Two weeks after the Sect Master's visit, Tranquil Peak had a problem.

  There were people everywhere.

  Lin Feng stood at the edge of his formation barrier, staring in disbelief at the scene below. At least three hundred cultivators had gathered at the base of the mountain, setting up camps and cultivation arrays.

  "What... what is happening?" he asked weakly.

  Shen Yue, standing beside him, looked apologetic. "Master, word has spread about you accepting new disciples. These are all cultivators hoping to be chosen."

  "Three hundred people?!" Lin Feng's eye twitched. "I said maybe one or two more disciples! Not an army!"

  [Social Crisis Detected!]

  [Recommendation: Establish a formal trial to filter candidates. This will maintain your mysterious image while allowing you to choose suitable disciples.]

  [Reward: 5,000 Seclusion Points for establishing trial system]

  "A trial," Lin Feng muttered. "I suppose that makes sense. But what kind of trial?"

  Zhou Yuan stepped forward. "Master, in traditional sects, trials test cultivation level, combat ability, or comprehension. But you value character and work ethic. Perhaps a different kind of test?"

  Lin Feng thought about it. He didn't want arrogant geniuses or people seeking power. He wanted genuine students who would appreciate the peace of cultivation.

  "I have an idea," he said slowly. "A simple test. We'll see how they react to ordinary work."

  He walked down to the edge of the formation barrier and projected his voice. To his perception, he was just speaking a bit loudly. In reality, his voice boomed across the entire mountain range, infused with subtle Dao energy that made every listener feel like he was speaking directly to them.

  "Greetings, everyone. I understand you've come seeking to become disciples. I appreciate your dedication, but I must be clear—I'm looking for students who value hard work and humility, not just power."

  Three hundred cultivators straightened up, hanging on every word.

  "The trial is simple. You'll have three days to complete a task. Those who complete it with sincerity and good character may be considered. Those who fail or show poor conduct will be asked to leave."

  He gestured to the forest surrounding Tranquil Peak. "This forest has become overgrown. Clear the paths, tend to any injured plants, and help any spirit beasts you encounter. That's all."

  Silence.

  The cultivators looked at each other in confusion. That was it? Gardening and forest maintenance? Where was the combat trial? The comprehension test? The demonstration of techniques?

  One bold cultivator, a young man in expensive robes, spoke up. "Senior, forgive my ignorance, but... is there no test of cultivation ability? Surely you want to know your disciples' potential?"

  Lin Feng shook his head. "I can sense your cultivation levels just fine. What I need to know is your character. Actions speak louder than abilities."

  What the cultivators didn't know was that Lin Feng's "simple" test was actually profound beyond measure. The forest around Tranquil Peak had been transformed by ambient spiritual energy. Every plant had gained sentience. Every spirit beast had elevated intelligence. The "overgrown paths" were actually semi-sentient formations that would test the character of anyone who tried to tend them.

  Clearing this forest was like taking care of a immortal's garden. Only those with pure hearts and genuine dedication would succeed.

  "You may begin," Lin Feng said. "I'll check your progress in three days."

  He returned to his courtyard, feeling satisfied. "That should filter out anyone who's just seeking power. Only sincere people will actually complete such a simple task."

  [Trial Established!]

  [Reward: 5,000 Seclusion Points]

  [Note: Host has created an Immortal-Grade Character Trial. Success rate estimated at 0.3%.]

  At the base of the mountain, chaos ensued.

  "This is absurd!" the young man in expensive robes declared. "I'm Han Jie, third son of the Crimson Cloud Sect Master! I didn't come here to do gardening i came here just for senior hi hi hi!"

  Many cultivators agreed with him. They were powerful experts in their own right—some at Core Formation, a few even at Nascent Soul. Menial labor was beneath them.

  But others understood.

  An older female cultivator named Wei Ling spoke quietly to those around her. "This is a test of humility. The senior is seeing if we can put aside our pride. Those who refuse the task have already failed."

  A young girl, barely sixteen, named Liu Mei simply picked up a rake and started working. "I came here to learn from a great master. If he asks me to tend a forest, I'll tend the forest."

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  Within the first hour, fifty cultivators left in disgust. They couldn't accept such a "demeaning" or maybe hypoactive trial.

  The remaining two hundred and fifty began working.

  Almost immediately, they realized this was no ordinary forest.

  Han Jie, deciding to give the trial a perfunctory attempt, reached out to clear a bush—and the bush politely moved aside on its own, then bowed to him. He stumbled backwards in shock. This was an Enlightened Spirit Plant, something that only appeared in legends, maybe he could pocket one or two as he thought in his mind!

  Another cultivator tried to repair a broken tree branch and found himself receiving insights into Wood Law, advancing his comprehension by leaps and bounds.

  Liu Mei, the sixteen-year-old, encountered an injured rabbit spirit beast. When she gently bandaged its leg using her own spiritual energy, the rabbit's eyes glowed with intelligence and gratitude. Then it hopped away and returned with a spirit herb, offering it to her as thanks a Sky Profound Ginseng worth more than most sects' entire treasuries.

  She stared at the ginseng, tempted. With this, she could break through multiple realms. But... the senior had said to help spirit beasts, not to take payment for it. Gently, she tried to give it back.

  The rabbit refused, pushing the ginseng toward her insistently.

  Finally, Liu Mei accepted it with a bow. "Thank you, little friend. I'll use this well."

  Unknown to her, this interaction had been observed by Shen Yue, who was secretly monitoring the trial candidates.

  "Master!" Shen Yue called out when she returned to the courtyard. "I found an excellent candidate! Liu Mei, a young girl with no background but pure character. She helped a injured spirit beast and tried to refuse its thanks. She has great potential!"

  Lin Feng looked up from his tea. "Liu Mei? Tell me about her."

  "She's only sixteen, orphaned, with average talent. But her heart is good, and she works harder than anyone else down there."

  Lin Feng smiled. "Good heart and hard work are more important than talent. Keep an eye on her. If she completes the trial, we'll consider taking her in."

  What he didn't know was that Liu Mei's "average talent" had already been elevated to heaven-defying levels just from spending a few hours in Tranquil Peak's ambient spiritual energy while tending the forest.

  By the end of the first day, another hundred cultivators had given up.

  The work was too hard, too humbling, or too strange. Some couldn't handle the fact that plants would bow to them. Others were frightened by spirit beasts that clearly had intelligence far beyond normal animals.

  Han Jie persisted, but not out of sincerity. He was determined to become a disciple of the Unfathomable Master for the prestige it would bring his family. He worked just hard enough to look dedicated while actually doing as little as possible.

  Wei Ling, the older female cultivator, worked diligently and with genuine care. She was at the Nascent Soul realm, a respected elder from a minor sect, but she'd spent her whole life struggling to advance. She understood that sometimes the answer wasn't in power, but in wisdom. If this great master wanted her to tend a forest, she would tend it better than any forest had ever been tended.

  Liu Mei continued working long after others had stopped for the night. She found damaged paths and repaired them. She found spirit beasts in need and helped them. She encountered plants that needed tending and tended them with gentle care.

  She didn't know that each action was being recorded by the semi-sentient formations, that every deed was being weighed and measured.

  By the third day, only thirty cultivators remained.

  Lin Feng descended from his peak to inspect their work, accompanied by his two disciples.

  The forest had been transformed. Paths were clear and well-maintained. Plants were thriving. Spirit beasts were healthy and happy, many of them following the cultivators who had helped them.

  Lin Feng smiled. "Excellent work, everyone. You've all passed the basic trial."

  The thirty cultivators brightened with hope.

  "However," Lin Feng continued, "I can only take a few disciples. So I'll need to evaluate you individually."

  He walked among them, stopping to talk with each person briefly. He didn't check their cultivation or ask about their techniques. Instead, he asked simple questions:

  "Why do you want to cultivate?"

  "What would you do if you gained great power?"

  "What do you value most in life?"

  To Lin Feng, these were just conversation starters. To the cultivators, each question felt like a profound inquiry into their very souls.

  When he reached Han Jie, the young master answered confidently: "I seek to bring glory to my sect and family, Senior. Power is meant to protect those we love."

  It was a good answer. A practised answer. But Lin Feng sensed something off about it. The words felt hollow, memorised.

  "I see," he said politely, moving on.

  When he reached Wei Ling, the older woman answered honestly: "I've spent three hundred years cultivating, Senior, and I've achieved much. But I realise now that I've been missing something fundamental. I seek understanding, not just power. I want to know the true meaning behind cultivation."

  Lin Feng nodded appreciatively. "That's a good goal."

  When he reached Liu Mei, the young girl looked nervous. "I... I don't have a grand reason, Senior. My family died when I was young. I cultivate because I want to be strong enough to help others so they don't suffer as I did. I want to make a difference, even if it's small."

  Lin Feng felt something click. This girl reminded him of himself, someone without grand ambitions, just a sincere desire to grow and help where they could.

  "Thank you for your honesty," he said warmly.

  After speaking with all thirty candidates, Lin Feng returned to the centre of the group.

  "I've made my decision. I'll be accepting three new disciples today."

  The tension was palpable.

  "Liu Mei, Wei Ling, and..." Lin Feng scanned the group, looking for one more candidate who had shown genuine character. His eyes settled on a quiet young man who had barely spoken but had worked tirelessly throughout the trial. "Chen Bo. The three of you, please step forward."

  Liu Mei gasped, tears forming in her eyes. Wei Ling's face showed profound relief. Chen Bo looked shocked but quickly moved forward.

  Han Jie's face turned red with anger. "Senior! I am the son of a Sect Master! My cultivation is Core Formation peak! How can you choose these... these nobodies over me?!"

  Lin Feng turned to him calmly. "I told you from the beginning—I value character over power or background. You worked hard, and I respect that. But your heart wasn't in it. You were going through the motions."

  Han Jie sputtered, unable to respond.

  "You're welcome to try again in the future if your motivations change," Lin Feng said kindly. "But for now, I wish you well on your path."

  It was a gentle rejection, but it stung. Han Jie turned and left, his pride wounded.

  The other rejected cultivators bowed respectfully and departed. Most of them understood they'd failed not because they lacked ability, but because they hadn't shown the right character.

  Lin Feng turned to his three new disciples with a smile. "Welcome to Tranquil Peak. I hope you're ready for a lot of quiet cultivation and simple living."

  The three disciples kowtowed in unison, tears of joy streaming down their faces.

  They had no idea that they'd just been accepted into the tutelage of one of the most powerful beings in the cultivation world, or that their lives were about to change in ways they couldn't imagine.

  All they knew was that they'd been given a chance, and they would work harder than they'd ever worked before to prove worthy of it.

  Xiao Hong, watching from the courtyard above, clucked in approval.

  "The Master has chosen well. Such purity is dangerous. They will either shatter the sky or vanish into the currents of time, walking a path where no shadow can follow."

  And she was right.

  Or was she?