The destination for the trial was decided by one person from each group drawing lots; wherever they drew, that was where they went.
The hidden protectors were their two guides.
For the top ten of the competition, an additional Golden Core disciple was assigned to each group to watch over them in the shadows alongside their guides.
New disciples were the future of the sect, and the more outstanding a new disciple was, the easier it was for them to become a thorn in the side of their enemies.
What if some demon cultivator, evil cultivator, demon beast cultivator, or rival power decided to strike, even at the risk of Xiaoyao's retaliation?
Moreover, this was the first time the new disciples were leaving Yunzhou for a trial. Having an extra Golden Core protector provided an additional layer of security.
While this kind of trial was a Xiaoyao tradition, Perfected Person Ye had mentioned earlier that this particular trip was specially arranged for the ten of them, which was actually true.
This was because Gu Ningyun's batch was slightly different from previous ones.
First, due to the Penglai Dao Discussion Meeting, they weren't allowed to draw lots. Instead, they were specifically assigned to Donglin City.
Donglin City was in the east of Cangzhou, separated from Penglai only by a vast sea, making it quite convenient to travel there.
If Gu Ningyun and the others wanted to test themselves at sea, they could.
It was important to note that new disciples were only at the Qi Refining stage, and their guides were only at Foundation Establishment.
The sea was full of powerful monsters, and the weather there was volatile and complex. Seaside cities never appeared in the lottery for new disciple trials.
Their guides wouldn't have agreed to let them run off to the sea either.
This wasn't a matter of restricting freedom; it was a matter of whether they wanted to keep their lives.
Gu Ningyun and her group could go, first because each group was assigned two Golden Core protectors—one more than the top ten of previous years.
Second, because of the Penglai Dao Discussion Meeting, the sect already had powerful cultivators stationed at the Donglin City branch of the Xiaoyao Chamber of Commerce to mobilize the chamber's resources.
They were preparing to fleece—cough, make it convenient for fellow Daoists to purchase supplies when the various sects arrived in Donglin City to rest before the meeting began.
Since the ten young disciples were going there for their trial, the sect had also informed the powerful cultivators at the branch to keep an eye on them.
As for why they had an extra Golden Core protector this time... Gu Ningyun couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed at the thought.
Perfected Person Ye said that in the initial plan they submitted, each group was supposed to be protected by one Golden Core and two guides, following tradition.
But when the plan came back from the Governing Peak after review, it had been changed to two Golden Core protectors per group. The protection duty for the guides was canceled.
The reason was...
Perfected Person Ye's smile had been teasing. "The Governing Peak said this batch of new disciples is a bit too troublesome; they were afraid one Golden Core wouldn't be enough to protect you."
Gu Ningyun had been stunned and embarrassed, but she remained bold and unashamed.
How were they troublesome? That wasn't being troublesome; that was being strategic!
Mu Chenze had been curious and asked which senior from the Governing Peak said that.
Perfected Person Ye simply smiled and said nothing.
Not wanting to dwell on Perfected Person Ye's teasing expression, Gu Ningyun brought her focus back to the trial.
They had come on this trial to temper their strength. If they had to hide their meager strength just to avoid being schemed against by someone like Zhou Fei, then there was no point in the trial.
They might as well pack up and go back to the sect.
Xiaoyao was so safe. As long as they stayed inside, they would face almost no risks. As long as they didn't duel anyone or participate in any activities, they would never have to reveal their strength.
Gu Ningyun chuckled inwardly at the thought.
That wasn't the cultivation life she wanted.
Being cautious was one thing, but being paralyzed by indecision was another. The two were not the same.
She liked to think ten steps—even a hundred steps—ahead.
But she never feared necessary risks.
Face the danger, solve the danger.
Experience the danger, grow from it.
A sword's edge comes from the whetstone. Let the risks come; she would face them.
As for dangers she obviously couldn't handle? Well, she wasn't stupid.
Thinking of this, Gu Ningyun composed herself. "It ultimately boils down to a few reasons regarding our strength."
"However... seeing Zhou Fei this time, the feeling he gives me seems a bit different from before."
As Gu Ningyun spoke, she glanced at Mu Chenze.
Mu Chenze was listening to her divine sense transmission. Upon hearing her last sentence, he suddenly tilted his head and met her gaze.
His eyes lit up, and his lips moved as if to speak, but he forced them shut and sent a transmission instead. "You have that feeling too?"
Gu Ningyun nodded. "I wonder what kind of change occurred."
There weren't that many changes; he had simply been lectured by his older brother.
While Gu Ningyun and the others were discussing the change in Zhou Fei, they had no idea that Zhou Fei's heart was also a swirl of mixed emotions.
Earlier, after the matters at the Ten Directions Sect's Enforcement Hall had temporarily concluded, Zhou Fei and his brother Zhou Mao returned to the Zhou Manor. Only then did they have time to discuss the recent events in Border City in detail.
When he reached the part where the Border City matter was resolved and he invited Gu Ningyun's group of five to travel with them, he paused.
Seeing that his brother was still listening attentively, he continued, "I don't know what came over me at the time."
"Perhaps it was just a passing thought, or perhaps... perhaps I thought that since the five of them were decent enough in strength, if we encountered Second Uncle, they might be able to buy us some time and win us a chance at survival."
He spoke vaguely, but to put it bluntly, he had intended to use the five of them as shields.
"If the direct line is unstable, the family is unstable. Ever since Father's accident and Second Uncle's seizure of power, our Zhou family has been in a state of internal turmoil for years."
"The direct line in Conghe City fought, and the collateral branches elsewhere fought as well. The family is no longer what it once was."
"If something happened to you or me while Father is in seclusion, the Zhou family would fall completely into the hands of the second branch."
"If someone like Second Uncle truly led the Zhou family, I'm afraid our family would decline beyond measure."
"Those five are just disciples of a small sect. Even if they found out, they couldn't do anything to us."
"If they died at Second Uncle's hands, even with the contract in place, I would likely only bear some indirect karmic consequences. I imagine the price wouldn't be too high."
"Ultimately... it was a calculated trade."
The two brothers sat opposite each other, every detail of their expressions visible.
Zhou Mao observed his younger brother's calm and rational expression and let out a long sigh.
"Fei'er, it is your brother's incompetence. I failed to take good care of you."
Hearing this, Zhou Fei met Zhou Mao's gaze, his expression filled with confusion.
Zhou Mao stood up and sat beside Zhou Fei, patting his shoulder. "Over these years, in order to protect yourself under the second branch's thumb, you have been calculating and utilizing everyone at every moment and in every place."
"If not for my own lack of cultivation, why would you have needed to plot so much at such a young age just to stay alive?"
Zhou Fei felt a pang of sorrow. He had never imagined his brother, who was as imposing as a mountain, would say such words.
Ever since his father was heavily injured and went into seclusion when he was five years old, his life had felt as if the sky had collapsed. Everything had changed overnight.
Originally, he was a member of the Zhou family's direct lineage, the youngest son of the direct line of the family head, growing up carefree under the protection of his father and brother.
Back then, his greatest worry was having to follow his father's arrangements and accept the traditional education the great families gave their children.
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