Chapter 13 Assessment Begins

The main announcement board was completely surrounded. Hundreds of outer disciples packed the stone platform, pushing and stretching their necks to read the newly posted notice. Voices overlapped in a dense wave of excitement, and anxiety.

Lin Feng stood near the side with his hands in his sleeves. Lu Cang stuck close to him like a shadow. A disciple near the front shouted the contents for everyone to hear:

"Outer Sect Assessment begins in three days!

Stage One: Contribution Point Ranking Review!

Stage Two: Combat Evaluation Matches!

Top thirty disciples will be eligible for Inner Sect recommendation!

Bottom fifty will be assigned to the hardest labor for three months!"

The crowd erupted. Some disciples looked thrilled and others looked like their souls had left their bodies.

Lin Feng’s eyes lit up.Contribution ranking plus public combat matches. Hundreds of disciples will be gathered in one place and emotions will be running high.Lu Cang, on the other hand, looked devastated.

"Combat evaluation... Why? Why can’t they just rank us by who folds robes the best or who picks the herbs most?"

Before Lin Feng could reply, a cold voice cut through the noise. Zhou Ming stepped onto the platform, his class monitor badge gleaming.

"You have all seen the rules. I will say this only once. During the assessment, any disgraceful behavior will be punished severely. Especially from disciples who already have a habit of creating trouble."

His gaze locked onto Lin Feng for a full second.

Lin Feng met his eyes and gave a calm, almost polite smile.

A vein immediately throbbed on Zhou Ming’s forehead.

[Zhou Ming’s irritation increased]

[Rage Value +41]

[Current Rage Points: 799]

The crowd slowly dispersed after that, breaking into anxious groups. Zhao Feng and Big Brother Xiong stood together in the distance, both looking at Lin Feng with cold, eyes before turning away. They no longer bothered with open provocations.

That night, the outer sect was louder than usual. Disciples ran around trying to complete last-minute tasks. Arguments broke out over contribution points. Some people even started sparring in the training fields to warm up for the combat stage.

Lin Feng did none of that. He returned to Room 404, sat on his cot, and chose to relax. Lu Cang paced the room like a trapped animal.

"Three days... only three days... I still don’t have enough points... what am i going to do."

"You’re going to wear a hole in the floor," Lin Feng said.

The next two days passed in a blur of tension.

Lin Feng completed two more simple tasks, earning a few extra contribution points and a handful of Rage Value from disciples who couldn’t help commenting when they saw him. Nothing major happened.The entire outer sect seemed to be holding its breath, waiting for the assessment to begin.

By the evening of the second day, even Lu Cang had stopped complaining. He just sat on his bed in silence, staring at his outer sect token like it held his lifespan.

Outside, the mountain wind moved through the bamboo. The outer sect was quieter than it had been in days, as if everyone was conserving their energy for what was coming.

Lin Feng closed his eyes, a small smile on his face. Tommorow the assessment will begin.

The morning of the assessment arrived with clear skies and a mountain wind that carried the noise of hundreds of disciples moving at once.

Lin Feng stepped out of the room with his robes neatly arranged for once. Lu Cang followed behind him, with a sour look on his face. The usually half empty paths of the outer sect were packed. Disciples from every dormitory block streamed toward the main assessment grounds.

"I changed my mind," Lu Cang muttered. "Let’s fake an illness. Maybe a very serious one.

"You’d still have to show up or they’d just fail you and put you up for slave work."

The assessment grounds turned out to be a wide stone plaza near the base of the outer peak. Temporary platforms had been raised on one side, and several Enforcement Hall disciples stood at regular intervals to keep order. A group of elders sat under a shaded pavilion overlooking the plaza, with Elder Mo among them.

Zhou Ming and the other class monitors were already organizing disciples into lines. Lin Feng’s gaze swept across the crowd and easily found familiar faces. Their eyes met his for brief moments before sliding away.

An Enforcement disciple’s voice amplified across the plaza.

"First stage of the Outer Sect Assessment will now begin! All disciples will have their contribution points verified and recorded! Step forward according to your dormitory block!"

The process was orderly but slow. Disciples stepped up one by one, placed their outer sect tokens on a recording jade, and watched as their contribution points appeared in glowing numbers for everyone nearby to see.

Some numbers drew admiring murmurs.

Others drew quiet laughter or pitying looks. When Block C was called, Lu Cang looked like his soul was trying to leave his body. His points were low, but not at the very bottom. He still returned with a pale face.Then it was Lin Feng’s turn. He walked up and placed his token on the jade, and waited. A moment later the number floated up clearly.

It was average. Not high enough to impress anyone, not low enough to be immediately humiliating. For someone who had spent most of his time causing trouble instead of grinding tasks, it was almost reasonable.A few disciples nearby still found something to say.

"That’s it? With all the noise he makes, I thought he’d at least have more points."

The first stage continued until every outer disciple had been recorded. A large ranking list was soon displayed on a glowing board at the side of the plaza. Names and numbers settled into place. Lin Feng’s position sat somewhere in the middle lower half,safe from the bottom fifty, but nowhere near the top. Lu Cang looked at the board and let out a tiny breath of relief that he wasn’t last. But before the crowd could fully digest the rankings, one of the elders stood up.

"The first stage is complete," the elder announced. "The second stage, Combat Evaluation will begin shortly. Disciples will be matched according to the temporary brackets. Victory and performance in these matches will heavily influence final recommendations for the Inner Sect."

A new wave of tension rolled through the plaza.

Some disciples began stretching and circulating qi. Lin Feng stood still, watching the preparation with open interest. He opened his system screen with a thought.

[Current Rage Points: 864]

[Items: Echo Mockery Bell, Thin Face Amulet]

Lu Cang tugged weakly at his sleeve.

"Please don’t do anything unnecessary," he begged. "Just fight normally if you have to. Or lose quickly. Losing quickly is also fine."

Lin Feng’s gaze moved across the plaza, passing over Zhao Feng, Xiong, Zhou Ming, and the many other faces that had frowned at him over the past days.

A small smile formed on his lips.

"Lose quickly?" he said. "That would be a waste of a good stage."

In the distance, Enforcement disciples began calling out the first set of names for the combat brackets. The real assessment was about to begin.