William Harper was still walking at the end of the group, but his attention was focused behind him. Even after passing by two spirits, that feeling of being watched lingered, making him too cautious to let his guard down.

Half a stick of incense later, the sensation of being watched still hovered in William Harper’s mind.

“Don’t be nervous, he doesn’t dare to make a move.”

A voice entered William Harper’s ears. He looked up at Grace Bennett at the very front, his expression odd.

It seemed only he could hear Grace Bennett’s voice; the others continued forward, neither glancing over nor turning back.

“This is a voice transmission technique. Once you enter Taiyuan Sect, you’ll be able to learn it too. The person following us is probably related to the cultivator you killed. These days, I’ve been hiding deep in the woods, pretending to study the Soul-Burning Banner, but in reality, I was leaving traces to lure them here.”

Grace Bennett’s words came again, making William Harper frown, unsure of her intentions.

“That guy holds two magical artifacts, so there must be someone behind him. I’m worried the Fang family will face more assassins, so I deliberately lured the people behind him to investigate. As long as they know we’ve joined Taiyuan Sect, they won’t dare act rashly. No matter how important that person is, he’s only at the Qi-Nourishing stage. Offending a giant like Taiyuan Sect for his sake just isn’t worth it.”

So that’s how it was.

William Harper found it reasonable, but another doubt arose in his heart.

Is the other party really so bold, following them all the way here? Aren’t they afraid of being discovered by Taiyuan Sect?

Grace Bennett stopped transmitting her voice, and William Harper remained vigilant, not letting his guard down.

It wasn’t until dusk that the feeling of being watched finally disappeared. It seemed the other party didn’t dare to come any closer.

In the forest, the group stopped by a creek and had already lit a campfire. William Harper sat beside Grace Bennett to rest, while the others gathered around as well.

“Tomorrow we’ll reach the valley town in front of Taiyuan Sect. Let me tell you in advance, Taiyuan Sect has nine branches. In about six or seven days, the entrance examination will be held. With your talents, passing the test shouldn’t be hard. I hope each of you will join a different branch—don’t stick together,” Grace Bennett said softly.

There were more people in the Fang family capable of cultivation than just them; Grace Bennett had simply chosen the most outstanding disciples to come first and establish a foothold.

Hearing that they’d have to join separate branches, Olivia Harper’s face turned pale and she immediately grew nervous. The other youths, however, showed no fear—if anything, they were excited.

Grace Bennett glanced at William Harper and Charles Harper, saying, “Once you two enter the examination, don’t hold back. Show as much of your talent as possible. This will determine your treatment after joining Taiyuan Sect. Those with average aptitude can only be ordinary disciples, and it takes many years of effort to advance.”

“Especially you, William Harper. Don’t try to play dumb or hide your strength at a time like this.”

Grace Bennett was very wary of William Harper, because he was so good at hiding things. After her rebirth, she learned that not only she, but even William Harper’s parents and the entire Fang family, had no idea how skilled William Harper really was.

She had once wondered why she never saw William Harper take action in her previous life. Later, she figured it out: on the night the family was destroyed, she was powerless and fled immediately, only catching a glimpse of the Daoist in green. She hadn’t seen most of the battles between the Fang disciples and the Daoist. Without sword-flying techniques, no matter how strong William Harper was, he would have died at the hands of the Daoist in green.

William Harper said helplessly, “Got it.”

He felt like he was being treated as overly cautious.

Grace Bennett continued to remind them, but she didn’t go into the specifics of the examination—whether to temper them or to avoid being overheard by Taiyuan Sect experts, he couldn’t tell.

The night passed uneventfully.

As the moon set and the sun rose, when the first rays of morning sunlight shone down, William Harper and the others set out again.

On the road ahead, they saw all sorts of strange things: spiders the size of human heads, man-eating trees waving their branches, wild goats with human-like faces, black cats with five tails, and so on. According to Grace Bennett, these were all the lowest-level monsters, not yet spirits. The mark of a spirit was the ability to speak human language.

Besides monsters, they also saw many brightly colored flowers and fruits, which looked extraordinary. But after Grace Bennett warned them they were highly poisonous, no one dared touch them.

It was just after noon when they finally reached the valley Grace Bennett had mentioned. At the mouth of the valley stood a giant gate, with a plaque hanging above:

Taiyuan Town!

Inside the valley, pavilions and towers stood in rows, smoke from cooking fires curled into the air, and the surrounding mountains were majestic, making William Harper think of Five Finger Mountain for some reason, as if Taiyuan Town was trapped within it.

There were no guards at the mountain gate. William Harper and the others entered the town directly. The street ahead was bustling with people, none of whom looked ordinary. Some even rode on cranes, soaring out of the town and quickly disappearing behind the mountains, filling the Fang disciples with longing and excitement.

At this moment, they truly felt they were stepping into the world of cultivation.

Along the way, William Harper observed his surroundings. On both sides of the street were all kinds of shops: selling pills, magical artifacts, talisman papers, cultivation techniques, spells, and even a pavilion of rare items. Although most shops weren’t crowded, the strong atmosphere of cultivation was unmistakable.

Grace Bennett led them to an inn to check in. After paying the silver, the attendant took them upstairs. Except for Olivia Harper and Emily Harper, everyone else got their own room.

“Tsk tsk, even Taiyuan Sect accepts silver?”

William Harper thought to himself, feeling it was strange. But seeing how much silver Grace Bennett paid, he figured Taiyuan Sect must need to be involved in the mortal world as well.