Yang Yi spoke with a welcoming gesture from his right hand, his demeanor very amicable.
Duan Rong was slightly taken aback and walked in.
The person at the entrance, who had just started a cold smile, suddenly froze.
"Brother... Duan?!"
As Duan Rong approached, Yang Yi raised Duan Rong’s sect cloud scroll and assessment form with both hands and presented them in front of him.
Duan Rong was somewhat surprised and immediately accepted them, clasping his fists and saying, "Thank you, Steward Yang."
Yang Yi also smiled and said, "Brother Duan, there’s no need to be so formal. It’s convenient for others and it’s convenient for oneself. Besides, familiarity grows with time between the two of us, the days are long ahead!"
Yang Yi had been pondering how to mend the relationship with Duan Rong the day before, unexpected encounters bring unexpected opportunities, and today such a matter occurred. How could he not seize the chance to offer Duan Rong a favor? If he had blocked him out again, the relationship would become more distant, and how could they ever associate in the future?
Upon hearing this, Duan Rong’s expression shifted, clearly understanding that Yang Yi was trying to build rapport with him.
Duan Rong thanked Yang Yi once more before taking his leave.
Yang Yi watched Duan Rong and Xiao Yu depart until their backs disappeared from view, feeling satisfied enough to yawn.
Yang Yi turned around and saw the person responsible for inspections staring in shock.
That individual was startled when Yang Yi addressed that unremarkable person as Brother Duan, but was even more stunned when Yang Yi treated him with such respect, truly as though they were siblings.
He couldn’t understand why Yang Yi, who had Yang Sixuan as a great mentor, would humble himself before a registered disciple participating in an assessment.
This person hadn’t been present at the Deep Valley assessment the day before, and didn’t know that unimpressive individual was someone who nearly stepped onto the sacrificial altar.
Yang Yi saw the person dumbstruck at the door, while outside there were already several people standing—foremost among them was a female disciple. She noticed the inspector facing away, gazing at the four departing figures. Judging by their attire and age, she deduced they were registered disciples like herself, participating in the assessment.
"Why are you standing there idly not doing your job?"
Yang Yi casually tossed out a sentence before leisurely walking back to the Grandmaster’s Chair to settle in for a nap.
Only then did the person snap out of it, turning around to see many people already gathered outside, with the foremost being a pretty female disciple, looking at him with a rather peculiar expression.
Feeling embarrassed, the person feigned a cough before accepting the sect cloud scroll and assessment form from the female disciple’s hands.
Meanwhile, Duan Rong and the others had reached a designated waiting area on the edge of the large platform.
There, two or three people from the Internal History Department were shouting for everyone to stand accordingly based on their numbering.
And beside each large red circle on the platform, there stood a person from the Internal History Department holding a pen.
In the upcoming duel, they would record the results of victory and defeat and oversee the process.
Indeed, the second round of the assessment is an one-on-one duel.
Inside the red circle, those who step on the red line, exit the circle, or lose combat capability, are deemed losers.
The dueling consists of two rounds. Victors in the first round qualify for the assessment.
Losers from the first round compete again in the second round.
Victors qualify, losers are eliminated.
This means that in the second assessment, only a quarter of the participants are eliminated. Most of the participants can qualify.
This is simply incomparable with the first assessment, which was so harsh that it directly eliminated 70% of the participants.
This also reveals the sect’s intentions.
For those who pass the Divine Soul Test, the sect considers them promising, at least capable of strengthening the sect. Even in the least favorable scenario, they can be dispatched to manage the mortal world on behalf of the sect.
Thus, this second round of assessment is clearly much more lenient.