Why are you, a good-for-nothing, here for the assessment?

"Another new mission?"

A hint of joy appeared on Xiao Chen's face.

The more missions, the more rewards.

Currently, he lacked everything: cultivation methods, martial skills, pills, weapons, you name it.

The Martial God Physique was powerful, but it also burned through money like crazy.

The resources he needed to break through realms were thirty times that of others at the same level. It was terrifying!

Joining an academy to fleece the Martial Hall seemed like a pretty good choice.

He knew that Saintly Wasteland Academy was the number one martial arts academy in the Barren North, a martial arts mecca in the hearts of all Barren North residents.

But he had never heard of Sword Immortal Academy before. However, the sword path was the number one killing path since ancient times, with unparalleled attack power. Surely, an academy that dared to call itself Sword Immortal Academy must be strong!

Joining either one seemed good!

However, he still preferred being a sword cultivator.

Tread the nine heavens on a sword, open the gates of heaven with a sword.

Incomparably domineering!

Moreover, this cultivation method specifically countered the demon race, which perfectly suited the current battlefield environment.

If he obtained this cultivation method, it would be like adding wings to a tiger!

This time, the blind box was practically an open book. It was obvious that joining Sword Immortal Academy would grant him the Heaven-Defying Demon Slayer Art.

Therefore, he decided to join Sword Immortal Academy.

Having made up his mind.

Xiao Chen directly left Barren Mountain, bought a few sets of clothes, and found an inn to stay in.

Since he would most likely be living in the academy in the future, he didn't plan to buy a house.

Time flew by.

Soon, it was the day for the Barren North's Five Great Martial Arts Academies to recruit students.

For these three days, Xiao Chen had been eating, drinking, strolling around, and looking at beautiful women, living a very comfortable life.

The central area of Barren North City was relatively safe, but the housing prices and rent were extremely expensive. Most commoners couldn't afford it and could only live in the outer areas where demon disasters were frequent. A moment of carelessness could lead to death at the hands of demons.

If Xiao Chen hadn't had the one thousand taels of gold that Ye Qingxuan gave him, he would have had to scrape by in the outer areas.

He just found a very ordinary inn, and it actually cost two taels of silver a day, which was almost the same as a commoner family of three's living expenses for three months.

Truly expensive!

The inn he was staying at wasn't far from the Barren North Plaza, the examination site, so Xiao Chen chose to walk.

Today, Barren North City could be described as a sea of people. The annual recruitment of the five great academies could be said to be the most lively event in the entire Barren North City.

After today, some people were destined to soar into the sky and break out of their cocoons like butterflies.

But more people would return disappointed. There were too many people who wanted to enter a martial arts academy, but too few places.

The vast majority of martial artists could only study in small martial arts schools, but the resources of those small martial arts schools were far, far inferior to those of the martial arts academies under the Martial Hall!

On the street, the flow of people became more and more turbulent, all heading towards Barren North Plaza.

"Have you heard? Today, Xiao Lingtian, the Qilin Child of the Zhenbei King Manor, declared that he would definitely make Saintly Wasteland Academy personally invite him to join, to wash away the shame of his father, the Zhenbei King, being rejected by Saintly Wasteland Academy back then! How arrogant!"

"He possesses extremely high martial arts talent, so of course he can be arrogant! However, in fact, the Zhenbei King Manor originally had an even more powerful peerless genius, a Born King Physique, but unfortunately, he was secretly plotted against and fell into obscurity!"

"You're talking about that good-for-nothing Xiao Chen, right? He's been crippled for three years already. Why are you talking about him? I heard that he's morally corrupt and of low character. He's already been removed from the family tree by the Zhenbei King Manor, and even the Ninth Princess has broken off her engagement with him!"

Several examinees were chatting enthusiastically!

Hearing this, a bitter smile couldn't help but appear on the corner of Xiao Chen's mouth.

Morally corrupt and of low character!

Once a person loses power, everyone steps on him!

However, all of this was about to end!

Next, he would rise suddenly like a comet, making those who once looked down on him regret it!

Soon, Xiao Chen followed a group of people to the foot of a huge mountain, this mountain was ten thousand zhang tall, majestic and magnificent!

At the foot of the mountain was a huge plaza, which was already a sea of people.

A small half of these people were here to participate in the assessment, and more were relatives who came with them.

So-called hoping that their son would become a dragon.

Whether they could soar into the sky was all up to today.

Xiao Chen glanced around.

He found that there weren't many with high talent, and even fewer with cultivation.

Having martial arts talent was a very small probability event.

About one in ten thousand people have it.

And 95% of those are still the lowest-grade Yellow-rank aptitude.

In the center of the plaza, were six camps.

They were Barren North's Five Great Martial Arts Academies and a little-known Sword Immortal Academy.

The Five Great Martial Arts Academies were all powerful and influential. Behind each academy's camp stood dozens of powerful martial artists, their bodies swirling with terrifying martial auras, making people tremble with fear at just a glance.

In comparison to the five academies, the Sword Immortal Academy looked incredibly shabby.

Just a pair of dilapidated desks and chairs, and a white cloth banner with the name "Sword Immortal Academy" written on it.

It was also sparsely populated, with only a drunken old man sitting there.

The people from the five academies looked at the Sword Immortal Academy with disdain!

Just as people were waiting anxiously, suddenly, an old man in a black robe, with a solemn expression, slowly walked out from the center of the plaza.

The black-robed old man swept his gaze over the crowd and said coldly, "I am Zhao Cang, a deacon of the Martial Hall of Barren North Province, responsible for today's enrollment. The specific number of admissions will be decided by each academy."

"When I assess a student, each academy can issue an invitation. If a student does not receive an invitation from any academy, they will be considered to have failed the assessment. If a student receives invitations from multiple academies, the student can decide which academy to go to."

"Now, let's begin!"

"Those whose names are called, step forward!"

"First, Zhang Gou Dan!"

Zhao Cang took out a crystal ball-like object and began to call out names for testing.

This crystal ball was called the Martial Purity Instrument.

As long as the test subject placed their hand on it, it could detect their cultivation level and aptitude.

The simple and honest young man named Zhang Gou Dan quickly stepped forward.

"You are Zhang Gou Dan? Place your hand on the Martial Purity Instrument, and don't take it off until I tell you to stop."

Zhao Cang instructed.

"Yes, sir!"

Zhang Gou Dan nodded and obediently placed his hand on it.

After five breaths, the Martial Purity Instrument showed no reaction.

Zhao Cang shook his head, "Zhang Gou Dan, no martial arts talent detected."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Gou Dan withdrew his hand and walked away with a disappointed look on his face.

Under Zhao Cang's supervision, one young man after another stepped forward to be tested, full of hope.

But after testing hundreds of them in a row, there were only a dozen with martial arts talent, and only three of them were of upper-grade Yellow-rank, who were accepted by the academies. The rest were all only lower-grade Yellow-rank. Although they had talent, they were destined not to go far. These people did not receive invitations from any academy.

"Xiao Chen, why are you, a good-for-nothing, here? Get back home now, are you trying to embarrass my Zhenbei King Manor?"

Just then, Xiao Lingtian, who was mixed in with the enrollment crowd, suddenly noticed that Xiao Chen was also there. He immediately walked over and berated him.

Today was his, Xiao Lingtian's, great day to soar to the sky!

Was this good-for-nothing deliberately trying to disgust him?

What kind of assessment could a cripple participate in?