Chapter Twenty-Four: The Selection Examination

Both men revealed their weapons: Mo Yun wielded a Seven-Star Sword, its seven gemstones sparkling brightly even in the daytime, dazzling to the eye. Li Sibai took out his Xuantian Sword, its tip planted in the ground; the sword was entirely jet black, showing no signs of exceptional craftsmanship.

Li Sibai had always respected his elder brother. They had grown up together, cultivated together. Today’s duel was, in his mind, a test of himself—a chance to show his brother the fruits of his training.

With this thought, Li Sibai activated his Xuantian Technique, channeling his internal energy into the Xuantian Sword. Instantly, the sword seemed to come alive, enveloped in a golden radiance, transformed from its previous appearance.

Unexpectedly, the Seven-Star Sword responded as if summoned, its blade quivering slightly. Mo Yun noticed something was off; he had never encountered such a phenomenon. He hurriedly poured his own energy into the Seven-Star Sword to calm it. Only then did the sword settle, soothed by its master's call.

Mo Yun was secretly astonished. This black longsword seemed unremarkable, yet it could resonate with his Seven-Star Sword. Clearly, it was not to be underestimated.

He cautioned himself to be vigilant, refrained from attacking, and waited for Li Sibai to make the first move.

Just then, an inner sect disciple entered the courtyard. He seemed about Li Sibai's age. Upon seeing Mo Yun, he cupped his hands and said, "Brother Mo Yun, the sect leader asks you to come at once."

Mo Yun hastily sheathed his Seven-Star Sword and cupped his fists to Li Sibai, "Little Bai, it seems time is short today. I must go now. Next time, we’ll have another match."

Li Sibai quickly put away his Xuantian Sword, which had no scabbard and was simply slung across his back.

"Brother, go ahead. Whenever you're done, you can find me," Li Sibai said with a cheerful smile.

After bidding farewell to Mo Yun and Uncle Cai, Li Sibai took some meat and returned to his room.

Caiyao had been waiting impatiently; as soon as Li Sibai entered, she leapt from his arms, a hint of drool at the corner of her mouth—she was waiting for her meal.

Li Sibai didn’t laugh at her; he was accustomed to this behavior. He placed the meat before her, poured her a cup of water, and went off to wash up. After spending the night outdoors, he was covered in dust.

When Li Sibai returned from washing, Caiyao had finished off the meat, even burping contentedly. Li Sibai smiled at her:

"Caiyao, if you always follow me, how will you solve your meals? You can’t always rely on Uncle Cai’s roasted meat."

Caiyao nodded, smiling. "You’re right, brother. Uncle Cai’s meat is tasty, but it only fills my stomach. If I want to cultivate and advance, I need rare medicinal herbs—like that snow lotus from last time, or golden sun fungus, heavenly fruit, things like that. But you don’t need to worry. Just accompany me to the Dark Forest when you have time, and I’ll find my own food."

"Oh, and I need parts from high-level beasts that can be used as medicine—like snake gall, musk, dragon bones… If you find any, save some for me. I don’t eat much," Caiyao said, blinking her large, watery eyes, so endearing that one couldn’t help but love her.

Li Sibai nodded, thinking she didn’t eat much, but kept his thoughts to himself. He hesitated a moment and said, "Is it dangerous for you to go alone? Maybe I should accompany you."

Caiyao shook her head. "It’s fine, brother. The old tree spirit in the Dark Forest takes care of me. Just take me to the edge—I’ll be safe. You can hunt more beasts for me."

"Alright, seems that’s the way," Li Sibai agreed, considering his own cultivation was still too weak for the depths of the Dark Forest, so he didn’t insist.

Their days settled into a routine. Each morning, Li Sibai went to the main hall to pick up tasks, most of which involved hunting yellow-grade beasts. He could slay these without much effort now, only avoiding larger packs.

Caiyao accompanied him to the Dark Forest; once inside, they parted ways. She went to the hot springs deep within to eat rare herbs, then sang and chatted with the old tree spirit. In the afternoon, she met Li Sibai at their agreed spot to return together.

At night, when all was quiet, Caiyao used her seven-colored aura to help Li Sibai cultivate his Xuantian Technique. With all the delicacies she ate at the hot springs during the day, she had more energy to aid his training at night.

With her help, Li Sibai progressed rapidly, his internal energy growing steadily.

As he completed tasks, he accumulated more Xuantian Jade Purity Pills, soon amassing two hundred, which he exchanged for two Xuantian Jade Purity Elixirs. Relying on Caiyao’s assistance in training, he didn’t need these for now and stored them away. He now had six elixirs, not many compared to wealthy disciples, but for himself, it was considerable progress.

Since their last meeting, Mo Yun seemed to have left again, not visiting for several days. Li Sibai asked Uncle Cai, who hadn’t seen him either. Li Sibai wasn’t surprised; his brother was always elusive.

Despite Li Sibai’s daily comings and goings, few paid attention to the black sword he carried—its plain appearance led everyone to believe it was a failed creation. Some even mocked him:

"Hey, isn’t that our outer sect loser? Where did you get a black iron sword? Doesn’t look impressive, huh?"

"You don’t get it. He can’t afford a real sword; probably made it himself, just messed up the forging."

Everyone burst out laughing.

Li Sibai didn’t mind; he simply etched these words into his memory.

Another month passed. Li Sibai felt his internal energy was nearing its limit, signaling he was approaching the bottleneck at the fifth level of the Phoenix Initial Realm. He needed a breakthrough to reach the sixth level.

And now, the annual selection exam for inner sect disciples was drawing ever closer.