Divine Root Bone

The morning mist dissipated, and the sky brightened.

As the night breeze in the mountains subsided and the warm sun shone brightly, the entire winding mountain road was bustling with noise and chatter.

The closer you get to the Qingyun Sect's mountain gate, the more terrifying the crowds become.

Young cultivators, disciples from humble backgrounds, and children from aristocratic families, who had come from all directions, filled the mountain road. They pushed, jostled, and rushed to get ahead, all wanting to be the first to register for the assessment. The vast mountain road was completely congested.

Zhang Yang and Lin Wanqing moved slowly forward with the flow of people.

Just now, we were walking slowly together, which was quite relaxing and comfortable. But now I was completely swept into the middle of the crowd, surrounded by people all around me, making it extremely difficult to even turn around.

Lin Wanqing was gentle and shy by nature. She had never seen such a huge crowd before. She was a little flustered and subconsciously shrank closer to Zhang Yang, with a hint of fear in her eyes.

She was petite, and standing in the surging crowd, she was like a small boat drifting with the current, as if she could be swept away by the flow of people at any moment.

Seeing this, Zhang Yang paused, then spoke in a soft, gentle voice: "Come closer to me, don't get separated."

A simple word of advice.

Lin Wanqing's heart skipped a beat, and without hesitation, she took a small half-step forward, pressing herself completely against his side.

The two were already walking side by side, and as they got closer, their bodies pressed tightly together without any gap.

The mountain path was crowded, with everyone pushing and shoving, and the crowd behind them kept surging forward.

Lin Wanqing was pressed tightly against Zhang Yang, her shoulders and arms completely touching him, and the warmth of his body could be clearly felt through the two layers of thin clothing.

Zhang Yang was tall and slender, more than a head taller than her.

The two stood close together, and because of the height difference, for a moment his gaze lowered slightly, his eyes inevitably and without warning fell on the soft, rounded outline of the girl's dress in front of him.

It wasn't intentional spying.

It was an unintentional glance caused by the crowd pressing against each other, the height difference, and the gaze naturally falling downwards.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, falling on the girl's pale blue dress, making her figure appear soft and graceful, both youthful and slender.

The boy was pure and innocent, and had never been so intimate with a member of the opposite sex before.

For a moment, Zhang Yang's eyes faltered slightly, and his breath hitched almost imperceptibly.

There were no distracting thoughts or desires in my mind; I was simply in a state of pure bewilderment and absent-mindedness.

The gentle body so close to him, the sweet scent of herbs emanating from the girl, and the soft breaths whispering in his ear—all these intertwined to gently ripple his usually calm heart.

It was just a brief moment of distraction.

But that brief moment of eye contact was enough to instantly escalate the atmosphere into an ambiguous and heated one.

Lin Wanqing is incredibly sensitive.

She pressed herself against him, clearly noticing the pause in the boy's gaze above her. Instantly, she stiffened, her cheeks flushing bright red, the heat spreading from her ears down to her neck.

She bit her lower lip hard, her hands clenching the hem of her clothes tightly. She was so ashamed that she didn't dare to look up, and her heart was pounding so fast it felt like it was going to jump out of her chest.

She knew they were standing very close, and that because of the height difference, she was completely within his downward line of sight.

Shyness, timidity, and a hint of barely concealed sweet panic all welled up in my heart.

The crowds continued to surge forward, pushing and shoving.

Each time the crowd surged from behind, Lin Wanqing was squeezed even tighter, almost hanging on Zhang Yang's side, her soft body pressed firmly against his arm.

She dared not move, dared not move away, and could only obediently lean against him, letting the overwhelming shame engulf her entire body.

Zhang Yang quickly looked away, his expression returning to calm and composed.

This was his first time experiencing such close companionship with a woman. After a brief moment of distraction, his heart remained calm. He stood firmly, his hands seemingly hanging naturally at his sides, but he subtly positioned himself to block out a small, safe space for her in the crowded throng.

He kept all the shoving, pushing, and noisy crowds at bay.

"Don't be afraid."

He said softly.

Those two short words, however brief, brought Lin Wanqing immense peace of mind.

The shyness from his gaze was still lingering in her heart, but looking at his calm and composed profile, all her panic slowly subsided, leaving only admiration and tenderness.

In the crowded throng, thousands of strangers bustled about.

He was her only source of security and support.

She raised her head slightly, secretly glancing at him, her eyes soft and watery, filled with shyness and joy.

They stayed by each other's side the whole way, never leaving each other's side.

It took the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn before the two finally squeezed through the most crowded mountain path and stepped onto the wide bluestone square of the Qingyun Sect's mountain gate.

The oppressive feeling dissipated instantly once the crowds were out.

Lin Wanqing subconsciously took a small step back, creating some distance, and took a deep breath.

The warm touch of their close embrace and the ambiguous atmosphere from the boy's unintentional glance still lingered on her, impossible to shake off.

My cheeks were still burning hot, and my heart was pounding.

The Qingyun Sect Square before us is vast and boundless, paved with bluestone, flat and majestic.

A massive mountain gate looms before us, imposing and majestic. Clouds and mist swirl around the peaks, and the palaces and pavilions are layered upon each other, exuding an air of grandeur.

On the plaza, tens of thousands of young cultivators lined up in various places, registering and waiting for the assessment. The crowd was still bustling, but the previous congestion and oppression were gone.

Several deacons in blue robes stood solemnly at each side, maintaining order in an orderly manner and guiding all the candidates to register and participate in the preliminary selection in batches.

Lin Wanqing raised her hand and gently touched her burning cheeks, trying to suppress the shyness in her heart. She turned to look at Zhang Yang, who stood calmly beside her, her voice still trembling slightly: "Just now... thank you. Luckily you were there, otherwise I would definitely have been lost in the crowd."

"It's alright."

Zhang Yang spoke calmly, his expression remaining as serene as ever.

Only Lin Wanqing knew that this seemingly ordinary young man possessed a composure and reliability that no one else could match.

Looking at the long queue ahead, she spoke softly to distract herself from her shyness: "Next is registration, followed by the first round of physical fitness testing. As long as your physique far surpasses that of ordinary people, you'll pass smoothly. The second round, the bone structure test, is the most difficult; many people get stuck at this stage..."

She explained the assessment rules in detail, gently and patiently.

As she spoke, she subconsciously leaned closer to Zhang Yang's side again.

The shyness of being so close to her in the crowd was still in her heart, but she didn't want to leave at all.

Instead, they grew increasingly attached to this stable, reliable, and reassuring companionship.

The two walked side by side to the end of the line and waited quietly.

Sunlight streamed down, illuminating the boy's tall and straight figure and the girl's slightly flushed profile.