Registration for the Competition

After devouring more than half the insect eggs, the insect king Chu Yuntian had deliberately raised stopped eating. Who knew where it had put something so much larger than its own body?

Moreover, the message Little Star sent did not say it was full, but that it had eaten enough. After being fed a powerful surge of spiritual power, Little Star's body gave off a faint firefly-like glow. It was dimmer than the other beetles' light, yet somehow seemed even more dazzling. Its glow was exceedingly pure, completely suppressing the other beetles in both strength and status.

Huo Hai could even sense that, in essence, Little Star had become the king insect of this swarm of Star Gu. This was an evolution of its bloodline. After devouring so many dead insect eggs, Little Star's Star Gu bloodline had become far stronger than those of the other beetles.

With a thought from him, the remaining beetles swarmed forward and devoured the rest of the dead insect eggs clean. Turning around, Huo Hai planned to feed Little Gold next. Later, he would cast a witchcraft incantation to strengthen his connection with Little Gold.

Before Huo Hai could squeeze out any blood, a voice sounded outside his door. "Young Master, Young Master, come out quickly! Today is registration day. Don't miss the time." Huo Hai was exceptionally familiar with the old steward's voice.

"Ah, looks like there's no chance today. Hide first. We're going to register." Huo Hai spoke softly. Little Gold nodded and crawled into his sleeve. Huo Hai had several pouches inside his sleeves. These specially made pouches were meant for holding Gu Insects, and nothing could be seen from the outside.

After putting everything away, Huo Hai walked out. Without another word, the steward led Huo Hai to the Huo Family's group. By then, most people had already arrived. Once everyone was present, the group set off.

The familiar sights of old seemed different because of this day. Everyone was high-spirited, and standing among them, Huo Hai was affected as well. It was as if he too stood above others. Ah, what standing above others? Without strength, one will ultimately remain at the bottom.

Huo Hai looked at those people who acted arrogant before ordinary folk yet wore faces full of admiration before the leader and the Lineage's higher-ups, and something seemed to stir within him. The arrogance that had just begun to emerge was like a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, pressing it back down again. It was as though something had vanished from his heart. At that moment, Huo Hai felt extraordinarily at ease, and even his body seemed much more clear and unblocked.

"Once we go in, don't talk nonsense. Do whatever you're told, understand?" While his thoughts ran wild, the group had already arrived at the Western Frontier Capital. This was not the territory of any Lineage, but the lord's residence.

The lord was the head of the Western Frontier's greatest Lineage, and this test would also be conducted at the lord's manor. Some had already undergone the test once and were very familiar with the place. No one said much. They simply followed their Lineage members quietly inside.

"Next, the Huo Family. Come in for testing. You wouldn't use defective goods to fool us, would you?" A young man addressed the Lineage disciples outside with an arrogant expression. At such a young age, he already possessed the strength of a Spirit Adept, so his arrogance was only natural. Huo Kai's expression did not look good, but he did not dare say anything and could only smile along.

"Of course, of course. We already conducted internal testing within the Lineage. Look, our Lineage's quota this time is meant for Yun'er. Register her first." As he spoke, Huo Kai pushed Huo Yuner to the front for registration.

The young man's eyes lit up when he saw Huo Yuner, though he quickly hid it. "Not bad, not bad. Judging from her appearance, her talent shouldn't be poor either. All right, tell me your name, age, and cultivation level." The young man stared at Huo Yuner as he spoke.

Though the lust in his eyes was well concealed, Huo Hai, who had been watching him all along, still saw it. Hmph, with acting skills like that, he'd be trash on Earth. Everyone on Earth lived behind masks. Pick any random person, and they would act better than this fellow. The look in the young man's eyes made Huo Hai wary.

Hmph, I don't care who you are. If you dare lay a hand on my little sister, you'd better be prepared to pay the price. Right, wasn't I planning to become a bad person? I'll use you as an experiment someday. A cold smile flashed through Huo Hai's eyes.

While the young man was setting his sights on Huo Yuner, he had no idea that Huo Hai, this freak, had already set his sights on him. If he had known, who knew what he would have thought? Everything proceeded normally, without any mishaps.

The test was simple. First, one had to meet the age requirement, then use a crystal ball to test one's affinity for spiritual power. Huo Hai had undergone this test long ago. Back then, he had even given his family a tremendous scare. Even the examiner could not help but glance sideways when he saw the spiritual power Huo Hai poured in. This little fellow was still so young, yet his affinity was truly terrifying.

Affinity could not determine the level of one's talent, but it was closely related to talent. Those with high talent would never have low affinity. Likewise, those with high affinity would never have low talent. Looks like I'll earn another merit this time, the examiner thought happily as he tested them. These country bumpkins from small places—if he found a few suitable ones, he could turn them into his lackeys on the road.

The testing went quickly. Out of the Huo Family's many disciples, only a few had been selected, all of whom had already passed the Lineage's internal testing. Now that they were registering for testing, they naturally all passed. Only after the tests were over did Huo Hai have time to look around.

"What's going on? Why are they all disciples from a few Lineages? Can ordinary people not register?" Huo Hai asked in a low voice, his face full of confusion. Hadn't they said that anyone suitable could register to participate?

Seeing that quite a few people did not understand, a Huo Family elder spoke softly. "Of course not. Today is for Lineage disciples to undergo internal testing. The commoners' testing begins tomorrow and will last three days in total. Those tested internally by their Lineages generally have no problem with talent. But ordinary people are different. Far too many people who do not meet the requirements come to try their luck."

"So that's how it is. Then when does the trial begin, and where will it be held?" Huo Hai asked again.

The elder shook his head. "The testing begins five days from now. As for where, I don't know either. Imperial City Academy arranged all this. But the mountains nearby were sealed off some time ago, so it should be somewhere in those mountains."

Huo Hai nodded to show that he understood and did not ask any more questions. Yet because of Huo Hai's questions, the others gradually began discussing among themselves. Their voices were not loud. With elders watching them, how could they possibly be allowed to fool around now?

"All right, the Huo Family's testing is over. Next, the He Family. Hurry up and don't waste time." The young man remained just as rude.

Like the Huo Family, the He Family did not dare say anything. The He Family head respectfully saluted and greeted him, then led his own people inside. Unlike the Huo Family, which had few members, the He Family had a long history and an enormous number of disciples. They had brought several times more people than the Huo Family. Relying on their numerical advantage, the He Family received far more benefits than the Huo Family every time.

It could be said that if the He Family's internal strife had not been so fierce, draining too much of its power in internal conflict, the Huo Family's strength would not have been able to compare to theirs at all. Even so, the He Family was still the second greatest Lineage in the entire Western Frontier.

"Haha, isn't that the Huo Family's idiot? How can an idiot pass the test? Has Imperial City Academy's admission standard gotten lower and lower? Don't tell me he used the Lineage quota." At that moment, a piercing voice rose from the silent crowd. The speaker was none other than He Ya. That fellow had come today as well.

Feeling everyone's attention on him, He Ya looked smug. The focus of all eyes, and they were all experts! "Haha, what are you looking at? I'm talking about you. Ask around if you don't believe me. Huo Hai, this idiot, had already gone stupid, yet he can still participate."

At those words, everyone from the Huo Family changed expression. No matter what things were like within the Lineage, they had to remain united when facing outsiders. This was especially true for a relatively united Lineage like the Huo Family. The He Family members also looked extremely awkward. This idiot—could he not tell what occasion this was? Making such a racket here, what was he trying to do?

However, before either Lineage could react, the young man sneered. "Hmph, what sort of thing are you, shouting and making a scene here? Believe it or not, I can make sure you don't pass the test." That was one of the examiner's powers.

He Ya glared fiercely at him. "Hmph, I'm using a Lineage quota. Do you dare refuse to let me pass? You're merely an examiner, ah..." Before he could finish, the He Family head slapped him across the face.

"You beast! Apologize to the envoy at once! Do you not plan to enter the academy anymore?" He Ya was stunned by the slap. He never would have imagined that his father, who had always doted on him, would strike him. The He Family head kept shooting He Ya meaningful looks in secret. After quite a while, He Ya finally realized that he seemed to have caused trouble. He gave an unwilling apology.

The He Family head was boiling with anger. The man might be young, but he could very well be stronger than the Lineage head himself. This might be the Western Frontier, but it was not the He Family's private territory. Besides, would Imperial City Academy let a mere He Family speak ill of it?

It seemed that after returning that night, he would have to properly educate this worthless thing. Otherwise, wasting a quota for nothing would be a loss that outweighed any gain. The He Family might be a top Lineage in the Western Frontier, but in the Southern Cloud Kingdom, it was merely second-rate. In the imperial capital, it would be third-rate—nothing at all. He had truly spoiled him too much these past years.

"Let's go, let's go. There's nothing worth watching. Still, the He Family has certainly grown capable, daring not to put even Imperial City Academy's people in their eyes." Huo Kai spoke lightly, then turned and left. The relationship between the two Lineages had never been good.

Hearing Huo Kai's words, the envoy's expression indeed became much uglier. Huo Kai laughed inwardly. It seemed the He Family would have far fewer people pass the test this year than usual. He had said that deliberately.