The golden light gate did not move, and the woman easily passed through the light gate, without encountering any obstruction.

"How...how is this possible?!" Wang Shao was shocked.

"Miss is amazing! Miss has passed through the gate!" Hong Su happily celebrated with Lao Niu, "Miss is definitely capable!"

Duan Xiangrao frowned and asked Wang Shao beside her, "Didn't you say her cultivation had just reached the first level of Qi Refinement?"

"That's right." Wang Shao, ignoring other matters, quickly crossed the elemental gate, caught up with Zanxing, and grabbed her wrist, saying, "Stop!"

"Is there anything else?" Zanxing shrugged off his hand and asked.

"...When did you build your foundation? You were only at the first level of Qi Refinement before coming to Pingyang." Wang Shao inquired, puzzled.

Zanxing looked at Wang Shao in front of her, after a moment, a smile curved her lips, "It's thanks to that demon beast in the Dusu Mountain river that day."

"Monster?" Duan Xiangrao, who had caught up, looked skeptical, "That Hu?"

"I was dragged into the water by him, and I later managed to escape its mouth by luck, and even obtained his core." Zanxing calmly replied, "Young Master Wang also knows that a demon pill is equivalent to a third-grade spiritual medicine. Absorbing the elemental energy in the demon pill can help the cultivator break through."

"Where is the monster core?" Wang Shao eagerly inquired, then his expression changed dramatically, "You couldn't have..."

"I refined it."

"Refined it?" This time even Duan Xiangrao exclaimed.

"Young Master Wang, originally that monster core was meant to be given to you.

Unfortunately," Zanxing looked at Wang Shao's pale face and said gently, "you and I have ended our engagement, and I have no one to rely on, so I can only refine the demon pill myself, break through the foundation, and come here with you to participate in the selection competition."

Wang Shao felt almost like spitting blood. A single monster core allowed Yang Zanxing to advance from the first level of Qi Refinement to Foundation Establishment. If he absorbed the elemental power from it, he could surely break through the later stages of Foundation Establishment, and perhaps even reach the Nascent Soul stage! 

This woman was truly a waste of rare resources!

Duan Xiangrao's expression was also grim. She never thought that a disfigured woman who she hadn’t taken seriously would actually trick them.

"The time is almost up," Zanxing nodded at him, "Young Master Wang, see you on the Immortal Viewing Platform." With that, she walked away without looking back.

Behind her, Wang Shao clenched his fists, his eyes turning red with anger. "This wench, I must kill her!"

Zanxing didn't care about Wang Shao's regretful feelings. She reached the Immortal Viewing Platform, where many cultivators who had passed through the elemental gate had gathered. She looked up at the disciples of Taiyan Sect on the platform. The senior sister leading Taiyan Sect was whispering to her fellow disciples. Suddenly, Zanxing heard someone calling her name from behind, "Yang Zanxing?"

Zanxing turned around and saw a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy standing in front of her. He was tall and slender, with a tan complexion that made him look less like a cultivator and more like a teenager. He was wearing a patched blue outfit, and his eyes were fierce and wary, like a young cheetah facing a hunter.

Although she hadn't met him before, Yang Zanxing almost immediately understood – this must be the original male protagonist of "The Peak of Nine Heavens" Mu Cengxiao.

Because this young man's style was very different from the other cultivators, even though his clothes were not outstanding, he stood there, making him impossible to ignore. His whole body was excluding the aura of a male lead.

"You're not dead?" he exclaimed in shock.

"I managed to escape by sheer luck," Zanxing replied, feeling somewhat perplexed.

According to the original storyline, it was Mu Cengxiao who fell into the stream. Due to obtaining the Xiao Yuan Pearl, Mu Cengxiao leveled up several times, entered the

Foundation Establishment stage, and then gained the qualifications to participate in the selection competition. However, now that she had transmigrated into the body of "Miss Yang" the Xiao Yuan Pearl became hers. Without the golden finger, Mu Cengxiao should have remained at Qi Refinement and shouldn't be here.

Yet, he was here, indicating that he had passed through the elemental gate. To pass through that gate, Mu Cengxiao must be at least at the Foundation Establishment stage.

Did he encounter some other fruitful events during these days?

Zanxing sighed in her heart, recognizing the typical luck of a male protagonist. Falling off cliffs – meeting exceptional mentors in caves, obtaining ancient manuals, and having endless lucky chances. It was almost too much for others to bear.

"You're also participating in the selection competition?" Mu Cengxiao was also somewhat dumbfounded. Wasn't Yang Zanxing just a spoiled young miss who only knew how to indulge in pleasure? She wasted so many spirit stones and spirit medicines, barely reaching the first level of Qi Refinement in the end. What's the point of coming here now?

"Just to take a look." Zanxing replied. Thinking that Mu Cengxiao had arrived here, and he will still meet Wang Shao. It means that the main line of the plot has not changed. They will probably fight again later, but this time, at least I don't have to be the cannon fodder that attracts hatred. Thinking of this, she added, "I'm disfigured, and Wang Shao and I have called off the engagement."

Mu Cengxiao looked at her strangely, a bit puzzled as to why she would say such a thing.

While he was contemplating, the last cultivator entered the elemental gate. On the platform, Zi Luo smiled and said, "It seems that everyone is ready."

She took out a cone-shaped object the size of a palm from her sleeve and threw it on the Immortal Viewing Platform.

In an instant, a "boom" could be heard, the ground was filled with smoke and dust and a huge stone mountain rose from the ground.

This stone mountain was thin at the bottom and thick at the top. At first glance, it looked like a giant white mushroom. The mushroom was still slowly rotating, and Zanxing was dumbfounded: "What is this, a spiral chair in an amusement park?"

"This is the 'Lianshan Flower'." Zi Luo smiled, explaining to everyone, "Do you see the purple flowers on the mountain?"

Zanxing observed carefully and finally saw many glowing purple flowers growing on the giant white mushroom. The flowers on the stem of the mushroom were sparse, and the higher up, the more flowers there were.

"For today's selection competition, you will climb the mountain to pick flowers on your own. The time limit is one incense stick. Climb the stone mountain without falling off and after one incense stick, we will count the Lianshan Flowers in each person's hand. The top one hundred and twenty from top to bottom will become disciples of our Taiyan Sect."

Zanxing suddenly understood. In simple terms, this was a rock-climbing treasure hunt game with ranking-based admissions. However, looking at the massive stone mountain, it seemed simple, but the rotation of the giant white mushroom could easily cause dizziness, making it unfriendly for those afraid of heights or prone to dizziness. Also, if one wanted to pick more flowers, they had to climb higher. But with many participants, conflicts were bound to arise during the flower-picking process.

The surrounding cultivators were already eager to give it a try.

Zi Luo smiled, "So, the trial begins."

The incense on the Immortal Viewing Platform was lit in an instant.