Becoming a leader of the immortal path begins with sowing the seeds of inner demons.

Lu Ming smiled politely, said nothing, and silently distanced himself.

Xu Ran was taken aback upon seeing this, but then smiled and said, "Miss, there's no need to be nervous. I come from the Xu family of Feng'an Prefecture and am not some evil spirit or demon."

"Feng'an Prefecture?" Lu Ming found the place unfamiliar. "Aren't you from Chenzhou?"

"I'm from Minnesota."

Lu Ming was taken aback.

In the Nine Provinces, Chen Province is located in the southwest, and Ming Province is located above Chen Province, sandwiched between Chen Province and Zhong Province, which has the largest territory.

Yuhua Prefecture and Mingzhou are thousands of miles apart. Relatively speaking, Mingzhou is closer to Zhongzhou.

Why would this person travel so far to seek a teacher?

Are there no good sects left in Mingzhou?

"Are you wondering why I came to the Jade Flower Sect?" Xu Ran's voice carried a hint of helplessness, as if she had explained it many times before. But seeing Lu Ming's appearance, she became more patient. "Miss, you may not know this, but the Jade Flower Sect may seem like just a small sect controlling a prefecture, but in reality, it has a powerful background."

The founder of the Jade Flower Sect, Lord Liquan, was a Nascent Soul stage cultivator from the Central Plains.

Not only does he have a powerful background, but he is also said to have been a renowned genius cultivator in the Central Plains back then.

But he suddenly disappeared several hundred years ago, and when he reappeared, he founded a sect here.

Therefore, joining the Jade Flower Sect is equivalent to joining a sect in the Central Plains, which will greatly benefit both future cultivation and the establishment of a sect in the future.

Lu Ming suddenly realized, and asked curiously, "Then why not go directly to Zhongzhou?"

Xu Ran's smile froze slightly; if it weren't for Lu Ming's stunning good looks, her face would have already collapsed.

Do I not want to go?

I can't get in!

This girl looks beautiful, but how come she has absolutely no social skills?!

Xu Ran inwardly scoffed, but his words still carried the air of a noble family: "I am used to freedom and cannot tolerate the rules of Zhongzhou."

It's a nice place, but it's not a place for me to settle down.

In comparison, the Jade Flower Sect allows me to better utilize my abilities.

Lu Ming understood immediately upon hearing this, and secretly noted it down without exposing him, only smiling slightly.

Xu Ran didn't want to say more about this matter, and changed the subject, saying, "Please be careful later, young lady."

This time, it definitely won't be as easy as before.

Upon hearing this, Lu Ming looked Xu Ran over with surprise, somewhat suspecting that this guy might be a Yu Hua Sect cultivator in disguise, acting as a scapegoat.

Xu Ran noticed Lu Ming's gaze and chuckled, "Isn't walking a mountain path enough to make things easy?"

If a cultivator cannot even endure a mere two weeks of mountain path, how can he possibly survive the long years of cultivation to come?

I do not mean to preach, but we who are spiritual practitioners should…”

"I've been gone for more than three months," Lu Ming said calmly.

The sound stopped abruptly.

Xu Ran felt awkward for a moment, but when she looked at Lu Ming again, her eyes held a newfound respect.

"May I ask what family you come from, young lady?"

Girl, don't go! Wait for me, Mr. Xu.

Mr. Xu had no other intentions; he simply wanted to ask the young lady for some advice...

Lu Ming walked quickly, ignoring the chatter behind him, and focused on the present moment.

It was probably a coincidence that he was able to walk the mountain path with Zhou Jiangyuan in the first round.

This time they changed their partner, which was definitely intentional.

I believe that not only him, but all the disciples who remained have probably changed their companions.

What is the purpose of the change?

This time, the spiritual energy wasn't blocked, and there were no distracting noises... Was this an attempt to add another layer of uncertainty to the process? Or was it a comprehensive test of the disciple's abilities... including luck, before they even joined the sect?

Fortunately, both of them were exceptional individuals and passed the test smoothly.

If you're unlucky, you'll end up with a burden; if things get even worse... it's basically a failure.

Thinking of this, Lu Ming glanced at Xu Ran, who had hurriedly caught up.

When the energy is fully refined, it can provide assistance.

He was quite lucky.

At that moment, the clouds and mist in front of them suddenly disappeared, revealing a cliff several miles wide and bottomless.

The opposite bank was faintly visible in the clouds and mist, and there was no other way around.

Lu Ming looked around and found nothing but a few pine trees growing crookedly and facing different directions, and a huge boulder.

The only way to get there is to cross this cliff.

Lu Ming crossed his arms, stared ahead in deep thought for a long time, then turned to Xu Ran, who was also deep in thought, and asked, "Can you fly?"

Xu Ran shook his head, "When I exert my full strength, I can leap more than twenty zhang at a time."

But this distance of several miles can probably only be traversed by those who have reached the Foundation Establishment stage and can fly using their Qi.

Lu Ming nodded, then looked at the trees and rocks by the roadside and narrowed his eyes slightly.

Since it's an assessment, there must be a solution. These things wouldn't appear here for no reason...

"I understand!" Xu Ran suddenly shouted excitedly, startling Lu Ming.

It's all about mindset.

On the path of spiritual practice, difficulties and dangers are as formidable as this natural barrier.

If a cultivator avoids danger, how can he achieve the Great Dao?

Before it was about perseverance, but this time the Jade Flower Sect wants to see our determination in cultivating the Dao!

Having said that, Xu Ran, brimming with confidence, strode off the cliff.

The next second, he vanished without a trace.

Lu Ming opened his mouth slightly in surprise.

Is that really the case?

That assessment is just too...

"Help! Help me!" A desperate cry for help came from the bottom of the cliff, "Girl, save me!"

There's a snake down there!

A giant python that has become a spirit!

Help!

Lu Ming lay on the ground, curiously peeking out, only to see Xu Ran hanging from a slanted pine tree, her face deathly pale.

Beneath him was a thick, impenetrable cloud of mist, from which only faint hissing sounds could be heard.

"Help me!" Xu Ran's voice was already trembling with tears. "Please, I'm afraid of snakes!"

"If you save me, I'll do anything!"

"..." Lu Ming sighed, silently climbed down the cliff, grabbed Xu Ran by the collar, and carried him back to the top of the cliff with one hand.

The moment his feet touched solid ground, Xu Ran collapsed to the ground, his eyes still filled with terror, and he said in a trembling voice, "Thank you so much for saving my life, young lady."

There are so many snakes down there, piled up like a mountain!

Upon hearing this, Lu Ming looked at the boulder next to him, lay down on it and sniffed it, then walked over, easily lifted it up, and threw it down.

After a long while, a loud thud was heard, followed by a series of intense hissing sounds.

It sounded like they were swearing really badly.

"Miss, what are you doing?" Xu Ran asked curiously, regaining some of her senses.

"It seems that the Jade Flower Sect doesn't want us to take shortcuts; the only way to get across is by walking along the cliff."

Lu Ming clapped his hands, his expression calm.

The stone wasn't made of realgar, and throwing it down didn't trigger any mechanism; it was probably just an ordinary decoration.

He looked around, then walked to the pine trees and patted each one.

When I photographed the third tree, my eyes lit up.

This tree makes a metallic sound when you tap it.

He immediately rolled up his sleeves, hugged the tree, and his arms bulged with veins, more than doubling in size.

With a loud shout, the tree remained completely still.

"Do you need my help?" Xu Ran approached humbly.

At this moment, he realized that the woman in front of him was no ordinary person.

Her physical strength alone is enough to make her a dominant force in Qi cultivation.

Based on this, Xu Ran's instincts, honed over many years at home, led him to decisively choose to cling to a powerful figure.

"No need," Lu Ming shook his head and said, "It should be some kind of mechanism."

"A mechanism?" Xu Ran was taken aback. "Should we try using spiritual energy?"

Most government agencies in Kyushu are activated in this way.

Lu Ming thought it was feasible, then silently retreated to a safe position and winked at Xu Ran.

Xu Ran took a deep breath, solemnly stepped forward, and guided the spiritual energy into the trees.

The tree suddenly stretched rapidly, reaching all the way to the other side of the cliff.

"It's done!" Xu Ran excitedly stopped, but immediately realized something was wrong.

Without the infusion of spiritual energy, the tree began to shrink back.

"It seems only one person can go at a time." Lu Ming looked at Xu Ran, who was clinging tightly to the tree with both hands, not daring to relax for a moment, and said thoughtfully, "One person goes first to maintain the flow of spiritual energy, and then helps the other person go."

The classic prisoner's dilemma...that's a troublesome thing.

"Then you may go first, young lady." Seeing Lu Ming's scrutinizing gaze, Xu Ran realized what was happening and said without hesitation, "No need to be so polite with me. I should do my duty to save your life."

Hearing this, Lu Ming breathed a sigh of relief, bowed, leaped onto the tree trunk, and walked slowly forward, stepping on the slightly swaying slender branches.

Halfway through the journey, he suddenly stopped and turned to look at Xu Ran.

Xu Ran was taken aback, then quickly said, "Don't worry, young lady, I will definitely not give up halfway, after all, I still need you..."

"It's not about that." Lu Ming waved his hand, glanced at the clouds below, and asked seriously, "Are you afraid of heights?"

Xu Ran: ?

......

In the void.

The man flipping through the book was quickly checking the situation in various places.

Those who were entangled by snakes at the bottom of the cliff, those who fought fiercely to cross the cliff first, and those who stood bewildered and lost on the edge of the cliff... were all teleported out of the Jade Flower Sect by him.

In just a moment, half the people were gone.

He nodded in satisfaction when he saw the picture of Lu Ming and Xu Ran.

These are the disciples that the Jade Flower Sect should recruit.

He turned to another page, and when he saw several cultivators with exceptional talent who were too afraid of heights to move and were lying in mid-air, he hesitated. He marked them and turned the page, then stood there stunned.

A young girl, wielding a boulder in her left hand and a strong pine tree in her right, danced with such skill that the snakes on the cliff retreated, none daring to approach.

The monk who was traveling with her was strapped to her back and was shivering as he clung to two pine trees.

"Hiss..." The man gasped, feeling a headache coming on.

The rules don't seem to say you can't just recklessly rush through, and this woman named Zhou Jiangyuan didn't abandon her companions...

"Junior Brother Liu, how is the situation?" The middle-aged man from before appeared again.

"The effect is good." Liu Zhenshan scratched his head, then hesitated, "It's just that some disciples... Senior Brother Zhang, shouldn't you ask Senior Brother what he means?"

Zhang Jingyuan smiled and said, "Give the disciple who is afraid of heights more time."

If they ultimately can't figure out a way to overcome it, regardless of their talent, they should be advised to withdraw.

"I'm not talking about those people." Liu Zhenshan held the book up to Zhang Jingyuan. "It's this one."

The fellow disciples all fell silent.

After a long silence, Zhang Jingyuan hesitated before saying, "I guess... I'd consider it a pass?"