Testing Your Courage!
A day later, candidates from various small tribes within a radius of thousands of miles arrived at the Tao Clan one after another.
After another night of rest, the Divine Kingdom Grand Selection officially begins today!
The election was held on a flat wasteland outside the Tao Clan's stronghold.
This wasteland is vast, and the ground is covered with Black Iron Rock, like specially laid paving stones.
More than a thousand candidates, organized by tribe, were neatly arranged on the wasteland.
In the very center, of course, were the young talents of the Tao Clan, numbering six or seven hundred, more than the candidates from the other dozens of smaller tribes combined!
Not only were they numerous, but their quality was also top-notch. Even those recruited to make up the numbers were far stronger than the Lian Clan's Warrior Reserve Camp.
Among these people, Yi Yun spotted Tao Yunxiao, the Third Young Master of the Tao Clan, who was standing at the very front of the group.
As for the First Young Master and Second Young Master, they did not show up. According to the rules of this Divine Kingdom Grand Selection, the first assessment was just a preliminary selection to eliminate those who lacked strength. However, those who reached the Purple Blood Realm did not need to go through the preliminary selection and could directly proceed to the final selection.
Reaching the Purple Blood Realm is essentially a guaranteed admission to the Brocade Dragon Guard. The final selection is just a formality. Purple Blood Warrior under the age of 28, even if they are only at the early stage of Purple Blood, have proven their talent and are qualified to become a member of the Brocade Dragon Guard.
The entire Tao Clan, apart from the First Young Master and Second Young Master, also had seven Purple Blood Warrior under the age of twenty-eight. These nine people directly secured the nine spots in the Divine Kingdom Grand Selection.
The remaining one thousand people will compete for the remaining eleven spots!
At this moment, a troop of cavalry rode up, led by Zhang Tan, the commander of the Brocade Dragon Guard.
He was also the host of this Tao Clan election.
Zhang Tan gently reined in his horse, dismounted, and announced the rules for the first preliminary selection.
Zhang Tan didn't waste any words, not even bothering with a self-introduction, and went straight to the point. "The first election will mainly test your courage!"
"Spirit?"
The candidates were all taken aback. They had originally thought the preliminary selection would test strength or something similar, which would be the easiest and simplest. But a test of spirit? What was spirit? How would that be tested?
"Courage is the aura you possess, and the determination to act! People with strong courage are decisive and efficient, possess extraordinary courage, and never back down no matter what difficulties they face, nor do they shy away from any temptations, remaining steadfast in their resolve and forging ahead!"
"The path of martial arts is fraught with peril! Many secret realms are places where entering them could lead to certain death; without courage and determination, one simply wouldn't dare to venture in."
"Besides, fighting powerful wild beasts and protecting human cities also requires courage and boldness. Strength alone is not enough. Otherwise, if you are afraid of those ancient wild beasts before the battle even begins, and you can't even unleash half of your full strength, how can you fight!"
"Breaking through the martial arts realm sometimes requires defeating inner demons, demanding an indomitable spirit and will. Becoming an unparalleled expert means facing endless temptations in the world. Countless forces will try to win you over, offering you wealth, honor, treasures, and beautiful women, attempting to corrupt you and make you work for them! If you succumb to these temptations and fail to maintain your resolve, your path in martial arts will come to an end!"
"Therefore, whether a martial artist has a future depends not only on their talent, but also on their spirit!"
Yi Yun agreed with Zhang Tan's words, believing that a strong spirit was an essential quality for those who could achieve great things.
Ancient Chinese heroes, once they set their sights on a goal, would overcome all obstacles and forge ahead bravely. Neither difficulties nor temptations could deter them!
This kind of spirit is called "qi" in ancient China!
Those who understand the Art of Observing Qi " can see that a person's head is filled with a purple aura. This purple aura is called the Emperor's Qi, or in novels, the King's Aura.
What is the Emperor's Qi? In short, it is the ability to accomplish great things!
Zhang Tan continued, "Whether you have spirit or not is a matter of your overall qualities. A simple test can hardly cover everything. Now, let's begin. All of you, form a large circle around me, with the closest person at least fifty paces away!"
As soon as Zhang Tan spoke, the crowd began to move. With over a thousand people present and no unified command, coupled with the extremely vague instructions given by Zhang Tan, the movement inevitably became chaotic.
Seeing this situation, a few people, including Tao Yunxiao and Lian Chengyu, immediately began to demonstrate their leadership qualities.
"People of the Tao Clan, listen to my command! Hold hands, form a circle, and spread out in place with Commander Zhang as the center!"
The Tao Clan has the largest number of people; they hold hands and form a circle to avoid chaos.
Other tribes followed suit.
"Yi Yun, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and go to the other side! Can't you see there are so few people there?" Lian Chengyu shouted at Yi Yun. He felt that maintaining order amidst the chaos was also a way to demonstrate courage, and if he performed well, he could attract the attention of the higher-ups of the Brocade Dragon Guard.
This is an opportunity for me.
Yi Yun was, after all, a member of his Lian Clan. If Yi Yun disobeyed orders and ran around recklessly, it would make him lose face and appear incompetent.
Yi Yun gave Lian Chengyu a cold look and said, "You just need to keep an eye on your lackeys."
Yi Yun's words made Lian Chengyu's eyes turn cold. "Let's see how long you can be arrogant. You do have martial arts talent, but what about the spirit you need for this first test? You're just a peasant who toils in the fields, your family has been poor and beggars for generations. Your life is that of a slave. Do you think you have any spirit?"
Boldness is the ability to accomplish great things, and only those with leadership qualities can possess it. As for who the leader is in the Lian Clan, it's obvious!
"We'll find out once we try." Yi Yun shrugged. "By the way, Young Master Lian, has your injury healed? Will it affect you during the test of willpower later?"
Yi Yun is the type to hit people in the face and expose their weaknesses when he insults them.
When Lian Chengyu broke through to the Purple Blood Realm, he was so enraged by the failure that he vomited blood. This was a source of shame and tragic memories for him throughout his life.
When Yi Yun mentioned him, Lian Chengyu's face darkened.
"You little beast, let's see how long you can stay arrogant! Sooner or later you'll fall into my hands, and I'll make you know what it means to wish you were dead!"
Lian Chengyu turned and walked in another direction.
Yi Yun chuckled lightly, unconcerned. He moved slowly with the crowd, occasionally glancing at Zhang Tan. He saw Zhang Tan touch the Space Ring on his hand and take out a black box that was over three feet tall.
This black box is made entirely of black iron, and its surface is covered with patterns, giving it an ancient and mysterious appearance.
Once everyone had formed a circle around Zhang Tan, he surveyed them and coldly said, "The preliminary selection is about to begin. I advise you not to be reckless. If you feel you lack courage, stand further back to avoid getting hurt later."
When Zhang Tan said this, no one moved. On the contrary, Tao Yunxiao, Lian Chengyu and others even took a few steps forward and stood closer to Zhang Tan to show their boldness.
Zhang Tan smiled, opened the box, and took out a three-foot-long black object. This thing was a curved spike with spiral patterns on it, like a scimitar.
Yi Yun realized that the black object must be the horn left behind by some Giant Beast!
After Zhang Tan took out the Beast Horn, it slowly floated in the air, seemingly oblivious to gravity.
Is this what tests one's courage?
For a moment, everyone was somewhat bewildered, unsure how the assessment would proceed. Strangely, however, they all felt a vague unease in the face of the Beast Horn.
This unease was inexplicable, as if a seed had been planted in their hearts...
"I'll say it again, those who lack confidence should step back. Otherwise, this assessment might shatter your confidence and make it difficult for you to make any further progress in your martial arts training."
As Zhang Tan spoke, a look of seriousness appeared on his face. The members of the Brocade Dragon Guard around him took a few steps back, leaving only Zhang Tan alone. He lightly tapped his finger, and with each tap, runes flickered around the Beast Horn!