The villain is right beside me

The night gradually enveloped the earth. In the distant sky, the moon hung high like a silver plate, pouring down its faint, cold moonlight all over the sky...

On top of a hill, there were some lights and bustling voices. The sounds spread, diluting the cold and silent atmosphere around.

In the camp on the hill, there were several big bonfires releasing sparks that shot up into the sky. The flames illuminated the entire camp extremely brightly. Beside these bonfires, there were many figures gathered, holding jars of wine in their hands, laughing loudly, and then banging their bonfires together, gulping down the wine amid cheers from the people around them.

The two young ladies of the Qin family went on a long journey, and in addition to the Qin family's personal guards, other martial arts masters were also recruited to escort them.

In the center of the camp, a tent was suddenly opened, and then the charming figure that looked particularly attractive under the moonlight appeared in everyone's sight. It was Qin Yuyao.

At this moment, Qin Yuyao seemed to have just taken a shower, so her soft black hair was loose with a little moisture, which made her look more feminine and charming. Many younger guards of the Qin family felt their heartbeats speed up suddenly.

After leaving the tent, Qin Yuyao glanced around casually and walked to the steward: "Where is my sister?"

Qin Gang pointed to the fire not far away and said, "Where is he? Miss, I have been keeping an eye on him. He has not done anything out of the ordinary."

Next to the fire, Mu Qing was talking to Qin Ziyuan about cultivation. Miss Qin sat on the stone bed with her knees bent, supporting her chin, and listened to him attentively.

Qin Yuyao looked at Mu Qing and her sister, and somehow felt a little strange, as if they were from two different worlds.

On the way, they ran into this young man in green and white shirt, carrying a bamboo basket on his back. He said he was also going to look for the immortal gate, so the sister invited him to go with her out of interest. It seemed that he really had no ill intentions.

Mu Qing was also a half-baked person. Compared to Qin Ziyuan who hadn't figured it out yet, he was already a senior. He actually gave Qin Ziyuan some pointers on the way.

"Hehe, thank you, pastor brother, otherwise I don't know how to open my mind." Qin Ziyuan said with a smile: "Brother, you are so talented, you should be able to join the immortal sect. I once heard my father say that the ancestor of our Qin family was also an immortal cultivator. Because of the protection of the immortal sect, our Qin family can prosper. Were your skills also taught by your ancestor?"

"I just accidentally started practicing Taoism and became a casual cultivator, without any roots or wandering." Mu Qing found out from her that the Taoism cultivator who had taken a fancy to her was indeed from Piao Miao Sect. There were four vassal sects under Piao Miao Sect, and the place they were going to was Yunwutai, where the sects recruited disciples every year.

The Yunwutai that Qin Ziyuan mentioned was on a mountain called Wuzhi Mountain. There was a hidden canyon under Wuzhi Mountain. On the surface, it was covered by thick fog, but in fact, it was a means arranged by their sect to cover it with a formation and hide it.

They hold an initiation ceremony every few years. In fact, these small sects recruit talents in order to provide talents for the large sect, Piaomiao Sect.

The ceremony lasted for three months, and many of the cultivation families and independent cultivators came in advance to prepare for it. During this time, you can see many people and things in the cultivation world.

Half a month later, the Qin family finally arrived at the foot of Wuzhi Mountain. There was fog in front of them and they had no idea what the scenery was like inside.

"Should we go in?" It was Qin Ziyuan's first time to come to such a place, and she felt a little uneasy and scared.

"Hey. Look." Mu Qing pointed at the clouds on the side, which actually dispersed, revealing a winding and undulating mountain road.

"Wow, haha, this must be the place. Let's go in." Qin Ziyuan looked happy all the way, as if she had never seen the world.

The group climbed up the mountain and finally reached the top. There was a high platform on the top of the mountain, and many people had already gathered there.

There is a steep cliff below the top of the mountain, and a golden bridge connects it to the other side. Outside the bridge gate, there are crowds of people, and there are countless monks, old, young, male, and female.

On the other side, a gorgeous sedan chair was pulled by a monster that looked like a cow, and the people standing on both sides held their heads high.

"That's the Tao family, a cultivation family."

Not only that, there was also a woman who was the center of attention, with a large number of followers following her. The woman looked quite good-looking and sat on one side, while the others all kept their distance from her.

"She is the eldest daughter of the Mu family."

At about nine o'clock (the time in this world is counted using the twelve Earthly Branches), suddenly two men in white Taoist robes appeared at the bridge gate, riding swords. Both of them were in the late stage of enlightenment.

There was an expression of indifference on their faces, with a hint of arrogance.

Amid the crowd's exclamations, another person came up on the overpass. He was a big man with a whisker. For some reason, when he came, everyone around him became quiet.

"My fellow Taoists!" The big man started to speak, his voice so loud that everyone could hear him. "There are four major sects under Piao Miao Sect, the Ling Fu Sect, the Ling Jian Sect, the Ling Dan Sect, and the Ling Yu Sect. My Piao Miao Sect does not consider aptitude when accepting disciples, but only considers opportunity. If there is no opportunity, you can only return in failure. Next, you will have the opportunity to join the four sects or even directly enter the main sect!"

"Next. Start." As the big man opened his mouth, the golden bridge behind him suddenly shook violently, and an astonishing scene appeared. Golden bridge boards flew out one after another. Under the astonished gaze of everyone, the golden bridge boards hovered in the air, forming a spiral staircase.

"Everyone, no matter what method you use, as long as you choose a step and step on it, it means you have been chosen." The big man's voice came slowly. There was no telling how many steps there were. It was like a ladder leading to the sky, extending all the way to the sky.

Some people couldn't wait and climbed up the stairs directly. The strange thing was that the person felt empty under his feet, as if he had not stepped on anything. The golden plate under his feet suddenly flashed white light and disappeared.

"Failure." The big man looked at him coldly and said, "Everyone only has one chance. You have been eliminated. I remind you again, everyone should choose carefully."

"It's an illusion." Lao Wang's voice sounded in Mu Qing's mind.

With the lessons learned from the past, everyone can't help but become more cautious.

Finally, someone stepped on it again, and this time he was lucky. The golden plate under his feet turned black the moment he landed, and a small sword shape emerged on the black bridge board.

The big man took a look and said, "A servant at the outer gate of Lingjian Sect." As he spoke, he waved his sleeves, and a gust of wind picked up the young man and blew him directly to the other side of the cliff.

"Oh, it turns out that it's not just illusions, there are also spiritual patterns." Lao Wang said: "Interesting, the way this sect selects disciples is really interesting."

"What are spiritual patterns?" Mu Qing asked.

"I'll talk about it later, let's see."

Others stepped on it one after another, and the golden bridge board showed its original color the moment they stepped on it. However, these different colors seemed to represent different statuses.

The blue bridge board with small animal patterns reads "Outer Disciple of Lingyu Sect".

The red bridge board with a tripod pattern reads "Deacon and Disciple of Lingdan Sect".

The purple bridge with rune pattern "Inner disciple of Lingfu Sect."

Mu Qing observed for a long time, and even Qin Ziyuan beside him became hesitant. If he made the wrong choice, he would regret it.

Suddenly, Qin Ziyuan was stunned for a moment, then looked at the second to last bridge board with determination in her eyes.

"Sister, let's go!" Qin Ziyuan took her sister's hand, and then the two of them stepped onto the second to last bridge plank together.

Suddenly, the bridge plank under their feet turned green, and the pattern on it was different from the original one. It was a jumping fish.

The big man showed a strange look on his face, and said, "The main sect's new disciples!" Then he rolled them up.

Everyone had expressions of envy and jealousy on their faces, except Mu Qing, who had a strange look on his face and couldn't help staring into the depths of the cliff.

"The green one can directly enter the main sect. Lao Wang, how many colors of bridge boards are there here?" Mu Qing asked.

"There are several black, blue, and red ones here, only three yellow bridge boards, two cyan bridge boards, and only one that is different from the others." Lao Wang said, "It's the 35th one from the bottom up."

Mu Qing looked up and kicked off with his feet, just stepping on the back of one of the young men who had just flown up. The young man screamed "Ah" and fell down directly, actually landing on the second green bridge board.

With the help of this kick, Mu Qing jumped up again and landed directly on the 35th bridge board.

The big man looked shocked.

The color of this bridge board has not changed, but white lines have appeared on it. Among all the bridge boards, this one is the most unique.

There was not only this big man. In the air opposite the cliff, there were four floating cushions. From left to right, sitting on them were a beautiful woman in blue, an old man in a linen robe, a cold black-faced man, and an old man with white eyebrows. Qin Ziyuan and the other woman were standing behind the beautiful woman.

These four people are the leaders of various peaks with the highest status in the main sect. They have an unusual aura, but at this moment, the expressions on their faces are more exciting than the other, and there is an incredible feeling.

"This boy has extraordinary luck." The black-faced man showed a trace of emotion on his face.

Qin Ziyuan and the other girl looked puzzled. They didn't understand what this meant.

"Take it first. I will go and report to the headmaster." said the old man in the linen robe, and he leaped up and turned into a long rainbow.

After Mu Qing was swept in, he stood on the top of an independent mountain with no one else around him. At this moment, he seemed to understand that the status of the person who was chosen to be on that bridge board must be extraordinary.

Another half an hour passed, and those who were not selected were all sad, and some even left.

There were some people standing on the other peaks. After a while, several monks came and took all these people away.

In the end, Mu Qing was the only one left standing alone on the top of the mountain.

"Are you the boy who chose Jinqiao? What's your name?"

Mu Qing looked surprised. He didn't know when a Taoist priest wearing gorgeous clothes and a star crown on his forehead appeared behind him.

When he saw him, Mu Qing was shocked. The energy and blood in his body began to circulate faintly, as if out of control, as if just a glance from the other party would make all the blood in his body burst out, and he would die instantly.

"What kind of cultivation is this?" Mu Qing was shocked. His eyes seemed gentle and his smile was like a spring breeze, but as the Taoist approached, he felt like he was suffocating, as if he dared not breathe.

"Junior Mu Qing, greetings to the senior."

A gleam of intelligence flashed in the Taoist's eyes, but he didn't notice it. He thought to himself, "Seeing me, he actually has the courage to speak. It seems that being chosen is also his luck."

"It's okay. Do you know what the golden bridge board means?" The Taoist said, "Black represents the menial servants of any sect, blue represents the outer disciples of any sect, red represents the steward disciples of any sect, and purple represents the inner disciples of any sect. As for those who can enter the main sect, one has a yellow bridge board. If they are selected, they can directly enter the main sect and become the low-level disciples of any peak. There is also a green bridge board, which can be directly promoted to the registered disciples of the head of any peak. And the gold... is the registered disciple of any ancestor in the sect!"

"Now, do you understand?"