Ace watched Luo leave with the feathered beast.

'I wonder if I can have a beast companion when I grow strong enough?'

"What an overbearing name." Fatty praised reading the plaque on the pathway.

"This place is also well known outside the sect for upholding the fair judgment in the Immortal Demon Sect, and for millennia, they were able to groom promising disciples that shook the world and became a strong and righteous immortal."

Even Greed, who had kept to himself all this time, looked at the Judgement Palace in awe. On the other hand, Ace was relatively calm, but he was still happy to see such a magnificent place.

'Judgement Palace.' Ace repeated in his head.

While they were looking at the carved words, a young man wearing all white with blue lines walked out from Judgement Palace's door.

The youth saw and waited for them to take out the black medallion. Ace and the other two showed the young man their proof of legitimacy and followed him inside.

Ace looked at the young from top to bottom man while walking behind him.

'This guy must be a member of the Punishers.' He thought as he continued walking.

The four of them reached a giant door.

"Elder Li, I have brought them." The young man announced.

"Enter." The voice from behind the door was dry, but it carried weight and followed the door's opening.

Ace followed the young man and saw a room adorned with marble stones and floating books. The room was spacious with a high ceiling and in the middle of this room was a man who looked like he was in his mid-forties, seated on a floating chair.

Together with Greed and Fatty Yuan, Ace greeted the Elder with cupped hands.

"So you three are the young blood entering the Sect this time. Naturally, the three of you should have already reached Core Formation gaining you the qualifications to enter the Sect, but before becoming official disciples, you must first be judged by the Illusory Heart Mirror." Elder Li spoke as he summoned a five-meter big mirror from thin air.

The mirror had an elegant design, with mesmerizing twisting patterns. An image of a golden bird soaring through the sky was engraved on both ends.

"One by one, you three need to stand in front of the mirror, and it will judge you without bias. If you do not have any ill will for the Sect, nothing will happen to you; however, if any of you carry any bad intention towards the Sect, the Illusory Heart Mirror will judge and send you to the afterlife."

Elder Li explained in detail. The Illusory Heart Mirror was an Immortal Treasure owned by the first sect master, it had terrifying power when used in combat, but the Second Sect Master decided that it would be best to place it in the Judgement Palace, where evil could be rooted earliest.

The Second Sect Master, dubbed the Crimson Moon Demon focused on killing the venomous snake that hid in the shadow. For the ten thousand years he spent as the Sect Master, the Crimson Moon Demon spent Nine Thousand Years plotting to kill every single black sheep inside the Sect.

The Immortal Demon Sect was rid of any treacherous villain that would harm their own. Though the Illusory Heart Mirror was not perfect, its presence alone meant the future disciples would be more trustworthy.

He became known as the catalyst for the Immortal Demon Sect's Ascension to Immortal Rank.

At the present time, under the rule of the Third Sect Master dubbed the Celestial Demon, the Immortal Demon Sect is focused on raising the future pillars of the Sect. However, knowing peace breeds a weaker generation, the Celestial Demon encouraged fierce competition between Elders through their disciples.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Though peace was achieved internally, the number of deaths increased, but disciples became stronger in return.

It could be said that one of the foundations of the current Immortal Demon Sect was built from the Illusory Heart Mirror.

"You're first." Elder Li pointed to Greed, who followed immediately after hearing the instruction to step forward.

Greed stepped forward and stood in front of the Illusory Heart Mirror, where his own image was reflected. Greed's eyes had always been narrowed, making him look intimidating to many people but standing in front of an elder from an immortal sect, Greed's eyes were even narrower than before to the point that he couldn't almost see what was in front of him.

Elder Li shook his head when he looked at Greed, 'Seems like no surprises will appear this time.'

But his expectation was beaten almost immediately when the Illusory Heart Mirror shone at Greed with blinding light.

"What's happening?" cried Greed.

Greed stood in front of the Illusory Heart Mirror, confusing the young man. He had to ask himself if he had done something wrong.

The young Greed panicked, but he steeled his heart and stayed where he was. Knowing he held no grudge towards the Sect, he gathered what confidence he had left and stood his ground. Greed wanted to prove his innocence.

Seeing Greed's body shaking previously, Elder Li didn't put much hope in this test, but the Illusory Heart Mirror reaction only means that a genius was amongst them.

It wasn't known to the public, but the Illusory Heart Mirror has another function other than confirming one's intent, and that's evaluating someone's hidden talent and physique. Some elders even gave it another fitting name - The Golden Mirror of Truth.

In the past, some people performed what many may call miracles when they entered the Sect even though they came from the servant's quarters, and all those people created a scene like Greed's. These miracles were more commonly known as Heaven's Prophecy.

Those who can manifest a Heaven's Phopecy, if allowed to bloom, are known to become Warriors who stand at the very peak.

Elder Li frantically got down from where he was sitting. Elder Li placed two of his fingers on Greed's core, "Relax, I am only sending my heavenly essence in your body to check something; it will be done in five breathes time."

Like Elder Li instructed and Greed eased his bodily muscles and surrendered his meridians to Elder Li.

When Elder Li's heavenly essence entered Greed's body, his eyes showed genuine surprise, "T—this is a Revolving Sun Physique!!"

Ace was standing on one side with Fatty Yuan with dumbfounded expressions.

The two of them didn't know exactly what a Revolving Sun Physique was, but it sounded truly overbearing from how Elder Li was reacting.

"Wow, so he had such an impressive physique? Brother Ace, doesn't this mean I have been living with such an amazing person without me knowing anything? This scary eyes guy is too much for an opening act; I will definitely get overshadowed by him. There go my dreams of standing out on the first day."

Fatty was trying to sound saddened, but the smile on his face betrayed his words. Greed was a friend of his, at least he thinks of him like one, and seeing a friend having a moment like this where he can rise above the rest made Fatty Yuan both want to cheer him on and want to surpass him.

Greed talked to Elder Li for a long time, so he could not return to Fatty Yuan and Ace's side. The other young men present didn't want to continue and wanted nothing more than to talk to Greed, who would become a successful cultivator in the future, so they called the next one.

"You're next." A young man beckoned Fatty Yuan to stand in front of the Illusory Heart Mirror. Fatty Yuan didn't mind how they treated him as he leisurely walked up in front of the Illusory Heart Mirror, and with Elder Li being distracted by Greed, Fatty had nothing to be nervous about.

Fatty Yuan stood in front of the Illusory Heart Mirror and waited for the result. This time everyone's attention was not focused on Fatty Yuan, who was being judged but on Greed.

Who would pay attention to bronze when a diamond was in front of you?

However, their attention was again taken because another blinding light appeared, a phenomenon in no way lacking from Greed's.

Everyone was shocked because this kind of thing where two people were hidden away by chance. But, the one who was more surprised than the people in his surrounding was the one who caused it; Fatty Yuan could not believe that he had some kind of genius-level talent.

Fatty Yuan couldn't believe this was happening and thought that he was in a dream, but when he tried pinching himself on the arm and felt pain, he started laughing.

"Haha, am I also a hidden dragon amongst my peers!? Haha, look, brother Ace and Greed, I am a genius, but you better be careful because the world may end tomorrow!!" Fatty Yuan was rattled to his very core when that bright light appeared. Who doesn't at some dream of being a genius and being someone above the other people?

Elder Li, who had turned his back to Fatty and Ace, once again came back to check Fatty Yuan's body, and just like what he did to Greed, he reminded Fatty Yuan to relax his body and let him take care of it. Unlike with Greed, Elder Li took his time when he checked Fatty's physique.

It took Elder Li a couple of minutes, but he was finally able to make out what was happening, and after he checked, Elder Li's face had a full smile when he announced what was special on Fatty Yuan's body that he was considered as a genius by the mirror.

"The Ancient Devil Emperor bloodline flows in your veins. Haha, this explains your bloated body!!" Elder Li was laughing, but one sentence caught Fatty Yuan's attention.

"Elder Li can I ask what you mean when you said why my body is like this?" Fatty was curious because, for the longest time, he had been trying to slim down and lose all this excess fat so he could move more efficiently; alas, he failed.

"It is simple, the Ancient Devil Emperor's bloodline at its early stages won't let you go slim. Until you reach the right age of eighteen, the Ancient Devil Emperor bloodline will come to life, and most of your vitality will be drained, so if you slim down before your bloodline comes to life, you will become dry rations with your life and vitality being drained out of you until you die. Aiya, but if you didn't know, that could only mean we must provide you with foo so you can prepare for the bloodline's awakening!"

Elder Li didn't mind explaining everything to Fatty Yuan as he was in a good mood at the moment, Elder Li led Fatty to Greed's direction, but he remembered there was one more person who had yet to be judged, 'Is he a genius just like them?' he questioned himself and stayed to watch this Ace.

His expectations were already broken so many times in a single day. Two physiques that would cause envy across the Four Worlds surfaced right before him; he should be happy, but Elder Li wanted to hold hope that Ace was also like them.

'Can he also possess something out of this world?'

Ace was called to stand in front of the mirror after Fatty Yuan. Ace walked at a leisure pace, not too quick and not too slow; he didn't show much emotion like the other two making Elder Li's attention focus even more on him when he finally stood in front of the Illusory Heart Mirror Ace's heart was already racing.

He was praying inside his mind with all his heart, and like the heavens were answering his plea for help, alas, the world was not so kind… the illusory Heart didn't show any reaction and only showed a regular flash of light confirming that he didn't have any ill will.

Ace turned to Fatty and Greed, "It was short, but it seems like we have to part here. Till we meet again."

Ace knew that with the hidden potential that the Fatty and Greed had shown, they would become inner sect disciples, and with his poor performance, Ace was sure that he was bound to become an ordinary outer sect disciple.

But from how he acted, Ace didn't mind being a regular disciple.