"Testing early and finishing quickly, isn't that a good thing?" A man next to Lin San chuckled.
"Hahaha."
The people around joined in the laughter, clearly looking down on Lin San. However, some of them, with cautious eyes, glanced at him, aware that Lin San might not be as simple as he seemed. After all, many had witnessed what happened yesterday.
"The sect competition is about to begin," a senior elder announced loudly from a high platform.
At his words, the crowd quieted down and turned their attention toward him.
"Please welcome the Sect Master of Sky Peak Sect!"
A middle-aged man walked out from the side.
"Sect Master Zhang!"
"Sect Master Zhang has come out of seclusion!"
The crowd buzzed with excitement.
The Sect Master, Zhang Tiancong, was a sixth-tier warrior! After a year of seclusion, no one knew how much stronger he had become. Could he have reached the seventh tier, becoming a high-tier warrior?
"It's been a year since I've seen you all, and I can tell our disciples have grown much stronger," Zhang Tiancong said, stroking his long black beard as he surveyed the crowd.
"Before the competition begins, we will first conduct a source power and rank test!"
With his words, Zhang Tiancong took a seat in a grand, ornate stone chair.
"Let the testing begin!" a high-ranking instructor announced.
In the center of the area stood a towering stone, covered in mysterious engravings—the Testing Stone.
This stone was a mystical artifact that could measure a warrior's source power and cultivation rank as long as they channeled their energy into it.
"First up, Li Kai!"
At the instructor's call, a man stepped forward holding a jade slip with the character "one" inscribed on it, indicating his number.
"It's Li Kai!"
"I've heard he's a recent addition to the sect, a true prodigy!"
The crowd murmured as Li Kai approached the Testing Stone and placed his hand on it.
As his source power flowed into the stone, the engravings began to glow, filling the onlookers with anticipation. The intensity of the glow suggested that Li Kai's rank was quite high.
"Source power: 451, Fourth-tier warrior!"
The number appeared on the stone, and the instructor's voice rang out clearly.
"A fourth-tier warrior!"
"And with a source power of 451, he's almost at the peak of the fourth tier!"
"Impressive! Li Kai is truly exceptional!"
The crowd buzzed with admiration.
"Next, Zhao Xiaoling, number two!" the instructor called.
"Zhao Xiaoling! It's her turn!"
"I've heard her strength has improved rapidly this year!"
All eyes turned to Zhao Xiaoling as she approached the Testing Stone with an air of arrogance. She placed her hands on the stone and channeled her energy into it.
The engravings lit up again, this time with a softer glow.
"Source power: 382, Third-tier warrior!"
The crowd gasped. With a source power of 382, Zhao Xiaoling was on the verge of breaking into the fourth tier.
"Zhao Xiaoling is only eighteen!"
"That's incredible! She's almost a fourth-tier warrior already!"
"I heard that Instructor Ren Xing once tried to pair her with Lin San."
"Tch, with Lin San? Maybe in the past, but now that's like a toad lusting after a swan."
The crowd's chatter filled the air, and Zhao Xiaoling's expression darkened. She despised being mentioned in the same breath as Lin San, who was now considered a disgrace. The mere association with him was an insult to her reputation.
If only Lin San were dead, then no one would bring up his name next to hers ever again.
"Heh, it seems this woman's strength isn't too bad either," Ye Fan commented. "If source power is how they measure someone's rank, then Lin San's must be around 300 or so."
"Wait, it's Lin San's turn next," Ye Fan added, sensing the situation was about to get interesting.
"Number three, Lin San!"
The instructor's voice echoed across the arena.
"Lin San?!"
"Number three is Lin San?!"
"No way, it's that loser…"
"Hahaha, after seeing two geniuses, now we get to see a failure."
"How amusing."
The moment Lin San's name was called, the crowd erupted in whispers. His name was well-known in the sect, a tale of a young prodigy who suddenly fell from grace and became a cautionary tale.
"What a pity," Zhang Tiancong muttered, shaking his head as he watched Lin San step forward. Once, he had considered taking Lin San as a personal disciple, impressed by his extraordinary talent. But after Lin San's meridians became blocked, making cultivation impossible, those dreams were shattered.
Ignoring the countless eyes on him, Lin San calmly walked to the Testing Stone. Many who had witnessed his battle against Sun Ran yesterday watched intently, curious to see if Lin San had truly regained his strength.
Standing before the stone, Lin San's expression remained unchanged. After four long years, he was finally here again.
Taking a deep breath, Lin San placed his hands on the stone and began to channel his source power into it.
In an instant, the engravings on the stone lit up with a brilliant glow.