23: Watch out or I'll beat you to a pulp.

The four of them arrived at a restaurant, and Zhou Xuan happily ordered many dishes. Jiang Ye took a bite of food and asked casually, "Hey, Zhou-whatever, have you joined a Sect yet?"

Zhou Xuan was a bit speechless. He put down his chopsticks and said helplessly, "My name is Zhou Xuan. Not yet. I've failed the tests several times. I don't know why, but my Profound Qi always fails to accumulate much, and I can't exert any power. Sigh!"

Shi Bao sneered and said nonchalantly, "Psh! What’s so hard about joining a Sect? Brother Tianyang is already an Elder; for us to join is just a piece of cake."

Zhou Xuan looked at them, remembering the scene where they easily defeated those people earlier, and couldn't help but ask, "Do you have a very strong master teaching you how to Cultivate?"

Jiang Ye's eyes flickered. Fearing they might let something slip, he quickly interjected, "We don't have a master. The three of us are all Geniuses and practiced on our own."

"Geniuses? Can you really be that powerful?" Zhou Xuan was half-doubting.

Shi Feng also nodded, his tone relaxed. "Right, right, right! The three of us Cultivate together, which is why we're so strong."

Jiang Ye took the opportunity to ask back, "What about you? Your family is so rich, didn't you hire a master to teach you?"

Zhou Xuan sighed and shook his head. "Sigh! Those I hired were all useless trash with very little strength who didn't know how to teach. Now I'm almost sixteen, and I can't even pass the Sect's entrance tests."

"Then what will you do? If you don't pass the test this year, once you're over sixteen, they won't accept you," Jiang Ye said with a frown.

Zhou Xuan was silent for a moment before suddenly looking up, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "Since you guys are so powerful, take me in with you when the time comes."

"Huh? How are we supposed to take you?" Jiang Ye was a bit puzzled.

"It's simple. As long as the three of you perform well enough and join the same Sect, you can set a condition to bring me along," Zhou Xuan explained.

Shi Feng blinked, surprised. "You can even play it like that?"

"Yes. Let's go take the test after we finish eating. Some Sect people are leaving today," Zhou Xuan urged.

Jiang Ye was a bit surprised. "Leaving so soon? We just got here."

Zhou Xuan gave them a helpless look. "They've been here for nearly half a month. It's just that you guys arrived too late."

"Then do you know which Sect is the strongest?" Shi Bao chimed in.

"The Heavenly Dragon Sect! How do you guys not know anything? Didn't you ask around before coming? However, the Heavenly Dragon Sect's testing requirements are the highest; ordinary people can't get in," Zhou Xuan explained.

Shi Bao laughed loudly and slapped the table. "Hahaha! Then let's go to the Heavenly Dragon Sect."

Half an hour later, the four finished their meal and headed to the central testing area for the Sects. When they arrived, they saw over a dozen Sects present. Their booths were crowded with teenage boys and girls who had come for the tests, and the air was filled with a boisterous clamor.

Shi Feng looked around and pointed to a sparsely populated booth in the distance, asking, "Look, there are so few people queuing there. Is that the Heavenly Dragon Sect?"

Zhou Xuan followed his gaze and nodded. "Yes, that's the Heavenly Dragon Sect's booth. Because everyone knows the chance of passing the test is slim, no one wants to waste time there."

"Let's go, let's go! Let's hurry up and get in line!" Shi Bao urged impatiently.

Zhou Xuan could only follow them helplessly to the queue. After waiting for fifteen minutes, a boy of about sixteen suddenly walked over swaggeringly and cut directly in front of them.

"You pieces of trash, get lost! You still want to take the Heavenly Dragon Sect's test? Take a look at yourselves first!" the boy shouted arrogantly.

Shi Bao's brow furrowed, and he said coldly, "I'm warning you, don't cut our line, or else careful, I'll beat you down."

"Beat me down? I'll freaking kick you out right now!" The boy snorted disdainfully and raised his foot to kick Shi Bao.

Shi Bao was quick. He grabbed the incoming foot with one hand and sneered, "Go to hell!" Before his voice even faded, he stepped forward and threw a punch at the boy's abdomen.

Thump! With a muffled sound, the boy was sent flying over a hundred meters away, crashing heavily onto the ground with a scream.

"Hmph! Idiot!" Shi Bao cursed, clapped his hands, and returned to the line as if nothing had happened.

The people in the surrounding queue were shocked by this scene and began to whisper among themselves. Zhou Xuan was also quite surprised; although he knew they were quite capable, he hadn't expected Shi Bao to be strong to this extent.

Jiang Ye glanced at the boy lying in the distance and said calmly, "Ignore him. Let's keep queuing."

The four of them resumed their positions and waited quietly for the test to begin. Zhou Xuan felt both nervous and expectant, secretly praying that he would be able to join the Sect smoothly this time.