"Zheng-Fu! Zheng-Fu! Hey! Kid!"

Ah!!!

Jiang-Long saw that Zheng-Fu was absent-mindedly refusing to follow him, so he shouted several times until Zheng-Fu regained focus and responded.

"What's wrong with you? Are you so nervous that you can't walk?" Jiang-Long asked with a teasing tone.

"I'm just thinking about something. I'm sorry for wasting your time." Zheng-Fu wasn't nervous; he was just trying to keep things lighthearted. However, realizing he was delaying the group, he quickly apologized. Meanwhile, the other two young men who had joined them remained silent, nervous, their minds clearly occupied with the upcoming test.

"Come on! Hurry up and follow me, or we won't make it in time for today's test. It's not just you guys taking the sect test—many others are participating today!" Jiang-Long urged them, not wanting to waste any more time.

"Hmm!!!"

They continued along the path for about ten minutes until they arrived at an open field as large as several dozen football fields combined, teeming with people.

"Is that the testing courtyard? There are so many people participating in the test!" Zheng-Fu asked in surprise. He had initially thought Jiang-Long's mention of "many people" would amount to no more than a couple of thousand. But what he saw was a crowd of over fifty thousand, all with energy levels at the Divine King stage or higher.

"In this main world, there are thousands of times more people than in your small world. Every major sect has no fewer than fifty thousand participants taking the test each time. What you're seeing now is just one day. The testing process for entering the sect lasts for seven days. So, how many participants do you think there will be in total? Even so, despite the large number of people, very few will actually pass!"

"Oh! That's Jiang-Long!?"

As Jiang-Long was explaining to Zheng-Fu, a voice suddenly called out from behind.

"Lan-Si!" Jiang-Long turned to see who had addressed him and found it was Lan-Si, a young man named 'Lan-Si', the one he disliked the most.

"Ah! Are these the cultivators you brought back with you? Only three people? Ha ha ha! It seems your small world is in decline, which is why you've brought so few. Look at mine—I've brought ten times more than you!" Lan-Si pretended to speak kindly, but his words were full of mockery and contempt. Even the cultivators he brought cast disdainful gazes at Zheng-Fu and the other two young men.

"That's good for you! But bringing more people doesn't mean more will pass the test! Even though I only brought three, the ones I brought are not inferior to anyone!" Normally, Jiang-Long wasn't easily provoked. But this time, Lan-Si's words deeply irritated him, and he couldn't help but retaliate. He was confident that Zheng-Fu would outperform the cultivators Lan-Si had brought.

'Oh, great! I haven't even entered the sect yet, and problems are already brewing. I'm certain I'll end up involved in this matter. When opinions clash, gambling is bound to follow!' Zheng-Fu shook his head in mild frustration. He recalled Jiang-Long's earlier advice to stay calm, yet here Jiang-Long was, losing his composure. Zheng-Fu could already sense trouble brewing, and he knew it would likely involve him.

"Huh! Then let's make a small bet, shall we?"

As Zheng-Fu had guessed, a bet was proposed. And he knew that Jiang-Long would definitely accept the bet this time. Judging from the way the young man looked at him, there was no doubt he would respond affirmatively.

"Yes, all right! By the way, what do you want to bet on?" Jiang-Long responded immediately, as well as asking what Lan-Si wanted to bet on.

"Nothing too complicated! Let's bet on whose cultivators score higher in the test—yours or mine. If your people score higher than mine, I'll give you a Heavenly Root Breakthrough Pill. But if I win, you must give me yours!" Lan-Si proposed confidently, certain of his victory. The Heavenly Root Breakthrough Pill was a top-tier divine medicine given only once to those who reached the ninth level of the Heavenly Root stage, helping them overcome bottlenecks and advance to the next stage.

"Heavenly Root Breakthrough Pill?" Jiang-Long's face changed upon hearing the stakes. The pill was a rare and valuable resource, and losing it could mean being stuck at the ninth level of the Heavenly Root stage for a long time. On the other hand, winning the bet would give him an extra pill, significantly easing his breakthrough to the next level.

"If you're too scared, that's fine! Let's just pretend I never brought it up!" Seeing Jiang-Long hesitate, Lan-Si taunted him further, his sly and smug expression fueling the challenge.

Naturally, Jiang-Long hesitated. Having more cultivators increased the chances of higher scores. With only three cultivators—Zheng-Fu, the monk, and the muscular young man—his odds seemed slim. Meanwhile, Lan-Si had thirty participants, making the gamble heavily lopsided.

"Don't worry about it. Trust my skills! Have I ever disappointed you?" At that moment, Zheng-Fu stepped forward and grabbed Jiang-Long's shoulder, speaking words to bolster his confidence.

Ah!!!

"It's true, as you said. I shouldn't have overthought!" Jiang-Long felt an immense sense of relief, as though Zheng-Fu had lifted a heavy stone off his chest.

With his confidence restored, Jiang-Long turned to Lan-Si and said, "All right! We'll bet with the Heavenly Root Breakthrough Pills. But before that, we need to find a reliable witness because the stakes are too valuable. If I win and you don't pay, it could lead to a terrible issue!" Jiang-Long accepted the bet but insisted on securing a witness before the competition began, fearing that Lan-Si might not honor his word.

Huh!!!

"All right! If you want a witness, let Elder Lue-Yong testify for us. Is that acceptable? After all, Elder Lue-Yong is in charge of organizing the test!" Lan-Si readily agreed, as he also worried Jiang-Long might not fulfill his promise. Confident in his victory, Lan-Si had no objections.

"I agree!"

With their terms settled, the two young men immediately led their groups toward the testing area, where a middle-aged man wearing a white and gold robe stood speaking. This was Elder Lue-Yong, the person Lan-Si had mentioned.

"Respect, Elder Lue-Yong!!!"

Both Jiang-Long and Lan-Si greeted the middle-aged man humbly and in unison.

"Oh! Jiang-Long, Lan-Si! It's you two! Did you bring new disciples to join today's test? Come on, I'll arrange for your disciples to take the test first!" When the middle-aged man saw who they were, his previously displeased expression turned into a smile. His mood had soured earlier due to the disappointing results of the previous test, where no one had achieved a good score—only fair results and narrow passes.

"That's right, Elder Lue-Yong. Both of us have brought new disciples from the lower world to participate in the test. But before the test began, I made a bet with Jiang-Long about whose disciples would achieve the highest scores. At stake are our Heavenly Root Breakthrough Pills, which each of us received from the sect only once. Because the stakes are so valuable, we need someone reliable to witness this bet. I was hoping Elder Lue-Yong could act as our witness, sir?"

Lan-Si formally requested the middle-aged man to be their witness, clearly explaining all the details of the bet. He intentionally raised his voice so those nearby could hear, making the situation more public.

"Huh! You two are betting with Heavenly Root Breakthrough Pills!? Those pills represent your future! But since it's the desire of both parties, I'll take on the responsibility of being your witness. However, you must both hand over your pills to me now as confirmation—this way, there will be no chance of cheating if one of you loses!" Lue-Yong was initially shocked by the stakes but quickly composed himself. After all, whether Jiang-Long or Lan-Si won or lost had no bearing on him as a neutral witness.

Woosh!!! Woosh!!!

The two young men promptly took out their faintly glowing, golden pills, which emitted a mesmerizing fragrance, from the dimensional rings on their fingers. They handed them to Lue-Yong, who would safeguard the pills until they were awarded to the winner after the test results were announced.

"All right, our bet is confirmed. Since I have more disciples than you, half of my group will begin the test first!" After handing over the pill, Lan-Si announced the start of the agreed-upon bet. Lan-Si proposed that half of his cultivators start the test first, as he had brought more participants. This was also a deliberate attempt to intimidate Jiang-Long.

"That's fine! I'd also like to see if more numbers equate to better results!" Jiang-Long responded calmly, unfazed by Lan-Si's attempts to provoke him. He knew that the other party was trying to provoke him and make him upset. However, no matter how many participants the other side had, it would make no difference. After all, the test was similar to the one conducted in the magic tower of the testing-dimensional space, differing only in principles and methods. He was sure his group's scores would not fall below the acceptable range.

----------------

Read 'Over The World, Beyond Heaven' before anyone else with a 2-chapter update a day at www.jinovel.com/en

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.