Everything was going smoothly for Xu Wen, but things weren't so fortunate for Jiang Wanwan and Xiao Huohuo.
Jiang Wanwan had tested six candidates in a row without issue, but when she tested the seventh person, the Heart-Mirror gave a warning. The person's heart was not right and they weren't truly intending to join the Star Moon Sect.
"Wu Zhuoyun, eliminated," Jiang Wanwan declared.
Wu Zhuoyun's head snapped up, his brows furrowing into a harsh line. "What did you say?"
"You didn't pass the Star Moon Sect's Heart-Mirror," Jiang Wanwan replied calmly. "You may leave now."
"Why?" Wu Zhuoyun asked, barely holding back his anger.
"Your heart is flawed, and you're not sincere in wanting to join the Star Moon Sect," Jiang Wanwan said bluntly. "Next."
Upon hearing this, Wu Zhuoyun exploded with rage. "What nonsense is this?!"
"You, a mere Core Formation realm cultivator, have no right to be my senior sister!" he scoffed. "If this is what the Star Moon Sect is about, then it's nothing special."
Xu Wen's eyes immediately narrowed dangerously.
Li Changtian quickly scolded, "Zhuoyun, what nonsense are you spouting? Apologize right now!"
Wu Zhuoyun was Li Changtian's top disciple, with eighth-grade spiritual roots. Though he didn't have the Sacred Body, his talent was extraordinary—second only to the Saint Child in the entire sect. Li Changtian had spent an entire night giving him a thorough lecture yesterday, but now it seemed his pupil had caused trouble.
"Master, I'm not talking nonsense," Wu Zhuoyun said, fuming. "Both of us, master and disciple, have exceptional roots and talent. We should be celebrated no matter where we go."
"Why should I fall to this lowly sect, being reduced to an outer sect elder or disciple? Especially when a Core Formation cultivator like you looks down on me?"
Before he could finish, Xiao Huohuo struck him with a forceful palm that sent him flying.
"Zhuoyun, apologize now!" Li Changtian demanded.
Wu Zhuoyun wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, defiantly refusing to apologize. He couldn't stand it.
A mere Core Formation cultivator—how could he accept this humiliation? He was on the brink of breaking through to the Return to Origin realm, and yet, he was being rejected by a sect full of insignificant cultivators. His pride wouldn't allow it.
"I won't apologize," Wu Zhuoyun muttered under his breath. "I'm too good for this. This sect would be foolish to reject me."
Just then, a voice like thunder echoed from the void. "This person, and all of his family, will no longer be accepted by the Star Moon Sect."
"Understood, Sect Leader." Xu Wen and the others immediately bowed toward the direction of the Sect Leader's peak.
"Wu Zhuoyun, from this moment onward, we are no longer master and disciple," Li Changtian said coldly, his gaze turning ice-cold as he looked at Wu Zhuoyun.
"You and the Misty Sect are no longer connected," added Gu Chenyuan.
Wu Zhuoyun stood in stunned silence, his eyes wide with disbelief. He was an eighth-grade spiritual root cultivator, with extraordinary talent—second only to the Saint Child of the Misty Sect. How could they just abandon him?
He trembled with rage, his lips quivering. "Fine... fine... very well…"
"I've had enough of the Misty Sect," he sneered. "This is a blessing in disguise."
"To be honest, Tian Xuan Sect had already extended an olive branch to me."
"I'll be joining Tian Xuan Sect now. You'll regret this."
With that, Wu Zhuoyun flung his sleeves and turned to leave.
Xiao Huohuo's face turned pale with fury, and she once again struck him with a forceful palm, sending him crashing to the ground.
Wu Zhuoyun was no match for Xiao Huohuo, and especially not now that she had reached the Creation Realm. Beating him was like child's play.
Wu Zhuoyun was quickly reduced to tears, begging for mercy.
Just then, the voice of Tara York, the Sect Leader, rang out once more. "Huohuo, that's enough."
"Yes, Sect Leader." Xiao Huohuo stopped immediately.
"Whether you want to join the Star Moon Sect is your choice," Tara York's voice echoed in the air. "But whether we accept you is our choice."
"If you don't meet our criteria or fail the Heart-Mirror, then please leave voluntarily."
"If you dare cause trouble at our gates, you will pay the price."
As soon as Tara York's words faded, a character glowing with gray light—"Decline"—shot through the sky from the horizon and quickly embedded itself in Wu Zhuoyun's skull.
At that moment, a dark gray aura enveloped Wu Zhuoyun's body, and everyone instinctively took a step back, fearful of being contaminated by it.
Wu Zhuoyun stood up with a dazed look, his body now exuding the gray light. But soon, the light retracted, leaving no trace. He felt a deep sense of discomfort, as if a weight was pressing down on his chest, and an uncontrollable urge to sigh deeply overwhelmed him.
His body ached in every part—thanks to Xiao Huohuo's earlier beating.
He couldn't afford to delay any longer. Without hesitation, he activated a teleportation talisman and fled.
The talisman could teleport up to three hundred miles and erased any trace of its usage. It was a high-level six-tier talisman, almost equivalent to a seven-tier one. It had been made by a talisman master from his family, a gift from his grandfather for self-defense.
Thankfully, his family had enough resources to provide him with various defensive spiritual treasures. He also—
Wu Zhuoyun cast one final glance at the distant Wanjue Mountain, his eyes filled with contempt.
The Star Moon Sect, huh?
He was just a small cultivator in the Transformation Realm, and yet he had caused a scene at their gates and managed to leave unscathed. It showed that the Star Moon Sect was nothing but a shadow of its former self, despite the exaggerated praises the Sect Leader and Elders heaped on it.
He couldn't wait to spread the word, especially to the forces of the Northern Qi Continent, about the disgrace he had experienced. He would make sure everyone knew about the Star Moon Sect's decline.
With a deep exhale, Wu Zhuoyun swallowed a healing pill, trying to ease the pain from his injuries.
As he began cultivating to recover, something strange began to happen.
He suddenly felt an intense heat rising within him, a burning sensation that he couldn't control. His blood seemed to surge uncontrollably, rushing toward a particular part of his body.
His primal urges surged.
Wu Zhuoyun looked up, his eyes bloodshot, feeling a burning desire that spread like wildfire.
Desperately trying to control the heat, he rummaged through his pill bottles. When his eyes fell on one, he froze and inhaled sharply.
It was the Yin-Yang Harmony Pill.
The most potent aphrodisiac in the Great Wilderness. With just one pill, anyone—no matter how pure and self-disciplined—would lose all sense of shame and revert to their most primal desires.
The fire inside Wu Zhuoyun flared even hotter as he realized the danger he was in.
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