[Murong Liyue frowned when she saw you step in, clearly somewhat surprised by your action.]

Looking at her slightly furrowed phoenix brows, you smiled gently, trying to make your smile appear kind and harmless, and said, "Young lady, there is an opportunity I need to pursue in the Lingyuan Sect. Seeing you enter this sect, I thought perhaps we could travel together and look after each other."

[But Murong Liyue only furrowed her brows slightly, without saying anything to you, her attitude remaining very cold.]

[You weren't too upset about this, knowing that too much of a good thing can be bad. After a slight nod, you quietly waited for the formation to activate.]

[Soon afterward, the array shone brightly, and a powerful force enveloped you, causing the surrounding scenery to distort and change.]

When the scene before you became clear again, you found yourself on a magnificent stone platform tens of thousands of feet wide. Beams of light were constantly flashing across the ground nearby.

Half a day had passed, and tens of thousands of people had gathered on the stone platform. Suddenly, the huge stone pillar in the center of the platform shone brightly, and then streams of light shot out from the pillar, quickly merging into the palms of everyone present. A different number appeared on each person's palm, and at the same time, a message flooded into everyone's minds, informing them of the pattern of this assessment.

[You looked at the mark on your palm, then at Murong Liyue, and an idea immediately formed in your mind. You then approached Murong Liyue with a gentle smile and said, "Miss, this assessment is fraught with danger. We are both from the Wanxuan Academy; if we travel together and look after each other, our chances of success will certainly increase significantly."]

[But Murong Liyue glanced at you, her eyes cold, and said, "I'm used to acting alone; you don't need to follow me." With that, she moved, transforming into a streak of light and flying away into the distance.]

You stood still and shook your head, but the next moment, spiritual energy surged, and you secretly followed her from a distance.

The next day, you discover that Murong Liyue is actually a formation master. Within her formations, you witness several times the demise of demonic beasts at the late stage of the Soul Contract Realm within her powerful arrays.

Watching this scene unfold, you weren't overly anxious. Instead, you followed from a distance, silently waiting for a 'special' opportunity.

On the fifth day, Murong Liyue finally couldn't resist the unique 'reward' mentioned in the assessment information and took the risk of attacking three late-stage Soul Contract Realm demonic beasts simultaneously. However, she underestimated the abilities of these three Soul Contract Realm demonic beasts. Within the array radiating chilling spiritual energy, the three Soul Contract Realm demonic beasts struggled violently.

Under the relentless onslaught of the three demonic beasts, Murong Liyue's array began to flicker unsteadily, seemingly on the verge of collapse. This turned her delicate face deathly pale. She continuously channeled spiritual energy into the array, attempting to stabilize it, but it was clear she was struggling to maintain her balance.

Seeing this from afar, you smiled and murmured: "The hero rescuing the damsel in distress is cliché, but who can blame him when it works?"

Just as Murong Liyue fell, you seized the opportunity and rushed onto the battlefield like lightning. Your hands moved swiftly, forming hand seals, and a dazzling surge of spiritual energy struck within Murong Liyue's formation, temporarily blocking the demonic beast's attack. Murong Liyue saw your sudden appearance, a flicker of surprise crossing her eyes, but it quickly returned to its cold indifference.

[Ultimately, with your help, Murong Liyue was able to adjust the formation, increasing its power. The three-headed beast was tightly bound, and although it struggled even more fiercely, it gradually lost its ability to resist under the combined attack of the two of you.]

Afterwards, Murong Liyue dispelled the formation, still looking at you with a cold expression, and said, "Thank you for this time."

You scratched your head, smiled, and said, "You're too kind, young lady. I just happened to be passing by and saw this. We're both from Wanxuan Academy, so helping each other is only right." Without further hesitation, you turned and walked away.

Hearing this, Murong Liyue thought to herself: "Fine, since we came from the same Wanxuan Academy, I might as well help her out and repay the favor I did today." She wasn't the type to like owing favors, and your sudden departure had surprised her. Watching your departing figure, she frowned slightly, seemingly deep in thought.

After a while, Murong Liyue followed in the direction you had left. Her steps were light, swiftly traversing the mountain forest, and she soon spotted you. Hearing the sound behind you, you turned and saw Murong Liyue, asking with some confusion, "Miss, what's going on?"

[Murong Liyue said coldly, "You helped me, and I don't want to owe you a favor. I've already obtained clues about the 'reward' in the assessment, and I can take you there with me." You were secretly delighted, but maintained a calm expression: "Then thank you very much, Miss."]

The two of you walked side by side. Murong Liyue rarely spoke, and although you occasionally tried to start a conversation, the responses were always brief. However, you didn't seem to mind, and through this, you learned her name and some aspects of her personality.

After a day's journey, you've arrived at the location of the clues, but a large crowd has already gathered there—a rough estimate suggests there are over a hundred people.

After some questioning, you all learned about the situation on the field. This 'reward' actually requires a large amount of spiritual energy to open. After some discussion, everyone decided to contribute a portion of their spiritual power to jointly open this mysterious reward gate.

Everyone sat cross-legged on the ground, circulating their cultivation techniques and converging their spiritual energy towards a mysterious gate in the center. Murong Liyue and you were no exception, joining in as well.

As spiritual energy continued to flow in, the massive stone door began to tremble slowly, the surrounding air seeming to be stirred and agitated by this powerful force. Mysterious runes gradually appeared on the stone door, their light shimmering and growing ever brighter. Finally, with everyone working together, the stone door slowly opened.

However, the scene behind the door made everyone gasp. It was the Spirit Phantom Butterfly, ranked 96th on the Beast Ranking. Its enormous wings shimmered with a ghostly blue light, the patterns on them like a mysterious scroll, and each flap brought forth a chilling fluctuation of spiritual energy. A faint phantom surrounded its body, making its true location elusive.

This ethereal butterfly seemed to have been forcibly imprisoned here using powerful methods. It appeared extremely weak, its wings trembling slightly, and the ghostly blue light it emitted seemed somewhat dim.