That man hesitated for a long time, but in the end, reason triumphed over greed.
He cast one last lingering glance at Wen Shan, then at the young woman, before letting out a cold snort. With a wave of his hand, he turned and left, taking his two companions with him.
"You're lucky this time!" he spat, his voice echoing in the night.
With the danger dispersed, Wen Shan tallied his numbers. He had saved ninety lives so far. All that remained was to find the final ten survivors—his last step toward completing the task his teacher had set.
Alone, he moved through the ruined city. His senses, sharper than any mortal's, probed every shattered wall and collapsed alleyway, seeking even the faintest signs of life.
As he had expected, the longer time dragged on, the fewer survivors remained. Most of those who hadn't found shelter had already been slaughtered and devoured by demonic cultivators, or abducted and taken to unknown fates.
Even so, Wen Shan eventually discovered a handful of trembling souls hidden within the rubble of a collapsed wine cellar. Adding them to his tally brought the count to ninety-eight.
Only two more.
He secured them inside his warded residence and once more set out, determined to finish the task.
Yet as he moved, a sobering thought struck him. Finding survivors was not the true difficulty—given enough time and patience, he could scour the city and unearth them all.
The real challenge was protecting them afterward.
Just as with that golden-armored student earlier: brave as he had been, courage alone could not shield the masses from overwhelming odds. His noble intent had been crushed under sheer disparity of strength.
But Wen Shan's path had skirted this very pitfall. His guise as a disciple of the Great Dao Heavenly Demon Sect was a shield stronger than steel. Those demonic cultivators he encountered, no matter how much they lusted for mortal blood or doubted his identity, did not dare risk offending the Sacred Sect for the sake of such paltry gains.
In the Demonic Sect, the greatest taboo was misjudgment. You could let countless opportunities slip by, but one misstep, one wrong opponent… and you plummeted into the abyss, never to rise again.
It was this fear that Wen Shan exploited, and it allowed him to expand his rescued ranks without calamity.
At last, in a dilapidated temple on the city's western side, he found three villagers hiding behind a toppled idol.
With them, his count finally reached one hundred.
No longer delaying, he brought the final group to his soul-banner warded residence.
When the hundred survivors stood gathered in the courtyard, Wen Shan finally allowed his taut heart to ease, if only slightly.
But he knew this was not the end.
His teacher's instruction was not merely to "gather" one hundred people—it was to rescue them. As long as they remained within this city, overrun by the Demonic Sect, they were still in mortal peril.
To truly save them, he would need to lead them out of the city, to somewhere safe.
But how?
Wen Shan turned this over in his mind, then sought out the young woman in the white dress—the one he had rescued earlier. She was now among the crowd, her fear still present but tempered by newfound calm.
When he approached, she only lifted her gaze toward him, silent and steady.
"Come with me," he said.
He led her to a secluded side room, ensuring no ears lurked nearby, and whispered:
"Tell me… which way must we go to avoid the pursuit of the Demonic Sect?"
The question itself revealed his secret—that he was not truly one of them.
Yet the young woman showed no surprise, as though she had guessed it all along.
Without hesitation, she answered:
"East. If we head east, we will reach the territory of the Immortal City. No demonic cultivator would dare approach its borders."
She paused, then continued with measured clarity:
"But we cannot go directly east. Too obvious. It would arouse suspicion. Instead, we head northeast first—that's the direction of the Great Dao Heavenly Demon Sect. No one would doubt you if we moved that way. Once we've cleared the city, we quietly veer back toward the east. That will be our safe path."
Her reasoning was sharp, precise. Wen Shan realized she must have already thought this through, waiting only for him to ask.
He held her gaze for a long moment, then nodded. Some truths didn't need to be spoken aloud.
For the first time, Wen Shan understood—though he had no allies in this trial, he was not entirely alone. The mortals he saved, if used wisely, could become his greatest strength.
But then came the next decision:
Should he leave now, with one hundred rescued?
His teacher's condition had been clear: save one hundred, and the trial would be complete.
Yet… there was still time. If he rescued more, would his teacher's evaluation of him be higher?
But risking more could just as easily undo everything.
After a moment of thought, Wen Shan chose caution.
He unfurled the soul banner and laid it flat upon the ground. Before the astonished gazes of all, the dark cloth swelled, growing into a vast expanse capable of carrying a hundred people.
"Stand upon it," he commanded.
When they had all clambered on, he poured his spiritual energy into the banner. It rose, slowly at first, then swiftly, carrying them aloft. With a streak of light, the great soul-banner bore them boldly toward the city's edge.
Countless demonic cultivators tilted their heads skyward, their eyes narrowing at the audacity. But when they recognized the unmistakable sigil of the Great Dao Heavenly Demon Sect emblazoned upon the banner, none dared intervene.
Not a single one.
Wen Shan's carefully prepared excuses went unused.
As the city gates dwindled below, and no hand rose to stop him, Wen Shan finally allowed himself a hidden sigh of relief.
But the moment the banner cleared the city's edge, the world spun violently around him. His consciousness was wrenched away.
When his senses returned, he found himself back in the familiar examination hall.
A vast scroll hovered before him, depicting every moment of the city's ordeal, the scenes still shifting and unfolding. Clearly, life in that illusory realm continued even now.
Only then did Wen Shan realize—he had passed his teacher's test.
Looking around, he saw the hall filled with students, but all of them were vacant-eyed, lost within the great scroll.
He alone had awakened.
His lips pressed into a thin line. Whatever came next, he had cleared the trial.
At last… he had earned the right to be called a Scholar.