Duan Rong walked slowly within a valley.
The valley was like a massive fissure stretching twenty to thirty miles, with steep cliffs at every end.
Towering straight trees filled the valley, with the occasional crane’s cry and ape’s call faintly echoing.
This was the location of the third test.
The third test involved exploring this fissure valley to find the Taiyi Order.
The Taiyi Order is the sect’s token of the Taiyi Sect.
Outer Disciples carry the sect’s mandate, wielding the power of life and death in unforeseen circumstances around the world.
Although Duan Rong was walking alone in the dense forest, his steps were quite leisurely, and he showed no sign of nervousness.
This was because the third test prohibited any mutual killing.
In other words, all Registered Disciples in this fissure valley must rely on their own abilities to find a Taiyi Order to pass the test and advance to an Outer Disciple.
Even if they couldn’t find one, they were not allowed to rob a fellow disciple’s token, or they would face immediate execution!
Duan Rong was well aware that this rule was not just for show. As soon as he entered the valley, before he’d walked far, a divine sense had already swept over him.
If any murder occurred, the consequences were imaginable.
At this moment, Duan Rong was alone because each participant in the test was released into the valley from different locations. He had no idea where Xiao Yu, Ximen Kankan, or the others were.
However, he wasn’t worried. First, the prohibition against killing ensured their safety. Second, it was said the passing rate for this third test was over eighty percent. If that was true, Duan Rong believed Xiao Yu and the others would surely pass.
As Duan Rong walked, he suddenly heard rustling footsteps in front of him, and then a figure emerged. Duan Rong looked up to see an unfamiliar fellow disciple, who glanced coldly at Duan Rong before walking away in another direction.
Duan Rong continued in his original direction, emerging from the dense forest onto a rocky beach.
This place, with its jagged green stones, seemed like a barren hill.
At the top of the barren hill, there appeared to be an abandoned temple gate, with the buildings collapsed. Many black dots moved over the ruins.
Duan Rong’s gaze shifted; this was clearly a spot of opportunity. The abandoned temple surely held a Taiyi Order.
Duan Rong quickly made his way toward the abandoned temple.
Nearing the temple, he suddenly saw a slab of blue stone standing nearby, with inscribed words stating "Unnamed Temple Ruins."
Duan Rong approached the temple gate and saw someone standing there. The person, thin and with their back to Duan Rong, had a waist badge. This person was not a Registered Disciple taking part in the test, but a supervisor from the Internal History Department.
That person stood there, clearly watching the crowd searching among the collapsed buildings and the derelict square.
Duan Rong stepped inside the temple gate.
As soon as he entered the square, he was met with a ground full of dead branches and withered grass.
Before Duan Rong could take a closer look, he saw a rather large rear end at the collapsed building, raised high. The person had their head stuck into a gap by the fallen beams, peering inside.
Seeing that rear end, Duan Rong smiled slightly. He had kicked it countless times before; it was Ximen Kankan.
Duan Rong approached and said with a chuckle, "Aren’t you afraid of getting stuck?"
Upon hearing that voice, Ximen Kankan immediately recognized it as Duan Rong. He tried to extract himself, but the gap was tight, so he slowly wiggled his big head out.
With his head out, Ximen Kankan found a dusty cobweb stuck to it. He punched Duan Rong and said, "First thing you say when we meet is to curse me for getting stuck, huh?"
Duan Rong replied, "No roughhousing here, it’s prohibited."
As Duan Rong spoke, he nodded his chin toward the figure above the temple gate.
Ximen Kankan turned his head and indeed saw that person looking over.
"Just touching you and that’s considered an attack?" Ximen Kankan replied indignantly.
Duan Rong snorted coldly, "If you dare touch me again, I’ll roll all over the ground immediately."
"Fine. You win." Ximen Kankan said, "Who wants to touch you anyway?"
After that, the two of them started searching the abandoned temple.
The site at the top of the hill was quite prominent, so many people had already gathered.
Duan Rong noticed that besides the person standing at the temple gate with a waist badge, there was also someone with a waist badge standing by the ruins of the collapsed building.
After searching around for a while with Ximen Kankan, they came up empty-handed.
Ximen Kankan said puzzled, "Where could the Taiyi Order be hidden? Do we have to dig three feet into the ground?"
Duan Rong frowned slightly; he could easily find it using Divine Sense Investigation, but using the Divine Soul Technique here would blatantly reveal that he’d practiced the Fetal Concealment Scripture.
Duan Rong said, "We should leave. I think this place is meant for those who are proficient in mechanism and secret compartments."
"Brother Duan’s words resonate with me!"
Duan Rong turned his head to see Liu Shushan walking over with a smile.
Ximen Kankan also looked at Liu Shushan, who was as thin as a monkey but wore a blossom of a smile on his face.
"But besides Brother Duan’s view, I have another discovery," Liu Shushan pivoted the conversation.
Duan Rong and Ximen Kankan both looked curiously at Liu Shushan.
Liu Shushan said, "This place looks chaotic, but the layout actually conceals the study of feng shui mysticism. A person proficient in this art can spot where the token is hidden at a glance. Without approaching it this way, one is just a headless fly crashing around, how could anyone find it?"