The spectator stands were packed with people, bustling with excitement.
"After all these years, your cultivation has reached even greater heights, Sect Master He. Truly admirable!"
The Heavenflame Dynasty's minister of foreign affairs smiled, admiration shining in his eyes.
At those words, Sect Master He's smile grew even brighter, his mouth almost stretching back to his ears. He hurriedly cupped his hands in return and said:
"You flatter me, Brother Yan. Your cultivation has been improving by the day as well.
Your taking time out of your busy schedules to attend our sect's disciple recruitment ceremony has truly made our humble halls shine.
Please forgive us if our hospitality falls short in any way!"
He was secretly pleased. This disciple recruitment ceremony was an unprecedented success. Not only had far more Heavenly Prodigies come to take the assessment than in previous years, but the number of visiting guests had also grown considerably.
Especially since there were several exceptionally gifted young prospects among them-how could he not be overjoyed?
"Haha, it looks like the Misty Sect will produce several peerless Heavenly Prodigies who tower over their generation this time."
General Su, a regional commander of the Windcloud Dynasty, spoke with heartfelt admiration, his words carrying a hint of goodwill.
"Indeed. I hear that Luo Shuihan, the Northern Luo Family's Heavenly Prodigy, Long Chen of the Dragon Race, and Su Qingqing, the Demon Race's Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox, have all come to take the Misty Sect's assessment."
The Clearwind Sect's Fifth Elder chimed in from beside them, a trace of wonder in his voice.
At this, everyone began whispering among themselves. These were all names renowned throughout their respective regions among the younger generation,
Heavenly Prodigies whose names thundered in everyone's ears. Their arrival undoubtedly gave this disciple recruitment ceremony even more attractions and topics of conversation.
"I heard the Wind and Cloud Pavilion auctioned off a few intimate articles belonging to the Fairy Maiden Sect's Saint Daughter last month..."
For a time, the atmosphere in the spectator stands grew even livelier. The big shots began chatting in small groups, their topics veering into increasingly bizarre territory, with strange snickers drifting over now and then.
"Only a little over ten minutes have passed, and more than half have already been eliminated.
That's far too fast..."
Someone muttered, disbelief in their voice.
Inside the grounds, time ticked past, and more and more people gradually lost their grip on their true selves, succumbing to the illusions.
Some hugged rocks and gnawed at them like starving wolves, foolish smiles still plastered across their faces;
Some suddenly stood up, waving their arms and dancing like children, hopping around without stopping;
Others kept rubbing themselves against trees, making strange noises as though they had encountered something special within the illusions, a lecherous grin appearing on their faces.
One cultivator went even further, shouting,
"Mine! It's all mine!"
His arms were wrapped tightly around some unidentified object, as though it were a priceless treasure.
For a time, all manner of disgraceful antics filled the grounds, the bizarre behavior leaving onlookers dumbfounded.
These people were eventually removed from the grounds without mercy. When they came to their senses and realized they had been eliminated,
They were immediately consumed by regret. Some beat their chests and stamped their feet, while others stomped in frustration.
And when they noticed the strange looks from those around them, they were so ashamed they wished they could find a crack in the ground and crawl into it.
Yet amid all this chaos, Qing Yun and the other guards inside the illusion formation remained as still as if they were deep in meditation, steady as Mount Tai, completely unaffected by the illusions.
Ming Hao, meanwhile, had already successfully weathered several illusory trials, easily solving their puzzles each time.
At this moment, what appeared before him was a table laden with an incredibly sumptuous feast.
The fragrant braised pork knuckle gleamed with an enticing color, its aroma filling the air; there was also a whole roast lamb, perfect in appearance, aroma, and flavor, enough to make anyone's mouth water.
Ming Hao's fingers hovered above the lazy Susan, as though drawn by invisible threads.
On it, the glossy, golden-red sweet and sour carp shimmered with an amber glow, its tail still curved as if caught mid-leap-the peony an old master chef had carved into the fish with the tip of his knife was now soaked in sauce, as though its petals would unfurl in the rising steam at any moment.
He remembered how his imperial father had always said when he was little:
"Eat fish while it's hot. Once it cools, it loses its soul."
Yet his gaze was drawn to the Dongpo pork on the right: quivering fat coated in a glistening caramel glaze, juices seeping between the fibers of lean meat to form a small amber pool in the celadon plate, with a few fragrant, toasted star anise pods scattered beside it.
On the other side of the lazy Susan, the lid of the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall jar sat slightly ajar.
The white mist drifting from its mouth carried the aroma of wine and the sweet freshness of seafood, a scent that suddenly made him swallow hard.
Ming Hao had only extended his arm halfway before wanting to pull it back again, a conflicted expression on his face, as though he could not decide whether to advance or retreat.
In a shadowy corner beside the city wall, a boy in ragged clothes held his younger sister tightly in his arms. Her body was covered in wounds, and she was so hungry she was barely clinging to life.
Just moments earlier, they had merely picked up half a steamed bun someone else had left uneaten. Before they could even warm it in their hands, six or seven larger beggars had snatched it away.
Despite the siblings' desperate pleas, those beggars remained unmoved. Not only had they stolen the bun, but they had also brutally beaten them, leaving them in this wretched state...
"Big brother, I'm fine. It doesn't hurt at all..."
His sister spoke weakly, trying to comfort him.
Yet at her words, tears poured uncontrollably down the slightly older boy's face like floodwaters bursting through a dam.
Meanwhile, outside, "Lin Qi" was already streaming with tears. His fists were clenched tightly, his nails digging deep into his palms, pain written across his face as he clearly struggled to endure the anguish within him.
Beside him, "Lin Xue" also had tears in her eyes, with tear tracks at their corners. Though her face was somewhat contorted and she looked to be in a terrible state, she too gritted her teeth and held on.
In another direction, a man dressed in lavish yellow robes stood there, arrogance radiating from him.
His eyes were tightly shut, and his mouth was stretched into a broad grin, as though something wonderful beyond belief had happened to him. He was just short of dancing with joy.
Within the illusion, Wang Teng stood suspended in the air like an immortal.
An incomparably powerful imperial aura radiated from him, sweeping across heaven and earth like a raging storm.
Below him, densely packed commoners knelt in rows stretching beyond sight, all crying out loudly:
"Congratulations to Great Emperor Wang Teng on attaining the rank of Great Emperor!"
Wang Teng gazed at his hands in delighted surprise. Feeling the endless power flowing through his body, his heart brimmed with exhilaration. He burst into wild laughter.
"Hahahahaha... A Great Emperor! I, Wang Teng, have truly become a Great Emperor!"
In another direction,
"No! Don't take me back! I don't want to get married..."
Lin Qinqin's eyes were squeezed shut, her face filled with panic.
Though her eyes were tightly closed, fear and unease still showed plainly on her face.
Just then, three clear bell chimes suddenly rang out in the sky. Like morning bells and evening drums, they resounded throughout Cloudmist Valley.
Thirty minutes had passed in a flash, and the first stage of the assessment was over.
Everyone remaining had successfully passed this stage. Looking out across the once enormous Cloudmist Valley, it now seemed startlingly empty.
Hundreds of millions of Heavenly Prodigies had taken the assessment together, but now more than ninety percent were gone, leaving fewer than one in ten still struggling to hold on.
"All Heavenly Prodigies remaining in the valley have passed. If anyone awakens ahead of the others, you must go forward and record their name, age, results, and so forth..."
The Third Elder lightly stroked his beard and declared in a ringing voice.
All around him, tens of thousands of sect elders, protectors, stewards, disciples, and others answered in unison:
"Yes!"
Their voices crashed like thunder with overwhelming might, deafening as they echoed above the entire square.
There was no need to worry about disturbing the Heavenly Prodigies taking the assessment below, as the entire valley was shrouded in a formation.
Yet the instant those voices faded, an exceedingly arrogant voice suddenly rose from below:
"Hehehehe... All mine! Fortuitous opportunities, treasures, beauties... Every last one is mine!
I'll trample every Heavenly Prodigy underfoot, tower over all the ages, and make the whole world bow at my feet..."
The voice brimmed with arrogance and conceit, as though he had already crushed the entire world beneath his feet.
Everyone looked toward the voice and saw a gaudily dressed man standing among the crowd. His clothes were a riot of colors, making him look like a peacock spreading its tail, exceptionally eye-catching.
This man was named Luo Bai. At that moment, he was laughing wildly without restraint, the sound echoing across the square and stirring a wave of disgust.
Disdainful gazes fell from above, and a tall man said without turning his head:
"Junior Brother Zhang, go down and record his information. While you're at it, piss him a puddle so he can take a good look at himself."
At these words, the somewhat plump Junior Brother Zhang looked troubled, but still answered respectfully:
"As you command, Senior Brother."
With that, he slowly descended to the ground and walked toward Luo Bai.
Reaching Luo Bai, Junior Brother Zhang said nothing and immediately delivered several hefty slaps, leaving Luo Bai dazed and reeling.
Then Junior Brother Zhang followed up with several kicks, repeatedly calling out:
"Wake up! Wake up..."
Dazed by the beating, Luo Bai finally came to his senses. He opened his eyes in bewilderment, his face still carrying a trace of reluctance to leave the experience behind.
When he saw Junior Brother Zhang before him, he immediately flew into a rage and roared:
"Who? Who has such outrageous gall as to strike this Great Emperor?!"
"Hmph! I am an Inner Disciple of the Misty Sect, assigned to record the results of this assessment."
The man spoke with an arrogant expression.
"Now, report your name, age, cultivation, and background to me, every last detail!"
Though Luo Bai felt somewhat displeased, he still answered obediently:
"My name is Luo Bai. I'm nineteen this year..."
Yet halfway through, he suddenly saw the fatty before him start undoing his trousers. He froze at once, completely at a loss as to how to react.
"Huh? Senior Brother, what are you doing?"
Luo Bai stared at the fatty in confusion, disbelief spreading across his face.
The fatty ignored his reaction and continued undoing his trousers, muttering:
"Senior Brother told me to piss you a puddle so you could take a good look at yourself."
As he spoke, he actually began urinating right in front of Luo Bai without the slightest restraint, even giving himself a deliberate shake as though showing off.
At those words, Luo Bai felt a rush of hot blood surge into his head, and his body instantly stiffened.
His face flushed crimson, as though scorched by fire, and he felt as if this humiliation might melt him alive.
Meanwhile, the Misty Sect's male and female disciples in the air had all witnessed the scene. Their mouths fell open in shock, disbelief written across their faces.
Quite a few female disciples spat out a chorus of "Pah! Pah, pah, pah!"
"Shameless bastard."
They covered their eyes with both hands while secretly opening tiny gaps between their fingers...
Quite a few others sneaked glances toward the senior brother up ahead-the elegant senior brother dressed entirely in white, from his clothes and robes to his boots.
At that moment, he looked as though ten thousand grass-mud horses had stampeded over him, leaving him utterly disheveled in the wind...
Before you continue