Three days. That was all that remained before the six-month Outer Sect Assessment. The atmosphere throughout the Azure Cloud Sect underwent a subtle yet unmistakable change. The normally lively training grounds had become crowded from dawn until long after sunset. The sounds of swords clashing and palms colliding echoed across the mountains without pause. Disciples who once chatted leisurely after meals now hurried from one training area to another. Every minute mattered. Every breakthrough could determine whether one entered the Inner Sect or remained an Outer Disciple for another six months. Everyone was making one final effort. Everyone... Except Di Tian. --- His daily routine remained exactly the same. Wake up. Stretch. Eat breakfast. Accept a simple sect mission. Complete it. Return before sunset. Eat dinner. Sleep. To the eyes of everyone else... Nothing had changed. Even his roommates had stopped trying to understand him. Lin Hai often joked, "You're the only person in the Azure Cloud Sect who becomes stronger by looking relaxed." Di Tian would simply smile. "I've been blessed by heaven." Zhao Ming rolled his eyes. "If heaven blesses lazy people, then we're cultivating for nothing." The four laughed together. Over the past six months, their friendship had grown naturally. They no longer viewed one another as strangers sharing a courtyard. They had become companions. --- The following morning, Di Tian accepted another herb-gathering mission. The deacon barely looked up. "Same mission again?" Di Tian nodded. "It's easy." "You really have no ambition." "I'm alive." "...Fair enough." The deacon handed over the mission token. Within two hours... Di Tian had already completed it. His contribution points slowly continued to increase. Although he had no immediate need for them... He never believed resources were useless. The cultivation world always found ways to empty one's pockets. --- That afternoon... As usual... He quietly left the Outer Sect. His destination remained the same secluded valley hidden deep within the mountains. Over the last three months... It had become almost unrecognizable. Half the boulders had disappeared. Ancient trees bore deep palm marks. Several cliffs contained enormous cracks. The ground itself was uneven from countless impacts. This place had silently witnessed his growth. No one knew it existed. No one knew it belonged to him. --- Di Tian stood in the center of the clearing. A gentle breeze stirred the leaves overhead. He closed his eyes. His breathing slowed. Within his consciousness... Four shadow figures cultivated tirelessly. The first continuously refined spiritual qi. The second endlessly repeated Mountain Splitting Palm. The third practiced Cloud Step with flawless precision. The fourth tempered every inch of his body through the Heavenly Thunder Physique. Watching them had become strangely calming. Almost... Meditative. --- He slowly opened his eyes. "I've relied on the system long enough." "Let's see what I've learned." Without warning... He took a single step. Cloud Step. His body instantly became light. One step became ten. Ten became fifty. His figure flowed through the valley like drifting clouds. He left almost no footprints. His clothes barely rustled. He circled trees. Leapt across streams. Changed direction in midair without hesitation. Every movement was perfectly timed. His body moved before his thoughts even finished forming. Minutes passed. Then... Hours. The sun slowly crossed the sky. Yet Di Tian never stopped moving. Again. Again. Again. Each movement became increasingly natural. Increasingly effortless. Until... A familiar voice echoed inside his mind. 【Cloud Step has broken through.】 Di Tian came to an immediate halt. Leaves slowly drifted around him. A new notification appeared. 【Cloud Step: Transcendent.】 For the first time... One of his techniques had surpassed Perfection. Di Tian stared silently at the screen. "So..." "It really happened." The system responded. 【Cloud Step has exceeded the limits established by its original creator.】 A stream of new insights flooded his mind. His footwork changed almost instinctively. Every unnecessary movement disappeared. His body now chose the shortest... Most efficient... Most unpredictable route without conscious thought. Even the spiritual qi consumed by each step decreased further. He experimentally took another step. His figure vanished. Not because he had become invisible. But because his acceleration had become so smooth that the eye struggled to follow. He reappeared over thirty meters away. "..." "...That's ridiculous." Even he couldn't help smiling. If another Outer Disciple attempted to chase him now... They would likely lose sight of him after only a few breaths. --- Satisfied, Di Tian turned his attention toward another enormous boulder. He slowly raised his palm. Mountain Splitting Palm. The familiar circulation of qi filled his meridians. This time... Something felt different. His palm moved more naturally. His breathing synchronized perfectly. The technique itself seemed... Alive. He struck. BOOM! The boulder exploded once again. Stone fragments shot through the valley like arrows. A notification appeared. 【Mountain Splitting Palm comprehension increased.】【Current Progress toward Transcendent: 96%.】 Di Tian laughed softly. "So close." Just a little more... And his palm technique would also surpass its creator. --- Over the next two days... Nothing about his outward life changed. He still accepted the simplest missions. He still joked with his roommates. He still wandered the sect with his hands behind his head. Some disciples mocked him. "Still taking herb missions?" "Looks like he's already given up." "He probably knows he'll fail." Di Tian merely smiled. Arguing would accomplish nothing. Soon enough... Actions would speak louder than words. --- Meanwhile... The Azure Cloud Sect buzzed with anticipation. Temporary arenas were constructed across the central plaza. Formation masters inspected every stage. Medical elders prepared healing pills. Outer Sect Elders reviewed the examination roster. Even several Inner Sect Elders had begun descending from the Inner Sect to observe. After all... Every assessment produced new talents. Some would eventually become Core Disciples. Perhaps even future Elders. The sect took such events seriously. --- As the final evening arrived... The setting sun painted the mountains crimson. A large bell rang throughout the Outer Sect. Dong... Dong... Dong... Every disciple understood its meaning. Training had ended. Tomorrow... The assessment would begin. Courtyard Thirty-Seven was unusually quiet. Even Zhao Ming wasn't talking. Lin Hai repeatedly sharpened his sword. Sun Wei silently meditated beneath the old tree. No one wished to waste their final night. Di Tian sat comfortably on the roof of the courtyard. A gentle evening breeze brushed against his face. Above him... Countless stars slowly appeared. He looked toward the brightly lit central plaza in the distance. Tomorrow... Six months of preparation would finally bear fruit. His cultivation... His perfected techniques... His hidden strength... Would all be tested. A faint smile appeared on his face. "I wonder..." "...how much strength I'll actually need." Deep within his consciousness... The four shadow figures continued cultivating tirelessly. And somewhere... The shadow practicing Mountain Splitting Palm struck forward once again. Only four percent remained before another miracle would be born. With that thought... Di Tian closed his eyes. The night passed peacefully. Tomorrow... The name that no one remembered... Would finally shake the Azure Cloud Sect.

Chapter 13: The Eve of the Assessment