Volume One: First Steps on the Path Chapter Sixty-Nine: Challenging Oneself

Sun Yu watched as everyone found a stone tablet and stood in place. Then he said, “Now you may begin the test. I wish you all success in passing the assessment!”

As soon as Sun Yu finished speaking, the students eagerly prepared to start, each brimming with anticipation.

Ye Junze stood before the stone tablet he had chosen, examining it for a moment. He decided to follow Sun Yu’s instructions and attack the tablet with the small cauldron in his hand.

However, when he swung the cauldron at the tablet, it seemed utterly unaffected. Not only did it fail to shatter into pieces as Sun Yu had demonstrated, it didn’t even bear the slightest mark—let alone meet the requirement of leaving an imprint to pass the test. The only result was the deafening hum of the cauldron reverberating in the air.

“It’s just as I suspected—this test isn’t as easy as the teacher made it sound. I need to think carefully and not rush,” Ye Junze mused after his initial attempt failed.

At the same time, the others around him were also trying out various weapons they had manifested.

Some wielded swords and hacked at the stone, only for their blows to have no effect. Worse still, the force of the recoil left their hands trembling, and the swords themselves rang with a persistent, resonant vibration.

Another gripped a saber with both hands and swung fiercely at the stone. Predictably, the moment blade met stone, he realized his mistake. The tablet remained unscathed, while a powerful backlash made the webbing between his thumb and forefinger throb with pain, and a small notch even appeared on the edge of his saber from the force of the blow. Grimacing, he put down his weapon and rubbed his aching hands.

Someone else, imitating Sun Yu’s earlier demonstration, conjured a spear and hurled it at the tablet. The result was the same—no effect—but at least, since he had thrown the weapon, his hands were spared any injury. He retrieved his spear and began pondering a new approach.

Everyone was trying different weapons, but the stone tablets stood like immovable giants, completely impervious to their attacks. If they hadn’t witnessed Sun Yu shatter two tablets moments before, they might have begun to doubt whether such a feat was possible at all.

For a while, not a single person managed to meet the standard Sun Yu had set.

Unlike the others, Ye Junze did not rush to try again after his first failure. Instead, he held the small cauldron and stroked his chin, deep in thought.

He muttered to himself, “It seems brute force alone won’t fulfill the teacher’s requirements. I need to use some technique—but how?”

Pondering, he searched for an effective solution.

Suddenly, enlightenment dawned on him. He slapped his forehead and exclaimed, “Of course! When the teacher used his manifested weapon, he gathered spiritual energy into his hands and the weapon before attacking the tablet.”

“How could I forget something so obvious?” Ye Junze shook his head, chiding himself for his lapse in memory.

In truth, he could hardly be blamed—Sun Yu had deliberately left this detail unspoken, saving it for the test to assess the students’ powers of observation and, even more importantly, their memory. Both were qualities essential for cultivators on their future path. This was, in fact, a carefully designed test from Sun Yu. How long, he wondered, would it take the others to realize this detail?

Having figured it out, Ye Junze composed himself for another attempt.

He concentrated spiritual energy into his hands, then directed it carefully into the small cauldron. When he felt the energy had reached an appropriate level, he gripped the cauldron tightly, letting the energy gather in his palm, and then, as before, swung it forcefully at the tablet.

A thunderous roar, louder than before, resounded through the hall, and this time, clouds of dust billowed up before Ye Junze’s eyes.

Seeing this, Ye Junze’s heart leapt—perhaps he had succeeded. He focused his gaze ahead.

As the dust cleared, the face of the stone tablet was revealed. Now, there was a pit the size of an adult’s palm gouged into its surface.

Ye Junze broke into a grin, patting the cauldron and whispering, “Thank you.”

If the cauldron had possessed a spirit, it would surely have happily accepted his gratitude.

This scene announced to all that Ye Junze had successfully met Sun Yu’s requirements for the test.

“It seems that, once you find the right method, it’s not so difficult after all,” Ye Junze thought to himself.

The commotion he caused naturally attracted the attention of the others, including Sun Yu on the platform, who turned his gaze toward Ye Junze.

With his keen eyesight, Sun Yu instantly spotted the palm-sized crater on the tablet before Ye Junze. His face lit up with delight, and he muttered softly to himself.

“A prodigy, indeed. To have accomplished this in such a short time—young people these days are truly impressive,” Sun Yu thought.

With this in mind, Sun Yu strode briskly toward Ye Junze.

Seeing him approach, Ye Junze straightened and greeted him respectfully, “Teacher.”

Sun Yu nodded, acknowledging him. “Good. It seems you’ve found the key. You’ve already passed the assessment, and it looks like you’ll be the top scorer this time. Once the results are in, you’ll receive your reward.”

“Thank you, Teacher. I was just lucky to recall what you’d done earlier,” Ye Junze replied modestly.

Then, as if remembering something, he added, “However—”

Before he could finish, Sun Yu, thinking he had a concern, asked warmly, “However what? If there’s anything, just say it. I’ll help if I can.”

“It’s nothing serious, Teacher. I’d just like to try again. Judging from what happened, I think I can do even better. So, please disregard this result—let’s use my next attempt as my official score,” Ye Junze explained calmly and clearly.

Sun Yu nodded thoughtfully, then said, “Not becoming arrogant in victory and daring to challenge yourself—these are qualities every cultivator should possess. But don’t worry. This result will still count, and you’ll receive your reward. If your next attempt is even better, I’ll combine both results and give you an extra reward.”

Ye Junze, somewhat taken aback, protested, “Ah? Won’t that trouble you, Teacher? Perhaps it would be fairer to the others if we just went with what I suggested.”

Hearing Ye Junze still thinking of others at a time like this, Sun Yu’s regard for him rose even higher. With a wave of his hand, he said, “Don’t worry. At Anze, we encourage healthy competition among students. Besides, you earned these rewards through your own effort—there’s no need to mind what others think.”

“But—” Ye Junze began.

Seeing he wanted to argue further, Sun Yu cut him off with a gesture. “Enough. We’ll do as I said. You can prepare for your next attempt now.”

Realizing Sun Yu was resolute, Ye Junze knew further protest was useless. He nodded. “Yes, sir.”

With his mind focused on the details from before, he prepared for a new trial.

Naturally, the other students had witnessed the exchange. Those nearby even overheard their conversation. When they heard that Ye Junze intended to try again, they were astonished and quickly spread the news. Soon, the entire classroom was abuzz with talk of Ye Junze’s upcoming second attempt.

Reactions varied. Some felt inspired, determined to redouble their efforts and brimming with renewed confidence. Others, their eyes darkening, muttered ill-tempered words, clearly unimpressed—yet conveniently forgetting they had accomplished nothing themselves thus far.

In short, there were all manner of whispers and speculations, but Ye Junze neither knew nor cared about any of it. Even if he had known, he would not have been concerned, his focus fixed solely on doing his best.

“How can I surpass my previous result this time?” Ye Junze frowned, racking his brains.

He muttered, “Last time, it was the boost from spiritual energy that let me leave a mark. Maybe I can try a different approach this time.”

“Another method... another method...” Ye Junze paced back and forth, deep in thought.

Suddenly, inspiration struck him. He clapped his hands and said, “I’ve got it. I’ll try the methods I just thought of.”

With that, his eyes gleaming with confidence, Ye Junze strode toward the tablet, ready for his next challenge.