Two months in and the war was still going on.

Wars were not things that could be won in a short time, after all.

With the forced conscription, the outer court saw a sharp decrease in residents. In addition to that, there were also the ones that willingly choose to go, decreasing that number even further.

The Soaring Dragon Association also bade farewell to a few members, as many of them were still under the third stage - like Wu Feng and a few others of the Flying Snow Dojo.

Strangely enough, Xiao Yao was not forced to go. According to his words, it had something to do with his master's interference, leading the others to become curious about his mysterious master.

Leaving the group aside for a moment, today marked five months since the battle against the Heavens Will Association had taken place, shocking news spread through the sect.

"All the disciples in the top one hundred will be given the chance to become inner disciples. Those willing to join the examination, go register at the Starry Sky Pavilion." The one announcing it was an elder, and his voice reached all corners of the outer court.

There wasn't even the need to say it, but everyone was surprised by the sudden announcement, and also curious about what led to such a chance and change.

It had been around four months or so since the last examination, so why make another one now? However, that was not something they could learn the truth about.

The excitement, however, soon calmed down.

In the end, only the top one hundred disciples would have the chance to participate, so most of the outer court disciples did not care a lot about it.

Obviously, some decided to start challenging those on the top hundred, hoping to get a chance to participate.

Who knows, maybe they would be able to win?

--- - -

Yueshi and the others were reunited in the meeting hall, chatting in a pleasant mood.

The topic of their conversation was the hottest topic of the moment: the inner disciple examination that came ahead of time.

Even if it was only for the top hundred it was, nonetheless, an exception to the rules that had never been seen before.

“Is it because of the war?” Yuyi asked while leaning on her arms and yawning.

“Maybe. Maybe they want to train another batch of inner disciples before hell breaks loose.” Baiyun answered with uncertainness. “Not that it matters, really. We just need to participate and win, and then we will know.” His words earned him nods of agreement.

Yueshi agreed with him. What was the use of trying to crack their heads open when it was impossible for them to guess the motive?

Moreover, even if they could find an answer it would not matter since what they had to do was already set into stone.

“So, Xiao Yao, what will you be doing?” This was the question that concerned him more.

The pale-white Xiao Yao shrugged his shoulders when everyone glanced at him.

He was a non-combatant, thanks to that his combat power was low and he was not able to join the top hundred. And, different from Jiang Yao and Bei Lao, he was not that interested in going to participate in the war.

“My master is trying to take me out for some time. So if all works, I will probably be leaving in a while.” His rough voice, coupled with how skinny and pale he was, made people worry.

"Wow, your master is beyond just amazing!" Being able to take a disciple out before the one-year period made it clearer than ever that Xiao Yao's master was not an ordinary person.

Yueshi, for one, was becoming more and more curious about it by now.

“I know.” It was the first time in a while that the young man smiled, and there was a trace of pride in it. “Kuhum,” coughing, however, he put on a cold face once more, “let us not talk about that.”

Seeing the way he was acting, everyone laughed a bit.

It was really rare to see Xiao Yao lose his composure, though they found out a while back that praising his master was one day to do so.

Such a gap in his character was funny and cute in a certain way.

“Okay, Yaoyao’s love for his master aside…” Yueshi joked slightly before continuing. “How confident you all are in passing the examination?” Honestly, he felt there was no need to ask.

Seeing everyone smile confidently, he smirked too.

It was just as he expected.

While they had been around for just a short time, the ambient they were in made them progress almost every day.

Moreover, with the quantity of points they got last time, they were able to train without worries for quite some time.

Thanks to that, even if they did not manage to be on top, they were sure they could make their way inside the inner court.

With that settled, the group decided to rest for a while, so that they would be on top condition.

As a result, anyone passing by the mansion would be able to hear cheers, screams, curses, bad jokes, and boisterous laughers.

Truly a happy bunch, but for how long could that last?

Three days passed since the announcement, and the inner disciple examination was finally going to take place.

In those three days, uncountable battles happened as the top hundred tried to keep their position, however, that was not something Yueshi and the others had to worry about.

Other than Xiao Yai, Jiang Yao, and Bei Lao, the others had been ranked in the top one hundred since a while back

The first was an alchemist, and the latter two were lacking in combat power and talent, unfortunately.

That was also why they decided to participate in the war earlier – they wanted to refine themselves in the middle of the endless battles, nurturing their wills and abilities.

A group composed of one hundred people stood in front of the path that led to the core region of the sect.

They were organized in rows of ten and made to stand there, waiting for instructions.

Yueshi and the others were also among the group, not daring to talk with each other.

Finally, someone appeared, walking from inside the inner court through the narrow pathway between the sky-reaching mountains.

The person, a woman, did not look much older than them and seemed to be barely in her thirties. However, as she walked toward them, they could feel a formless and intense pressure keeping them in place.

Thankfully it took only a while for the pressure to disappear, letting everyone relax a bit.

“You all can call me Protector Mo, and I will be the one administrating the examination this time.” While gazing at everyone, the woman introduced herself.

Everyone could not help but note that her voice was refreshing and pleasant, like a cool breeze in the hot summer.

“We respectfully greet Protector Mo.” Everyone immediately cupped their fists and bowed their heads. They were young talents, and quite a few were arrogant, but traditions were traditions.

"There is no need to be so tense." Protector Mo spoke briefly, looking at them. She knew most of those youngsters since she frequently visited the outer court to give a few pointers.

While people like Yueshi and Xuehua - who trained on their own most of the time - did not know of her, Yuan Yue and quite a few others had seen her before and even learned a thing or two from the woman.

Yuan Yue was particularly fond of this beautiful protector as she never held anything back when teaching the disciples.

However, that has nothing to do with the current situation.

“The first stage of the inner disciple examination is simple. You all just need to follow the path ahead until you reach the inner court.” While she spoke, she pointed at the path from where she came.

One could not see the road's end and, coupled with the mist permeating it, the path looked mysterious and strange.

While the elder called the first stage simple, no one relaxed. If it was just as simple as walking all the way toward the inner court it would not have been a trial, and no one here was a fool, so they all knew of that.

“You can start whenever you wish.” Protector Mo looked at them calmly before adding, “I hope you all can pass this challenge, and I will be waiting for you on the other side.” Then, as if she had never been there, she disappeared right in front of their eyes.

The people in the group exchanged glances, but, for a while, no one took a step forward.

They knew it did not matter who was first and who was last, still, they hesitate to be the first to enter the mist-filled path, as if afraid this could bring a bad result.

After a few minutes, someone finally broke the stillness.

Laughing, Yueshi and the others shook their heads when they saw who it was - no one other than their mischievous little devil, Yuyi.

With a carefree smile, she marched ahead without any fears, completely confident that she could clear whichever trial was placed inside of the misty pathway.

Yueshi and the others followed on her steps.

In the first place, they had never been afraid, instead, they were a bit curious to see if any change would happen when someone stepped on the pathway.

And, with them taking the lead, the other ninety-three people followed closely behind.

Soon, everyone had disappeared inside of the fog.

Yueshi was a bit surprised by the fact that, once they entered inside the mist, the others disappeared.

He wasn’t sure if they had really disappeared or if he could not see them, nonetheless, he was still curious about it.

It wasn’t hard to guess, though, that this was another array belonging to the sect, another one related to illusions or something of the sort.

On a side note, he had been quite interested in arrays lately.

The main motive was that the Ancient Dragon Seal was becoming increasingly harder to form, and too complicated to strengthen.

After putting his hands on the complete technique he had found himself completely lost and confused by all the symbols, scriptures, and inscriptions.

Arrays aside, Yueshi continued to move forward. He was sure that there was more to this trial than not being able to see the others and he could imagine a few possibilities.

However, for now, he would continue to move forward and not bother with anything else.

Time then passed slowly as he made his way onward, or at least he felt it passed.

The sun stood still on the same spot since he entered the mist, and time became merely a vague concept which he couldn't get a grasp of.

As he continued to walk and walk and walk, he soon forgot for how long he had been at it.

As if that was not enough, the perfectly built pathway of stones had no changes, and the rock walls seemed to be the same no matter how much he moved.

For some time, he wondered if he had not been moving at all and if he had merely felt as if he had been walking instead of really doing so.

However, he did not waver, nor did he look back.

'There is no need to worry, all I need to do is walk forward and reach the end.' He told himself so, his heart peaceful and tranquil like a pond.

Yet, soon, very soon, he was not able to keep his cool anymore.

Yueshi’s body shook as he stared ahead, his pupils trembling even more than his body.

His lips were dry and his throat parched, and, even when he tried to say something, the words seemed to be stuck in his throat.

He could feel his heart was beating furiously and madly, and even his eyes were becoming red.

‘It is an illusion, just an illusion!’ He repeatedly told himself so, however, despite knowing that, it was as if his mind could not understand.

He did not know but, this was one of the effects of the illusory array. It was digging through the gaps in his heart and will, showing him his worst fears and nightmares and eroding at his mind, weakening his mental and emotional defenses.

That was why he was so sensitive to what he was being shown.

And for a moment, he didn't want to believe in it.