Other POV:

In the room within the flying boat, a mirror viewing platform was set up, allowing various elders from different sects to comfortably observe the participants during the second trial. The room was abuzz with discussions as the elders evaluated the performances.

The elders present were:

- Elder Zylith from the Golden Scale Sect

- Elder Tyronis from the Whispering Pines Sect

- Elder Hirion from the Silver Mountain Sect

- Elder Talia from the Crimson Wind Sect

- Elder Kyrran from the Shadow Veil Sect

- Elder Zephyr from the Mystic Moon Sect

- Elder Maelis from the Frostfire Sect

- Elder Soryn from the Azure Sky Sect

Each of these elders was a prominent figure in their respective sects, observing the second trial’s progress with great interest.

Elder Hirion's gaze focused on one of the participants.

"Number 74 shows promise, he's persevering well,"

"Numbers 7, 25, and 132 are also noteworthy. They refuse to give up easily."

Elder Zylith also added, nodding in agreement.

Of course, while it was true that some participants demonstrated commendable performance, not all participants performed well. Many of them faltered under the pressure and stopped where they stood.

"But overall, the quality of this batch seems disappointing,"

Elder Tyronis commented, his voice tinged with dissatisfaction.

Elder Talia sighed.

"Yes, too many of them are stuck below the 100-step mark. It's disheartening."

"Well, it’s to be expected in a remote area like this,"

Elder Zylith added.

Elder Kyrran, looking disinterested in the majority of participants, leaned forward.

"Can we shift the mirror’s focus to the top 30 children?"

"I'm afraid not. We must ensure the fairness of the trial."

Elder Soryn shook his head.

While some elders continued to discuss the participants' performances, others remained silent, disappointed by the overall low quality. By the second trial, nearly 90% of the participants had already been eliminated. Those who failed would not proceed to the third trial. They would be left at the trial site, which was hosted by the Iron Blade Sect. The eliminated participants would have to decide whether to serve as handymen in the Iron Blade Sect or return home on their own. Of course, if any sect chose to take them in, no one would object.

Elder Maelis, observing the participants, turned to his disciple, Faylen, who stood behind him. "What do you think? Have you spotted anyone promising?"

Faylen, who had been intently watching one of the mirrors, was momentarily startled by the question. If Rinne had been present, she would have recognized him as the senior disciple who had performed the Dust Removal technique for her before their departure. Faylen had originally attended the recruitment ceremony simply to accompany Elder Maelis.

As he thought back, he recalled the beggar who had boldly asked him for help before the trip. At that time, Rinne had appeared so androgynous with her short hair and flat chest that he had mistaken her for a boy. That beggar’s boldness had left an impression on him. However, when he searched for the figure in the mirror, he was surprised to find the person near the back of the group, just four from the last. He had expected this “boy” to show some promise, but it seemed he was nothing special after all.

Faylen replied after a moment.

"No, this disciple has not seen anyone worth taking,"

"I see. Your intuition is rarely wrong. If you say so, then perhaps it is as you said."

Elder Maelis nodded, trusting his disciple’s judgment.

Hearing Elder Maelis' words, Faylen felt a momentary urge to respond, but the words caught in his throat. He glanced back at the remaining participants, his interest waning rapidly. Despite the commendable performances from some at the front of the group, none of them seemed to possess the qualities their sect sought.

As time passed, the number of participants still climbing dwindled until only 30 remained—just as Elder Kyrran had predicted. Among these, Number 74 stood out, steadily making his way toward the top. The elders watched intently as he approached the peak, but just as he was about to reach it, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

The room grew silent as Number 74 closed his eyes, and a surge of spiritual energy swirled around him, rapidly being absorbed into his body. The phenomenon didn't go unnoticed by the elders, and a few of them immediately recognized what was happening.

One of the elders exclaimed, his voice filled with astonishment.

"Epiphany! Number 74 is having an epiphany!"

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"Who is this Number 74?!"

Another elder demanded, eager to know the identity of the promising participant.

"Roran Lareth, a fire single spiritual root with 90% purity!"

"No wonder, so that's him!"

Came the answer, causing a ripple of excitement to spread through the room.

Among the excited elders, none were more thrilled than Elder Soryn. His eyes gleamed with anticipation as he watched Roran, recognizing the immense potential this participant possessed.

However, this excitement did not extend to Elder Maelis and Faylen. They remained indifferent, their attention already diverted from the trial. For them, Roran's performance and potential, though impressive, held no significance.

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image [https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3X3YikIe52PUQFmywqyksy9VJRIkEXauZSKxlgHYeTinpNnBlzOBKG4nRt4sCcFGA1Fzn5nYFpBiEbFyUFrvyuvMi4tJsaRU6ahnW6ZL3P9-Qck51Dxd_USYrNwmC0B3PEm0V_4Pm_O15szuZmtwA_DXL0fxGwukUp6T48QZi5CulB8NjU4-rW2Q7QV0/s320/mountain-steps.png]

Rinne POV:

As expected, Rinne’s plan unfolded just as she predicted.

She climbed the steps alongside the other children, carefully keeping pace. But she was careful not to draw too much attention, ensuring she wasn’t among the very last or second to last.

'I need to maintain my position, not too fast, not too slow. Just stay in the middle of the pack.'

Around her, the other participants struggled as well. Some gritted their teeth, pushing forward with all their might. Others, however, were less composed.

A wealthy boy whined, his voice tinged with panic.

"Why is this so hard?! I can’t feel my legs!"

"This is impossible! I’m not going any further!"

Another cried, his face pale as he clutched his chest.

Rinne glanced at the wealthier participants, noticing the stark contrast in their reactions compared to the poorer children.

'They’ve been too pampered and never faced real hardship.'

She stood silently, observing one boy who had started crying and another who looked on the verge of vomiting.

Not long after, a sickening smell filled the air as one of the wealthy boys lost control and urinated where he stood. The embarrassment on his face was clear, but he was too weak to care. Another participant, a girl from a wealthy family, fell to her knees, trembling uncontrollably.

Rinne’s own struggle was becoming more apparent with each step. The pressure felt like a crushing weight on her body, making it difficult to breathe. But she knew better than to push herself too far.

As if on cue, a child nearby collapsed, fainting from the strain. Without hesitation, Rinne decided this was her chance. She slowed down, letting herself fall to the ground, pretending to faint as well.

Time passed, and suddenly, there was a commotion at the top of the stairs. Rinne cracked her eyes open, sensing a surge of spiritual energy gathering at the peak.

'This is it. This is the moment Roran had his epiphany.'

From Roran’s memories, she knew exactly what was happening. The boy experienced an epiphany and was about to break through to the 3rd level of Qi Gathering, and once he did, climbing to the peak would be easy for him.

'Roran Lareth... He’s like a typical protagonist straight out of a Xianxia novel.'

Rinne couldn’t help but find the resemblance uncanny. Roran was born into a branch family of a relatively huge clan. His parents had mysteriously disappeared, and the wealth of his family had been usurped by the main branch. The only thing left to him was a necklace, a memento from his mother.

That necklace turned out to be a planting space, a treasure inherited from his maternal family’s ancestral legacy. No grandpa soul in it, but still, it allowed him to grow herbs without any issues.

Roran had been accepted as a disciple of Elder Soryn in the Azure Sky Sect, a large and prestigious sect. There, he learned various cultivation techniques and alchemy. With his planting space and his knowledge of alchemy, Roran never lacked for pills or elixirs.

'He was living the dream of every Xianxia protagonist. But in the end, even he couldn’t escape his fate.'

Rinne remembered the moment she had killed him in her previous life. She had claimed the treasure for herself, but to her frustration, the planting space could only be used by someone with Roran’s maternal family bloodline. It had been utterly useless to her.

The content of Roran's epiphany was etched in her mind. It involved a profound understanding of the Qi Gathering manual—how to absorb and control spiritual energy, and how to integrate it into the dantian. Roran had tailored the technique to his fire spiritual root, optimizing it to absorb fire-attribute spiritual energy, accelerating his cultivation speed. Unfortunately, most of it was irrelevant to Rinne since she lacked any spiritual root.

However, the inner breathing technique within the epiphany was incredibly useful. It was this method that allowed her to persevere through the trial without fainting. As she lay there pretending to be unconscious, she instinctively regulated her breathing to restore her stamina.

As the spiritual energy concentrated at the peak, the oppressive pressure on the stairs suddenly lessened. The trial became much easier to endure. Realizing this and noting that she had recovered most of her stamina, a thought crossed her mind.

'Should I climb higher? If I reach the 200th step, I can become an outer disciple. That would be much easier than being a handyman.'

If she could became an outer disciple, there was no reason for her to endure the hardships of being a handyman. As for aiming for inner disciple status, she didn't dare as it was too risky. If an elder examined her closely, they might discover her lack of spiritual roots.

Her mind made up, Rinne slowly rose to her feet. She ignored the participants lying on the steps, some of whom had truly fainted, and began climbing again.

A nearby participant murmured, clearly exhausted.

"Is he getting up again?!"

"I thought he was done for..."

Another participant also said with disbelief in his voice.

Rinne paid them no mind, focusing solely on reaching her goal. The steps passed by one after another until finally, she reached the 200th step. She let out a breath of relief as she saw the 200 mark.

'Good. This is far enough. There’s no need to push further.'

She sat down, her body relaxing as she took in the view from the 200th step. She glanced up at the steps above, recalling what she knew from Roran’s memories.

'After the 300th step, the trial introduces illusions. They test the participants’ inner heart. I remember a few people who had embarrassing experiences during this trial—losing control, crying, even soiling themselves like the one below. It’s a tough trial.'

As these idle thoughts crossed her mind, Rinne let herself relax fully. Her body, exhausted from the climb, needed rest.

'I’ll just sleep until the trial ends. There’s no need to do anything more.'

With that, Rinne closed her eyes and drifted off into a light sleep, content with her progress.