The morning bell rang later than usual.
Li Chen noticed it immediately.
The sound carried the same tone, the same rhythm, yet it lingered longer in the air, as if the mountain itself hesitated before letting it fade.
Outer disciples gathered as always, but the mood felt slightly off.
Too orderly.
Too quiet.
Li Chen walked with the flow, eyes lowered, senses open.
At the task pavilion, a new notice had been posted.
Not handwritten.
A jade-inscribed board.
That alone drew attention.
Disciples stopped at a distance, whispering.
Li Chen read it calmly.
Outer disciples ranked within the top thirty will participate in a supplementary assessment.
Location: Stone Trial Platform.
Time: Before sunset.
No explanation.
No exemption.
Li Chen stepped back.
So the pause was over.
[System Notice]
[Event Triggered]
[Assessment Type: Partial Exposure]
[Risk Level: Moderate]
Partial exposure.
That wording felt deliberate.
Throughout the morning, eyes followed him more often than before. Not openly. Just enough to be noticed if one paid attention.
Sun Hao stood near the pavilion, speaking quietly with two others. When Li Chen passed, Sun Hao nodded once.
Nothing more.
At noon, Zhang Wei hurried over.
"You're going too, right?" he asked.
Li Chen nodded.
Zhang Wei frowned. "This doesn't feel like a normal test."
"No," Li Chen agreed. "It doesn't."
Zhang Wei hesitated. "Don't push yourself."
Li Chen smiled faintly. "I won't."
He meant it.
The Stone Trial Platform lay higher up the mountain, carved directly into the rock. It was not used often. Mostly for internal comparisons, or when elders wanted to measure something without making it public.
By mid-afternoon, the selected disciples had gathered.
Twenty-eight in total.
An elder stood waiting.
Not Liu Shan.
Someone Li Chen had never seen before.
The elder's robes were plain, but his presence was heavy, like a deep pool that showed no ripples on the surface.
Golden Core.
Li Chen felt the pressure settle gently over the platform.
Not suppressive.
Evaluative.
"Step forward one by one," the elder said. "Touch the stone."
A large black slab stood at the center of the platform, its surface smooth and faintly reflective.
Li Chen recognized it.
Qi Resonance Stone.
It measured response, not strength.
Disciples went first.
Some stones glowed faintly. Others barely reacted.
The elder's expression did not change.
Sun Hao stepped forward.
The stone glowed steadily, a calm blue light spreading evenly.
The elder nodded once.
Then Li Chen's name was called.
He stepped forward.
The stone was cool beneath his palm.
For a brief moment, nothing happened.
Li Chen kept his breathing steady.
He did not circulate qi outward.
He let it exist.
The stone responded.
Not brightly.
But smoothly.
A thin layer of light spread across its surface, even and unbroken.
The elder's eyes narrowed slightly.
Only slightly.
"That's enough," the elder said.
Li Chen withdrew his hand.
The light faded.
Murmurs spread quietly among the disciples.
No one spoke loudly.
After the final disciple finished, the elder turned.
"This assessment ends here," he said. "Return to your duties."
No rankings.
No rewards.
No punishments.
Just observation.
As they dispersed, Li Chen felt it.
An invisible line had shifted.
[System Notice]
[Boundary Crossed: Minimal]
[Exposure Level: Acceptable]
Acceptable.
That was good.
Back at the outer disciple quarters, Li Chen sat alone.
He replayed the sensation.
The stone had not measured his realm.
It had measured how his qi behaved when left alone.
Stability again.
That was what they were watching.
At dusk, Liu Shan appeared once more.
"You passed," he said.
Li Chen looked up. "Passed what?"
Liu Shan smiled thinly. "A question you weren't meant to hear."
He turned to leave, then added, "Be careful. Some lines are not meant to be crossed early."
Li Chen nodded.
"I understand."
But as Liu Shan walked away, Li Chen's gaze followed him.
Lines were not walls.
They were markers.
And one day, he would cross them all.
Not loudly.
Not recklessly.
But with enough control that no one could stop him.
That night, Li Chen cultivated until his breathing slowed completely.
[Host :- Li Chen]
[Qi Stability: 34%]
[Status: Stable]
He lay down, calm.
The mountain slept.
The sect watched.
And Li Chen continued forward, one quiet step at a time.