Early in the morning.
Yuan Liang and a group of strangers were gathered on a large square.
As long as he passes, he will become an inner sect disciple.
Everyone looked up at the grand mountain bathed in sunlight, which cast a layer of pale gold across its peaks.
They were waiting for the test to join the Inner Sect to begin.
"Wow! This is amazing," a young man nearby exclaimed, rubbing his hands with nervous excitement.
Yuan Liang also felt nervous. "What's your name, brother? I'm Yuan Liang."
The young man, dressed in a fine robe, smiled back. "Nie Zhengyu."
"Brother Yuan, I happen to know the test's content," Nie Zhengyu whispered, leaning in closer to Yuan Liang, eager to show off his knowledge.
Yuan Liang's eyes widened.
He quickly covered Nie's mouth and glanced around nervously.
Thankfully, no one seemed to have noticed.
Yuan Liang let go, and Nie Zhengyu, gasping for breath, nodded.
"Are you sure your information is reliable?" Yuan Liang asked in a hushed tone.
Nie Zhengyu caught his breath, and the two began whispering like spies, almost nose-to-nose.
"Don't worry, I paid a lot of money to get this info from an elder."
Wow, you must have a lot of money, Yuan Liang thought, glancing again at Nie's expensive robe.
"There's only one part to the test."
"The scenario is: a runaway bull is charging toward five people on the roadside, and if it hits them, they'll die."
"There's another person nearby who could be hit instead."
"Do we let the bull hit the five people, or redirect it toward the one person?"
Without hesitation, Yuan Liang said, "Redirect it to hit the one person."
Nie Zhengyu raised an eyebrow, surprised by Yuan Liang's answer.
"Why? If we choose to redirect the bull, we're directly causing someone's death. That doesn't feel right."
Yuan Liang replied, "There won't be time for you to ponder morality. By the time you decide, those five people will already be dead."
"The test isn't about saving people; it's about making quick decisions to minimize losses."
Nie Zhengyu straightened up, a look of realization on his face.
Yuan Liang quickly pulled him back down to keep them inconspicuous.
Nie Zhengyu gave Yuan Liang a thumbs-up. "You're amazing! Without you, I definitely would've failed."
"Just lending a hand; we're brothers, after all," Yuan Liang replied, and they began to compliment each other.
During their conversation, however, neither of them noticed that everything they said was being overheard.
…
Nine individuals in dark robes were watching a projected scene, listening intently.
Elder Huo propped her chin up, looking slightly exasperated.
A tall, thin man beside her grinned. "Is this Yuan Liang you mentioned earlier, Junior Sister Huo?"
The others held their mouths, faces red from stifled laughter.
A long-haired, white-bearded elder couldn't hold back and burst into laughter, pounding his leg.
Soon, all eight except Elder Huo were laughing uncontrollably, clutching their stomachs with tears streaming down their faces.
"Aren't we supposed to be investigating who leaked the test?" Elder Huo said, a little sternly, as a pear blossom-patterned cat leaped into her lap.
With that, everyone's gaze shifted to the tall, thin man.
"Why are you all looking at me? Fine, I admit I leaked it, but that test is a hundred years old!" he protested.
"Junior Brother Bai, that's not fair; you took the payment but didn't share it with us."
"Exactly! Senior Brother Bai, that was selfish. If we had known, we would've sold the test questions, too."
"Yes, we're supposed to be a team, but you betrayed our trust."
Cold sweat appeared on Elder Bai's forehead.
"I'm not giving up the money, but how about a wager?"
The others hesitated, and Elder Huo suddenly placed the cat down, rolled up her sleeves, and took out five pink bills decorated with a large red heart from her ring.
"I bet Yuan Liang will pass the test!" she declared, slamming the bills onto the table.
With Elder Huo's bold move, the others couldn't resist and began placing their own bets.
…
A young man dressed in a white robe, looking quite handsome, slowly floated down from the sky.
All eyes turned to him.
"Everyone, the assessment will begin shortly."
"Please sit cross-legged where you are, and we'll activate the formation soon."
"You will fall into an illusion, but don't be afraid; it won't harm you."
"The quicker you complete it, the higher your score will be. If you don't finish within two hours, you'll be eliminated."
"The standard to pass is to defeat the Wei Kingdom's army."
This young man's name was You Chengjun, an Inner Sect disciple and Elder Yue's primary disciple.
Elder Yue specialized in soul magic and was also adept at illusions.
Though You Chengjun's voice wasn't loud, everyone present could hear it clearly, even those at the back.
Yuan Liang and Nie Zhengyu exchanged glances, eyes wide, wondering if they had heard wrong.
The assessment questions have changed!!!
Before the two could sit down, they felt a wave of dizziness, and when they opened their eyes again, they were no longer in the square.
This time, Elder Yue himself had designed the assessment.
…
A gentle-looking young man opened his eyes; his name was Guan Yushu, born to a tailor's family.
He looked around in confusion, disheveled, clutching a broken sword, his armor stained with blood.
As he took a step, he nearly stumbled.
A nearby soldier with a blood-covered face quickly supported him, saying, "General, please run! I'll cover the rear! The Wei Kingdom's army is almost upon us!"
Information about the assessment gradually flooded Guan Yushu's mind.
"There are two nations here, Wei and Jin, both aiming to conquer the other."
"Jin is weaker than Wei. Am I a general of Jin?"
"My army is in defeat, but one day, I'll surely conquer Wei!"
Along with memories of the background, combat experience poured into his mind, and Guan Yushu fully assumed the role of Jin's general.
Guan Yushu escaped to a cave, feeling this defeat as the deepest shame of his life.
Outside, the wind howled, and rain poured, mirroring his growing despair.
He thought of the soldiers who had willingly stayed behind to protect him, only to be rewarded with defeat.
He looked down at his battered sword, filled with the urge to end his life.
Just as he brought the sword to his neck, he noticed a spider.
The spider was unusual; Guan Yushu had never seen one like it.
It was weaving a web, and each time the storm outside tore it apart, it would start again, undeterred.
The spider failed time and time again, but continued to try without any sign of giving up.
Guan Yushu abandoned the thought of suicide and stared intently at the spider.
Gradually, hope reignited in his eyes.
If a mere spider could be so persistent, could he, a human, have less willpower than it?
After countless failures, the spider finally completed its web.
Guan Yushu felt his fighting spirit rekindle, deciding to regroup and vowed to defeat Wei!
"Hmm?"
He wanted to thank the spider for its inspiration, but suddenly, a mantis appeared and killed the spider.
Watching this, Guan Yushu stroked his chin and said, "Persistence is essential, but strategy is just as important. Striking when the enemy is off-guard can have surprising effects!"
In the end, Guan Yushu used small victories to lure Wei's forces into complacency, then launched a surprise attack with hidden troops, dealing a crushing blow to Wei's main army and securing a great victory.
Guan Yushu had passed the assessment.