Qin Yu woke up from the illusion, and as his memories from the real world and the illusion fused together, he felt a sense of detachment, as if it had been a lifetime ago.

"That’s it? So, what exactly was the third test? Was it about petting dogs?"

Qin Yu remembered that all he did in the illusion was pet a dog for a while before being transported out.

"No wonder they say the third test of the Xuantian Sect is so abstract. After finishing it, no one even knows what they were tested on."

"I thought I could easily handle it with my nine years of compulsory education, but I didn’t expect the test to be this abstract."

"Really, I don’t get it at all!"

Qin Yu glanced at his backpack, and to his surprise, the stinky tofu wrapped in yellow paper had vanished into thin air.

"Can the illusion really affect reality?"

"Wait a minute!"

Qin Yu suddenly realized something. "That dog ate my stinky tofu and didn’t even pay! Damn it, it didn’t even ask about my Blood Domain Butcher title. To eat my food for free... it’s practically asking for death!"

More and more people began waking up, and discussions among them became increasingly heated.

Qin Yu moved closer to listen to the opinions of others, but the more he heard, the less he understood.

What little girl?

What about whether or not to save her?

What was this about being eaten by a monster?

What kind of nonsense was this? Were we even in the same test?

Qin Yu didn’t even see a single mosquito in the illusion, let alone a little girl.

The so-called monstrous demon with fiery flames was nothing but a small black dog—clingy and cute, with a patch of white fur on its paw, like it was wearing little white gloves. It had a crescent moon mark on its forehead and two cartoonish wing patterns on its back, making it look adorable.

If it were up to Qin Yu, he would have wanted to adopt one.

As he listened to more, Qin Yu finally understood what was going on.

"Ha, so it’s all about face, huh?"

"These people must be just like me, not understanding what the test was about. But to avoid showing their ignorance, they’re making up stories about a little girl."

"Once one person says something, the others just follow along to save face."

Qin Yu had seen plenty of people like this in his past life—groups of people who didn’t know anything, but could talk about it as if they were experts. The more they discussed, the more absurd things got.

"Well, these so-called geniuses with spirit roots sure are logical in their made-up stories. It sounded so convincing that, with my own intelligence, I didn’t even notice any loopholes."

"If I hadn’t been through it myself, I might have believed their nonsense too."

Qin Yu muttered to himself and quietly walked away, too lazy to play along with these people who loved to boast.

Some time later, Elder Hu Tian, the second elder, walked to the front of the crowd.

Although Qin Yu was standing right next to him, he didn’t dare test the second elder’s talent.

He wasn’t sure about the second elder’s strength, and if the elder noticed, it would be troublesome.

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"Based on everyone’s performance in the third test, the sect leader and the elders have conducted a thorough analysis and have now finalized the list of successful applicants!"

"Those whose names are called, come forward to register!"

"Li Meng!"

"Zhao Tianhai!"

"Wang Xinyu!"

...

"Qin Yu!"

Upon hearing his name, Qin Yu wasn’t surprised in the slightest.

"Ha, looks like those people were just bluffing." Qin Yu sneered inwardly.

The others who had their names called up walked forward to register, and the rest anxiously looked at Elder Hu Tian, hoping their names would be next.

Tang Aotian, with his arms crossed, patiently waited for his name to be called. He was very confident. After all, he had a top-grade spirit root. How could the Xuantian Sect possibly eliminate him?

After calling out more than three hundred names, Elder Hu Tian slowly closed the register and announced:

"Everyone else may leave. The recruitment process is officially over for this year!"

The group of those not called out let out a collective groan, their spirits deflated as if struck by a cold wind.

Still waiting for his name to be called, Tang Aotian felt like he had been struck by a thunderbolt.

"Why wasn’t my name called?"

"It must be a mistake!" Tang Aotian yelled, confronting Elder Hu Tian.

"Oh?" Elder Hu Tian responded indifferently, "If your name wasn’t called, that means you didn’t pass. You can try again next year."

"It’s impossible! I didn’t die in the third test! Why would I be eliminated? You must have made a mistake!"

As soon as he spoke, many others who hadn’t had their names called began to protest as well.

"I didn’t die either! Why am I not on the list?"

"Exactly! I escaped from the demon’s mouth! Why am I eliminated?"

Elder Hu Tian snorted coldly, and immediately, a pressure swept over everyone. The crowd fell silent in an instant.

"My sect has its own criteria for judgment. There is no mistake here. Please leave now!"

"Blackmail! This is definitely blackmail!"

Tang Aotian, seeing that others were supporting him, grew even more arrogant.

Suddenly, he spotted Qin Yu, who was registering, and shouted loudly.

"Why did this guy with only a low-grade spirit root get in, but I, with a top-grade spirit root, got eliminated? This is definitely shady!"

Qin Yu, who had been happily watching the spectacle, froze, feeling as though he had just been hit by a flying melon.

As soon as Tang Aotian started stirring up trouble, the others who had been eliminated joined in.

"Shady!"

"Why did the people with low-grade spirit roots pass while I got eliminated!"

They all still held onto a shred of hope—if the Xuantian Sect gave them another chance, it would be a huge gain. After all, they were already eliminated, so they had nothing to lose.

The chants grew louder and louder.

Elder Hu Tian’s face grew darker. While he could easily force these juniors to leave, this situation had escalated. If not handled properly, it could affect next year’s recruitment and even the years to come.

And, many of these juniors had powerful backgrounds. Offending one or two would be fine, but offending all of them would be disastrous for the Xuantian Sect.

After all, cultivating immortality wasn’t just about fighting and killing—it was about relationships and power dynamics.

Elder Hu Tian pondered over how to resolve this.

"Do I really have to announce the criteria for passing the third test?"

"The Xuantian Sect never explains things publicly. If I break the tradition here, I’ll be ridiculed by the other elders in the future!"

Elder Hu Tian glared at Tang Aotian, practically wishing he could strip the man of his skin and bones.

"Once this is over, your backers had better give me a reasonable explanation."

Suddenly, a voice rang out, cutting through the tension and intimidating everyone.

"I was chosen because I’m better than all of you!"

"Whoever disagrees, come up and try me!"

Qin Yu stood with his hands on his hips, pointing at the crowd. With a smug tone, he said, "I’m not targeting anyone, but all of you here are trash!"

Elder Hu Tian glanced down at his own legs, silently using his spiritual power to hover just a centimeter above the ground.

Qin Yu waved his hand toward Tang Aotian and said, "Top-grade spirit root, huh? Want to prove it? Come and fight me. If you win, I’ll let you join the sect."

Tang Aotian retorted, "You lowly peasant! What you say doesn’t matter!"

Qin Yu, with a smug grin, replied, "How do you know what I say doesn’t matter?"

Tang Aotian responded, "You think you have the final say?"

Qin Yu casually replied, "Of course I don’t."

Tang Aotian was speechless.

Qin Yu turned to Elder Hu Tian, politely asking, "Elder Hu Tian, do you think it’s okay?"

Elder Hu Tian inwardly sighed, thinking, You even know my name...

Elder Hu Tian immediately recognized Qin Yu—the boy with the backpack full of shit. He remembered it well.

At that moment, seeing Qin Yu take the initiative, Elder Hu Tian was actually moved. But the idea Qin Yu suggested left him hesitant.

If Qin Yu could win, then fine. But what if he lost? Would he really let the eliminated people in?

If he set this precedent, what would happen if others started asking for challenges too?

It’s not about having a few challengers, it’s about fairness!

If the situation escalated further, it could be even harder to control than it was now.

As Elder Hu Tian hesitated, he caught a glimpse of Qin Yu’s determined expression, as though he was saying, Leave it to me. It’ll be fine.

Elder Hu Tian made a decision. I’ll take a gamble. He plays with shit, so what’s there to stop him?

"Hmph!"

Elder Hu Tian strode up to Qin Yu and addressed the eliminated group.

"If you want to challenge, you can. If you win, you can get another chance to participate in the third test. But if you lose, your name will be recorded