Xuandan Sect boasted a count of one hundred thousand Outer Peak disciples, distributed across hundreds of Outer Peaks, meaning on average, each had at least one thousand.
Although there might be some exaggeration, the figure wasn't far from the truth.
Little Lingxu Peak, being one of the Outer Peaks, fell in the ranks of moderate strength.
For such an Outer Peak, the peak master would usually be a cultivator at the peak of the ninth layer of Qi Cultivation, not a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
Only those ranked at the top, the masters of the twenty leading Outer Peaks, would be held by Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators.
And the ranking of the Outer Peaks was judged by only one standard.
That was the Spirit Vein.
Although all were Second-stage Spirit Veins, the difference in the richness of spirit energy between a mere Second-stage Spirit Vein and one close to the Third-stage could be as much as threefold.
Three times might not seem much, but the disparity in cultivation progress was significant.
After all, this was a Spirit Vein, one of the most important cultivation resources in the Cultivation World.
At this moment, Han Yi found himself at the principal node of this crucial cultivation resource.
Though it was only Second-stage, the concentration of spirit energy was the highest Han Yi had experienced since he had arrived in this world.
However,
Han Yi didn't attempt to break through in the cultivation chamber.
Firstly, he had only ten days, and with the assessment starting after that period, he didn't want to risk being in the midst of a breakthrough and miss the Sect Returning Assessment, not even for a moment.
Secondly, even if he did manage to break through within these ten days, his control over mana right after would be far from perfect. Rather than aiding his Pill Refining Skill, it would likely result in errors due to mana control issues during the pill refining process, causing mistakes and possibly ruining the procedure.
Moreover, he did not indulge himself in grinding to improve his skill level.
Stationed in the Sect's cultivation chamber, he felt a sense of safety like never before.
Throughout these ten days, he did nothing but hone his physical mana, adjusting and tuning his state to its optimal condition.
If others knew he had spent ten Spirit Stones to rent the cultivation chamber for ten days merely to adjust his state, they'd likely curse him for squandering resources.
But Han Yi didn't care, his focus was on safely returning to the Sect.
Only by returning to the Sect and securing a safe environment could he carry out his next plans.
...
Ten days later, Han Yi emerged from seclusion, his eyes sparkling and body brimming with energy, surrounded by an aura of Immortal Qi.
After leaving the cultivation chamber, Han Yi first headed to the place at Little Lingxu Peak where Outer Disciples could purchase Spiritual Medicine and herbs, and he used Spirit Stones to buy thirty sets of Nurturing Qi Pill materials and twenty sets of exorcise evil spirits pill materials.
Then, he went straight to the Vermilion Bird Peak's Sect Management Great Hall.
Upon arriving at the Great Hall, he looked to see if Guan Sheng was on duty today, only to find Guan Sheng absent. He gave up the idea and approached another duty-bound senior brother, presenting his Sect Identity Token.
"Senior brother, I am Han Yi. After failing to meet the point requirements a year ago, I was sent down the mountain. Today marks the end of that year, and I have come to apply for the Sect Returning Assessment. I'd appreciate your assistance, senior brother."
The duty-bound senior brother took Han Yi's Identity Token without showing any expression, checked it, and once the recorded information matched what Han Yi provided, he nodded his head.
Every year, many Sect disciples from external assignments apply for the Sect Returning Assessment after their year is up.
However, few truly pass the assessment, with most merely trying their luck.
So, the senior brother didn't give Han Yi another glance, simply recorded the information, and handed back a temporary assessment badge along with Han Yi's Sect Token.
"Take this badge and head to the Alchemy Hall's backyard at Black Tortoise Peak. There, you'll find managers specially assigned to review the Sect Returning Assessments. They will assess you. Go now."
Han Yi carefully stored the assessment token and nodded in thanks.
...
Black Tortoise Peak was one of the nine Inner Peaks of the Xuandan Sect.
This was not Han Yi's first visit, and he had already inquired about the Sect Returning Assessment process for external disciples before.
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On Black Tortoise Peak, he had to find the duty stewards in the Alchemy Hall and refine pills on the spot. The stewards would assess the disciple's pill refining skill level through the quality of the pills he produced.
Such an examination was conducted by stewards at the eighth or ninth Qi Cultivation Stage, so the requirements were generally more stringent than the annual hundred-point requirement for outer peak disciples.
Hence, there was a saying that the difficulty of returning to the sect after being dispatched was much greater.
But for Han Yi, this trip posed no fear.
His strength was laid out before him, his confidence in his Alchemy Skill absolute, his resolve set on success.
If he couldn't make it, he believed no dispatched disciple could possibly succeed in returning to the sect.
Upon reaching Black Tortoise Peak and entering the Alchemy Hall on the peak, he proceeded directly to the backyard.
The backyard.
To Han Yi's surprise, there were already seven people ahead of him.
These seven, like Han Yi, were all outer disciples applying for the return to sect examination.
Han Yi didn't know them and had no intention of initiating conversation.
But one of the youths, who seemed to be quite sociable, attempted to approach Han Yi to gather information. With a few succinct sentences and an evident lack of desire to chat, Han Yi rebuffed him, leaving the youth to depart uninterested.
The queue moved quickly. The disciples who emerged after their assessments all wore dejected expressions, including the sociable young man, who was deeply furrowed in thought over his own mistakes, his face a mask of unwilling resignation.
He glanced emotionlessly at Han Yi, huffed softly, and then left, thinking to himself, "It'll be your turn soon—everyone is the same."
When it was Han Yi's turn, he stepped inside.
There were three stewards on duty for the day's assessments.
One was an elderly man in his sixties, another a ruddy-faced young man in his thirties, and lastly a woman in her forties with a full figure.
The elderly steward accepted Han Yi's examination token without expression, perused the information it contained, and finally looked up to meet Han Yi's gaze, nodding slightly.
"Returning from the mountain after a year, your realm has risen from the second stage of Qi Cultivation to the third and you are but a step away from the fourth, judging by your aura."
"Your spirit seems quite commendable."
"You appear to be full of confidence."
"This is good."
After saying these words, the elderly steward handed back the examination token to Han Yi, then cut straight to the chase and asked, "Which type of pills are you skilled at refining?"
"Reporting to Elder Uncle, I have been refining Nurturing Qi Pills for many years and have gained profound insights into their refinement," Han Yi replied respectfully.
In Xuandan Sect, the titles were not strictly rigid.
Usually, if at the same realm, say both in the Qi Cultivation Stage, they would address each other as 'brother.'
If they were of two different realms, as with Foundation Establishment Stage and Qi Cultivation Stage, Qi Cultivation Stage Cultivators would address those of the Foundation Establishment Stage as Elder Uncle or Elder Master.
Of course,
This was the norm. Even low- to mid-level Qi Cultivation Cultivators, when faced with important figures at the Late Stage of Qi Cultivation, would add an 'Elder Uncle' as a sign of respect.
Thus, to show his respect, Han Yi referred to the Late Stage Qi Cultivation steward as Elder Uncle.
The elderly steward nodded, "Good, let's proceed with the Nurturing Qi Pill."
The other two stewards, the young man and the woman, showed no objection to the decision of the elderly steward.
With disciples applying for the return to sect examination every day, these procedures had become routine.
Hearing the decision, Han Yi took a deep breath, stepped back, took out a bronze-coloured hexagonal pill furnace from his storage bag, then began arranging the newly-purchased Nurturing Qi Pill ingredients around it.
Next, he prepared Spirit Sand, Spirit Coal, and various auxiliary materials.
Then he began pill refining right there on the spot.
Such was the process for the return to sect examination, simple and straightforward.
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