Chapter 20: Entrance Examination (Part 2)

The melody was like an invisible force, piercing through the heart and soul of every Disciple.

Those Disciples harboring darkness in their hearts began to feel immense pressure, their faces turning pale, their bodies swaying unsteadily.

Soon, several Disciples could not withstand it; their knees went weak, and they collapsed to the ground, fainting.

Lin Chen stood in the crowd, her hands hanging by her sides, quietly feeling the sound of the zither.

The unique aspect of the Thousand Appearances Formless Divine Skill was that it could not only change one's appearance but also subtly influence one's Heart-Nature.

Although Lin Chen was a man, her heart was not wicked or evil; she simply had a penchant for beauty, which was merely the nature of a man.

For her, the zither music did not trigger excessive inner turmoil; instead, it made her feel a strange resonance.

The zither music perfectly aligned with her mind and spirit, as if the power of heaven and earth were converging at this moment.

A mysterious power suddenly radiated from Lin Chen. The moment she intertwined with the zither music, bursts of the sound of the Dao actually rang out! This clear and pure melody was like strands of light, spreading throughout the entire Qin Heart Valley.

Instructor Liu Qingwan's fingers paused slightly, and she looked up in the direction of Lin Chen, a flash of astonishment and excitement instantly crossing her eyes.

That was a melody she had never felt before, a manifestation of the Heart-Nature reaching a state of purity! Such a Realm actually came from a Disciple who had just joined the examination.

Meanwhile, the various Elders of the Xuanyin Qin Sect were startled awake from their seclusion, as that incomparable melody had actually broken their Cultivate Realm.

Even more shocking was that even Sect Master Fairy Qimeng, who had been in seclusion, was suddenly awakened, her gaze piercing through the Void Realm and fixing upon the direction where Lin Chen was located.

The Disciples present, regardless of gender, were all shaken by the melody. Especially Instructor Liu Qingwan, whose heart was stirred, her appreciation for Lin Chen overflowing, and a soft light even appeared in her eyes; she almost wanted to recruit her as a Personal Disciple on the spot.

The three princesses sitting at the very front—Princess Jin Xuan, Princess Hu Qinlan, and Yin Miaoxue—exchanged glances with each other.

They mistakenly believed that Instructor Liu Qingwan's gaze was because she was satisfied with their performance, and they secretly rejoiced, thinking to themselves that they would surely come out on top in the examination and become Instructor Liu Qingwan's first choice.

Little did they know, the focus of Instructor Liu Qingwan's gaze had long been placed on Lin Chen behind them—that cross-dressing master hiding her true identity.

Instructor Liu Qingwan withdrew her hands, the zither music stopping abruptly, and the melodious tune lingering in the air gradually dissipated.

Her gaze swept over the crowd, and she said in a deep voice: "Alright, everyone, open your eyes. The first stage of the examination is over. Those who have fallen, please leave the Sect on your own."

As soon as her voice fell, the Disciples in the field opened their eyes one after another and looked around, discovering that quite a few people had already fallen to the ground; about one-third of the Disciples had already fainted, and some even had blood flowing from their mouths.

Those fallen Disciples, supported by their companions, silently left the examination grounds, their faces filled with disappointment and frustration.

Instructor Liu Qingwan did not linger, raising her hand to wave, signaling the remaining Disciples to continue following her.

"Next, the second stage: verifying identity, verifying age, and verifying cultivation." Her tone became even more serious.

"We will head to a special venue for inspection. Each participant will enter a closed space one by one for examination to ensure that their identity is real and that their age and cultivation meet the standards. To ensure that no one is cross-dressing among you, you will need to remove all clothing for a comprehensive inspection."

The Disciples looked surprised upon hearing this, and the three princesses looked at each other, a flash of displeasure crossing their eyes, though they said nothing.

Instructor Liu Qingwan continued, "The inspection process is rigorous and necessary, especially the verification of identity and gender. In this stage, anyone who is disguised, impersonating, or over the age of twenty will be immediately eliminated."

Lin Chen felt silently alarmed after hearing this, thinking, "I am relying entirely on you, Thousand Appearances Formless Divine Skill."

Instructor Liu Qingwan led everyone across a stone staircase, arriving in front of an independent palace.

The palace had an ancient and simple appearance, exuding a mysterious aura.

The large doors slowly opened, revealing a row of closed rooms. Inside each room was only a huge, transparent spirit mirror, specifically used for checking cultivation, age, and identity. Instructor Liu Qingwan stood at the entrance, directing the Disciples to enter one by one.

"You will each go into one room to accept the inspection in turn, first come, first served," Instructor Liu Qingwan said. "Who will start first?"

The Disciples looked at each other, appearing somewhat hesitant.

At this moment, Princess Jin Xuan smiled indifferently and stepped forward. "I will go first." Her temperament was noble and confident. Her gaze swept over Princess Hu Qinlan and Yin Miaoxue, as if setting a benchmark invisibly.

Instructor Liu Qingwan nodded, signaling Princess Jin Xuan to enter the first room. The door closed silently behind her, and outsiders could not catch a glimpse of any details inside.

Lin Chen steeled her heart, took a deep breath, and walked toward a room with no one queuing. The door closed slowly behind her, and the confined space made her feel deeply oppressed.

A prompt from the Phantom Sound Recording reached her ears: "Please remove all clothing for identity verification."

Lin Chen frowned, but still followed the instructions. Her clothes fell away slowly, revealing her flawless jade-like body; her skin was as white as snow, her curves exquisite, like a meticulously carved work of art.

This body, from head to toe, exuded nothing but the softness and charm of a woman, with absolutely no trace related to being male.

She looked at her own body, and could not help but sigh in her heart: "As expected, the changes from the Thousand Appearances Formless Divine Skill have reached this degree."

Just at the moment she was thinking, the transparent spirit mirror in the room began to emit a dazzling light, shining upon Lin Chen.

Immediately, three invisible forces struck from different directions. Temperature, humidity, and spiritual power acted together, scanning her body from all angles, as if wanting to thoroughly investigate her from the inside out.

This power was full of oppressive force, especially that invisible suction, as if it were tearing at her skin, attempting to find any traces of fabrication or falsehood, not even letting go of the slightest changes in her body.

Lin Chen could not help but curse inwardly: "This inspection is truly perverted; it's completely flawless."

But fortunately, the Thousand Appearances Formless Divine Skill was extraordinary; it was not a simple external disguise, but rather changed the body fundamentally, making Lin Chen completely a woman in appearance, touch, and temperament.

No matter how the spirit mirror probed, it could not detect any abnormality.

Time seemed to pass very slowly. Lin Chen could almost feel those invisible forces wandering inside her body. However, in the end, the light of the spirit mirror gradually dimmed, indicating that she had passed the inspection.

She let out a soft sigh, picked up her clothes, and quickly put them on.

Outside the door, the Elders stared nervously at the door, waiting for the results of Lin Chen's inspection.

This included Instructor Liu Qingwan, who was quite anxious in her heart, as Lin Chen was a Genius Disciple who could resonate with the zither music and even trigger the sound of the Dao.

If she were a cross-dressing master, it would undoubtedly be a great pity.

Just at the moment the door slowly opened, Instructor Liu Qingwan's mood instantly tightened to the extreme.

When she saw Lin Chen walking out of the room with ease, Instructor Liu Qingwan was immediately relieved, a soft smile blooming on her face, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.