Chapter 2

After the old man in the green robe finished speaking, he fell silent for a moment before asking again in a deep voice:

"I've heard that among the new disciples entering the sect this time, there are several chosen ones. Let them come forward for me to see."

A servant in a black robe, who looked like an old retainer, hunched over and stepped forward a few paces. He magically produced a ledger, opened it, glanced at it, and then slowly spoke in a low, aged voice:

"This time, there are a total of 4,200 initial candidates from various regions, either captured or offered. 3,400 of them were found to have too low cultivation potential during the initial inspection. There are now 843 remaining, among whom eight are chosen ones. Please step forward."

After the old servant finished speaking, no one stepped out of the crowd for a long time. The servant was not impatient and spoke again slowly:

"The so-called chosen ones are those who came here due to various accidental reasons. Some of them are even unsure why they are here."

Zhu Jiu, upon hearing the servant's explanation, thought hesitantly:

"So, I am one of the chosen ones. Ha! I originally thought the title of 'chosen one' meant someone with extremely high potential, a great and powerful being. I didn't expect that anyone who arrives here by accident is considered a chosen one. The people in this world are really superstitious, thinking that those who arrive here for unknown reasons are chosen by heaven."

Zhu Jiu stood in the middle of the crowd and watched as six young men and women reluctantly and timidly stepped out of the crowd. He couldn't help but think:

"This place is very strange. According to the memories I devoured, this world should be similar to ancient China. But from the conversation of the two young men earlier and the old man sitting in front, who can command and control ghosts, could it be that my luck is off the charts and this is actually a world where one can cultivate and practice magic?"

Zhu Jiu's mind raced with countless thoughts, but his steps did not slow. He, like the other six young men, stepped out of the crowd. Using his slim build, he cleverly used the bodies of the people in front of him to shield himself, providing a simple and subtle protection.

The old servant glanced at Zhu Jiu, seeing that seven young people had come forward—five boys and two girls, but one was still missing. He flipped through the ledger in his hand and then stepped back to stand behind the old man in the green robe again.

Zhu Jiu, thinking that important figures usually dislike being stared at, slightly lowered his head but raised his eyelids to secretly observe the old man in the green robe sitting on the chair about ten feet away. Unexpectedly, the old man's gaze was also examining them, and it met Zhu Jiu's sneaky glance.

Although Zhu Jiu was bold and had practiced the ancient corpse-driving techniques of western Hunan before his reincarnation, he did not lose his wits in this terrifying place that seemed like a ghostly realm.

However, the sudden meeting of gazes with the old man in the green robe still startled him, making his heart race and his back grow cold. The old man's gaze was so strange, sharp, cold, and sinister, something Zhu Jiu had never seen in his twenty years of life before his reincarnation or in the day and a half since he awoke.

The old man in the green robe's eyes were like lightning, slowly scanning the faces of the seven young people in front of him. Each of the young people he looked at felt a chill all over their body, as if the deepest secrets of their souls could not be hidden from this sinister old monster.

After the old man finished looking, he slowly closed his eyes and, after a while, spoke in a hoarse voice:

"Tell me how each of you came to our Divine Sect."

Zhu Jiu stood at the back and was the last to speak. Listening to the six young people in front of him tremble as they introduced their reasons for being there, he thought:

"The reasons these country bumpkins came here are truly strange. One was even blown here by a strong wind. Ha!"

After the six young men and women finished their introductions, it was Zhu Jiu's turn. He stepped forward reluctantly, relying on the vague memories of the body he now inhabited, organized his words, and spoke clearly and respectfully:

"I was seriously ill and, according to custom, was water-buried in a large river for blessings. After fainting, I woke up and was brought to this hall by a servant. My surname is Zhu, my given name is Jiu, and my courtesy name is Tianhe. I am ten years old."

The unusually steady and clear voice slowly echoed and spread throughout the hall, causing several of the old man's attendants to glance over. This young man, despite being in such a strange and unfamiliar environment, showed no fear, indicating a strong and courageous character.

Each time a young person introduced themselves, the old servant in the black robe would flip through the ledger in his hand, checking the details and matching them. When it was Zhu Jiu's turn, the old servant added in a low, aged voice:

"Ancestor, this boy has a rather unusual background. He was found drifting in the Immortal Abyss River by the river patrol spirit beast, the Swallowing Heaven Turtle, and brought to the sect. According to the rules, any ordinary person who enters our Divine Sect's territory for any reason within five years of the disciple selection ceremony has one chance to participate in the talent selection ceremony, which is why he is standing here. There was originally another chosen one, but he was always crying and deemed unsuitable, so he was killed."

Zhu Jiu was also surprised to hear this. The fragmented images that flashed in his mind revealed that the large river where this body was water-buried was called the Immortal Abyss River, and he was indeed brought here by an old turtle. How strange and interesting!

Yes, when the old turtle found him, his soul had just entered this body and was taking control. He vaguely remembered that the original soul of this body had not completely dissipated and seemed to have been absorbed by him.

Regardless, the process of how he got here was now pieced together.

The old man in the green robe glanced at Zhu Jiu and then asked the old servant behind him in a deep voice:

"Have the physical and spiritual qualities of these seven people been tested?"

The old servant bowed slightly and respectfully replied:

"Their spiritual qualities will be tested in a moment, but their physical qualities have already been tested through blood samples. All those who remain have the potential for physical cultivation. Only he is the weakest, barely passing, but his potential is quite good."

As he spoke, he pointed at Zhu Jiu. Zhu Jiu, seeing the old man point at him, was startled and muttered to himself:

"I am really unlucky. My physical condition in this reincarnated body is the worst among the seven, even worse than the two girls. This is a bad start. To protect my life, I need to work hard in the next tests."

The old man in the green robe glanced at Zhu Jiu as the old servant pointed and waved his hand, instructing:

"Let's start the next test now!"

More than a dozen attendants behind the old man quickly stepped forward, coming to the front of the young men and women. They pointed their fingers, and hundreds of small, square black boxes, each about a foot in size, appeared on the floor of the hall.

A middle-aged woman with an unusually pale face and hair that glowed with a faint blue light spoke first, pointing at the hundreds of boxes on the ground and addressing the young men and women:

"These boxes contain the tools for your second round of tests, including important items like talismans and jade slips. The usage methods are clearly written in the boxes. Your ability to quickly understand them is also part of the test. The test begins as soon as you receive the box. Please come forward and each take one box."

Hearing that the test was about to start, Zhu Jiu's expression turned serious. He gathered his full attention, solemnly took a box, and went to a corner of the hall, sitting down on the ground and opening the box.

The box was lined with black cloth, and in the center was a small, clean white jade, about the size of a thumb, faintly glowing with a white light. It was likely the talisman jade slip.

Zhu Jiu did not rush to pick up the jade slip like the others but calmly examined the other items in the box.

The box also contained a small, greenish metal block about the size of two fingers, a piece of paper with item descriptions, and a blood-red brush.

After carefully reading the item descriptions, Zhu Jiu firmly picked up the jade slip in the center of the box. Following the instructions on the paper, he gently placed the jade slip on his forehead, closed his eyes to clear his mind, and tried to receive the mysterious content within the jade slip.

{If you like it, please feel free to collect and support! Thank you for reading.}

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