Passing the trials

Ying Ming Hao looked at the now-empty dining table, a faint smile curling his lips. He gently rubbed his round belly, his heart brimming with satisfaction.

Lin Qi and Lin Xue, seated beside him, had also eaten their fill. Their slightly bulging bellies stood in stark contrast to their normally skinny frames, making them look rather comical.

Su Mei, however, seemed far from satisfied. Her little belly looked as though it could still hold an elephant, and her expression said she wanted more.

"Young Master Ming Hao, thank you for your generous hospitality. My sister and I will remember it always and repay your kindness someday." Lin Qi pulled Lin Xue to her feet and cupped his hands in thanks to Ying Ming Hao.

"It was only a small matter. Don't take it to heart." Ying Ming Hao waved dismissively and smiled.

"For you, Young Master, it might have been no more than lifting a hand, but for us siblings, it's something we'll never forget. We will repay this kindness one day!" Lin Qi said earnestly.

"Now that we've eaten and drunk our fill, my sister and I will take our leave. We look forward to seeing you again, Young Master."

"Thank you for the meal, Young Master. Goodbye."

With that, Lin Qi turned with Lin Xue, and they climbed the Stone Steps hand in hand, slowly departing.

Quite a few disciples had already overtaken them during this time, each wearing a look of astonishment as they passed.

"Sister Su, aren't you afraid of bringing up the rear if you don't get moving?" Ming Hao turned to Su Mei and asked softly.

"But you haven't set off either, little brother Ming Hao, have you?"

Su Mei looked utterly unconcerned.

Only ten steps remained before the Mountain Gate. Long Chen looked back at Jun Mo, Luo Shuihan, Wang Teng, Qing Yun, Wang Yong, and the other Heavenly Prodigies a dozen or so steps behind him, all unleashing their spiritual power for a final sprint.

Seeing them about to catch up, he snorted coldly.

He unleashed a powerful surge of spiritual power and swiftly reached the summit.

Dong! Countless eyes fixed on the figure before the Mountain Gate.

Long Chen seized first place with overwhelming force. In an instant, a powerful mass of supremely pure spiritual energy enveloped him.

This was clearly the reward for reaching the summit first. Countless climbers were greatly encouraged and launched into their final sprints!

Below, Jun Mo held a slight lead of one step. The Heavenly Prodigies snapping at his heels gave him an immense sense of danger.

He could only keep unleashing his hidden trump cards, finally securing second place with a lead of two steps.

A mass of supremely pure spiritual energy immediately enveloped him as well, though it was far inferior to Long Chen's.

Wang Teng, who possessed the potential of a Great Emperor, refused to fall behind either and claimed third place by half a body's length.

Wang Yong took fourth place, undoubtedly the greatest dark horse of this trial, drawing exclamations of amazement from everyone.

Luo Shuihan only came fifth. She stared at Wang Yong, the dark horse who had suddenly charged out to finish half a body's length ahead of her, her face livid.

She could accept losing to Long Chen, Jun Mo, and Wang Teng, but even some nameless nobody had trampled her underfoot. Naturally, she refused to accept defeat, her expression as ugly as could be!

Qing Ying came sixth, another dark horse no one had anticipated. Even Ming Hao had not expected her to finish one step ahead of her older sister.

Qing Yun came seventh, another of the dark horses...

Below, after watching Qing Yun, Wang Yong, and the others reach the summit one after another, Ming Hao finally rose at his leisure and climbed the steps.

Su Mei followed, and the two chatted and laughed, looking more as though they were out on a spring excursion.

By the time Ming Hao and Su Mei reached the summit, several hundred people had already arrived.

They were all sitting cross-legged on the ground, enveloped in masses of spiritual energy.

Ming Hao touched the pure spiritual energy surrounding him, then sat cross-legged to absorb it.

When Ming Hao opened his eyes again, Qing Yun and the others were already standing guard beside him.

Su Mei had also awakened long ago and was clicking her tongue in wonder nearby.

Ming Hao paid her no mind. He rose and surveyed his surroundings. Many more people had reached the summit by now; at a rough count, there were two or three thousand.

He walked to the steps and looked down. Only a scant handful of Heavenly Prodigies remained on the ten thousand steps. The rest had either reached the summit or been eliminated.

Dong, dong, dong!

Three tolls of the bell resounded through the clouds.

The elder presiding over this trial stood suspended in midair and announced in a clear voice,

"The Misty Sect's once-in-a-century disciple recruitment trial has now concluded successfully!

Your individual scores for passing the trials will now be announced.

Each trial is worth thirty points, for a total of ninety.

Those scoring below thirty points may enter the outer sect as servant disciples.

Those scoring thirty-one to forty-five points may become outer disciples.

Those scoring forty-six to sixty points may become outer sect registered disciples.

Those scoring sixty-one to seventy-nine points may become inner disciples.

Those scoring eighty to ninety points may become personal disciples.

Furthermore, if an ordinary elder, protector, steward, or the like takes a liking to you and accepts you as an apprentice, even a servant disciple may be promoted directly to inner disciple.

If a senior elder, protector, steward, or the like accepts you as an apprentice, you may be promoted directly to personal disciple.

Anyone accepted as an apprentice by a sect ancestor, supreme elder, master of a Various Halls, deputy hall master, or peak master may become a true disciple."

As he finished, an uproar broke out below. Many disciples with unimpressive scores eagerly hoped that a sect elder, protector, steward, or someone similar would take a liking to them and accept them as an apprentice, allowing them to leap through the dragon gate in one bound.

After all, only the first trial, the Illusion Realm Test, had truly eliminated hundreds of millions of Heavenly Prodigies.

As for those who remained, so long as they had passed the first trial, they would not truly be eliminated even if they failed both the second and third trials.

Even those who had barely passed the first trial had ten points and could enter the outer sect as servant disciples...

Thus, despite the vast numbers, those entering the outer sect as servant disciples likely accounted for seventy or eighty percent.

Several hundred elders held Jade Slips, each with a huge Projection behind them. Whenever an elder read out a name and score, the Projection behind them displayed it simultaneously.

With several hundred elders reading at once, the process was clearly extremely efficient.

Jun Mo: 89 points, admitted as a personal disciple.

Long Chen: 89 points, admitted as a personal disciple.

Luo Shuihan: 88 points, admitted as a personal disciple.

Wang Teng: 88 points, admitted as a personal disciple.

Wang Yong: 88 points, admitted as a personal disciple.

Su Mei: 87 points, admitted as a personal disciple.

Qing Yun: 87 points, admitted as a personal disciple.

Qing Ying: 87 points, admitted as a personal disciple.

Meng Yi: 87 points, admitted as a personal disciple.

Lin Hai: 87 points, admitted as a personal disciple.

Meng Wanting...

Su Qingyu: 79 points, admitted as an inner disciple.

South Mountain: 79 points, admitted as an inner disciple.

Mo Chenxi: 79 points, admitted as an inner disciple.

Lin Qi: 78 points, admitted as an inner disciple.

Lin Xue: 78 points, admitted as an inner disciple.

Lin Qinqin: 78 points, admitted as an inner disciple.

Chen Dong: 71 points, admitted as an inner disciple.

Ying Ming Hao: 70 points, admitted as an inner disciple.

Luo Bai: 36 points, admitted as an outer disciple.

Luo Bai stared at the score displayed on the Projection, his face livid, looking as though he were constipated. This was rigged! he kept crying inwardly.

Ying Ming Hao looked at the Projection for personal disciples with great satisfaction. Qing Yun, Qing Ying, Wang Yong, and the rest-all twelve of them-had become personal disciples.

Their achievements did not surprise Ming Hao. After all, he had long known their talent and strength.

As for his own score of seventy, which only qualified him to become an inner disciple, he seemed perfectly satisfied and did not consider it low at all.

"Young Master..." Qing Yun hesitated, looking weighed down with worries.

A glance at Qing Ying, Wang Yong, and the others revealed that they, too, looked deeply worried.

Ming Hao saw the source of their concern at once and said with a smile,

"You don't need to worry that I'll be upset because you're all personal disciples while your young master is only an inner disciple.

You know my strength and talent. Becoming a personal disciple would be as easy as turning my hand over. I have my own plans, so there's no need to worry about this."

Qing Yun and the others relaxed upon hearing this.

Ming Hao continued,

"After entering the sect, all of you should work hard at your cultivation. Don't keep thinking about staying by my side to serve me, and don't disturb me without good reason.

If a sect elder or someone else accepts you as an apprentice, just decide whether they're suitable. You don't need to ask me. Understood?"

"Young Master, that absolutely won't do! Our duty is to attend you at all times. How could we leave you alone?!"

Qing Yun hurriedly spoke up.

"If anything comes up, I'll send you a message myself. As for everything else, you needn't worry. Just follow my orders."

"Young Master..."