An Unexpected Turn

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the mist passed through the third groove without the slightest resistance.

"It passed! It made it through!"

The square erupted into a clamor.

The mist spreading to the third groove meant that Lu Cheng's innate constitution had reached the level of a "Fine Jade Talent."

And when one's constitution was good, the other qualities were generally on par.

That meant Lu Cheng was all but certain to reach the Body Refining Realm.

A Body Refining expert could throw his weight around Yangcheng County.

"How... how is it still spreading so fast?"

After the commotion, silence fell once more.

Even after the mist reached the third groove, it was still spreading rapidly.

They had only just witnessed the emergence of a "Peerless Di Hao."

The moment that "Di Hao" had stepped onto the stone platform, the mist had spread to the fifth groove at an astonishing speed.

The Lu Cheng before them was following the exact same pattern.

Could he be another "Di Hao"?

But Feng Zhan and the other two had already stopped smiling.

"This..."

The three exchanged glances, and each saw helplessness and regret in the others' eyes.

The others couldn't tell, but with their strength, they had already noticed that the mist spreading beneath Lu Cheng's feet was beginning to slow.

Even so, it was certain to pass the "Human Hero" mark.

That was precisely why they felt helpless and regretful.

They couldn't keep a "Di Hao," of course, but could they keep a "Human Hero"?

The differences among the six grades of martial talent did not progress in orderly steps.

The further one went, the more pronounced the gaps became.

Ordinary people knew only of the three realms of martial arts.

That was because for ordinary people, reaching even the third realm was a lifelong goal beyond their grasp.

But in truth, that so-called "end point" was merely Foundation Establishment.

True martial arts belonged exclusively to geniuses.

Only those with "Human Hero" talent could enter that realm.

And geniuses were bound to be fought over... or else struck down.

To grow, they needed to be in sects like Heavenly Spring Temple or Emerald Cloud Abbey at the very least.

If the Long Wind Escort Agency could recruit one or two disciples close to "Fine Jade Talent," the three of them would already be perfectly satisfied.

But now that things had come to this, all they could do was keep watching.

What level Lu Cheng reached had become almost beside the point.

Amid the crowd's silent astonishment, the mist broke through the fourth groove.

It kept spreading until it reached the midpoint between the fourth and fifth grooves. Only then did Lu Cheng feel the weight on his body vanish, as the mist swiftly contracted back beneath his feet.

"A Human Hero! Another Human Hero!"

"The mist spread more than halfway. That puts him among the upper ranks of Human Heroes!"

"A half-step Di Hao! We've got a half-step Di Hao!"

The crowd outside the gate, which had only just formed an orderly line, burst into chaos again.

They didn't dare rush into the courtyard, so they swarmed the gate instead, craning their necks to peer inside.

The consecutive appearances of geniuses had driven them wild with excitement.

Some had even started imagining that they might have a chance of joining their ranks.

Only the three men who had called Fatty a pighead looked increasingly grim.

"Big brother, second brother, should we... still become disciples here?" The youngest of the three seemed uneasy. "He's a Human Hero, and we've already had a falling-out with him right from the start. What are we going to do from now on?"

The eldest was frowning too, unsure what to do.

"Maybe we should go somewhere else."

But the second brother disagreed with switching places.

"What's there to be afraid of? It was just a couple of sharp words. Is he going to make Master refuse to take us in?"

"He said it himself, didn't he? We're all fellow disciples. If he picks on us over something this trivial, then this 'Human Hero' isn't all that impressive."

"Besides, from the way he speaks and acts, he seems like a pretty reasonable person. If we get the chance, we could strike up a conversation and get to know him."

The first test finally ended. After holding their breath for so long, the crowd could finally relax.

If the mist had spread any farther and another "Di Hao" had appeared, they would have started wondering whether the testing array was broken.

Fatty was the most shocked of all.

He hadn't expected to casually "pick up" a "Human Hero."

Lu Cheng, however, felt somewhat disappointed.

He was only a "Human Hero"?

If he hadn't known about the six grades of talent, or if no "Di Hao" had appeared, that would have been one thing.

But now that he knew...

As a transmigrator, how could he settle for second place?

But the disappointment lasted only an instant.

He had [Heavenly Mandate] on his side. So what if his talent was a little worse?

As long as he worked hard, what did it matter if he was a "Di Hao" or even a "Heavenly Pride"?

"Lu Cheng, gather your thoughts and put both hands on the stone ball to your left."

Feng Zhan's voice rang out from the front again.

At some point, the stone balls on either side of the platform had risen to chest height.

Lu Cheng had no time to think. He hurriedly pressed his hands against the stone ball.

As soon as he touched it, his feet grew hot again.

This time the sensation was far more intense than before. Lu Cheng felt as though a blaze had exploded beneath his feet.

The current of heat split into two streams and surged into his soles, then flowed through his body and into his hands, before finally entering the stone ball on the left.

And that was exactly what happened. The moment Lu Cheng placed his hands on the stone ball, the mist at the center of the platform flowed through his body and into it.

"This is the second test, called 'Tendon Measurement.' It gauges the strength and width of your tendons."

"The faster the mist in the platform transfers, the stronger your tendons are... three breaths."

Feng Zhan hadn't finished explaining when all the mist in the platform had already transferred into the stone ball. He could only revise his conclusion.

"All right, move your hands to the stone ball on the right."

"This third array can amplify your ability to sense the vital energy of heaven and earth, allowing even those who have never practiced martial arts to draw it in with the array's help."

"Constitution and tendons alike are meant to help you interact with the vital energy of heaven and earth later on. The better your talent, the stronger your ability to absorb it."

After Feng Zhan finished speaking, he saw that the stone ball in Lu Cheng's hands still showed no change. Perhaps Lu Cheng didn't know how to use it, so he continued explaining.

"First, calm your mind and focus your thoughts on your dantian. Then use your spiritual sense to perceive your surroundings and imagine drawing that vital energy into your body. After it circulates through you once, it will automatically enter the stone ball."

But even after a long wait, the stone ball in Lu Cheng's hands remained empty and unchanged.

"Did he fall asleep?" Fatty muttered quietly when he saw Lu Cheng standing motionless with his eyes shut.

Little did he know, Lu Cheng was so anxious he was nearly sweating bullets.

In fact, the instant Lu Cheng had placed both hands on the stone ball to his right, he had already sensed the "vital energy" Feng Zhan had described.

Before Lu Cheng could even try to absorb it, the vital energy had begun gathering of its own accord around his dantian.

Then the stone ball beneath his hands emitted a force of attraction. The vital energy began flowing in an orderly fashion through his tendons, heading toward his arms.

But strangely, the moment it entered his chest, it was as if it had flowed into an invisible, intangible hole and suddenly vanished.

No matter how Lu Cheng tried to control it, nothing changed.

By the time Feng Zhan explained it again, Lu Cheng was practically straining every last ounce of strength.

The vital energy of heaven and earth around him really was surging madly into his body.

The torrent of energy made his dantian feel swollen, then rushed wildly through his tendons toward the outside.

But no matter how much vital energy he drew in, the moment it reached his chest, it was swallowed by that hole.

Time passed slowly. Compared with the first and second tests, the third had already taken as long as the first two combined.

The crowd, which had been so silent that no one dared breathe too loudly, had begun whispering among themselves.

Feng Zhan and the other two at the front did nothing to stop them. They merely furrowed their brows slightly.

Even with the array's assistance, absorbing the vital energy of heaven and earth took a great deal of concentration.

Before long, Lu Cheng couldn't hold on any longer.

Fortunately, the bottomless pit seemed to have finally had its fill. The vital energy entering Lu Cheng's body no longer vanished. Instead, it gathered in his dantian, then flowed through his arms toward the stone ball.

At last, a wisp of white mist appeared.

But that was all. Before a second wisp could form, Lu Cheng had completely exhausted his concentration, and his arms dropped limply.