C10 Enter the Outer Sect

As Zhao Lin neared the peak, a barrier of light unexpectedly surged, blocking his way. "Damn it!" Zhao Lin cursed in anger. He caught the examining disciple's chilling smile as the barrier appeared. Just then, a scream pierced the air. A disciple close on Zhao Lin's heels was riddled with stings, a look of defiance in his eyes as he collapsed, lifeless.

The death served as a grim reminder to all; they started to dodge the incoming projectiles. "The time of one incense stick is almost up. Must I really wait another three years?" Zhao Lin's face twisted in frustration. He didn't know what the light barrier was, but it certainly wasn't part of the sect's official examination. It had to be the other disciple's doing.

"No, I can't wait three more years. I must join the Outer Sect today!" Zhao Lin brandished his dagger, fending off the hidden weapons with a resolve he had never felt before. "It's now or never!" He slapped his Spatial Pouch, and a flurry of black flags, left by Chen Quan, appeared—more than ten of various sizes. The sight of the flags made the Outer Sect disciple's face fall.

"Explode!" Zhao Lin had refined all ten flags. Pressed against the barrier, and at Chen Xu's command, they detonated with a thunderous roar. The formidable blast caused the barrier to tremble and cracks to form. "Break!" With only a second to spare, Zhao Lin, dagger in hand, leaped at the fissure.

"Time's up!" The Outer Sect disciple overseeing the test began to speak, just as Zhao Lin burst through the barrier, tumbling onto the peak. "Senior Brother, I have fulfilled my duty!" Zhao Lin rose to his feet, his smile pure. "Lucky you," the examiner muttered coldly before turning to leave. As the examiner turned away, the smile vanished from Zhao Lin's face, and he followed.

Among those who had taken the assessment with Zhao Lin, he was the only one to succeed. Without that barrier, even if not everyone could have passed, surely a majority would have. That an ordinary disciple could secretly make the test harder was outrageous. Zhao Lin couldn't help but think that these past two days had been quite eventful, certainly more so than the monotonous months before.

The Outer Sect disciple quickly made his way to the plaza. Surrounded by palaces, each building's signboard indicated a unique purpose. "The third trial is the test of wakan. If your wakan can illuminate this stone pillar, you'll be admitted into the Outer Sect!" Despite his reluctance, the disciple could only hope that Zhao Lin's wakan would fail to light the pillar.

However, what stood before them was not a mere stone pillar, but a Spirit Measuring Wall, specifically designed to assess the purity of a cultivator's wakan. The purer the wakan, the more intensely the wall would glow. Without wakan, one would struggle even to approach the wall, likely the reason the disciple withheld the truth from Zhao Lin.

Years of survival in the wilderness had honed Zhao Lin's instinct for danger. Despite the disciple's earnest demeanor, Zhao Lin sensed deceit. Yet, this was his sole opportunity, and he wasn't about to walk away. As he neared the Spirit Measuring Wall, an invisible force seemed to surge into his dantian before swiftly withdrawing. Was this the wall's way of testing his wakan?

Zhao Lin whirled around to catch the disciple masking his disappointment. A slight shift in Zhao Lin's expression suggested he might have uncovered the crucial secret the disciple was concealing. Advancing a few more steps without incident, Zhao Lin noticed a palm print on the wall within arm's reach. Before Chen Xu could inquire, the indifferent expression of the disciple told him all he needed to know. Zhao Lin placed his hand firmly on the print.

The moment his palm made contact with the wall, a fierce suction force gripped him. The wakan Zhao Lin had diligently cultivated was being drawn out through his palm and into the wall. "Damn it, it's a trap!" Zhao Lin cursed, struggling to stem the flow of his wakan while desperately trying to free his hand.

The disciple, initially taking pleasure in Zhao Lin's distress, turned his attention to the Spirit Wall's reactions. A soft halo began to emerge from the wall, growing brighter as more of Zhao Lin's wakan was siphoned away. As the wall's luminescence intensified, the disciple's schadenfreude gave way to a look of solemn envy.

Zhao Lin sensed that something was amiss when he felt the wakan within his dantian was on the verge of being completely siphoned off. Thankfully, the outflow of wakan ceased. The stone pillar before him had undergone a transformation; it was no longer the dull, lackluster black it once was, but now shone like exquisite jade. The resplendent glow was fleeting, and as it faded, the wakan that had been forcibly drawn out flowed back into his dantian through his arm, allowing Zhao Lin to breathe a sigh of relief.

"You've passed the assessment. From today on, you're a member of the Outer Sect. Follow me to collect your promotion credentials!" Zhao Lin retracted his hand, and the Outer Sect disciple cast an envious glance at him. They left the square, passed through a palace, and Zhao Lin realized that this was the actual Outer Sect territory. The previous location was merely the entrance to the Outer Sect, with the Spirit Testing Wall serving as an unmistakable symbol.

"Senior Brother, he's the only one from my group who passed the test. Please issue the promotion credentials!" Chen Xu had just noticed that the other group of disciples had mostly succeeded in their tests. Observing their composed expressions and spotless garments, Zhao Lin had an epiphany. The middle-aged man overseeing the test looked at Zhao Lin in astonishment and handed him a token, instructing him to report to the relevant elder.

Once Zhao Lin had departed, the middle-aged man stared incredulously at Zhao Lin's retreating figure and muttered, "Did you go easy on him? Otherwise, how could he possibly be your match?" "I didn't go easy on him. The kid just got lucky. Besides, there are plenty in the Outer Sect eager to take him down. We might as well sit back and enjoy the drama," the young disciple replied with a detached smirk.

After several inquiries, Zhao Lin finally located the elder responsible for disciple promotions. Upon inspecting the token, the elder presented Zhao Lin with two sets of pristine garments and a variety of other items. His new residence, a thatched hut, was a far cry from the cramped quarters of the service area. Settling into his hut, Zhao Lin organized his belongings and donned a fresh Taoist robe. The grey robe was modest in appearance, yet it hung on Zhao Lin with a sense of neat efficiency.

Shortly after Zhao Lin stepped into the thatched hut, news swept through the Outer Sect like wildfire. "Zhao Lin has joined the Outer Sect!" While Zhao Lin's name was not widely known, mention the youngster who, six months earlier, had audaciously clutched Xie Ling's leg to gain entry into the sect, and you'd find no shortage of Outer Sect members grinding their teeth in frustration, seething with the desire to tear apart the impudent brat who had dared to defile their revered goddess.