Chapter 28

As they spoke, the two began walking in the direction of the Sword Testing Hall, which was not only the place where they had initially registered but also the site of today’s official assessment.

Today, Lin City was particularly bustling. As they walked, they could see young martial artists in martial attire from time to time, all heading in the same direction as Lu Xuan and his companion. Most of these people were likely there to participate in the Fengjian Sect’s entrance examination, while the rest were there to observe, hoping to gain some insight for their future attempts.

Ahead of Lu Xuan, two people who seemed to know each other were chatting casually. With nothing better to do, Lu Xuan listened to their conversation.

"Brother Feng, this time, entering the Fengjian Sect should be a sure thing, right?" A martial artist carrying a large axe laughed heartily and said to the person beside him.

The man shook his head and replied with a bitter smile, "It’s difficult! This is my third failure. If I fail again, I might have to rely on a small family."

Lu Xuan looked at this man, who also carried a long sword, and felt a sense of kinship, thinking he was likely a swordsman.

Hearing the swordsman’s words, the martial artist was surprised, "No way! I heard you’ve already reached the peak of the third level of Body Tempering. Could the Fengjian Sect’s standards be that high? This is my first time participating in the assessment, so I hope Brother Feng can give me some advice."

"I am indeed at the peak of the third level of Body Tempering, but I’ll be twenty in a few months. The Fengjian Sect’s assessment not only looks at strength but also age. If I were a year younger, with my peak third-level Body Tempering, I would have enough confidence. Unfortunately, last year, I had just reached the third level of Body Tempering and was eliminated."

Speaking of these matters, the Feng-named swordsman seemed somewhat melancholic. He had started participating in the assessment at sixteen and had never missed a year, but he had always fallen just short.

"Just an outer sect disciple, and the requirements are so high? The Fengjian Sect, being such a large sect, surely needs many outer sect disciples. With such strict requirements, even if all the young martial artists in Lin City participate, they might not recruit many people, right?" The martial artist still found it hard to believe.

The Feng-named swordsman smiled wryly and said, "You’re mistaken. The Fengjian Sect does need many outer sect disciples, but the martial artists participating in the assessment are not limited to just Lin City."

He paused and continued, "You should know that Lin City is just one city in the Tianwu Empire. There are at least ten cities like Lin City in the entire Tianwu Empire. Moreover, as far as I know, the Fengjian Sect’s jurisdiction includes the Eastern Beaconfire Empire and the Southern Chiyi Empire. As for the larger scope, even I don’t know. Think about it, with so many places sending their young talents to participate in the Fengjian Sect’s assessment, how could they lack people?"

The Feng-named swordsman’s words not only shocked the martial artist but also left Lu Xuan somewhat stunned. It was the first time he realized how vast the Tianjian Continent was.

And this was just what the Feng-named swordsman knew. How vast were the places he didn’t know?

Thinking of this, Lu Xuan couldn’t help but feel a sense of longing. Would there be a day when, with enough strength, he could traverse the entire Tianjian Continent?

However, no matter what, one must take things step by step. His first goal was to become an inner sect disciple of the Fengjian Sect. If he couldn’t even achieve that, how could he talk about traversing the entire continent?

"Brother Xuan, if someone at the peak of the third level of Body Tempering can’t even pass the assessment, doesn’t that mean my chances are even slimmer?" Yao Lei, who was beside him, said anxiously.

Lu Xuan smiled and said, "Don’t worry. Didn’t you hear him say that the assessment looks at both strength and age? He’s almost twenty, but you’re still a few months away from sixteen. How can you compare?"

While Lu Xuan was comforting Yao Lei, the martial artist also recovered from his shock and bowed to the Feng-named swordsman, saying, "I didn’t realize the world was so vast. I’m ignorant, so thank you, Brother Feng, for your guidance. I’m eighteen this year and have just reached the third level of Body Tempering. Based on your experience, do you think I can enter the Fengjian Sect?"

"Eighteen years old and at the third level of Body Tempering, there’s still a good chance. Just do your best. The assessment isn’t just about strength; it also tests character and insight. You’ll see soon enough."

The Feng-named swordsman then shared some key points and interesting stories from previous assessments with the martial artist. Lu Xuan and Yao Lei listened with great interest.

Following the two, it wasn’t long before Lu Xuan could see the Sword Testing Hall in the distance.

At this moment, the area around the Sword Testing Hall was already crowded with martial artists. All those participating in the assessment and those who would participate in the future had gathered here, making it a rare and grand event.

Due to the large number of participants, the Sword Testing Hall couldn’t accommodate everyone, so the first round of the assessment was set up on the square outside. Passing through the crowd, Lu Xuan could see several strength-testing stones placed on the square.

The content of the Fengjian Sect’s assessment was not a secret; a simple inquiry would reveal it. The first round tested the strength of the martial artists, which Lu Xuan already knew. For martial artists in the Body Tempering stage, strength was the most direct indicator of their power.

Lu Xuan and his companion arrived relatively early. The assessment was scheduled to start at the hour of Si, but it was still the hour of Chen, so it hadn’t begun yet. Lu Xuan stood quietly with his eyes closed, resting, while Yao Lei’s eyes darted around, looking for pretty girls.

After a while, Yao Lei suddenly nudged Lu Xuan and said excitedly, "Hey, Brother Xuan, look, your sister-in-law is here!"

Hearing this, Lu Xuan opened his eyes in confusion. Sister-in-law? Which sister-in-law?

Following Yao Lei’s finger, Lu Xuan couldn’t help but smile bitterly. It wasn’t a sister-in-law at all; it was Xia Chenxi and Lin Xinyi who had arrived. However, they didn’t walk over; they arrived in a carriage from the City Lord’s residence and went directly to the judges’ area.

Seeing the direction Yao Lei pointed, the surrounding martial artists all gave Lu Xuan and his companion a disdainful look. Everyone in Lin City knew Xia Chenxi and Lin Xinyi; they were the goddesses in the hearts of all the martial artists present. However, few were as shameless as Yao Lei, openly calling them sister-in-law.

Yao Lei didn’t care about the disdainful looks, and neither did Lu Xuan. He just looked at Xia Chenxi’s side and noticed that it wasn’t just the two of them who got out of the carriage. He had thought it might be the City Lord of Lin City, but it turned out to be the old shopkeeper of the Treasure Pavilion, Uncle Jiu!

Moreover, it seemed that Xia Chenxi and Lin Xinyi were just accompanying Uncle Jiu, who was the main figure.

What was going on? Lu Xuan was somewhat surprised. Although he had long known that Uncle Jiu’s identity was more than just a shopkeeper of the Treasure Pavilion, he hadn’t expected that Uncle Jiu would have the qualifications to sit in the judges’ area at such an event.

PS: Recently, Xiao Bao has been busy with a project, so updates are generally in the evening. Please bear with me, everyone. Once I have a stockpile, I’ll update regularly. Thank you for your support and recommendations!