It's been nearly a whole month since Yang Wei and Liu Yan agreed to lay low and avoid causing any trouble.
Yang Wei figured there wasn't much to gain from attacking the sect matriarchs anyway, even if he knew where they were.
Liu Yan had been an Outer Sect disciple in the White Serpent Sect for about four months now, while Yang Wei, or rather "Wu Mingyu", had been there for almost a month. He spent most of his time holed up in his house, immersed in cultivation and picking up pointers from Bai Suzhen on how to amp up his demonic cultivation.
Unless Liu Yan dragged him out, he hardly ever left his place.
Now, they were at the Red Snake Mountains, the location for the Outer Sect exams. It's a massive mountain range with forests that range from black to red. But what sets it apart is its weird spatial elasticity, making it seem three hundred times bigger on the inside.
And there's no shortage of powerful monsters lurking in those forests, with rumors even going around about peak-stage Core Formation beasts existing in this forest.
"Goodness, I hope we're even alive to enjoy our spot in the Inner Sect!"
"Well, I for one believe I'll succeed..."
"Hopefully."
The thought of it was enough to make some outer sect disciples sweat.
Speaking of disciples, there was a hefty bunch of them gathered at the entrance, over forty in fact, all itching to kickstart the assessment. Forty might not seem like a lot for an outer sect, but this was an all women's sect, which really narrowed down the recruitment pool. Plus, there were all sorts of scary rumors floating around about the White Serpent Sect—some true, some not so much.
The female disciples who knew each other were busy chatting, hoping for the best, while the quieter ones kept their eyes fixed on the massive torii gate, the entrance to the Red Snake Mountains.
And then, Yang Wei and Liu Yan who just stood there, biding their time.
Liu Yan stood with her arms folded, patiently waiting for the chief elders to arrive. Despite her outward calm, the constant struggling and shuffling sounds next to her were starting to grate on her nerves. Her right eyebrow twitched with growing frustration.
Glancing to the side, she noticed Yang Wei fidgeting and adjusting the tight, body-fitting dress he was wearing. "Could you stop that already?" she admonished.
Yang Wei grunted in response, trying to shift the dress for more comfort. "It's getting too tight," he complained. "How do women comfortably wear this?"
He stared at her for so long that he didn't even notice when all the female disciples clasped their hands in front and bowed their heads in greeting.
"Greetings, chief elders!"
They all said in unison as they lowered their heads.
Meanwhile, Yang Wei just stood there, fixated on Sun Yurong, who seemed equally captivated by his beautiful blue eyes. But what he found intriguing wasn't the alluring curve of her cherry lips or the way her eyes narrowed like a seductive vixen the longer they stared.
No, it was the depth of her gaze.
The maturity in her expression, heavily carried by the profound sense of danger her every action gave off instantly reminded him of Wu Mingyu.
However, things took an unexpected turn when the Chief Elder of Fang Peak, Gu Zhi, pointed at Yang Wei and bellowed, "How dare you not pay your respects to us, the esteemed chief elders!" The gremlin looking old lady squeezed her already wrinkly face at "Wu Mingyu's" petite figure.
All eyes, including those of Liu Yan, who had kept her head bowed, turned towards Yang Wei in surprise. Murmurs erupted among the disciples as they discussed the situation amongst themselves while still keeping their heads down.
"To think she would be so arrogant."
"Who is she even?"
"I don't know, I haven't seen her come for any of the lessons we've had with the junior elders before..."
"Ugh, she must think she's better than us."
Well, the shocking part was yet to come. If Yang Wei's mistake of not greeting the chief elders was a molehill of courting death, then his next action would best be called an entire mountain.
Yang Wei nonchalantly replied to Gu Zhi, "I forgot?"
This simple statement elicited an uproar from the female disciples, who exclaimed, "EH?!" at the top of their lungs.
Meanwhile, Liu Yan sighed inwardly, shaking her head in disappointment. But of course, she wasn't worried. "He can handle himself," she thought outwardly.