Lin Wei said, "Brother Xiao is quite enthusiastic."

The way Xiao Chen and his father treated her was worlds apart from their attitude toward Xu Yang and Sun Tao, so her experience was nothing like theirs.

Xu Yang remembered Lin Cheng’s request and warned, "Senior Sister, be careful. That Xiao Chen has ill intentions."

Sun Tao also nodded lightly. The way Xiao Chen looked at Lin Wei, as if he wanted to devour her, was obvious even to him.

Lin Wei raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Junior Brother Xu, it’s only natural for a gentleman to court a fair maiden."

’So she’s not a fool; she sensed it too.’

Xu Yang was left speechless. After Lin Wei had said that, what more could he say?

Xiao Chen was the son of a Purple Sun Sect Outer Sect Steward and was also handsome. If Lin Wei was willing to be pursued by him, saying any more would only make Xu Yang seem narrow-minded and petty.

He had only spoken up because he felt that with Xiao Hua being so snobbish and pragmatic, Xiao Chen was probably not a good person.

’But he and Lin Wei were different people, after all. Their perspectives were bound to differ. For Lin Wei, latching onto the powerful connection offered by Xiao Chen and his father was a huge opportunity. Why would she refuse?’

A few more days passed in the blink of an eye. All the candidates from the Six Counties had arrived at the Purple Sun Sect, and some busybody had collected information and created a "Ten Heroes" and "Top Ten" list.

The Ten Heroes were the ten with the best talent in this batch. Kong Yu from Qingyuan County was one of the Ten Heroes, ranked third. Lu Ren, by virtue of his Upper Grade B Root Bone and grasping Wind and Thunder Strength after over a year of martial arts practice, was ranked tenth.

The Top Ten were the ten with the highest cultivation. From Qingyuan County, only Cao Rong made the list, and he was the last one.

"That’s terrifying. Just how many masters are there in this batch? Even a Bone Marrow Cleansing Master like Yun Feng couldn’t make it into the Top Ten," Sun Tao said, his face filled with shock.

Jiang Ping said, "I heard that among the Six Counties combined, there are a full twenty people who have already undergone Marrow Cleansing. I even heard that in the Commandery City, there are people with Bone Marrow Cleansing Cultivation who didn’t even make it into their top three."

Jiang Fan nodded. "That’s right."

He was from the Commandery City himself, so he could speak with authority on the matter.

Zhang Yong, who lived next door and had just come over to visit, remarked, "I never thought Lu Ren would become one of the Ten Heroes. His talent is even greater than I imagined."

That he was ranked tenth in talent out of 360 candidates from the Six Counties spoke volumes.

He couldn’t help but look at Xu Yang. Unfortunately, Xu Yang hadn’t been as amazing as everyone had imagined; he still hadn’t grasped Wind and Thunder Strength.

"Junior Brother Lu Ren is indeed extraordinary. His future achievements will be greater than ours."

Jiang Ping said, "He has already reached Qi Gathering Perfection and is starting to break through to the Qi Cultivation Gang realm."

At these words, both Sun Tao and Zhang Yong were stunned. ’Lu Ren is already trying to break through to Qi Cultivation Gang?’

For a moment, everyone turned to look at Xu Yang.

Wan Hai showed a look of envy. "So you and Lu Ren come from the same school. With a junior brother like him, no one will dare bully you in the future."

In their generation, people had also made such lists. Those people had all become masters who dominated the Outer Sect. Once their three years were up, they could enter the Inner Sect directly and study under an Elder.

"The Ten Heroes List is completely inaccurate. Some people have never had their Root Bone tested. The ones on the list are all people who have."

Jiang Fan said, "I know of at least one person with an A-class Root Bone who isn’t on the Ten Heroes List."

Xu Yang’s heart skipped a beat. ’Could Jiang Fan be talking about me?’ But he quickly dismissed the thought.

Although Jiang Fan often cornered him for a chat, he had never revealed anything about his Root Bone.

"Brother Jiang, who are you talking about?" Jiang Ping asked curiously.

So there was another hidden A-class Root Bone among this batch of disciples.

Jiang Fan shook his head. "This person is rather low-key. Since he hasn’t said anything, it’s not my place to reveal his identity."

The group couldn’t help but be very disappointed.

"Xu Yang, come out for a talk."

Just then, a voice came from outside the door.

Xu Yang turned to look and saw it was Qin Ze. He immediately walked out into the courtyard and saw that the several people who had formed the Alliance at the Tongbi Fist Hall were all there.

The group nodded to each other, then got a private room at a nearby restaurant.

After the tea was served, Qin Ze was the first to speak. "We’ve been at the Purple Sun Sect for several days now. Has anyone been suppressed by the Sharp Wind Hall or the Eagle Society?"

Everyone shook their heads. They were all still familiarizing themselves with the Purple Sun Sect and hadn’t started doing any tasks yet. Even if Cao Rong, Han Xing, and the others wanted to target them, they hadn’t had the chance.

Qin Ze continued, "I’ve been asking around recently and learned that even if we complete our three years as Outer Disciples, it’s very difficult to join one of the Four Peaks and become Inner Sect Disciples. That’s because to become an Inner Sect Disciple, you need to complete an assessment.

This assessment is basically impossible for a single person to complete. I’ve brought everyone here today because I hope to add a clause to our alliance pact: from now on, whenever someone meets the requirements for promotion, the rest of us must help them complete the assessment.

Of course, the first person to be promoted and become an Inner Sect Disciple must also help those who come after. Does everyone agree?"

Right now, they were, at best, just beasts of burden for the Purple Sun Sect. Only by becoming Inner Sect Disciples could they be considered true members of the sect.

Yue Gui was the first to speak. "I’ve also inquired about becoming an Inner Sect Disciple. If you can place in the top three of the Outer Sect Grand Competition, you can bypass the assessment.

And the Outer Sect Grand Competition is held once a year. Of course, Brother Qin, I completely agree with your proposal."

Liu Qian said, "I agree as well. The Outer Sect Grand Competition may be held once a year, but getting into the top three is too difficult. In this Outer Sect, besides our batch, there’s also the previous one. I’ve heard some people have been Outer Disciples for five or six years, unable to get promoted simply because they couldn’t complete the assessment."

Xu Yang realized this Alliance was actually very useful. He was so absorbed in his martial arts that he had no idea an assessment was required to become an Inner Sect Disciple.

The others all had status and extensive connections, so they naturally had more sources of information. Maintaining the Alliance could save him a lot of trouble, so he immediately voiced his agreement as well.

’An assessment that others haven’t managed to pass even after five or six years as Outer Disciples... I’m not arrogant enough to think I can do it alone.’