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Xu Zimei and Lin Ruhu arrived at the Sect Gate when the trial for recruiting new disciples had already begun.
On those one hundred and eighty-eight steps, disciples were now densely packed at this moment.
At the very top of the steps, there were two Outer Sect Elders and one Inner Sect Elder in charge of the assessments.
The Inner Sect Elder was from the faction of the Great Elder. When he saw Xu Zimei arriving, he merely snorted indifferently and did not pay him any attention.
However, one of the Outer Sect Elders, who was from Xu Qing Shan's lineage, was extremely warm and welcoming.
"Zimo, my good nephew, you've arrived," the elder said with a smile.
"Elder Jin, hello," Xu Zimei smiled back and said, "How is this year's trial for the new disciples going? Are there any promising talents?"
Xu Zimei couldn't be bothered with the Inner Sect Elder who was giving him the cold shoulder, and started chatting directly with Elder Jin instead.
"There are a few notables," Elder Jin replied. "Look at the disciples on those eight steps in front, they're considered to be quite outstanding."
In front of the True Martial Holy Sect, the later hundred steps had double gravity, the middle eighty steps had five times the gravity, and the foremost eight steps had ten times the gravity.
Xu Zimei glanced over and noticed that Baili Xiao was among them, so he asked, "Isn't that girl brought back by the Sixth Elder? Why does she have to participate in the trial as well?"
"It was her own request, we certainly couldn't refuse," Elder Jin said with a laugh.
Xu Zimei smiled, not saying anything. The girl was much more mature than he had thought.
She had undergone a complete turnaround from being an ordinary village girl to becoming the niece of the Sixth Elder of the True Martial Holy Sect.
Yet she had not lost herself amidst this change, but had managed to maintain her sense of self instead.
Xu Zimei's lips curled into a smile, as he murmured to himself, "She truly is worthy of being the chosen successor by the Empress!"
......
"If nephew Zimo wishes to gather forces, you might consider trying to sway a few of them."
Then, Elder Jin began to introduce a few talented disciples from the trial to Xu Zimei.
The disciple standing at the very front of the eight steps bore a longsword on his back, his white clothes fluttering.
The young man exuded a sharpness that was plain to see, and despite the incredible gravity on the steps that made even taking one more step seem forced.
Yet his expression remained calm, with not the slightest indication of wanting to shrink back.
"He is a member of the Huang Family from Northwest City," Elder Jin said. "His name is Xue Buhui, and he is considered to be the most talented among this batch."
"Why would a member of the Huang Family come to our True Martial Holy Sect?" Lin Ruhu asked curiously from the side.
Even though the Huang Family couldn't compare to the True Martial Holy Sect, they were still a prominent family in Northwest City.
The founder of the Huang Family was a Sword God, a powerful figure from the same era as Emperor Yintian.
Legend has it that he even competed with Emperor Yintian for destiny, although he ultimately failed.
Yet how could one who was qualified to contest destiny with an emperor be mediocre?
The sons and daughters of the Huang Family coming to the True Martial Holy Sect certainly had no privileges; they were just like any other disciple.
If they wanted better cultivation resources, they too had to strive for it themselves, which would seem less advantageous than just staying within their own Huang Family!
"He is an illegitimate child of the Huang Family, with a mother who is only a humble maidservant, and his birth was merely an accident," Elder Jin explained. "He is unable to obtain good resources within the Huang Family and is instead targeted at every turn.
His name is Yan Buhui; he takes his surname from his mother."
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"He's pretty good," Xu Zimei recalled memories from her past life and said with a smile, "One day he will carry on the ancestral glory and pass down the glory of the Sword God."
"Does my noble nephew Zimo really think so highly of him?" an Inner Sect Elder said disdainfully.
Xu Zimei glanced at the Inner Sect Elder and said indifferently, "Mind your own business."
The Inner Sect Elder's face turned awkward, and with a cold snort, he stopped paying attention.
"I won't say much about the girl named Baili Xiao. I've heard that Sixth Elder is quite fond of her, so her talent must not be far off," Elder Jin continued.
"The two girls below the next step are twins, one named Xue Qianxue and the other Xue Mengmeng.
They are locals from Little Yang Town, which is under our True Martial Holy Sect, and the previous Family Head of their Xue Family was an Inner Sect Elder of our sect.
Before they came this time, the head of the Xue Family specifically asked me to take more care of them.
They are twins and have cultivated a joint attack technique that, when used together, can enhance the power of the cultivation technique by two-fold.
With their own strength, it would be very difficult for them to step onto the first eight steps, but because of the boost from their joint attack technique, their talent can be considered barely enough."
Xu Zimei smiled. She still remembered the twin sisters.
If she wasn't mistaken, they later became the maids of Baili Xiao, which could be considered a glorious fate.
"Further down, that big fellow named Gao Xiong," Elder Jin continued, "he comes from an ordinary mountain village in the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
Among these people, his realm can be said to be the lowest, only at the ninth layer of the Mortal Realm, not even having entered the Spirit Vein Realm.
But his body is one of the most potential-filled I have seen in these years; he stepped onto the first eight steps purely by the strength of his body."
After listening to Elder Jin's introduction, Xu Zimei turned to Lin Ruhu and said, "Ruhu, let's also participate in the trial, so that others don't speak ill of us."
"Sure," Lin Ruhu nodded indifferently.
The two walked to the base of the mountain and began ascending step by step from the first step.
There aren't many strict requirements for walking these steps: one is not allowed to use any defensive spiritual artifacts, and one must take the steps one at a time.
Even if you could climb several steps at once, it's not permitted.
As Xu Zimei stepped onto the steps, she felt gravity coming from all directions. Her previously slightly unstable ninth layer of the Condensing Vein Realm began to solidify and the spiritual energy in her body became more condensed.
"Ruhu, don't resist the gravity. Try to merge with it," Xu Zimei advised, "This way you can not only lighten the weight of the gravity but also better temper yourself."
Lin Ruhu nodded. His talent was not inferior to Xu Zimei's, especially after cultivating the 'Force Jue', his muscles became more pronounced.
There were already signs of bulging, suggesting that he would likely become a muscular man in the future.
......
Xu Zimei climbed the steps at ease, tempering herself while integrating with the gravity.
After about fifteen minutes, she ascended the one hundred steps with double gravity at a steady pace.
Then there were eighty steps with five times the gravity. Xu Zimei stood on them, slightly adjusted to the gravity, and then ascended with an air of ease.
Lin Ruhu also didn't want to show weakness; although he was always struggling a bit, he managed to keep up with Xu Zimei's pace.
Finally, the two completed the eighty steps and reached the last eight steps.
According to the rules of the True Martial Holy Sect, as long as one can walk onto the steps with ten times the gravity, they are considered to have passed.