Atop the high platform.
"Truly extraordinary—perhaps the most remarkable I’ve seen in my lifetime."
Xue Jing, still clad in his patched robe, stroked his long beard with a flickering gaze.
Ying Bing’s "Heaven-grade" bone structure came as no surprise to him.
"So this is the promising seedling you mentioned encountering during your descent from the mountain?"
A languid voice sounded from nearby.
A woman in palace robes, her cheeks flushed, reclined lazily in her chair.
"That’s her. The question is how far she’ll go on the Stairway to Heaven."
Xue Jing glanced at the woman, his eyes betraying helplessness.
"I like this girl."
The palace-robed woman took a bold swig of wine.
The other Elders: "..."
Are you sure it’s not just because she’s devastatingly beautiful?
"She’s unsuited for your martial lineage."
Xue Jing sighed.
"How is she unsuited?!" The woman’s brows shot up.
"Don’t force it. You’ve tempered yourself into a human furnace—this girl clearly shouldn’t be apprenticed under you."
A cold, rigid voice interjected.
"Han He, looking for a fight?"
The palace-robed woman cracked her knuckles, brimming with eagerness.
Elder Han He instinctively retreated half a step, letting out a wary snort.
"Enough."
The voice carried undeniable authority.
At the Sect Master’s command, the woman reluctantly picked up her gourd and took two more gulps.
The Elders exchanged glances.
Could it be... the Sect Master has taken an interest in the girl?
......
Unnoticed, another incense stick’s worth of time passed.
Five hundred aspirants had undergone bone assessment by now.
Finally, it was Li Mo’s turn.
The old woman seized his shoulder, sensing a surge of energy rush in, poised to circulate through his meridians.
But in an instant, that energy vanished.
Hm?
The old woman frowned for the second time.
Internal energy could stimulate one’s organs, meridians, and bone structure.
The stronger the bones, the more intense the reaction.
Yet.
This boy’s body showed no response whatsoever.
That alone would be one thing, but her energy had dissipated like clay oxen plunging into the sea—gone without a trace.
Were it not for the boy standing plainly before her, she’d have mistaken him for a slab of stone.
After a moment’s hesitation, she noted his name:
"Li Mo, Third-grade. Move along."
"My thanks."
Li Mo had expected this. He clasped his hands respectfully and strode past the mountain gate without a flicker of unease.
"Ah, Third-grade. Father won’t be pleased."
"You’ll have to put in a good word for me—he listens to you."
Li Mo grinned, nudging the girl beside him with his shoulder.
Ying Bing was mildly surprised.
Third-grade aptitude matched her memories.
Yet he seemed unbothered.
Li Mo wore his indifference openly, still cheerful:
"Three parts fate, seven parts effort."
"Plenty don’t even pass the gate. I’m already fortunate."
What he didn’t say aloud:
No worries. I’ve got cheats.
Seeing his genuine ease, Ying Bing relented.
Fine.
His vial of Pure Yang Pills had helped her unlock her meridians half a year early, after all.
Such temperament deserved a slight lift—how far he’d go was up to him.
Just then.
A steward’s announcement drew the crowd’s attention:
"Wang Hu—tiger’s arms, leopard’s waist! High Second-grade!"
The square erupted in murmurs.
Apart from the two Heaven-grade freaks.
Wang Hu now held the highest innate talent!
One in ten thousand wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
Basking in the flattery, Wang Hu smirked arrogantly, sweeping his gaze across the crowd.
"The hell you lookin’ at?"
Li Mo fell into thought.
......
At that moment.
A figure landed before the gate.
"Tiger-leopard physique?"
A tower of a man clamped onto Wang Hu’s shoulder.
Wang Hu startled—until his cousin Wang Hao stepped from the disciple ranks, signaling him with a look.
"Fine form indeed. True tiger-leopard traits."
The iron-pillar man nodded approvingly.
"Master, this is my younger cousin." Wang Hao bowed respectfully.
"Good, good. He suits my Tiger-Leopard Thunderclap Fists better than you did."
His laughter boomed like thunder, rattling eardrums.
"Fu Tu, wait until he enters the inner sect before taking disciples."
A stocky elder reminded tersely.
Fu Tu?!
Wang Hu’s eyes widened, then gleamed with triumph.
This was a formidable inner sect steward—were it not for the fixed number of elder seats, he’d already command his own peak.
"Of course, rules are rules."
Fu Tu gave a perfunctory salute.
At his cousin’s cue, Wang Hu hastily bowed:
"Greetings, Master."
"Clear the Stairway first."
Fu Tu didn’t correct the title.
Once he’d left.
Wang Hu’s chin lifted higher, practically spelling "cocky" on his forehead.
Striding past the gate, he marched straight over, clasping his fists with swagger:
"Miss Ying, we’ll be fellow disciples henceforth."
And earned pure indifference.
Such talent barely passed muster in a backwater like Purple Sun Prefecture.
To Ying Bing, Wang Hu’s Second-grade and Li Mo’s Third-grade held no real difference.
Both were mere stones—why bother distinguishing which was slightly smoother?
Wang Hu stood frozen, face flushing crimson.
He rounded on Li Mo instead:
"Heh. We’re from the same county. If I rise, how could I forget you?"
"Wait—inner and outer sects are worlds apart. Coming down to visit won’t be easy."
"Who knows? Soon enough, I might even be a core disciple."
"Seeing you’d be harder than seeing Miss Ying, right?"
His grin oozed malice.
With an inner sect steward as his backer.
The young, brash Wang Hu’s ego ballooned skyward.
Other youths from Ning'an County clenched their fists in silent fury. Wang Hu had been insufferable back home—now he’d truly leapt beyond reach.
Even those who’d disliked Li Mo now found him almost endearing by comparison.
"...Yeah, yeah, whatever."
Li Mo hadn’t turned off his Heavenly Destiny Eye.
Since Wang Hu’s bone assessment, the originally cyan destiny threads had begun darkening.
Now, with his posturing, the black deepened further.
His updated evaluation read: *"Obstinate and conceited. Unwitting lab rat for Inner Sect Steward Fu Tu. Future: bleak."*
Li Mo couldn’t be bothered with fools—let alone half-dead ones.
More indifference.
"You—!"
Wang Hu choked on his own rage, fury boiling in his chest.
Yet the stocky elder’s gaze had drifted their way.
Withdrawing his scrutiny of Li Mo and Ying Bing, the elder smirked inwardly:
*"Plenty of time ahead."*
*"Outer sect and core disciples exist in separate worlds—they’ll never cross paths."*