Majestic and continuous, vast and ethereal.

The Xuanfa Mountains appeared before Zhou Qing's eyes again.

It was already night, but the Xuanfa Mountains were even more dazzling, with tiny dots of light and colorful lights, like a fairyland.

He went to ambush and kill Zhang Xinkong early in the morning, then returned to Hanyuan City to destroy the Zhang family. Finally, he hurried and hurried, and finally returned to Xuandu Temple after nightfall.

Among them, flying magic tools played an important role.

Han Tielin gave the Han family's best Aurora flying boat to his daughter, and they flew very fast on the way back.

After getting off the flying magic weapon, Zhou Qing and Han Shanshan walked into the mountains, and then the two sides parted ways.

"Miss Han, I'll come look for you after I'm done with my work here."

"Brother Zhou, your matter is more important, don't worry about me."

Han Shanshan still wants to go to Xianke Peak, while Zhou Qing wants to go to Merit Hall.

The true teaching assessment is also a kind of Xuandu task, which is under the charge of the Merit Hall, a very large department among the Xuandu halls that is closely related to the disciples.

It is precisely because of this that the Hall of Merit is located on the outskirts of the Xuanfa Mountains, extremely close to the 108 inner and outer peaks, which greatly facilitates the disciples to accept sect missions.

It also made things convenient for Zhou Qing. After all, he no longer had a crane to ride on and could only walk on his own two legs. If the distance was far, it would be quite troublesome.

Soon, Gongde Peak was in sight in the distance.

Ancient stone steps extend from all directions and finally converge at the foot of Gongde Peak.

As we got closer to Merit Peak, we met more Xuandu disciples.

Outer disciples in black and inner disciples in white came in an endless stream.

Xuandu Temple has rules. Within the mountain gate, outer and inner disciples must wear corresponding Xuandu uniforms unless they are in their own rooms or some special places.

The same is true for administrative disciples and deacons.

Only true disciples, elders and higher-ups have robes, but they are free to wear them or not without any restrictions.

So when you meet other people in the Xuanfa Mountains, you can roughly know their identity and status by looking at their clothes.

Zhou Qing was now also wearing the white robes of the inner sect, but wherever he passed, people kept looking at him.

"I think I've seen this person before?"

"It looks familiar."

"Zhou, Zhou Qing?!"

Someone recognized Zhou Qing, and then, as if in a chain reaction, low cries continued to be heard, and many people stared at him intently.

Qualification test, first place by a large margin, Shuiyue Zhou Qing! In the few days since leaving Xuandu Temple, Zhou Qing has not only not been forgotten, but his reputation has spread further.

Now, except for a very small number of disciples who are not in Xuandu Temple or have been in seclusion for a long time, there is no one in the inner and outer sects who does not know Zhou Qing.

Even though it was already night time, Zhou Qing's dazzling charm was still discovered.

"Brother Zhou, are you going to the Merit Hall to hand in a mission?" Someone bravely spoke to Zhou Qing.

"I'm very familiar with Merit Peak. Why don't you let me lead the way for Senior Brother Zhou?"

Although Zhou Qing had only been a disciple for a few days and was not familiar with these inner disciples, on the path of cultivation, those who were more accomplished came first.

He is about to be promoted to the true master, so it is only natural for these disciples to call him senior brother.

However, Zhou Qing declined the kindness with a smile, and then went up to Merit Peak alone, leaving only the disciples watching behind him.

"Senior Brother Zhou has been away from the sect for a few days and is back now. Has he completed the true teaching assessment?"

"I'm afraid so. This is really efficient."

"Senior Brother Zhou is indeed the most outstanding disciple of this generation!"

“…”

Exclamations of praise continued to ring out.

They didn't have much interaction with Zhou Qing and didn't know what kind of person he was, but that didn't stop them from having feelings of admiration and respect for him.

Most people have a desire to admire the strong.

Gongde Peak is not particularly tall, not as tall as Xianke Peak, but it has a different scenery.

After Zhou Qing climbed the mountain, he headed straight to the top.

There is not just one Merit Hall, but three. The first Merit Hall is a distance up from the foot of the mountain, the second Merit Hall is on the mountainside, and the third Merit Hall is at the top of the mountain.

The functions of each merit hall are similar, the biggest difference is the different levels of various tasks in the three merit halls.

The higher you go, the higher the mission level becomes, and the more dangerous it becomes.

These three Merit Halls do not have any requirements for the level of disciples. Outer disciples can also go to the third Merit Hall. If they feel that they are strong enough, they can also accept tasks there.

I heard that the reason why three merit halls were built was because there were too many disciples of Xuandu, and one merit hall would be too crowded.

It has become a vegetable market.

The place Zhou Qing is going to now is the Third Hall of Merit.

After arriving at the destination, Zhou Qing went straight to the deacon of the Merit Hall and explained his purpose.

"Inner sect disciple Zhou Qing has completed the true teaching assessment."

The deacon in the realm of sainthood opposite him was stunned for a moment, then quickly said:

"Please wait a moment. The elders are in charge of the true teaching assessment. I will contact the elders now."

Zhou Qing nodded and waited quietly.

The Merit Hall was very spacious, with a counter dividing the space into two parts. Jade slips were hung on the surrounding walls, and disciples were walking around, checking the information in the jade slips from time to time.

This is a task jade slip that records each task. If a disciple wants to do a task, he can just take out the jade slip and register with the deacon.

Behind the counter, there are also task jade slips behind the deacon, but the tasks recorded in these jade slips are a little special, and there are certain requirements if you want to receive them.

The disciples who were choosing their tasks also looked at Zhou Qing at this moment. It was very quiet here, so what Zhou Qing said just now was naturally known to everyone.

Zhou Qing, complete the true teaching assessment...

This shocked many people. It seemed that Xuandu Temple would have one more true disciple, and a genius with such a fierce momentum.

Zhou Qing didn't have to wait long before an old man walked in with big strides. His steps were powerful and he didn't look old at all.

"Shuiyue Peak Zhou Qing?"

"Greetings, elder. I am Zhou Qing."

The old man nodded, then turned and walked towards a corner of the Merit Hall where there was a door.

"Come with me."

The two of them entered the door. There were passages behind the door. The old man chose one and finally led Zhou Qing into a quiet room.

After taking his seat, the old man introduced himself: "My surname is Jiang, and I'm the elder on duty at the Merit Hall."

Then Elder Jiang pointed to the corner of the room, where there was a cubic wooden block about the same size as a Rubik's Cube. On the side facing them, there was an eye embedded in it.

"Eye of Records, everything we say next will be recorded for the Palace Master and others to review."

Very formal and solemn.

Elder Jiang took out another booklet, a piece of paper and a pen, looked at Zhou Qing, and asked, "Your true test is to investigate the problems of the Zhang family in Hanyuan County, and after the investigation results, deal with the Zhang family."

Zhou Qing nodded, "Yes."

"You can tell us the results of your investigation and how you will deal with the Zhang family."

Zhou Qing sorted out his thoughts and then said, "After I arrived in Hanyuan County, I found out through my careful investigation that the Zhang family colluded with the barbarians, abducting humans from all over the place, treating them as goods and trading with the barbarians every month."

Elder Jiang was originally writing down his thoughts, but when he heard Zhou Qing's words, he paused.

"Trading human race?"

He asked, his tone tinged with anger.

"Yes, I intercepted a transaction of the Zhang family and caught them red-handed. The evidence is solid."

Zhou Qing took out the space bag that could hold living people. He already knew that this thing was called a soul bag.

However, Zhou Qing did not release the one thousand human beings in the soul bag.

They will be in a stagnant state inside and nothing will happen.

If they were released earlier, it would be a big problem to resettle these thousand people. But if they were handed over to Xuandu Temple and the sect resettled them, it would be very easy.

"There are humans in here that the Zhang family recently captured and are preparing to trade with the barbarians."

Although the soul bag has been handed over as evidence now, this treasure will be returned to Zhou Qing after everything is over.

It is a well-known rule that all gains from the true teaching assessment belong to the disciple himself.

Elder Jiang took a look at the spirit bag and his expression turned a little colder.

"Go on."

"After confirming the problems of the Zhang family, I..."

Zhou Qing explained the follow-up matters clearly and took out the souls of all the Zhang family leaders that he had suppressed.

Why did he go through the trouble of bringing these souls back?

Because these are all evidence.

Otherwise, he would have fed them all to the Soul-Devouring Flower.

After Zhou Qing finished speaking, Elder Jiang stopped writing and nodded.

"I will hand over your mission experience and results to the Palace Master and others, and the assessment will be released on a chosen day."

"Well, please trouble Elder Jiang."

"It's my job, why bother?" Elder Jiang stood up and Zhou Qing also prepared to leave.

The old man looked at Zhou Qing and suddenly said, "Well done."

Zhou Qing was stunned, then laughed.

"This is also the responsibility of every human race."

Elder Jiang sent Zhou Qing out, then took off the recording eye on the wooden block and replaced it with a new one.

He left directly with the booklet and the Eye of Record to find the Master of the Hall of Merit.

Zhou Qing came down from Gongde Peak and thought to himself.

"Looking at the reaction of this Elder Jiang, he probably didn't know about the Zhang family's problems beforehand, and he didn't know what the situation was like at the top of Xuandu Temple."

Please...collect 6_9_book_bar (Six//Nine//Book//bar)

"The next step is to wait for the evaluation results from those big shots..."

Every disciple goes through this process after completing the true teaching assessment.

Just because you come back safely doesn’t mean the mission is accomplished.

The higher-ups at Xuandu Temple will also assess your performance during the mission, if your performance during the mission is too outrageous.

For example, if one shows a tendency to be attracted to foreign races, or engages in any cheating behavior, then there will be a question mark as to whether one can pass the assessment.

Sometimes, Xuandu’s top leaders would summon disciples to have face-to-face question-and-answer sessions.

The assessment for true disciples is very strict and formal in all aspects.

However, Zhou Qing was not too worried about this step. He felt that his performance in the Zhang family's mission this time was perfect.

One hundred faints!

He walked back to Suwol Peak, and the moon on the ground and the amazing sight of the tilted Milky Way appeared before his eyes again.

No matter how many times you see it, this scenery is always amazing and admirable.

When Zhou Qing stepped onto Shuiyue Peak, Luo Liuli in the alchemy room in the mountain opened his eyes and said softly:

“I’m back.”

"What's back?"

Another voice was heard. It was An Lang who was sitting next to the alchemy furnace.

That’s right, Zhou Qing did not bring An Lang with him to take the true teaching assessment this time.

It’s not that Xuandu Temple does not allow bringing in ghosts or spirit beasts, but An Lang and Zhou Qing can’t help much if they go together.

So Zhou Qing chose to let her stay in Shuiyue Peak and learn more from Luo Liuli.

Luo Liuli replied: "Zhou Qing."

An Lang cried out in surprise, and then the flame in the alchemy furnace flickered and seemed to be out of control. She quickly stabilized it and concentrated on making the elixir.

Luo Liuli walked out and just saw Zhou Qing going up the mountain.

She asked, "Mission accomplished?"

Zhou Qing smiled and nodded, "Good luck."

"Very efficient." Luo Liuli nodded slightly, "As far as I know, you are the first one to come back among the five disciples who took the true teaching test this time."

"The sooner I finish the task, the sooner I can relax, so I speed up and don't delay."

When Zhou Qing said this, he felt emotional in his heart.

Normally speaking, with someone of my status, I should be the last one to come back after taking the true teachings test.

Qi Yunyuan and the others had returned, but he had not been seen for a long time. Even when the mission deadline was almost over, he still hadn't returned.

Then it would cause some people to worry, and some people to ridicule him, thinking that he must have died in the assessment and would never come back.

He will return at the last moment, appear on stage at the right time, and slap the faces of those who think he will never come back.

In vernacular novels, the protagonists are all like this.

But how could he be so fast? Oh, it turned out that he was cheating.

Zhou Qing walked to Luo Liuli and told her about his experience on this mission.

The mission has been completed, so there is no need to keep these things secret.

After hearing that the hidden problem of the Zhang family was so serious, even with Luo Liuli's personality, she couldn't help but frown.

Finally, Luo Liuli nodded and said affirmatively: "Your way of handling this is very good. There is no need to show mercy to those who betray their family and betray their morality."

No one would sympathize with the Zhang family after hearing about the evil deeds they had committed.

What’s the matter? Are you a barbarian in spirit, with a human body but a barbarian heart?

Zhou Qing hesitated for a moment, then asked, "I have a question. For tasks like these, did Xuandu Temple know the whole story in advance? Did Xuandu Temple know about the Zhang family's problems before sending me?"

Luo Liuli glanced at Zhou Qing and understood his inner struggle.

She shook her head. "Of course the temple didn't know about it beforehand."

"Whether it's a task for the true teaching assessment or a normal task given to disciples on weekdays, if it's a task like yours that requires some investigation first, then the temple doesn't know what the truth of the problem is."

"This kind of mission is when Xuandu Temple detects something that may be problematic through various channels, and then gives it to the disciples in the form of a mission, asking them to investigate the truth and give feedback in the end."

"If the task of investigating the Zhang family was not assigned to you, nor to the other four disciples this time, then Xuandu Temple would have sent someone else to handle it and would not have turned a blind eye."

"Xuan Du Temple has never tolerated collusion with the barbarians."

Zhou Qing heaved a sigh of relief when he heard this.

After he learned the truth about the Zhang family, he was worried that Xuandu Temple might have known it all a long time ago, but chose to ignore it just to train its disciples.

There is nothing wrong in training disciples.

But if we turn a blind eye to the fact that thousands of humans are sold to the barbarians every month just for the sake of training our disciples, then that would represent something terrifying.

This means that something might be wrong at Xuandu Temple.

But if you think about it carefully, there is no need to do this considering the thousands-year-old Taoist tradition of Xuandu Temple.

Moreover, the disciples of Xuandu serve Xuandu Temple. In a matter like this, if Xuandu Temple discovers the clues of a problem, it is normal for the disciples to rush around and help Xuandu Temple solve its problems.

If Xuandu Temple itself knows where the problem lies in a matter and still sends disciples to investigate, that is just like taking off pants to fart, it is a pure waste of human resources.

There is no need, really no need.

In this way, the Zhang family’s affairs are very clear.

Xuandu Temple must have realized through some channel that the Zhang family might have some connection with the barbarians, but they didn't know what the Zhang family was doing.

It just so happened that Zhou Qing and his team needed to take the true teachings assessment, so this matter was treated as a task and assigned to Zhou Qing.

Luo Liuli looked at Zhou Qing and continued, "It's good that you can think about this. Xuandu Temple has a long history and sometimes it may make mistakes."

"When the time comes, thinking like you might be able to detect some problems. You should be brave enough to point them out."

Zhou Qing smiled sheepishly, "I was just thinking about it."

"By the way, I have two things related to alchemy here, they are very interesting."

As Zhou Qing spoke, he took out the Yan Dan Book and the Dan Flower and explained the functions of these two items.

After hearing this, Luo Liuli's eyes lit up slightly. She took the two items and sensed them carefully.

"The Book of Dan Yan... This treasure has a similar function to the Shennong Jade Book."

"Shennong Jade Book?"

Zhou Qing was slightly surprised. From what Luo Liuli said, is there a treasure in this world that has a similar function to the Book of Alchemy? Luo Liuli nodded and explained, "That is the treasure of Shennong Valley in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. It is not an immortal weapon, but for alchemists, its function is better than that of an immortal weapon. It can also automatically deduce the recipe of the elixir, but there are limitations."

"Shennong Valley is the most accomplished force in the world today. Everyone in the world worships the Dao of Alchemy. It has a very special status in the cultivation world."

"In this era, the second most recognized alchemist is in Shennong Valley."

"…The second alchemist?"

Zhou Qing was a little confused. How could there be no number one alchemist among the most accomplished forces in the way of alchemy? Luo Liuli replied, "The number one alchemist is Zixiao Tianjun. This Tianjun's alchemy skills are extremely amazing and unparalleled in the world."

So that’s it, I understand.

He is a master of the immortal way and is said to be the number one alchemist. How could Shennong Valley dare to have any objection?

But this world is really mysterious, the Shennong Jade Book...

Luo Liuli looked at Danhua again, her eyes brighter.

Shennong's Jade Book was a great example, so although she was interested in Yan Danshu, she was still indifferent. However, the effect of this Danhua was amazing.

She had lived for so many years and had even been to Shennong Valley more than once to communicate with the alchemy masters there, but this kind of elixir flower was the first time she had heard of it.

I want it...

Luo Liuli turned her gaze towards Zhou Qing. Before she could speak, Zhou Qing smiled and said:

"These two rare items are like pearls thrown into the dark in my hands, so I want to give them to you to repay your kindness in taking care of me these days."

Luo Liuli shook her head, "This is what I should do, so why should I ask for repayment?"

"Then it's not a way of repaying a favor. I just want to give it to you."

These days, it’s really hard to give gifts.

(End of this chapter)