Chapter 022

Chapter 22: Entering the Sect’s Trial

True Lord Yu Feng steered the flying boat into the air, prompting quiet cheers among the little ones. None ventured into the cabin; instead, they all crowded the deck, eyes wide with curiosity. It was their first time leaving home, and excitement mingled with wonder in their youthful hearts.

As the boat finally left Emerald Jade City behind, some of the younger children began softly sobbing.

True Lord Yu Feng traveled alone without disciples to assist him, and he had no patience to soothe crying little ones. With a gentle wave, he popped a fasting pill into each child’s mouth, quickly silencing their quiet sobs. Another sweep of his sleeve sent the youngest into a peaceful sleep.

The boat immediately quieted. Astonished by True Lord Yu Feng’s magic, the children stared open-mouthed, soon whispering softly amongst themselves.

Though Wei Yun Xi also found it remarkable, she wasn’t shocked. After all, Wei Clan was a cultivating family, and she had witnessed objects moved by spiritual power before.

At this moment, the Wei family disciples clustered around Wei Yun Ting. As the oldest, highest in cultivation, and the patriarch’s daughter, she naturally held their respect.

The eight children sat cross-legged together. Wei Yun Xi chose to sit beside Wei Zong Hao. She rather liked this Little Fatty, whose mouth hadn’t stopped moving since leaving home—chewing jerky one moment, pastries the next, then gnawing happily on a red fruit.

Seeing Yun Xi seated beside him, Brother Wei Zong generously offered her the half-eaten fruit in his hand: “Yun Xi younger sister, have some fruit.”

Wei Yun Xi eyed Little Fatty’s tooth marks on the fruit with mild distaste and politely declined: “Thank you, Zong Hao elder brother, but I don’t feel like eating fruit.”

Undeterred, Wei Zong Hao drew back his hand and continued munching while whispering, “Yun Xi younger sister, you should eat something. There’ll be tests waiting for us when we reach Grand Righteous Sect!”

Wei Yun Xi whispered back, “I know. But True Lord gave us fasting pills. You’d better save some snacks for the test.”

Wei Zong Hao thought for a moment, realizing Yun Xi was right. He wasn’t hungry—just greedy for tastes. He popped the rest of the fruit into his mouth, brushed off his chubby hands, and decided to listen to what Yun Ting eldest sister was saying.

Wei Yun Ting felt helpless seeing her younger siblings whispering, so she gently cleared her throat: “Father told me it takes three days to reach Grand Righteous Sect. That’s because we’re on True Lord Yu Feng’s flying boat. If we were traveling by ourselves, it would take a full month.”

The small children nearby leaned in, ears perked. For these mortals, any bit of knowledge about the cultivation world was precious. They tried to absorb as much as possible before arriving at the sect.

Seeing she’d captured their attention, Wei Yun Ting proudly raised her chin and continued, “The sect’s entrance test focuses on physical endurance, character, and willpower. We don’t know the exact details, so you should all keep yourselves in peak condition. Don’t embarrass the Wei Clan at the critical moment.”

“Yes, Sister Yun Ting!”

“Alright, Sister Yun Ting!”

Wei Yun Xi also nodded in agreement. Only Wei Yun Qing responded reluctantly. Ever since leaving the Wei household, she’d been unusually quiet. She hadn’t bullied Wei Yun Xi or flaunted her cultivation.

Wei Yun Xi guessed it was due to the incident with Zhen Zhu. Du Ruo Lan had been punished by Wei Ling Yue, and Wei Yun Qing likely got caught in the crossfire.

Her guess was accurate. Du Ruo Lan had made a misstep and was caught by the Feng Clan’s caretaker, causing her forced seclusion. Consequently, Wei Yun Qing had departed without receiving extra resources from home.

Other than family-issued resources and the patriarch’s gift—a storage pouch—Wei Yun Qing could be considered penniless. Her gaze, filled with envy and resentment, frequently settled on Wei Yun Xi.

Earlier, when bidding farewell, Wei Yun Qing noticed Yun Xi younger sister talking at length with the Feng patriarch, who surely gave her treasures. The sight made her restless, believing anything good that Wei Yun Xi possessed ought to belong to her instead.

If Wei Yun Xi knew the heroine’s thoughts, she’d surely spit in disgust.

Three days flew by swiftly. When the boat finally landed atop a mountain outside Grand Righteous Sect’s gates, True Lord Yu Feng collected the boat and addressed the children with a somewhat kindly smile:

“From here, you can see the entrance to Grand Righteous Sect. You have three days to cross this mountain. Only those who reach the sect before sunset on the third day will pass the first trial. Sect disciples will be waiting there. Good luck.”

With those words, True Lord Yu Feng spun around once and vanished before the eighty-six small children.

Silence briefly fell before some younger children burst into tears, unprepared for this sudden challenge. Those from cultivation families stayed calm, particularly the eight children of the Wei family, who appeared most composed.

Wei Yun Ting stepped forward, raising her voice:

“Stop crying! Do you want your noise to draw wild beasts here?”

Her warning was effective. The crying children instantly covered their mouths. Tears still streaked their faces, but none dared to make another sound.

Wei Yun Ting, satisfied with her words, continued, “Everyone should eat now and attend to nature’s call. We’ll leave in two quarters of an hour. Form groups of eight to ten—this way, we can look after each other and avoid getting lost. Whether or not we exit the mountain in time will depend on your abilities.”

“We’re all from Emerald Jade City. For every additional person who passes, we gain a future ally. Do not see each other as burdens. Understand?”

“Yes, understood!”

“We know!”

“Elder sister, can you lead us?”

“We’ll follow Wei family’s elder sister. We only got this opportunity thanks to the Wei family!”

The little ones responded eagerly, especially those around ten years old from Feng, Liu, and Sun clans, who knew more about cultivation.

Hidden in the shadows, True Lord Yu Feng nodded approvingly as he watched the Wei family’s young lady deftly handle these little ones.

The eight from Wei Clan had naturally grouped together, swallowing fasting pills.

Little Fatty Wei Zong Hao complained, “These fasting pills keep us full, but they taste terrible.”

Wei Yun Xi swallowed her pill and asked, “What flavor fasting pill would you like instead?”

Wei Zong Hao licked his lips eagerly: “It’d be great if fasting pills tasted like roasted meat.”

Wei Yun Xi considered it not impossible. Demon beast meat was filled with spiritual energy, after all. Rubbing her plump chin thoughtfully, she replied, “Maternal uncle said spirit beast meat has abundant spiritual energy. Extracting its essence into pills should certainly fill us up.”

Wei Yun Qing quickly poured cold water over their imagination: “Better think about passing the sect trial first. With your current cultivation, you couldn’t even handle a first-rank spirit beast.”