While the crowd's attention remained fixed on the platform, captivated by the dazzling young talents stepping up one after another, Gui Yiyi stood quietly off to the side, unnoticed. Her hands were balled into small, trembling fists, though her gaze remained on the ongoing tests.
She had no inkling that the youngest Nascent Soul Realm elder in the history of the Profound Sword Sect—an expert whose very presence radiated power—was observing her with intent, calculating eyes.
At this moment, all Gui Yiyi could feel was the rapid, erratic pounding of her own heart.
Despite having been tested rigorously back at the Gui clan before leaving for the Profound Sword Sect, her nerves remained frayed, refusing to calm. The weight of her family's expectations pressed down on her shoulders like a mountain, threatening to crush her spirit with every passing second.
"Yiyi, don't be nervous. You've passed before; you'll pass again," came the reassuring voice of the Second Elder of the Gui clan from behind her. His tone was calm, but there was an underlying tension he couldn't entirely conceal. Even he, seasoned as he was, was struggling to keep his composure.
Gui Yiyi gave a small nod in response, but the words caught in her throat. She said nothing.
Her gaze remained fixed on the platform, where Gui Lan, her cousin, had just finished his test.
"Gui Lan, bone age 17, Qi Condensation fifth level. Qualified."
The announcement rang out across the square, a clear declaration of his success.
Gui Lan stepped down from the testing stage, but the proud glint that had earlier danced in his eyes was gone. In its place, a mixture of unease, frustration, and something akin to disbelief clouded his expression.
As the testing continued, reality struck him like a sledgehammer.
He was no longer alone at the fifth level of Qi Condensation. In fact, he was far from exceptional.
From across the vast plaza, dozens of young cultivators stepped up to the Violet Spirit Crystals, their cultivation levels revealing not just fifth, but sixth, and even seventh levels of Qi Condensation—all while still under the age of twenty.
His heart sank further as his eyes caught sight of one such cultivator: Yang Hong, a youth with a calm demeanor who had just taken the test.
"Yang Hong, bone age 16, Qi Condensation seventh level!"
A loud roar of commotion surged through the square as the announcement echoed across the crowd. Even Xuan Yi, watching from his position high above, raised an eyebrow in admiration.
Gui Lan's world seemed to collapse beneath him.
Seventh level?
He's younger than me... and two whole stages ahead.
For the first time in his life, Gui Lan felt the bitter sting of being ordinary.
A cold realization swept over him—a realization he had never encountered in the confines of Half Moon City, where he had once considered himself the pinnacle of talent. Today, he had learned just how small his world truly was.
The same revelation was shared by the rest of the Gui family disciples, who exchanged nervous glances, their pride and confidence eroding with each passing second. Even the once-arrogant Gui Lan stood in stunned silence, his fists clenched so tightly that they trembled.
The Second Elder, standing quietly at the back, surveyed his clan's youths, their faces stricken with confusion and dismay. He let out a long sigh, the lines of regret deepening on his aged face.
His eyes were filled with sorrow, but more than that, they held a quiet understanding.
"Only after stepping out of Half Moon City did I realize how small it truly is..." he thought, his heart heavy with the weight of this harsh truth.
His gaze shifted to Gui Yiyi, his niece, and Gui Lan, his nephew. They were both facing the reality of a world far larger and more competitive than they had ever imagined.
He wanted to encourage them, to tell them not to lose hope. But what could he say in the face of such overwhelming competition?
This was the unforgiving truth of the cultivation world—a test of spirit, as much as strength.
But far more pressing than disappointment was the gnawing fear that now gripped his heart.
The Gui family's future rested on this recruitment.
They had hoped that Gui Lan, with his solid cultivation and potential, could enter the Profound Sword Sect and rise to a position that would shield their clan. But now, even that hope was teetering on the edge of fragility.
If none of their disciples made it into the Profound Sword Sect…
The consequences would be catastrophic.
The Duan family, one of the three great clans of Half Moon City, had been the Gui clan's bitter rival for generations.
Though the clans had always been evenly matched, that fragile balance had been shattered only recently.
Not long ago, a thunderclap had shaken Half Moon City: Duan Li, the Duan clan's brightest young genius, had been accepted into the prestigious Witherwood Gate Sect, one of the most powerful sects in the region.
But it wasn't just the acceptance that had shaken the balance.
Duan Li had been chosen as the Personal Disciple of a peak eighth-level Soul Condensation Realm elder—an honor few could dream of.
With that single step, the Duan family had surged ahead in power, leaving the Gui family in a desperate position.
The balance of power was no longer equal.
Now, the Gui clan's only chance for survival rested on the fragile hope that one of their disciples might succeed here, in this very ceremony.
But what if none of them made the cut?
Then the Duan family, bolstered by the backing of Witherwood Gate, would overwhelm the Gui clan.
And the Gui family would fall.
Gui Yiyi didn't know it yet, but she was standing at the heart of this storm, with the future of her clan resting on her shoulders.
As despair settled over her clan like a storm cloud, Xuan Yi continued to watch from above, his sharp eyes never leaving Gui Yiyi.
"She doesn't even realize it yet... but she holds the fate of her clan in her hands."
"This little girl with trembling hands... she may just change everything."