’More severe than expected?’

Fang Han’s heart sank. He’d had this premonition when he saw the young woman in purple, and now it seemed his feeling was coming true.

"I’ve made inquiries through many channels and gathered a lot of information. In previous years, with your Cultivation of reaching the Ninth Grade Internal Qi Realm at eighteen, passing the Qingxuan Sect’s Entry Level assessment would have been all but guaranteed."

Fang Lingyuan said, looking up at Fang Han.

Fang Han listened quietly, knowing there was a "but" coming.

Sure enough, Fang Lingyuan’s tone shifted, growing heavy. "But this year is completely different. The Qingxuan Sect has opened its gates wide, and the number of geniuses it has attracted far exceeds previous years."

"According to my sources, several thousand talented disciples from all over will be participating in the assessment. Many of them have already reached the Inner Qi Realm, some for a very long time. And yet, the Qingxuan Sect only recruits a hundred people each time."

The worry in Fang Lingyuan’s eyes was hard to conceal.

"You could say that this year’s Entry Level assessment for the Qingxuan Sect is the most competitive it’s been in the last decade. Your Cultivation has just reached Ninth Grade, so you have no advantage over those geniuses who have been consolidating their strength in this Realm for a long time. Whether you can fight your way through the competition... it’s hard to say."

After hearing Fang Lingyuan’s explanation, Fang Han’s heart sank even further.

Although he had been mentally prepared, hearing the specific details—especially the number of competitors—still made him feel immense pressure.

Several thousand of them. And like him, they weren’t ordinary boys and girls, but renowned disciples from their respective regions, all worthy of being called geniuses.

The ferocity of this competition was far beyond his imagination.

Silence fell over the room for a moment.

"Patriarch, I’m going to cultivate. There are still a few days until the assessment. Every bit of improvement increases my chances of passing!"

A moment later, Fang Han looked up, all the doubt and pressure in his eyes transforming into calm resolve.

With that, he said no more and went straight back to his bedroom. He sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes to focus his mind, and began to circulate his Inner Qi.

It was as if he intended to convert all the pressure from what he had just heard into motivation for his Cultivation.

Fang Lingyuan watched Fang Han return to his room, a complex look in his eyes—a mix of relief and worry—that finally melted into a nearly inaudible sigh.

He rose quietly, walked out of the room, and carefully closed the door, leaving Fang Han in a completely silent environment.

For the next few days, Fang Han didn’t leave his room, pouring all his energy into Cultivation.

Under the Eightfold Root Bone Talent Amplification, his Inner Qi grew slowly but steadily. The wisp of "qi" in his Qihai Acupoint became much more solid than when he first entered Ninth Grade, and the sense of power it generated when circulating grew more distinct.

However, the accumulation required to go from the Early Stage of Ninth Grade to the Middle Stage of Ninth Grade was far greater than he had imagined.

In the Inner Qi Realm, advancing through each minor realm required a great deal of time and grinding; it was impossible to achieve overnight.

Despite making some progress after several days of arduous Cultivation, he was still a long way from the Middle Stage of Ninth Grade.

Time flew by during his focused Cultivation. In the blink of an eye, the day of the Qingxuan Sect’s official assessment arrived.

In the early morning, the sky had just begun to lighten, but the chill of dawn still lingered. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Fang Han and Fang Lingyuan boarded their carriage early, leaving the Keyunlai inn and merging into a silent yet immense stream of traffic.

Carriage after carriage, each with different decorations but all appearing lavish and grand, emerged from all corners of Qingxuan City. As if by unspoken agreement, they all headed toward the cloud-shrouded Qingxuan Mountain outside the city.

The hooves of the horses clopped against the stone slabs, a dense and muffled sound. The wheels rumbled and groaned, weaving together into a solemn and tense prelude.

Fang Han sat quietly inside the carriage, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the Sword Scabbard of the Cyan Blade Sword that lay across his lap. The cool touch kept his mind clear.

"We’re here!"

The carriage arrived at the Bluestone Plaza at the foot of Qingxuan Mountain. Fang Han stepped out and looked around, his gaze tightening slightly.

He saw that the plaza was already filled with countless carriages, horses, and people.

A quick glance told him that the number of young men and women getting out of the various carriages had already exceeded two thousand, and more were still arriving.

Every one of these youths had bright eyes and a sharp, powerful aura. They were clearly the outstanding disciples meticulously nurtured by their respective families.

Some stood alone in silence, while others conversed in low voices with the elders who had accompanied them. An invisible yet heavy pressure filled the air—the competitive atmosphere created by the gathering of countless young geniuses.

Most of the chaperones were middle-aged or elderly people with a composed and profound bearing like Fang Lingyuan. A sharp glint flashed in their eyes as they opened and closed, revealing their formidable strength. They were all pillars of their respective factions.

Among them, some would nod slightly to each other in acknowledgment, while others would meet gazes for a fleeting moment before looking away indifferently. The subtleties of their relationships and allegiances were revealed in these small gestures.

"A hundred chosen from several thousand..."

Fang Han muttered to himself.

Several thousand young men and women, all considered geniuses in their own territories, were here for the assessment, yet only a hundred would be accepted in the end.

One could only imagine how brutal the assessment would be.

"As one of the Seven Sects, the Qingxuan Sect holds an incredibly transcendent status. Joining it is like a carp leaping over the dragon gate. But the corresponding pressure from the competition is also immense."

Fang Lingyuan’s expression was grave as he said this.

Just as they were speaking, several figures dressed in the Qingxuan Sect’s distinctive azure cloud-patterned robes slowly approached from the direction of the mountain gate.

Leading them was a white-haired old man, who was likely a Sect Elder.

His face was solemn, and his eyes were as sharp as a hawk’s. As he swept his gaze across the entire plaza, his invisible pressure swiftly silenced the noisy crowd.

Following behind him were more than ten young disciples, both male and female. All of them were full of spirit and vitality, and the weakest among them had an aura no less powerful than Fang Linyuan’s Seventh Grade Internal Qi Realm.