Chapter 53: Inner Disciple Assessment (Part One)

  P.S: Recommendations wanted!

  "Dad, Mom, don't worry, I'll take good care of myself." Ye Chen said as he led his horse on the main road of Luocheng, turning back to face Ye Tianhao and Shen Yuqing.

  Shen Yuqing nodded, "If the silver is not enough, you can send a letter back, I'll have someone deliver it to you."

  "It's enough, besides completing the sect's task will also have a lot of rewards." Ye Chen didn't plan to ask his family for money, that way he wouldn't be happy himself.

  Ye Tianhao smiled helplessly: "Yu Qing, Chen Er has grown up, he will rely on his own hands to gain things, as parents we should not worry blindly, Chen Er, be careful on the way."

  "Ah!"

  "Alright then, I'll leave first, you all take care of yourselves too!"

  After finishing speaking, Ye Chen flipped over and mounted his horse. He waved at the two of them and then urged his horse forward with a squeeze of his legs, galloping away quickly.

  Ye Tianhao and Shen Yuqing watched Ye Chen leave.

  Just as they were approaching the city gate, a horseman caught up from behind.

  "Yè chén!" -> "Leaf dust!"

  Yedu turned his head and saw it was Yehai, "Where is your master?"

  "He is waiting for me at a small unnamed temple ten miles outside the North Gate."

  As they spoke, the two rode their horses and charged directly out of the North City Gate. The city guards did not dare to block them.

  The nameless small temple is in the northeast direction, while the Flowing Cloud Sect is in the northwest direction. The two of them do not take the same route.

  "A little something for you." From the storage ring, he fished out a blue crystal ball and tossed it to Ye Chen.

  Taking over the blue crystal ball, Ye Chen asked: "What is this?"

  Ye Hai rode his horse and ran out for dozens of meters, without looking back, shouting loudly: "I don't know either, it looks pretty good, I think you'll like it."

  "Thanks!" Ye Chen shook his head and brought the blue crystal ball closer to his eyes for a careful examination.

  The crystal ball is about the size of a dragon's eye, completely transparent, with a blue glow inside. At first glance, it seems that the crystal ball is blue. In addition to this, the crystal ball is very heavy, heavier than gold of the same volume, and does not seem to be made of crystal.

  Couldn't see what was special about it, so Ye Chen just didn't bother and put it into his Storage Ring.

  Find the right direction, Ye Chen gently pulled the reins and left in a cloud of dust.

  And returned on a different cyan mane horse, this time Ye Chen rode a genuine black brown horse, which could travel 2,000 miles in one day, born with divine power, stable and steady, worth more than 60,000 taels of silver, the entire Ye family did not have more than twenty horses.

  At this time, the black brown horse ran at full speed, as fast as a raging wind and lightning, and the scenery on both sides suddenly fell far behind.

  ……

  Six days later, Ye Chen appeared at the foot of Qingfeng Mountain.

  Send the black brown horse to the horse farm and pay this year's fee, Ye Chen went straight to the inner door test site at the mountain waist, today is the day of the inner door test, if missed, it will take another week.

  At the entrance of the assessment venue, two duty inner disciples stood on either side. Seeing Ye Chen walking towards them from afar, the disciple on the left couldn't help but say: "Today is already the thirteenth one; it seems that these outer disciples have gained quite a bit after going back once!"

  "Hmph, the person who came before was indeed weak and superficial, clearly not a result of cultivation, but rather having swallowed a Condensed Truth Pill."

  "Qingzhen Dan can help warriors liquefy their true energy faster, unfortunately the side effects are also great, and there is no possibility of improvement within a year."

  As he walked to the entrance, Ye Chen said: "I'm here for the inner door disciple assessment."

  "Go ahead! Hope you pass smoothly." The inner door disciple said lazily.

  Ye Chen didn't think much of it and walked in step by step.

  The assessment hall is very spacious, with nine stone pillars as thick as water vats standing on either side, carved with dragons, phoenixes and auspicious clouds, vividly lifelike. In the open space in front, a wooden frame is steadily erected, under which a bronze bell is suspended, three meters high and dark blue in color, looking extremely heavy.

  If Ye Chen's guess was correct, this would be the first assessment for promotion to inner disciple.

  No matter in the Flowing Cloud Sect or other sects, to become an inner disciple, one must undergo assessment. It's not just about advancing to the Condensed Reality Realm, after all, cultivating to the Condensed Reality Realm and using elixirs to boost to the Condensed Reality Realm are vastly different, and their combat strength can't be compared. To prevent such situations from occurring and to ensure the elitism of inner disciples, sects have no choice but to set up various assessments to guarantee that there are no pretenders among them.

  The first test for the inner disciples of Yunyun Sect is held in the main hall. According to Wu Zongming, one must be ten steps away and punch to make the bronze bell ring. If it doesn't ring, you don't qualify as an inner disciple. On the other hand, if it rings, you can proceed to the second test.

  As for Zhang Haoran and Wu Zongming, they were both able to condense their cultivation into the True Realm on their own, which is why they could easily become inner disciples.

  "Are you here for the inner disciple assessment? Please register your identity." The examiner handed over a paper and a brush.

  Ye Dun nodded and wrote down his name and background on the paper.

  "Alright, go queue up!"

  At this time, there were thirteen people preparing to take the assessment, and Ye Chen was at the end of the line.

  Before long, the elder examiner arrived late.

  Standing at the forefront, the assessment elder in his fifties scanned the crowd with a furrowed brow. What's going on? This year's inner sect disciples who participated in the assessment all have such weak and floating true energy. Could it be that they used elixirs to boost their cultivation levels?

  "I don't care what your current cultivation is, if you can't make the bronze bell ring from ten steps away, you won't have the qualifications to become an inner disciple. If you want to take the assessment again, you'll have to wait until three months later."

  After finishing speaking, the assessment elder took over everyone's materials from the assessors and slowly said: "The assessment begins. The first one is Lin Changchong!"

  A young man of ordinary appearance walked out from the front of the team, stopped ten steps in front of the bronze bell, took a deep breath and slapped his palm, making a swift and mighty gust of wind.

  The copper bell pattern silk did not move, and the elder examiner said lightly: "Unqualified, next one, Fang Xiaozhong!"

  Upon hearing this, a young man named Lin Changchong's face fell, and he retreated to the side with his head hung low, his eyes glancing at the second disciple being tested, secretly hoping that he too would not pass.

  Fang Xiaozhong asked Elder Examinations Dao: "Can we use martial skills?"

  "Very well." The elder nodded in approval.

  Lin Changchong opened his eyes wide and said loudly: "It's unfair, why didn't anyone tell me that I could use martial skills."

  "Be quiet! This is a testing hall, you're being too loud. Didn't you ask around before coming here?"

  Lin Changchong was startled and didn't dare speak.

  "With your true energy cultivation, even if you use martial skills, it won't pass the test. Alright, Fang Xiao Zhong, begin." The assessment elder didn't get angry.

  Fang Xiaozhong circulated his true energy, his palms curled and claw-like, swinging out in a strike.

  "Fierce Tiger Claw!"

  Whoosh!

  The greenish-blue paws are as big as a washbasin and heavily grasp the bronze bell.

  The copper bell remains still and silent.

  "Not qualified, next one, Zhao Hu!"

  The atmosphere in the examination hall was different all of a sudden.

  "What's going on? The assessment is so difficult, even martial arts can't be performed."

  "It's all over, I reckon I won't pass either."

  The rest of the disciples looked at each other in dismay, but Ye Chen's expression remained calm and composed.