I don't have many merits, but I am steady. Follow me, and there will be no surprises.

Su Qi witnessed the myriad rays of light descending from the sky, engulfing all four thousand examinees in an instant. The entire spectacle lasted mere seconds, so breathtaking it stole his breath away. A strange sense of disorientation welled up in his chest.

"Damn it, I haven't even boarded yet!"

Don't ask why.

The Jiangxia Guardian had indeed sent both the invigilation procedures and the operation plan to Su Qi's Yuanxin account.

The problem was...

Too many words. Who reads that?

Such dry, explanatory text—

It's like expecting someone to read every single word of a mobile game's user agreement.

You just scroll to the bottom and tick "I agree," right?

So, Su Qi had only skimmed the table of contents and a few key sections with important-sounding titles.

No one had told him how to find the "staff entrance" for invigilators either.

Left with no choice, Su Qi pulled out his small communicator, ready to revisit the invigilation guidelines.

Just then, a hand suddenly clapped onto his shoulder.

Turning around, Su Qi saw a middle-aged man with a kindly face, dressed in the standard invigilator uniform. The nameplate on his chest read "Chen Yuan."

"First time invigilating?"

"Yeah."

Su Qi nodded in admission.

Chen Yuan chuckled. "I could tell. That lost look on your face? Exactly how I looked during my first assignment."

"Was it that obvious?"

"Painfully so. And don’t bother checking your device—the invigilation procedures don’t cover this."

Noticing Su Qi’s hesitant expression, Chen Yuan withdrew his hand.

His gaze lingered on Su Qi’s invigilator badge, eyebrows furrowing.

"Free Movement? Seriously?"

Before Su Qi could respond, Chen Yuan flashed an "I get it" smile.

"You’re like me—value your life, right?"

"This year’s special. The Descenders are getting restless."

"Examinees' lives matter, but so do ours."

"Pulling strings to switch roles and stay in the rear? Smart move."

"Relax, I’ve got seniority here."

"Come with me. We’re heading to the monitoring room now."

He pointed at his own badge, which read "Examinee Hazard Monitor."

"The monitoring room’s safe."

Why was he so sure?

Because Su Qi was still young.

Unless blessed by some rare opportunity, reaching the eighth or ninth tier of cultivation required at least thirty years of age.

Add to that Su Qi’s exhausted eyes and unsteady gait—nothing like the powerhouse vibe expected of a "Free Movement" invigilator.

Clearly, he was some big shot’s son here for resume padding.

After all, participating in thwarting a Descender plot as a "Free Movement" invigilator would indeed leave an impressive mark on one’s record.

"But—"

Before Su Qi could protest, the "enthusiastic senior" slung an arm around his neck.

"No buts. My only virtue is caution."

"Stick with me, and nothing goes wrong."

Su Qi wasn’t sure how to handle such forced camaraderie.

Thus, the two proceeded along the tunnel carved into the mountain. Su Qi noticed countless shimmering crystals embedded in the walls, emitting a faint blue glow.

"These are peripheral nodes of the Yuan Realm monitoring array," Chen Yuan explained, following his gaze. "Cultivator tech. Three hundred sixty-five monitoring points across the entire Yuan Realm. The control room lets us observe every sector."

"Of course, these weren’t installed for the exam. The exam chose this location because the monitoring network already existed."

Su Qi nodded thoughtfully. "What exactly do we need to do?"

"Three main tasks." Chen Yuan counted them off. "First, monitor abnormal energy fluctuations in the Yuan Realm to prevent high-level threats from entering examinee zones. Second, record examinee performance and scores. Third, alert rescue teams if any examinee faces mortal danger."

At the tunnel’s end stood a heavy metal door. Chen Yuan pressed his palm against the recognition panel, and the door slid open.

Inside the monitoring room, thirty-some invigilators were already at their stations. Ten large screens covered the far wall, displaying different sectors of the Yuan Realm.

"I’m responsible for the southeast sector—team leader for this area."

Chen Yuan guided Su Qi to two vacant seats. "We handle judgment calls on complex situations."

"Since you’re here to coast, I’ll give you three screens. Can’t gamble with examinee safety, after all."

As Su Qi sat, three screens materialized before him, streaming live feeds from their assigned monitoring points.

"Those wristbands double as protection and sensors," Chen Yuan said, pointing at examinees wearing silver bands on-screen. "They track vital signs, Yuan energy fluctuations, and threat levels encountered."

Su Qi focused on one window where a female examinee had just landed, warily scanning her surroundings.

"Abnormal energy spike in eastern sector!"

An invigilator’s voice rang out. "Possible seventh-tier Yuan Realm creature movement!"

His screen showed dense forest canopy shaking violently—something massive approaching.

"How many examinees in that zone?" Chen Yuan demanded instantly.

"Seven, all fourth-tier."

"Issue an alert immediately. Lock onto all seven examinees’ statuses."

"Prep rescue teams to move toward that location now."

Chen Yuan’s expression turned grave as his fingers flew across the screen. "This is our job."

"Maximize examinee safety without overly interfering in the exam process."

Data streams flashed across the screens in rapid succession.

Just as Su Qi prepared to ask another question, a red alert flashed on another of his screens—a female examinee surrounded by three Yuan beasts, her vitals plummeting.

"Call rescue for her?"

Su Qi’s finger hovered over the emergency button by instinct.

Chen Yuan’s hand intercepted his, preventing the press.

"Wait."

On screen, the girl swayed, blood seeping from countless wounds, staining her clothes crimson.

"Not at her limit yet." Chen Yuan narrowed his eyes. "Her spiritual energy suggests she’s got one last stand in her."

"See if she summons the will to fight. Premature intervention tanks her final score."

Su Qi watched intently as the examinee—back against a boulder—lifted her head with difficulty, eyes flashing defiance.

"Fourth-tier mid-stage, name Lin Yuqing, from Cultivator Academy Three." Chen Yuan pulled up her profile. "Modest background. Parents are factory workers. Relies entirely on scholarships."

Her sword gleamed faintly as she faced the three prowling Yuan beasts.

For students like her, exam results determined everything.

Lin Yuqing’s arm trembled as she used her scabbard to push off the ground, rising slowly.

Though blood still flowed from her wounds, her spiritual energy began stabilizing.

The instant before the beasts pounced, her weapon suddenly transformed.

Like time itself accelerated, weathering and decay spread across the blade—

Yet in its final moment before crumbling, the sword swept forward.

The three Origin Beasts were instantly crushed and pulverized by the dazzling sword light, disintegrating into dust along with the blade.

But she herself suffered a final retaliatory strike from the dying beasts.

Explosions of blood mist erupted both in front and behind her as countless wounds rapidly spread across her skin.

Her strength drained in an instant, and she collapsed into a pool of blood.

Without hesitation, Su Qi pressed the rescue button.

"Good call this time. Given her condition, she won’t have any combat capability for the next eight hours," Chen Yuan patted Su Qi’s shoulder. "The rescue team is already on their way—estimated arrival in three minutes."

Chen Yuan made notes on the evaluation sheet. "A mid-tier Fourth Order cultivator, single-handedly defeating three early-stage Fourth Order Origin Beasts in an ambush. The final rating might be adjusted upward."

"The real battlefield is a hundred times crueler than this."

"She does remind me of my younger self—"

Before he could finish, someone interrupted, "Come on, Captain, stop fooling the rookies."

"Everyone knows you, Chen Yuan, are the most cautious one here."

Even teased by his subordinates, Chen Yuan didn’t take offense.

Because it was true.

He was forty now.

Since the age of fifteen, he had never been reckless.

Maybe everyone has a glorious moment worth bragging about.

But Chen Yuan didn’t.

For twenty-five years, he had simply trained diligently.

Back then, the martial exams hadn’t been reformed yet, and Origin Realm trials still existed.

Despite his outstanding talent as a peak Fifth Order cultivator, he only dared to target Fourth Order Origin Beasts—avoiding even lone early-stage Fifth Order ones.

In the end, his cautious nature meant that despite his strength, he was only admitted to an ordinary academy.

During his four years there, he only ventured into Origin Realms below his own rank.

The rewards were meager, but safety was guaranteed.

By graduation, he had reached the Seventh Order—yet he declined all frontline invitations.

Instead, he spent the next decade as a workhorse, serving as a bodyguard and chaperoning rich heirs into low-level Origin Realms.

Eventually, through accumulated resources and time, he broke through to the Eighth Order.

After signing an agreement to never engage in combat with opponents of the same rank, he joined the official Jiangxia Guardian organization.

Now, at peak Eighth Order, his greatest achievement was slaying a single early-stage Seventh Order common Origin Realm creature.