Chao Feng reached the main building before long, where there was a huge crowd of cultivators who wanted to take the test. The crowd extended to beyond the gate and was not in a straight line like a queue, instead, it was a clustered gathering.
As a member of the Chao Divine Clan, he had the opportunity to completely skip waiting for hours on end and go around the back, where a small group of people were waiting. These people were members of prestigious families and clans, they could be called the elite of the applicants.
And for the elite, they had a separate admission test that begun much earlier than usual.
"Hello, applicants. In a few seconds, I will use a teleportation formation to transport all of you to a remote forest. This forest will be where the beasts are, the one who defeats the most beasts will gain a special reward which can help with cultivation. To pass, one must kill at least three beasts. Good luck to you all!" An elder stepped into the middle of the group, and after he finished speaking, raised his head and activated a formation, transporting them to a forest.
His voice sounded once more: "Commence!"
The group of aristocrats sprinted towards the centre of the forest, each of them going different ways. They had definitely participated in the test before, as they understood the forest quite well. Chao Feng was lingering at the starting place a few seconds more than the others, and a few seconds gradually turned into a huge difference, by the time the others completed the base value of three beasts, Chao Feng had yet to even encounter one.
Currently, the one who had killed the most beasts was the son of the seventh oldest in the Yu Clan, Yu Sheng. He had killed six beasts.
Second was a fellow member of the Chao Divine Clan, an Ancestor's grandson, Chao Ming. He had killed five beasts
Third was a child wearing a black mask with two horns, his identity was unclear. He had killed four beasts.
The others had all killed three beasts, except Chao Feng, who had just come across his first beast.
"Unrivalled Sword of Purity!"
Chao Feng managed to execute the skill to around fifteen percent of its capacity, leaving a mark on the wolf's head.
He was currently facing off against a horned wolf, a weaker beast in the Martial Origin realm.
The wolf pounced at him, turning its head down to further extend the range of its horns. Chao Feng almost dodged the attack, but his right shoulder was cut by the horn. He gritted his teeth and executed the technique again, aiming for the wolf's leg and managing to cleanly slice it off. He watched with satisfaction as it flew through the air, blood spewing out from the point where it was severed from the wolf's body.
The wolf let out a howl, and under the cloak of darkness, many pairs of red eyes emerged, staring at Chao Feng.
Chao Feng was frightened but he aimed for the wolf's neck with a Sword Strike, cutting its head off.
Then, he ran. He understood his own strength and his also understood that he barely managed to kill one wolf, how would he fare against that many?
After running for a while, Chao Feng came across another beast. This time, it was a maniacal boar, one of the strongest beasts in the Martial Origin realm. However, Chao Feng did not know that.
He launched an Unrivalled Sword of Purity but missed. Well, to be more precise, his attack was dodged seamlessly by the boar. Chao Feng's eyes widened.
"It used a skill?" He was shocked, and that shock would prove to be his downfall as he was attacked during his time gaping at the beast.
A faint glow surrounded his body and he felt a sense of free-falling as his mind turned dark.
Suddenly, he found himself back at the place where the group of prestigious juniors had gathered.
"You have failed the test, return home." The elder's harsh voice resounded in Chao Feng's ears even though he was nowhere to be seen.
"I failed…" Chao Feng clenched his fist and punched down at the ground, making absolutely no difference to the ground's appearance.
"I am much too weak. I need to advance my cultivation by any means and return to take this test again, next time, if I do not take the first place, I do not deserve to live in the Chao Palace, I do not deserve to bear the name Chao!" Chao Feng turned around and left, his eyes had a sense of distaste.
That distaste was towards himself, and his complete and utter fragility. If he didn't change that, if he didn't become strong, how could he reach the highest peak, protect his family and return his father's treatment?
He returned to the private carriage that had been outside the academy the entire time with his head hanging low.
"Chao Feng, you failed?" The carriage driver could tell from his appearance.
Chao Feng silently nodded his head and boarded the carriage, travelling back to Great Chao City, to the Chao Divine Clan Branch Palace.
"Chao Feng, why do you look so gloomy? I can guess that you have failed the admission test? But still you shouldn't be upset, out of everyone there, you have had the least time to cultivate, therefore, it is expected." Chao Peng reassured. "Regardless, I must uphold my agreement. I will not adopt you, but there is someone who is willing in our family."
Chao Feng's eyes widened.
"It is Chao Lieshuan, he has one son but he hasn't seen him for seven years due to him training at the Yueshan Institute of Cultivation. He is the only one who wanted to adopt you. He is the seventh oldest son of Chao Xieshuan, and also is the weakest and has the lowest cultivation status. From now on, you are officially a member of our family."
Chao Peng sent him back to the carriage, which drove to a large house with five floors and two buildings. While it wasn't comparable to the Chao Divine Clan Branch Palace, it was still sizeable.
"This world… Everyone only cares about themselves. Because I am weak, he sent me off to someone else as to not lose face. It wasn't to uphold the agreement at all, it was simply to elevate himself. Compassion and kindness are nothing but mere emotions, strength is the centre of life here, if I was stronger, then I would still be there. I need to pursue strength and only strength, whoever helps me will be someone I will protect and whoever opposes me will become my enemy. Eventually, the Chao Divine Clan will something I can exterminate without a single attack. That peak is possible to reach, and if it is possible, why not pursue it?" Chao Feng gained a new profundity of life from his experiences in recent times, he now clearly understood his goals.
"According to Chao Yuan, with each realm, the lifespan increases. At the pinnacle of cultivation, it is rumoured that one can obtain eternal life! That is what I should strive for, my main goal. My secondary goal is to protect everyone I care about. Taking revenge on my father and Chao Peng comes third."
Chao Feng had felt anger, sadness and pain before, but now, he felt completely calm, devoid of emotion and infinitely determined.
At that moment, night descended and with it, the orange sky became a deep shade black. In the eternal night, many stars were visible. Suddenly, a streak of star light flashed throughout the sky. It was a comet!
Chao Feng was mesmerised as he watched it soar through the sky before it suddenly stopped, directly above him. Something about it was odd, why would a comet stop and linger for so long? But Chao Feng dismissed that thought and silently observed it.
At that moment, something resonated inside him.
The comet came hurtling down, and Chao Feng didn't notice until it was unavoidable.
He collided with the comet, but surprisingly, he took no damage. The comet's residue was also gone and the only thing left was the weird feeling in his dantian…