One night passed, and the next day arrived, the day of the potential assessment.
As the little ones all avoided the Poison Scale as if it were a plague, Bai Ran could only keep it by her side. It was coiled around Bai Ran's wrist, on the hand not wearing the Sky-Slaying Bracelet. If one didn't look closely, they would mistake it for a snake-shaped bracelet.
“Miss Bai!” Chu Hua waved from afar towards Bai Ran.
He understood that his master’s identity could not be exposed when they were outside, as it might attract unknown enemies. Chu Hua enthusiastically walked over, then remembered the icy gaze of the man from yesterday, and consequently moved a little further away from Bai Ran.
“Sect Master Xiong is too busy to get away, so I will escort you to the assessment location.” Sect Master Xiong, in his eagerness to snatch his master, had neglected many important sect affairs and was now painstakingly dealing with them under the supervision of several elders.
Bai Ran nodded and followed Chu Hua to the back mountain of the sect.
“This is the assessment location. For the rest of the journey, please proceed on your own, Miss.”
“Alright, thank you,” Bai Ran said.
After bringing her to the location, Chu Hua departed.
In the plaza, a massive crystal screen floated in the air, displaying the every move of two individuals. Before the screen, disciples watched in twos and threes. Most of the other disciples seemed to have already anticipated Bai Ran's outcome, so they showed little interest in this trial.
“Old Pei, is this the mysterious disciple the Sect Master mentioned?” Yuan Shang, the third elder of Que Tian Sect, asked with his hands behind his back, puzzled. Judging by the Sect Master’s excitement, they had expected the new disciple to have some extraordinary quality. Yet, this person was merely at the first stage of Nascent Soul. They were being secretive, deliberately playing with their anticipation.
“Don't rush, Old Yuan. Has the Sect Master’s judgment ever been wrong? Perhaps this young lady has something special,” the second elder, Pei Sheng, said with a smile. Though Sect Master Xiong appeared careless in his daily life, his discerning eye when it came to serious matters was so sharp that they old fellows could never fathom it. The top core disciples of Que Tian Sect had almost all been discovered under the Sect Master’s keen observation, which was why Que Tian Sect now ranked second. Therefore, they had not interfered much when the Sect Master indulged in his occasional whims, bringing back peculiar individuals with more ambition than skill. Perhaps this young lady before them would offer a surprise?
The two elders sat in the viewing stands far above the plaza, chatting idly. Que Tian Sect had a total of five elders, but three were occupied with overseeing the Sect Master, leaving them to watch over the new disciples.
Bai Ran looked around. It appeared to be an ordinary back mountain, with no apparent danger. The rules had not been explicitly stated, so it seemed she would have to figure things out on her own. She looked up and saw a white flag fluttering in the wind at the summit, standing out prominently on the vast mountaintop. She lifted her foot and began to walk towards the summit.
Hidden within a pile of grass by the roadside, a small, green ball of light stealthily followed Bai Ran's footsteps. After walking for a long time, Bai Ran had left a trail of markers, but the path ahead seemed endless. She had to stop and survey her surroundings. Next to a tree, a fresh scratch mark was visible. This was a marker she had made not long ago… Was she walking in circles? Yet, she had been consistently moving towards the white flag, never veering off course.
Newly promoted disciples all underwent a potential assessment. At this stage, they had not yet learned to fly in the air and could only walk on the ground, which was one of the difficulties of the assessment. If they could fly, they would not have to wander around here.
A few disciples watching outside the screen saw Bai Ran walking in circles, then walking a few more steps. “Look! She sat down!” a disciple pointed at the screen and shouted. The disciples who had walked away heard this and turned back, looking at Bai Ran with great confusion. Could it be that she knew the rules? Bai Ran closed her eyes and actually began to cultivate? In reality, Bai Ran was not truly cultivating. She was merely gathering her mental energy to sense everything on the mountain. After a long while, she opened her eyes and a subtle smile graced her lips.
“She stood up.” Bai Ran continued to walk towards the summit, still seemingly walking in circles, disappointing the disciples watching outside. Suddenly, a colossal white tiger burst out from the bushes ahead, its appearance strikingly similar to a white tiger! It opened its gaping maw and lunged towards Bai Ran. Yet, she did not stop, walking directly towards the ferocious white tiger. “She didn't dodge! She knew?” a disciple exclaimed incredulously, recalling how he had fled in terror back then. Bai Ran calmly walked forward. Just as she was about to be bitten by the white tiger, she passed straight through its body. That’s right, the white tiger before her was merely an illusion reflecting her inner self. The pierced white tiger gradually dissipated, and Bai Ran continued to walk forward with a calm demeanor. By this time, quite a crowd of disciples had gathered in the plaza.
“Not bad, this young lady actually recognized that thing as an illusion,” Elder Yuan said, slightly surprised by Bai Ran’s actions. Bai Ran walked on, then suddenly stopped and turned around. “What, how long do you plan to follow me?” The small green ball in the grass twitched. Was she talking about him? Impossible! Seeing that the little thing behind her didn't emerge, Bai Ran raised an eyebrow and walked towards it instead. What to do! She’s coming this way! The little green ball remained motionless, pretending to be a blade of grass. Bai Ran walked up to it and crouched down, poking it. “Let me leave.” The little green ball was startled. How did she know! “What are you saying, I don’t understand,” a young voice chimed in. Bai Ran smiled. She scooped up the little green ball and raised a flame of Burning Heaven Fire in her right hand, threatening, “I don’t like people lurking and following me. It seems I’ll have to roast you.” Ah! Fire! He feared fire the most! The little green ball began to tremble at the sight of the fire. “Don’t… don’t roast me…” As the Burning Heaven Fire drew closer and the temperature rose, he was finally terrified into speaking. “I’ll let you go! I’ll let you go!” “Don’t roast me! Woo woo woo…” With a flicker, the surrounding trees began to move! The trees that had blocked the path before them moved aside, forming a road. Just as she had predicted, the back mountain, though containing illusions, was not entirely composed of them. If she had not noticed this little fellow, she might have mistaken the path here for an illusion and wandered for days and nights, racking her brain without understanding how to break the illusion.
Elder Pei stared in astonishment as the little green ball trembled in Bai Ran’s hand. Wait? Were wood spirits not hidden quite secretly? How did this young lady discover it? Elder Yuan beside him burst into laughter. Following that person, another one had appeared who captured a wood spirit!