Jin, Wei, and Xiao Lian now found themselves among a crowd of children.
There were far more than Jin had expected after the first trial. They were spread across a wide area—some speaking in low voices, others remaining silent, still recovering from what they had experienced. The atmosphere was tense, heavy with restrained nervousness.
Jin was calmly observing his surroundings when something caught his attention.
At a certain distance, a group of children was clearly in the middle of a conflict. They weren't shouting yet, but their stiff postures and hostile looks made it obvious enough. Jin narrowed his eyes.
One group wore martial clothing—simple but well-fitted, with details that betrayed prior training and a degree of clan discipline. The other group wore fine garments, good-quality fabrics with careful tailoring, more befitting a noble family than peasants.
That difference was what sparked his curiosity.
Jin would probably have ignored the situation if not for that detail. However, recognizing such a clear distinction, he took a small step forward, intending to get closer and see what was going on.
Then he felt a tug on his sleeve.
He paused and lowered his gaze.
Xiao Lian was gripping his sleeve with both hands, looking at him with a mix of nervousness and dependence. Her fingers clenched the fabric as if she feared he would disappear if she let go.
Jin smiled.
"I'll be right back," he said calmly. "Don't move from here."
He bent slightly to be at her eye level.
"Stay with Wei, alright?"
Xiao Lian hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded.
Wei, standing right beside her, heard the exchange. He raised an eyebrow and looked at Jin for a second. He didn't say anything. He didn't object either.
That was enough.
Jin carefully freed his sleeve from Xiao Lian's grasp and turned his attention back toward the small conflict unfolding in the distance, now fully decided to approach.
He moved toward the conflict without hurrying.
As he closed the distance, he found it curious that none of the disciples intervened. They passed nearby, glanced over, and continued with their duties, as if it weren't worth their attention. Jin understood the message immediately. As long as there was no blood or destruction, that kind of friction didn't matter to them at all.
When he was close enough, he could hear clearly.
"They shoved us on purpose!" one of the children in martial robes protested. "And then they insulted us!"
The other group didn't seem particularly agitated. Dressed in fine, light-colored clothes, one of them stood with his arms crossed, wearing an expression of barely concealed annoyance.
"We were just walking," he replied disdainfully. "If you can't stay on your feet, that's not our problem."
Jin watched carefully.
The development didn't surprise him. Seeing the quality of their clothes and the relaxed attitude of the so-called "culprits," he figured it was about time he ran into this kind of people. Early arrogance, family backing—the classic combination.
The argument began drawing a crowd.
Several children gathered around, forming an uneven circle. Murmurs slowly rose, blending with the tension in the air.
"The ones in purple are from the eastern branch of the Murong family…" one child whispered uncertainly. "And the ones in yellow? They're from the Shao family, one of the three main families of the east."
"Seriously?" another replied, eyes widening. "How can a mere branch family challenge a major clan on its own territory?"
The boy who asked was so chubby that Jin couldn't help glancing at him and wondering, with genuine curiosity, what on earth they had fed him to end up like that.
Meanwhile, at the center of the circle, the stares grew sharper and the voices more strained. Jin crossed his arms calmly and kept watching, curious to see how far things would escalate.
To Jin's surprise—and at the same time, not really—he saw a skinny boy, thin as a lizard, move quickly and clap a hand over the chubby boy's mouth.
"Shh!" he whispered urgently. "Do you want to make enemies this fast?"
The chubby boy blinked, clearly confused, while the skinny one withdrew his hand and cleared his throat, adopting a slightly serious expression, as if about to deliver an important lesson.
"It's understandable to think that way if you don't know who the Murong family is," he said, glancing around to make sure everyone was listening.
Then he straightened up a bit more, puffing out his chest.
"The Murong family is one of the Three Great Clans of the Linglong Continent," he continued. "Being important in one region doesn't compare to being powerful across the entire continent. They have branches in all four cardinal directions."
The silence lasted barely a second.
Jin immediately rolled his eyes.
Even the chubby boy looked more confused than impressed, staring at the skinny one as if he wasn't entirely sure he'd learned anything useful.
"Oh…" the chubby boy murmured. "So… they're really strong?"
The skinny boy nodded with exaggerated gravity.
Jin sighed quietly.
Of course… he thought.The official explainer has arrived.
Hearing that whole explanation, a very clear idea crossed his mind.
"Looks like the plot is already taking shape…" he thought ironically. "Otherwise, the typical guy who explains everything—without anyone asking—wouldn't have shown up."
Arms still crossed, Jin refocused on the conflict, wondering how long it would take before things stopped being just words.
While Jin was occupied watching the situation unfold, he didn't notice that the area was growing more crowded.
Voices multiplied, movement increased, and at some point, the disciples began intervening again. This time not to observe, but to reorganize. They started separating the children quickly, forming them into different groups and guiding them toward what appeared to be waiting lines.
The atmosphere changed immediately.
The murmurs turned chaotic for a few seconds, until the disciples' authority imposed order.
One of them approached the group where the conflict had originated. He pointed at several children—both those directly involved and a few who had been observing up close.
Among them, to Jin's surprise, he pointed at Jin.
"You. Come," the disciple ordered.
Jin blinked.
"Huh?" he replied, pointing at himself. "Excuse me, senior brother, I think there's a mistake. I wasn't—"
The disciple was already moving, gesturing for him to go along with the others.
With no other choice, Jin walked forward, still bewildered, and turned his head to try to locate Wei and Xiao Lian. He searched through the crowd, craned his neck slightly, but saw only heads, robes, and bodies moving in every direction.
He didn't find them.
"Senior brother," Jin insisted, gesturing behind him. "I was with other children, they're over there—"
The disciple stopped abruptly.
He turned his head and looked at Jin with obvious irritation.
"Does that matter?" he replied curtly. "What matters here is that you get examined. Move."
The response cut off any further explanation.
Jin closed his mouth and let out an internal sigh.
"Great…" he thought."Separated from the group at the worst possible moment."
With no alternatives, he continued moving with the rest of the group, leaving behind any immediate chance of reuniting with Wei and Xiao Lian as the line advanced toward the next phase of the trial.
The disciple led them a bit farther and merged them with another group of children. With a sharp hand gesture, he indicated where they should stand.
"Line up here," he ordered. "Don't move."
Jin stepped forward with the others and stopped where indicated. There was already a line in front of him. He couldn't see what lay ahead, but from the layout of the space and the way the children advanced little by little, it was clear that some sort of individual examination was taking place there.
He observed his surroundings carefully, memorizing everything almost out of habit.
Out of sheer curiosity, Jin turned toward the disciple.
"Senior brother," he asked politely, "what kind of examination is being conducted ahead?"
The disciple glanced at him sideways and frowned.
"Kid," he replied with clear annoyance, "you talk too much. You'll find out when it's your turn."
He snorted, as if the conversation itself bothered him, and walked off to deal with another group.
Jin followed him with his eyes for a few seconds before turning back toward the front, frowning slightly.
"I see…" he thought. "I knew not everyone in the cultivation world would be pleasant, but this senior brother clearly has attitude issues."
His expression relaxed just a bit.
"Maybe in the future," he added silently, "someone should give him a good beating to straighten out his personality."
As he was thinking that, a voice sounded behind him.
"Hey…" a boy said cautiously. "Hi."
Jin turned around completely.
And to his surprise, he recognized the boy immediately.
It was Deng Hao, the blacksmith's son from the village.
Jin stared at him for a second longer than necessary, genuinely surprised. He hadn't expected to see him there again. Since getting off the ship, they had been separated by the crowd, and during the illusion trial Jin hadn't seen him anywhere. In fact, he had assumed the other village children had failed.
Seeing him there, standing in line, felt oddly reassuring.
"Well then…" Jin said casually. "Deng Hao, this is a surprise."
He spoke as if they were long-time acquaintances, even though they had barely interacted back in the village. Still, his tone was relaxed and familiar.
"What happened to the other children from the village?"
Deng Hao blinked several times before answering. At first he seemed tense, shoulders stiff and hands clenched. But seeing Jin's easygoing attitude, his expression softened a little. He slowly let out a breath.
"I thought… I thought I was going to die in that illusion, Big Brother Jin," he admitted with a nervous smile. "I really thought I wouldn't make it out."
He scratched the back of his head and shook it.
"As for the others… I have no idea. When I came to, I didn't see anyone else from the village. They just…" he made a vague gesture with his hand, "dragged me here."
Jin nodded slowly.
He didn't speak right away. He looked toward the front of the line, then back at Deng Hao.
"At least you made it," he said at last. "That already counts for a lot."
Deng Hao seemed to relax a bit more at those words, as if that simple reassurance had lifted a weight off his shoulders.
As they talked, the line advanced little by little.
It wasn't steady, but slow and uneven. Every so often, one child moved forward and the rest took a step with them. Jin used that downtime to keep chatting with Deng Hao, throwing out questions that didn't really matter—more to kill time than out of real curiosity.
"Did your head hurt after the illusion?" he asked. "Did you see anything weird? Hear voices, or was it just standard traumatic memories?"
Deng Hao looked at him, unsure how to answer all that, but did his best anyway, silently grateful that someone was speaking normally amid all the tension.
Suddenly, a surprised shout rang out in the distance.
Jin immediately lifted his head and turned slightly, trying to pinpoint where it came from. Judging by the direction, it seemed to be from one of the farther lines. It wasn't a child's voice—it sounded more like one of the examiners.
Nearby murmurs died down for an instant.
Jin narrowed his eyes.
"Oh…" he thought."That sounds interesting."
His plot sensor flared to life.
He didn't know exactly what was happening, but he was fairly sure it wasn't trivial. Maybe a rare talent. Maybe an unexpected problem. Maybe someone standing out… or being eliminated in spectacular fashion.
What a shame.
Jin glanced at the line ahead of him, then at the distance separating him from where the shout had come from. There was no way to get closer without drawing too much attention.
"What a waste…" he thought resignedly."Just when something interesting happens."
The line moved forward again.
And Jin, with a faint grimace of frustration, had to settle for imagining what the hell was going on beyond his reach.