Fang Hao stood at the entrance of the Outer Sect Disciple assessment office, his heart filled with a mix of slight excitement and nervousness.

Qi Refining Fourth Layer. He was finally qualified to participate in the Outer Sect assessment. He had waited too long for this day.

Recalling his two-plus years as a Servant Disciple—from the medicinal garden to the mines, then to the abandoned mine tunnels, and finally back to the mines—it had been a bumpy road. If he hadn’t obtained the Myriad Manifestations Heaven Swallowing Art and the resources in the storage ring, he would probably still be struggling at the first or second layer of Qi Refining.

"Next, Fang Hao." the Assessment Deacon called out his name.

Fang Hao took a deep breath and walked into the assessment hall. Three Assessment Deacons sat in the center of the hall, all of whom were Junior Martial Uncles at the Foundation Establishment Stage.

"Show your cultivation," the expressionless deacon in the middle said.

Fang Hao circulated his Cultivation Technique, fully revealing his Qi Refining Fourth Layer cultivation. He deliberately controlled it to only show the level of an ordinary Qi Refining Fourth Layer, not daring to expose the unique aura of the Myriad Manifestations Heaven Swallowing Art.

The three deacons glanced at each other and nodded. It wasn’t easy for a Servant Disciple to Cultivate to the Qi Refining Fourth Layer; it seemed he had put in a lot of hard work.

"Go to the Bronze Man Formation," the deacon pointed to a passage on the side.

Fang Hao walked into the Bronze Man Formation room, where eighteen bronze men were arranged in neat rows. These bronze men looked heavy, but they were actually incredibly agile, automatically adjusting their attack strength based on the challenger’s cultivation.

The Bronze Man Formation was a mandatory hurdle for the Outer Sect assessment, primarily testing combat ability and movement techniques. Many Servant Disciples had sufficient cultivation but failed at this stage.

Fang Hao adjusted his breathing and stepped into the Formation.

As soon as he entered, the two nearest bronze men moved, swinging bronze fists toward him. Fang Hao remained calm, using the Wind Control Art to dodge them easily.

During his time at the mines, he hadn’t practiced the Detailed Explanation of Basic Spells for nothing; he had mastered Spells like the Fireball Spell, Wind Control Art, Spirit Rain Spell, Earth Wall Spell, and Cleansing Spell. He was most proficient in the Wind Control Art, as it was essential for running away and saving his life.

The bronze men’s attacks grew more frequent, but Fang Hao wove through them as agilely as a swimming fish. Occasionally, when he couldn’t dodge, he would use his magic power to take the hit.

After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Fang Hao successfully passed the Bronze Man Formation, having been hit only three times, and not heavily.

Watching Fang Hao’s performance through a water mirror, the three deacons all showed a hint of surprise.

"His movement technique is good, stronger than many Outer Sect Disciples," one deacon commented.

"It’s rare for a Servant Disciple to have this level of skill," another nodded.

Fang Hao returned to the hall, where the three deacons had already made their decision.

"Assessment passed. From this day forward, you are an Outer Sect Disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect," the middle deacon announced. "Go and collect your supplies."

Fang Hao suppressed the excitement in his heart, bowed, and offered his thanks.

At the supply collection point, a Disciple in charge handed him two sets of green Outer Sect Disciple robes, an identity token, and a Storage bag.

"The robes are standard issue for Outer Sect Disciples. You must carry the token with you; your information has already been recorded in it, and it also contains a reward of one hundred contribution points. The Storage bag is the lowest grade, with only one cubic meter of space, but it’s enough for daily use," the Disciple explained. "In the future, you must complete Sect missions to earn contribution points, which can be exchanged for cultivation resources."

Fang Hao touched the green Daoist robe; it felt much better than the dusty grey utility uniform. The token was made of wood, with the words Azure Cloud carved on the front and his name on the back. Although the Storage bag couldn’t compare to his storage ring, at least he now had a storage tool he could use openly.

The most practical thing was those one hundred contribution points. One had to know that in the Menial Labor Department, working oneself to death for a month only earned ten contribution points. This one-hundred-point reward was generous.

After collecting his items, Fang Hao was taken to the Outer Sect Disciple residential area. Man, it was much more grand than the utility shacks! Small courtyards were arranged neatly, with white walls and green tiles; it looked very comfortable.

"Ding District, Courtyard Number 27, you’ll live here," the Disciple leading the way pointed to a small courtyard. "Four people live in each courtyard; you’re the last to arrive."

Fang Hao pushed open the courtyard gate. Inside was a small practice field and a few Spiritual Plants; the environment was quite nice.

Hearing the noise, three young men walked out from their rooms; they were likely his roommates.

A chubby young man greeted him with a smile. "A newcomer? Welcome, welcome. I’m Zhu Pang, Qi Refining Fourth Layer, from the Zhu family of Nanzhou." Man, his voice alone carried a sense of humor.

Another tall, thin fellow leaned against the doorframe, nodding coldly.

"Chen Feng, Qi Refining Fifth Layer." He was brief and concise, seemingly not very easy to get along with.

The last young man was practicing his sword; he sheathed it and walked over with a gentle smile. "Li Xuan, Qi Refining Fifth Layer, from Dongzhou. How should I address you, Fellow Daoist?"

"Fang Hao, Qi Refining Fourth Layer, formerly from the Menial Labor Department," Fang Hao replied truthfully.

Hearing the words Menial Labor Department, Chen Feng clearly furrowed his brows, a flash of disdain in his eyes. Li Xuan’s expression remained normal and gentle. Zhu Pang, however, warmly patted Fang Hao’s shoulder.

"From the Menial Labor Department? Impressive. I admire people who rely on their own hard work the most."

Fang Hao felt a warmth in his heart. It seemed that among these three roommates, there were friendly ones, cold ones, and snobbish ones—it was quite realistic.

His room was in the southeast corner of the courtyard; it wasn’t large but was clean and tidy, with a bed, a table, and a meditation mat. It was much better than the communal bunks in the utility shacks.

Fang Hao put away his things and changed into the green Daoist robe. Clothes make the man; wearing this outfit, his entire temperament felt different.

At dusk, the four of them gathered briefly in the courtyard to get to know each other.

Zhu Pang was a chatterbox and very outgoing, quickly talking non-stop: "Let me tell you, the Outer Sect is much more complicated than the Menial Labor Department. Wherever there are people, there is a Jianghu; our courtyard must stay united."

Li Xuan was more steady and nodded, saying. "Zhu Pang is right. Competition among Outer Sect Disciples is fierce; there’s a lot of scheming for cultivation resources."

Chen Feng snorted coldly. "The weak will naturally be eliminated." He was clearly implying something.

Fang Hao didn’t respond, understanding perfectly in his heart. In the Outer Sect, everything was decided by strength. His Qi Refining Fourth Layer cultivation was indeed at the bottom here; it was normal to be looked down upon.

But Fang Hao was confident he would catch up soon. With the Myriad Manifestations Heaven Swallowing Art, his knowledge of Formations, and the resources in his storage ring, all he lacked was time.

The next day, Fang Hao went to the Mission Hall to take a look. Outer Sect Disciples could take on various missions to earn contribution points; the higher the difficulty, the greater the reward.

Currently, most missions suitable for him were Elementary tasks like gathering Spiritual Plants or caring for Spirit Beasts, rewarding only ten or twenty contribution points. Those with higher rewards required a strength of at least the Qi Refining Fifth Layer.

Fang Hao took a mission to gather qingxin grass; this Spiritual Plant grew near the abandoned mine tunnels, an area he was familiar with.

Relying on his familiarity with the terrain, Fang Hao quickly gathered enough qingxin grass, returned to the Mission Hall to hand in the mission, and earned fifteen contribution points.

Looking at the contribution points in his token, which had become one hundred and fifteen, Fang Hao pondered how to use them.

contribution points could be exchanged for Cultivation Techniques, Spells, Medicinal Pills, Magical Artifacts, and so on. What Fang Hao lacked most were offensive Spells; the Detailed Explanation of Basic Spells only contained the most basic ones.

Arriving at the Scripture Pavilion, Fang Hao spent fifty contribution points to exchange for the introductory volume of the Metal Energy Sword Art. It was a metal-attribute offensive Spell with decent power.

He spent another thirty contribution points to exchange for ten bottles of qi gathering pills. He would save the remaining contribution points for later use.