What is this?

After a passionate speech from the Sect Leader, everyone applauded.

With a resounding “Begin!”, the disciples participating in the trials embarked on their path to cultivation.

“……”

Su Wanqing leaned back in her chair, chin in hand, watching the live broadcast displayed on the magic artifact. She carefully searched for individuals who might influence the plot.

Once found, she would try to avoid contact with them, or see if those plot-relevant characters had also changed.

To join Tianjian Pavilion, one first had to pass a test, proving they were qualified for cultivation, before being allowed to participate in this selection assembly.

Of course, this qualification test was just the simplest.

Only after the top twenty were determined would the disciples’ specific talents be assessed.

All 324 participants, regardless of success or failure, would join Tianjian Pavilion.

However, only the top twenty disciples would be eligible to be chosen by elders as true disciples.

The remaining 304 could only undergo traditional standardized teaching, exploring the mysteries of cultivation on their own.

Traditional teaching was usually provided by past disciples who had reached the Golden Core stage, not the sect elders.

These Golden Core disciples, having not received systematic instruction from elders and unable to establish their own lineage or defeat incumbent elders to inherit their titles, became teaching instructors for Tianjian Pavilion.

Even so, the number of teaching instructors in Tianjian Pavilion was still very few.

And very few people could, through their own efforts, contend for a position as a Tianjian Pavilion elder; usually, it was the elder’s direct disciple who inherited the high position.

If a disciple not initially selected performed well during this period, they would fortunately also be chosen by an elder to become a true disciple and receive personal instruction.

This meant they would no longer receive standardized teaching with other disciples but would enjoy one-on-one instruction from an elder.

Of course, more often, after years of study, they still showed no progress and were eventually forced by the sect to “graduate,” becoming rogue cultivators bearing the Tianjian Pavilion name.

If they continued to progress but were still not valued by an elder, they would become an inner disciple.

Although they would remain in Tianjian Pavilion and officially become Tianjian Pavilion members, they would only receive instruction from elders once a week.

In the end, even in this largest batch of disciples, only about a hundred would remain after various comings and goings.

However, in previous batches, more than fifty retained disciples was already considered a large number.

As for the inner sect teaching, it was arranged by the elders themselves.

Because Su Wanqing was extremely popular, she never participated in teaching; the other seven elders would collectively cover for her.

“Elder Li, may I ask how that girl is doing?”

Because there were too many people at the moment, even searching meticulously was like finding a needle in a haystack.

So, Su Wanqing stopped looking. She decided to wait until most people were eliminated, then she would check again.

Anyway, she was looking for the top twenty, and she would search for the plot characters during the final sprint phase.

Right now, she wanted to ask about Ning Yuer’s situation, because listening to the Sect Leader just now, the number of participants this time was still “324,” which was the number in the original novel.

Because Su Wanqing had sent Ning Yuer away, the number of participants this time should have been 323.

If her guess was correct, a disciple who wasn’t lacking in talent must have filled the female lead’s vacancy.

However, she was still a little uneasy and needed to hear Li Ziyu’s confirmation personally.

“That girl, ah, she’s changed so much.”

“I completely didn’t expect her cultivation talent to be so good?”

“Although her foundation was very poor, after a period of my instruction, she has undergone a complete metamorphosis, a true ‘rebirth.’”

Li Ziyu deliberately emphasized the four characters for “complete metamorphosis,” and she wasn’t boasting, merely stating facts.

After her period of instruction, Ning Yuer, in her current state, should easily achieve her goal, right?

She genuinely hadn’t expected Ning Yuer to be so talented.

If it weren’t for her personal obsession, and her unwillingness to see another tragedy, she would definitely have kept Ning Yuer at all costs.

Presumably, Elder Su wouldn’t recognize that girl Ning Yuer now.

Elder Su~ Please don’t be overwhelmed with gratitude towards me later—

After all, I sacrificed such a good disciple.

“So that’s it. It’s good that the girl didn’t disappoint you.”

Upon hearing Li Ziyu’s satisfied tone, the stone in Su Wanqing’s heart finally dropped.

It seemed everything truly was a coincidence, not what she had worried about.

Li Ziyu had already started teaching that girl Ning Yuer, and even seemed so satisfied.

Su Wanqing was also quite certain that Ning Yuer was definitely not among those selected disciples.

However, the reason that girl wasn’t brought by Li Ziyu should be because she was currently in the foundational stage, needing to remain in Hongxiu for quiet cultivation, undisturbed.

“Yes, she will definitely be a good disciple in the future.”

“That’s good.”

Su Wanqing breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t catch the hidden meaning of the word “future” in Li Ziyu’s statement.

She merely thought Li Ziyu was lamenting Ning Yuer’s future achievements, rather than the girl not having joined her tutelage, truly sighing that she was a good disciple for the future.

“That child’s future achievements are absolutely limitless, Elder Su. You must remember to cherish this relationship.”

However, although Li Ziyu and Ning Yuer had agreed to keep it a secret, to mentally prepare Su Wanqing in advance, she still offered a suitable reminder.

But Su Wanqing still didn’t grasp the other party’s meaning, remaining immersed in her own fantasy.

She understood “this relationship” to mean gratitude, but what Li Ziyu actually referred to was the “master-disciple” relationship.

“Of course, I will.”

Su Wanqing nodded and smiled.

Of course, she would cherish it.

After all, this was something she earned with injuries that hadn’t healed until now, and with the embarrassment of wearing white silk. How could she not cherish it?

If she didn’t cherish it, wouldn’t everything have been in vain?

“Presumably, when Elder Su sees that child again, she will definitely not recognize her.”

“Is that so?”

“Then I am truly looking forward to it.”

“I really wish I could see her now; after all, it’s been a month.”

“Heh~”

Listening to the beauty’s expectation beside her, Li Ziyu said nothing, just smiled.

At the same time, she silently praised the correctness of her decision. Indeed, the fate between these two was not yet severed.

Meanwhile, Su Wanqing also noticed Li Ziyu’s smile.

Although puzzled, she understood. However, she didn’t expect a casual remark to truly become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

“Hm?”

“This is…”