The days before the assessment passed faster than Li Chen expected.
The outer disciple area grew tense. Even the air felt heavier, as if everyone was holding their breath at the same time. Some disciples woke before dawn to cultivate, others stayed up late, eyes bloodshot, refusing to rest.
Li Chen did neither.
He woke at the usual time. He worked when assigned. He cultivated only at night, for the same length of time as before.
Nothing changed on the surface.
Inside, everything was ready.
[Host :- Li Chen]
[Body Refinement: Middle Stage — Peak]
[Qi Stability: 21%]
[Breakthrough Readiness: High]
Peak.
The word appeared quietly, without ceremony.
Li Chen read it once, then let it fade from his mind.
At Lingxi Field, Zhang Wei walked beside him, unusually silent.
After a while, he finally spoke. "Li Chen… if I don't do well in the assessment, do you think they'll kick me out?"
Li Chen shook his head. "Outer disciples aren't expelled easily."
Zhang Wei forced a smile. "Good. I just don't want to go back empty-handed."
Li Chen understood.
For many, Qingyun Sect was not a dream. It was a gamble. A way out.
That evening, outer disciples were ordered to rest.
"No cultivation after sunset," the announcement said. "Arrive at the trial grounds at first bell."
Groans spread through the crowd, but no one dared disobey.
Li Chen returned to the quarters.
He lay down early, eyes open, listening to the breathing of the others.
When the room fell silent, he slowly sat up.
He did not circulate qi.
He only breathed.
Clear Heart Breathing Method.
Calm. Even. Steady.
[System Notice]
[Passive Stabilization Active]
The night passed.
The first bell rang before dawn.
Outer disciples gathered at a wide stone square near the lower mountain. Elder supervisors stood at the edges, their expressions unreadable.
Three formations stood in the center.
One glowed faintly red.
One shimmered pale blue.
One remained dull and grey.
The middle-aged cultivator stepped forward.
"Endurance trial," he said, pointing to the red formation. "Qi stability test," he gestured to the blue. "Contribution evaluation is already recorded."
No unnecessary words.
"Enter in order."
Disciples lined up.
Li Chen stood somewhere in the middle.
When it was his turn, he stepped into the red formation.
Heat surged instantly.
Not burning, but heavy, pressing against his skin, his muscles, his bones.
Some disciples cried out within seconds.
Li Chen clenched his teeth.
He did not resist.
He adjusted his breathing.
The heat became… tolerable.
[System Notice]
[Endurance Load: Moderate]
[Optimization Active]
Time passed.
One minute.
Two.
Sweat dripped down his chin.
Around him, figures stumbled out of the formation, faces pale.
Li Chen stayed.
The pressure increased slightly.
His legs trembled.
He remained.
After what felt like an eternity, the heat faded.
A bell rang.
"Pass."
Li Chen stepped out, breathing hard, but steady.
Next was the blue formation.
Qi stability.
As soon as he entered, the world seemed to slow. His qi was pulled outward, tested, stretched.
Disciples who forced circulation faltered immediately.
Li Chen did nothing.
He let his qi rest.
[System Notice]
[Qi Stability Test: Favorable Conditions]
[Stabilize Function Enhanced]
The qi did not scatter.
It remained.
The formation's light dimmed.
"Pass."
Li Chen walked out.
No applause.
No attention.
Exactly as he wanted.
By the time all disciples finished, rankings were quietly recorded.
No announcements.
No celebrations.
Outer disciples were dismissed.
That night, Li Chen returned to the cliff.
The moon was high.
He sat down.
The pressure he had been suppressing surged forward instantly.
He did not stop it.
Breath in.
Breath out.
The qi gathered, dense and smooth.
It flowed through his meridians, tempered by days of restraint.
A faint cracking echoed inside his body.
[System Notice]
[Breakthrough in Progress]
[Body Refinement — Late Stage]
Pain flared briefly, then vanished.
Strength filled his limbs.
His senses sharpened.
Li Chen opened his eyes.
Late Stage.
He stood up slowly, fists clenching and relaxing.
No roar.
No explosion.
Only quiet certainty.
Far away, on the mountain above, a formation flickered faintly, then stabilized.
An elder opened his eyes, frowning.
"Someone advanced?"
He waited.
Nothing else happened.
The elder shook his head.
"Probably just another outer disciple."
Li Chen looked out over the darkened sect.
The assessment was over.
And for the first time since entering Qingyun Sect, he had taken a step that no one else could see.