Mortal Cultivation: Starting from Hiding in the Cultivation Techniques Pavilion

Su Xiaoyuan breathed a sigh of relief, bowed to the division commander, and then walked out from the other side of the hall.

That concludes today's assessment. All that remains is to wait for the draw to determine group assignments and to participate in tomorrow's competition.

He found a shady corner and waited for Guo Zhanyuan and Meng Hao.

After all, we just agreed to form an alliance, so let's wait and see what their plans are.

Su Xiaoyuan waited by the wall for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before she saw Guo Zhanyuan and Meng Hao walk out of the hall one after the other.

Guo Zhanyuan walked ahead, a smug expression on his round face, seemingly having passed the test smoothly.

Meng Hao walked behind, still with that serious expression, but his brows had relaxed a bit, clearly indicating that the result was not bad.

"Congratulations!" Su Xiaoyuan cupped her hands in greeting.

"Congratulations to you!" Guo Zhanyuan laughed heartily, then said, "Let's get down to business now."

As a result, a rather strange scene appeared outside the assessment hall.

Three disciples of similar age, like childhood friends' salesmen, stood guard on the only way to the exit, stopping each fellow disciple who passed by and asking in low voices if they were willing to form an alliance.

The key point is that this matter cannot be made public. The three of them can only sneak up to others like thieves and whisper to each other.

The effect is very limited.

Their cultivation levels were indeed relatively low compared to the rest of the group of disciples.

The passing senior students glanced at the three of them, most of them snorted disdainfully, and walked away without even saying a word.

A few of the more amiable people simply bowed politely, said "I appreciate your kindness, but there's no need for that," and then hurriedly left.

I asked more than a dozen people, but none of them agreed.

Guo Zhanyuan's smile gradually faded, and he muttered, "These people are so unfriendly!"

Su Xiaoyuan didn't really care, since he hadn't expected to win through an alliance anyway. But seeing Guo Zhanyuan's dejected look, she didn't want to dampen his enthusiasm, so she comforted him, "No rush, take your time."

Before they could even recruit the fourth person, trouble struck.

A division commander with a long beard noticed the three's unusual behavior from afar. He frowned and watched for a long time before finally beckoning to them.

"You guys come here."

The three of them exchanged glances and reluctantly walked over.

The division commander's gaze swept over the three men, sharp as lightning, and he asked in a deep voice, "What are you three doing here, sneaking around like this?"

Guo Zhanyuan quickly forced a smile: "Reporting to our master, we disciples were just catching up with our senior brothers, we had no other intentions."

The division commander snorted, his tone stern: "You three bottom-of-the-barrel students had better not try anything funny. The sect assessment is a serious matter, and there's no room for cheating. If I discover any collusion, favoritism, or cheating, you'll all be disqualified and expelled from the sect!"

After a scolding, the three were left looking disheveled and could only agree repeatedly before slinking away.

Once he was far enough away that the division commander couldn't hear him, Guo Zhanyuan stomped his foot angrily: "That division commander is too stubborn! He's meddling way too much! He even interferes with my attempts to build a relationship? I never said I was actually going to cheat!"

Su Xiaoyuan wasn't angry. After thinking for a moment, he asked with some doubt, "Actually, I've been wanting to ask, even if we lose the later rounds of the competition, it's not a big deal, right? As long as we pass the test, can't we stay in the Nine Profound Sect?"

Guo Zhanyuan gave him a strange look: "Don't you know there are rewards for advancing in the later rounds of the competition?"

Su Xiaoyuan really didn't know.

In the previous two sect assessments, he didn't even pass the initial stage of the examination. He was only allowed to stay because the sect had made some contributions to proofreading at that time.

As for the subsequent competition segments, he never participated.

"Wow, junior brother, you're really ignorant. Compared to other sects, our Nine Profound Sect is quite generous to its disciples."

He counted on his fingers, "As long as you pass each round of the competition, you can get spirit stones. Passing the first round rewards you with ten mid-grade spirit stones; passing the second round doubles to twenty; passing the third round, forty; and so on, doubling with each passing round!"

Doubling every round? Su Xiaoyuan's eyes lit up.

If we can make it to the fifth round, wouldn't that be 160 yuan? That's quite a sum.

"And this is just the most basic reward," Guo Zhanyuan continued. "Disciples who pass three or more rounds can enter the inner sect. If they're lucky, they might even be accepted as personal disciples by the second-generation senior uncles. If they continue to advance and demonstrate outstanding performance, they might even be exceptionally accepted as disciples by the six peak masters!"

"As for the top disciples who make it to the end, the rewards are incredibly generous. Rare and precious materials, high-level cultivation techniques, rare elixirs... you name it. Do you know what the reward for the top-ranked student in this assessment is?"

Su Xiaoyuan shook her head.

"The reward for the initial stage of Qi Refining is only spirit stones."

"The reward for a mid-stage Qi Refining disciple is a Four Symbols Array Plate personally inscribed and refined by Grandmaster Ouyang Dun of Thousand Stele Mountain."

"The reward for a late-stage Qi Refining disciple is an ancient treasure called the Dragon-Slaying Sword!"

Dragon-Slaying Sword? Never heard of it...

Meng Hao chimed in, "It's said that the Dragon-Slaying Sword is an ancient divine weapon, crafted from the reverse scale of a fallen ancient dragon, and forged by a master swordsmith who poured his life's blood into its creation. The blade is covered in natural dragon-shaped lightning patterns, and it's said that when fully activated, it can summon thunder from the heavens, its power overwhelming. A truly powerful person wielding it might even possess the ability to slay dragons!"

"Hey, stop thinking about unrealistic things. Ancient treasures like the Dragon-Slaying Sword aren't rewards for us mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators. Let's be realistic: survive one more round, collect more spirit stones, and try to get into the inner sect—that would be a huge win!"

Guo Zhanyuan continued, "Since it's just the three of us in the alliance now, let's get to know each other better first. I'll go first!"

He cleared his throat: "I have an earth elemental root, I'm at the fifth level of Qi Refining, my weapon is a battle axe with earth elemental bonuses, and I'm skilled in formations. What about you?"

Meng Hao continued, "I have dual spiritual roots in water and wood, and I'm at the sixth level of Qi Refining. My magic weapon is the Azure Mist Sword, which is of the wood element. I don't have any particular area of ​​expertise."

Su Xiaoyuan: "Water-attribute mixed spiritual root, Qi Refining Level 5, weapon is a long staff, specializes in... talisman making."

Guo Zhanyuan said with some regret after listening, "Junior Brother Su, your talisman-making skills are useless in the competition. According to the rules of the assessment, instant-cast, one-time-use talismans are not allowed to be used in the competition, unless it is a special talisman competition."

Su Xiaoyuan nodded: "I know."

Seeing that he understood, Guo Zhanyuan didn't say anything more. He was a straightforward and generous person; after a brief introduction, he waved his hand and said casually, "Alright, since the three of us are destined to meet, we're brothers! To celebrate our acquaintance, it's my treat today, I'll take you out for a good meal!"

As they walked and chatted, they asked, "Do you know who the favorites are to win this time?"

Who is it?

"Of course, it's Senior Brother Xue Qifeng and Tu Qian."

"I disagree. Senior Sister Xi Chuxue also has a good chance."

Who are you talking about?

"...Junior Brother Su, are you actually a member of the Nine Profound Sect?"

"..."