"Another new mission?"
A flicker of delight appeared on Xiao Chen's face.
The more missions he had, the more rewards he would receive.
Right now, he lacked everything—cultivation techniques, martial skills, pills, weapons.
The Martial God Physique was incredibly powerful, but it also burned through money.
The resources he needed to break through were thirty times those required by others at the same realm. It was simply terrifying!
Joining an academy and fleecing the Martial Hall's sheep sounded like an excellent choice.
He knew about Saintly Wasteland Academy. It was Barren North's number one martial arts academy, the martial sacred land in the hearts of all Barren North people.
But he had never heard of Sword Immortal Academy. Still, the Sword Dao was the foremost killing Dao of ancient times, unrivaled in offensive power. Since that academy dared call itself Sword Immortal Academy, it had to be powerful too!
Either choice seemed pretty good!
But he still preferred becoming a sword cultivator.
Riding a sword across the nine heavens, opening Heaven Gate with one sword.
Invincible and domineering!
Moreover, this cultivation technique specifically countered the Demon Race, making it perfectly suited to the current battlefield environment.
If he obtained this technique, it would be like adding wings to a tiger!
This blind box was practically transparent. One glance made it clear that joining Sword Immortal Academy would earn him the Heaven-Defying Demon Slayer Art.
Thus, he decided to join Sword Immortal Academy.
Once he had made up his mind.
Xiao Chen left the desolate mountain, bought several sets of clothes, and found an inn to stay at.
He would most likely live at the academy in the future, so he had no plans to buy a house.
Time flew by.
Before long, it was the recruitment day for Barren North's Five Great Martial Arts Academies.
Over the past three days, Xiao Chen ate and drank, strolled the streets, and admired beautiful women every day. He lived quite comfortably.
The central district of Barren North City was relatively safe, but housing prices and rent were exorbitant. Most commoners could not afford them and could only live on the outskirts, where demon attacks were frequent and a moment of carelessness could cost them their lives at the claws of demons.
If not for the thousand taels of gold Ye Qingxuan had given him, Xiao Chen could only have scraped by in the outer districts as well.
He had merely chosen an utterly ordinary inn, yet it cost two taels of silver a day—nearly the living expenses of a family of three commoners for three months.
Damn, that was expensive!
The inn where he stayed was not far from Barren North Plaza, the assessment site, so Xiao Chen chose to walk.
Barren North City was a veritable sea of people today. The annual recruitment of the five great academies was undoubtedly the liveliest event in the entire city.
After today, some people were destined to soar into the sky and emerge from their cocoons as butterflies.
Yet even more would return disappointed. Too many people wanted to enter martial arts academies, while recruitment slots were far too few.
The overwhelming majority of martial artists could only study at small martial schools, but compared to the martial arts academies under the Martial Hall, those small schools were worlds apart in resources!
The crowds on the streets grew increasingly surging, all flowing toward Barren North Plaza.
"Have you heard? Today, Xiao Lingtian, the Qilin Child of Zhenbei King Manor, declared that he would definitely make Saintly Wasteland Academy personally invite him to enroll, washing away the humiliation of Saintly Wasteland Academy rejecting his father, the Zhenbei King, back then with blood! How arrogant!"
"He possesses extraordinarily high martial talent, so of course he can be arrogant! But actually, Zhenbei King Manor once had an even more formidable peerless genius—a Born King Physique. Sadly, he was plotted against and died in obscurity!"
"You mean that trash Xiao Chen? He has been crippled for three years already, so why even mention him? I heard his morals are corrupt and his character despicable. He was struck from Zhenbei King Manor's family register, and even Ninth Princess has already broken off her engagement with him!"
Several examinees were chatting animatedly!
Upon hearing them, a bitter smile could not help appearing at the corner of Xiao Chen's mouth.
Morals corrupt, character despicable!
Once a man lost his power, sure enough, everyone came to trample on him!
But all of this was about to end!
Next, he would rise as suddenly as a comet, making those who had once looked down on him regret it beyond redemption!
Before long, Xiao Chen followed the crowd to the foot of an enormous mountain. The mountain rose ten thousand zhang high, towering and majestic!
At its base lay a vast plaza, already packed shoulder to shoulder with people.
Of these people, less than half had come to take the assessment. More had come as accompanying relatives.
As the saying went, every parent hoped their child would become a dragon.
Whether they could soar into the sky all depended on this day.
Xiao Chen swept his gaze over them.
He found few with high talent, and even fewer who possessed cultivation.
Having martial talent was an extremely low-probability occurrence.
Out of ten thousand people, roughly one might have it.
And ninety-five percent of them possessed only the lowest Yellow Rank aptitude.
At the center of the plaza.
There were six camps.
They belonged respectively to Barren North's Five Great Martial Arts Academies and one obscure Sword Immortal Academy.
The five great martial arts academies all carried an imposing presence. Behind each academy's camp stood dozens of powerful martial artists wreathed in terrifying martial auras, enough to make people tremble with fear from a distant glance.
Compared with the five great academies, Sword Immortal Academy looked miserably shabby.
There was only a set of battered tables and chairs, along with a white cloth banner bearing the words Sword Immortal Academy.
There were very few people as well. Only a drunken old man sat there holding down the fort.
The people from the five great academies looked at Sword Immortal Academy with eyes full of contempt!
Just as everyone waited anxiously.
Suddenly.
An elderly man dressed in black robes, his expression solemn, slowly emerged from the center of the plaza.
The black-robed elder swept his gaze across the crowd and said coldly, "This old man is Zhao Cang, a Martial Hall deacon of Barren North Province, responsible for today's recruitment. The specific number of admissions shall be decided by each academy."
"Whenever this old man assesses a student, each academy may issue an invitation. If a student receives no invitation from any academy, the assessment shall be considered failed. If a student receives invitations from multiple academies, that student may choose which academy to attend."
"Now begin!"
"Those whose names are called, step forward!"
"First, Zhang Gou Dan!"
Zhao Cang took out something resembling a crystal ball and began calling names for testing.
This crystal ball was called the Martial Purity Instrument.
As long as the test subject placed a hand upon it, it could detect their cultivation and aptitude.
The simple, honest youth named Zhang Gou Dan quickly stepped forward.
"You are Zhang Gou Dan? Place your hand on the Martial Purity Instrument. Do not remove it until I tell you to stop."
Zhao Cang instructed him.
"Yes, sir!"
Zhang Gou Dan nodded and obediently placed his hand on it.
Five breaths later.
The Martial Purity Instrument showed no reaction whatsoever.
Zhao Cang shook his head. "Zhang Gou Dan, no martial talent detected."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Gou Dan withdrew his hand and walked away with disappointment written all over his face.
Under Zhao Cang's direction.
One hopeful youth after another stepped up for testing.
But after several hundred were tested in succession.
There were more than a dozen with martial talent. Only three possessed high-grade Yellow Rank aptitude and were admitted by academies. The rest all had low-grade Yellow Rank aptitude. Though they had talent, they were destined not to go far, and none of them received an academy invitation.
"Xiao Chen, why is trash like you here? Hurry up and get lost! Are you trying to disgrace my Zhenbei King Manor?"
At that moment, Xiao Lingtian, who was mixed among the recruitment crowd, suddenly spotted Xiao Chen. He immediately strode over and berated him fiercely.
Today was the glorious day when he, Xiao Lingtian, would soar into the sky!
This trash had actually come deliberately to disgust him?
What assessment was a cripple here to take?
Before you continue