It turns out, they were the main characters.

"You participated in the sect's assessment just to experience its difficulty?" Lan Mulian hesitated for a moment before suddenly asking.

After a moment's thought, Mu Zhian gave an ambiguous reply: "More or less."

This guy really has other plans... Lan Mulian's lips parted slightly beneath the thin veil, unable to resist asking him what his plans were.

But ultimately, out of pride, he held back from asking Mu Zhian what his purpose was in participating in the assessment.

Anyway, once the sect assessment begins, the answer will probably be revealed very soon.

……

The Two Elements Sect.

Canghai Peak.

On the mountaintop, enormous shadows often obscure the sun, flapping their wings as they sweep across the high sky.

Mu Zhian was successfully airdropped by Lan Mulian, thrown from mid-air into the Trial Forest of Canghai Peak.

This senior sister is definitely taking revenge on me on purpose... Mu Zhian rubbed his sore waist and sighed helplessly.

However, there was nothing that could be done. After all, she had made a series of mishaps recently, and she had just deliberately teased her senior sister by refusing to explain why she was participating in the sect assessment. Naturally, this would make Lan Mulian want to take revenge.

Although she usually appears aloof, Lan Mulian still has a bit of a girlish heart... Mu Zhian looked at the lush green forest around him and couldn't help but think to himself.

According to Lan Mulian's explanation on the way here, the Liangyi Sect has a total of nine peaks... to be precise, ten. However, the tenth peak is the residence of the sect leader of the Liangyi Sect, and few disciples pass by it on weekdays, so few people count the tenth peak as one of them.

Mu Zhian looked up at the sky.

Beneath the sky, disciples taking the assessment floated down from mid-air one after another, creating a rather spectacular sight.

This scene looks a bit like a fantasy version of 'PUBG'.

The only difference is that the setting has changed to a celestial paradise shrouded in mist.

All nine peaks will serve as trial grounds. Passing one of these trials will complete the assessment.

At the foot of each of these nine peaks, there are many disciples participating in the assessment, and the requirements for the assessment are quite simple.

— Reach the summit by passing through the Forest of Trials.

It may not sound difficult, but you should know that cultivators in the Qi Refining Realm cannot fly on swords at all, and it is almost impossible for ordinary people to climb to the top of the mountain using their own spiritual energy.

Of course, it's impossible for ordinary people, but that doesn't mean it's impossible for those with extraordinary talents.

This simple requirement has actually filtered out a large number of disciples who participated in the assessment.

"There will be many more disciples taking the assessments nearby, so I need to leave before then..."

Watching the cultivators entering the Trial Forest one after another in mid-air, Mu Zhian withdrew his gaze and walked towards the depths of the forest.

Although he could leave this place as long as he said he wanted to give up the assessment, Mu Zhian didn't want to leave before the assessment even started.

After all, they still need to help Ye Qian and Ye Lingxuan get through this assessment smoothly.

Sunlight filters through the lush, verdant foliage, casting dappled patterns of light and shadow across the ground as the wind rustles the leaves.

The view ahead was somewhat hazy due to the obscuring clouds and mist.

Mu Zhian walked deeper into the forest along the path.

At this point, the benefits of being selected by the sect's examiners become apparent.

They entered the forest earlier than others, giving them more time to familiarize themselves with its terrain.

Although it's unfair, there's really no such thing as fairness in this world.

Moreover, the disciples selected by the sect's examiners must be extremely talented geniuses, and they should naturally receive more resources.

"As expected, cultivators at the Refining Spirit Realm are better. After being able to fly on a sword, their time efficiency has improved so much."

After walking for nearly half an hour, Mu Zhian finally couldn't help but mutter a complaint in his heart.

This forest is ridiculously large. He has been walking for so long, but he still hasn't seen the exit. He even feels that the scenery around him is unchanging.

If the forest at the foot of just Canghai Peak is this big, just how vast must the Liangyi Sect occupy...?

As Mu Zhian pondered these thoughts, he continued deeper into the forest.

"Strange... Is that a formation ahead?"

Nearly half an hour later, Mu Zhian's gaze suddenly fell on a certain spot not far ahead.

White mist swirled on the ground, and at the end of that mist stood a towering tree. Beneath the tree, one could vaguely see a formation exuding a profound aura.

"Senior Sister Lan mentioned before that each of the ten main peaks of the Liangyi Sect has a chief who has set up an array, a life-and-death array used to defend against external enemies... It seems that this array is the outermost layer of the array in this Trial Forest?"

Mu Zhian moved closer to the formation and unknowingly arrived in front of it.

The surface of the formation emitted a faint purple light, but because it was blocked by a layer of mist, the faint purple light could not be seen clearly.

According to books I've read in the past... this magic circle should be the 'eye' of the Trial Forest.

After observing for a moment, Mu Zhian suddenly muttered to himself, "Something's not right... This formation doesn't seem to be rejecting me?"

Logically speaking, the core of a formation should be difficult for an ordinary person to approach, but he not only found the core easily, but also approached it with ease.

Mu Zhian took half a step forward, trying to get closer to the "center of the formation".

It still hasn't been stopped in any way.

Instead of stopping him, the moment he stepped into the formation, he felt a tidal wave of information flood into his mind.

He could clearly see the structure of the formation and even sense its mysteries!

Within this magic array, Mu Zhian also sensed a familiar, chilling aura.

It was a heart-pounding feeling, like being stared at by a giant python.

"The Queen of the Demon Realm...?" Mu Zhian gasped, realizing he had done his part in contributing to climate change in the Xianxia world.

After defeating the man in black robes, the Demon Queen appeared and asked Mu Zhi'an to be a traitor before leaving after saying a few words.

From that time on, Mu Zhian had always wondered if the other party wasn't afraid of him betraying them.

It now seems that the other party must have left some kind of special mark on him a long time ago.

The aura emanating from this mark is similar to the aura emanating from this formation.

Even so, it still doesn't explain why he was able to pass through the formation so easily.

unless……

This formation was drawn by a traitor hidden within the Liangyi Sect.

I was originally planning to wait until I entered the Liangyi Sect before slowly trying to find out who the traitor in the Liangyi Sect really was... I never expected to run into him in this way.

Mu Zhian quickly regained his senses, gently shook his head, and slightly collected his thoughts.

These things are not important right now. What's important is... he discovered the core of the formation and was even able to step into it.

If he can dismantle this formation and use it for his own purposes, then what is the point of this assessment located on Canghai Peak?

……

“Sister Lingxuan, if you come with us for this sect assessment, I think we can overcome the difficulties very quickly. Trust me, with my strength, I can definitely protect you and Sister Qian’er.”

Ye Lingxuan walked along the forest path, holding Ye Qian's hand, listening to the young man beside her with a smile, but in reality, she was already getting a little impatient.

At this moment, behind the Ye sisters, there were about six or seven cultivators. The leader was wearing a golden four-clawed python robe, with a face as white as jade and a tall and straight posture. However, the deep black circles under his eyes indicated that he should be a master of time management.

He is the third prince of the Great Qian Dynasty in the Eastern Continent. Ye Lingxuan had just brought Ye Qian into this Trial Forest, and not long after, the third prince set his sights on her.

The two girls were quite different. One wore a purple dress and had an elegant demeanor with skin as beautiful as jade, while the other wore a green dress and was the innocent and cute type.

Back in the Great Qian Dynasty, the Third Prince had never seen such beautiful sisters. He was so captivated by the Ye sisters that he couldn't resist striking up a conversation with them.

In the past, thanks to his noble status as the third prince and his handsome appearance, he had captured the hearts of many girls.

However, the two sisters were very wary and ignored him.

Excellent hunters are often very patient, but the Third Prince is clearly not an excellent hunter.

His identity destined him to be no excellent hunter.

The Third Prince had been relentlessly pestering the two for almost half an hour, and his patience was almost worn out.

"Sister Lingxuan, I genuinely want to help you pass the test. Are you really going to refuse me so firmly?" The Third Prince's tone had become somewhat threatening.

Such words might be fine to threaten some naive little girls, but they naturally wouldn't have much effect on Ye Lingxuan.

"Qian'er and I only want to pass the sect's assessment on our own this time," Ye Lingxuan said again, politely declining.

The Third Prince narrowed his eyes slightly.

The more reserved Ye Lingxuan acted, the more he looked forward to the scene after he won her over.

However, just as the Third Prince was about to speak further, a clear voice suddenly came from not far away:

"Qian'er, Lingxuan, so you were here all along."

"Come with me. I will lead you away from here for this assessment."

The group looked up at the person who had spoken not far ahead.

The man was dressed in a black robe, had delicate features, a gentle smile on his face, and a somewhat thin build. Although he wasn't particularly handsome, after looking at him for a while, he seemed to have a certain charm.

"He is Ye Yu, the disciple personally selected by the sect's examiners for this assessment," a disciple accompanying him whispered.

They were the Third Prince's attendants, and also carefully selected disciples for the examination. They all met the sect's age requirements, and their purpose was simply to escort the Third Prince through the sect's examination.

Ye Yu shares the same surname as these two sisters… Does that mean he should be related to them?

The Third Prince's gaze sharpened slightly as he looked at Ye Yu and asked, "Who are you?"

"Ye Yu".

After Ye Yu finished speaking, he looked up at the Third Prince and said indifferently, "I'm sorry, but Qian'er and Lingxuan have already made an appointment for this sect assessment. Third Prince, you should find someone else."

These words immediately sharpened the Third Prince's eyes, and he said in a deep voice, "So, you're going to block my way, Young Master Ye?"

Ye Yu shrugged and said with a faint smile, "If you give up now and let me take them away, I won't stand in your way."

For a moment, there was a sense of tension between the two sides.

In the past, this would have been a scene where Ye Yu defeats the Third Prince and saves the damsel in distress.

However, at this moment... Ye Lingxuan stared silently at the standoff between the two sides, her delicate brows furrowing involuntarily.