Chapter 27: The Test Begins

Tianshui City, West District.

The vast square was already teeming with people, each face filled with excitement and anticipation.

Today was the grand recruitment competition of the Xuanjian Sect, which took place every ten years. Countless young talents from Tianshui County had gathered here, their faces brimming with excitement and a yearning for the future, hoping to pass the Xuanjian Sect's entrance test and become a disciple of this martial arts sanctuary.

While these young martial artists waited excitedly for the test, each of them also felt a bit anxious, as the results of this test would completely change their lives.

The Xuanjian Sect only admitted twenty people each time, and those who placed in the top three might even directly enter the inner sect, achieving a meteoric rise.

However, most people did not have high hopes of entering the inner sect.

Because in almost everyone's mind, the inner sect candidate for this recruitment was bound to be Ouyang Yuan, the second son of the Tianshui County Governor.

Ouyang Yuan was truly outstanding among this batch of young martial artists, far surpassing his peers. At just seventeen years old, he had already reached the Sixth Level of True Qi, and he was also a Bloodline Martial Artist who had awakened a mid-grade Earth Bloodline. His dazzling talent made his peers pale in comparison.

As for the former first genius of Tianshui City, Chu Jianqiu, he had long been forgotten, let alone competing for the top three spots in the test.

If it had been a month ago, he might still have had a chance to become a disciple of the Xuanjian Sect.

Even though Chu Jianqiu had not made any progress in his cultivation for three years, he was still a True Qi martial artist at that time. Such a young True Qi martial artist was still quite rare in Tianshui County, and he still had a chance to enter the top twenty.

Now, however, when people thought of the former first genius of Tianshui City, their hearts were filled with contempt and disdain.

A first-rate genius of Tianshui City, whose cultivation had stagnated for three years, had even gone astray in cultivation, causing his dantian to shatter and losing all his cultivation. It was truly embarrassing.

Later, it was heard that he had somehow repaired his dantian and could cultivate again, but as a mere Fourth Level of Body Tempering martial artist, he did not even have the qualifications to participate in the Xuanjian Sect's test, let alone pass it and become a disciple.

As the sun rose, the four major families of Tianshui City, the Wanwu Trading Company, and the Tianshui County Governor's Office gradually arrived at the square.

When Ouyang Yuan and Liu Tianyao appeared together, the scene instantly erupted into a commotion. The young martial artists all looked at them with burning eyes, bursting into cheers one after another.

"Lord Ouyang and Miss Liu are a perfect match. They truly make a celestial couple when standing together!"

"They are a perfect match in every way. It was said that the so-called first genius of Tianshui City, Chu Jianqiu, used some means to deceive Miss Liu for three years. Fortunately, that good-for-nothing eventually suffered for his misdeeds, and Miss Liu finally saw through his false facade."

"It's only because Miss Liu has a good heart that she sent him back to the Chu family. If it were me, being deceived by such a despicable person for three years, I would have let him fend for himself, which would have been merciful enough."

"A good-for-nothing like him, not only is he a failure, but he even had the audacity to lust after a swan. His despicable thoughts are truly disgusting."

...

While the crowd was praising Ouyang Yuan and Liu Tianyao, they did not forget to mock Chu Jianqiu.

Liu Tianyao, hearing the comments from below, felt extremely pleased. "Chu Jianqiu, even if you have climbed up to the Wanwu Trading Company, I still have ways to make you lose everything and suffer worse than death. If you dare to come today, I will make you a failure again, and this time, I won't give you any chance to recover."

Her gaze swept through the Chu family's group but found no sign of Chu Jianqiu. It seemed that this good-for-nothing had some self-awareness and did not dare to come and make a fool of himself.

Liu Tianyao, like a proud swan, held her delicate chin high, looking down on everyone with immense pride, basking in the admiration and worship of the crowd.

As the Xuanjian Sect's representatives finally arrived, the atmosphere on the scene reached its peak, and everyone waited nervously and excitedly for the test to begin.

"Let's start the test!" Elder Luo Xiuyong of the Xuanjian Sect waved his hand and said casually.

Tianshui County was the smallest and weakest of the nine southern counties of the Dagang Dynasty.

This remote and small place had always been difficult to produce any talented individuals.

In the past hundred years, only a few had shown any promise, so Luo Xiuyong was not too concerned about the recruitment in Tianshui County. He was already quite unhappy about being assigned to recruit here.

He could already foresee that when the other elders returned to the sect with a batch of outstanding talents, and he returned with a group of mediocre individuals, he would face a lot of unpleasant looks and comments.

As the test began, the young martial artists started to step up to the platform one by one, approaching the test stone on the platform.

"Tian Hongcai, nineteen years old; realm: Seventh Level of Body Tempering; meridians unblocked: five; bloodline: none; talent: lower-grade Yellow."

"Kuang Tian Gong, seventeen years old; realm: Eighth Level of Body Tempering; meridians unblocked: ten; bloodline: none; talent: middle-grade Yellow."

"You Mingzhi, twenty years old; realm: Ninth Level of Body Tempering; meridians unblocked: twelve; bloodline: none; talent: middle-grade Yellow."

...

"All a bunch of good-for-nothings!" Luo Xiuyong, looking at the test results one by one, became even more irritable and couldn't help but curse.

"Anyone below the Ninth Level of Body Tempering, don't come up." Luo Xiuyong impatiently told an attendant disciple beside him. These good-for-nothings were wasting his time, and seeing such test results was making him very upset.

The attendant disciple quickly relayed Luo Xiuyong's instructions.

The young martial artists below the Ninth Level of Body Tempering, upon hearing this, were struck as if by lightning, their enthusiasm and hope instantly extinguished. Some, with weaker mental fortitude, even burst into tears on the spot.

Luo Xiuyong's restriction immediately eliminated a large number of people. Those who could reach the Ninth Level of Body Tempering before the age of twenty were still a minority.

For those without any family background or cultivation resources, achieving this condition was almost impossible.

"Mo Tongfang, seventeen years old; realm: Ninth Level of Body Tempering; meridians unblocked: twelve; bloodline: lower-grade Yellow; talent: upper-grade Yellow."

"Fu Lingxue, eighteen years old; realm: First Level of True Qi; meridians unblocked: twelve; bloodline: middle-grade Yellow; talent: supreme-grade Yellow."

...

After adding this restriction, the subsequent test results made Luo Xiuyong's face much more pleasant, although there were still no outstanding talents, at least the results were not as glaringly mediocre.