"Very well. I offer my apologies, young friend. I spoke without thinking." Just as Gao Han was on the verge of slipping into his frenzied state, Elder Bai unexpectedly bowed his head in apology.
A stunned silence fell over the onlookers. As an examination elder, he held a lofty and esteemed position, so his voluntary concession came as a profound shock to everyone present.
The golden glow in Gao Han's pupils gradually faded, replaced by a look of genuine surprise. He had always believed that elders of the sect clung fiercely to their pride and dignity. Had Elder Bai yielded before the overwhelming power he had displayed?
Gao Han entertained the fleeting thought before dismissing it at once. For all the strength he had shown thus far, it was not enough to strike terror into the elder's heart, nor had the man witnessed the full extent of his true power. How could he possibly gauge just how formidable Gao Han really was?
While the others gaped in astonishment, the independent inner-sect disciples wore expressions of quiet amusement, as if the scene unfolded exactly as they had expected.
At last, Zhu Jin could no longer contain himself. "Since you are all so perplexed, allow me to explain."
"Old Bai may seem stern on the surface, but he has a kind heart. You see, we call him Old Bai to his face, and he never takes offense."
"Truly. Everything he does is for the good of the sect. He is simply rigid and unyielding, which makes him appear cold and unapproachable, but he has a good soul," one of the inner-sect disciples laughed, gesturing toward Elder Bai.
"Hmph, enough of your chatter," Elder Bai huffed, turning away in mock irritation.
He then turned to Gao Han with a sincere gaze. "Young man, you need not cling so fiercely to the opinions of others. A warrior who is overly troubled by the judgment of those around him lacks true self-assurance—or is trapped in the pain of his past."
"This will not serve you well. A warrior must keep his eyes fixed firmly on the path ahead. Dwell too long on what has been, and you will stagnate, never to advance again."
Gao Han's mind jolted as if struck by a temple bell's resounding chime. The words cut deep into his heart. Though his cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds over the past year, he had never truly escaped the shadows of his former humiliation.
In that moment, Elder Bai's wisdom illuminated his soul. So long as he remained imprisoned by the miseries of the past, he would one day regress into the useless boy he had once been.
With that realization, a weight lifted from his heart. The years of scorn and shame faded like mist in the sunlight.
His spirit calmed as still water, and a serene, cooling aura radiated from him, replacing the suffocating frost that had lingered before. His soul seemed to ascend to a higher plane, and both his Ice Momentum and Sword Momentum strengthened subtly—his Sword Momentum, in particular, rose to twenty percent attainment.
Gao Han had finally cast off the burdens of his past and broken free from the shadows that had bound his heart.
A clear, bright smile spread across his face. "Thank you, Elder Bai. Or… Old Bai. Do you mind if I call you that?"
Sensing the profound transformation in Gao Han's aura, Elder Bai nodded in astonishment. "Of course not. But it seems your martial insight has reached a rare realm."
Gao Han shook his head gently, the soft smile still playing on his lips. He held a finger to his lips. "Shhh. When you head down the mountain for your gathering later, would you mind if I joined you?"
Zhu Jin, Elder Bai, and the others exchanged glances before bursting into hearty laughter. "By all means. We would be honored—if you do not mind mingling with us lowly independent inner-sect disciples, rather than keeping company with true inner-sect or true disciples."
Gao Han shook his head with a warm smile. "It would be my pleasure."
The group laughed together, for they knew that even if Gao Han was not yet their equal in raw power, the gap was narrow. And at his young age, his potential was boundless.
"Hmph! You dare call yourself worthy of true disciple status? What does your talent matter if you stoop to fraternizing with these lowly, temperamental independent disciples? You bring shame upon all true inner-sect disciples," Liang Qing sneered, shooting Gao Han a look of contempt.
Though the other candidates admired Gao Han's strength and talent, their eyes still held a flicker of disdain.
Zhu Jin bristled and prepared to retort, but Gao Han stayed him. He had taken Elder Bai's words to heart; he need only walk his own martial path and pay no mind to the judgments of others.
"Old Bai, I believe we may resume the examination," Gao Han said calmly.
Elder Bai was deeply gratified to see that Gao Han had truly achieved enlightenment through his advice. He declared cheerfully, "First candidate: Zhou Manqing! Enter Cage Number Twenty!"
Zhou Manqing was the other female candidate, aside from Lin Lin.
Her features were plain, yet a gentle aura surrounded her, delicate as a budding flower, stirring an instinct to shield her from harm.
She stepped timidly toward the cage Elder Bai had indicated and peered inside nervously.
Within lurked a gray, rat-like demonic beast of enormous size—its entire body, including its tail, stretched a full two meters long.
Its tail alone measured nearly one meter, segmented and glinting with a metallic sheen. When it bared its fangs, jagged, razor-sharp teeth glinted coldly. Its head was tiny, no larger than a fist, with two small black eyes darting about, and a pair of fuzzy ears twitching atop its skull. Protruding upward from its forehead was a curved black horn, roughly six centimeters long.
"A First Tier demonic beast—the Horned Rat?" Gao Han thought in surprise, recalling the creature from texts he had pored over in the sect's lower library.
The Horned Rat was not overwhelmingly powerful, but its fighting style was treacherous, far deadlier than the Red Wind Wolf among beasts of its rank.
Its tail, claws, and teeth were exceptionally hard and sharp; its fangs could even grind stone to powder.
Yet that was not its most fearsome trait. The horn upon its head possessed extraordinary hardness, capable of piercing ten-centimeter-thick iron plates with ease.
It could also absorb spiritual energy from the heavens and earth, strengthening the horn to the hardness of a low-grade weapon, able to pierce through refined steel.
Refined steel was forged through repeated tempering, its hardness more than twenty times that of ordinary iron.
A warrior who had just broken through to the First Layer of True Essence stood no chance against it. For Gao Han, however, the beast was trivial—he could slay it with a single palm strike.
For Zhou Manqing, who had only just entered the True Essence realm, the battle would prove far more arduous.