After arriving at the Jade Peak, Yuan could already feel an unpleasant atmosphere in the air when he noticed the other disciples staring at him with frowns on their faces.
'They seem unhappy. Did something happen? Or are they just nervous about the examination?' Yuan wondered to himself, completely oblivious that they were angry at him for being on time, as that was completely unreasonable.
And while the other disciples only mumbled to each other, one of them was actually brave enough to approach Yuan and said loudly, "Hey! You! What's your name?!"
"Me? I'm Yuan," he calmly responded.
"Hm? Yuan? Why does that name sound so familiar?" The disciples there wondered when they heard Yuan's name.
"Oh, shit! He's that Outer Court disciple who defeated the Mad Tiger recently!" One of them quickly realized and exclaimed in a surprised voice, shocking the other disciples.
"What?! He's the new disciple who took Mad Tiger's 3rd place in the Power Ranking?! No wonder why he dares to act so carefree in the Inner Court Disciple Examination!"
The Outer disciples there immediately found Yuan's 'late' arrival to be more understanding now and felt less offended.
"He's a new disciple who only recently joined the sect, right? Why is he participating in the Inner Court Disciple Examination already? Even the top geniuses in our sect usually wait half a year before they decide to become an Inner Court disciple."
"Maybe he's just that confident. Who knows."
"Even though he's defeated the Mad Tiger, you cannot become an Inner Court disciple with just raw strength, after all."
While the disciples mumbled to each other, Yuan asked the disciple who spoke to him, "Do you need something from me?"
"Uh… N-No… I just wanted to know the names of those who will be participating in the examination with me… I'm sorry if I'd bothered you… And good luck..." The disciple acted very humbly after realizing that he was standing before the one who was said to have defeated the Mad Tiger without lifting a finger.
"I see. Good luck to you, too." Yuan nodded at the disciple who quickly turned around and walked back into the crowd.
A few seconds after Yuan gathered with the other disciples, the sect elder that went to Yuan's house to notify him of the examination appeared before them and said, "Hello, Outer Court disciples. I am Elder Tantai. Everybody here that is participating in the examination, follow me to the examination hall."
Once Elder Tantai turned around and began walking, the disciples there followed her like a group of ducklings.
Half an hour later, they arrived at the borders between the Outer Court and the Inner Court.
"That is the Examination Hall; it's where one comes out either as an Inner Court disciple or remains as an Outer Court disciple." Elder Tantai pointed at the massive stadium in the distance.
A few minutes later, they arrived at the large entrance to this place.
"Once we walk through these doors, whether you become an Inner Court disciple or not today, you will not enter these doors again for another year." Elder Tantai said.
If they become an Inner Court disciple, even if they are a cultivation genius, it will take them more than one year to even qualify to take the examination to become a Core Disciple. As for those who fail to become an Inner Court disciple today, they will have to wait another year before they can try the examination again.
Elder Tantai opened the door and walked inside.
Sometime later, they arrived inside the stadium that was shaped like a football field in the modern world; it was a vast and spacious one-mile long field inside with a couple of gates towards the end.
Once they were at the center of this field, Elder Tantai said, "For the examination, you will have to pass three tests."
And she continued, "For the first test, we will test your endurance by lighting an incense that has poisonous properties, and you must protect yourself with your spiritual energy until the incense is completely burned. Don't worry if you're infected by the poison, as we have antidotes prepared."
"For the second test, we will test your combat prowess with a Training Puppet. Use your strongest and most experienced martial skill on it."
"Lastly, we will have you fight against a real magical beast at the peak of Spirit Apprentice. Of course, you must defeat it in order to pass."
"Does anyone have any questions before we begin?" Elder Tantai then asked.
"What kind of poison is it, Elder?" Someone raised his hands and asked.
"Poison from a Weeping Serpent," said Elder Tantai without hesitation.
"What?! The Weeping Serpent?!"
The disciples were shocked when they heard this name, and some of them even began shaking in fear.
Poison from a Weeping Serpent can kill anyone below Spirit Warrior within seconds, and most of the people there were only peak Spirit Apprentice with a few that just entered Spirit Warrior!
What if they die before they even begin the second exam, much less become an Inner Court disciple?!
Furthermore, while they expected this sort of test since it has happened before in previous examinations, the sect has never used such a strong poison for the examination before! This is a first!
Seeing the fear on the disciples' faces, Elder Tantai said, "If you're too afraid of the poison, you may turn around and leave the Examination Hall. However, let me tell you, even if you come back next year, the poison won't get any weaker. In fact, it'll only grow stronger as time goes. The Dragon Essence Temple has decided to increase its standards for all disciples, after all."
The disciples' eyes widened with shock when they heard this. The sect increased its standards? Why would they suddenly do that when the sect has remained the same for thousands of years? What caused this change?
"You have ten seconds to decide whether you want to continue or not… Ten… Nine…"
Elder Tantai suddenly started the countdown, making the disciples panic even more.