[TL: Using female pronouns now for Zhou Che.]

Beneath the veil of night, the towns of the Qian Kingdom’s northern border revealed endless prosperity.

Amid the bustling streets with their constant flow of carriages and pedestrians, the clamor of the mortal world was everywhere.

Yet, to the south of the small town lay a dense forest. This place was silent and tranquil—a complete opposite to the busy market.

Under the moonlight, the figures of several dozen young women were plainly visible.

Their faces all carried an inexplicable solemnity, giving others an intangible sense of oppression.

Of course, there were exceptions to everything. In this grave and solemn group, a peerlessly beautiful woman in a white dress seemed out of place. She was lowering her head absent-mindedly, seemingly dozing off.

The girl’s skin was incomparably fair, and her features were beyond reproach. But the one flaw was that her face, which could enchant all living beings, still held a trace of childishness.

This young woman in the white dress was none other than Zhou Che, who had swallowed the Yin-Yang Reversal Pill.

“Thirty-seven people in total. Eleven of them have sealed spiritual roots. Hmm, send those eleven away. Bring the other twenty-six back.”

In front of the crowd, two provocatively dressed and charming women finished their exchange. The one wearing a yellow gauze garment then stepped forward and weeded out the eleven with sealed spiritual roots one by one.

“The remaining twenty-six, come over to me.”

Once the screening was done, the woman in the cyan dress gathered the remaining group.

A gust of wind blew as she chanted a spell from her mouth.

The twenty-six women were all blinded by the windblown sand, unable to open their eyes. By the time the wind ceased, they had all arrived before a grand and majestic mountain gate.

The mountain gate was towering, its two stone pillars like staffs that could prop up the heavens. On the jade stone at the top were carved three large characters: Hehuan Sect.

Seeing this, everyone’s heart trembled with shock. It wasn’t until the cyan-robed woman’s voice rang out that they were pulled back from their astonishment.

“This is my Hehuan Sect’s mountain gate. If you can enter this gate, you will henceforth be a disciple of the Hehuan Sect, leaving the mortal world behind and truly stepping into the ranks of cultivation. Of course, our sect is no trifling minor school. Joining our sect naturally has its threshold. This gate holds profound mysteries; it will test one’s aptitude, spiritual roots, and root bone. Those who are unqualified will be rejected by the gate and cast out.”

Hearing this, nervousness crept onto everyone’s faces, for this assessment was entirely beyond their control, relying solely on their innate gifts.

“But there is no need to be overly nervous. After all, aptitude isn’t everything in cultivation. So, those who are unqualified still have another chance. They may proceed to the Side Hall to undergo tests of comprehension and mental nature. If they pass, they can still join my Hehuan Sect.”

Just as the crowd was worrying, the cyan-robed woman spoke again and gestured toward the left side of the mountain gate.

There, they saw another gate formed of white mist. Though several times smaller than the mountain gate, it was clearly the Side Hall she had mentioned.

Zhou Che glanced at the side gate, her heart still taut with tension.

The reason for this was likely known only to herself, for her purpose here differed from the others’.

She was here to be an undercover agent!

“You, what’s your name?”

Just as Zhou Che stood in a daze, the cyan-robed woman had already walked up to her.

Already nervous, and startled by being called like that, her heart almost leaped out of her chest from fright.

She glanced at the woman before her and quickly replied, “Zhou... Zhou Qingyue!”

The cyan-robed woman smiled upon hearing this. “Don’t be nervous. You have excellent talent and a superior water spirit root. You’ll definitely pass. You can go first and set an example for them.”

Hearing this, Zhou Che was first taken aback, then nodded somewhat blankly and walked toward the massive mountain gate.

The closer she got to the gate, the faster her heart beat.

Of course, it wasn’t the entry test that worried her, but rather the bewilderment and fear she felt at the start of her life as an undercover agent.

A transparent film of spiritual power lay upon the mountain gate. The moment Zhou Che touched it, she felt as if something had seen right through her body.

A flash of white light passed before her eyes. When her vision cleared again, she found herself in an expansive square.

‘I... passed just like that?’ Zhou Che was confused, for the assessment had ended before she even understood what it was about.

“Congratulations on passing the assessment.”

While she was still somewhat at a loss, a gentle voice came from ahead.

Zhou Che looked up and saw a beautiful woman in a white dress standing not far away, smiling at her.

“May I ask who you are?” Not knowing the woman’s identity, and mindful that she was here to gather information, Zhou Che felt somewhat nervous and used a respectful form of address.

“Junior Sister, there’s no need to be so formal. I am Zhao Shuang, responsible for receiving new disciples this time. Just call me Senior Sister.”

Her gentle tone actually soothed Zhou Che’s tense heart somewhat.

“Zhou Qingyue.” Zhou Che politely gave her own name.

Zhao Shuang smiled slightly. “Junior Sister Qingyue, please wait a moment. Once the others have finished their assessments, I will assign your cultivation abodes.”

“Alright.”

Zhou Che nodded and stood beside her to wait.

It was already midnight, and honestly, she had long been sleepy.

If not for the need to wait for someone to arrange her accommodations, she would have just laid down right on the square and fallen asleep.

After waiting for roughly half an hour, all twenty-six people finally completed their assessments.

Because she had passed in the blink of an eye, Zhou Che thought it was very simple.

But when she saw that only six people, including herself, had passed in the end, she realized that people with different aptitudes probably experienced the gate differently.

The reason she had passed so easily was not because the test was simple, but because her aptitude was above the norm.

This perhaps had to do with the fact that she had taken the Yin-Yang Reversal Pill, thus improving her physique.

Under Zhao Shuang’s guidance, the six of them were soon assigned to six different abodes.

The so-called abodes were, in reality, residences imbued with spiritual energy.

Because Zhou Che possessed a water spirit root, she was assigned to a small courtyard within a bamboo grove.

The small courtyard had a cobblestone path, and this path was the only way to enter the house—the sole route.

It divided the pond in the courtyard in two, forming two ponds of different colors on the left and right.

The left pond was a light azure, with no green plants but over a dozen golden carp. The scales of these carp were dazzlingly bright; clearly, they were no ordinary creatures.

The right pond was a verdant green, containing a few lotuses and seed pods. These plants emitted a delicate fragrance, rich and full-bodied—they too were no ordinary things.

Zhou Che looked at the layout of the courtyard and then slipped into the room.

Although she had swallowed the Dao pill and received the Tiandao Sect’s inheritance, she was still, at present, just a mortal who had not yet practiced.

So, late at night, the moment she hit the bed, she fell asleep in a daze.

* * *

The next day, harsh sunlight shone through the window onto Zhou Che’s face.

She first stretched, then reluctantly sat up from the bed.

The sudden swaying of her chest startled her out of her lazy posture.

Glancing at her now female body, Zhou Che was clearly still not quite used to it.

She tidied the blanket, washed up, and dressed. After looking at herself in the mirror, she nodded with satisfaction.

‘To think that the Yin-Yang Reversal Pill can not only change one’s sex and physique but even refine one’s temperament and appearance. My original face was only slightly better than average, but now, turned into a woman, I’ve become the cream of the crop.’

Zhou Che reached out and touched her own cheek. Seeing her own beauty, even she couldn’t help feeling a little moved.

‘Ah, right. Today is my first day after officially joining the Hehuan Sect. Zhao Shuang said I need to go to the Registration Hall to register and receive the sect’s cultivation method.’ Suddenly recalling the important matter, Zhou Che’s expression grew a bit more serious, and she glanced at the Spirit Treasure Sundial in the room.

Yet that single glance nearly made her drop dead on the spot.

‘Ah, crap! I’m done for, done for!’ Zhou Che immediately dashed out of the house in a panicked rush.

Last night, Zhao Shuang had specifically told all the new disciples that the Hehuan Sect’s Eldest Senior Sister would personally oversee the new intake this time. She was someone who valued punctuality greatly, and the appointed time was early the next morning—yet it was now already noon.

Moreover, the Hehuan Sect was a demonic sect in name and in truth. Zhou Che could hardly imagine just how she would get through the days ahead if she offended the Eldest Senior Sister.

When it came down to it, whether she could even survive safely might become the question!