Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Azure Wind Sword Sect has its own methods for testing perseverance. This time, they entered a formation where the space inside is vast, allowing one hundred people to enter at a time.
This formation is filled with immense pressure; once inside, one must endure the pressure coming from all directions, as if carrying hundreds of pounds of weight.
Groups of youths are required to enter, and their performance is judged based on how long they can endure, thereby assessing the strength of their willpower. This is the most direct and effective method.
Ren Pingsheng and his group were also arranged to enter a formation. As they sat cross-legged and prepared themselves, the Outer Sect Disciple outside activated the formation at the signal of the Silver-Robed Elder. Instantly, the pressure from all directions surged in, making each person feel a weight pressing down on their shoulders.
For them, carrying hundreds of pounds was still bearable, but maintaining that position for an extended period was unbearable. After all, they were just youths who had not yet formally embarked on the path of cultivation.
Sure enough, before even half a tea's time had passed, one youth could no longer hold on and chose to withdraw. Some who were unwilling to give up fainted and were carried away by the waiting Outer Sect Disciple. Regardless of the final outcome, they at least persisted until they reached their limit.
Soon, out of this batch of one hundred people, only about fifty remained. Although it was commendable that they had lasted this long, eliminations continued, with someone leaving every moment.
Many youths trembled, their eyes tightly shut, faces pale, beads of sweat rolling down their foreheads, clearly unable to hold on much longer.
After another tea's time, only ten people remained in the formation, including Ren Pingsheng. He felt he could still endure; after all, his body was quite good due to years of martial training. His physical strength and endurance far exceeded that of his peers.
Glancing around, he noticed that some others appeared relatively relaxed as well; clearly, their physical conditions were also quite good. After all, in such a vast world, many families spare no expense in nurturing their children with various rare resources from a young age. Their qualities might even rival those who had just entered the Qi Refinement Stage as Cultivators.
While Ren Pingsheng was lost in thought, the pressure in the formation suddenly doubled. Several unprepared youths immediately collapsed to the ground and gave up.
Even Ren Pingsheng was caught off guard by this sudden increase in pressure; his body leaned dangerously as he nearly fell like those unfortunate ones. However, although he managed to hold on, the numbness in his body indicated that he was likely nearing his limit.
As time passed, the power within the formation increased again. Now only three people remained: besides Ren Pingsheng, there was a girl named Luo Yiran, who had previously been identified with purple talent, and an unnamed youth in white.
At this moment, Ren Pingsheng had no mood to observe others; his situation was similar to those youths who were about to give up. His brows furrowed in pain as his entire blue robe became soaked with sweat, and his body began to tremble.
But he still gritted his teeth and persisted; he wanted to see where his limits were and how much he could endure. Since he had chosen this path, what was a little suffering?
He closed his eyes, emptied his mind, and thought of nothing. Ren Pingsheng felt as if he had entered a strange state, his consciousness seemingly detached from his body. He no longer felt pressure or pain, as if he were an observer; the one enduring the suffering was completely not himself.
This startled Ren Pingsheng, and as his heart raced, that state immediately vanished. His awareness returned, and he opened his eyes in confusion, completely unaware of what had just happened. Was it a dream?
There was no time to think further; the heavy pressure and the pain piercing through him like thousands of arrows quickly blurred his consciousness. He couldn't hold on any longer; that was his last thought before he fainted.
After exiting the formation, it wasn't long before Ren Pingsheng woke up. Although he still felt somewhat heavy-headed, it was much easier than being in the formation.
About an hour later, the first day's tests came to an end.
The Azure Wind Sword Sect's recruitment would last for three days, so for the next two days, the square remained crowded with people. Youngsters who had come from afar participated in the tests with hope, but the results varied—some celebrated while others were disheartened.
By the end of the three days, around forty thousand youths had come to take part in the tests within a thousand miles radius. However, how many would pass and become Registered Disciples of the sect remained unknown, as results would only be announced tomorrow.
As for those who had already been eliminated, they were forced to leave. Some hoped to return next year, while others felt they had lost their chance entirely and pondered their future paths helplessly.
Those who had hopes of being selected by the Azure Wind Sword Sect were arranged in guesthouses, waiting for tomorrow's announcement. Each one dreamed of seeing their name on the list. Some who felt confident even imagined their rankings and whether they could secure the top spot. A few youngsters even woke up smiling from their dreams.
As the sun rose from the distant horizon, a new day began. The quiet Canglan Mountain became lively once again.
Many youths arrived early at the testing square to await the announcement. Familiar faces gathered in small groups, quietly discussing the list and speculating about their potential rankings. More often than not, they lacked confidence and waited anxiously for the results.
"Are you Ren Pingsheng? Don't think you're impressive just because you have talent!" A harsh voice rang out, causing Ren Pingsheng in the square to turn around.
It turned out to be Huang Qing, someone who seemed to have a significant background and knowledge of magical artifacts. It appeared he was still holding a grudge over the talent test from two days ago. Although he had stolen some of Ren Pingsheng's thunder, this guy was being overly petty.
Speaking of which, among the fifty youths who came from Yellowstone City, the one with the best talent was Ren Pingsheng, who had Blue Royal Talent. No wonder Huang Qing was jealous; he only had green talent. Although he was among the top in the group of fifty, Ren Pingsheng overshadowed him.
"Do you have something to say?" Since they were both from Yellowstone City, Ren Pingsheng politely responded.
"Hmph, just a reminder not to think too highly of yourself just because you have good talent. No matter how good you are, you're still just a poor commoner who hasn't seen much of the world." After saying this, he seemed to find a sense of superiority and laughed more arrogantly, drawing glances from those around.
"Exactly! Just a lucky poor commoner! What does having good talent matter? Once we enter the sect, we’ll see who’s really strong!" Two people beside Huang Qing immediately joined in.
Ren Pingsheng glanced at them; they looked somewhat familiar, probably also part of the fifty who came together, but he didn’t know them at all and couldn’t be bothered to engage.
After all, he was fundamentally an educated person. His father had told him that scholars should be humble and not petty like young girls. They should avoid arrogance and anger and maintain calmness at all times. This had shaped his indifferent and unflappable character.
"Hey, a commoner is just a commoner; they don’t even have basic manners. They’ll never amount to anything, such a waste of good talent," Huang Qing sneered with disdain in his triangular eyes.
"The rankings are out..." Someone shouted, instantly capturing everyone's attention in the square. Everyone turned to look at the announcement area, where a wooden board measuring fifty feet on each side stood tall. It displayed a golden hollow list filled with names and numbers.
"Haha, my name is here! Fifteenth hundred!"
"I’m on there too; I’m eighth hundred! My rank is much higher than yours!"
Joyful laughter echoed from the front, mixed with cries of despair from those whose names were absent. Clearly, there were unfortunate souls who had held onto endless hope only to end up disappointed.
Ren Pingsheng saw from afar that the last name on the list was three thousand and tenth. It seemed that only these fortunate ones had passed the test. With a ten percent elimination rate, it was indeed quite brutal!
"Ah, found it!" Ren Pingsheng saw his name at forty-fifth place; his ranking was quite good as he made it into the top fifty.
Looking up, there were many impressive names. Indeed, there’s always someone better; within just one sect there were so many outstanding talents. What about other sects and the wider world beyond?
Ren Pingsheng couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement in his heart. One day, he would venture into a farther world to meet those extraordinary geniuses. This was a true reflection of his inner thoughts.
As for the top ten extraordinary geniuses, their names remained unknown and mysterious. It seemed they were to be kept secret to prevent other sects from discovering them and employing underhanded tactics. This could be considered a form of protection.
However, Ren Pingsheng believed that one day he would surpass everyone, whether it was the known names before the forty-fifth rank or those nameless individuals in the top ten.
Wait, speaking of the top ten, Ren Pingsheng did know one of them— a woman named Luo Yiran. He hadn't seen her name in the Top One Hundred rankings, but considering her talent and perseverance, she was likely much stronger than him. The fact that she wasn't listed indicated she must be among the top ten.
"Haha, I really am a genius! Two hundred and fifteenth place. Not bad! Not bad!" Huang Qingli's mouth was agape not far away.
However, when he saw Ren Pingsheng's ranking, he felt as if he had swallowed a fly, and his earlier excitement vanished instantly. His triangular eyes glinted with malice. Clearly, he held a grudge against this person who repeatedly overshadowed him.
For someone like him, a scion of a prominent family with connections, being outperformed by a commoner time and again was an insult in itself. As a narrow-minded person who refused to suffer losses, how could he swallow this humiliation?
Thus, the recruitment of disciples by the Canglan Sword Sect officially came to an end.
Whether they were willing or not, the nameless youths left one by one.
Watching the three thousand who had successfully joined the sect, Ren Pingsheng felt a mix of emotions. Among them were friends and brothers; yet after today, they would walk different paths.
Though they were close in distance, they would become strangers from now on. Some would never meet again, while others would find that everything had changed. Whether this was fortunate or unfortunate, who could say for certain?
Comment 0 Comment Count