"You said it!" the Jinmao Rat exclaimed as he stared at Wang Mu. "You swear, if it doesn't work out, I can return to the Sword Sect and you will never divulge this secret! No, you can't divulge it now either!"

"I swear, if I divulge it, may I..." Wang Mu thought for a moment, "...never recognize my future partner."

"What a ruthless human," the Jinmao Rat nodded, "to dare swear such a venomous oath. Fine, I'm leaving! Um... wait, although I don't know if this thing of yours is useful..."

The Jinmao Rat tucked away the scroll Wang Mu had given him and, fumbling in a pocket at his waist, also pulled out a scroll.

"This, I stole it from the Joyful Union Sect in Qianzhou. It's called the Great Yin Yang Joyful Map. Apparently, it's a special Cultivation Method. I glanced over it but couldn't understand much."

"I'll give it to you!"

Wang Mu was perplexed. He took the scroll, a peculiar expression on his face.

This thieving rat actually has something like this on him?

"However, the Joyful Union Sect is a standard Demon Sect," the Jinmao Rat mused. "The Cultivators there are mostly indecent. It's said that the ancestor of the Joyful Union Sect was a woman from the Fengyue Sect who was later expelled. She fled to Li State, founded the Joyful Union Sect, and led many cultivators in the Cultivation World astray. Later, she was personally eliminated by a Venerable Lord from the Fengyue Sect. While wandering through Li State, I found this treasure in the ruins of the Joyful Union Sect..."

"As for whether this Cultivation Method is of any use, you can figure that out yourself..."

Wang Mu was speechless.

"Wait..." As he saw the Jinmao Rat about to leave, Wang Mu seemed to remember something. "That thing, after you hand it over, if your king asks where it came from, don't say it was from me. Otherwise, it will be useless."

"If he asks, just say the giver has his own plans."

The Jinmao Rat nodded. I don't even know if this thing is real or fake; it's probably useless. After I report back, I can just come to steal again next time. It's just that finding an opportunity won't be easy... This time was a failure.

Soon, the Golden Rat dug a hole and disappeared.

Wang Mu didn't know how it had gotten in, but it clearly had a way out.

I've acquired a strange cultivation map...

Wang Mu held the scroll, which was made from some unknown animal hide, and felt a flicker of curiosity.

Time to head back...

Wang Mu retraced his steps to Su Yu's location.

He hadn't seen Yan Qingwu appear again along the way; she was probably still chasing Immortal Bi You... That Little Jiao Huo nearly ruined everything for me!

Thinking back, Wang Mu felt a lingering fear.

When he returned to Su Yu, he found him unconscious and murmuring:

"It's you again, demoness! Stay away from me!"

"Don't come closer!"

"Don't touch me!"

"No! Don't!"

...

"Mmm... I didn't expect a demoness to be quite like this..."

"No, no, no, that wasn't me just now!"

"Hmm... It wasn't me; it was just my Heart Demon!"

"Go away!"

"Just one last time... just one last time..."

Wang Mu waited for a while.

Su Yu slowly woke up. His eyes were blank at first. Then, as if remembering something, his pupils contracted, and he quickly scanned his surroundings. Seeing no one, he sighed in relief.

Until his gaze fell on Wang Mu.

For a moment, the air seemed to still.

"I defeated the shadow conjured by the Lifeless Mirror and just returned," Wang Mu said after a pause.

Su Yu took a deep breath, his Qi Cultivation Skill exceptionally refined, and simply nodded, "Yes, that's good."

He had been waiting quietly when, for some reason, a puppet from the Qinghe Ancient Forest appeared. He had only managed to withstand it for five breaths before blacking out. Then he dreamt about the incident from over a year ago, when he encountered that demoness from the Fengyue Sect on his way back from the mountain. And then...

Su Yu couldn't understand. How could the Qinghe Ancient Forest puppet, supposedly just for new disciple trials, be so strong...? He hadn't even gotten a clear look at the puppet's appearance... If even he struggled this much, none of this batch of disciples would likely make it out standing. He hadn't expected to see Wang Mu as soon as he woke up...

A puppet personally commissioned by Elder Yan from the Tianji Sect... it's too strong... How can this batch of disciples withstand it? Su Yu thought. Fortunately, only Wang Mu made it out. Otherwise, he, as an examiner, would be utterly humiliated.

Su Yu checked the time and frowned slightly. "The assessment time is over... How is it that only you have come out?"

He was about to speak.

Just then, a somewhat unsteady figure appeared in mid-air.

Upon seeing this, Su Yu quickly bowed and said, "Sect Master!"

"Ahem!" the refined and amiable middle-aged man coughed and said, "This assessment ends here. There was an issue with the Lifeless Mirror, so we'll consider everyone to have passed. I presume no one else can come out now... Su Yu, hurry into the Qinghe Ancient Forest, find those children, and bring them out... Hmm? Wang Mu?"

As he spoke, the middle-aged man's pupils constricted when he caught sight of Wang Mu.

"This is..." Wang Mu looked at Su Yu.

"This is the current Sect Master of our Sword Sect," Su Yu hurriedly said. "He is also the head of Upper Cloud Peak's Sword Throne, Jian Wuqing! Sect Master Jian. Sect Master, Wang Mu is the only one so far who has cleared this third trial, and he has also overcome his inner self..."

"Hmm? When did that happen... how could we... *cough, cough*... That is excellent!" the middle-aged man muttered, then waved his hand. A medicine bottle descended. "This is a Concentrating Pill. Quickly find the other disciples, have them take these, and then bring them to the main hall to be formally inducted into the Sect."

After speaking, he glanced at Wang Mu with a peculiar expression but still managed a smile before departing.

「Back at the main hall of the First Peak.」

"Sect Master, how are those children?" the portly elder asked gravely.

"They are fine. I've already had Su Yu administer the Concentrating Pills to them. They should awaken from their mesmerized state soon." Jian Wuqing coughed. "Just now, it must have been Elder Yan who personally intervened. The Holy Land is now secure."

"That Mu Lanxue from the Fengyue Sect is utterly despicable!" the beautiful woman said angrily. "A Supreme Master of a sect, condescending to come to our Holy Land to cause trouble! And she interfered with our disciple recruitment! Using such despicable Charming Techniques on these disciples! She has absolutely no shame!"

"Because of her actions, this batch of disciples will likely suffer psychological trauma!"

"It's likely no one made it through this trial."

The few people in the hall fell silent.

Jian Wuqing thought for a moment and said, "Not entirely. Someone seems to have made it out, and he also overcame his inner self."

"Who?"

"Wang Mu."

Everyone exchanged bewildered glances, utterly astonished.

"Impossible!" the portly elder exclaimed in surprise. "I recall, before we were afflicted by the Middle Technique... *cough, cough*... it seemed that Mu Lanxue's puppet encountered Wang Mu? How could he be unharmed?"

"It's unclear..." Jian Wuqing frowned.

Previously, they had observed the situation in the Holy Land through a light screen, but evidently, Mu Lanxue's puppet had also detected them. In the entire Sword Sect, only Elder Yan possessed the power to match her. They couldn't resist the profoundness of her Charming Techniques. Moreover, it was so sudden, and they had few defenses prepared. Who would have thought Mu Lanxue would come to their own Holy Land? Fortunately, due to their profound Cultivation, they awoke relatively quickly, only to find that all the disciples had already lost consciousness.

Perhaps only Elder Yan knew what exactly had transpired. How could Wang Mu have remained clear-headed...?

"Perhaps this lad is naturally immune to Charming Techniques... I remember Elder Yan mentioning last time that he wasn't affected by that demoness from the Fengyue Sect's charm, was he?" the beautiful woman said, her eyes sparkling. "This child is truly the nemesis of the Fengyue Sect! Sect Master, this child has no Spirit Root, making Cultivation difficult. I reckon the other masters would find it very challenging to teach him and would be reluctant to take on a disciple without a Spirit Root."

"How about letting him join my Hidden Sword Peak?"

"You all know, I, your Junior Sister, am extremely patient! No matter how poor his Spirit Root, I am willing to teach him!"

"Junior Sister Lu, that's not quite right!" the portly elder remarked with a flick of his sleeve. "In our Dan Sword Lineage, we highly value cultivating character and temperament. The disciples of our peak are generally amiable. Since when have we lacked patience? Moreover, I have taught disciples with Heavenly Spirit Roots before; this would be my first time teaching one without a Spirit Root."

"As Cultivators, we should constantly challenge ourselves! Everyone, since Wang Mu lacks a Spirit Root, his path of Cultivation will surely be extremely arduous. Teaching him would be more difficult than ascending to the heavens. This is precisely the time for me to challenge myself! Don't try to compete with me for this!"

The others were speechless.

"Senior Brother Wu, how can you say that with a straight face?" the white-haired young man said incredulously. "You're nearly two hundred years old; stop trying to challenge yourself! I see that Wang Mu can practice the Hundred Refinement Body Technique, so his Comprehension must be very high. Although he lacks a Spirit Root, making Cultivation difficult in the short term, in the Sword Dao, we value Comprehension above all. My Yijian Lineage, in particular, places the utmost importance on Comprehension. I believe he is fated to be with my Yijian Peak this time. Let him join this lineage!"

"Isn't the path of Cultivation most dependent on fate? Therefore, everyone, don't argue with me over this."

At that moment, an old man whose robes were adorned with countless Talismans coughed and said, "Sect Master, it has been many years since my Talisman Sword Lineage recruited new disciples. Our lineage is struggling. We manage the refining of all Talismans and the inscribing for Magic Treasures and Swords used by the Sect's disciples, yet we are severely understaffed. The path of the Talisman Sword is extremely difficult, demanding disciples with exceptional patience and profound Concentration."

"Seeing as Wang Mu is unaffected by the Charming Techniques of those demonesses from the Fengyue Sect, he must possess exceptional Concentration. He is most suited for our Talisman Sword Lineage. Please assign him to me!"

...

The arguments continued unabated.

Jian Wuqing, seeing the elders arguing so heatedly over a disciple with no Spiritual Ability that their faces were flushed, shouted angrily, "What is all this? Have you no decorum? Enough from all of you!"

Seeing the Sect Master's anger, everyone fell silent.

Presumably, the Sect Master already had a plan.

So, they all turned to look at Jian Wuqing.

As the fifth-generation Sect Master of the Sword Sect, Jian Wuqing felt it was time to demonstrate the decisiveness expected of a Sect leader!

He thought for a moment and then said, "Well... actually, I, your Sect Master, have also not accepted a disciple for a very long time."

The elders were speechless once more.

"Ahem... everyone," a disheveled man with a world-weary face and a beard as thick as a forest, who could no longer bear to watch, spoke up from a corner. "Shouldn't we consider his own wishes in this matter?"

Just then, Su Yu arrived at the main hall with the disciples...

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