Several of them followed He Yanjun into a hall even larger than the last. Seeing the square pit more than four meters deep in the center of the hall, a trace of curiosity flashed through Chen Lin's eyes.
"First tester, Chen Yu, please enter the middle of the pit. Remember, until the test ends, you are not permitted to jump out. Once you leave, your test results will be voided and your qualifications for this selection will be revoked," He Yanjun instructed expressionlessly.
"Good luck, Brother Yu!" Chen Lin lightly patted Chen Yu on the shoulder.
"Mm. You haven't taken part in this before, so you don't know the specifics of the test. Watch my movements carefully during the test. They might give you some insight and help," Chen Yu reminded Chen Lin before jumping into the pit.
Seeing that Chen Yu was in position, He Yanjun immediately stomped hard on the Copper Coins beneath his feet.
"Click, click, click!"
A series of heavy mechanical sounds entered the ears of every participant. Then, to Chen Lin's astonished gaze, numerous round holes several inches in diameter appeared in the copper walls around the pit, and countless small red balls sprayed out from them.
Chen Yu's eyes rapidly swept across his surroundings as his mind raced. Guided by his brain's judgments, his body continuously darted forward, backward, left, right, up, and down, repeatedly evading the red balls shooting from the holes in the copper walls.
"Hmm?" Chen Lin watched Chen Yu's evasive footwork, secretly surprised.
Chen Yu's movements appeared somewhat stiff, yet his efficiency in dodging the red balls was extremely high.
Every dodge was small, staying within the range of a single step, yet he avoided most of the red balls.
Chen Lin nodded inwardly, but also felt some regret. Chen Yu's movement technique was indeed good, but there was no way Chen Lin could learn it in a short time.
Because he could see that this kind of movement technique placed extremely high demands on its user.
Not only did it require fast reactions and strong judgment, it also required the user to have reached an exceptionally precise level of control over his own body.
Otherwise, forget dodging the red balls—even managing not to trip over oneself would already be impressive.
At the same time, Chen Lin thought of how using this movement technique against demon beasts would be no different from dancing on a blade's edge. When performed smoothly, it would naturally sweep everything before it; but should anything go wrong along the way, the sharp claws of demon beasts could tear a martial artist's body to pieces in an instant.
It had both advantages and disadvantages. It all depended on how deeply one had cultivated this movement technique.
"Thud!" A loud mechanical sound rose from the ground, and the holes in the copper walls around Chen Yu's pit stopped spitting out little red balls.
"Fifteen breaths, hit twenty-five times. Test result: qualified!" He Yanjun announced Chen Yu's results with an appreciative expression.
Looking at the dense little red dots covering Chen Yu's body, realization flashed through Chen Lin's heart.
Upon hearing this, Chen Yu clenched his fists excitedly, and faint tears glimmered in his eyes.
For this day, he did not know how long he had worked. After twenty years of persistence through wind, rain, snow, and moonlight, he had finally entered the ranks of elite martial artists and become one of the very best among them. His next step would be to break through to Martial Grandmaster, then become a Martial King-level martial artist and live to one hundred and fifty.
After Chen Yu jumped out of the pit, He Yanjun, out of appreciation, could not help offering an extra word of guidance.
"Chen Yu, your movement technique cultivation has already touched the edge of Entering the Hall and Reaching the Inner Chamber. I will give you one piece of advice: before your movement technique enters Entering the Hall and Reaching the Inner Chamber, do not use it lightly in battle against demon beasts!"
"Why is that? Please enlighten me, Senior He!" Chen Yu looked at He Yanjun in some confusion and cupped his hands to ask for instruction.
"Your current reaction speed and control over your own body have not yet reached the realm of minute precision. It would be easy for flaws to appear in battle against demon beasts."
"The speed and direction of a demon beast's attacks are not like these red balls fired from fixed positions during a test. Once there is the slightest error in your judgment, or your bodily control fails to reach the precision you imagine, the result awaiting you will be death and the dispersal of your path. Do you understand?" With a single remark, He Yanjun pointed out the greatest hidden flaw in Chen Yu's current movement technique.
"Thank you for the reminder, Senior He." Chen Yu froze upon hearing this, then immediately cupped his hands respectfully and nodded in thanks.
Seeing Chen Yu's expression, He Yanjun knew his guidance had been taken to heart. Smiling, he offered another suggestion. "Your movement technique cultivation has already touched the edge of Entering the Hall and Reaching the Inner Chamber. My advice is that you should spend more time cultivating your movement technique in the future. It will greatly help improve your combat strength. Fighting opponents above your level may not be impossible."
"Alright, I will definitely train according to Senior He's reminder!" Chen Yu cupped his hands once more in thanks.
After hearing their conversation, Chen Lin saw that He Yanjun's words were largely identical to his own deductions, and an indescribable emotion rose within him.
After advising Chen Yu, He Yanjun glanced at the list in his hand and called again, "Next tester, Chen Lin, please enter the middle of the pit." Hearing his name, Chen Lin took a deep breath. His figure flashed, and he appeared inside the pit.
Standing in the pit and facing the densely packed holes in the surrounding copper walls, his expression was incomparably solemn.
"Thud, thud—"
In an instant, every hole fired red balls in rapid succession like machine guns.
"Hmm?"
Chen Lin's eyes swiftly swept around the area as calculations ran ceaselessly through his mind. At the same time, his body followed his brain's commands, making one nimble movement after another. Like an agile black panther, he leaped left and right, forward and back, up and down.
For those he truly could not avoid, he could only take the hit.
Everyone above the pit watching Chen Lin's evasive movements had surprise written all over their faces.
"Chen Lin's speed and reaction ability are pretty good too! He actually dodged more than half of so many balls. That's truly astonishing!"
"Indeed. Look how nimble he is, like a cat. He's so outstanding it's outrageous!"
"This shows that not only is he strong, but his physical qualities are balanced in every aspect as well. His Basic Movement Technique cultivation is also very solid."
"Chen Lin's understanding of the Basic Movement Technique may not match Chen Yu's, but he has at least reached the late stage of first glimpsing the gateway. Has the Chen Clan stepped in dog shit or something?"
Seeing Chen Yu's performance, everyone present cried out in amazement.
After fifteen breaths, a loud mechanical "Thud!" sounded. Then the holes around Chen Lin's pit stopped spitting out little red balls.
"Fifteen breaths, hit thirty-two times. Test result: qualified!" He Yanjun announced, delight flashing in his eyes.
After Chen Lin leaped out of the pit, He Yanjun looked at his youthful face and revealed a kind smile. "Chen Lin, you are very good. Congratulations, you are now a member of the War God Temple. I hope you continue working hard. I hope to see you in next year's Demon Purifier selection!"
"Mm!" Chen Lin nodded excitedly at his words, a smile immediately appearing on his face as the gloom in his heart scattered by more than half.
"Next tester, Duan Xiang, please enter the middle of the pit." After exchanging a few words with Chen Lin, He Yanjun continued presiding over the test.
Watching Chen Lin return to his side with a smile, Chen Yu lowered his voice, his face full of delight. "A Lin, you passed the assessment too. This is truly cause for celebration! Once we pass the martial artist assessment in a few days, our Chen Clan will really show its face in the city!"
"Mm! We certainly will show our face!" Chen Lin replied with a polite smile, though he was not particularly excited about the Chen Clan gaining glory.
Inside the pit, Duan Xiang desperately dodged the red balls fired from the copper walls on all sides, but red balls continued to strike his body nonetheless.
As the number of impacts increased, his heart gradually sank. Once his fighting spirit leaked away, even more red balls continuously struck his body.
After fifteen breaths, He Yanjun looked at Duan Xiang, whose entire body was covered in red-ball marks, and coldly announced, "Fifteen breaths, hit sixty-eight times. Test result: unqualified. Eliminated!"
Upon hearing this, Duan Xiang's face immediately turned exceedingly ugly. With a gloomy expression, he leaped out of the pit and returned to where the examinees were waiting.
As he passed Chen Lin and Chen Yu, he shot the two of them a venomous glance, making Chen Lin frown.
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