After chatting for a while longer, Lu Li returned to the courtyard with Liu Xinyu.
As for the so-called unfounded things Wen Hong had mentioned, Lu Li didn't know what they were either, but he speculated whether this thing could be the 'green stone' that the fat Deacon from the Hundred Treasures Pavilion wanted.
In his room, Lu Li organized all the talismans on his person for any unforeseen needs.
Ten Swift Step Talismans-using True Qi to activate them could increase speed by at least twofold; they were excellent for escaping at critical moments.
Five Flame Bomb Talismans-attack-type talismans that could unleash the power equivalent to a mid-level cultivator using a fireball technique, similar to Qi Refinement fourth to sixth layer cultivators using fireball techniques.
Seven Explosion Talismans-like the Flame Bombs, these were attack talismans and also belonged to the mid-level category.
Five Ground Trap Talismans-earth-element technique talismans mainly used for trapping enemies. When used when the opponent is off guard, they can cause the enemy to sink into the ground.
Using talismans was equivalent to temporarily hiring a cultivator to cast techniques for oneself, requiring only a small amount of True Qi to activate. This both avoided personal energy consumption and could unleash greater power.
After organizing the talismans, Lu Li took out the Blood Soul Banner.
The banner pole was dark red, and the bloody aura emanated from within it, making one very uncomfortable. The banner surface looked like a piece of black tattered cloth with nothing but a white skull on it. The moment it was summoned, gusts of Yin wind surged in all directions.
Even though Lu Li had already claimed ownership of it, he still felt his body turn ice-cold.
Without a target to test its effects on, Lu Li just looked at it briefly before putting it away. These were all his external trump cards.
Aside from these, Lu Li's greatest reliance was his own physical body. Three thousand units of foundational strength combined with the Mountain Shaking Fist technique made its power not to be underestimated.
As for the Fireball Technique, it was quite good for deceiving others.
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, three days had gone by.
On this day.
A man wearing a pale cyan robe arrived at the courtyard. Chen Zhong immediately rushed forward to greet him upon seeing the man, then went to call Lu Li. After Lu Li came out, he thought briefly before quickly walking over and respectfully cupping his hands in greeting, "Greetings, Senior Brother Liu."
The visitor was none other than Liu Feng, who had sent them to the Miscellaneous Hall back then.
Liu Feng's face only showed unspeakable shock. He had never imagined that Lu Li would one day leave the Miscellaneous Valley, and from the looks of it, Chen Zhong wasn't far behind either. Liu Feng wasn't arrogant; he courteously returned the greeting by cupping his hands, "Junior Brother Lu truly shocks me."
Lu Li smiled, "Just piled up using pills."
This statement was half-truth, half-falsehood. Even with so many pills, a normal person probably wouldn't dare to eat them like that because their body simply couldn't handle it, let alone the fact that Lu Li also had the Time Palace, eating a terrifying number of True Essence Pills in a single day.
But he wasn't worried at all because his body could automatically collect impurities; regarding pills, he only ever had not enough, never dared not to eat them.
Liu Feng, however, shook his head. He had firsthand experience with this pill matter. Take himself, for instance; he actually wasn't that lacking in pills, but after eating one True Essence Pill, he needed to rest for a few days before eating a second one; otherwise, his body simply couldn't withstand it.
But everyone had their own secrets, and Liu Feng didn't dig to the bottom of the matter.
The two chatted for a bit longer before Liu Feng explained his purpose in coming. It turned out Liu Feng was here to help them with their assessment.
Lu Li quickly called Liu Xinyu out. After scanning them with his Divine Sense, Liu Feng said it was fine and told them to prepare themselves. Once the Elders were ready, they would open the Qingyang Secret Realm.
As for the assessment rules, they would only be told when the secret realm was opened.
After Liu Feng left, Lu Li didn't cultivate the Qingyang Art anymore; instead, he started practicing fist techniques because improving his cultivation realm in a short time was impossible; only fist techniques still had room for progress.
Thus, Lu Li sometimes practiced fist techniques in the Time Palace and sometimes came out to the courtyard to spar with Chen Zhong.
Fist winds whistled as the two exchanged blows, trading punches that landed solidly on flesh.
Liu Xinyu seemed to have no heart for cultivation, often standing at the door watching the two exchange blows. Her beautiful eyebrows slightly furrowed, her bright eyes shifting, as if thinking about something.
Until half a month later, when Liu Feng came again.
It was already early spring by then; the accumulated snow had long melted. Spring sunlight sprinkled down, and the old tree that Chen Zhong had blasted off had actually sprouted tender buds again.
Liu Feng had come to pick up Lu Li and Liu Xinyu to participate in the assessment.
Lu Li called Chen Zhong over and earnestly gave him some instructions, then reluctantly glanced at the small hut he had lived in for four or five years before resolutely turning and following Liu Feng away.
Only when he reached the foot of Cuiyun Peak did Lu Li realize a group of people was already waiting for them there.
Eight men and one woman, all disciples from the Miscellaneous Valley.
However, they were all older than Lu Li. One of them was Chu Qingfeng. Seeing Lu Li arrive, Chu Qingfeng stepped forward first to greet him, "Junior Brother Lu, you're truly like a dragon whose head is seen but never its tail."
Upon hearing this, several among the others smiled and nodded at Lu Li, but a few others also wore indifferent expressions.
Indeed, now that they were out of the Miscellaneous Valley, Lu Li couldn't control them anymore, so naturally there was no need to deliberately curry favor.
Lu Li took note but didn't take it to heart, cupping his hands at Chu Qingfeng with a smile, "Sorry to keep you waiting."
"Hmph, still thinking you're the Deputy Deacon, acting with such a big air." A man in his thirties wearing a blue-green robe, arms crossed, gave Lu Li a faint glance and said.
"He's just a child; why bother bickering with him?" the person beside him said with a smile.
"Haha, we can't underestimate him, you know. I spent a thousand Contribution Points to get where I am today. Speaking of which, I really should thank our esteemed Deacon Lu properly; for over a year, he hasn't given me any trouble."
Right then, a tall, thin man approached Lu Li with a half-smile, "Isn't that right, Deacon?"
This was precisely Shi Yanzhe, who had surrendered his Contribution Points and begged for mercy back then.
"Me too. Luckily, Senior Brother Shi knew how to be flexible back then, or we would have been miserable."
As soon as Shi Yanzhe finished speaking, someone immediately chimed in. This was also one of the four people from Shi Yanzhe's group back then, named Xie Zishi.
The blue-green robed man who provoked first was named Luan Xin'an; the person who chimed in later was Xu Yucheng. These two usually didn't show off or stand out; who knew they harbored such deep resentment.
As for Shi Yanzhe and Xie Zishi afterward, they truly were two talented individuals, suppressing themselves until the Qi Refinement third layer assessment before finally erupting. This made Lu Li somewhat look at them in a new light.
Lu Li showed no reaction to the provocations from several people. Instead, he looked at Liu Feng and asked, "Senior Brother Liu, is everyone here?"
"Yes." Liu Feng nodded, his gaze sweeping faintly over the group before frowning and saying:
"I know how you feel right now, but I must tell you that leaving the Miscellaneous Valley doesn't mean you're superior to others. In fact, you're still at the very bottom among formal disciples. So I suggest you not set your posture too high..."
"Moreover, whether you can smoothly pass the assessment is another matter entirely."
Chu Qingfeng was taken aback, "Senior Brother Liu, do you mean there's a possibility of not passing the assessment?"
"Heh." Liu Feng looked at Chu Qingfeng with a strange expression, saying:
"What do you think an assessment is? Since there's an assessment, naturally there are passes and fails... I might as well tell you in advance: if you fail the assessment, you'll lose the chance to become formal disciples forever, only to be assigned to various mundane world outposts to do menial work for the rest of your lives."
Upon hearing Liu Feng's words, everyone's hearts immediately hung in suspense.
They had thought it was just a formality; who knew it was actually for real.