Just as he was pondering, the sound of a bell echoed from the seven distant mountain peaks.
The three middle-aged cultivators in the square no longer laughed and chatted. Instead, they became solemn.
One of them glanced at the dozens of testers outside and spoke calmly.
“Silence!”
His voice wasn’t loud but it sounded like thunder in everyone’s ears.
The blue-shirted youth immediately fell silent. The others also became nervous and looked at the middle-aged cultivator who spoke.
Xu Qing’s expression was calm as he lifted his head.
“The time for the test is now. There are a total of three tests. Those who pass all of them will be rewarded with 1,000 contribution points. If your overall ranking is first, the rewards are even greater. The first test is the mutation value in your bodies!”
“Now, everyone, step forward and hand over your tokens. Also, state your names. You can’t hide it. Those who violate this will be severely punished!”
As the middle-aged cultivator spoke, the blue-clothed youth rolled his eyes and was the first to walk onto the plaza. He handed over the token in his hand and spoke loudly.
“Disciple Zhou Qingpeng greets Senior.”
His voice was loud and clear and when it fell into the ears of the three middle-aged cultivators, they all nodded.
After that, the second person stepped forward. Very soon, when there were only six people left, Xu Qing walked onto the plaza and respectfully handed over his token. He hesitated for a moment before speaking in a deep voice.
“Disciple Xu Qing greets Senior.”
After saying this, Xu Qing felt a little dazed. It had been a very, very long time since he had told others his name. To be precise, it had been almost seven years.
After saying that, Xu Qing lowered his head and silently retreated.
The three middle-aged men glanced at the token he handed over and didn’t pay much attention to him.
Just like that, when all the testers had completed this segment, the first test officially began.
The first test was simple. As the middle-aged cultivator waved his hand, a ten-foot-tall green-colored mountain rock appeared out of thin air with a boom. It landed on the square and stirred up a cloud of dust.
“Follow the sequence just now and come up one by one. Just press your hand on them.”
Zhou Qingpeng immediately went up.
Xu Qing paid attention and saw that after the other party’s hand pressed down on the stone, the green-colored stone instantly shone with light. A picture of a human body then appeared on its surface.
More than 40 dots lit up in the pattern.
“42 points, not bad. Passed.” The middle-aged cultivator at the side nodded and called for the next person.
Zhou Qingpeng’s expression was a little smug as he took a few steps back and observed the others closely.
Very soon, as everyone continued testing, Xu Qing also saw some clues.
The higher the number of points, the greater the mutation value in one’s body. Among them, many exceeded 100 points and were evaluated as unqualified.
“I should be someone who doesn’t have…” Xu Qing narrowed his eyes. He didn’t wish to expose himself on the first day he was here without understanding the situation. This wasn’t in line with his personality.
However, being too mediocre might affect the sect’s choice. Hence, Xu Qing lowered his head and looked at his shadow. He then slowly controlled it slightly, allowing it to fuse into his body.
As he continued to extract anomalous substances, cries of surprise rang out from all directions.
“34 points, excellent!” The middle-aged cultivator’s voice fluctuated slightly. Xu Qing immediately lifted his head and saw a girl who was about the same age as him standing beside the limestone.
The girl’s clothes were similar to his and her face was dirty. She was also a scavenger.
She seemed to be very nervous and lowered her head, not daring to look at anyone. After bowing to the middle-aged cultivator, she quickly walked to the side.
“I think her name is Li Zimei.” Xu Qing recalled the other party’s name and retracted his gaze before walking forward. When he reached the bluestone, he calmly lifted his hand and pressed it down.
As the light shone, dozens of light spots slowly emerged from the human-shaped pattern. They seemed a little unstable and were still flickering.
“43 points. Not bad, passed.” The middle-aged cultivator swept his gaze over and nodded.
Xu Qing hurriedly retracted his right hand and walked to the side. The anomalous substances in his body that he had suppressed earlier and prevented from being absorbed by the shadow quickly fused into the shadow and disappeared.
43 points. This result couldn’t be considered outstanding but it wasn’t bad either. Xu Qing felt that it was enough.
In reality, this was indeed the case. Out of the 60-odd participants, only 19 had a score below 50 and 20 had a score above 100.
At that moment, these twenty people all had pale expressions.
“According to the comprehensive results of the three tests, the second test will test your will. Now, all of you, step forward and sit cross-legged.” The one who spoke was another of the three middle-aged men. This man had a horse-like face and a solemn expression. His voice was hoarse.
As his voice rang out, everyone stepped forward and sat cross-legged. After Xu Qing sat down in the crowd, he lifted his head and looked at the long-faced middle-aged man. He wanted to know how his will was measured.
The moment he looked over, the long-faced middle-aged man waved his hand and took out a small metal bottle. This bottle was silver in color and had a large number of runes carved on it. It looked very ancient and contained an extremely unique charm.
After he took it out, his and the other two people’s expressions became much more solemn.
“There’s a drop of blood that has been diluted countless times. Once it’s stimulated, it will form a deterrence. If you can’t withstand it, you can bite the tip of your tongue and give up.”
With that, he opened the bottle and poured the contents onto the bluestone.
Xu Qing stared at it. Very soon, he saw a drop of golden liquid falling from the metal bottle. This liquid was very viscous and seemed to have formed its own body.
The moment it landed on the huge green rock, the green rock immediately shone brightly. As the golden light spread in all directions, a roar that seemed to come from ancient times erupted from the place where the golden blood fell.
As it erupted forth, it was as though a gigantic eye had manifested within.
The vertical pupil of this eye had countless tentacles growing out of it, swaying as though they wanted to crawl out. It was extremely strange but at the same time, it also contained a hint of holiness.
It was like a lofty god that looked down on all living beings, looking at everyone with incomparable coldness.
All the examinees who were sitting cross-legged here felt a boom in their minds, as though heavenly lightning had exploded in their heads.
All of their bodies trembled intensely, as though all the flesh and blood in their bodies had lost control and were about to separate from their bodies. At the same time that the feeling of being torn apart surfaced, their expressions changed rapidly.
A tremor that originated from the depths of their souls, as well as an intense sense of crisis that originated from their instincts, erupted crazily in their hearts. This caused these testers to instantly lose their intelligence. Three of them even directly coughed out fresh blood and fell to the ground wailing.
Even Zhou Qingpeng and Li Zimei’s faces instantly turned pale. Their bodies trembled intensely and blood flowed from their noses. Their eyes were bloodshot.
Only Xu Qing’s body was trembling at this moment. However, the shock in his heart was even more intense.
Because… he was familiar with these eyes!
It was exactly the same as what he saw when the god opened his eyes and looked at the sky. It couldn’t be said that it was exactly the same but the feeling of deterrence was…
The same!