The pillar test was conducted based on the order of arrival.

The first young man to step forward came from a merchant family only slightly less wealthy than the Guo family.

With his chest puffed out and a lively gleam in his eyes, he touched the pillar with arrogance.

One light came on, then another, and then...

Shock spread across the young man’s face.

Only two lights? No.

The second light flickered for a moment and then went out.

How was that possible?

"That’s impossible; this thing must be malfunctioning!" he snarled, glaring at the elder.

"There is no malfunction." The elder’s voice was flat.

"The pillar does not calculate how many beasts your protector defeated and handed over to you, but rather how well you utilized them. The fact that only a single light remained despite having such a powerful protector shows just how much of a waste you are."

The words struck the young man, nearly giving him a heart attack from sheer rage.

His protector, a young talent who had come very close to defeating Monk Fa Yun in the second round of the tournament, merely sighed in defeat.

If he had protected anyone else, he would have made it to the second stage. But with that arrogant incompetent, it was impossible.

In the end, he could only curse his own luck.

Soon after, the tests continued as usual.

Sixty disciples completed them in a matter of moments, with only three managing to reach the fourth level and a single one reaching the fifth.

Then it was the turn of the beauty protected by Monk Fa Yun.

She walked with slow, steps, and Qingyi, watching her, noticed something interesting in her stats.

The girl had been a virgin before entering the secret realm, but now she had lost her virginity.

He smiled.

Apparently, he wasn’t the only one taking advantage of the secret realm.

Observing her stats, he nodded approvingly at Fa Yun, who looked confused for a moment but soon focused his gaze.

He would talk to Qingyi later.

The handsome young man simply kept smiling.

Not only was the girl beautiful, with generously sized breasts even larger than Xue Hua’s, but she also possessed very good traits.

Fa Yun truly had good taste in women.

Qingyi just hoped the monk’s sect allowed its members to have a lover, since he didn’t want to end up in a situation where he’d have to help a friend flee the sect with his beauty in tow.

Slightly flushed, the girl touched the pillar. It trembled immediately, lighting up four lights in a single instant, but it didn’t stop there.

Five lights...

Six lights...

The seventh light flickered, but soon went out, drawing a disappointed look from her.

She wouldn’t break the sect’s record: seven lights, almost eight, achieved by a dragon a thousand years ago.

Still, a satisfied smile touched her lips. She returned to Fa Yun’s side, and the monk welcomed her with a warm look.

After her test, which earned admiring looks from all around, several more disciples presented themselves. Only one reached the fifth level.

With that, the top three were already set and now, only Xue Hua remained.

She left Qingyi’s side, walking with quick, light steps.

Long jade fingers, tipped with sharp black nails, extended and touched the pillar.

Silence.

Nothing happened for a long, moment. Then the pillar trembled with raw power.

Seven lights ignited at once, blazing to life, and they didn’t stop. The energy continued to climb.

Eight lights, nine lights, and then, after a deep rumble that resonated through the stone beneath their feet, a pillar of light erupted toward the heavens.

A crushing pressure fell upon every disciple in the next instant, forcing several to stumble backward.

Xue Hua withdrew her hand and the light slowly faded. A thin crack, nothing that compromised its function, now ran along the pillar’s surface.

For long seconds, no one dared to speak.

The seventh light had been reached only once in the sect’s entire history.

It was common knowledge that the sixth was the limit for most and the three above existed only as a distant dream for future generations.

"Xue Hua... tenth light, approved."

The elder’s voice came out shaking, his wide eyes fixed on the glow that had appeared as a pillar of light as it dissolved into the open air.

It was, without question, a once-in-a-era occurrence.

Xue Hua returned with unhurried steps, not looking the least bit surprised or excited.

She raised her eyes, looked at her father, and smiled.

The old man stood absolutely stunned, mouth slightly agape, unable to believe his own eyes and ready to jump for joy.

Honestly, over the past month, even Xue Hua herself hadn’t been unhappy.

Qingyi treated her with nothing but love. Even though he noticed her attempts at manipulation and the soul attacks she launched after unlocking her Qi, he simply didn’t care.

She had even begun to feel a little unworthy.

He accepted everything, and she, like an ungrateful woman, continued trying to humiliate him.

If she told her mother how Qingyi treated her and how she had responded to that treatment, she would likely be severely scolded and given a long lecture on how to be a good wife.

Xue Hua quickened her pace.

She stepped in front of Qingyi and stood on tiptoe, her fingers curling into the fabric of his robes to pull herself closer.

Their lips met in a soft kiss.

Shock spread like an explosion among those present.

What the hell was going on?

Why was the Grand Elder’s daughter suddenly kissing that man?

Slowly, Xue Hua pulled away from Qingyi. A black smudge of lipstick remained on his lips for a brief moment before fading into nothing.

She glanced at her father once more. His expression was one of complete defeat.

She wanted to make sure he understood something very simple: she would choose her own husband, not him.

With the announcement of those accepted into the second stage, and the rumors about the relationship between Qingyi, Rou’er, and Xue Hua, excited whispers spread throughout the entire sect like wildfire.

What a damn lucky guy!