
Sure enough, a dozen or so white-bearded old men and white-haired old women sat inside, all staring at him with gleaming eyes, as though examining some rare exotic beast.
These elderly men and women did not sit in this hall recruiting disciples full-time. Only a small number held the relevant posts; most were heads of the various peaks, who only gathered here during the general assessment held once every ten years to see whether there were any promising seedlings.
Individuals like Qi Yan, who turned up unexpectedly to seek a master, were exceedingly rare. Even when one occasionally appeared, they would generally not be received. Who were you to have so many people, at the Nascent Soul or Spirit Transformation realm at the very least, assess you alone?
Yet today was positively bizarre. Jiang Jinyue, the sect master's sole disciple and essentially the acknowledged young mistress, had brought the sect master's command and summoned everyone to assess a young man who had abruptly come seeking admission.
As Qi Yan watched the crowd of white-bearded powerhouses scrutinizing him, the pressure weighed on him like a mountain. Little did he know that these white-bearded grandfathers felt no less pressure than he did.
Qi Yan finally came to a stop in the hall and bowed to everyone around him. "This unaffiliated cultivator, Qi Yan, greets the elders."
Their scalps abruptly prickled, and the corners of their eyes twitched wildly.
Did you just say Yan?!
When no one spoke, Qi Yan felt even more pressure. He took several deep breaths before continuing, "This junior has long admired the Heavenly Evolution Sect and crossed vast seas solely to seek a master. May I ask what assessments are required? Please instruct me."
Silence hung in the air for another long while before an old man slowly said, "You are an adult, not a child. For adults, we have certain expectations regarding bearing, manners, and speech. In my view, your performance has been acceptable, but we are not the chief examiner this time. We must wait for her opinion."
Qi Yan had indeed noticed that the main seat was empty. He thought that these old men were already serious enough; he wondered what sort of utterly solemn, stern-faced, orange-peel-skinned old Daoist the chief examiner would be. He hoped they would not be too demanding.
He was just about to offer a few polite words when his vision suddenly blurred. A girl in white appeared expressionlessly in the main seat, her face solemn and proper, but her darting eyes brimming with laughter. "Is this the newcomer seeking admission today? Hmm... so ugly."
Everything Qi Yan had wanted to say stuck in his throat, and his eyes went wide.
Who are you calling ugly? Take a better look!
No, wait, why was it Jiang Jinyue?
Ever since I started up the mountain, I've been preparing myself mentally, fixing my appearance, and getting thoroughly ready for a Fortune Global 500 interview, only for the stern-faced, orange-peel-skinned chief examiner to be you?
You knew so early on that I was coming to the Heavenly Evolution Sect, so have you been watching me make a fool of myself this whole time?
Qi Yan's mind went blank.
Seeing Qi Yan's stunned expression, as though he had seen a ghost, Jiang Jinyue nearly split her sides laughing. Yet she had to maintain a serious pose on an occasion like this, though she could barely suppress the laughter on her face.
This was so much fun. Thank you, Master!
The old man who had spoken earlier turned to Jiang Jinyue. "Jinyue, since the sect master has put you in charge of this assessment, you should decide what questions to set."
Keeping a straight face, Jiang Jinyue said, "What Martial Uncle Wan just said made perfect sense. Adults naturally face different requirements from children. Bearing, speech, and manners are all criteria. This person is staring blankly at his chief examiner without even addressing her. That warrants a deduction."
Everyone looked at Qi Yan, finding it strange as well. The young man's bearing and speech had been quite good earlier, so why was he standing there in a daze now? Because Jinyue was too beautiful? Even so, surely he should not act as though he had never seen the world.
Resting her right elbow on the armrest and propping up her little head, Jiang Jinyue said leisurely, "You there, young man. Let us first examine your manners. How should you address this examiner?"
Qi Yan struggled and struggled, held it in and held it in, before finally squeezing out a single word: "Sister."
"Hahahahaha..." Jiang Jinyue could no longer keep a straight face and laughed so hard she nearly rolled out of her chair.
The elders remained expressionless.
Are you two flirting here?
Elder Wan finally could not bear it any longer and shouted in a low voice, "Jinyue!"
"Oh, ahem." Jiang Jinyue coughed a few times and sat properly upright again. "I have never seen anyone address me like that. I lost my composure for a moment, just a moment. Still, there's nothing wrong with calling me that. Don't go calling me 'senior' and making me sound old. I quite like being called 'Sister.' You pass!"
Qi Yan turned his head away.
The examiners: "..."
Fine. You're the chief examiner. You have the final say.
Smiling, Jiang Jinyue savored Qi Yan's look of "embarrassed indignation," utterly delighted. She really wanted to say that there was no need for any further tests and let him pass outright...
But on reflection, opening the back door so blatantly would not look good. She gave another two dry coughs. "Martial Uncle Wan, how about having him interpret our Scripture of the Origin of Ten Thousand Arts?"
Elder Wan understood. This was a trick the sect master had often used in her earlier years: presenting an invented cultivation manual with an intimidating title for candidates to interpret, testing the children's character. But this question was generally used to distinguish scores, not to screen candidates. What need was there for such a question when assessing a single person? Why did it look as though she were teasing this Qi Yan...
He could not be bothered to dwell on it. With a wave of his hand, a book hovered before Qi Yan. "You have one incense stick's worth of time. Interpret as much as you can."
Qi Yan gathered himself after the embarrassment and indignation of calling Jiang Jinyue "Sister" and took the book.
From the looks of things, Jiang Jinyue could not simply decide as she pleased, and he still needed to pass the other tests seriously... He wondered whether this interpretation genuinely tested comprehension or whether it was the sort Little Crybaby had mentioned. This was a good chance to keep an eye out.
Opening the Scripture of the Origin of Ten Thousand Arts to its first page, Qi Yan carefully read the first passage and let out a long breath.
Thank you, Little Crybaby.
This book was definitely the specious sort. It looked as though there might be something to it, but anyone actually trying to cultivate something from it would absolutely fail. If he had not just discussed this with Little Crybaby, he would certainly have burrowed stubbornly into a bull's horn and wrestled with it. Now, however, his mind was clear as a mirror.
Qi Yan soon raised his head. "Forgive my bluntness... but was this book written incorrectly, or are some key words and passages missing?"
At these words, everyone present, Jiang Jinyue included, grew serious.
She had only been teasing him, yet unexpectedly, he had answered correctly... Even Jiang Jinyue was surprised. The Qi Yan she knew had plenty of twists and turns inside him. He did not seem like someone so straightforward.
Jiang Jinyue asked seriously, "What makes you say that?"
"Because following this book's instructions won't produce anything."
"Why don't you think your own comprehension is insufficient to grasp the true scripture?"
"Perhaps my comprehension is insufficient. In any case, as I understand it, it won't produce anything. Even when this incense stick burns out, my answer will remain the same."
In the distant main hall, Mu Xunzhen opened her eyes.
She had never considered whether a Qi Refinement youth might be Brother A-Yan. The thought had never crossed her mind, no matter how many Yans his name contained.
But... with an answer like that, wasn't he born to be a disciple of the Heavenly Evolution Sect?