The old man suddenly widened his eyes. "What? You don’t believe in your second granduncle? Back in the day, I was known as the Ghostly Swordmaster. When I moved, there wasn’t a sound to be heard. By the time they noticed me, my sword was already at their throats."

"Second granduncle, you’re so impressive!" Bai Feng clapped his hands enthusiastically. "Can you teach me? Not for anything else, just to experience what it feels like to be a ghost."

"Get out of here, how can you talk like that!" The old man grabbed the collar of Bai Feng's shirt, and the two of them quickly vanished into the distance. "If you want to learn, then work hard to become a Golden Core!"

...

Tianjian Sect.

A boy who looked to be around fourteen or fifteen stood at the entrance of the Tianjian Sect, smiling as he spoke to the old man. "Senior, you must be here to bring your junior to participate in the Tianjian Sect's assessment. Please follow me this way."

Bai Feng glanced at the entrance of the Tianjian Sect. Rather than a grand gate, it looked more like a massive broken sword embedded in the mountainside.

To be fair, it did have a certain flair at first glance.

Although he had previously participated in the Tianjian Sect's assessment, as the eldest son of the Bai family, he didn’t need to come in person; an elder had been invited to the Bai family to conduct the assessment.

So this was his first time visiting the Tianjian Sect.

Bai Feng withdrew his gaze and quickly followed the boy. As they moved forward, more and more people appeared around them.

Without a doubt, these people were all here for the Tianjian Sect's assessment.

The assessment at the Tianjian Sect was quite unique. While talent still played a significant role, those with special skills or great perseverance could still join the sect, unlike other sects that would eliminate candidates based solely on poor talent.

This was largely because the Tianjian Sect, as a colossal entity in the Northern Region, not only had wealth but also held a vast array of resources, allowing them to nurture disciples with mediocre talent but good character.

"Please register here," the boy said, stopping in his tracks and turning to Bai Feng with a smile.

Next to him sat a young man in his twenties, his expression blank, or rather, numb, as he looked at Bai Feng. "Name. Place your hand on this stone and inject a bit of spiritual energy. If you have no energy, then it doesn’t matter."

"Bai Feng."

As he spoke, Bai Feng placed his hand on the stone. Soon, the stone emitted a faint glow, indicating that his talent was average.

However, both the boy and the young man paused their actions. The boy's smile faded, and the young man’s expression shifted from blank to intrigued as they both fixed their gazes on Bai Feng. "You’re the Bai Feng from the Bai family?"

Chapter 19: My Wife is Having a Baby Today, I’ll Take My Leave First

"Yes, what’s the matter?"

Bai Feng nodded, secretly observing their expressions. The boy looked somewhat uncomfortable, while the young man seemed genuinely interested.

Hmm, isn’t my reputation in the Tianjian Sect supposed to be decent?

The boy who had led them here seemed quite normal, but what’s up with this registrar?

"Since you’re Bai Xiong, there’s no need to register. Your situation is special; an elder will personally assess you shortly." The young man smiled. "By the way, why aren’t you in Qinghong City? Why come all the way here for the assessment?"

Seeing the young man’s friendly demeanor, Bai Feng didn’t pry further; he might be an acquaintance of Lin Yan.

So he shook his head and sighed, "Don’t mention it, something came up at home, and I had to leave early."

The young man, sensing Bai Feng’s reluctance to elaborate, tactfully didn’t press further. "Well, Bai Xiong, you should take a look around. The assessments here are much more interesting than the one-on-one evaluations by the elders."

"I will, I will."

After chatting for a bit, Bai Feng took his leave, noticing that the boy who had guided them had vanished.

Given the boy's earlier change in expression, he probably heard some rumors and wanted to keep his distance.

Oh well, since I’ll be assessed one-on-one by an elder, these people won’t be able to pull any tricks during the assessment.

Bai Feng ignored the boy who had slipped away and followed the guidance of the assessment elder to a temporary residence to rest.

By now, there were quite a few people here, most of whom had arrived early to wait for the assessment due to the long journey.

"Hey, another one has arrived." A few people were gathered, seemingly chatting, when one of them waved at Bai Feng. "You got here pretty early, what’s your name?"

"Bai Feng."

As soon as he spoke, the conversation among the group came to a halt. They exchanged glances, and one of them cautiously asked, "Are you the Bai Feng from the Northern Region Bai family?"

"Yes."

Bai Feng nodded, and the faces of those nearby turned a shade of green.

"Sorry, I suddenly need to use the restroom, I’ll be back in a bit."

"Wait for me, I’ll go with you!"

"I just remembered I think I left my door unlocked, sorry, I need to step out."

"I also just remembered I have soup simmering on the stove!"

However, it seemed some still didn’t grasp the situation, grabbing hold of another person and asking:

"Hey, why is everyone running away?"

"Don’t pull me, he’s Bai Feng, the Bai family’s Bai Feng."

"So what? This is the Tianjian Sect; the Bai family can’t extend their reach here, right?"

"His sister is Bai Yumo, the genius of the Tianjian Sect with a celestial bone! And he, cough, let’s just say I have something to take care of first."

"Whoa! Thanks for the heads up, I just remembered my wife is having a baby today, I’ll take my leave first!"

In an instant, it seemed like everyone around Bai Feng had their own reasons to scatter, and within moments, a large space opened up around him.

"Now that’s more like it!"

Bai Feng nodded, feeling no anger.

Just a moment ago, he had chatted with the Tianjian Sect disciples and almost thought his reputation there was improving.

The old man who had come with Bai Feng merely stroked his beard. When out in the world, he wouldn’t interfere with the younger generation unless faced with insurmountable danger.

However, Bai Feng was indeed as his father had said—his mindset was quite good, perhaps even a bit too good.

Well, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

...

"Master, did you call for me?"

Bai Yumo pushed open the door and peeked inside.

In the room sat a tall woman dressed in a light green robe, but even the loose robe couldn’t hide her impressive figure.

She was Bai Yumo’s master, and also the peak leader of Qingzhu Peak, Chu Ningyan. At less than a hundred years old, she was already at the late stage of the Transformation stage, just a step away from the Void Refinement stage.

At that moment, she held a letter in her hand. When she saw Bai Yumo enter, she smiled and set the letter down. "I have good news for you. Bai Feng has arrived, and he’s currently waiting outside for the assessment."

"My brother is here?" Bai Yumo was initially surprised, but then her expression turned puzzled. "Why did he come early?"

Given Bai Feng’s personality, even if he wanted to join the Tianjian Sect, he wouldn’t be in such a rush, right?

Moreover, she had only sent the letter two days ago, which meant Bai Feng must have rushed over immediately after receiving it. Hmm, it can’t be because...

Noticing the change in her disciple’s expression, Chu Ningyan couldn’t help but smile. Since Bai Yumo returned, she had noticed changes in her disciple.

Not only had she broken through to the Golden Core stage, but her personality was also no longer as gloomy as before.

This meant that her disciple had resolved her inner conflicts, and the biggest obstacle in her path had vanished.

And this change was likely related to her brother, Bai Feng.

Chu Ningyan understood more about the incident involving Bai Yumo’s bone extraction than ordinary disciples or elders, so she naturally didn’t harbor any animosity towards Bai Yumo’s brother. On the contrary, she was quite curious.

What kind of person could refuse a celestial bone? If Bai Yumo’s brother were an extraordinary genius, she might not be so curious, as geniuses often have their pride. But Bai Feng was just an average talent.

Could someone really give up the chance to ascend to immortality for an intangible familial bond?

Seeing the almost desperate expression on Bai Yumo’s face as she leaned in to inquire, Chu Ningyan finally replied, "It’s because someone from the demonic path has set their sights on Bai Feng."

"Demonic path? Who?" Bai Yumo’s expression immediately turned cold. "Did they attack in Qinghong City? These demonic scum really have some nerve!"

"No, it was at the Bai family." Chu Ningyan said slowly. "And the one who attacked Bai Feng is the Hundred Faces Saintess of the Shengxin Sect. You should know about this cunning genius from the demonic path."

Upon hearing that name, Bai Yumo’s face paled. How could she not recognize that lawless demoness?

How did her brother get on her bad side? No, given that demoness’s character, it must have been her who targeted him.