" The Immortal King is accepting disciples! The Immortal King Tsubasa is taking on a personal disciple!!"
"No age limit, no background limit! Oh my god, this is my chance!!"
"Quick! Go get your talent tested! Don't be late!"
The entire nation was in a frenzy! From young children to the elderly; from sect prodigies to ordinary citizens; from humans to spirit beasts that had awakened their intelligence... everyone, harboring the dream of instant ascension, flocked to the nearest spirit testing point.
In an instant, across the Shinobi World, the 108,000 spirit testing points were packed with people, forming long queues that stretched as far as the eye could see. The officials and cultivators in charge of the testing were extremely busy.
The testing process is simple yet brutal. Participants place their hands on a specially designed sensing crystal ball, which emits different colors of light based on their overall qualifications, including the purity of their Spiritual Root, physical potential, and soul strength. These are roughly divided into several grades, from lowest to highest: Mortal, Human, Earth, Heaven, and Immortal.
When most people place their hands on the crystal ball, it only emits a faint white (common grade) or green (human grade) light. Occasionally, a blue (earth grade) light will appear, which will cause a small-scale exclamation. The purple light that represents "heaven grade" is often rare, appearing only once every few days in a large urban area.
As for celestial-grade items... those require a crystal ball to emit a dazzling golden light!
Every day, hundreds of millions of people are tested, but the golden light is as rare as phoenix feathers, so scarce it's despairing.
"Sigh, another white one. Next one!"
"Green, barely enough to cultivate, but... not good enough, next!"
"Blue! Earth-grade talent! Good! Recorded. You are qualified to enter the local Immortal Cultivation academy! But unfortunately, you have not met the Immortal King's required Immortal grade standard."
Such conversations were repeated at countless spirit-testing points. This first test of talent alone ruthlessly eliminated over 99.999% of the applicants! Truly, it's one in a million, even ten thousand!
After months of preliminary selection, out of the hundreds of millions of beings in the entire Shinobi World, only a mere thirty-eight people ultimately reached the "Immortal Grade" talent standard and were qualified to go to the Immortal Venerable Hall!
These thirty-eight individuals ranged in age from six to sixty, including men and women, noble children, and commoner geniuses from humble backgrounds. They even included two summoning beast cubs who had awakened extraordinary intelligence. They were the most outstanding representatives of "talent" among the billions of beings in the Shinobi World!
At the summit of the Yan Emperor Mountain Range stands the magnificent Immortal Venerable Hall.
Thirty-eight "celestial-grade" geniuses who passed the talent test gathered here with excitement, trepidation, and anticipation. They knew that the real test had only just begun.
In front of the main hall stood two figures. The one on the left was a towering, mountain-like man with bulging muscles. Just standing there, he exuded an aura of imposing weight and unshakeable strength, none other than the Half-Step Immortal King, Tenchu. The one on the right had a graceful figure and stunningly beautiful face, but her eyes seemed to hold boundless vitality, so deep that one dared not look directly into them, none other than the Half-Step Immortal King, Tian Yu.
The auras of the two Half-Step Immortal King enveloped the entire hall as if they were tangible, making it difficult for the thirty-eight geniuses to breathe. The arrogance that arose in their hearts due to their own talents was instantly suppressed.
"First of all, congratulations on possessing the most outstanding Immortal Cultivation talent in the Shinobi World." Tian Yu spoke, her voice clear and melodious, yet carrying an undeniable authority. "However, on the path to becoming a King of Cultivation, talent is merely a ticket. Without great perseverance and a steadfast mind, even the highest talent will ultimately be nothing but a Suigetsu, and one might even fall into the demonic path, bringing disaster to the world."
Tenchu took over, his voice booming. "The first test is a test of endurance! Under the pressure I release, endure for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn! Those who collapse, lose consciousness, or voluntarily withdraw are eliminated!"
Having said that, he didn't give anyone time to prepare and suddenly took a step forward!
"Boom!"
A massive, overwhelming pressure descended instantly! This was not a simple aura of oppression, but Gravity Domain containing the laws of nature! It was as if an invisible mountain was pressing down on everyone's shoulders and spines, and everyone felt the limit of the pressure they could withstand!
"Ugh!"
"It's so heavy!"
Immediately, several people with weak willpower and no will to fight against fate were caught off guard and were forced to the ground, bleeding from their mouths and noses, and were eliminated instantly!
The others were also deathly pale, their bones creaking as they desperately resisted and struggled to hold on. Sweat streamed down their foreheads, soaking their clothes.
Time passed slowly, each second feeling like an eternity. People kept collapsing, unable to hold on any longer. The sixty-year-old man, though exceptionally talented, lacked willpower and, after persisting for half an incense stick's time, sighed and gave up. The two spirit beast cubs, however, miraculously persevered thanks to their ferocity.
The incense stick burned out.
As the oppressive aura dissipated, only twenty-three people remained standing. The first test of Taijutsu endurance alone eliminated nearly half of them!
Before the twenty-three people could even catch their breath, Tian Yu made her move.
She Hand Seals, her eyes shimmering with iridescent light, and her voice was ethereal. "The second test, a test of character. Those who can break free from the illusion of infatuation, or who can maintain their true nature and not be misled, will pass."
In an instant, a seven-colored light enveloped the remaining twenty-three people. Their eyes instantly became empty and confused, filled with joy or sorrow, anger or madness, completely immersed in the illusory cycle of reincarnation woven for them by the Tian Yu, which pointed directly to the deepest desires and fears in their hearts.
In the illusion, they might become supreme immortal Immortal King, or spend their lives with their beloved, or face the devastation of their sect and the tragic deaths of their loved ones... All their emotions, joys, sorrows, and desires are magnified to the extreme.
Some people are so engrossed in the illusion of power and strength that they cannot extricate themselves, and they burst into wild laughter.
Some people were plunged into endless grief and despair, kneeling on the ground and weeping bitterly.
Some people, amidst temptation and fear, hold fast to their inner bottom line and principles; though their eyes are filled with pain, they always retain a sliver of clarity.
Time passed. Some people, having utterly fallen into depravity and suffered mental damage, collapsed to the ground and were eliminated by the Tian Yu's mark. Others, at crucial moments, suddenly awoke, saw through the illusion, their eyes regained clarity, and their aura became even more refined.
Time passed as each incense stick burned out one by one.
The illusion dissipated. Only thirteen people remained standing, their eyes clear! Ten were eliminated after this test of mental fortitude!
These thirteen people were all exceptional talents, perseverance, and character—truly unparalleled gems! They looked at each other, their eyes filled with a sense of relief at surviving a calamity and a scrutiny of one another.
Just then, a golden pillar of light descended from the sky, and the figure of the Immortal King Tsubasa appeared silently on the throne in the main hall. All eyes were instantly drawn to it, filled with awe and longing.
Tsubasa's gaze calmly swept over the thirteen familiar and unfamiliar faces, and he nodded slightly. "Not bad. Having made it this far, you are all qualified for me to personally test the final item—comprehension."
With a casual wave of his hand, the Jūni-Grade Golden Lotus transformed into countless golden rays that entered the brows of everyone present.
"This is my simulation of the evolution of the Heavenly Dao's rules, containing the profound mysteries of the changes in the attributes of Heaven and Earth. I will give you three days. Those who can comprehend its profound meaning can become my personal disciples. Those who can grasp the basics and have some understanding, but do not meet the standards, can become my nominal disciples. Those who have no clue... are eliminated."
No one dared to be negligent. They immediately sat down cross-legged, closed their eyes and concentrated, focusing all their efforts on comprehending the suddenly appearing, incredibly complex, and constantly evolving trajectory of attribute changes and spatiotemporal fluctuations in their minds.
Comprehension, the most mysterious and also the most impossible to fake hurdle, has begun.
For three days, the main hall remained silent. Tsubasa, Tenchu, and Tian Yu watched quietly.
Some people had furrowed brows and were sweating profusely, clearly clueless.
Some people seemed to have grasped something, unconsciously gesturing with their fingers.
Some people began to emit faint attribute fluctuations, which, though extremely subtle, were undeniably real.