"The next one can start!"
Wooooooosh!!!
[The intermediate Divine King stage, white light.]
[The advanced Divine King stage, white light.]
[The initial Divine King stage, white light.]
[The intermediate Divine King stage, light green light.]
[The advanced Divine King stage, dark green light.]
[The intermediate Divine King stage, white light.]
[The advanced Divine King stage, dark green light.]
[The advanced Divine King stage, dark blue light.]
Huh!?!
Finally, the result that Lan-Si had been waiting for arrived. The participant he had the most hope for among his fifteen cultivators, the one carrying his expectations for victory, had finally delivered. The result showed a dark blue light, scoring higher than Reverend Brother Ba-Jie's.
"That's it! I told you not to conclude too quickly who the loser and winner would be!"
"Hah, really? Didn't you just say that Youngman Jiang-Long's side was the winner?"
"Did I say that? When!!? I said Youngman Lan-Si's side would win. You heard wrong!"
The spectators around them were buzzing with excitement, gossiping and betting on the outcome. Despite the time consumed by the test, the thrill of the contest entertained them and relieved their stress.
Hu hu hu!!!
"I told you not to rush to conclusions! Now it's your disciple's turn to be tested. Let's see if they can score higher than mine, Jiang-Long. Otherwise, you'll definitely lose the bet!" Lan-Si sneered at Jiang-Long, his confidence bolstered by the dark blue light. Historically, very few cultivators from the lower world had achieved yellow light, and the highest recorded was only dark yellow—and that was centuries ago.
"The next one can come up and test!" Elder Lue-Yong announced, urging the next participant forward. Time was running out, and many were still waiting to take the test.
"The next one is you, Die-Bo-Heng!" Jiang-Long turned to the burly young man, who stood trembling with self-doubt, and called him to step up.
"I… I… I understand!" the burly young man stammered and slowly walked to the testing area. Each step seemed heavy and labored, but once he reached the Heavenly Command Stone, he placed his hand on it without hesitation.
Wooooosh!!!
[The advanced Divine King stage, light blue light.]
The result was announced as the Heavenly Command Stone stopped changing colors. Die-Bo-Heng's performance was respectable and would be considered high among average participants, but it was still lower than Lan-Si's star disciple. Lan-Si's smirk widened in satisfaction.
"What a pity. Even though this young man made the Heavenly Command Stone emit a blue glow, it's still inferior to the young man from Young Master Lan-Si's side!"
"Right! It seems that Young Master Jiang-Long's side has already lost. Even if the last one does well, it won't be more than light blue like the previous two!"
"But it's still uncertain. Maybe the last one will reach the yellow light!"
"Oh! Do you think reaching the yellow light is easy? Especially for someone from the lower world? It's been hundreds of years since anyone from the lower world achieved it!"
The testing courtyard had drawn spectators from the surrounding areas. Disciples from the south, west, and east regions had gathered to witness the event. They were eager to see the outcome, as both Lan-Si and Jiang-Long were notable figures—Lan-Si as the son of the outer-disciple elder regulator and Jiang-Long as the son of the highest elder of the outer disciples.
Ha ha ha!!!
"Jiang-Long, I think it would be better for you to give up now. Don't drag this out any longer!" Lan-Si taunted, clearly enjoying himself. He believed the final participant from Jiang-Long's group would be no better than the first two, or possibly even weaker.
"The battle isn't over yet; don't count the dead soldiers! Wait until the test is over, and then we'll see!" Jiang-Long responded calmly, unfazed by Lan-Si's provocation. His confidence in Zheng-Fu remained unshaken.
Tch!!!
"If that's your wish, then don't blame me later!" Lan-Si was irritated by Jiang-Long's composure. He found it hard to believe that Jiang-Long could remain so confident, making him wonder if Zheng-Fu was a hidden trump card. But upon observing Zheng-Fu, Lan-Si saw nothing extraordinary about him—he appeared no different from an average cultivator.
"All right, the next test participants can come up and take the test!" Elder Lue-Yong resumed his role, calling the next set of participants from Lan-Si's group. At the same time, he cast an intrigued glance at Zheng-Fu, curious to see if this unassuming young man could defy expectations.
As the next round began, Lan-Si's remaining disciples took their turns at the Heavenly Command Stone. The first young man, who seemed strong and promising, placed his hand on the stone, but no light appeared.
[The advanced Divine King stage, no light appears.]
Failed!!!
The announcement stunned the young man, causing him to collapse to the ground. He couldn't fathom his failure. As an advanced Divine King stage cultivator at only twenty-nine years old, how could he lack talent?
"Untrue! How can no light appear? This is absolutely crazy!"
"You guys should know that a high energy level doesn't always mean you are strong. Our Heavenly Command Sect accepts only those chosen by the Heavenly Command Stone!"
"It's true what you said. The energy level doesn't matter at all. What's important is whether the Heavenly Command Stone glows or not!"
The audience enjoyed commenting on the situation. The failure of the test participant left Lan-Si feeling thoroughly embarrassed. He had assumed this young man would perform well because of his high energy level. But who would have guessed that he couldn't even make the Heavenly Command Stone emit light?
"How worthless! You bastard!" Lan-Si cursed angrily under his breath. But since there were too many people around, he could only curse silently. If they had been alone, he might have killed the young man then and there, blaming him for the humiliation he caused.
"Well! The next test participant can go up and take the test!" Elder Lue-Yong, accustomed to such scenarios, showed no reaction. He calmly ordered the disciples on duty to escort the failed participant off the stage and announced the next person to be tested.
Wooooooosh!!!
[The initial Divine King stage, light green light.]
[The intermediate Divine King stage, white light.]
[The intermediate Divine King stage, white light.]
[The advanced Divine King stage, white light.]
[The initial Divine King stage, white light.]
[The initial Divine King stage, white light.]
Six participants tested after that, all passing. One managed to make the Heavenly Command Stone emit a light green glow, which slightly improved Lan-Si's mood.
"All right, it's your turn, Zheng-Fu! Even if you cannot surpass the others, just passing is enough. Don't stress too much; otherwise, the stone might not glow, and you'll be disqualified as a Heavenly Command Sect disciple. If that happens, you'll have to wander the outside world alone!" Jiang-Long couldn't help but voice his concern for Zheng-Fu. He worried that Zheng-Fu, despite his abilities, might fail to make the Heavenly Command Stone emit light.
"Don't worry about it. What will be, will be. Even if I can't make the stone glow, I wouldn't give up on cultivation. Maybe the outside world is better than inside the sect!" Zheng-Fu replied with a calm smile. He wasn't overly concerned about the test's outcome. No matter what, he would never abandon his path of cultivation—he still had his mission and a goal to grow stronger. He couldn't allow despair over a test result to deter him.
"Now it's your turn, kid! Keep in mind that the test result is never wrong. Whatever the outcome, you must accept it!" Elder Lue-Yong addressed Zheng-Fu, speaking at length for the first time.
"Thank you, Master Elder, for your advice. I'll do my best and willingly accept the result!" Zheng-Fu clasped his hands respectfully and thanked the elder for his guidance.
"Then go up to the stage and begin the test!" Elder Lue-Yong, impressed by Zheng-Fu's politeness and lack of arrogance, felt a growing fondness for him. He thought this young man had great potential and believed that fostering a positive relationship with him today might yield benefits if Zheng-Fu rose to power in the future.
"Yes, sir!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zheng-Fu walked toward the test stage. The moment he stepped onto the platform, he felt a mysterious energy emanating from the Heavenly Command Stone, resonating with his body as if it were calling out to him.
'Is this the Heavenly Command Stone? Hmm! It's filled with Heaven Energy Waves. If I could absorb the Heaven Energy from this stone, my energy level would surely rise by several steps. It might even push me to the Heavenly Foundation Building stage!'
Zheng-Fu was fascinated by the Heavenly Command Stone in front of him. He could sense the immense energy waves it contained and imagined how much stronger he could become by absorbing that energy. But he quickly dismissed the thought of taking the stone with him—after all, it was the sect's most important magical artifact. Stealing it would certainly lead to his torture and death.
"Well! Just place your hand on the stone!"
Determined, Zheng-Fu didn't hesitate. He immediately placed his hand on the Heavenly Command Stone.
Woooooosh!!!
Whoooop!!!
Ah!!!
"That's… that's… that's…!!!"
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