The Purpose of the Test

Aotian was amused—and also quite interested.

Before him… or rather, before Lie Zheng, stood the young conman who had sought out his main body just a few minutes earlier.

He had already sensed him among the crowd, watching the process. And after confirming what needed to be done and judging that the danger wasn't too great, he'd mustered the courage to step forward and take part in the recruitment.

The first test was simple. He hadn't lied about his roots. They were, in fact, a perfect five-element root. Throughout Aotian's journey, the number of perfect roots he'd encountered could be counted on one hand, showing just how rare such talent was—even considering roots of all elements.

And he'd only been lucky enough to still find a few disciples with such roots because they were mixed-element roots, with more than two elements. Aside from Xiao Ling, whose perfect single-element root had been a fish that escaped the net, the others usually rushed to large sects in search of protection and resources. And even then, they were still incredibly few.

Most roots were mixed, and the fewer the elements, the rarer they became. As such, it was safe to say that talents with a perfect single-element root were as rare as phoenix feathers.

At that moment, Lie Zheng simply stared coldly at Bai Yan without saying a word, creating an intense aura around him.

But Bai Yan stood firm, meeting his gaze.

The two remained silent, staring at each other. Cold sweat began to run down Bai Yan's back, but he remained motionless.

He didn't know why the elder suddenly seemed to be testing his resolve, especially when he hadn't done so with the others, but he had no intention of wavering now.

The stare continued for a while, and when Bai Yan, slightly trembling, started to feel breathless under the pressure of that powerful cultivator, a small smile appeared on Lie Zheng's lips.

"Good resolve, boy." He nodded in approval and withdrew his intense gaze, allowing Bai Yan to let out a shaky breath.

After a few seconds to collect himself, Lie Zheng continued.

"Answer my question honestly, and there shouldn't be a problem with you entering the sect. Now tell me: have you ever harmed an innocent person?" Lie Zheng asked.

Bai Yan took a deep breath and, with a determined look, answered the elder.

"Senior, what is innocent? If by innocent you mean a child unaware of good and evil, or a good person who has never done wrong, then no, I have never harmed either. The first, because I have principles. The second… because I've never met anyone like that," he spoke firmly, looking straight at Lie Zheng.

A slightly amused smile appeared on the elder's perpetually cold face.

"You speak well, boy. My sect doesn't seek people with perfect morals—if we did, we'd probably never have any disciples. People are naturally flawed, but there are those who fight against their flaws and avoid harming others who are also struggling with theirs. Do you fight your own imperfections and avoid hurting those who do the same?" Lie Zheng asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.

That silenced Bai Yan for a moment. He couldn't help but reflect. He realized there were loopholes in the elder's words, but judging by the smile still lingering on the man's face, it was clear he knew that too.

His heart raced. Instinct told him that if he used those loopholes to dodge the question, he'd lose his chance of entering the sect.

It would be easy to interpret things in many ways, but he understood what kind of answer the elder truly wanted.

"Senior, this junior has his flaws. Out of selfishness, I deceived those more fortunate, who took advantage of the weak. I don't believe I acted wrongly, because I have my circumstances. It's selfish, but I don't regret it. I may not be the best person, but I would never harm someone I recognize as good because of my selfishness. Nor would I betray someone who trusts me just to reach my own goals," Bai Yan declared firmly.

There was no hesitation in his eyes.

Lie Zheng observed him. The smile had disappeared, which made Bai Yan nervous. Even so, he didn't back down and forced himself to stay firm.

"Boy. Do you know why our sect asks if someone has harmed an innocent?" Lie Zheng asked.

Bai Yan was confused. He assumed it was just to select good disciples, so he shook his head.

"Well, I'll explain. Our sect is special. We can offer power and potential far beyond any other sect. We don't lack talent to recruit, so we place a lot of emphasis on one's spirit and heart. If we give power to someone who can't control their impulses, that person might commit all kinds of atrocities beyond our reach. They might force women, destroy families, or cause massacres in entire cities. Power corrupts."

"There's a phrase I heard a long time ago: 'If you wish to know what a man really is, give him power.' But that's not what we want. We want to do the opposite. We want to know who a person really is before we give them power. So tell me: if you're given power, do you believe you'll remain true to who you are now?" Lie Zheng asked with a serious look.

That phrase made Bai Yan's heart pound. He felt those words were deeply true and meaningful, and he etched them into his heart.

Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and, when he opened them again, answered:

"I will!"

…

Aotian, in his main body, was meditating when a soft sound reached his ears, making him open his eyes.

Calmly rising, he left the room and noticed that Rihai remained in hers.

Either she wasn't interested in going over there, or she was too focused on cultivating.

Shrugging, Aotian began to climb the stairs. Channeling his spiritual energy, he caused the cave door to open, flooding the interior with bright sunlight.

Even before he finished climbing, he spotted Bai Yan's figure, now wearing the gray robes of an outer disciple.

A small smile appeared on his face. And before Bai Yan could say anything, Aotian tossed a storage pouch toward him, which he caught quickly and firmly.

Looking at him, Aotian smiled upon realizing that this was indeed Bai Yan's true face.

Before, he had relied on the sharp vision of his avatars to identify Bai Yan's real facial features, but with Bai Yan's entry into the sect, he now had direct access to the feedback from his techniques and proficiencies. Now, even in his main body, it was easy to tell if he was disguised or not with just a glance.

As a bonus, he had also acquired a body disguise technique of Founder-Tier level, something he didn't possess before. With that as a base, he could use his other knowledge to synthesize an even more advanced technique.

If he managed to refine it further and combine certain elements, he might be able to create something truly high-level. When the next batch of avatars arrived... he might even create some female elders himself.

A strange glint passed through Aotian's eyes at that thought.

Although he felt odd about having to act as a woman, he knew the upper echelon of the sect was overwhelmingly filled with men, which wasn't healthy for the female disciples, who weren't few in number. The sect's population consisted of about 51% women—meaning they were actually the majority.

Currently, if you included the sect leader and Bao Wuji as elders, there were seventy-two male elders and only Jian Huiyin as a female elder. And considering that all avatars summoned so far had been male, Aotian didn't doubt that the trend would continue.

So even if he managed to recruit more women as elders in the meantime, the imbalance would still be glaring.

A solution was needed.

Shaking his head to dismiss those thoughts, he refocused on Bai Yan, who was hugging the storage pouch like it was his baby and rubbing it against his cheek, delighted.

He had already checked it and saw that not a single thing was missing, and he was extremely pleased.

Aotian was amused by the scene.

"Is your last name Bao, by any chance?" he couldn't help but ask.

"Huh? No, my last name is Bai, and my name is Yan," the young man replied, shaking his head.

Aotian nodded and introduced himself as well.

"Hmm… Long Aotian."

"No, I already told you, my name is Bai Yan," the young man responded again, blinking innocently.

Aotian's lip twitched. Then he rolled his eyes. He wouldn't fall for that.

"Alright, Bai Dan (white egg), and the person you want to heal? You can bring her directly and take her to the alchemy pavilion. They'll help you. I'll cover the contribution point expenses myself. Or, if you prefer, I can give you the equivalent amount in spirit stones, and you can find an alchemist outside. But I don't recommend that. The sect's specialists are on a level far above anyone you'll find outside."

Aotian explained calmly.

This time, it was Bai Yan's mouth that twitched—not only because Aotian didn't fall for his joke, but also because he pretended to mess up his name on purpose. But once Aotian began talking about the serious matter—the one that mattered most to him—he let all of that go.

Reflecting for a moment and not hesitating too long, he chose the first option.

Only a Founder-Tier alchemist could create something capable of curing his sister, and that's why it was so expensive that he had to save up for so long. On top of that, there was a real risk of being robbed, since he had no strength to defend himself against a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"Senior brother, I'll go with the first option," Bai Yan responded seriously.

"Good. Bring the person to the alchemy pavilion, on the sect's flying ship. You should have received the map and know where it is. I'll be waiting for you there," Aotian said, and receiving a nod from Bai Yan, he turned and left.

Bai Yan didn't stay idle either and ran straight home.

Meanwhile, Aotian descended to Rihai's room to call her, but she didn't come out. She seemed to be in a critical moment of advancement in her cultivation, so he didn't insist and left without her.

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I don't know if you're enjoying this arc. While I personally like it, I'm not sure about you.

But for those who aren't, don't worry—the next chapter will wrap up this arc, and then a big time skip will happen.