"Hey you bumpkin, get off her!" an enraged voice was heard amidst the crowd. A young 15 some years-old boy quickly stood in front of Kaeln and Su Yao. Standing at about the same height as Kaeln, he was also considered tall for his age. Though handsome, with golden hair and eyes, he couldn't hide the sheer arrogance in his bones.
"There he comes!"
"Who is he?"
"You really should go out more. He's the youngest master of the Jin Clan, his name is Jin Ming. They say he managed to reach the 11th layer of Houtian foundation, opening all 720 meridians. Unfortunately..." pausing slightly, contemplating if he should keep talking.
"Unfortunately what, don't turn deaf now. Keep talking." Jin Kun, hearing the whispers, glared at the person speaking, a mighty, light golden qi pressing towards the person, forcing him on his knees. Beads of sweat dripping down his face and sounds of bones cracking were heard as the person groaned in pain.
"Young Master Jin, I meant no disrespect." Terrified, the person falls on his back as he quickly crawls away.
"Hmph, trash." Not paying the guy any more attention, Jin Kun turns back to Kaeln, who had now stood up and was indifferently looking back at him.
"Jin Kun, you truly haven't changed, always bullying the weak. How about you take someone at your level." Another voice was heard as a tall and muscular youth came forward, also very handsome. He had short black hair and a peculiar pair of ruby irises. Clad in a warrior sleeveless open black jacket that stretched only below his chest, leaving it, his developed abdominal muscles and strong arms, red pants held by a black leather belt, and boots made of black animal fur.
"It is no secret that you failed your Houtian tribulation and had to forcibly break through to Xiantian. The shame you feel is a consequence of your own incompetence, no need to make others suffer for it." That said, the young man walks toward the person on the floor, helping him up.
"Th-, thank you, Young Master." Expressing his gratitude, he quickly bows before moving to the back of the crowd.
Seeing the new arrival, Kaeln looks at him curiously. His senses told him the young man was very strong, much stronger than the Jin Clan's young master.
Also looking at Kaeln, the young man introduces himself and extends his right arm to greet him. "I'm Torin, Torin Ironheart."
Kaeln politely returns the favor, grabbing his hand. "Kaeln Yang, nice to meet you." The two shake hands for a few seconds before releasing.
Looking at the two, Rai, with his hands behind his head, chuckles. "What an interesting fella, this Free Immortal Sect is turning out to be a very fun place. There are many strong people, especially those five adults. I can even sense qi of even greater power coming from the floating mountains further in the back." His people eyes gazing towards the depths of the sect. It was as if he could feel a mighty force pressing towards him, it was truly suffocating
Noticing Rai standing behind Kaeln, Torin also greets him. "And you are?"
"Ohoh… remember my name, because I'll only say it once. The name's Raizel Thundercloud," shaking Torin's hand as well, he also introduces himself with a smile on his face.
The trio together forms a peculiar scene; one could tell these young boys were meant for great things.
Seeing everyone ignoring him, Jin Kun coldly snorts before turning towards Su Yao. "Miss Su, we meet again. You grow more beautiful every time I see you." With a smile on his face, he extends his hand to greet her.
Having regained her composure, Su Yao only nods her head lightly before turning her back, not extending her hand. She did not like this arrogant young master who treated regular people like trash. Though she's polite, she does not want to be too associated with those types, so she keeps her distance.
Awkwardly retracting his hand, Jin Kun lets out an embarrassed smile. He naturally sees that the young maiden does not like him very much.
"Alright everyone, gather up." A large shout was heard as everyone gathered in front of the green-clad middle-aged man. "My name is Long Ao; you will address me as Teacher Long. I, as well as the four behind me, will be your teachers for the next two years if you manage to pass the assessment. There are roughly ten thousand of you here; first, give your invitation token to the inner sanctum disciples at the stand past the gate. Those who don't have invitation tokens will need to leave immediately to avoid holding everyone up."
As he said that, numerous dejected optimists started leaving, but the vast majority of attendees were still present.
Nodding at this sight, Teacher Long proceeded, "Secondly, we will assess the sturdiness of your cultivation through the Mystic Orb. It will judge your foundation in the Houtian realm from grade F to A. The minimum required talent is C; those who fail to qualify are immediately eliminated. Thirdly, you will each withstand three strikes of a teacher of your choice. If you manage to withstand them, you pass; if you fall unconscious, you fail. Do not worry; we will not use excessive strength and will lock our cultivation to match yours.
Finally, a comprehension assessment will take place to gauge your comprehension ability. You will each choose a manual of your choice as well as the corresponding weapon and replicate the martial to your best ability. Understood?"
"Yes!" The overzealous teenagers all shout. With a nod, Teacher Long and the others soared into the sky to let the kids pass through the gate.
"Let's go together." Gazing at the beautiful maiden, Kaeln invites her. "I'm already a disciple though," she says.
"No matter. You will see me show off a bit," he says nonchalantly with a confident smile.
"Okay." She softly agrees, then follows Kaeln and Rai to give out the entrance token at one of the stands in the vast open space.
"Can I come with you guys?" As the trio starts moving forward, a voice is heard as Torin asks to follow them.
"Sure." Kaeln accepts, and the group of four all walk past the gate.
Stepping into the territory of the Free Immortal Sect, a pure soothing feeling envelops the three boys as they bask in the overflowing heaven and earth Qi in the surrounding.
"What a pure Qi," Raizel exclaims.
"Cultivating here will bring twice the results with half the effort."
They quickly make their way to a stand and give out their tokens before heading towards a roughly thousand-meter-wide and long stage, on which was standing Teacher Long.
He held a palm-sized mysterious tricolor orb in his hand, which he placed at the top of a one-meter-tall structure in which it fit perfectly.
Below the top was a palm-sized platform with a handprint on it which started glowing as soon as the orb was placed on top of the structure.
A similar scene was happening at four other stages with the remaining teachers.
"Place your hand on it, and it will assess your foundation," Teacher Long lays out the instructions as he officially starts the first assessment.
"I'll go first."
A confident-looking boy quickly walked past everyone until he stood a step away from the structure.
He extends his right arm and places his hand on the handprint. A few seconds pass with nothing happening. Finally, at the 9th second, the orb began to shine.
A flash of light quickly shimmers inside it before it comes to a still, and a character appears above the orb.
"B! You pass. Stand aside and wait for the next assessment. Next."
The excited kid quickly moves aside, very satisfied with himself.
The next kid hastily makes his way to the platform before putting his hand on it. Same as before, a moment passes before a similar but slightly different character appears above the orb.
"C! Barely passable. Next!" The kid lets out a breath of relief before standing to the side, allowing the next one to take the test.
"E, Fail! Eliminated."
"D, Fail. Eliminated."
"F, Fail, Eliminated."
...
Like this, hundreds of participants take the test, but only a dozen have passed, most being C tier, with a few Bs. Zero As as of yet.
Finally, it was Kaeln's group next, except for Su Yao.
Kaeln slowly makes his way to the platform. Upon reaching it, he places his right arm on top of the handprint.
Almost immediately, the orb starts to shake as it begins to emit a blinding crimson light that quickly covers the entire stage, drowning everyone in it.
Only half a minute later, the light in front of Kaeln finally started to subside. A form began to coalesce from red spots of light into a snake shape. Before long, a red dragon symbol appeared atop the orb, shocking everyone.