As dawn broke, Jiang Cheng stirred from his meditation-induced sleep. His eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the pale morning light filtering through the small window of his cabin. Today was the sect assessment—a rare opportunity for outer disciples to display their progress and perhaps catch the eye of someone important.

His body ached from yesterday's work, ever the usual state of his body, a bit too young to be working in the fields with such intensity.

But his mind felt clear and focused. Today was the assessment. His first real opportunity to gauge his standing among his peers, and seniors as well.

He rose quickly, splashed cold water on his face, and donned his outer sect uniform. A simple gray robe with the sect's symbol embroidered on the back. Though worn thin in places from constant use, he had meticulously kept it clean. Appearances mattered, especially today.

As the morning bell rang across the outer sect compound, disciples emerged from their small cabins like ants from a disturbed hill. The usual buzz of conversation was replaced by a tense silence. Even the most talkative disciples, ones that seemed to be starved of interaction and dialogue, that they didnt mind getting slapped on the back of the head, or scolded by the senior disciples in charge of making sure the younger ones worked properly, and didn't laze around.

They gathered at the familiar stone platform where monthly pill distributions were held. But today, instead of the usual, the appearance of the terror inducing Elder Feng, that no matter Cheng's progress, he felt no weaker. That meant he was at least in the realm above foundation establishment, likely above even that. Instead of the elder, three inner sect disciples stood at its center, their blue and white robes marking them as several stages above the gathered crowd.

"Outer sect disciples. Today, the sect, bless it's grace, will be conducting the Five year assessment test." announced one inner disciple, a young woman with her hair pulled into a tight bun.

"Assessment will be held at the Testing Grounds. Follow Senior Brother Chen."

A murmur passed through the crowd as they moved to comply. The Testing Grounds. Most outer disciples had never been there before. Only the oldest of them, men in their late twenties, who had been through at least one of them before.

Senior Brother Chen, a tall man with a perpetual frown, turned without a word and began walking up a path that branched away from the main compound. The outer disciples followed in silence, climbing higher up the mountain.

It was then that Cheng really noticed it's scale. when he was here at first, it seemed like a ordinary one, but by now, his sharper eyesight allowed him to see past the clouds. And he was horrified. How had he not noticed it's sheer size?

No. it was natural. He had no reason to look upwards. But it's sheer scale was massive.

After twenty minutes of steep ascent, they reached a plateau carved into the mountainside. Jiang's eyes widened slightly at the sight.

A massive stone arena spread before them, at least three hundred zhang across, with stone bleachers surrounding it on three sides.

At its center stood ten stone pillars arranged in a perfect line, each taller than a man and inscribed with strange symbols that seemed to glow faintly even in the daylight.

He had learned those were called array symbols, used to inscribe arrays, and their superior, formations.

"That's the Testing Array." whispered an older disciple behind Jiang. "They say it can measure cultivation to the exact level."

The disciples were directed to sit in the bleachers while inner sect members busied themselves with preparations. Jiang noted several elders arriving, taking seats in a raised pavilion overlooking the arena. Their presence sent another ripple of tension through the gathered outer disciples.

Unlike Elder Feng, they were inner Sect elders, ones waiting for a late bloomer they could take for their peak.

"First group, approach!" called a stern-faced inner disciple.

Ten disciples rose and walked nervously to stand before the pillars. Among them, Jiang recognized Old Gou, a man in his forties who had been in the outer sect for over thirty years.

"When I give the command, channel your Qi and strike the pillar before you." instructed the inner disciple.

"Do not hold back. The pillars are much too strong for a Qi condensation Cultivator to break."

The disciples took their positions, each standing before a pillar.

"Begin!"

One by one, the disciples struck the pillars with their preferred strikes, channeling their Qi. The pillars flashed with different colors as they absorbed the energy. Most glowed a dull orange or yellow, though Old Fan's pillar flashed a bright green.

"Orange is for the third and fourth stages." murmured a nearby disciple. "Yellow for the fifth and sixth, and Green is for the seventh and eighth realms. Right Senior Feifan?"

"yes, junior Zhaogu."

Jiang Chen watched carefully as group after group took their turns. The pattern became clear. Most senior outer disciples, those who had been there five years or more, produced yellows and occasional greens.

A few particularly talented or hardworking ones even managed a pale blue, indicating the ninth stage.

When the groups of newer disciples began their assessments, the colors shifted dramatically. Most pillars barely flickered with a dull red or orange light.

Some didn't change color at all. these disciples had not yet begun true cultivation, their bodies containing only the barest traces of Qi in their dantians.

"Look at that kid from Cabin Seventeen." someone whispered.

"Two years in and still no color."

"Bah. you took four." came the dismissive reply.

Of course, the other party didn't reply, making sure to find the other at a later time. No one was stupid enough to start a argument at this time.

As Jiang observed, he noticed several disciples glancing in his direction, focused on his slightly different robes. His age made him stand out. At fourteen, he was notably younger than most of the First realm cultivators, yet he had already been part of the first realm, for nearly three years, to those knew him. Almost enough to be promoted to a senior Outer member, when his peers had not yet stepped in the path of cultivation.

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A few senior disciples looked at him with mild curiosity, likely tipped off by other more chatty ones, while others his age avoided his gaze entirely, perhaps envious, or not yet knowing his higher growth.

"Hey, prodigy." sneered a voice beside him. Liu Wei, an eighteen-year-old who had joined the sect around the same time as Jiang. "Think you'll make it to red today? Or still stuck in the first stage?"

Jiang ignored him, keeping his eyes on the assessment. He had learned early that responding to such provocations only invited more trouble.

Another group stepped forward—disciples who had joined just a year after Jiang. Most of their pillars glowed dark red or didn't activate at all. One managed a bright red, earning an approving nod from the supervising inner disciple.

"That's Zhang Feng." whispered someone nearby.

"heard he barely missed getting in the inner sect. someone said he wasn't talented enough for it."

Liu Wei snorted. "Second stage in three years? That's nothing special."

"Better than you," retorted another disciple, earning a glare from Liu.

As the morning wore on, Jiang Cheng began to understand his relative position more clearly. Among disciples his age or with similar time in the sect, most struggled to reach even the first stage. Among those who had been there longer, Earning the senior title, the fifth stage seemed to be the average ceiling, with only a few breaking through to the sixth or seventh.

His own fourth stage, while not exceptional compared to the senior disciples, Or even the inner sect, placed him well ahead of his peers. No wonder he had been receiving those looks.

A mix of suspicion, envy, and occasionally, grudging respect."Next group!" called the inner disciple.

Jiang Cheng watched as another ten disciples approached the pillars. Their nervous energy was palpable as they took their positions. He noted that the elders in the pavilion were paying closer attention now, having been mostly disinterested during the earlier groups.

One of the elders—a white-bearded man in formal green robes—leaned forward slightly, eyes narrowed as he observed. Even from this distance, Jiang could feel the weight of his attention. This was someone important, someone who could change a disciple's fate with a single word.

The assessment continued, pillar after pillar flashing in rainbow succession, measuring the accumulated effort of years or the lack thereof. And all the while, Jiang waited for his turn, mentally preparing himself for what was to come.

Jiang Cheng continued to watch as group after group took their turn at the pillars. The excitement of the spectacle had worn off, replaced by a methodical assessment that revealed the stark hierarchy among the outer sect disciples. Most elders had begun casual conversations, their initial interest waning as the testing proceeded according to expectations.

"Group fourty-Seven, approach the pillars!" called the inner disciple overseeing the assessment.

Jiang Cheng rose to his feet. This was his group, designated by the seats he had sat on. He moved forward with nine other disciples, including Liu Wei, who shot him a contemptuous smirk as they walked down to the arena.

"Remember to give it your all." the inner disciple instructed, though his tone suggested he expected little. "Channel your Qi and strike when I give the command."

Jiang stood before his assigned pillar, the fifth one in the row.

He could feel Liu Wei's gaze burning into him from two pillars away. The other disciples shuffled nervously, some closing their eyes to center themselves, others taking deep breaths to calm their nerves.

For a moment, he thought about hiding his full strength. perhaps aim for the second realm. then he almost slapped himself. as if the Elders couldn't see his cultivation realm. That would make him suspicious. It was better than paint a target on his back, than risk offending the elders by trying to trick the assessment.

"Begin!"

Jiang Cheng took a single measured breath, gathered his Qi, and struck the pillar with his fist. The sensation was peculiar—like striking a surface that absorbed rather than resisted. His Qi flowed from his dantian, through his body and fist, and into the pillar in a single impact, like the Seven flowing fists he had half practiced in a attempt to break the monotony, one of three martial techniques he had technically learned.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then his pillar flared to life.

Not with the dull red some of his peers produced, but with a bright, vivid orange. The color pulsed strongly, illuminating his face with its warm glow, Evidence of his fourth stage of cultivation.

A murmur rippled through the watching disciples. Liu Wei's pillar, by contrast, had managed only a dark red, signifying the First stage. His face contorted with shock and anger as he stared at Jiang's brightly glowing pillar.

"Bright orange... fourth stage!" someone whispered loudly enough to be heard. "The kid's already at the fourth stage!"

The inner disciple recording the results paused, looking more carefully at Jiang. His eyebrows raised slightly before he marked something on his jade tablet and moved on.

Up in the pavilion, a few of the elders who had been conversing stopped to take notice. The white-bearded elder in green robes leaned over to a younger colleague, exchanging a few words as he nodded in Jiang's direction. Their gazes lingered for a moment before they returned to their discussions.

Though if you asked Cheng, he swore Elder Feng was already looking at him from the moment he stepped on. Though it was perhaps that he had been the closest to him, having felt his presence first hand.

As the glow faded from the pillars, the disciples were instructed to return to their seats. Jiang Cheng turned to leave, his expression unchanged, betraying none of the satisfaction he felt.

Maintaining his usual composure was more important than ever now.

"How?" Liu Wei hissed as they walked back. "How are you at the fourth stage? You must have been using forbidden techniques or stolen some pills!"

Jiang ignored him, stepping past without acknowledgment. This only fueled Liu Wei's anger.

"Don't think this makes you special." Liu Wei continued, his voice low but venomous.

"You're still just an outer sect nobody."

"Aren't you also of the outer sect?"

Cheng spoke, making the older boy flail his mouth open and closed, trying to think of another comeback, but coming empty, settling with thinking insults in his mind.

As they reached the bleachers, Jiang could feel dozens of eyes on him. The dynamic had shifted. Where before he had been largely ignored or regarded with mild curiosity, now he sensed calculation in those gazes. He had inadvertently made himself visible.

"Fourth stage at fourteen." mused an older disciple sitting nearby. "Not bad, not bad at all. Give it another year, and you might qualify for some decent missions."

Another disciple snorted. "Decent missions? Those are for seniors. He'll be lucky to get trash-collecting duties beyond the compound walls."

"The good missions require cooperation, Junior." said another, watching Jiang with narrowed eyes. "And cooperation requires... sharing the rewards appropriately."

The implication was clear enough. Any success Jiang achieved would attract demands for a cut. Or worse, outright theft of his rewards. Such was the way of the outer sect, where strength determined everything, and those who stood out risked being pulled back down.

As the assessment continued, Jiang considered his position carefully. The elders had noticed him, but their interest was measured, if at all existent. After all for them, he was still a outer sect member. A fourteen-year-old at the fourth stage was promising, but nowhere extraordinary. The only reason of interest, layed in the fact that Jiang Cheng reached so far without a cultivation manual.

They would watch, wait for the next assessment, to see if his progress continued at the same pace. Only then might they consider him worth their attention.

For now, he had achieved his immediate goal: confirmation of his standing. But that achievement came with consequences. Liu Wei's glare promised trouble, and he wasn't the only one.

Several other disciples who had shown only the first or second stage looked at Jiang with barely concealed resentment. Those slightly above him—at the fifth or sixth stage—sized him up as potential competition to be eliminated early.

In cultivator sects, talent invited both opportunity and danger in equal measure. Jiang Cheng had just experienced his first taste of this fundamental truth.

As the sun climbed higher in the sky, the assessment continued, but Cheng's mind was already turning toward what came next. He would need to be more careful now, more selective about when and where he displayed his abilities.

When he reached the fifth stage, he would hopefully have more time to explore beyond the first floor of the Tower of Records, to seek techniques that would help him defend himself against the inevitable challenges coming his way.

Perhaps slowing down on his cultivation in a effort to learn martial arts would be smart. But then again, the fifth floor probably had more sophisticated knowledge.

The path ahead had just become more complicated, but Jiang Cheng's determination remained unshaken. In fact, as he watched the proceedings with calm, observant eyes, a part of him welcomed the complications. They were, after all, just more steps on his path.