The answer lies in 'Qi suppression'.

  "Hang on, I get what you're saying, but is that all there is to it?" the boy queried, sceptical.

  The boy's concerns were reasonable. Although Qi Suppression was effective against detection by Qi Sensing, most individuals did not use the technique constantly. However, there was an exception.

  "Griffins aren't exactly renowned for their eyesight. They mostly rely on their sense of smell and their own version of Qi Sensing. We'll get rid of our scent. Here. We'll all get covered in mud, and then everyone will use Qi suppression." She'd seen something similar on a nature documentary. In this show they also used urine to mask the smell, but she didn't want to do that.

  “How do you know so much about these creatures?”

  “I heard about them from merchants once,” she replied.

  “Are you sure? Maybe we should look for another way?”

  “We'll waste too much time. Just think about it. The first phase was to use Qi Sensing, and now they're logically checking the next basic cultivation techniques.”

  Of course, she didn't rely on that alone. She had a few tricks up her sleeve.

  She had had the system for many years, so she had a few techniques/tricks up her sleeve that she could use in the worst case scenario.

  However, this is something I would prefer to avoid. All my ideas are too expensive.

  For example: Fake Foundation Establishment Aura - For just 10,000, it could create a “fake” aura that would ward off the beast.

  The purchase of powerful techniques was expensive, but if you didn't buy them forever, but for a moment, there was a tenfold drop in price. It was a great trick. For a tens of thousands, she could use a Foundation Establishment-level attack once with no consequences (most of which went toward protecting her body from excessive force of said attack). Naturally, it cost too much money, but even if things had gone really badly, she wouldn't have died from that stupid griffin. Even though it would have been painful for her wallet to be deprived of the cash.

  “Are you all sure of your ability to suppress Qi?” she asked, looking particularly at the two of them.

  “Yes. See for yourself.”

  They immediately activated their technique. May decided to test them with her Qi Sensing.

  “Not bad,” she said.

  She estimated that they were around F+ rank. She herself was E-. So they weren't bad.

  “And you?” She looked at her colleague from her town.

  “Haha, see for yourself. This is the technique I'm most confident in.” He said, and his aura immediately disappeared.

  May was in a light state of shock. His ability was on par with hers, maybe even a little better.

  How is this possible? Considering his cultivation level, his talent shouldn't be this good. Does he really have a unique physique? I can't figure him out.

  She decided she couldn't afford to underestimate this world any longer. There really were a lot of strange things here.

  “Okay, let's go.”

  'What? Already? So quickly? Shouldn't we think about it some more?'

  ‘No, we need to go as soon as possible. More people will be here soon and we don't know how they'll react. Besides, we need to get through while this thing still has food.”

  'I understand. What if someone shows up here and starts screaming right away? Then we're dead.”

  'Yeah... The search for another way might take too long."

  Although nobody was eager to go on, they had no other choice. May led the group. She didn't want to, but she had become some sort of unofficial leader of this strange group.

  Everyone was silent, and you could hear the heartbeats of everyone in the group.

  If they made a mistake, they would all die. They stood no chance in a fight. This was their only chance.

  They were only a few meters away from the griffin. Up close, it was even more terrifying. Senlin closed her eyes and held the hand of the boy who was leading her.

  The beast was just ripping out the intestines of one of the children. Even May, an adult, felt sick. This world was truly not normal. How could the cultivators be normal when as kids they had to experience such sights?

  She took a good look at the griffin. She had never seen anything like it before. It was the closest she had ever been to death. A powerful beast, a force of nature that could kill an elephant with a single blow.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  However, they managed to get past the griffin. The plan worked. The griffin didn't notice them. However, no one turned off their Qi Suppression. It was only after half an hour of traveling that May was the first to deactivate her ability.

  “We should be safe now.”

  Following her lead, others did the same.

  “I thought we were dead. May... It's all thanks to you.”

  “It's not just me. You could have done it without me.”

  Even without that, you could always look for a different way. Even though it would take time, it would still be safer. Tests like this never have just one solution.

  “We should rest for a while.”

  “Yeah, I can't feel my legs. They're like jelly.”

  They decided to take a break. The exam was still going on.

  As they were resting, another group passed by. They didn't say a word, but it was clear that they were also frightened.

  Hmm, apparently we weren't the only ones who figured it out. Well, no wonder.

  After all, it required just the basic knowledge of Qi Suppresion. It was literally the most basic technique.

  “Let's go. We still have a long way to go.”

  They got back on their feet and continued their journey. They walked even slower than before. Everyone kept a close eye on their surroundings. Just in case there was a monster flying above their heads.

  Luckily, there wasn't, but the road was getting harder and harder to walk on.

  The mountain became steeper and steeper.

  Finally, the road ended and they had to start climbing the rocks.

  If they let go, they would fall into the depths. Fortunately, no one lost their grip and they made it across safely. However, this was not the last such moment.

  “I'm sick of these damn rocks.”

  “We're almost there.”

  However, it took quite a while to reach the summit. She didn't have a watch or a phone to check the time, but it had been about three and a half hours.

  At the very top stood the examiner, who congratulated them.

  They weren't the first, but there weren't more than about thirty people at the top.

  Of course, if May had wanted to, she could easily have been the first to reach the top, but she decided to slow down and walk with her group, who unfortunately weren't the fastest. However, it didn't seem to matter much. After all, they had to wait until the exam was over. So they had a moment to rest. At the top, there was a small place where they could drink some water.

  The mountain water from the stream tasted really good.

  They spent the rest of the time talking to each other.

  Her two new friends greeted her “betrothed.”

  “Oh, yes, I'm Deng Zhifang.”

  So that's his name. Good to know, finally. I'm really bad with names.

  “I'm Senlin—to my friends. My real name is a bit difficult, so everyone calls me that.”

  “And I'm just Wang. My last name is also Wang. So yes, my name is really Wang Wang. I know, it's a bit strange.”

  “Huh, unusual names. Where are y’all from?

  “Well, that’s a topic for another time. More importantly. What about you guys? Are you a couple?

  “No. Just acquaintances."

  “Hey, you didn’t have to put it like that."

  "How else? I’m just stating the facts."

  She looked around. Although it had been quite some time since they arrived, no one had come for a while. The selection was really extensive. Less than two hundred remained.

  Too many people have been eliminated. They'll probably just end it here.

  Although she did not know the exact numbers, probably less than a third of the initial candidates remained. This was a much higher mortality rate than in previous years.

  However, perhaps not all of them had died.

  "We were supposed to do one more exam in the maze to test Qi Control."

  ‘Give it up. Too many people have been eliminated by that griffin and many have given up,’ the woman replied.

  "Yes, it was unexpected. Who would have thought he would fly the nest at that moment? However, it's actually great. We have less work to do.”

  “It’s not he, it’s she: it’s a female griffin.”

  ‘What's the difference?’

  "A major one. Female griffins are known to be much more violent. And more malicious.”

  A new person emerged from behind the rocks.

  "We should have stopped the exam when that thing appeared. This was supposed to be an endurance test. Just climbing the mountain is difficult."

  "But instead it was a Qi Suppression test. Different methods, same outcome."

  "In any case, no harm has been done. The only thing left is the aptitude test. Shieng, since you’re so wise, why don't you take the kids to the cave?”

  "You’re such a piece of trash. Whatever."

  "Asshole.”

  The exam was finally over. Everyone who was on top had passed. Well, they haven't been admitted into the school yet, but as long as they have any talent, they should have a chance.

  After all, there were only 500 spots. 10 classes of 50 people.

  A new examiner approached them. He was a bald man that resembled a monk. He wore a suit similar to the one in the anime Naruto—bright orange, to be precise.

  He took them to some place. A cave. The entrance was incredibly long. They walked down wooden stairs for almost 20 minutes. When they reached the end, they saw something that looked like a river.

  “This is the False Spiritual Qi River - a copy of the one in the Inner Court, however, it serves its basic function. It will allow us to test your talent. It is not perfect and has a fairly large error, but it is more or less accurate.”

  “Now I will explain how it will work. First, place your hand on this stone. It will suck all the Qi out of you. It will be a little painful, but you must endure it. Then you will put on this medallion—it will force you into something similar to Qi Suppression.”

  “Wait, why do we have to block our cultivation?” asked one of the boys standing in the back.

  “Those are the rules. Cultivation levels will skew the results. We don't want to measure your cultivation levels, but your pure talent. Some parents feed their children expensive medicines and pills, which artificially enhances their cultivation. The sect needs talent. We can't afford to waste resources on the less talented.”

  It made sense. Certainly, there were people who were good at cultivation only because of their parents' resources. The sect would accept such a person believing that they had talent, when in fact they had only succeeded because of money.

  “Continuing, before I was interrupted. Next, you will enter the river and submerge your head, and simply walk forward. That is all.”

  “Wait!” shouted the little girl in front. “We have to hold our breath there?! But the river is too long! No one can hold their breath that long.”

  “You don't need to hold your breath. This river is filled with a special type of water mixed with Qi. It's a little unpleasant, but you can breathe in this water.”

  “What if someone is afraid of water?”

  “Everyone must participate. Not participating means disqualification from the exam.”

  “But how can this river evaluate our talent? I don’t understand.” Someone asked a question that May was also curious about. She didn’t ask it herself because she didn’t want to stand out.

  “Do you see those rocks around the river? They are evenly spaced. Each section of the river has a different concentration of Qi. The more your body can endure, the better your talent. That is why we must limit your cultivation in order to measure it fairly.”

  “One more thing, if you feel any discomfort, don’t continue. Many people try to deceive themselves. If you feel pain, stop. Otherwise, you could damage your internal organs.”

  “Now let’s begin! In random order! Huang Mo, come forward!”