After a while, Lu Jie finally opened his eyes. "Incredible, this technique is very powerful. I can launch it from a long distance, and as long as I have enough spiritual Qi, it won't dissipate," he pondered, satisfied.
He wanted to test it immediately but preferred not to expose himself in the outer sect arena. He would use it in the sect duels when he had the chance. Now that he was in the Circulation Realm, he could become an inner disciple more easily.
Meanwhile, at the top of the mountains surrounding the Celestial Sword Sect, a man with a peculiar appearance, a mole on his cheek, unkempt hair, and wearing a green sect robe, was talking to another old man of a more dignified appearance.
"The outer sect assessment will start in a year. Should I go?" asked the strange-looking man.
"That's not appropriate. You are the Sect Master now; how can you go to an outer sect assessment?" replied the old man.
"But master, the divination of the elder of the Five Cauldrons said that an exceptional disciple would emerge from the outer sect."
"In any case, you will find him in the inner sect. A sect master cannot appear at an outer sect assessment," the old man huffed.
"Right."
The Celestial Sword Sect had, in total, four swords, which were the four main elders, divided into four large mountains around the inner sect. The four elders would be present at this assessment to look for a promising disciple.
Soon the assessment arrived. All the disciples were called to the center of the outer hall, where Elder Xiu was waiting for them.
"The outer sect assessment will take place in one week. I hope everyone is prepared. This time, the four main elders will be present, so be respectful," she said in a calm tone.
All the disciples were excited, but Lu Jie was secretly nervous. He didn't like this kind of event. Now he had a way to fight, but he was very nervous, as he had never participated in direct fights and had no experience. However, he would try his best to attract the elders' attention while remaining discreet.
The week passed quickly. Everyone was taken through a teleportation portal to a large arena with stands. The place was truly big, which was necessary, after all, there were more than a thousand disciples there.
Soon the main elders arrived, and as they walked to their seats to judge the fights, Lu Jie looked at each of them carefully, and four screens appeared in front of him:
[Name: Gu Wei (Elder of the Celestial Sword Sect)
Age: 835 years old
Cultivation: Fifth level of the Current Soul Realm]
[Name: Jian Jun (Elder of the Celestial Sword Sect)
Age: 928 years old
Cultivation: Fifth level of the Current Soul Realm]
[Name: Mei Lin (Elder of the Celestial Sword Sect)
Age: 768 years old
Cultivation: Sixth level of the Current Soul Realm]
[Name: Ren Hao (Elder of the Celestial Sword Sect)
Age: 901 years old
Cultivation: Fourth level of the Current Soul Realm]
He was secretly surprised. Elder Mei Lin was younger than the other three, but she had a superior cultivation level.
It didn't take long for the duels to be decided. Lu Jie would fight against Bai Yu, a disciple who was at the fifth level of the Opening Realm. Lu Jie was satisfied, as he had no combat experience and didn't want to face someone from the same realm right away.
The fights soon began, and there were no major surprises. Most were from the Opening Realm and had no spells or techniques, so it was basically an exchange of swords.
Then came Su Li's fight. She was already at the peak of the Opening Realm but had not yet broken through, and she was facing a disciple who was already in the Circulation Realm. She ended up attracting attention, as she had already mastered a sword technique and gained an advantage against her opponent, who had no experience and only relied on his cultivation. Apparently, Su Li already had some combat experience; she didn't even seem nervous. In the end, she managed to defeat him, even with a difference of one realm. Lu Jie became nervous after this fight. He had a spell he could use, but he had no experience and didn't know his strength until that moment.
Soon, there were a few more fights that caught the elders' attention before it was Lu Jie's turn.
Then it was his turn. He tried to stay calm and analyze the situation as much as possible, seeking to win without attracting too much attention, just enough for the elders to choose him as an inner disciple.
As soon as the fight began, his opponent used a sword technique. "Apparently, he also has some experience; this will be problematic," Lu Jie thought. But he soon realized he was wrong. The difference in cultivation between someone at the fifth level of the Opening Realm and someone in the Circulation Realm was very large. Lu Jie wasn't even trying to dodge.
"Boom!"
Celestial Wind Cut!
A wind sword flew toward the other disciple, making him fly out of the arena. The battle ended, and Lu Jie was the winner. The elders were incredulous.
"This boy already knows a spell?"
"And what was that purity of Qi?"
"Indeed, it seems we have found a good seed."
"Take your eyes off him, you mummies, I'm going to take him as my disciple!"
The elders argued, and Lu Jie, who could see everything from a distance, was satisfied. He knew that now he would be noticed by at least one of the elders.
From a distance, Elder Xiu observed and was secretly surprised. "This boy has already reached the Circulation Realm? Wasn't that too fast?"
Lu Jie did not use the system's concealment function, as he had to show his cultivation during the competition to attract the elders' attention. Now, Lu Jie had some idea of his current strength, but he did not intend to continue in the disputes. He didn't need the pill to help him break through to the Circulation Realm at that moment.
The battles continued, but few caught the attention. When Lu Jie's next fight came, he gave up, leaving the elders confused as to why he had given up, but in any case, they still wanted him as a disciple, after all, he had reached the Circulation Realm at twenty-one years old, which would make him be considered a genius even in the inner sect.