Chapter 3

While it was still dark, Lin Zheng heard a series of urgent knocks on the door. Before he could get up, he heard a loud bang as the door was kicked open. Lin Zheng jumped out of bed and saw the old man standing by the table, pouring water and giving him a lecherous smile.

Lin Zheng, furious, shouted, "You old bastard, don't you know you can't just barge into someone's room without permission?"

"Give it a rest. I've kicked the door open hundreds of times in the past three years. I'm used to it. Aren't you?" The old man continued drinking water while giving Lin Zheng a sidelong glance.

Lin Zheng rolled his eyes in exasperation, got dressed, and sat down by the table. After a moment, he seemed to remember something and slammed his hand on the table, shouting at the old man, "Old man, explain to me what was with the clothes you left on my bed yesterday!"

"Just testing your adaptability. Isn't it time for the sect's evaluation again?" The old man smiled lecherously and continued, "No wonder you're so angry this morning. Did you do something unspeakable with the girl's clothes?" He then glanced back and forth at the bed.

Lin Zheng instantly lost his temper, grabbed a chair, and threw it at the old man, shouting, "Do you think everyone is as dirty as you? I'm not as filthy as you."

The old man calmly dodged the flying chair, holding a cup in his left hand and stopping the chair in mid-air with his right. He then waved his hand, and the chair landed smoothly on the ground. The old man slowly sat down, looking at Lin Zheng with a disdainful eye.

"Levitation, you've been hiding your abilities for three years. Why are you showing them off so much lately? Why don't you keep hiding them?" Lin Zheng poured himself a cup of water, waiting for the old man's answer. Over the past three years, the old man had been constantly harassing Lin Zheng but had not shown any other abilities besides his mysterious comings and goings. However, in recent days, the old man had been openly displaying his various powers in front of Lin Zheng, which left Lin Zheng very puzzled.

The old man chuckled, "No need. The three years are almost over, and you'll be leaving the mountain soon. Do you think you could have stayed on the mountain for three years without my help? You would have been kicked out long ago."

The old man's words were vague and evasive, and Lin Zheng shook his head in thought before asking, "Old man, are you planning to stay on the mountain forever? Why have you been tormenting me for three years? Do you know something about me?"

"Kid, you'll know when the time comes. Didn't the old shaman in your village tell you when you came up the mountain?"

"Old shaman? You mean Shen Suanzi? How do you know the people in my village?"

"Hehe..."

"What did you say to the sect leader? Why did he allow me to stay in the sect for three years?"

"Hehe..."

"Why can't I break through in my cultivation? Although my spiritual sense has been growing, why hasn't my spiritual energy improved at all? Do you have something to hide? Have you done something to me?"

"Hehe..."

"Old man, if you keep saying 'hehe,' I won't be nice to you."

"Hehe..."

"Damn!!!" Lin Zheng instantly lost his temper again, grabbing a chair and holding it in his hand. But thinking of the old man's mysterious abilities, he angrily put the chair down and sat opposite the old man, staring at him as if he wanted to devour him.

"Old man, since you can't tell me these things, at least tell me about the strength divisions among cultivators on the continent. You can't hide that, right?" Lin Zheng still glared at the old man, ready to attack if he said another "hehe."

"Hmm?" The old man lowered his head in thought, and Lin Zheng waited quietly. "How should I put it? You'll know in a few days anyway, so there's no need for me to explain. This division isn't very practical for us, but it is a clear classification for the current era, which will be useful for you in the near future."

"In this era, cultivators are generally divided into several categories: Daoists, mages, and warriors. However, there are many other unknown cultivation methods on the vast continent that can also lead to supreme existence. Daoists, like those in your sect, are divided into ten levels. Mages are generally divided into初级, 中级, 高级, 大, and 魔导师. Warriors are more diverse, including swordsmen, dragon knights, and Daoist warriors, among others. With trillions of living beings on the continent, the detailed classification is vast. This is just a simple overview. For example, cultivation is a type of Daoist practice, but its classification differs from the ten levels. There are also monks, Daoists, and so on. These are roughly the levels that ordinary people see, but there are higher levels above them, such as the ancient great beings, which cannot be described by these levels alone."

After saying this, the old man turned and disappeared, leaving Lin Zheng to ponder quietly. Despite listening carefully, Lin Zheng only got a general idea, which made him more eager to understand the world and look forward to the sect's evaluation.

In the following days, the old man did not appear, and Lin Zheng enjoyed his freedom. He began preparing for the evaluation, knowing that even with his high spiritual sense, he would face dangers in the first two stages due to his low cultivation level. Lin Zheng thought to himself that he needed to prepare some essential pills and daily necessities, as well as some auxiliary tools. Over the next few days, Lin Zheng ran back and forth between the Alchemy Hall and the Forge Department. Thanks to the sect leader's deliberate arrangements, Lin Zheng had fewer procedures to go through and obtained sufficient essential items.

In the days that followed, Lin Zheng stayed in his courtyard, continuously honing his spiritual sense. He also tried to cultivate his spiritual energy, but it showed no improvement, while his spiritual sense grew steadily.

As the sect's evaluation drew near, Lin Zheng's heart grew increasingly excited.

On this early morning, Lin Zheng was practicing diligently in his courtyard when the sect's bell suddenly rang loudly. The deep, ancient sound echoed through the entire mountain forest and reverberated in the valleys. Lin Zheng opened his eyes, and for a moment, a sharp light seemed to flash from them. He clenched his fists, his body trembling with excitement. The sect's summons had arrived, and all participants had to gather in the square in front of the main hall within the time it took for an incense stick to burn. The annual promotion evaluation was about to begin. Lin Zheng put on the backpack he had prepared over the past few days, pushed open the door, and hurried to the main hall.

By the time Lin Zheng reached the main hall, the square was already crowded with nearly a thousand people, who were gathered in small groups, whispering to each other. The square was a cacophony of noise. Lin Zheng's eyes scanned the crowd, and he immediately spotted Li Ruoshui in a white dress, looking like a fairy descended from heaven. She was surrounded by many young men and women. The area around her was spacious, indicating that the people around her were not ordinary. Li Ruoshui seemed to sense Lin Zheng's gaze and turned her ethereal eyes toward him. Her cheeks turned red, and she quickly turned away, continuing to listen to the people around her. Lin Zheng smiled inwardly and looked away, recognizing many familiar faces in the crowd. He also saw the fat boy, who happened to be looking in his direction. The fat boy squinted and grinned at Lin Zheng, who nodded in acknowledgment. Lin Zheng then closed his eyes and waited for the elders to announce the task items and begin the evaluation.

As the sun rose high in the sky, the Grand Elder finally appeared, and the disciples gradually quieted down. The Grand Elder slowly walked to the large cauldron in front of the square, bowed respectfully, and the other elders followed suit. They then returned to the entrance of the main hall, with the elders lining up on either side of the Grand Elder.

"The annual sect evaluation is about to begin. As usual, you will enter the Great Mountains, obtain the task items, and return to the sect after ten days. Your fate is in your own hands."

The Grand Elder's voice was not loud, but it resonated like rolling thunder, reaching everyone's ears. Lin Zheng thought to himself that the Grand Elder must be close to the tenth level, as he seemed to have the power to make his words come true.

With that, the Grand Elder gently waved his hand, and nearly a thousand tokens rained down into the hands of the disciples. The tokens landed accurately, causing a stir among the crowd. The tokens issued by the Grand Elder were special for the evaluation. By entering their divine consciousness into the token, the participants would know what item they needed to obtain. The token would also record their movements in the Great Mountains to prevent cheating.

Lin Zheng, like the others, slowly entered his divine consciousness into the token and learned that his task item was the "Yinming Grass." He thought for a moment. The Yinming Grass grows in dark, damp places, producing a leaf every hundred years. The leaf can be used to refine the Spell-Breaking Pill, which helps break through cultivation bottlenecks, but only for disciples below the fifth level. This task item seemed to be of medium difficulty, and if he was careful, he should be able to complete it.

By the time everyone had thought about their task items, it was almost noon. The expressions on the faces of the thousand disciples varied. Some were secretly pleased, having received easy items, while others looked grim, having encountered difficult tasks. Some showed no emotion, and others frowned in thought. Lin Zheng observed the expressions of the crowd, carefully noting them. In previous evaluations, it was common for disciples to steal each other's tokens due to the difficulty of their tasks. The elders did not oppose this, as solving problems was part of cultivation. Therefore, they allowed it without any restrictions.

"The time has come. Everyone, let's go. The rise and fall of the world is in your hands, and the great path is eternal!" As the Grand Elder's final words echoed, a spatial portal slowly appeared in the sky, leading to the Great Forest.

Hearing the Grand Elder's call, the disciples became spirited, raising their arms and shouting, "The rise and fall of the world is in our hands, and the great path is eternal!" They slowly stepped into the portal.

Lin Zheng followed the crowd, walking slowly into the portal. Just as he was about to step in, he paused, turned, and bowed to the void. Then he plunged into the portal, and the portal slowly closed with a ripple.

PS: Three updates a day. Newbie here, seeking attention, favorites, and clicks. Happy May Day, everyone!