Li Ruolan donned an apricot gown that complemented her fair complexion, making her more attractive than ever.

　　“The Great Light Peak?” Chu Li gasped. “You mean I can enter the Great Light Peak, even though I’m just an outer mountain disciple?”

　　“You’re going to become an inner mountain disciple very soon!” Li Ruolan announced. “You have to meet the Saint later and relay everything you have done within this period of time to her. You’d better think carefully before you speak, and don’t hide anything. You must understand that although the Radiance Clan hasn’t been constructed, our spies in Gale City are no fewer than those of the other three sects!”

　　Chu Li nodded slowly.

　　Li Ruolan took light steps as if she was walking on air, then continued. “If you hide anything from her, the Saint will send you away and you’ll no longer be qualified to enter the martial arts competition. Then, you’ll never become an inner mountain disciple!”

　　Chu Li was taken aback. “How can I not tell a lie?”

　　“You must not lie,” Li Ruolan emphasized. “Remember this, a lot of geniuses fail to become inner mountain disciples because of this reason. In the end, all of their efforts were in vain. Don’t you ever make the same mistake!”

　　“Alright.” Chu Li nodded.

　　Li Ruolan stared deep into his eyes. She thought that there was nothing much to worry about as he had already confessed to the murder of Mo Qingqing. Nothing else was graver than this.

　　Chu Li followed Li Ruolan and traveled for about fifty kilometers before they arrived at a towering mountain. However, he could not see the peak for they were veiled by the clouds. The colossal mountain seemed to reach straight for the heavens and as he stood at its foot, Chu Li felt small and insignificant.

　　“This is the Great Light Peak,” Li Ruolan said. “If you pass, you’ll stay here.”

　　Chu Li remarked in awe, “What a gigantic mountain!”

　　Li Ruolan chuckled and shook her head. “Let’s go!”

　　Chu Li followed her up the mountain, feeling the chill of the wind as he moved upwards. The wind was harsher than the one on the Small Light Peak, where the wind was sharp like that of a normal iron blade. However, the wind here was like a rare blade that could slice through metal easily. As the wind struck his face, Chu Li felt like he was about to be cleaved into two.

　　Li Ruolan said, “If you don’t start channeling, you’ll turn to ice!”

　　Chu Li nodded.

　　As a Grandmaster, he would usually begin channeling under such circumstances to protect his body. Nonetheless, in such cold weather, a Grandmaster would not be able to withstand the chill for very long despite their enormous volume of inner strength. They were exhausting inner strength at every second.

　　Moving on, they passed by clouds and saw the icy peaks that scintillated under the rays of the sun. They were clear and pristine which made them feel like they had traveled to a fantasy world.

　　Noticing his dazed expression, Li Ruolan shook her head and laughed. “It all depends on whether you can emerge a champion or not. If you become the champion, you’ll get to see this scenery every day. Let’s go!”

　　“It’s so beautiful!” Chu Li sighed admiringly. “A woman will surely be unable to resist such a captivating sight. She will want to be the champion, no matter the cost!”

　　Li Ruolan twitched her lips and grinned. “That’s why women usually are the champions in sparring. We shall see whether or not you’re able to break this trend.”

　　“No problem, I’ll definitely be here!” Chu Li laughed.

　　Li Ruolan let out a laugh and shook her head. “You haven’t even seen them yet. You might not stand a chance against them.”

　　“Impossible!” Chu Li protested.

　　Li Ruolan said nothing else.

　　She also realized that Chu Li’s progress had improved tremendously. At this point, his cultivation level was very high and it was much greater than the last time she met him.

　　“The martial arts competition has been brought forward this year,” Li Ruolan spoke. “It’ll begin after you pass the Saint’s test.”

　　“Why has it been brought forward?” Chu Li frowned.

　　Li Ruolan shook her head gently. “Someone has probably suggested for this to happen. However, the date and time of the martial arts competition aren’t fixed. It’s only fixed on a particular year. After that, the date and time are randomly picked.”

　　Chu Li scoffed, “They must be coming after me!”

　　To him, cultivating for an extra month would benefit his cultivation level a lot. The earlier the martial arts competition, the less advantageous it was to him.

　　As for most outer mountain disciples, they took a long time to cultivate and there were limitations in the increase of their cultivation levels unlike himself. This was the time for him to make astonishing leaps in his abilities and to him, it was not a good thing for the martial arts competition to take place earlier.

　　Li Ruolan looked at him and remarked wanly, “Keep your opinions to yourself and don’t let anyone know about this. Altar Leader Mo will certainly think of a way to tackle you, so you must be alert and make sure no one has leverage over you!”

　　Chu Li nodded. “Understood!”

　　The two of them finally arrived before the golden and shiny basilica.

　　There were hundreds of steps that led the way upwards to the basilica. It was situated in the middle of the heavens and earth, like they were overlooking the basilica.

　　Suddenly, the strong wind around them abated without warning as if it had been blocked by an invisible force. By taking one step forward, it was calm and serene. However, when taking one step backward, Chu Li could feel the wind assaulting his body with the cold burning every inch of his bones.

　　Nine people were already standing in front of the basilica. Each of them was accompanied by a young woman, just like Li Ruolan herself.

　　Li Ruolan proceeded to greet the women.

　　Meanwhile, Chu Li observed the nine other people and based on their outfits, he immediately knew that they were outer mountain disciples. They were no different from him.

　　Among the nine people, there were two men and seven women.

　　The two men were handsome and a stark contrast to Chu Li who was made to look uglier in comparison with the former’s good looks. As a result, he attracted attention from the seven women.

　　Their gaze fell onto him for a few seconds. Following that, they looked away as they held back their urge to laugh.

　　Nevertheless, Chu Li observed their faces eagerly. All of the women were attractive. Even the least attractive woman was good-looking and easy on the eyes.

　　Chu Li pondered, ‘Apart from talent, did the Holy Church of Light select their disciples based on their looks as well?’

　　After Li Ruolan was done with greeting the women, she returned to Chu Li’s side and whispered, “They’re tough competitors. Remember, think before you speak!”

　　Chu Li nodded and whispered back, “Are they of the same rank as you, Miss Ruolan?”

　　“Yes,” Li Ruolan replied in a low voice, “they’re patrols.”

　　Chu Li gasped. “You’re a patrol too, Miss Ruolan?”

　　Li Ruolan nodded. “What’s so surprising about this?”

　　“Is the status of a patrol very high?”

　　“It’s good enough.”

　　“How many patrols are there?”

　　“Thirty-six.”

　　“Oh, that’s quite a lot.” Chu Li nodded.

　　Li Ruolan glared at him viciously.

　　Being a patrol was not a job that any disciple could aspire to. One must have an extremely high aptitude and great competency for they represented the middle management of the Holy Church of Light and possessed great power.

　　A teenage girl in green came out and crossed the steps to meet the crowd. She curtsied before she announced, “Patrols, let’s begin. Please enter, Duan Qi.”

　　A young woman patted the shoulder of a charming man and reminded him in a low voice, “Just speak your mind and never lie. Go!”

　　The charming young man gave a fist salute and followed the girl in green into the basilica.

　　“He’s a tough opponent,” Li Ruolan whispered. “An outer mountain disciple from ten years ago!”

　　Chu Li raised his eyebrows. “Is the order based on the strength of the participant’s cultivation level?”

　　“It depends upon how early one entered the sect,” Li Ruolan replied. “You’re the last.”

　　Chu Li chuckled. “Then why are we standing here? Let’s find a spot to take a break.”

　　Li Ruolan rolled her eyes. “Get off the mountain if you refuse to stand!”

　　Chu Li rubbed his nose. “I’ll stand then.”

　　Li Ruolan snorted. “Stay focused when you enter the basilica!”

　　Chu Li nodded quickly. “Don’t worry!”

　　Li Ruolan shook her head. She could not stop worrying about him.