Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life-Chapter 213: Information on the Outer Disciple Assessment

The night wind rushed in, dispersing the stuffiness in the room.

Su Ming toyed with the pitch-black jade slip in his hand, yet his heart was roiling with turbulent waves.

"Master?" he called out in his mind.

However, Lin Yu, who was usually as talkative as a chatterbox, was now eerily quiet.

A full three breaths passed before Lin Yu's somewhat ethereal voice finally came from the ring.

"Beyond the Heavens... a fragmentary scroll..."

"Disciple, when your master probed this jade slip with divine sense just now, aside from the recorded formation, I also sensed a trace of... an extremely ancient, nearly 'law'-level lingering resonance."

"What kind of resonance?" Su Ming pressed.

"It's different from any known formation school in this world."

Lin Yu's voice carried a trace of barely suppressed excitement, "If what Li Kai said is true, then that Cloud Hidden Sect's mountain-protecting grand formation might very well be a 'base shield' that's been demonically modified."

Just as Su Ming was about to inquire further, a series of urgent, drumbeat-like knocks suddenly sounded from outside the courtyard gate.

"Brother Su! Brother Su! Open the door quickly! Something major has happened!"

It was Wang Defa.

Su Ming frowned slightly, stowed the jade slip and materials into his storage pouch with a backhand motion, straightened his robes, and waved his hand to deactivate the door restriction.

Wang the fat man rolled in like a meatball, waving a pale golden proclamation in his hand. The fat on his face trembled violently from excitement, sweat dripping down his chin in a steady patter.

"Brother Su! It's set! It's finally set!"

Wang Defa didn't even bother to drink water, plopping down on a stone stool and slapping the proclamation onto the table with a *smack*. "The sect just released the official announcement! The outer sect assessment will be held in ten days at the 'Hundred Refinements Peak'!"

Su Ming's gaze swept over the proclamation.

The golden characters shimmered brilliantly in the night, exuding an air of unquestionable authority.

By this decree of the Cloud Hidden Sect's outer sect disciples:

All menial disciples who have been in the sect for five full years, or those holding a special approval token from an elder, are eligible to participate.

The assessment is divided into three stages. Only those who pass all stages may be listed among the outer sect ranks.

"Three stages?" Su Ming's eyes moved downward.

"Yes! This assessment has gotten insane!" Wang Defa panted heavily, extending three fingers as thick as carrots. "The first stage, 'The Touchstone of the Dao Foundation.' This is a hard benchmark; all examinees must take it. It tests spiritual energy purity, divine sense strength, and the stability of one's Dao heart. Before, you could pass as long as your cultivation reached the third-stage Qi Refining. This time, I heard the standard has been raised. Those with flimsy spiritual energy, those who relied on elixirs to boost their cultivation—they'll all be weeded out!"

Su Ming nodded slightly. This stage wasn't a big problem for him. The spiritual energy cultivated through the *Like Water Art* was of extremely high purity, and his divine sense had undergone the baptism of *Perceiving the Minutest Detail*, far surpassing his peers.

"The second stage, 'The Hundred Arts Path to Heaven.'"

At this point, Wang Defa's expression turned somewhat odd, and he stole a glance at Su Ming. "Examinees can choose one or multiple items from fields like alchemy, artifact forging, formations, beast taming, spiritual plant cultivation, etc., to demonstrate their skills. The sect says it's to discover 'versatile talents,' but in reality, it's just a show where each peak vies to snatch people."

"Brother Su, you'll definitely choose formations. But this time, the formation examiner is that guy surnamed Zhang... you know the one. He'll definitely give you a hard problem, like asking you to repair a third-grade formation plate using a pile of scrap materials."

Su Ming smiled slightly, picked up his teacup, and took a sip. "Repairing a formation plate with scrap? Isn't that my old trade?"

"Oh, my dear ancestor, it's not the same!" Wang Defa slapped his thigh anxiously. "This is an exam! There are time limits, material restrictions, and people watching your every move, looking for faults! The slightest mistake, and it's 'lack of skill,' immediate elimination!"

"No matter." Su Ming set down his teacup, his gaze calm. "What about the third stage?"

"The third stage is the most mysterious."

Wang Defa lowered his voice, a trace of fear appearing on his face. "'The Illusory Realm Heart-Questioning Grove.' I heard the sect has invested heavily this time, activating a large-scale illusion formation that's been sealed away for a long time. All examinees who pass the first two stages will be thrown in. It's not one-on-one combat; it's a group entering together! It tests both adaptability and the decisiveness of one's character."

"It's said... it simulates 'actual combat.' There will be bleeding, pain, even the experience of 'death.'"

Su Ming's fingers gently rubbed the rim of his cup.

Actual combat simulation?

That was somewhat interesting. For him, who had always adhered to the *Way of Survival* and lacked life-and-death combat experience, it was both a risk and a rare training opportunity.

"Brother Su, quite a few people have their eyes on you for this assessment." Wang Defa sighed. "The Repair Hall has been too prominent these past six months. Some want to see you ascend to the heavens, but more want to see you fall into the mud. Especially that Elder Luo's faction. I heard they've contacted several ruthless characters in the inner sect who have suppressed their cultivation and not advanced, telling them to 'show you some color' inside the 'Illusory Realm Heart-Questioning Grove.'"

"Thank you for informing me, Steward Wang."

"Steward Wang, could I trouble you to inquire about one more thing for me?" Su Ming turned, his voice steady. "What was Zhao Wuji's most proud formation work during his lifetime, and what were its characteristics?"

Wang Defa was taken aback. "Brother Su, you're..."

"Know yourself and know your enemy." A faint arc curled at the corner of Su Ming's mouth.

After seeing Wang Defa off, Su Ming closed the courtyard gate.

The meditation room returned to silence, but the air was now filled with a tense, impending-storm feeling.

Su Ming stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the mist-shrouded Hundred Refinements Peak in the distance.

That peak stood in the night like an inverted sharp sword, pointing straight at the firmament.

"Ten days, huh..."

He murmured to himself, his fingers unconsciously stroking the storage pouch where two newly acquired items lay quietly: the pitch-black jade slip recording the *Minor Void Spirit Attraction Formation*, and Li Kai's shocking words about the "Beyond the Heavens formation diagram."

"Master, it seems our 'unorthodox methods' will soon be put on the stage for others to judge." Su Ming spoke in his mind.

"Scared?" Lin Yu's voice regained some of its usual playful tone, but deep within, there was now a trace of gravity and anticipation.

"A little." Su Ming admitted frankly. "But more than that... I'm curious."

Lin Yu chuckled softly. "On the path of immortal cultivation, without curiosity, what difference is there from being a salted fish? Ten days is enough for us to make some preparations. First, thoroughly understand that *Minor Void Spirit Attraction Formation*. Perhaps... during the assessment, we can give that examiner surnamed Zhang a 'surprise.'"