Chapter 1894 — 1894: Passing the Examination

"Your black ribbon?" Yuan turned to face the disciple with amusement.

"Y-Yeah! If I hadn't distracted that magical beast, you wouldn't have been able to defeat it!" the disciple blurted out, his voice slightly unsteady.

Despite his confident-sounding words, there was no conviction in his tone. It was clear—even to himself—that he didn't truly believe what he was saying.

"What an amusing thing to say. Alright. If you truly think you deserve this black ribbon, come get it from me." Yuan extended the ribbon toward the disciple.

"S-Seriously?" The disciple asked with a doubtful gaze.

Yuan smiled and responded, "Of course, I am being serious. However, I won't be giving it to you without a fight."

"You—!" The disciple immediately realized what Yuan was trying to do and halted his movements.

Yuan continued, "There's no rule saying the participants can't steal other participants' ribbons. If you really want this ribbon, come steal it from me."

"..."

The disciple was speechless. He knew he stood no chance against Yuan, who defeated the magical beast in a single strike. He also knew that Yuan would've been able to do the same thing even if he wasn't distracting it.

Without saying another word, the disciple turned around and quickly left the scene.

Shortly after the disciple left, instead of leaving himself, Yuan turned toward a certain direction and spoke out loud, "This goes for you guys, too. If you think you have what it takes to take the black ribbon from me, I welcome you to try!"

"?!"

The participants, who had been hiding and viewing everything from a distance, were shocked when Yuan suddenly called out to them. However, none of them dared to reveal themselves, much less challenge Yuan.

"Then I'll take my leave."

Yuan left the place the next moment, immediately leaving the examination area.

"Huh? Why are you back already? There's still plenty of time left." Elder Sun was puzzled when Yuan returned so soon.

Yuan didn't say anything and showed everyone there the black ribbon.

"He actually hunted a magical beast with a black ribbon this quickly?! The last time someone managed to acquire a black ribbon was seventy years ago!" The other sect elders muttered to each other, their voices full of surprise.

The examiner approached Yuan and said, "Congratulations on passing the examination, Disciple Xiao Yang. You are an Inner Court disciple starting from this moment. You can move to the Inner Court once you find a suitable house."

"Can I stay in the Outer Court?" Yuan asked.

The examiner had never heard of anyone refusing to move to the Inner Court and was quite baffled by Yuan's question.

After snapping out of his daze, he responded, "We can't force you to move, so if that's what you want… but are you sure? The spiritual energy inside the Inner Court is much denser, which will be beneficial to your cultivation. Moreover, it won't be convenient for you when you have to travel to the Inner Court for whatever reason."

"Why do you want to stay in the Outer Court? Are you unwilling to separate from your friends or something? I expect you to visit my place for training often, you know?" Elder Sun also chimed in.

"Training, huh?"

Yuan became silent to ponder.

A moment later, he nodded, "Alright, I'll move to the Inner Court."

Although he initially planned on staying in the Outer Court for the others, Yuan decided to have more trust in his companions.

'What am I even worried about? They're powerful and capable enough, and I'm sure they'll enter the Inner Court soon.'

Yuan realized he was babysitting the others too much even though they never asked for it, which could be considered as not having enough trust in them.

Yuan left the examination area with Elder Sun shortly after.

"Your new uniforms will be ready in three days. In the meantime, you can look for a new home inside the Inner Court," said Elder Sun as she brought Yuan back to his living quarters.

"Get some rest for now. Come find me once you've moved into the Inner Court, and we'll immediately begin your training."

"See you later, Elder Sun."

However, instead of leaving, Elder Sun looked at Yuan with a worried face and said, "Things might get complicated and difficult for you in the Inner Court, but it'll quickly pass."

Yuan smiled and asked, "Are you referring to what I went through with those Inner Court disciples before?"

Elder Sun nodded. "Yes, you'll probably be mistaken for Tian Yang again and again."

"Who is this Tang Yang, anyway? You also mistook me for him during our first meeting. And why does it seem like he has so many enemies?"

"Tian Yang… is an Inner Court disciple who looks exactly like you. I wouldn't be surprised if you were twins. As for having a lot of enemies… Well, I can't deny that. While it's not like he goes around picking fights, he never backs down from one, even if it's a simple taunt from another disciple."

"I see. Do you think I'll be able to meet him?" Yuan then asked.

"He's currently out training for the Core Disciple examination, but he should be back in a few years."

"A few years, huh? I cannot wait."

Despite saying such words, Yuan had a feeling the two of them would not meet in this world.

Elder Sun left shortly after.

"Congratulations on passing the examination."

Xi Meili and the others greeted him with smiles the moment they saw him, offering their congratulations without even asking how it went. It was as if his success was a foregone conclusion, something so expected that there was no need for doubt. Their confidence in him was unwavering, and to them, there was never a question of if he would pass—only when.

Yuan then revealed to them that he would be moving to the Inner Court in a few days.

"I see. Don't worry about us. We'll follow you to the Inner Court soon."

"Of course." Yuan nodded with a smile.