Grand Elder Yun Ling looked at Yun Yun's lukewarm sermon and couldn't help but discuss it with the other three elders.
"Three elders, why aren't you speaking? Disrespecting a superior is a great taboo. Even if it's a misunderstanding, it can't just be let go so easily, can it?" Yun Ling said unhappily.
However, Yun Xiao, Yun Hui, and Yun Yue did not immediately respond to Yun Ling's question.
"Grand Elder, let's discuss this after the assessment," Second Elder Yun Xiao stated.
"Hmm, I agree. It's not appropriate to discuss punishing Lin Aoxue here," Third Elder Yun Hui also added.
"I also agree with the two Senior Brothers. We need to consider Sect Master Senior Sister's reputation and not make her lose face," Yun Xue also agreed.
Since all three had spoken, Yun Ling's idea of causing trouble in public could only be dismissed. Without the support of the other three Inner Sect Elders, he alone could not challenge Yun Yun's authority.
The Yunxia Sect had a rule: if the four Inner Sect Elders collectively opposed the Sect Master's decision,
then even Yun Yun could not forcefully issue a command.
This was a method used to restrain the Sect Master's power.
Let's look at Lin Aoxue and Yun Yun again.
"Alright, get up. How to punish you will be decided after the assessment. Today, I, your master, have lost face. You must help me regain it, understand?" Yun Yun said seriously.
Lin Aoxue, seeing that her master had finally calmed down, stood up with a grin.
"Okay, Master, don't worry, I promise to help you regain your face. I'm going to my sister now." Lin Aoxue said, then flew down from the high platform to Ye Liuyun's side.
The other Personal Disciples, who had harbored ulterior motives, all felt helpless seeing this scene. It seemed that using this matter to attack Lin Aoxue was basically impossible.
"What? Are you kidding me? The Sect Master can even tolerate such disrespectful behavior. What about Lin Aoxue makes her so biased?" Jiang Hong, standing next to Li Jianxin, said angrily.
Li Jianxin didn't say much but kept his gaze on Ye Liuyun.
After all, a Lingxi Realm cultivator was enough for Lin Aoxue to publicly fall out with her master, which indicated that this girl held significant weight in Lin Aoxue's heart and was definitely worth paying attention to.
The other Personal Disciples also exchanged glances, especially Nalan Yan, who knew Ye Liuyun. She had been secretly observing Ye Liuyun, paying attention whenever Ye Liuyun visited their Alchemy Pavilion.
Lin Aoxue pulled Ye Liuyun to a less crowded corner. Although many eyes were on them, the two simply ignored them.
"Hey! What exactly happened? Where did you go? And, it's only been three years, why do I feel like you're a bit strange?" Lin Aoxue scrutinized Ye Liuyun from head to toe.
Ye Liuyun was startled.
"Strange? What do you mean? I feel like I haven't changed much from three years ago, have I?" Ye Liuyun said seriously, playing with her hair.
But Ye Liuyun's changes definitely couldn't escape Lin Aoxue's notice. Lin Aoxue stepped back a few paces and carefully examined Ye Liuyun again.
"You say you haven't changed? You definitely wouldn't have stood like this before. Don't you know your current posture is full of elegance? And when did you start liking to play with your hair? It's over, you've fallen." The more Lin Aoxue looked at Ye Liuyun, the more she felt something was off.
With Lin Aoxue's reminder, Ye Liuyun finally reacted, then quickly released her hair and stood up straight.
"Ahem, it's not that exaggerated, is it? Let's not talk about this. These past few years, I've been cultivating in the Alchemy Pavilion and the back mountains of Yunxia Sect. I haven't really returned to my residence." Ye Liuyun quickly changed the subject.
At the same time, she immediately complained about Lin Qingyou in her heart.
"It must be your doing. You said you wouldn't force me to learn etiquette, but is it the problem with these palm and foot techniques?" Ye Liuyun asked.
Lin Qingyou chuckled.
"Didn't I say? These two cultivation methods are suitable for girls to cultivate. Isn't it normal for your posture and movements to become feminized after cultivating girls' cultivation methods for a long time?" Lin Qingyou said indifferently.
Upon hearing this, Ye Liuyun knew she had fallen for Lin Qingyou's trick. She felt that after the assessment, it was necessary to find a place to properly examine her current self.
"You still say it's not exaggerated? Could it be excessive estrogen secretion? It's over, this time I'm really going to become a sister." Lin Aoxue said with a worried expression.
Ye Liuyun rolled her eyes.
"Alright, alright, don't make such an exaggerated expression. Even if my body has become feminized, I can guarantee that my heart is absolutely a man." Ye Liuyun solemnly guaranteed again.
Lin Aoxue looked at Ye Liuyun's serious expression and now felt a sense of comicality. What kind of feeling? It was like a very cute girl insisting that she was a man, that kind of comicality.
"Alright, alright, let's not talk about this. After the assessment, we'll find a place to have a good chat." Lin Aoxue walked up to Ye Liuyun and said with a suggestive look.
"Hmph! I really want to turn back into a man and take you, to let you know what a real man is." Ye Liuyun said unhappily.
Looking at the Training Grounds, soon all the disciples who had joined three years ago were present. This assessment would first eliminate disciples who had not reached the Lingxi Realm.
Then, they would be divided. Those who performed well might directly enter the Inner Sect and become Inner Sect Disciple.
Inner Sect Disciple and Outer Sect Disciple, even if they were both in the Lingxi Realm, had completely different treatments. The treatment for a beginner Inner Sect Disciple was double that of a beginner Outer Sect Disciple.
Disciples who entered the Inner Sect were considered to have potential and were recognized by the sect. Those in the Outer Sect were considered to have mediocre aptitudes and were not worth cultivating.
"Time's up. The disciple assessment will now begin. All disciples who joined three years ago, please be ready. First is the realm assessment. Disciples who have reached the Lingxi Realm can directly be promoted to beginner Outer Sect Disciple. Those who have not met the standard will leave the Yunxia Sect today. The assessment begins. Those whose names are called, please come forward for testing." A steward stood on the assessment platform, holding a roster and announcing.
Some people present were anxious, while others were calm. The anxious ones were so because they weren't sure if they had reached the Lingxi Realm.
Why couldn't they be sure? Because their power would grow during cultivation, but this growth had to reach a specific stage to be considered reaching the Lingxi Realm.
Many were in the Half-step Lingxi Realm, stronger than mortals, but weaker than true Lingxi Realm cultivators.
They couldn't judge such an in-between realm themselves.
"First up is Personal Disciple Lin Aoxue. Please, Lin Aoxue, come to the stage for testing." The first person the sect steward called was Lin Aoxue.
This was normal. As the disciple with the highest entry level three years ago, she was naturally ranked first.
"I'm first? Hehe, Liuyun, just watch, I'm definitely the strongest." Lin Aoxue smiled confidently, then leaped onto the stage.
With her flying back and forth, everyone knew she had already broken through the Lingxi Realm and reached the Linghe Realm. There was no need for testing; it was purely a formality.