After being reborn, the villain comes with a spoiler tag.

The second match was between a sixth-level Qi Refining cultivator and a ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator. The outcome was also a foregone conclusion, with the ninth-level Qi Refining disciple winning easily. However, neither of them passed the test.

In the third round, the old man in red selected four people at once: one in the early stage of Foundation Establishment, one in the middle stage of Foundation Establishment, and two at the ninth level of Qi Refining.

Just when everyone thought the battle would be a one-sided crushing defeat, unexpectedly, the early Foundation Establishment disciple stepped onto the stage and swiftly killed two Qi Refining disciples on the spot.

This early Foundation Establishment disciple was cultivating the Ghost Control Peak Technique, not the Qi Refining Chapter that everyone could obtain upon entering the sect.

The Ghost-Controlling Qi Refining Chapter only records the most basic techniques of collecting the souls of the dead and nourishing the body with ghosts, but this disciple used the Ghost-Feeding Technique, which is only recorded in the Foundation Establishment Chapter, and has already reached the level of the Three Ghosts.

The so-called "three ghosts possessing" refers to simultaneously commanding three dead souls to possess a body.

The stronger and more numerous the possessing spirits, the stronger this technique becomes. However, as its name suggests, "feeding ghosts" means feeding ghosts with one's own body, which is the complete opposite of nourishing oneself with ghosts.

Although it can greatly enhance one's strength in a short period of time, the backlash after the possession ends is also enormous.

Of the three ghosts kept by this early Foundation Establishment disciple, one had already reached the early Foundation Establishment stage.

With the three ghosts possessing him simultaneously, his combat power was approaching the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. He first killed two Qi Refining stage disciples, and after absorbing their souls, his cultivation directly jumped to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

The battle ended when the disciple who used the Ghost Feeding Technique couldn't withstand the backlash and left the arena—those on the arena cannot attack those below, and leaving the arena is tantamount to surrendering.

Ultimately, the disciple who performed the Ghost Feeding Technique passed the assessment and entered Ghost Control Peak, while the mid-Foundation Establishment disciple who persisted to the end on the stage was also accepted into the Soul Refining Peak.

The subsequent matches included one-on-one duels, free-for-alls involving four or five people, and on one occasion, the old man in red selected eleven people to come up on stage!

The results of the assessment seemed to follow no pattern; some people made it to the end but failed the assessment, while others gave up halfway through but passed.

The three factions clearly have different selection criteria: Soul Refining Peak prefers disciples who demonstrate talent in the basic Soul Refining chapter; Ghost Control Peak prefers disciples who excel in combat.

Duoying Peak selected only five people from the more than one hundred participants in the first half of the competition, ranging from the fifth level of Qi Refining to the late stage of Foundation Establishment, with the selection criteria being quite arbitrary.

However, aside from the fact that the dead cannot pass the assessment, it seems to be a consensus that outstanding disciples are more likely to enter the inner sect. Therefore, all the disciples who participate in the assessment try their best to stand out in the battle.

Even in a five-person melee, a mid-Foundation Establishment outer disciple, after defeating four opponents in succession, actually launched an attack on the red-robed elder sitting cross-legged above the martial arts arena!

The old man in red was at the early stage of Core Formation. This overconfident outer disciple was eventually defeated and seriously injured, but was selected as an inner disciple by the Ghost Control Peak!

In the subsequent battles, some people tried to imitate him, but after the red-robed elder killed three people in succession with lightning speed, no one dared to try again.

Huo Yu only watched the first few matches before giving up.

With the living souls he had previously obtained from the remnants of the cultivators at Soul Refining Peak, entering Soul Refining Peak was a sure thing for him.

Long Yucheng, on the other hand, had not missed a single battle from beginning to end, and his expression grew worse with each passing moment.

It is no exaggeration to say that Long Yucheng is certain that he will not lose to any opponent below the Foundation Establishment stage.

However, the Foundation Establishment stage is a watershed moment, and the difference in strength between Foundation Establishment cultivators and Qi Refining cultivators is simply too great.

If he were to unfortunately draw a Foundation Establishment stage disciple as his opponent, Long Yucheng could not guarantee that he could escape unscathed without exposing the system.

As the assessment progressed, the battles became increasingly brutal, with almost everyone unleashing their most powerful moves, determined to fight to the death.

Finally, the old man in red called out Huo Yu's name, and he only had one opponent.

This person was none other than Long Yucheng, who stood next to him the whole time.

"Next test: Huo Yu, Long Yucheng!"

Upon hearing who his opponent was, Huo Yu showed no surprise as he flew toward the stage, as if it were all expected.

After his initial surprise, Long Yucheng seemed to quickly realize something and followed Huo Yuyue onto the dueling platform without hesitation.

However, even though his opponent was Long Yucheng, Huo Yu had no intention of holding back—for Huo Yu, holding back in a duel would be disrespectful to himself.

Moreover, seeing the look in Long Yucheng's eyes, Huo Yu knew that Long Yucheng was thinking the same thing as him.

On the dueling platform, the two stood face to face. Long Yucheng bowed to Huo Yu, and the duel began.

Meanwhile, inside the main hall at the summit of the first peak, five figures gathered together.

A blood-red light screen floats suspended in the air above the central stone platform, displaying the various scenes of the outer sect assessment in real time. At this moment, the battle between Huo Yu and Long Yucheng is being shown.

Battles between Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining stages are usually decided within two moves, with little suspense, leaving the people present somewhat disheartened.

Seeing this, the old man in black robes sitting at the east end nodded to himself; this was exactly the effect he wanted.

This old man was none other than Elder Gu, the nominal master whom Huo Yu and Long Yucheng had both forgotten about.

Elder Gu had the lowest cultivation level among those present, only at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm. The reason he was able to sit here was entirely because he had an old friend who served as a protector under the Demon Lord.

Elder Gu and the Left Protector knew each other when they were still independent cultivators. Later, by chance, one of them joined the Chang Le He Huan Sect and the other joined the Huang Quan Sect.

Elder Gu was luckier and stronger in comparison. While the Left Protector was still diligently working as a low-level servant, he had already successfully passed the third outer sect assessment and become an inner sect disciple of Ghost Control Peak.

However, Elder Gu's talent was mediocre, and without other opportunities, he would only reach this point in his life.

However, opportunity really did come knocking on our door.

When Elder Gu was promoted to the fifth elder of Ghost Control Peak, he was only in the late Foundation Establishment stage, and it was already his second failed attempt to break through to the Golden Core stage. In his despair, he received a summons from the Grand Elder. His first reaction was that he had unintentionally gotten into some trouble, but after going there, he became an elder in a daze.

Several days later, he learned that Xiao Zuo, the expressionless fellow who had struggled alongside him in the cultivation world, had been promoted to the Left Protector under the Demon Lord.

Elder Gu knew that the Left Protector's outward glory could not hide the hardships behind it, and that his situation was very similar to his own. Therefore, the two of them usually kept a very low profile.

Moreover, due to their busy schedules, the two did not have much interaction on a daily basis.

Elder Gu received a rare message from an old friend, but the message had nothing to do with catching up. Instead, he was asked to make arrangements for two people.

Elder Gu naturally wouldn't refuse such a small favor.

This match between Huo Yu and Long Yucheng was also arranged by Elder Gu.

In his view, Long Yucheng, as a Qi Refining stage disciple, was a tough opponent no matter who he faced. If he was not careful, he would lose half his life. It would be better to put the two of them together.

Since Huo Yu and Long Yucheng were sent here by the Left Protector together, the two should have a good relationship. As long as Huo Yu goes easy on them, they can easily pass the test.

As for letting the two enter the inner gate, that's just a matter of him saying a word.

He is sitting here today not only as the elder in charge of this outer sect assessment, but also as one of the elders of Yugui Peak who selects disciples.

The other elder sent by Yu Gui Peak was Elder Gao, who sat to his left.

The two were quite close friends, and more importantly, Elder Gao had also placed his own acquaintance in this assessment. The two were tacitly aware of each other's little tricks.

However, Elder Gu's plan was flawless, but he was dumbfounded once the two on the stage started fighting:

What's going on? Aren't they acquaintances?