In every sect, there are rites meant not just to evaluate talent—but to establish hierarchy.
The Ninefold Sect's Quarterly Assessment was one such rite.
For most outer disciples, it was an opportunity to climb the internal rankings, earn better cultivation resources, or catch the eye of an elder. For others, it was a formality. Something endured, not pursued.
But for Xian Lei, it was far more than that.
It was revenge.
Not the bloody kind.
But the kind that branded memory deeper than scars.
The wide marble courtyard was packed.
Outer disciples in grey robes clustered at the periphery, whispering among themselves. Inner disciples sat in elevated positions around the perimeter, each assigned to monitor a zone. Elders floated on jade platforms that hovered in the air above, casting long shadows over the gathering.
A few sect enforcers stood with spears at the ready, though more for show than necessity.
A polished stone dais stood at the center—circular, etched with runes that pulsed with faint blue light.
The Assessment Stone.
An artifact passed down through generations of the sect.
It had one purpose: to measure the three roots of cultivation—
Qi Foundation
Soul Potential
Dao Affinity
Each score was ranked on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 considered mythical. Even inner disciples averaged between 6 to 7.
In his first life, Xian Lei had been branded 2–2–1.
A "triple low root."
Laughed at.
Ignored.
Discarded.
But now?
Now, everything was different.
System Buff Active:Talent Masking: Inactive
Proceeding with full resonance exposure.
Tether Feedback from Bound Entity: Passive Interest, Subtle Anticipation
+213 Qi Gained
Yue Qianlan sat above on the jade terrace, disguised among the junior elders. She hadn't officially endorsed anyone today, but her presence was noted by many.
Whispers stirred the ranks:
"Is that the Demon Queen's daughter?"
"She never shows up for outer disciple events."
"Maybe she's looking for a personal attendant…"
"She's not looking. She's watching."
Xian Lei stood in line, calm as water.
When his name was called, silence followed.
A long silence.
Then, from one of the older inner disciples:"Didn't we already test this trash last year?"
Snickers followed.
Someone muttered, "Maybe he wants a second dose of shame."
But others didn't laugh.
Not after what had happened to Lin Zhen.
Not after the rumors of the Fractured Plateau.
Elder Jun, a squat man with sunken eyes and a sharp tongue, looked up from a scroll and scowled. "Xian Lei. You again?"
Xian Lei bowed. "Reporting for reassessment, Elder."
"You had your chance. You've already been evaluated."
"With your permission, Elder Jun," a younger elder beside him said carefully, "Sect law permits retesting if a disciple shows significant improvement or breakthrough."
Elder Jun snorted. "Improvement? He was barely Foundation Tier. Probably trying to scam a few extra pills."
"Let the stone speak," Yue Qianlan said from her seat, voice smooth but loud enough to cut across the crowd.
All heads turned.
Even Elder Jun hesitated.
"…Very well," he said grudgingly. "One last time."
Xian Lei stepped forward.
The Assessment Stone flared to life.
Pale blue runes lit up beneath his feet, forming concentric circles that rose like ripples across the surface. His palm pressed to the central glyph.
The air grew still.
Even the wind seemed to hush.
System Alert: Public Spiritual Output DetectedInitiating Resonance Calibration…
Output Suppression: 0%Tether Flow: Minimal (Hidden)
Beginning Revelation…
The first ring glowed.
Qi Foundation: 9.1
Gasps exploded across the courtyard.
"That's—!"
"No way—!"
"Even inner disciples don't hit that—!"
The second ring pulsed brighter.
Soul Potential: 8.4
Now even the elders stirred.
Elder Jun leaned forward, frowning hard.
"This… can't be right."
The third ring took longer.
It dimmed. Then flared.
Dao Affinity: 9.6
For a full five seconds, no one breathed.
Then chaos.
Elder Jun stood, waving a hand.
"Malfunction. The stone must be compromised!"
But the artifact's guardian, a silver-bearded Elder Wu, descended from his jade seat and inspected the runes himself.
"It's not broken," he said quietly. "This is a clean reading. Triple high root."
Shock spread like wildfire.
Triple high roots were rarer than phoenix feathers.
Only one disciple in the last generation had reached such levels—and they'd become a core elder within a decade.
Now Xian Lei… a previously mocked outer disciple… stood revealed as a peerless genius.
Yue Qianlan's lips twitched.
Not into a smile.
But something more dangerous.
Satisfaction.
And curiosity.
Tether Emotion Detected: Awakened Fascination+622 Qi Gained
One of the inner disciples watching the test—a youth named Bao Ren, who'd once mocked Xian Lei in front of dozens—stood frozen in disbelief.
"This… this can't be real…"
Xian Lei turned slightly, locking eyes with him.
He didn't gloat.
Didn't smirk.
But the silence between them said everything.
"By decree of this council," Elder Wu declared, "Xian Lei is granted full inner disciple status effective immediately."
He waved his sleeve, and a golden badge flew down to hover before Xian Lei's chest.
"Do you accept?"
"I do," Xian Lei said, voice steady.
He clasped the badge.
The gold shimmered against his plain gray robes—contrast made divine.
System Notification: Rank Upgrade Detected
Rewards Unlocked:– Cultivation Speed +10%– Access to Inner Sect Archives– Eligible for Mission Tier 2 and Above
Tether Sync Pressure: Reduced by 4.2%
As Xian Lei stepped down, murmurs gave way to awe.
Whispers turned to silence.
Even those who once mocked him couldn't meet his eyes.
He had stepped into the courtyard as a ghost of the past.
He left it as a storm of the future.
But not everyone was pleased.
Elder Jun whispered into a talisman as the crowd dispersed.
A black-robed messenger received the signal miles away, his eyes narrowing.
"Too fast," he muttered. "This wasn't supposed to happen yet."
And far above, on a distant spire, Yue Qianlan stood beneath a plum tree in bloom.
Her fingers brushed a falling petal.
"He's no longer the same," she murmured. "And perhaps… I'm not either."
The wind stirred.
And somewhere in the System's void, fate laughed.