Oh no! I, the weakling, have become the villain!

"Look at how old this guy is, he still wants to take the outer disciple assessment. It's a wonder someone is willing to let him take the assessment. Did they secretly give him a tip?"

"Who knows? But at that age, life is pretty much what it is."

Xu Yao glanced at the person everyone was discussing and nodded silently. He also remembered this person, after all, he was also a man at the fourth level of Qi Refining.

However, he also understood the man's purpose.

This man probably has some awareness of his own talent. The reason he only came to participate in the outer disciple assessment at this time is probably because of that low-grade Xuan-level weapon.

With this and the pills they gave him, his cultivation should be able to improve a bit more. At that point, it doesn't matter whether he can enter the inner sect or not. Even if he becomes a gatekeeper disciple in the sect, his life will still be quite good.

Amidst the conversation, the group unknowingly arrived at the Qingyun Sect's trial grounds.

At this moment, the elder in charge of the entrance examination began to explain the specific rules to the disciples.

Because many outstanding disciples died in the previous campaign against the Blood Demon Hall, the standards for disciple assessment have been relaxed this time.

Originally, according to the Qingyun Sect's standard of 3,000 people participating in the assessment, there should only be 500 people left.

However, because of their previous joint campaign against the Blood Demon Hall, they decided to recruit a thousand people this time, so the passing standard is one-third.

"Because there are a lot of disciples recruited this time, the reward for the first place is particularly high. You must seize this opportunity, after all, it is a low-grade Xuan-rank sword. Even my sword is only a low-grade Xuan-rank sword."

"The rules of the competition are quite simple. See that door? Go in through that door and come out through another door to pass the test. If you can't pass, then it's a pity. I look forward to your best performance."

"By the way, the first prize for this competition is not only a low-grade Xuan-level weapon, but also five Foundation Establishment Pills. You should know how amazing Foundation Establishment Pills are."

The elder was referring to a door at the foot of the mountain, which clearly led into a cave. Perhaps one would have to pass through caves and tunnels in the mountain to emerge from another door.

As for what's inside the caves and tunnels, it might be traps or monsters.

After all, the elder didn't say anything.

However, the disciples who participated in the assessment were also excited, because it was the Foundation Establishment Pill.

Moreover, there are five of them. If one has good talent, having a total of five Foundation Establishment Pills will definitely allow one to break through two minor realms.

Even if someone with the worst talent were to consume it, their strength would definitely increase.

Who wouldn't want something this good?

The elder then activated the mechanism, and the door in the middle slowly opened.

"I hope you all pass the assessment smoothly. Let's begin."

Immediately, the disciples rushed into the cave, and Xu Yao, who was among the crowd, also sped up.

Because of the huge reward for first place, many people have lost their minds and recklessly ventured into the cave, regardless of what threats might be inside.

Not long after they entered, quite a few people were hit. Some were knocked unconscious by suddenly rolling rocks, while others fell into huge pits and were almost stabbed to death by spears inside.

There were over three hundred people there at once, and then it was all over.

Even so, nothing changed, nor did it diminish the group's confidence in continuing to venture inside.

As you go deeper into the trap, there are more and more wires, and if you're not careful, you might step on them.

However, because of this, the gap between those with high strength and those with low strength has widened rapidly.

Xu Yao was also one of the people rushing to the front. At that time, Zhao Long and the middle-aged man, who were also at the front, glanced at Xu Yao.

In their eyes, Xu Yao was somewhat unbelievable, after all, he only had the cultivation of the first level of Qi Refining, but they did not expect that he could keep up with their speed.

It should be noted that even those at the second or third level of the Qi Refining stage often have their abilities temporarily controlled, making it impossible for them to create such a large distance between themselves.

"Not bad, kid. Although you're only at the first level of Qi Refining, I didn't expect you to show such strength and speed. But if you want to win first place, you'll have to ask for my opinion. I will never let you have it."

As soon as Zhao Long spoke, the middle-aged man next to him also spoke up.

"So you think you can get it? I won't let you get it so easily. Although I'm quite old, I still have a lot of combat experience. I think this first place will definitely belong to me."

"Hmph, you're not a kid anymore, how dare you try to take it from us?"

"What do you know? This is all for my future. If I don't give it my all, how can I make my future life comfortable?"

Zhao Long rolled his eyes at the middle-aged man with annoyance, then suddenly exerted his strength, trying to leave him behind.

It wasn't just the two of them wrestling; everyone else was also wrestling, but these two were the fastest.

One was young and impetuous, the other was experienced, and they left the rest of the group behind, quickly moving forward.

In their view, the other party was the biggest obstacle to their winning first place this time.

However, at that time, someone else quietly exerted their power, and that person was Xu Yao.

Within this cultivation level, there are not many people who possess combat skills, and those who possess powerful combat skills are even rarer.

Xu Yao belongs to the latter category. Of the two combat techniques the old man taught him, the Tiger Subduing Fist is not very useful now, but the Wind Step is incredibly useful.

Although his cultivation level of the first stage of Qi Refining couldn't unleash much power, he could still accelerate his body speed to the extreme.

Sure enough, he used his Windwalk technique to leave everyone else far behind.

At that time, Zhao Long and the middle-aged man also encountered obstacles. First, Zhao Long stepped on a trap and was forced to dodge everywhere, while the middle-aged man laughed at him and continued to move forward.

"Oh dear, so you're still not experienced enough. This time, I'm definitely going to be number one. Goodbye, little brother, I'll be going now."

He had barely finished speaking and hadn't gone far when the middle-aged man bumped his head into a wall that suddenly appeared, nearly knocking himself unconscious.

To be precise, the wall protruded from the ground, and because of the mechanisms mounted on the wall, the middle-aged man was greatly hindered.