Sect Leader's Rise to the top!

The golden light flashed, forcing Kai to close his eyes. When he opened them, the landscape had completely changed. The city backdrop was now replaced with a mountainous landscape. Kai looked around curiously and was shocked to discover that they were now on a flat plateau, high up on a mountain top.

"Incredible, just how far did we travel?...", asked an excited person.

"I had no idea that the Twin Lions Sect had such a powerful array master. They are indeed formidable!".

"Quiet down!", yelled the beautiful woman who was now standing on a pillar in the middle of the plateau. As she spoke, a creature that resembled a giant stork flew over the plateau and three people dressed in similar green and gold clothing jumped down from it.

"Junior sister, is this all of them?", asked one of the new arrivals in a serious tone. He had long straight hair, tied in a neat ponytail.

"Hump, of course. You think I didn't count them?", said the woman in low voice.

"Haha, junior sister, I can already tell at a glance that there are only 99 of them!". This time it was the young-looking boy with short messy hair.

"R...really?!...one two three..., hey you!, stop moving around, I lost my place!", yelled the woman as she nervously started to count the participants.

"You two, stop bullying our junior sister. Don't worry, they're all here", said the third man in the middle. He had a warm smile as he spoke.

The woman turned back to the young-looking boy in anger. "You little!..."

"Hehe, junior sister is just too easy to fool"

The four of them bickered and chatted at the top of the pillar while ignoring all one hundred participants. Kai crossed his arms and watched quietly while analyzing the surroundings.

"It's similar to what old man Song said. It seems his information is trustworthy for now. Let's see if the next part is also true...", Kai thought while carefully watching the movements on the pillar.

"Excuse me...what are we to do next?", asked a nervous voice from the crowd. They were all internal cultivators but none of them were good enough to join a sect as powerful as the Twin-Lions Sect, so they could only practice their family's private cultivation manuals. None of the families here were on the same league as a sect, so despite there being many young masters present, they wouldn't dare be rude, lest they incur the wrath of the mighty Twin Lions Sect.

To nobody's surprise, the voice was ignored by those in the pillar, which made the person who asked the question shrink back in embarrassment.

After another ten minutes, the four people on the pillar quieted down and stood respectfully in a row. The sky flashed and a small golden ring appeared in the sky. Kai noticed that the ring was similar to the array that had brought them here.

After a few seconds, two figures flashed onto the golden ring and stood floating above everyone. The person in front was an old woman who held an ancient-looking map in her hands. The map glowed with the same golden light as the ring she stood on.

The second person sent shivers down Kai's spine as Kai instantly recognized him.

"That's the powerhouse I met in the forest!", Kai thought as he tried his best to blend into the crowd. Kai didn't know who he was, but he remembered that one harrowing encounter when he was on his way to Beifong town.

The old man had long white hair tied behind his head, as well as a long neat beard running down from his chin to his chest. He gave off a sagely feeling, but Kai could feel something off about it.

The old man stepped forward and looked down at the people present then turned his attention to the four disciples standing on the pillar.

"We greet the Hall Master and Array Master!", the four said in unison as they cupped their fists in respect.

The old man nodded his head in acknowledgment then turned back to the crowd to speak.

"You have all received invitations to participate in the Twin Lions Sect's Pocket dimension excursion, congratulations. Those of you who pass the trials within will not only receive the vast riches that the pocket dimension has to offer, but will also have the chance of joining the Sect as an outer disciple!".

This elicited a burst of cheers from the crowds who now seemed to be brimming with excitement.

Kai on the other hand listened to the words brimming with a sense of power that made the old man sound both wise and trustworthy. However, Kai figured that it had to be some sort of mind control or suggestion technique.

The old man continued to speak which instantly made the crowd quiet down. "Your leaders in this excursion will be four of our sect's best disciples. You are to follow their instructions fully as they will also be responsible for giving each of you a final score that will determine your eligibility to join."

As he said this, the four disciples on the pillar turned around to face the crowd. They looked down to the crowd with neither disdain nor emotion, as if they were looking at a bunch of cattle.

"Lastly, your main task will be to eliminate a certain mutated [Grade-3] beast. Those who contribute the most to its defeat will be awarded immediate entry into the sect as well as a year's worth of cultivation resources!"

This announcement caused the crowd to burst into even louder cheers. Not only would they receive immediate entry into the sect, but they would also gain a year's worth of cultivation resources!. This was not something that could be gained with just hard work. Sure, [Grade-3] beasts were dangerous, but with so many internal cultivators present, they could easily take care of one measly [Grade-3] beast.

Kai on the other hand had a serious look on his face. Old man Song clearly said that the beast was [Grade-4], yet this guy was claiming that it was just a mutated [Grade-3] beast?.

"Either he is lying, or old man Song's information is wrong...either way, I'll go with the worst-case option and assume that this old man is lying to us...", Kai thought as he turned his attention back to the old woman standing on top of the floating array.

"You will have three days inside of the dimension, after which you must return to the rendezvous point. The portal will close with or without you...", said the old woman as she opened up another map that glowed in a faint blue light. At that moment, a similar portal appeared at the edge of the cliff.

The four Twin Lions Sect Disciples jumped off the stone pillar and stood in front of the crowd. "Follow carefully and don't fall behind if you don't want to die...", said the young boy in a mischievous tone.

A few in the crowd gulped when they heard this but hardened their resolve when they remembered the rewards. The crowd of internal cultivators carefully followed the four leaders, making sure to not fall off the cliff while doing so. Kai looked back at the array master's map with some thought before he walked into the portal. Hou Zhou followed him closely while Song Wei followed the two of them with some curiosity.

After they had left, the array master turned back to the old man with a sigh.

"What do you think?", asked the old man with a sly smile.

"Waste of life...." she said as she transferred them away.