Chapter Twenty-Five: The First Round of Examinations

At long last, the day had arrived—the annual inner sect disciple martial examination of the Xuantian Sword Sect was being held today.

The examination consisted of two stages. In the first, all outer sect disciples could participate. Each candidate was required to complete a Grade B hunting mission within a single day. The type of demon beast to hunt was unrestricted, but the beast had to be slain alone, without assistance. If any cheating was discovered, the candidate would be disqualified from this year’s contest.

Those who completed the initial task would advance to the second round.

In the second round, all qualifiers were paired off by drawing lots for one-on-one duels. Ultimately, who would enter the inner sect would be determined by the sect master and three elders, who would confer together. Some years, no one was selected; other years, if many showed exceptional talent, extra candidates might be admitted as an exception.

In previous years, Li Sibai's cultivation had always stagnated at the second level of the Early Phoenix Stage. He had never passed the first trial, let alone made it to the duels.

But this year was different. He had successfully broken through to the fifth level of the Early Phoenix Stage and was on the verge of reaching the sixth. His chances of passing the first test had greatly increased.

Of course, for someone at the fifth level of the Early Phoenix Stage, hunting a Grade B demon beast was still a challenge. This required some auxiliary skills.

Some candidates would seek out demon beasts with attributes vulnerable to their own, increasing their chances of victory. Others would temporarily boost their combat strength with elixirs—such as the basic Xuantian Jade Purity Pill, which could accelerate the flow of internal true energy for about a minute, or the more advanced Xuantian Jade Purity Elixir, whose effects lasted nearly ten minutes. If one unleashed a fierce attack during this window, it was often enough to secure victory.

This year, fewer than a hundred people had registered for the inner sect examination—many, like the old Li Sibai, simply felt the gap in strength was too great to risk it. After all, facing a Grade B demon beast without absolute confidence carried real dangers.

In the days leading up to the exam, Li Sibai had accepted several Grade B hunting missions, but perhaps due to ill luck or not venturing deep enough, he had not encountered a suitable target—either the attributes were mismatched, or the beasts he found were among the strongest of their grade, and he lacked the confidence to prevail.

Demon beasts and celestial beasts were ranked thus: Super S was the highest, followed by Grade A, then B, then C. Each grade was divided into high, middle, and low tiers. With his current abilities, Li Sibai could only handle the lower tier of Grade B beasts; for the middle tier, he would need extraordinary performance. Caiyao, his celestial beast companion, was at the low tier of Grade A—reaching Grade A enabled one to assume human form. However, Caiyao was not especially strong offensively; her primary role was to enhance the attributes of teammates. If she advanced to the middle tier of Grade A, she could provide a 10% attack boost—already a considerable advantage.

After collecting their assignments in the main hall, everyone set out for the Dark Forest. Each candidate was secretly accompanied by an inner sect disciple to ensure their safety in case of danger—and to supervise them against cheating. Naturally, if there was no danger, these shadows would not reveal themselves.

Li Sibai, having accepted his task, headed toward the Dark Forest, Caiyao nestled in his arms. Though she could not yet augment his abilities, they were inseparable, seldom apart.

He soon reached the forest’s edge, only to find that nearly everyone had arrived at the same time. Li Sibai frowned—so many people entering at once, all seeking Grade B demon beasts—how would anyone find a suitable target? Even though Grade B missions had been suspended for two months prior to the exam, it was still not easy to encounter the right beast.

While he hesitated, the other disciples who had arrived first were already streaming into the forest.

What should he do? With only a day to complete the mission, failing simply because he couldn’t find a beast would be a ridiculous outcome.

By now, most had already entered; only a handful of people chose to circle the forest’s perimeter before going in, perhaps hoping to increase their chances of finding a Grade B demon beast.

Seeing that the crowd had thinned, Caiyao poked her head out and asked, “Brother, are you worried you won’t find a suitable demon beast?”

Li Sibai nodded. “Yes, with so many entering at the same time, I really am concerned.”

“That’s easy to fix. Wait here for me; I’ll go to the Old Tree Spirit and ask him to use his kin to sense where there’s a suitable beast, then guide you straight there,” Caiyao said cheerfully.

“Is that all right? The Old Tree Spirit and those demon beasts are all part of the demon clan. Wouldn’t this put him in a difficult position?” Li Sibai’s face showed his uncertainty—he was instinctively inclined to refuse, feeling this wasn’t quite fair.

“How about this—I’ll ask him first. Meanwhile, you search on your own. If you find a suitable target, great; if not, he can sense your location. If he’s willing, he’ll guide you; otherwise, you’re on your own,” Caiyao said, her large eyes blinking hopefully. She couldn’t yet enhance his attributes, but she wanted to help her brother in any way she could.

Li Sibai understood her feelings. He replied gently, “Caiyao, I rely on you every day just to train—without you, I’d never have come this far. You’ve already helped me immensely.”

“I understand, brother. Then I’ll stay with you.”

“Yes! Let’s go together!”

Li Sibai had considered such a method before, but as he’d said, he didn’t want to trouble the Old Tree Spirit, and, unspoken, he felt it would be an unfair victory. If he needed outside help just to pass the first round, how could he ever grow stronger?

So, he decided to confront these challenges himself—though Caiyao would always be by his side.

With his resolve set, Li Sibai no longer hesitated. Like those few other disciples, he chose to circle a wide arc around the Dark Forest before venturing in.

But this detour took him until midday.

The Dark Forest was truly immense—after walking about ten kilometers around its edge, Li Sibai found himself in a part rarely visited by others, deep within the forest’s heart.

It was a familiar feeling.

These days, he came here to train almost daily. Though he only hunted Grade C demon beasts, and today’s entry point was different, he had once ventured to the forest’s deepest core. Knowing his friends and even the sect’s ancestral founder had been there, he now felt a sense of kinship with this place. Besides, within his own body surged battle energy—a power found only among the demon and devil clans!

Li Sibai lifted his head and smiled, gazing at the vast, sunless expanse of the Dark Forest before him. He said to Caiyao, “Are you ready? Let’s go!”