Yueshi's gait was confident and easygoing when he walked toward the obelisk. Greeting the elders politely, he then gazed at the structure of times immemorial.
For some reason, he didn't feel even a trace of anxiety about this test - as if passing it was natural.
Touching the obelisk, he concentrated and released his qi. Something inside the huge stone devoured it voraciously and soon started to react.
Tian Tian's results had already been a shock, but everyone was left dumbfounded when the obelisk immediately explored with the darkest of lights - a black pillar piercing the clouds and striking against the heavens!
Then, a furious roar echoed, sending shivers down everyone's spines. From amidst the now darkened clouds, everyone saw a giant dragon head peek out, which sent a few disciples tumbling down in fear.
Another Innate Talent Materialization!
Another genius from Flying Snow City!
All eyes were glued on Yueshi as he made his way back toward where he came. However, he was affected by that in the least. His confidence came not from another's awe, but his own conviction in himself.
Even if he had tested to a white-grade talent, he'd still believe in his prospects for the future. At the same time, he wondered if his high talent had something to do with his adventure with Xuehua before. After all, there were no traces of such shocking talent in the life of this world's Yueshi.
While people were glaring at Yueshi, an abrupt explosion echoed right next to their ears. Their faces paled as another black pillar tore through the clouds and pierced the firmament of heaven!
As if that was not enough, the dark light turned into a hundred meters tall meditating monk.
Another materialization!
Even the elders were shocked speechless, their eyes opening wide in disbelief. One was already rare enough, two seemed like a lie, and three… it should have been impossible!
Yueshi, however, didn't feel any surprised - as if what was going on was natural. The one on stage was, after all, his loving sister, so even if the result was even more shocking he would have felt it was alright.
Then, came the ruckus. Just a few had heard when Xuehua's turn was announced, and when everyone found out that she was also from Flying Snow City, and also Yueshi's sister…
"Flying Snow City rocks!"
"What fucking rotten luck! Flying Snow City has gotten the best eggs!"
Nonsense was spewed all around, but the siblings didn't give it any attention. Instead, after giving Xuehua a high-five, Yueshi broke into laughter, merrily chatting with his sister. He probably felt more proud of her than himself right now!
Given time for everyone to calm down, the talent evaluation continued without a hitch, but in the end, no one could compare with the three monsters of Flying Snow City. The best of the best were merely dark, red-grade talents like Yuan Yue.
All white and yellow talents were immediately sent down the mountain. From what Yueshi heard from people around, those sorts of talents would never be able to go past the fifth layer of body strengthening.
He didn't know how such a conclusion was reached, but it made him curious. With so many miraculous things in the world, and also cultivation stages, did a simple talent test like this one truly represent one's full prospects?
Unfortunately, no one could answer him. Chances were that Yuan Yue could, but she was completely focused on resting right now, and he did not wish to interrupt.
After the talent test, Yueshi watched the square open up and show a hidden stairway leading inside the mountain. All examinees were guided inside, finding a spacious hall at the end of the path.
In the hall, there were a dozen small arenas and one big one. He didn't even need any explanation to know that time had come to test one's battle power.
"We will now be separating you into groups. For that, a few disciples will guide you to your respective waiting areas." A strong voice echoed by everyone's ear as an elder bellowed.
It didn't take long for several dozen of disciples of the Star Sea Sect to show up. They navigated in the crowd like fish in the sea, not being obstructed in the least. Thanks to that, not long after, everyone was assigned their own group.
Yueshi noted that the disciples with the greatest talent were put into separate groups, probably because they were afraid problems could arise from talented people clashing against each other.
"The first round will soon take place! You will be divided into groups of twenty and fight on one-on-one duels. The winner receives a point and the losers lose a point. You cannot fight the same opponent two times, and must fight with all the other nineteen participates of your group!"
The rules were really simple. Not accepting a challenge would mean a loss, and not challenging someone would disqualify you. It was as simple as that.
After the first round, there would be a second, a third, and so on, until everyone fought. Then, the best of the best would fight it out, until there was a champion. According to Yuan Yue, this test usually took three days to be completed and was also the most dangerous for the Flying Snow Dojo's disciples.
Thinking about it, Yueshi took a good glance at his disciple sister and the others. Their combat power had been greatly affected because of their wounds, and if they ended with a low rank in this stage they would be disqualified.
That was particularly true for Yuan Yue. The poison inside her body was gnawing at her even now. Yuanqi had tried to expel it, but in such a short time it had been impossible. Whenever she used qi or made strenuous movements, the poison would flare up and cause no short amount of pain.
"Don't worry~" Slapping him on the back, Yuan Yue grinned. "This elder sister here will surely win!"
He could only sigh and shake his head. Before they went their separate ways, he wished her the best.
His eyes then looked all over and found Xuehua standing next to a stage not too far away. He was really worried about her too. While she had trained during the prior days, he was unaware of how much she had progressed and how great her combat power was.
'If anyone dares to hurt her…' His eyes narrowed at the thought.
When Yueshi walked toward his own stage, the people sent him a glance. Some sighed, others shook their heads and a few grinned. They all reacted in their own way, only a few not thinking much of Yueshi despite his talent.
However, they could still be divided into those that wanted to fight him, and those that wanted to avoid him at all costs.
As people continued to wait, a blue bird flew over everyone's head, and then descended on one of the pillars in the border of the stage. Yueshi had to hold back his laughter as the creature looked like an overgrown, fat chicken - with the addition of a big, canary head that was too big to its body.
Well, it was still cute in a way, and funny too.
"Stage 1, first fight. Su Ming against Wu Chenyu." To Yueshi's surprise, the bird opened its big mouth and spoke.
'Yup', Yueshi thought, 'this world is really filled with abnormal things.'
--- - -
Yuan Yue breathed in and out. Her chest felt constricted, and her fists were clenched tightly. Honestly, she was afraid. However, she didn't want to admit that. Nonetheless, the fear of failure seemed to loom over her like a dark shadow.
She was beautiful without a doubt. Her eyes always glowed into a playful light, and his lips frequently parted in a mischievous smile; that made her even more charming and she didn't lack suitors.
However, she had her own dreams and objectives too. She did not want to stay in the small Flying Snow City for the rest of her life, nor become the wife of some, seemingly, super-powerful guy that, in truth, is just a frog on the bottom of the well.
Mu Qiang said the world was big, almost endless. So why would she be content in seeing only a piece of the sky?
With her talent being dark red-grade, she was also a bonafide genius!
She also had the right to see a broader sky, to pursue further goals and unrivaled strength.
Her first exploded continuously toward her opponent, but none of them managed to land. The poison was wreaking havoc inside of her, making her sweat profusely.
To make things worse, her vision was blurred and her body felt heavy, moreover, her breath was rough and uneven - everything working as a clear testament of her current condition.
'I can't stop, I can't stop!' She continued to tell herself so. Even if the pain consumed her from inside and her heart exploded on her chest, she told herself she could not stop.
She was a strong woman and she had faced many troubles during her life without shedding a single tear; yet, right now, her eyes were moist, threatening to tear up at any given moment.
The Star Sea Sect could offer her the opportunity to see that bigger world, and it was only a step away… yet, yet… yet she could not walk that single, small step. A step that, had she not been poisoned, would have been easy to travel!
The pain and sorrow of seeing her dreams slip away when it was just a step away seemed to crush her, for it hurt far more than the poison did.
Under the effects of the painful, torturing poison, she won three fights. On the fourth, however, she was defeated, falling unconscious. Because of her condition, the fat bird on her stage judged her incapable of continuing – resulting in three wins, and sixteen losses for her.
There was no recovering.
Meanwhile…
Wu Feng was facing his opponent, his eyes glowing with a determined light.
He had been injured, but he would not give up. He wanted to be an unshakable mountain that could hold down the heavens for those he loved – for his three younger siblings at home, for his sick mother, and for that girl who, despite his clumsiness and awkwardness, loved him.
Unfortunately, sometimes, just determination is not enough.
As his saber trailed forward with precision and perfect balance, he felt a sharp pain overcoming his body. It was as if his chest had been coated in oil before being put on fire; the wound burned, ached, and made it impossible to focus on the things in front and around him. Even his saber, once stable, shook.
And his opponent would obviously not care about his pain.
A sword slash and another and then one more… ten or so sword slashes later, his body had many small and big cuts, though none endangered his life.
However, his will could no more sustain him; the pain of the old wound opening again, and from the many new ones made him fall to the ground. He had lost.
Following that, without giving him a moment of respite, many others challenged him. And Wu Feng knew… he knew that all his chances had been lost; because with them having seen him at his weakest as easy prey, he would not be given the time to recover a single bit.
Many similar events were happening with members of the Flying Snow Dojo here and there.
On a certain stage, Zhou Zhengbin, a young man whose entire village had been raided, a young man that dreamed of revenge, was completely overwhelmed after his wounds flared; on another stage, Cui Ximing, a poor girl from the slums that wanted to give her family a better life, faced the same fate.
One after another, the disciples of Flying Snow Dojo were eliminated.
The only two remaining geniuses of the dojo were none other than Yueshi and Xuehua.
On her own stage, Xuehua was standing calmly, observing her opponent. The one standing in front of her was another woman, which seemed a bit younger than her.
'Roughly at the same age as Shi'er?' She judged. However, shaking her head, she stopped thinking about that.
Right now, it was not time to think about unnecessary things. She was going to battle, and she had to win!