Don't come here again.

Outside the Illusionary Formation.

"Is that even an option?"

"The old man can't even stand steady; he's got one foot in the grave, yet that kid has the nerve to make him carry him up the mountain. Is that something a human would do?"

"Holy crap, he's almost at the fiftieth floor. It actually seems to be working!"

"This is simply too shameless. Doesn't this count as cheating?"

...The crowd from Falling Cloud Valley watched the scene of Qi Yuan passing the third trial in the illusionary realm, all of them dumbfounded, their jaws dropping to the floor.

On Koudao Mountain, an old man was trembling as he leaned on his cane, carrying a strong young man on his back. He was panting heavily as he climbed toward the summit, appearing extremely strained with every step he took.

What made it even more exasperating was that while the old man was dripping with sweat from exhaustion, the young man was leisurely munching on spiritual fruits and directing the old man to keep climbing, showing no sense of respect for the elderly whatsoever.

"Old man, you need to put in more effort. It's been nearly half an hour and we've only covered half the distance. If you keep dawdling like this, it'll be hard for me not to dock your Spirit Stones."

"You should think of it like this: there are only a hundred steps in total on this mountain. Every step you take earns you one Spirit Stone. Don't you feel motivated now?"

Originally, the old man was too exhausted to even speak, but when he heard 'one step equals one Spirit Stone,' his spirits were instantly lifted. His body stopped shaking, his legs regained their strength, and his speed suddenly increased significantly.

Seeing that Qi Yuan was about to reach the summit, many Falling Cloud Valley Disciples finally snapped out of their shock and began to glance intentionally or unintentionally toward Yin Qingyuan.

After all, this Elder of the Dao Entry Pavilion had previously claimed with absolute certainty that the third trial was flawless and left no room for opportunism... Feeling the gazes of those around him, Yin Qingyuan's face twitched, his expression growing uglier as he said in a low voice:

"All the characters within the Illusionary Formation's trials are manifestations of the Senior Formation Spirit's power and are a core part of the Formation. Therefore, the Restrictions on Koudao Mountain do not affect the old man."

"Qi Da exploited this point, having a character within the Formation carry him up the mountain. In this way, he could pass himself off as part of the Formation, thereby avoiding the Formation's suppression and reaching the summit without the Restrictions taking effect."

Hearing this, another wave of gasps and exclamations rippled through the crowd.

"So that's how it is. I understand completely now."

"Heavens, how did he discover such a hidden loophole?"

However, Yin Qingyuan let out a cold snort. "I originally thought that although this Qi Da has poor Aptitude, his Heart-Nature was decent enough to make him somewhat worth cultivating. I didn't expect him to be such a devious trickster."

At this moment, Bai Xirou, who had remained silent, frowned slightly and shook her head, saying:

"Xirou believes that wisdom is also a form of strength. Although Qi Da did not demonstrate Dao Heart or perseverance in the third trial, the fact that he could quickly discover a flaw in the Formation is still worthy of admiration."

"Moreover, this Illusionary Formation belongs to Falling Cloud Valley. If someone finds a loophole, it is our own problem. How can we blame others for it?"

"According to the rules, anyone who climbs more than thirty steps passes the final assessment. Now that Qi Da has far exceeded this standard, he is naturally qualified to become a Falling Cloud Valley Disciple."

As soon as she said this, the crowd from Falling Cloud Valley was silenced, unable to find any counter-argument.

Clearly, according to the previously announced rules, Qi Da had successfully completed the Entrance Assessment.

Even if the Falling Cloud Valley Sect Head were here, he wouldn't be able to deny this fact. Otherwise, if word got out, it would not only make them a laughingstock but also earn them a reputation for going back on their word and being narrow-minded, making it impossible for them to survive in the Cultivation World.

Whether recruiting such a peculiar Disciple into the valley would be a blessing or a curse... Bai Xirou thought silently... The illusionary realm.

The summit of Koudao Mountain.

"Yo... young friend, I... I have already... carried you... up. Where... are... the Spirit... Stones?"

The old man, huffing and puffing, set Qi Yuan down on the ground. He was completely exhausted and couldn't even manage a complete sentence.

Qi Yuan patted the dust off his clothes and said with a grin:

"Thank you for your hard work, old man. You really are in great shape, still vigorous despite your age. This Junior is truly impressed!"

The old man caught his breath and gritted his teeth, saying:

"Enough talk. Hand over the Spirit Stones."

Qi Yuan looked completely bewildered. "Spirit Stones? What Spirit Stones?"

Seeing this, the old man sensed something was wrong and shouted angrily:

"You said that carrying you up the mountain would earn me a reward of a hundred Spirit Stones! Are you trying to go back on your word?"

Qi Yuan's realization dawned on him, and a smile spread across his face:

"Oh, you mean that! Sorry, I was lying to you!"

"What?!"

The old man's face instantly turned dark, and his lips trembled. "You Little Thief! You... you actually dare to toy with me!!"

Qi Yuan shrugged and said:

"I have always been honest and simple-minded, with a clear sense of right and wrong, and I cannot stand being deceived. You tricked me once just now, so of course, I had to trick you once to settle the score. Otherwise, the more I thought about it later, the angrier I'd get. Wouldn't that be a huge loss for me?"

Hearing this, the old man nearly coughed up blood.

"Little Thief, I'm not done with you!"

Saying this, he raised his wooden cane, making a move to lunge at Qi Yuan and fight him to the death.

Just then, the old man seemed to run out of breath. His legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground, vanishing into a puff of green smoke.

The next moment, ripples suddenly appeared in the air above Koudao Mountain. A phantom figure in the shape of a youth condensed from the Void Realm and landed angrily in front of Qi Yuan, cursing:

"You little brat! I, the Formation Spirit, have guarded this Formation for over three thousand years, and I've never seen someone as lacking in Immortal Virtue as you. My Clone worked so hard to carry you up the mountain, and you won't even give me a hundred Spirit Stones."

"If the rules didn't forbid it, I would have stabbed you in a heartbeat. Get out, get out... and don't ever come back again!"

Before Qi Yuan could react, he was pushed out of the illusionary realm by a massive repulsive force.

The force was quite violent, clearly laced with a bit of a personal grudge.

Outside the Illusionary Formation, facing the strange looks of the people around him, Qi Yuan rubbed his nose innocently and thought to himself:

I reached the hundredth floor and even met the Formation Spirit. I should have passed this trial, right?

Qi Yuan wasn't particularly worried. Although the Formation Spirit in the Illusionary Formation was strong, it was at most in the Middle Stage of the Spirit Transformation Realm. It wasn't three major Realms higher than him, so it couldn't possibly see through his true background.

To confirm, he hurriedly stepped forward and pulled aside a Falling Cloud Valley Disciple, asking:

"Senior Brother, I think I just met the Formation Spirit of the Illusionary Formation. The Formation Spirit personally sent me out. Does that mean I passed the assessment?"

The Disciple looked at him with a complex expression and said:

"Big brother, please don't call me Senior Brother. You should be my Senior Brother. The Senior Formation Spirit hasn't revealed its true form in a thousand years, yet you actually managed to get him to personally send you out. This little brother admits defeat."

"Huh?"

Qi Yuan was stunned. He thought everyone who left the Formation went through the same thing.

Looking up, he realized that besides those unlucky ones eliminated in the first two rounds, he was the first participant to complete the third trial.

Most participants were struggling at around the twentieth floor, every step forward a monumental effort, as if draining all their energy.

Among them, the one making the fastest progress was an acquaintance. The Child of Destiny, Lin Zhen, had already passed the thirty-eighth floor and was heading toward the fortieth. However, looking at his struggling state, passing the fortieth floor wouldn't be easy.

Meanwhile, Lin Zhen's rival, Wang Luchuan, had just passed the thirty-third floor and was in second place.

By now, Wang Luchuan's chubby face had turned the color of pig liver, his fat hanging down. It was unlikely he'd reach the thirty-fifth floor in this lifetime.

Seeing those participants drenched in sweat, Qi Yuan couldn't help but smile slightly, a sense of intellectual superiority welling up within him...