Spoiled By the Young Master After Reborn In the 80s
Chapter 998: Nine hundred ninety-six, assessment

Chapter 998: Nine hundred ninety-six, assessment

"Thank you, Senior Brothers and Sisters, for your kind offers! We still want to wait until we pass the evaluation before making a decision," Lu Hanmo cupped his hands and said to the group. In truth, he and Shushu had already made their decision—they would definitely not separate, so the Formation Pavilion was the best choice for them.

"Very well, our Talisman Crafting Pavilion always welcomes your participation," Su Chenche said with a sincere smile.

"The Artifact Refining Pavilion as well," Gu Xuechen said with a smile.

"And don’t forget our Alchemy Pavilion," Hua Yuan added.

They had all heard that Luo Shu and Lu Hanmo possessed pure Spirit Roots and had excellent cultivation aptitude. Moreover, their current cultivation levels were not inferior to those of the core disciples. Having two such disciples join their pavilion would certainly be advantageous.

Once everyone left, Luo Shu and Lu Hanmo quickly returned to their room and shut the door. They planned to stay inside until the evaluation, avoiding all the back-and-forth tugging for their allegiance. In truth, being fought over by so many people wasn’t a particularly pleasant feeling.

Lin Jue stowed away the freshly refined elixir and walked out of the Alchemy Room.

As he opened the door, he spotted Elder He standing right outside, poised to knock.

"Sect Master!" Elder He greeted Lin Jue respectfully upon seeing the door open.

"What brings you here?" Lin Jue nodded slightly with a smile and began walking toward the outside alongside Elder He.

"News just arrived: today at the Elixir Pavilion in the marketplace, Luo Shu saved an injured clerk," Elder He recounted everything he’d heard.

"Oh?" Lin Jue raised an eyebrow in surprise. "So, that means Luo Shu is likely an Immortal Alchemist?" Previously, when Elder Void mentioned that Luo Shu and Lu Hanmo were proficient in formations, Lin Jue had already been quite astonished. But now hearing that Luo Shu might also be adept at alchemy left him almost incredulous!

Luo Shu was still quite young, and having achieved such a level of cultivation was already highly remarkable. The fact that she could set up a Mountain Protection Array indicated her Formation skills were by no means trivial. If she were also a skilled Immortal Alchemist, then Lin Jue could hardly fathom how she managed to find the time to excel in so many areas.

"It’s entirely possible. The clerk’s dantian had been shattered, yet after consuming the elixir Luo Shu provided, he recovered quickly. If Luo Shu is an Immortal Alchemist, I believe she’s more than likely a Level Seven or higher!" Elder He analyzed. If Luo Shu were truly an Immortal Alchemist, it would be incredible.

Lin Jue deliberated for a moment. "I believe the likelihood of that is slim. That elixir was probably something she acquired during her experiences and trials. For her to reach her current cultivation level, she must surely have had numerous fortuitous encounters."

"Sect Master, why not summon Luo Shu to ask her directly?" Elder He suggested.

Lin Jue pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "Let it be. The evaluation is only a week away. Let’s see how she performs before inquiring further."

The evaluation consisted of martial duels and project assessments. Martial duels were mandatory, while the project assessment involved choosing one of four disciplines: alchemy, artifact refining, formations, or talisman crafting. Lin Jue decided that regardless of which project Luo Shu selected, he would add an alchemy section specifically to test whether she truly had mastery in the field.

Luo Shu, Lu Hanmo, and a group of newly arrived disciples from the Sea Realm, under Elder Void’s guidance, made their way to the main Martial Arts Arena atop the central peak.

"The evaluation is about to begin. I’m so nervous," someone muttered.

"Relax. Approach it with a calm mindset," a companion reassured.

"I heard the evaluation here is really tough. If we fail, we’ll be relegated to Outer Sect Disciples."

"If only I were like Junior Brother Lu and Junior Sister Luo," another sighed wistfully.

"Who wouldn’t wish for that? They’ve been fought over even before the evaluation has started—that must feel amazing," someone else remarked. Those comments were tinged with the bitterness of knowing their own fate was far less certain, potentially facing failure and demotion to the Outer Sect. In hindsight, they thought staying in the Sea Realm would have been better; at least there, they were prestigious core disciples, admired by all.

"No more chatter. We’ve arrived," Elder Void spoke in a serious tone.

The disciples quickly fell silent, though the atmosphere only grew more tense.

At the evaluation square, spectators crowded on all sides, eager to watch the proceedings.

Elder Void led the group to the center of the square and stopped.

It wasn’t long before Elder He arrived with another group of disciples. These disciples had been specifically chosen to compete against the new arrivals. With evenly matched strength to their opponents, the newcomers only had to defeat their assigned rivals to pass the martial duel portion of the evaluation.

Elder He instructed his group of disciples to stand aside, then approached Luo Shu’s group and said, "Next, we will conduct the evaluation. Those who pass will officially become Inner Sect Disciples. Those who fail must work harder but shouldn’t be discouraged—you’ll still have opportunities in future evaluations."

He swept his gaze across the group before asking, "Any questions?"

After waiting for a moment and seeing that no one spoke, Elder He declared, "The evaluation begins now. Please step forward according to the numbers on your tokens."

Zhao Longfei emerged from the crowd and walked to the center of the square. As he stood, his assigned opponent stepped forward to face him.

"Senior Brother, please guide me!" Zhao Longfei cupped his hands toward his opponent, who was a handsome young man with similar cultivation strength.

"Please!" He Safei gestured politely, then with a sweep of his hand, summoned a massive iron hammer. The ruggedness of the hammer seemed oddly mismatched with his refined appearance.

Without hesitation, Zhao Longfei waved his hand, summoning his own weapon—a large black umbrella. While primarily defensive, the umbrella was also capable of delivering formidable attacks.

As Zhao Longfei charged toward He Safei, the battle officially began.

Each of He Safei’s hammer strikes carried immense power, the swings generating audible "whoosh" noises through the air. If not for the Formation barriers, spectators would certainly have been swept up by the wind from the hammer’s swings.

Zhao Longfei, skilled in both offense and defense, wielded his umbrella with great dexterity, managing to block each of his opponent’s attacks with precision.

The two were evenly matched, neither able to gain the upper hand.

The battle raged on for a full shichen. Finally, as their attacks clashed once more, Zhao Longfei’s umbrella suddenly flipped open in reverse, catching He Safei off guard and launching him backward.

"Zhao Longfei wins!" Elder He announced.

Zhao Longfei beamed as he returned his weapon to its sheath and walked back to his team. Having passed the martial duel, he felt confident about his Talisman Crafting skills for the project portion of the evaluation.

Next up was Xu Yangji. Zhao Longfei gave him an encouraging slap on the palm and said with a grin, "Good luck!"

"I’ll win for sure!" Xu Yangji replied, his confidence brimming as he stepped onto the square.

Xu Yangji’s opponent was a female cultivator, and both were in the Late Stage of Absolute Immortal.

Their battle, from beginning to end, lacked dramatic twists or turns. It began quietly and ended the same way, with Xu Yangji edging out a narrow victory to pass the evaluation.