Assessment

"Truly poor." Yaoguang and Xu Nianhua spent several days clearing the corpses of the Black Dragon Pirates from the flying boat and taking inventory of all their spoils. Yet even though they had essentially routed the Black Dragon Pirates' headquarters, they had ended up with barely ten thousand Pure Yang Great Pills. Even factoring in the assets that still needed to be liquidated, the total barely reached thirty thousand. For a faction boasting an Azure Blue Golden Core and several Incandescent White Golden Cores, this was pitifully destitute. Then again, it made sense. Many pirates understood their precarious situation—alive today, dead tomorrow. The moment they acquired supplies, they spent them immediately. Whether squandering them on pleasures or converting them into resources to bolster their own strength, why would they ever hoard or hide them away? "This doomsday ark was a complete stroke of luck. Under normal circumstances, there's no way these pirates could possess such a treasure... And setting aside this flying boat, the eventual profit from exterminating the Black Dragon Pirates..." Yaoguang ran the numbers briefly and shook his head repeatedly. "I finally understand why those Void Cavern experts have so little interest in 'bandit suppression.' Unless the bounties are astronomically high, venturing deep into the Sea of Chaos to hunt pirates simply offers no cost-effectiveness in terms of return." After finishing the inventory of all the supplies, Yaoguang wasted no more time. The two set out once more on their journey. ... The ensuing leg of the journey was comparatively uneventful. It wasn't that the Sea of Chaos had suddenly become peaceful, but rather that no one dared to target an Incandescent White Golden Core anymore. Under these circumstances, the two sped along, and after two months, they finally crossed the Sea of Chaos and arrived at the continent on the other side. Along the Sea of Chaos, the opposing continent stretched for tens of millions of li, all belonging to the Heavenly Dao Sect's territory. The cities built upon this land fell under the Heavenly Dao Sect's governance, with various disciples assigned to oversee local taxation and resource extraction. Yaoguang and Xu Nianhua deliberately avoided densely populated areas, making a direct line for the Heavenly Dao Sect's mountain gate. Thus, it took another month before they arrived smoothly at the headquarters of the Heavenly Dao Sect. While still tens of thousands of li away from the Heavenly Dao Sect headquarters, Yaoguang and Xu Nianhua could already see mountain peaks floating suspended in the heavens at the edge of the sky. Interconnected with one another, the peaks formed an immense grand formation spanning thousands of li, from which countless beams of immortal light and precious auras emanated. From certain peaks, immortal luminescence surged straight into the clouds, illuminating the surrounding ten thousand li. Anyone beholding this spectacle could not help but exclaim from the bottom of their heart at such an immortal paradise. "The Ten Great Immortal Sects, the Heavenly Dao Sect," Yaoguang murmured in awe. Compared to the Jiuxiao Sect occupying the Yunxiao Sword Sect's grounds, this grand display was leagues ahead. "Master, what should we do next..." "The assessment doesn't begin until three months from now. We'll find lodging in the city outside the Heavenly Dao Sect and liquidate the items we need to sell," Yaoguang said. As for claiming the bounties... Yaoguang felt it wouldn't be too late to do so after he obtained true disciple status in the Heavenly Dao Sect. A bounty involving three to four hundred thousand Pure Yang Great Pills—heaven knew what kind of dirty tricks Great Shang might pull. "Understood," Xu Nianhua acknowledged. The two soon arrived at the supermassive urban sprawl outside the Heavenly Dao Sect. Calling this place a mega-megalopolis was no exaggeration. Its vast expanse spanned roughly ten thousand li in every direction. Within those ten thousand li, dense clusters of courtyards, pavilions, and palaces covered the landscape without exception—across mountains, forests, plains, lakes, and rivers alike. Moreover, commercial streets wove among these courtyards, pavilions, and palaces, peddling every imaginable cultivation resource. On the ground and in the skies above, countless cultivators followed designated flight corridors, bustling to and fro in an endless stream. At first glance, it appeared chaotic, yet upon closer inspection, everyone was functioning in an orderly manner. Cultivators of different cultivation realms naturally flew at different altitudes. On the one hand, the Heavenly Dao Sect had explicit rules. On the other... If a low-level cultivator dared to fly alongside a high-level cultivator, they could be swatted dead on the spot if the senior took it as a provocation. For their own survival, low-level cultivators adhered strictly to these rules. The two spent several days liquidating their goods, which brought in over twenty thousand Pure Yang Great Pills. Having prepared plenty of pills, they were ready to face the Heavenly Dao Sect's assessment. Between them, Yaoguang was relatively relaxed, but Xu Nianhua, who intended to test for an outer disciple position, was exceedingly nervous. ... Time slipped by. Compared to the Sea of Chaos, the area surrounding the Heavenly Dao Sect's mountain gate was undeniably far more orderly. Although high-level cultivators had occasionally killed people on the spot, it was never entirely without cause. Moreover, whenever a high-level cultivator killed someone in the city, they were fined regardless of the reason. The fines generally started at over a thousand Pure Yang Great Pills. The greater the commotion caused, the heavier the fine. Consequently, many low-level cultivators could even protect themselves through the threat of self-detonation—a method that caused a massive racket. Faced with this, high-level cultivators felt that the lives of low-level cultivators were simply not worth a thousand Pure Yang Great Pills. Over minor offenses, they refrained from striking to kill, which effectively curbed lethal incidents throughout this mega-city. That a life being considered worthless could actually become a low-level cultivator's lifeline was, frankly, utterly absurd. In this relatively "safe" atmosphere, Yaoguang and Xu Nianhua passed three largely peaceful months. ... On this day, tens of thousands of sword rays rose into the sky from the mega-city below, heading straight toward a peak belonging to the Heavenly Dao Sect. The peak had been arranged into three tiers. The uppermost tier was for the inner disciple assessment. The middle tier was for the outer disciple assessment. The lowest tier was for the chore disciple assessment. Yaoguang and Xu Nianhua were among the throng rising into the air. Upon reaching the middle tier, Yaoguang gave Xu Nianhua an encouraging look, then continued climbing higher until he landed on the top tier of the peak. By this time, several hundred people had already arrived on this peak. And among these hundreds... Without exception, every single one was an expert who had formed a Radiant Sun Golden Core, and each appeared quite young, their bodies exuding vigorous vitality. Yaoguang had not arrived particularly early. Less than half an hour after he arrived, a dozen-odd streaks of light tore through the air. Leading them was a Void Cavern powerhouse. However, this Void Cavern True Monarch was evidently there only to oversee the entry assessment; he did not land on the upper tier, instead releasing the aura of his Void Cavern realm to project an intimidating presence. Under this oppressive pressure, the peak, which had been buzzing with chatter and discussion, quickly fell silent. Only then did a middle-aged man who had cultivated an Incandescent White Golden Core step forward. In a solemn voice, he announced, "All right! Today marks the Heavenly Dao Sect's quinquennial recruitment of inner disciples! I am Senior Deacon Xiang Yunlong, and I shall preside over this session's inner disciple assessment!" Seeing the middle-aged man appear, everyone present focused their minds. "Our Heavenly Dao Sect has always welcomed all rivers and educated without distinction. Anyone under a hundred years old who has formed a Radiant Sun Golden Core may participate in our sect's assessment. Our sect upholds the principles of fairness and impartiality. As long as your cultivation is verified to be genuine, our Heavenly Dao Sect will spare no effort in nurturing you. Top-tier cultivation methods, supreme divine abilities, personal guidance from Void Cavern masters—our Heavenly Dao Sect will never be stingy..." The middle-aged man, Xiang Yunlong, droned on with several minutes of empty platitudes before finally getting to the point: "To ensure candidates do not take this lightly, and because each assessment consumes substantial manpower and material resources, the inner disciple assessment fee is ten thousand Pure Yang Great Pills per person!" With a wave of his hand, a dozen deacons behind him, all at the Radiant Sun Golden Core level, began collecting the payments. Yaoguang did a quick count: there were fully 460 applicants on the field. In other words... That was 4.6 million Pure Yang Great Pills collected in one go!? And yet... That wasn't all! "To select even more elites, our Heavenly Dao Sect has established three different levels of assessment difficulty. If you consider yourself exceptionally gifted, you may opt for the Prodigy Pathway. For those who enter the Prodigy Pathway, even if your test performance is slightly lacking, the elders can make an exception for you. The Genius Pathway functions similarly... However, since the elders have invested far more care into preparing the Prodigy and Genius Pathways, an additional fee of twenty thousand or forty thousand Pure Yang Great Pills is required. You may choose as you see fit." Xiang Yunlong spoke once more. Hearing this, Yaoguang was left somewhat speechless. On his way here, he had heard rumors that the Heavenly Dao Sect recruited disciples every five years and charged an exorbitant fee of ten thousand Pure Yang Great Pills, supposedly selling disciple slots under the table. He hadn't expected... The rumors had actually understated things. Where was the subtlety or secret selling? This was blatant, open auctioning! The moment Xiang Yunlong finished speaking, five candidates stepped forward, paid the fee, and walked toward the Prodigy Pathway. With Yaoguang's divine mind bordering on the true spirit level, he could tell at a glance that two of these five were visibly beyond the age limit. Another two had relied purely on medicinal pills to force their way into the Radiant Sun Golden Core realm. And one of them wasn't even a true Radiant Sun Golden Core at all; he had merely used special pills to temporarily boost his aura to that level. Yaoguang saw through it, and Xiang Yunlong did as well. The deacon appeared ready to refuse... No! It wasn't a refusal! It was a demand for more money! The applicant was tactful enough to promptly produce another storage treasure. After sweeping it with his divine mind, Xiang Yunlong nodded in satisfaction, allowing him into the virtually "exam-exempt" Prodigy Pathway. The entire transaction was carried out almost out in the open, without the slightest attempt at concealment. As for the Void Cavern powerhouse hovering in the sky to oversee the proceedings and supposedly maintain the fairness and integrity of the sect's assessment... He was acting as if he were stone blind, paying no heed to the dealings happening right under his nose. "Is there anyone else taking the Prodigy assessment? Do you all lack confidence? The sect currently has a surplus of inner disciples, so orders came down from above to raise the difficulty of this session's assessment. Therefore, if you consider yourselves geniuses or prodigies, seize the opportunity! Our Heavenly Dao Sect will naturally grant ample preferential treatment to true talent." Xiang Yunlong urged them on. Out of the 460 candidates on the field, only five had bought the "exam exemption" spots, and sixteen had bought the "reduced difficulty" spots. Such a paltry extra income left him rather displeased. However... Whether because the remaining candidates were confident in their strength or because they truly couldn't produce twenty thousand Pure Yang Great Pills, not a single other person stepped forward to apply for the Prodigy or Genius assessments. Witnessing this, Xiang Yunlong's expression darkened. "Bah! I spent a full hundred thousand Pure Yang Great Pills bribing the Administration Peak to snag this assignment to preside over the inner disciple recruitment, only to run into a bunch of paupers! Wanting to join our Heavenly Dao Sect without any resources? What do you think our sect is, a dumping ground? In a moment, I'll have the elder crank the difficulty to maximum and test you all to death!" He cursed under his breath. Despite his deep annoyance, the disciple assessment had to proceed. Soon, he took to the air and spoke briefly with the Void Cavern elder overseeing the proceedings. After listening, the elder cast his gaze down over the four-hundred-odd candidates, seemingly somewhat displeased as well. With a cold snort from him, ten formations rose upon the elevated platform atop the peak. Within each formation, a demonic beast emerged. And the auras radiating from these creatures... were actually comparable to the human race's Azure Blue Golden Core!