Only three seconds? He's already the Lord of All Realms, so it doesn't matter.

"Yeah?"

Liu Yao didn't seem surprised, and Ye Xuan took the opportunity to ask about what she hadn't finished saying earlier.

"What do you mean by monthly assessments, senior sister?"

"Junior brother is rather impatient."

Liu Yao chuckled softly, her steps unwavering, leading Ye Xuan towards the outer peak, her voice drifting in the wind.

"The monthly assessments for the inner sect are simple and straightforward, consisting of only two types, which you can choose yourself."

Either you must improve your cultivation to meet the required standards, or you must complete the tasks assigned by the sect and contribute to the Holy Sect.

Although my junior brother is a Daoist disciple, he cannot escape the monthly assessments.

Ye Xuan followed beside her, passing several mist-shrouded side peaks, and asked:

"How is progress in cultivation defined? What are the typical tasks involved?"

Liu Yao glanced at him, her eyes sparkling, "As for boundaries..."

"The sect will determine the advancement based on each person's talent when they are promoted to inner sect. Under the name of Junior Brother Daozi, one must break through at least three minor stages before this month's assessment."

As for the tasks, the minor ones are handled by outer disciples, so most of them are carried out outside the sect.

Ye Xuan didn't care about the mission, but what Liu Yao said about "breaking through three minor stages in one month" meant that with his cultivation level, he would need to reach the seventh level of the Golden Core stage in another half month to meet the target.

What will be the punishment if I fail the assessment?

"Don't worry, junior brother. Your life is not in danger. You will just be demoted back to the outer sect."

At this point, she paused deliberately, then turned and descended towards a relatively remote mountain peak shrouded in the glow of the sunset – Tianxuan Peak.

"Junior brother, why are you so worried? Although the timing of your entry into the inner sect is not good, there is still a way out."

If you choose to have your assessment conducted as a mission in the future, feel free to come to me; I will do everything in my power to help you.

As they spoke, the two landed in front of an exquisite cave dwelling.

The cave dwelling was not large, but it was decorated with great care. Unidentified vines entwined the porch, blooming with pale pink exotic flowers that had a sweet and intoxicating fragrance.

There were no other disciples in sight at the gate; only the babbling spirit spring flowed past the front of the mansion, its steam rising and mingling with the rosy glow of the sunset, making the view somewhat hazy.

Ye Xuan paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over the faint array patterns on the lintel of the cave entrance before turning to Liu Yao.

"Senior sister, where is this?"

Liu Yao had already pushed open the seemingly delicate but actually subtly shimmering gate of the mansion, and turned back with a smile, exuding charm.

"Naturally, it is Senior Sister's cave. I just said I would guide you and explain in detail. Wouldn't it be tiring to talk while standing?"

Come in and have a cup of spiritual elixir, and I'll tell you the story slowly.

She stepped aside, her posture seemingly casual, but her aura subtly blocked any way out.

If Ye Xuan hadn't been projecting his perception outwards the whole time, it would have been difficult to notice this change.

"As expected, they had ulterior motives..."

Ye Xuan remained expressionless, even cooperating by showing a hint of gratitude and respect for his kind senior sister, a sign of someone new to the inner sect, before stepping into the cave.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Senior Sister."

The interior of the mansion is consistent with the exterior, with luxurious furnishings, light gauze curtains, and warm jade flooring.

Even the fragrance in the air was stronger than outside the door; inhaling it made one's mind feel slightly warm.

Liu Yao led Ye Xuan to sit down on the couch and personally poured him a cup of emerald-green soup.

"Junior brother, try this. It is said that this spiritual liquid can stabilize the golden core and nourish the soul."

How could it be just hearsay? Ye Xuan took the teacup, a faint glint of bluish-white energy flashing at his fingertips. He lowered his eyes to look at the rippling green tea in the cup, his senses having thoroughly explored its interior and exterior.

It's true that this spiritual liquid has nourishing effects... He looked up at Liu Yao, who was almost leaning against his shoulder, and suddenly said:

"Senior sister, why don't you be more open and honest?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yao stopped leaning forward halfway, a hint of amusement appearing in her eyes. Instead of pulling away, she maintained the almost face-to-face position, parted her red lips slightly, and said:

"Oh? How does Junior Brother want Senior Sister to be open and honest?"

As she spoke, the alluring charm in her eyes completely dissipated, and she no longer tried to conceal her aura.

A gentle yet highly aggressive magical power instantly enveloped Ye Xuan, causing his breathing to become somewhat disordered.

Ye Xuan did not use his internal energy to resist; instead, he brought the cup of spiritual liquid to his nose and took a gentle sniff.

He put down his cup and looked at Liu Yao with the same amusement in his eyes, "Senior Sister's cultivation technique is quite righteous."

"When I first entered the inner sect, I went to the Scripture Pavilion. There seemed to be a cultivation technique there that involved absorbing pure Yang energy. Is that what you practice, Senior Sister?"

If he were to actually be sucked by this senior sister, he would probably be half-dead due to the depletion of his yang energy... Thinking of this, Ye Xuan couldn't help but tense up.

"Indeed, beautiful women are the most dangerous!"

At this moment, a look of relief appeared on Liu Yao's face. She finally straightened up, took half a step back, and looked at Ye Xuan with great interest.

"No wonder he's a Daoist disciple who appears only once every hundred years, so cautious. Then, Senior Sister, I'll be frank with you."

I always accept cultivation level assessments, and now there are still half a month left, and my senior sister needs to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.

I've been explaining things to you all the way, so it wouldn't hurt to help your senior sister out, right...?

Liu Yao's smile gradually faded, and her eyes darkened. Today, no matter what, she was determined to taste the extent of the nourishment this exceptionally talented Dao Child could provide.

He immediately pounced on Ye Xuan, determined to take him down by force!

Ye Xuan was prepared. Just as Liu Yao was about to overpower him, a thin but exceptionally strong emerald green aura suddenly rose around him, forcing her to retreat.

"Junior Brother's protective divine power is quite peculiar... it's a pity his cultivation level is ultimately lacking!"

Liu Yao chuckled, revealing her perfect Golden Core cultivation. Her magical power blended into the surrounding fragrance, adding even more pressure.

However, Ye Xuan ignored the changes around him, and simply condensed a white light at his fingertips, which slowly floated towards his senior sister who was wielding great magical power in front of him.

At first, Liu Yao found the white light laughable, but when it actually came to her, a strong sense of unease rose in her heart.

Instinctively, I tried to back away, but before I could dodge, the white light entered my body...

"you……"

Before she could even be shocked, Ye Xuan had already broken free, his body drifting back three steps, his hands gesturing as if he were manipulating the white light that had entered his body.

The next moment, Liu Yao felt the spiritual energy in her body become chaotic, all of it gathering in her chest, and it was constantly expanding, expanding, and expanding again!

Just as this expansion was about to reach its peak, it suddenly stopped.

"Senior Sister Liu, I never said I wouldn't help you, did I?"

Ye Xuan spoke calmly, even with a hint of the feigned humility and gratitude he had just displayed, and continued:

"Fellow disciples should help each other. Since my senior sister has told me this all the way, this is just a small favor."

After saying that, the atmosphere in the cave became heavy. Two quarters of an hour later, Ye Xuan had completely devoured his senior sister and was quite satisfied.

Absorbing this senior sister who had reached the peak of the Golden Core stage greatly improved him, allowing him to leap directly from the fourth level of the Golden Core stage to the sixth level.

He walked to the bedside and looked down at Liu Yao, whose breath was already very weak. This Tianxuan Peak disciple, who had been so charming just moments before, could only cling to life with her last bit of energy.

Ye Xuan reached out, and two streams of blue and white energy surged from his palm, casually drawing out the immortal seed that had already sprouted tender shoots within her body.

Gazing at the immortal seed floating in mid-air, which contained some insights from this senior sister regarding her cultivation of this technique—

On the seventh day of the third month, Junior Brother Li of Tianxuan Peak, who was at the third level of the Golden Core stage, made only slight progress in his cultivation after undergoing a cultivation retreat.

On March 22nd, Junior Brother Zhang of Jade Peak reached the fifth level of the Golden Core stage, which could help him break through a minor bottleneck...

On March 29th, Junior Brother Wang of Tianxuan Peak reached the seventh level of the Golden Core stage, and the effect was excellent!

On April 14th, the newly promoted Dao Child Zhao Wu, a Dao Child only seen once in a century! He must possess extraordinary talent; if we obtain him, the Nascent Soul stage is within reach.

Ye Xuan withdrew his immortal seed. "They really practice all sorts of things. The inner sect of this Holy Sect is indeed even more... unrestrained."

After a moment's hesitation, he pushed open the door and went outside; the sky was just right.

The glow of the sunset continued to envelop Tianxuan Peak. He slowly descended the mountain along the stone path he had come from. Along the way, he encountered several inner disciples who were all surprised and doubtful to see him emerge from Liu Yao's cave in such high spirits.

"Look! Isn't that the Daozi Token on his waist?!"

"No wonder he managed to escape from Senior Sister Liu's clutches; this junior brother is truly amazing."

"..."

When Ye Xuan returned to his residence, it suddenly became bustling with visitors, as everyone seemed to know that he had entered the inner sect as a Daoist disciple.