The youth looked at Liu Baijian, suddenly smiled at him, and then walked towards Liu Baijian.

“Want to buy my secret technique guide? For you, I’ll give you a special price—twenty low-grade spirit stones!” The youth said to Liu Baijian with a beaming smile.

Liu Baijian remained silent upon hearing this, only staring at him.

Seeing his silence, the youth feigned distress. “Fine, how about ten spirit stones?”

“That’s rock bottom! I wouldn’t take a single stone less from anyone else.” The youth emphasized, adopting a “you’re missing out” attitude.

“…” Liu Baijian.

Are you this eager to sell it to me? What’s the catch!

Liu Baijian glanced at the eager youth, then pulled out ten spirit stones and placed them in his hand. “Cash on delivery.”

The youth’s face lit up instantly. He grinned as he took the spirit stones and handed Liu Baijian a guidebook. “You got a great deal!” he declared.

Liu Baijian remained noncommittal. He was confident in his own abilities and didn’t need any guidebook at all. He’d only bought it because the youth was inexplicably enthusiastic and selling it at a steep discount.

The youth opened his mouth to say something else when a sudden shout came from nearby. He turned to see several people standing ahead, calling out to him, “Are you still selling your guidebook?”

“Yes!” the youth replied instantly.

“Ah!” He turned back to Liu Baijian with a sigh. “I wanted to chat more, but the timing’s off. Next time!”

The youth grinned at Liu Baijian. “The moment I saw you, I knew we clicked. I think we could be great friends.”

“…” Liu Baijian.

Hearing this, Liu Baijian’s gaze toward him turned peculiar. He silently wondered, What kind of relationship do you have with those monks from the Buddhist sect?

Urging voices sounded from the other side. The youth, unable to linger in conversation with Liu Baijian, turned and walked away.

After he left, Liu Baijian stood there for a long while, his gaze fixed on the receding figure, his face deep in thought.

Only after a considerable time did he withdraw his gaze, lowering his head to examine the guidebook in his hands—a manual worth thirty low-grade spirit stones. His fingers brushed the pages before he opened it to read.

The guidebook stated—

The Wendao Sect’s assessment typically consists of three rounds. The first two are largely fixed. The first round involves climbing the long stone staircase from the mountain’s base to the sect’s gates within one hour. Reaching the gates within that time limit constitutes passing.

Below that were the young man’s annotations: “…As this is the first trial for disciples entering the Wendao Sect, these stone steps are also known as Heaven’s Gate Road. The staircase has a total of ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine steps. Even walking steadily would take half an hour, so the one-hour time limit is neither short nor excessively long. The Heaven’s Gate Road tests the climber’s physical strength, perseverance, and mental fortitude. Without sufficient stamina and tenacious willpower, one cannot complete this ascent. When the climber has expended vast amounts of energy and their spirit wanes, when both body and mind are utterly exhausted, the true test arrives unexpectedly—the Illusionary Realm.”

“The illusions corrode the climber’s will, tempting them to abandon the ascent. Should one become lost in the illusions and halt their progress, failing to reach the mountain gate before the hour expires means failure in the trial. For this stage, the advice is clear: see nothing, hear nothing, perceive nothing, remain unmoved. Hold fast to one conviction alone: complete this Heaven’s Gate Road and reach its final destination.”

Liu Baijian continued reading: “The second trial is usually a written exam with randomly generated questions, differing each time. My advice: answer truthfully, without tricks. In terms of wisdom, you are far outmatched by the Zhenjians and Daojuns of the Wendao Sect, who possess vast experience and knowledge.”

The strategy for the second assessment was unexpectedly brief. Yet, how did Liu Baijian detect the youth’s veiled criticism of the Wendao Sect’s Dao Masters in these words? Wasn’t he actually implying that the Wendao Sect’s Dao Masters were seasoned veterans, cunning and deeply calculating?

He continued reading: “The third stage involves questions posed on the spot by the Zhenjians presiding over the assessment that day. The questions are random and unpredictable—even I couldn’t tell you what they’ll be. My advice? Just do your best! You’ve made it this far—don’t give up!”

“…” Liu Baijian.

Was this for real?

Was this thirty-spirit-stone guide really worth it?

Liu Baijian stared at this overly simplistic, practically useless assessment guide, unable to suppress a twitch of his lips. This was definitely going to get him beaten!

Summarizing the three assessments boiled down to one phrase: it’s all in the mind.

But that was precisely how it should be, Liu Baijian thought to himself. If the Wendao Sect’s assessments truly had some secret guidebook, then the assessments themselves would lose all meaning. The sect wouldn’t want disciples who passed by cutting corners.

In that sense, the young man was unexpectedly honest—a rare moment of truth, at least he wasn’t lying.

Liu Baijian noticed something: the section detailing Wendao Sect assessment strategies was a mere three thin pages, while the subsequent volume contained over a hundred thick pages! The real substance must lie within, he concluded. Selling for thirty spirit stones—such an exorbitant price—without provoking backlash, and remaining a bestseller? It must possess unique, practical value.

Liu Baijian continued reading. He turned to the next page, and his finger paused mid-flip. It was a map…

He scrutinized the map, recognizing it as a layout of Wendao City. Turning further, he found detailed descriptions of the city—from the division of factions and district leaders to the distribution of shops, stalls, and residents.

Immediately, Liu Baijian grasped the true value of this guidebook.

His fingers swiftly turned the pages, revealing more such topographical maps paired with textual descriptions of the mountain ranges and villages surrounding the Wendao Sect. These areas fell under the Sect’s jurisdiction, yet access was unrestricted—anyone could enter freely.

The maps and descriptions were remarkably detailed—perhaps even surpassing the knowledge of the Wendao Sect’s own disciples. After all, these were merely the unremarkable, overlooked outlying areas. Yet the youth knew them intimately. He knew the Wendao Sect; he knew these surrounding lands. He must have been a local, raised here from childhood, frequently traversing these regions for one purpose… survival.

Whether gathering spiritual herbs, prospecting for minerals, or hunting low-tier demon beasts, the ultimate goal was always survival.

This was why the youth could sketch such a detailed map. Without firsthand experience, he could never have depicted it, nor could he have known the precise distribution of spiritual herbs, minerals, and demon beasts in these areas.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Liu Baijian swiftly flipped through the pages, discovering that the final sections contained rumors and anecdotes about the Wendao Sect, along with introductions to the preferences, personalities, and gossip surrounding its Zhenjians, Daojuns, Elders, and Sect Masters.

After finishing the entire volume, Liu Baijian closed it, acknowledging the value of this guidebook. Its worth lay not in passing the sect’s disciples’ assessments, but in the information it contained—information that was incredibly useful. It could help a newcomer, blindly fumbling their way through the Wendao Sect, quickly familiarize themselves with the sect, learn its taboos, and avoid making unnecessary mistakes.

It was worth every penny—not just thirty spirit stones, but even double that amount.

“Hey! What’s your deal with that Yuan Ziqiu guy?” Someone suddenly appeared before Liu Baijian, asking curiously.

Hearing the voice, Liu Baijian looked up. Before him stood a dashing youth clad in a dark green robe, his features handsome and his spirit radiant. Upon clearly seeing Liu Baijian’s face, he exclaimed, “Wow!” His tone was filled with astonishment. “You’re actually this good-looking! Even better than Wan Qiyu!”

The youth before him possessed exquisitely defined features: eyes like starlit orbs, radiant and luminous; skin as fair and translucent as flawless jade; lips a deep crimson; a high, straight nose; and sharply defined contours. His face was so beautiful it seemed unreal.

He was too beautiful to be human!

Like a demon.

Yet his demeanor was cool and aloof, lacking the vulgar allure of a demon. But it was precisely this icy, proud air—this cold, indifferent attitude—that made him even more irresistible!

This youth who suddenly appeared before Liu Baijian looked at him and instantly became excited.

“……” Liu Baijian.

What are you so excited about? Could you please rein in your gaze? It’s way too obvious!

Who was Wan Qiyu? Liu Baijian didn’t know, but he understood the boy meant him. Liu Baijian had been born beautiful, like a celestial child. His grandfather often grumbled that he didn’t take after his father. If not his father, then surely his mother, Liu Baijian thought to himself. His mother was a great beauty—what on earth had his father seen in her?

Yes, that was exactly it! Though Liu Baijian had never laid eyes on his father (or perhaps he had, but being too young to remember), he despised the man who had died young. This was largely thanks to Liu Yanzhen, who had spent his childhood constantly disparaging his late father, directly resulting in Liu Baijian harboring no good impressions of him whatsoever.

“Ahem…” Perhaps noticing Liu Baijian’s blatant disdain, the dashing youth realized his own rudeness (embarrassing) and immediately averted his gaze, adopting a serious tone. “Don’t misunderstand—I’m not some frivolous person.”

“…” Liu Baijian, who hadn’t misunderstood in the first place.

Watching the dashing youth go out of his way to emphasize his seriousness, Liu Baijian thought: Does this guy even know how to write the phrase “trying to hide something only makes it more obvious”?

“It’s just because you’re so incredibly handsome,” the dashing youth added, then emphasized with particular emphasis, “Incredibly, incredibly, incredibly handsome! Even more handsome than Wan Qiyu!”

So who exactly was Wan Qiyu?

Liu Baijian listened to his nonsensical ramblings, utterly baffled and disgusted. “…What are you trying to say?”

“That you’re handsome?” The spirited youth hesitated before speaking.

“…” Liu Baijian.

This guy must be mentally challenged!

Liu Baijian immediately wanted to turn and walk away, refusing to stand beside him for fear of having his IQ dragged down.

Noticing his unease, the spirited youth quickly interjected, “Hey, don’t leave! I just wanted to ask about your relationship with Yuan Ziqiu. Could you put in a good word for me? Maybe he’d give me a discount?”

He flashed Liu Baijian a rather bashful, slightly embarrassed smile as he continued, “Truth be told, I’m a bit strapped for cash. I’ve had my eye on Yuan Ziqiu’s secret technique guide for ages, but alas…”

He trailed off, shooting Liu Baijian a knowing look.

“…” Liu Baijian.

Wait, kid, are you kidding me?

Liu Baijian looked at the dashing youth before him and thought: You don’t exactly look like a penniless kid short on spirit stones. That single robe you’re wearing alone is worth over a hundred mid-grade spirit stones. A measly thirty low-grade spirit stones? That wouldn’t even cover the cost of a single hem of your robe.