Don't panic, brother, I'm here to help you.

Meanwhile.

Inside Falling Cloud Valley.

A giant magic mirror floated in the sky, reflecting the scenes outside the valley, every detail visible, crystal clear.

Beneath the magic mirror stood several Luoyun Sect Cultivators, intently watching the images on the mirror, their expressions varied.

Seeing Lin Zhen leave in a huff, an old man wearing a green robe with a golden cloud pattern embroidered on his chest frowned and couldn't help but speak:

"Elder Yin, that child is clearly in danger. Shouldn't we send someone to escort him for a bit?"

"He is also a seeker of the Dao who traveled thousands of miles to participate in the assessment. If he really dies here, wouldn't that be the fault of our Luoyun Sect?"

"Elder Mo, that is incorrect. This path was his own choice; what does it have to do with our Falling Cloud Valley!"

At this moment, a tall, thin, and distinguished-looking middle-aged male Cultivator among the group immediately shook his head and said coldly, "This child is dejected and disheartened after suffering a minor setback, giving up his hard-won Opportunity to enter the Dao for a trivial matter. With such a fickle Heart-Nature, he will surely never achieve anything in the future. How can he be worthy of being a Disciple of our Sect?"

"I previously proposed postponing the entrance test by a few days precisely to eliminate some people with weak wills in advance, so as not to waste time. Now it seems the effect is quite good."

The middle-aged male Cultivator was named Yin Qingyuan, the Elder of the Dao Entrance Pavilion responsible for recruiting Disciples.

Hearing this, the old man surnamed Mo's face sank, and he retorted unpleasantly:

"That junior named Wang Luchuan is your nephew, right? That child is ruthless and cruel at such a young age, liking to bully others. Why recruit such a scoundrel with a crooked Heart-Nature?"

"Hmph!"

Upon hearing this, a trace of anger appeared on Yin Qingyuan's face, and he immediately refuted:

"Although our Luoyun Sect is not a demonic path, it is not a charitable institution either."

"The struggle for the Great Dao is inherently cruel and ruthless. It is about success and failure; only strong and decisive experts have the qualification to reach the end. When facing competitors, no means are excessive."

"Moreover, Wang Luchuan has innate Wood-Water dual Spiritual Roots, a rare seedling for the Dao. Such Aptitude would be more than enough to join the Seven Great Holy Lands. If I hadn't personally gone to persuade him painstakingly, he might not have chosen to join our Luoyun Sect."

"As for his Heart-Nature, we can guide him properly after he enters the Sect. It is better than cultivating some mediocre people."

The old man surnamed Mo was so angry that his brows stood up, and he retorted again:

"This is preposterous!"

"According to the Sect rules, new Disciples must have their Spiritual Root Aptitude tested first, and their Heart-Nature and will tested second. If this Wang Luchuan cannot pass the second stage, I will never agree to let him join the Sect!"

After being rebuked, Yin Qingyuan's face looked a bit ugly. Just as he wanted to say something, he was interrupted by a crisp and pleasant voice.

"The two Elders simply have different viewpoints. In fact, both are thinking for the sake of the Sect, so why make these pointless arguments."

The speaker was a beautiful female Cultivator of the Foundation Establishment Realm among the group. Her eyebrows were like paintings, her features exquisite, and she was wearing a light blue dress that set off her slender figure and willow-like waist.

The woman's words instantly made the two Golden Core Realm Elders quiet down, and they both stopped talking.

Her identity was very special; she was the daughter of the Luoyun Sect Sect Head, Bai Xirou.

Seeing the scene calm down, Bai Xirou smiled lightly and continued:

"That youth is, after all, a Mortal who came specifically to seek the Dao. Since we encountered it, we cannot just watch him die halfway."

"I will leave the matters here to you Elders for now. I will go and save him once. As for whether he lives or dies afterwards, it will all depend on his own fortune."

After speaking, Bai Xirou took light steps and flew towards the outside of the valley.

...

Not long after.

In another part of Canglan Mountain.

Lin Zhen was walking absent-mindedly through the dense forest, his slightly immature face full of confusion and frustration, muttering to himself:

"Why, why would Yingying rather choose a piece of trash than follow me? What exactly did I do wrong? I can change."

"We could have passed the entrance test soon and become Disciples of the Luoyun Sect together. Why treat me like this..."

The next moment, he tripped and almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, he stabilized his body in time, so he didn't fall face-first.

The sudden change made Lin Zhen shudder. He subconsciously turned his head and found that the thing that tripped him was a stone half-buried in the ground.

This fist-sized stone was buried relatively shallowly and had already been kicked out of the mud by him. Strangely, a black ring was lying in the newly exposed pit.

For some reason, the moment he saw the ring, Lin Zhen suddenly felt an inexplicable palpitation.

It was as if there was a call from the netherworld, urging him to take the initiative to pick up the ring.

When he touched the ring, there was no strange phenomenon, just a faint feeling of peace in his heart, as if everything was meant to be.

Then, Lin Zhen rubbed his eyes and looked down carefully.

This ring looked very ordinary, and he didn't know what material it was made of. There were no decorations on the ring surface. The outside was smooth and round, but the inside was carved with many patterns that people couldn't understand.

Lin Zhen just took a glance and immediately felt dizzy. He was so frightened that he quickly looked away, not daring to look again.

Impulsively, he put this ring on the index finger of his right hand and planned to continue on his way.

Unlike when he came in a group, he was now alone. Any wild beast could take his life. If he wanted to go home safely, he had to leave this dangerous forest before dark.

Suddenly.

There was a rustling sound in the originally silent jungle. Immediately after, three malicious figures walked out of the forest and blocked his way.

Seeing the people coming, Lin Zhen's heart skipped a beat. He stepped back warily and shouted in a deep voice:

"What do you want to do?"

He recognized this group of people; they were the servants under Wang Luchuan. Now that these people were chasing after him, it certainly wouldn't be anything good.

"Hehe, our Young Master said that the mountains are high and the forests are dense here, and he is afraid that you might accidentally die inside, so he specifically ordered us brothers to come and send you on your way."

The leading servant gave a sinister smile, not hiding his malice:

"Little brat, I advise you not to resist and obediently let us give you a quick death. Otherwise, I guarantee you will wish for death."

Lin Zhen's face changed:

"I have no enmity with you, why do you want to kill me?"

"Bah, brat, you're about to die, and you have so much nonsense."

The servant spat and waved his hand, "Together, kill him!"

As his voice fell, the three servants drew their blades and pounced on Lin Zhen.

Although these servants were ordinary Mortals, they were all well-trained in martial arts. Lin Zhen was naturally no match for them, so he could only turn around quickly and run away.

"Is it... destined for me to die here?"

The footsteps behind him were getting closer and closer. Seeing that he was about to be caught, Lin Zhen's face was full of despair.

Just at this moment, a loud shout exploded in his ears:

"Brother, don't panic, I'm here to help you!"

Then, a figure rushed out from the side like a cheetah, brought up a whip leg, and kicked the servant in front to the ground.

Then his figure flashed, and a faint light appeared on his palms, which fell heavily on the chests of the other two servants like iron hammers.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

The pursuers, who were just showing off, were instantly suppressed on the spot, paralyzed on the ground, breathless, and looking like they wouldn't live much longer.

After dealing with these servants, the person clapped the dust off his palms, grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, and said warmly:

"Okay, Brother Lin, it's okay now."

Lin Zhen was stunned, looking at the person who saved him with some confusion.

"Excuse me, who are you?"

The other person looked plain, had a plain figure, and wore plain clothes. There were no memorable characteristics in his appearance, and he couldn't remember where he had seen him at all.

Qi Yuan didn't care and said with a smile:

"My name is Qi Da, a Loose Cultivator who came to participate in the Falling Cloud Valley entrance test. I saw you being bullied by that little fatty earlier and couldn't stand it. In a fit of righteous indignation, I decided to come and save your life."

After hearing this, Lin Zhen felt a warmth in his heart and said gratefully:

"Thank you, Brother Qi, for saving my life. Lin Zhen will never forget it."

As he spoke, he clasped his hands and bowed deeply to Qi Yuan.

The situation he faced just now was hopeless. If the other party hadn't arrived in time, he would probably have become a cold corpse.

This favor was too heavy.

Qi Yuan waved his hand:

"It's just a small effort, Brother Lin, don't take it to heart."

Meanwhile, a graceful figure hidden in the dark breathed a sigh of relief and then floated away.

After noticing this, Qi Yuan silently retracted his Divine Sense, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

It seems that Falling Cloud Valley is not an unfeeling place, since they still knew to come and save people.

However, this girl arrived a step late. If he hadn't arrived in time, she would probably only be able to collect Lin Zhen's corpse.

Of course, he was not worried about being seen through by a mere Cultivator at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage.

When he made a move just now, he deliberately controlled his strength to the level of the second level of Qi Refining, looking like he didn't know any spells and only knew how to gather True Qi on his fists and feet to fight, perfectly fitting his Loose Cultivator persona.

According to the rules of Falling Cloud Valley, they generally only recruit Mortals under the age of eighteen.

But there is one exception, which is for the group of Loose Cultivators who already have a certain level of cultivation, where the age limit will be appropriately relaxed.

The first level of Qi Refining will be relaxed to twenty years old, and the age limit for the second level of Qi Refining is under twenty-two.

Qi Yuan is currently twenty-one years old, and signing up with the cultivation of the second level of Qi Refining just meets the requirements.

In the task, the System let him break through to the second level of Qi Refining first, which must be the reason.