In each formation of loose cultivators, a steward from the Qingfeng Sect, accompanied by several disciples, announced the assessment criteria and points of caution.

Bai Zichen stood near the back, catching the general idea.

It all boiled down to one point: anyone harboring ill intentions or attempting to hide their identity to infiltrate the Qingfeng Sect would face Divine Soul Annihilation upon discovery.

At the steward’s command, the assessment officially began.

The first to be assessed were the candidates for servant disciple, who were numerous. As for the Outer Sect Disciples, many of those positions were already spoken for, reserved for top-quality Immortal Seedlings recommended by existing Qingfeng Sect disciples, or for the young scions of various Cultivation Families. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

For these individuals, the assessment for Outer Sect Disciples was merely a formality.

In previous years, loose cultivators had a chance to become Outer Sect Disciples. This year, however, the number of applicants had doubled, and the average skill level of the newcomers was quite high. It would likely be much harder for the Black Mountain Loose Cultivators to secure a spot.

The first in line was a short, stout young man who walked tremblingly up to a copper mirror used for detecting one’s cultivation. As soon as he stood before it, the Qingfeng Sect steward sent a stream of Magical Power into the mirror, which quickly displayed the man’s information.

"Age twenty-six, Four Spiritual Roots, Qi Refining Third Layer... Do you have any specialties among the Hundred Skills of Cultivation?"

This copper mirror had been refined by an elder from the Qingfeng Sect’s Artifact Refining Hall. It was a Low-Grade Spiritual Artifact, but it possessed no offensive or defensive abilities. Its sole purpose was to quickly identify a person’s age, cultivation, and Spiritual Root—though it only worked on Qi Refining Stage Cultivators.

"R-Replying to the Lord Steward, I... I’ve always focused on my Cultivation Technique. I haven’t practiced any of the Hundred Skills..."

Questioned by the Qingfeng Sect steward, the stout young man broke out in a nervous sweat and stammered his reply.

"Alright, step down."

The middle-aged steward waved his hand dismissively, uninterested in further discussion, and gestured for the next person to step forward.

Before the Mountain Gate had opened, Elder Ni had instructed the stewards to significantly raise the recruitment standards this year.

There were only one hundred and twenty spots for Outer Sect Disciples, after all. The middle-aged steward glanced at the sea of heads in the distant loose cultivator formations and took a relaxed sip of his Spirit Tea.

Several loose cultivators in a row were eliminated during the first stage—the inspection by the copper mirror. This made Lu Song so nervous that he began wringing his hands.

"Little Friend Lu, there’s no need to be nervous. I’ll go up and scout things out for you."

Elder Tong patted Lu Song’s shoulder and strode forward.

"Age fifty-nine, Five Spiritual Roots, Qi Refining Third Layer..."

The middle-aged steward looked at the information displayed on the Copper Mirror Spiritual Artifact and sighed, pressing a hand to his forehead.

"You’re still coming to the entrance assessment at your age... Ah, whatever. Just tell me what other skills you have."

"Lord Steward, I’ve been a farmer my whole life. When I was young, I grew mortal rice in the villages. After I began my Cultivation, I drifted around, working as a Spirit Farmer for others. In my life, I’ve grown three types of Spirit Grass—Yang Flame Grass, Profound Yin Grass, and Bitter Lotus Leaf—and two types of Spirit Rice, Blood Ginseng Rice and Red Light Rice. My Spirit Grass yields are on par with the market average, but my Spirit Rice yields are twenty percent higher..."

"I even managed a ten-mu Spirit Field by myself. The choice of what to plant and how to tend the field was left entirely in my hands. Over ten years, I earned several hundred Spirit Stones for my employer."

Elder Tong grew more confident as he spoke. He had dedicated his entire life to farming. With no lineage or formal training to guide him, he had relied solely on his own diligent research to become a true Spirit Plant Master.

His once sycophantic and shifty-looking face now held an air of eloquence, giving him the unexpected appearance of an enlightened High Cultivator.

’A Spirit Plant Master... and one with experience growing various types of Spirit Grass and Spirit Rice. He can even differentiate Spiritual Qi and manage a Spirit Field...’

The middle-aged steward’s expression shifted from weary resignation to one of intense focus. If what Elder Tong said was true, the man could be considered a Tier One Top-Grade Spirit Plant Master, perhaps even on the cusp of becoming a Tier Two Spirit Plant Master.

"Are you telling the truth? ...Tell me about your background and where you’ve been these past few years."

The steward had initially intended to question the veracity of the man’s Spirit Plant claims. But then he reconsidered. Since the man was a loose cultivator from Black Mountain County with years of experience managing Spirit Land for others, the Qingfeng Sect could easily verify his story. It was impossible to fake.

Elder Tong truthfully reported his place of origin and his movements over the last few years.

The middle-aged steward took the detailed record of Elder Tong’s history, which a nearby disciple had transcribed, and nodded in satisfaction. "If everything you’ve said is true, then you are accepted through our Mountain Gate. You can be considered a servant disciple."

"However, your official servant disciple Identity Token and its accompanying items will only be issued after the Sect conducts an investigation. We should have an answer for you in three days at most."

The middle-aged steward’s tone had softened considerably. Even though he was only a servant disciple, someone who could earn Spirit Stones for the Sect was far more welcome than a servant disciple who only knew how to engage in Combat and had little potential for Cultivation.

Someone like Elder Tong could be of far greater use inside the Qingfeng Sect than he ever could be just tending to a few mu of Spirit Land in the outside world.

Hearing the middle-aged steward’s confirmation, Elder Tong’s old face flushed crimson. He asked again twice in disbelief, and after receiving the same answer, he broke down and began to wail with excitement.

"I made it! I actually made it! I’m finally a Sect Disciple! You can’t bully me anymore!"

Elder Tong wiped away his tears, a mess of crying and laughter.

Yet, not a single loose cultivator in the crowd laughed. They all felt a sense of empathy. The life of a Black Mountain Loose Cultivator was simply too hard.

Why else would it be said that becoming a servant disciple of the Qingfeng Sect was akin to leaping the Dragon Gate?

Seeing Elder Tong successfully pass the assessment, Jiang Shu leaped for joy, her lovely face flushed with excitement.

"Brother Bai! Brother Lu! Elder Tong passed! He’s a Qingfeng Sect disciple now, isn’t that wonderful? ...Huh? Where did Brother Bai go?"

Jiang Shu wanted to celebrate with her two companions, only to find Lu Song standing alone beside her. Brother Bai, of whom she had grown quite fond, was nowhere in sight.

’He was right here a moment ago. Did he run off to another formation to try for the Outer Sect Disciple assessment?’

She looked all around but couldn’t find any trace of the Brother Bai she had only known for a few days. Jiang Shu felt a pang of disappointment, and her cheerful mood soured.

The first candidate to pass as a servant disciple—an unremarkable old man, no less—ignited the fighting spirit of the loose cultivators in the crowd. They surged forward, eager for their turn at the Copper Mirror Spiritual Artifact.

However, in the wake of Elder Tong’s success, dozens more were tested, but only one other person passed: a Fourth-Layer Qi Refining Cultivator who had worked for many years as a merchant in a Market shop. He, too, was accepted as a servant disciple.

This middle-aged cultivator, having been a merchant, could roughly determine the efficacy of any Magical Artifact, Talisman, Elixir, or Spirit Grass with a single glance. He was an expert at appraisal and identifying treasures.

’This ability is based purely on experience,’ the middle-aged steward mused. ’It doesn’t quite count as the formal Treasure Identification Skill, which is one of the Hundred Skills of Cultivation.’

But such a talent would surely be useful to the Sect. With a decisive wave of his hand, he passed the man as well.

When it was Lu Song’s turn, the copper mirror revealed his results: thirty-one years old, Four Spiritual Roots, Qi Refining Fourth Layer. The middle-aged steward considered this for a long moment before finally marking his status as "pending."

’At his age and with his level of cultivation, Foundation Establishment is out of the question. He’d be lucky to even reach the Late-Stage of Qi Refining.’

’Any one of the current Outer Sect Disciples in the Qingfeng Sect is more worthy of nurturing than Lu Song.’

’And he has no other skills, which goes against the kind of servant disciples the Qingfeng Sect is looking for this year.’

’Still,’ the middle-aged steward thought, ’Lu Song isn’t that old. If he can cultivate to the Qi Refining Sixth Layer, he could at least run errands. I’ll see if there are any servant disciple spots left at the end before making a final decision.’