Chapter 14: The Stunning Maiden

"The second round of assessment begins now." "That mountain peak to the left is our Heavenly Peak of the Sky Origin Palace. Everyone will now begin to ascend it. The first two thousand to reach the summit will become outer disciples of the Sky Origin Palace. All others will be eliminated." "Begin!" the middle-aged elder announced in a clear voice. As the elder's words fell, over ten thousand young participants eagerly surged towards the Heavenly Peak. With over ten thousand people vying for only two thousand spots, everyone frantically rushed towards the Heavenly Peak, hoping to be among the first to reach the summit. Just then, those who had started climbing first all collapsed to the ground. An invisible pressure suddenly enveloped everyone, making it impossible to move an inch. Yang Lingchen could tell that the Heavenly Peak was equipped with a massive pressure array. It suppressed everyone's cultivation to the same level, meaning that whoever possessed the stronger willpower would climb faster. The moment Yang Lingchen stepped onto the Heavenly Peak, he felt as if a thousand-pound boulder had been placed on his back. Had he not been prepared, he too might have been forced to the ground. The Heavenly Peak was tall, and the higher one climbed, the greater the pressure became. Those with insufficient willpower would find it impossible to ascend. Fortunately, Yang Lingchen's physical strength was quite good. Moreover, his willpower far surpassed that of ordinary people, making his ascent noticeably easier compared to others. The Heavenly Peak was enormous; even tens of thousands climbing simultaneously would not cause any hindrance. At this moment, the young men and women ascending the peak pushed themselves to their limits, struggling towards the summit. Even drenched in sweat, not a single person chose to give up. After a period of adaptation, Yang Lingchen gradually increased his speed. As he picked up pace, he left one competitor after another behind, quickly reaching second place. "Wow! This girl is incredibly fast!" Yang Lingchen thought to himself, a hint of surprise in his eyes. The person ahead of him was a stunning maiden with an adorable face and a well-developed figure. Her speed was remarkable; even with Yang Lingchen's pace, he found it difficult to catch up immediately. "These two young ones have excellent talent." Meanwhile, at the summit of the Heavenly Peak, several outer elders also showed expressions of surprise. Yang Lingchen and the adorable maiden's speed was simply too fast, leaving everyone else far behind. Half an hour passed in a flash. Through his persistent effort, Yang Lingchen finally caught up to the adorable maiden, climbing alongside her. "Whoa, that's impressive, still moving so fast?" Yang Lingchen inadvertently glanced at the maiden's chest. Of course, this was merely a natural male reaction, not an indication of lewdness. Her figure was simply too eye-catching, and out of instinct, he took an extra look. "You pervert! What are you staring at? Haven't you ever seen anything this big? If you want to stare so badly, why don't you go stare at your own mother?" the adorable maiden snapped, her rosy cheeks making her look incredibly cute. "Cough, cough..." Yang Lingchen cleared his throat, momentarily speechless from her retort. However, he didn't continue to stare. While it was pleasing to the eye, being caught red-handed was indeed quite awkward. Yang Lingchen quickly increased his speed, continuing his climb upwards, gradually surpassing the adorable maiden. "What kind of monster is this kid? He's even faster than me!" the maiden thought to herself, then quickly increased her own speed, catching up to Yang Lingchen again. "Hey, you pervert, why are you so fast?" the well-figured maiden asked curiously. "You're not slow yourself!" Yang Lingchen glanced back at her. "You pervert, you're still looking! Believe it or not, I'll gouge out your eyeballs!" the maiden said with an angry pout, which still looked incredibly cute. "I really didn't mean to. It's just... you're so prominent. I just accidentally glanced," Yang Lingchen quickly explained, as he truly hadn't intended to stare. "Hmph, then why are you so fast?" the adorable maiden continued to ask. "Then why are you so... well-figured?" Yang Lingchen teased playfully. "You pervert! How dare you flirt with me!" the maiden snapped, then launched a palm strike. A sharp palm force carried an invisible wave of air towards Yang Lingchen. "Little firecracker, quite a temper, aren't you? Attacking without warning." Yang Lingchen smiled calmly, quickly using his movement technique to evade, while also sending out a palm strike of his own. After a dozen exchanges, Yang Lingchen grew increasingly surprised. "What kind of monster is this firecracker? Her strength is terrifying!" Yang Lingchen was very confident in his own combat prowess. He didn't believe he was inferior to anyone at the same cultivation level. Yet, the maiden he encountered today, at the same level, was proving difficult to suppress. "How is this pervert so strong?" The adorable maiden was equally shocked. Since birth, she had never lost to anyone at the same cultivation level. She never expected that in this small Sky Origin Palace, someone could actually contend with her at the same level. "No, this firecracker is too strong. If we keep fighting, even if I win, it'll be a Pyrrhic victory." Thinking this, Yang Lingchen's figure flickered, avoiding an incoming palm strike, then quickly climbed towards the summit. "You pervert, don't you dare run! Today, I'll make sure you're no longer a man!" the maiden snapped, then quickly chased after him. "Oh, for crying out loud, why is this girl like a powder keg? I didn't even do anything to her!" Yang Lingchen was helpless. He didn't want to waste time here; after all, they were still in the middle of an assessment. Five hours passed. After five hours of climbing, Yang Lingchen and the adorable maiden successively reached the summit of the Heavenly Peak. "Congratulations on becoming outer disciples of the Sky Origin Palace." Outer Elder Wang Xuanfeng nodded in satisfaction. He was very pleased with these two young individuals. Yang Lingchen and the maiden registered and received their outer disciple identity tokens. It was then that Yang Lingchen finally learned the maiden's name: Feng Xueqing. "You pervert, don't let me catch you again, or I'll make sure you're no longer a man!" Feng Xueqing glared at Yang Lingchen with a fierce yet adorable look, her beautiful eyes showing a hint of menace. This time, Yang Lingchen wisely chose not to respond. He didn't want to provoke this firecracker further. After several more hours, people began to trickle onto the summit. Ultimately, the first two thousand young men and women successfully passed the assessment and received their outer disciple identity tokens. Yang Lingchen looked around. Among these two thousand people, he did not find Han Ruoxue. He then turned his gaze to the eliminated crowd and finally spotted a dejected Han Ruoxue among them. Yang Lingchen withdrew his gaze. Since Han Ruoxue had been eliminated, they would likely have no further interaction. Those who were eliminated would be sent back to their original cities by the Sky Origin Palace. At this point, Outer Elder Wang Xuanfeng approached and said, "All new disciples have now received their identity tokens. However, I have a few things to remind everyone." "First, your identity token is a symbol of your status in the Sky Origin Palace and must not be lent to others at will." "Second, in addition to your identity information, your identity token also records your contribution points in the Sky Origin Palace." "Third, as new disciples, you should read this Sky Origin Manual thoroughly. It contains the palace rules and various information about the sect." Through this explanation, Yang Lingchen learned that in the Sky Origin Palace, to obtain cultivation techniques, elixirs, and cultivation resources, one needed to exchange them using contribution points. Contribution points were earned by completing tasks. After all, the sect was not a charity; to support so many disciples, it naturally required them to perform tasks and contribute to the sect. Outer disciples did not have individual masters. Every day, an elder would teach cultivation in the outer disciple plaza. New disciples could only receive some basic cultivation techniques and martial arts. As for more advanced techniques and martial arts, they needed to earn them through tasks. Under the arrangement of the deacons, all new disciples were assigned their respective living quarters, with each person receiving a small room.