Chapter 96

Chapter 96: Redemption Through Victory

The dawn’s light broke through the clouds, spilling onto the earth. Before a row of training rooms, ten young men and women faced the morning sun, their expressions varied.

They knew that the evaluation about to take place was an extremely important matter, one admitting no failure, for them personally.

Most present were experienced elders who had come here not just once.

Their goal naturally went beyond the daily tedium of refining pills like this. What they sought were the Immortal Sect’s rewards, the chance to enter the third or fourth floor of the pavilion.

The path of cultivation was inherently a path of contentious struggle. Without contention, one gained nothing. One must not only contend but also strive to win, to triumph.

Those gathered here clearly knew that to journey further on the path of cultivation, they must exert themselves to the utmost in contention.

The resources their families could provide were ultimately limited. Only a broader sky and richer rewards could satisfy their thirst for cultivation.

Therefore, the Qinyuan Sect was the best choice.

They needed to excel in the monthly examinations. Even if they failed to win the favor of some Immortal, they could at least contend for various fateful opportunities for themselves.

Zheng Ting Tao arrived riding the wind, landing in the open space. Clad in a white robe, his countenance today held an imposing majesty. His typically mild eyes now held a certain sharpness.

His gaze swept over each of the ten in turn.

"Good. You are the most outstanding batch of the past dozen or so years," Zheng Ting Tao said calmly.

Over this past month, apart from Lin Xin failing to complete her assignment on the first day, all ten had efficiently completed their tasks the rest of the time.

This indicated everyone possessed high talent in alchemy. It also signified that the competition this time would be exceptionally fierce.

The ten felt not an ounce of pride. All bowed humbly, lowering their postures.

"Very well. Let me now see if you are truly excellent enough."

The calm voice rang out abruptly. Zheng Ting Tao waved his hand lightly. Light flashed before the ten, and ten rosewood tables appeared suddenly. On each table rested a jade book.

Zhou Luo raised his eyebrows slightly.

The written examinations of this Immortal Sect seemed somewhat more advanced than those of the Spiritual Pill Conference.

"One hour. Begin now!"

Zheng Ting Tao clasped his hands behind his back. His resonant voice slowly echoed.

The ten almost simultaneously picked up the jade books on their tables and opened them.

Immediately, golden light surged from the center of each jade book, enveloping the holder, completely isolating them from others.

Zhou Luo had just felt intense golden light flare before his face. He involuntarily shut his eyes.

When he reopened them, what met his gaze was an immense golden scroll.

No splendid landscapes graced the scroll, only leaping characters that appeared like sprites, coalescing into question after question.

Zhou Luo stared at these questions. There was no need for pen and ink; with a mere thought, his answer would quickly write itself out.

The purpose of the written examination was to screen candidates for the martial skills competition.

Therefore, Zhou Luo didn’t intend to perform too prominently. As he had during the previous Spiritual Pill Conference, he deliberately answered some questions incorrectly.

And to avoid being the first to hand in his paper, he even waited a while before tackling the last two major questions.

When he was nearly finished, he chose to submit.

Then, the painting before him dissipated, the golden light receded, and white light surged in from all sides.

In Zhou Luo’s eyes, he returned to the initial scene. A jade book lay quietly on the table.

He couldn’t help but glance sideways. Many were still enveloped in golden light, though some had finished before him.

Lu An stood by a table, turning his head to gaze at him.

His deep eyes held profound hostility, his face twisted in proud disdain.

During the last Spiritual Pill Conference’s written examination, he had lost to Zhou Luo, settling for second place, which caused his uncle to forfeit a precious sword.

He had always remembered that disgrace.

Now was the perfect moment to wash it away.

Lu An’s lips curled slightly.

He had submitted the jade book before his rival, answering every question correctly.

There was no reason to lose again.

Feeling the challenge, Zhou Luo paid it no mind. Instead, his eyes fell on the man beside Lu An.

He didn’t recognize him, but the attire suggested he belonged to the Zhang Family.

Currently, only the three of them had escaped the golden light; the others were still struggling.

After approximately ten minutes, the rest gradually finished answering, revealing themselves.

Just as the one-hour time limit expired, the final disciple, Lin Xin, emerged from the golden light.

Her small face was slightly pale, her mental strength clearly shaken.

Though no physical writing was required for the jade slips, the toll on one’s mental strength was immense.

Likely, the Immortal Sect intended this as a test of their mental fortitude.

After all, mental strength was paramount for a Pill Master—the stronger it was, the higher the alchemy mastery it implied.

"The martial skills competition begins this afternoon," said Zheng Ting Tao.

With a sweep of his sleeve, the ten jade slips and the table vanished. He turned and departed.

His exit instantly eased the tension among the group, as if relieved of a heavy burden.

"I found that written examination quite simple. What about you?"

"I won’t boast, but I should rank among the top six."

"It was harder than the Spiritual Pill Conference! The scope was broader… I’m not confident."

"Hmm, I don’t even know what I wrote…"

Familiar faces quickly gathered to discuss the test.

Noticing Lin Xin’s state, Wang Yu Wei knew she had struggled and approached to comfort her: "This is only the beginning."

As a newcomer among veterans, a gap was inevitable.

Lin Xin understood this, yet what she couldn’t accept was—

Why did Zhou Luo, also a newcomer, look so effortlessly composed?

Turning, she caught sight of his calm expression. The imbalance intensified, plunging her once more into deep suspicion.

Zhou Luo hadn’t noticed her stare. Seeing spare time, he preferred cultivation over idleness and headed toward a nearby room.

But he hadn’t taken three steps when a figure blocked his path—Lu An.

A month earlier, Lu An had tried to provoke him but been silenced with a single retort.

Since then, everyone had been too busy with pill-making for pointless confrontations.

Today was different.

"At the last written examination, my Lu Family lost a magical artifact to your Lin Family. Today, I’ll reclaim that honor!"

"I challenge you to compare our test scores. Let’s wager a magical artifact."

Lu An locked eyes with him, expression earnest, openly revealing his fighting spirit.

His actions instantly drew others’ attention.

"I don’t have time."

Zhou Luo showed no interest.

Since fighting was forbidden in the front yard, refusal protected him. Lu An could do nothing.

"No time? Or afraid you’ll lose?" Lu An taunted loudly.

Reactions to these words varied across the crowd.

Most watched in amusement; only Lin Xin and Wang Yu Wei frowned at the pettiness.

Facing such trivial provocation, Zhou Luo ignored him entirely and walked away.

Seeing the dismissal, Lu An’s eyes betrayed panic, but his sneer stayed firm. "Ha. Seems the Lin Family breeds cowards."

"First, I don’t repres—"

Before Zhou Luo could finish, Lin Xin’s voice cut sharply beside him:

"Accept his challenge!"