A short while ter, the st four disciples stirred back to consciousness.

  The two with lower aptitude simply shrugged as if waking from an uncomfortable nap, clearly unaffected by their experience or score. The other two, however—those with middle and high aptitude—rose with tight jaws and guarded expressions. Their pride, if not wounded, was at least visibly bruised.

  One in particur, a tall youth with refined features named Lin Xian, narrowed his eyes as he looked toward Lang Chufeng. A subtle glint of hostility passed through his gaze—sharp and calcuting.

  Xiao Fang noticed.

  She said nothing.

  In the sect world, such undercurrents were normal. Envy, rivalry, suspicion—these were seeds from which ambition often sprouted. No one was foolish enough to act now, but the tone had shifted, and the disciples felt it.

  Xiao Fang herself was deeply surprised by Lang Chufeng’s result. Though she maintained her calm exterior, inwardly she made note of it.

  How curious...

  His aptitude was documented as one of the lowest among the group. Yet here he stood—unassuming, silent—having bested everyone in a trial designed to test the very foundation of spirit.

  Whether Lang Chufeng realized it or not, this moment had changed the course of his life. The sect would take notice. Opportunities, burdens, and attention would now follow him—whether he welcomed them or not.

  But all that was for ter.

  For now, the children waited as Xiao Fang calcuted their positions within the sect's ranking system.

  Zhang Tian stood slightly apart, hands tucked behind his back. His gaze occasionally drifted toward Lang Chufeng—curious, but without the jealousy of the others. It was fascination, mostly. How did someone like him... wake up first?

  As he stood there, a soft golden glow caught his eye.

  Xiao Fang’s talisman lit up.

  Zhang Tian stiffened slightly. He had overheard senior disciples once speak of such a reaction in hushed tones. The golden talisman responded only to high-priority alerts—sect-wide communications used sparingly.

  Something was wrong.

  Just as the talisman pulsed with light, a familiar figure appeared behind Xiao Fang—the same man who had whispered to her days ago.

  He leaned in again, his movements discreet, and handed her a sealed crimson letter before bowing deeply and vanishing into the formation mists.

  The letter’s outer seal bore the words:“Level 3 – Read Immediately”

  A low tension began to hum among the youths. Most exchanged gnces—some worried, others simply alert.

  Xiao Fang’s eyes narrowed as she read the letter, her soft brows furrowing into a tight frown. The light in her expression dimmed—her usual serenity repced by sharp focus.

  She let out a single whistle, clear and crisp.

  From the forest, the tiger appeared, padding out from the underbrush in a single bound, standing alert by her side. The message was unmistakable: they were leaving.

  She retrieved a crimson talisman—distinct in shape and yered in heavy runes—and activated it without hesitation.

  Its glow cast a red hue across her face.

  “I’m afraid the results will have to wait,” she said, her voice calm but clipped. “There’s been a change in pns. We depart for the sect’s cultivation territory immediately.”

  The students barely had time to react before movement erupted across the formation site.

  Senior disciples arrived on beasts of travel, each one rge, muscur, and unnaturally swift. They were creatures bred through generations of careful cultivation—part tiger, part horse, with striped fnks, long limbs, and sharp, obsidian fangs. Though not full spiritual beasts, they bore the faint presence of spiritual essence, making them faster, tougher, and more loyal than any mundane animal.

  They were built for endurance, crossing long distances with ease—even across deserts and mountains.

  Zhang Tian stepped back slightly as one of the mounts snorted near him, its red eyes flickering with restrained energy. He cast a gnce at Xiao Fang, who was already preparing a spatial pouch, her mind clearly elsewhere.

  Something’s happened… he thought.

  And for the first time, since arriving in this world, he felt something more than curiosity or resignation.

  He felt a pulse of unease.

  The group had barely settled when the atmosphere shifted.

  Xiao Fang stood quietly to the side, her expression unreadable as her fingers ran over the edges of the crimson letter. The light from her talisman dimmed, leaving only the natural morning haze. Her tiger sat still behind her, tail coiled neatly, gaze alert.

  Then she turned to face them.

  “We leave immediately,” she announced, her voice calm but unmistakably firm. “The sect has issued an emergency directive.”

  The disciples exchanged uncertain gnces. A few stiffened. Even those with the most composure sensed the tension behind her words.

  Xiao Fang continued without dey.

  “The Water Serenity Sect has confirmed we’re being targeted. A rival sect—the Golden Beast Sect—is responsible for the deaths of three outer sect disciples. One each month. Three in two months.”

  A heavy silence followed.

  “They operated under disguise, striking unexpectedly. Their methods were calcuted, clean. These were not accidents. They were assassinations.”

  She paused, letting the weight of her words settle.

  “We will not risk our immortal seedlings—you. Our route has changed, and our travel must now be hidden and swift.”

  She motioned toward the waiting beast mounts—powerful, hybrid creatures bred for endurance. Muscur, striped like tigers but built like horses, they stamped the ground with restlessness. Though not spiritual beasts in full, their bloodlines bore faint traces of essence, making them faster, sturdier, and more loyal than ordinary animals.

  “We’ll pass through the Dead Wood Territory,” Xiao Fang said. “A lifeless zone avoided by most cultivators due to its thin essence and barrenness. But for us, it is manageable—and more importantly, unmonitored. It gives us a safer path.”

  She raised a hand, a jade slip glowing in her palm. “After crossing it, we’ll reach the Endless Desert, where we’ll board a spiritual flying boat—a treasure entrusted to me for emergencies. It will carry us across the sands and into the central region of the sect’s influence.”

  Then she added, “Our destination is no longer the border cultivation post. We will head straight to the edge of the sect’s core cultivation grounds.”

  Zhang Tian's eyes remained fixed on her, but his mind wandered—processing.

  The Qi Kingdom, as Xiao Fang had expined long ago, was a structured realm with yered regions:

  The outer mortal nds, where life was quiet, humble, and mostly unaware of the immortal world.The cultivator bordernds, where small sects and roaming rogue cultivators settled.And at the center—the cultivation heartnds, ruled by major sects, cns, and ancient forces.Until now, he had lived at the very edge of all of it.

  Now he was moving toward its heart.

  He tightened his grip on the reins of his beast mount as a breeze rustled through the treetops. The misty forest behind them had been wild and cruel—but it was also familiar now. What y ahead was different.

  Bigger. Unknown.

  More real.

  And whatever waited for them in the heart of the kingdom... would not wait for them to be ready.