13: Participating in the outer disciple trial assessment

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, ten days had passed.

During these days, Jiang Yan would be the first to arrive at Spirit Beast Peak every day.

The routine life of a Menial Servant seemed to make everyone think he had already accepted his fate.

After finishing carrying the Spirit Beast manure, he found a relatively quiet place.

Before he had even rested for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Ma Yu and Zhao Qing rushed over to find him.

"Brother Jiang! Brother Jiang!" Ma Yu shouted from a distance.

"Is something the matter?" Jiang Yan stood up and asked.

"Can you cover for the two of us this afternoon?" Zhao Qing's expression was slightly anxious, his voice pleading, "We'll owe you a favor this time."

He didn't immediately agree to the two of them, not because he didn't want to help, but because he felt that they definitely had something going on.

Although he liked hunting Spirit Beasts in the Lower District, a few days ago, he had heard Zhu Gan mention that Ma Yu and Zhao Qing had caused trouble in the Market, so he planned to clarify the situation.

Seeing that Jiang Yan didn't agree immediately, Ma Yu said anxiously, "Brother Jiang, you must have heard some of the gossip from the Zayou Place. Yes, the two of us did some things in the Market, but those are all rumors. We were just helping out; we definitely didn't get involved with Joyful Tower."

Joyful Tower, as the name suggests, was a brothel in the cultivation world.

However, this brothel was not a power controlled by the Qingyun Sect, but was established by a female Sect.

Of course, the Markets in the cultivation world varied, and the territories they were located in were complex.

Some were sandwiched between the territories of several or even dozens of immortal Sects, while others were independent under a single immortal Sect.

For the Qingyun Sect, they very much disliked such powers appearing before their eyes.

But due to the Market rules, they couldn't intervene. After all, such shadows existed in the Markets of every region, and they couldn't directly eradicate them.

Therefore, they could only order the Disciples of the Sect not to go to Joyful Tower, and even more so, not to have any relationship with it.

Jiang Yan took a deep breath and said flatly, "Then what do you plan to do this afternoon?"

"Escorting goods, moving stock," Ma Yu said honestly.

"Whose goods?" Jiang Yan pressed.

"Joyful Tower's," Ma Yu answered truthfully.

Jiang Yan was speechless. Was this not considered involvement?

They were already escorting and moving stock for them; the only thing missing was having Joyful Tower's logo stuck on their foreheads.

As for what the goods were, he didn't need them to say; he could guess a thing or two.

"Brother Jiang..."

"Stop right there!" Jiang Yan interrupted what Ma Qing was about to say. "The Outer Sect Disciple Trial is tomorrow, and I've already signed up. I can't help you two."

Hearing this, Ma Yu and Zhao Qing revealed looks of surprise.

"You, no... Senior Brother Jiang, have you stepped into the Qi Refining Realm?" Ma Yu asked tentatively.

Jiang Yan nodded slightly and patted their shoulders. "Although I don't know how much they're paying you, some things can't be hidden. I hope you two understand what's at stake."

He left it at that; as for reminding them, it was out of the goodness of his heart.

Watching Jiang Yan leave, Ma Yu and Zhao Qing looked at each other and then gave a bitter smile.

Why were they risking so much to earn Spirit Stones?

Wasn't it just to increase their strength and enter the outer Sect?

But what was the result?

They hadn't earned many Spirit Stones, but instead, they had been targeted by the Sect's Law Enforcement Disciples.

Animal Rearing Chamber.

"Take this broken sword." Li Yi casually tossed a longsword over.

Seeing the longsword thrown in front of him, Jiang Yan's eyelid twitched.

'Good heavens, such a precious sword, and he calls it a broken sword?'

The longsword before him was something he had envied for a long time. Ever since he killed Che Kun and the other two, he had wanted to get one. However, circumstances didn't allow it at the time, and furthermore, if he dared to touch those three precious swords... he really would have been close to death.

"Thank you for the sword, Revered Master," Jiang Yan said gratefully.

"This isn't a gift. Such a broken sword isn't worthy of being bestowed by me." Li Yi flicked his sleeve, stood up, and pointed towards Spirit Sword Peak. "There are plenty of these broken swords over there. You can exchange one for just three Spirit Stones."

Hearing this, Jiang Yan's lips twitched, and he grumbled inwardly.

'Three Spirit Stones! That's a whole month's income for an Outer Sect Disciple.'

Of course, he also had thirteen Spirit Stones, but in a sense, those thirteen Spirit Stones didn't belong to him.

After all, he had been in the Sect for nearly two months, and it was Ma Yu and Zhao Qing who told him where to earn Spirit Stones.

It was just that the method was dirty and broke the Sect's rules.

"In tomorrow's Outer Sect Disciple Trial, I do not allow you to take first place," Li Yi said seriously.

"Why?" Jiang Yan asked.

"Fame portends trouble just as much as a pig's weight invites slaughter; the rafter that sticks out first is the first to rot." Li Yi looked at him meaningfully, his voice calm. "This time, the descendants of two Inner Sect Elders and one Outer Sect Elder are participating in the trial. I want you to take only fourth place. As for the rewards for the top three, I will compensate you when you return."

Hearing Li Yi say this, he immediately understood.

'He wants me to play the pig but not eat the tiger, and even find ways to let those three advance.'

Jiang Yan looked troubled and asked tentatively, "Revered Master, isn't the difficulty a bit high?"

"Is it high?" Li Yi seemed puzzled but then smiled. "My Disciple should have no problem."

Hearing this, Jiang Yan was speechless.

Dammit, the Outer Sect Disciple Trial was already a test, yet this Cheap Master insisted on adding some difficult problems. Wasn't this just an assessment aimed specifically at him?

"Alright, if there's nothing else, go back early and prepare." Li Yi waved his hand and smiled. "I will be watching the entire process tomorrow."

"Yes, your Disciple takes his leave."

The next morning, the morning light shone faintly.

Jiang Yan packed his things and, carrying a trial token, walked towards Outer Sect Disciple Peak.

On the Outer Sect Disciple Trial Square, quite a few Utility Disciples had already gathered.

Of course, there were also some people with prominent backgrounds, such as children of great clans from certain dynasties, sons of the nobility, and those with connections within the Sect.

Promotion of Disciples in the immortal Sect was very strict. Even if your father was a Peak Revered Master, you still had to go through trials and competitions to enter the outer Sect.

As for promotion from the outer Sect to the inner Sect, as long as one's cultivation was decent, they only needed to successfully brave Lingdu Cliff and slay a Second-Realm Yao Beast, or eliminate a Second-Realm Evil Spirit alone.

Of course, the treatment enjoyed by Inner Sect Disciples was also quite generous. Even if a hundred Outer Sect Disciples went without food or drink and hoarded resources for three months, it still wouldn't compare to one month's worth of resources for an Inner Sect Disciple.

In the center of the square stood four long tables, labeled "Outer Sect Disciple Trial Mission Office" and "Outer Sect Disciple Resource Submission."

There was a long queue at the Outer Sect Disciple Trial Mission Office, and the missions everyone received were similar.

"Little Brother Jiang!"

Turning his head to look, it was indeed Ma Zi.

The boy ran over with joy on his face. "Little Brother Jiang, you're here for the trial too?"

Jiang Yan's expression was slightly surprised, but he still smiled and nodded. "Have you broken through to the Qi Refining Realm?"

Ma Zi scratched his head sheepishly. "I just broke through two days ago. Originally, I wouldn't have had a chance, but I used Steward Pang's connections, so I wanted to come and try."

Hearing this, Jiang Yan instantly understood what was going on.

Ma Zi leaned in and lowered his voice. "I heard this trial is very difficult, with a pass rate of less than thirty percent of what it used to be. Although there's still the grand competition later, I feel like I can't just hide in the Zayou Place for my whole life, so I plan to give it a shot."

Jiang Yan patted Ma Zi's shoulder. "Alright, just be careful with everything. Safety first."

As the two talked, it was soon their turn to receive their missions.

"Little Brother Jiang, what's yours?" Ma Zi asked.

"Collect one bottle of Bichen Dew, one three-leaf flower, and one bottle of Sickle Scarlet Honey," Jiang Yan said.

Ma Zi said with a smile, "The first two are the same, but my last one is Earth Lotus Yellow."

As the group of trial Disciples finished receiving their missions, dozens of Outer Sect Elders suddenly appeared, treading on Flying Swords.

"Board the boats!"

As an Elder's voice fell, four giant flying boats slowly appeared in the sky above the square.

Jiang Yan and Ma Zi followed at the edge of the line. Once they boarded the flying boat, they finally understood just how powerful the immortal Sect's methods were.

"flying boat No. A, Yuexian Lake Trial Point."

"flying boat No. B, Tianyuan Valley Trial Point."

"flying boat No. C, Cangyun Valley Trial Point."

"flying boat No. D, Liandong Lake Trial Point."

"Depart!"

As the Elder designated the mission trial locations, the four flying boats flew towards different Trial Grounds.

Standing on the flying boat, Ma Zi said excitedly, "Little Brother Jiang, we're going to Cangyun Valley! This chance is in the bag!"

"How so?" Jiang Yan asked, somewhat puzzled.

Before Ma Zi could explain, a child of a great clan nearby, dressed in fine clothing, spoke up. "This Cangyun Valley has flat terrain, so any danger can be spotted immediately. Moreover, the resources within are very abundant. As for Yao Beasts and Evil Spirits, they are only found in the deep parts of the valley."

"Right, right, right," Ma Zi chimed in excitedly.

After hearing this, Jiang Yan nodded noncommittally.

In his view, since this was an Outer Sect Disciple Trial, the risks should be the same. If it were as this fellow just said, then everyone might as well go to Cangyun Valley; why bother having three other trial locations?"}],