The announcement reverberated through the Wandering Palace, echoing not only in the training grounds of the Outer Court but also in the hushed halls of the Inner Court.
Unlike the previous years, no longer would the examination be held within the familiar boundaries of the sect, but out in the open. The chosen venue was a vast expanse of training grounds nestled at the base of the mountain range that the sect called home. It was a place that many Inner Court disciples were familiar with.
The decision for the modification stemmed from necessity. The rise of certain prodigies, particularly the meteoric progress of Xu Qi and Ling Lian, had rendered the old testing methods inadequate.