As Han Luo continued along his path, he noticed that the footprints on the ground were becoming increasingly scattered.

  It seemed that some people had been distracted by something and had wandered off.

  This made him even more cautious. He stuck to the path with the highest concentration of footprints, ensuring the safest route.

  After walking for half a day—

  Suddenly!

  The alarm talisman on his body trembled, emitting a sharp beep beep beep sound.

  Han Luo immediately stopped in his tracks.

  His alarm talismans had a 500-meter detection range and would trigger upon sensing any living creature.

  At the same time, his keen nose picked up a faint scent of blood.

  The smell drifted from up ahead, barely noticeable unless one paid close attention. Blood… in this ominous primeval forest?

  Definitely not a good sign.

  After a brief moment of thought, Han Luo made the wise choice—retreat. He had no idea what had happened ahead, but wherever there’s blood, there’s trouble.

  And trouble was not part of his plan. For safety’s sake, retreating was the only rational decision.

  He backtracked for half a day, returning to his previous location. Taking out his notebook, he crossed out one of the six possible paths, marking it as a dead end.

  An entire day wasted.

  But Han Luo wasn’t frustrated.

  Instead, he felt more confident in his approach. Eliminating one wrong path meant his chances of success had increased.

  By removing all the wrong paths, success would eventually become inevitable.

  As the sky darkened, he prepared to return to his safehouse to rest.

  Wait!

  No, that won’t work.

  He had already used that safehouse once. Staying in one place too long would leave traces of his presence.

  Even though he had ten Concealment Talismans to suppress his aura, he still wasn’t comfortable with the risk.

  So, he spent some extra time constructing a new safehouse.

  Only after setting up a fresh batch of explosive and alarm talismans did he finally feel secure enough to rest. Replenish energy, and resume exploration tomorrow.

  Luo Xian Sect, Grand Hall.

  Inside the sect’s main hall, the five peak masters sat around a massive bronze mirror, observing the ongoing test.

  "This year’s batch of newcomers is impressive," Yun Qianli remarked, nodding approvingly. "Despite the many temptations set in place, so many have managed to resist them. Not bad, not bad at all."

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  "I disagree," Yun Ding countered, pointing at the bronze mirror.

  Displayed on the mirror, thousands of candidates had fallen victim to traps, succumbing to their greed and losing their qualification to enter Luo Xian Sect.

  During their journey, many participants had encountered valuable spiritual objects along the way.

  Those who couldn’t control their greed attempted to claim the treasures for themselves—only to fail the test entirely.

  Luo Xian Sect was a cultivation sect, and the most crucial quality in a sect was unity. Only when everyone worked toward the same goal could the sect prosper.

  A prosperous sect meant more resources for cultivators. More resources meant faster breakthroughs, leading to greater strength.

  Thus, while the entrance exam seemed simple, every detail had been carefully designed and tested.

  "Yun Ding, what’s your problem? Why do you always oppose me?" Yun Qianli snapped. "If you want, let’s settle this with an arm-wrestling match before the new disciple tournament!"

  The rivalry between Xian Ding Peak and Qian Ren Peak was no secret.

  Both peaks had the largest number of disciples, and their members often competed fiercely, almost like sworn enemies.

  "Fine!" Yun Ding smirked. "I just finished refining a new magical treasure. I needed someone to test it on anyway. If you want to volunteer, be my guest!"

  The discussion quickly shifted from the entrance exam to a potential duel between the two peak masters.

  "Enough!" Yun Yangzi interjected, his voice stern. "You two need to settle down. You’re here to select outstanding disciples, not pick fights. If you don’t start taking this seriously, I’ll give all the best recruits to the other three peaks this year!"

  Yun Qianli and Yun Ding instantly fell silent, though their displeasure was evident.

  The only reason they didn’t argue back was simple—

  Even if they teamed up, they still wouldn’t be able to defeat Yun Yangzi. If they could, they would have rebelled long ago.

  "Interesting," a soft voice suddenly spoke.

  All eyes turned toward Hong Niang, the master of Piao Miao Peak.

  "Did you find something, Junior Sister?" Yun Ding asked.

  Hong Niang smiled gently, radiating an aura of graceful beauty.

  "Not really," she said. "I just find this year's batch… particularly interesting."

  Her gaze drifted toward the edge of the bronze mirror.

  Near the very border of the mirror’s display, there was a tiny red dot.

  At first glance, it seemed like a speck of dust.

  But upon closer inspection, it was actually a participant in the test.

  This individual was so far behind the main group that it looked like they had been left behind entirely.

  The next morning, the sun bathed the land in warm golden light.

  Han Luo followed his usual morning routine—wake up, brush teeth, wash face, use the restroom, eat breakfast.

  After completing a quick stretching routine, he pulled out his notebook.

  This time, he chose the second most-traveled path.

  Preparations complete—departure.

  Half a day later, Han Luo halted in his tracks, staring at the raging river ahead.

  Problem one—he didn’t know how to swim.

  Problem two—he had no idea how deep the river was.

  Problem three—there could be deadly aquatic beasts lurking beneath the surface.

  Conclusion:

  If he stepped into the water, he might accidentally fall into a deep zone, panic, and attract a hungry river monster.

  Too dangerous.

  Abort mission.

  He returned to his starting point, took out his notebook, and crossed out the second path.

  Once again, same routine as before—relocate, set traps, sleep.

  The next day, following the third path, he trekked for half a day.

  Ahead lay a toxic swamp—dense, eerie fog rolling over a mire of unknown depth.

  As if the swamp wasn’t enough, the poisonous mist made it even worse.

  Red alert—extreme danger.

  Abort.

  Three paths tested.

  Three paths failed.

  Still, Han Luo remained optimistic—there were still three paths left.

  The fourth path?

  Barely three hours in, he heard fierce fighting up ahead, accompanied by beastly roars.

  Without hesitation, he turned around and left.

  By now, the test had been going on for over a week.

  If people were still stuck this close to the starting point, that meant they were weak.

  Helping weaklings was asking for trouble.

  Many powerful figures in history had died because they tried to help others.

  Han Luo had no interest in becoming a cautionary tale.

  So, onto the fifth path.

  This time, it seemed like he made the right choice.

  For three days, he encountered no danger at all.

  However, a nagging thought remained—

  Where does the sixth path lead?

  To ease his doubts, he marked trees along his route, ensuring he could find his way back if necessary. His current path had clear signs of battle, but the fights seemed effortless for the group ahead.

  This meant one thing—whoever took this route was incredibly strong.

  Following them was his best bet for survival. With this mindset, he continued forward. Until, three days later, trouble finally arrived.

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