Looking at the secluded path, Mu Qing suddenly laughed and shook her head.
"Forget about the second path. I don't want you dying so soon."
"Oh?"
Feng Wuchen's interest was piqued.
"Why is that?"
"Unlike the first path, the formations along the second cannot be controlled and are fraught with mortal peril at every step. Of course, with great risk comes great reward. If anyone makes it to the top via the second path, they are immediately accepted as a core disciple by one of the peaks."
"Interesting!"
Seeing the gleam in Feng Wuchen's eyes, Mu Qing quickly poured cold water on his enthusiasm. "Don't even think about it. Over the past decade, many have tried, including plenty of arrogant geniuses, but not one has returned. Do you understand?"
Feng Wuchen rubbed his chin without responding. His curiosity about the second path wasn't driven by the desire to become a core disciple. Rather, he wanted to see if the deadly formations lived up to their terrifying reputation.
After some consideration, he set the thought aside. His priority was staying in Qingchen Sect to use the power of the Eternal Ice to suppress the fire element within Feng Ning. As for the second path, he could attempt it anytime in the future.
"Tell me about the first path, then."
Mu Qing sighed in relief.
"The first path isn't much to talk about. With your strength, it should be easy. The shorter your completion time, the greater your innate talent appears, which affects your future status and treatment within the sect."
Mu Qing added, somewhat teasingly, "By the way, that dual-spirit-vein genius Lin Wan took less than an hour to go from the foot of the mountain to the gate last year. She's the fastest in the past three years. Don't you want to surpass her?"
Clearly, Mu Qing had investigated Feng Wuchen and knew about his history with Lin Wan. She was trying to provoke him. However, to her disappointment, Feng Wuchen showed no reaction, as if Lin Wan were a stranger.
"I'm not interested in her time. What about Yue Qingyin? How long did she take?"
In Feng Wuchen's eyes, no matter how extraordinary Lin Wan was, she was ultimately someone who relied on shortcuts and was destined for limited success. Only the young woman who had reached Sword Intent Mastery at such a tender age deserved his attention.
"Her?"
Mu Qing's expression changed slightly, and she shook her head.
"Yue Qingyin didn't take this path when she joined the sect."
"What?"
"When she entered three years ago, she was already at the Qi Mastery Realm and was immediately taken as the sect master's personal disciple. Her true breakthrough moment came a year later during the sect tournament. While her peers were still struggling at the early stages of Qi Mastery, she had reached the Golden Body Realm and become a sword cultivator!"
Mu Qing couldn't help but express admiration.
"She's like a myth—an unreachable legend."
Entering the sect and reaching the Golden Body Realm within a year, all while becoming a sword cultivator. How old was Yue Qingyin then? In just two years since she became a sword cultivator, she had mastered both cultivation and the way of the sword. She was only a step away from opening her Sea of Blood and becoming a Sword Grandmaster.
Seventeen years old and already at the Sea of Blood Realm—a Sword Grandmaster. Even in the entire Lingwu Realm, this was an unparalleled talent!
Thinking of this, a faint smile appeared on Feng Wuchen's lips.
Mu Qing caught the detail.
"Why are you smiling? Don't tell me you think you can compare to a genius like Yue Qingyin?"
"What? You don't think you can?"
Mu Qing's smile turned bitter, and she shook her head.
"I can't. No one in this world can match her…"
Feng Wuchen was puzzled. Mu Qing was a spirit cultivator and should have had her own pride. Why was she so disheartened in the face of Yue Qingyin?
After a moment of silence, Feng Wuchen spoke.
"As a friend, let me give you some advice. If you think you're inferior, you'll never surpass her. You have to believe you're stronger to even have a chance of outdoing her. Don't underestimate yourself, and don't underestimate me either!"
With that, Feng Wuchen straightened his back and started up the first path.
"I'm heading up. Take care of my sister for me!"
Watching Feng Wuchen walk away, Mu Qing's gaze became distant. She could feel that Feng Wuchen's pride wasn't blind arrogance but the innate solitude of a true prodigy.
"What secrets do you hold…?"
…
At the path's entrance, Feng Wuchen handed the token from Lu Qing to a disciple before heading up. As Mu Qing mentioned, the path tested new disciples. Gravity formations lined both sides, with pressure increasing the higher one climbed. Only those with sufficient strength or firm resolve could pass.
Despite being only at the Innate Realm, Feng Wuchen was a sword cultivator. Sword cultivators could break all laws with a single strike. In the face of sword intent, the gravity formations were ineffective.
While many struggled and conserved strength, Feng Wuchen was an exception, moving effortlessly even halfway up the path, drawing astonished stares.
Under countless gazes, he maintained his pace all the way to the end. Remarkably, he had taken less than half an hour since he started, possibly setting a new record in Qingchen Sect!
Just as Feng Wuchen was about to step off the path, four elders suddenly appeared. They wore identical robes, each bearing a badge on their chest.
Disciples over thirty lose their status and must either leave or serve the sect. Qi Mastery Realm cultivators can become stewards, while those at the later stages of the Golden Body Realm or the Sea of Blood Realm can become elders.
These four were at the late stage of Qi Mastery, likely stewards sent to receive new disciples. Yet they should have been stationed beyond the endpoint, not within it.
"What is the meaning of this, elders? Why are we being stopped?"
Several exhausted youths asked, confused.
One elder spoke.
"Listen up! The sect has decided to add one more test. Only those who pass it will be considered official disciples of Qingchen Sect!"
The announcement dampened their spirits. They had thought reaching this point secured their place, but now, another test awaited.
"What is the new test?"
"To prevent unworthy individuals from slipping through, we'll check your spirit veins. Those with Yellow Grade or higher can pass."
"What?"
The crowd was dumbfounded. Wasn't Yellow Grade the bare minimum for martial cultivators? How could anyone with inferior spirit veins pass the gravity test?
Among them, only Feng Wuchen's face darkened.
Yellow Grade was an easy requirement, a pointless extra step for most. It was clearly aimed at him.