Ning Xiaochuan and Zi Hanyan entered the Elder Hall and came to stand beside Yue Mingsong, Situ Jing, and the others.
All the Outer Disciples bowed toward the upper seats in unison and called out together, "Greetings, Three Palace Lords."
"Rise, all of you!" The Third Palace Lord raised an arm, and a faint aura of nothingness spread out, blanketing the entire Elder Hall.
Under the influence of that invisible force, all the Outer Disciples rose to their feet, staring in shock at the Third Palace Lord seated above.
That force from earlier had been quite terrifying. It seemed formless, yet they had been utterly unable to resist it.
In other words, if the Third Palace Lord wished it, he could completely control their actions with his thoughts, leaving them unable to resist—even if he ordered them to kill themselves.
Elder Pu, dressed in a Cyan Palace Dress, walked beneath the Three Palace Lords and faced all the Outer Disciples. "Tomorrow will be Heavenly Emperor Mountain's once-in-a-century Heaven's Gate Examination. Those who pass will rise to the heavens in a single step, becoming Inner Disciples of lofty status and receiving Heavenly Emperor Mountain's full support in the future!"
"This year, our Ten Thousand Swords Palace is brimming with talented people. There are as many as four hundred and eighty-seven Outer Disciples qualified to take the Heaven's Gate Examination, setting a new historical record."
"However, Heavenly Emperor Mountain has no fewer than a hundred forces, large and small. Other factions are likewise filled with talented people and experts as numerous as clouds. Who is a hero, and who is mere bandit rabble? Only when the results of the Heaven's Gate Examination are out will the difference be known."
"In the previous examination, a hundred years ago, seventy-eight Outer Disciples from our