Xiao Chen: In the Name of the Sword
At the assessment site, the teenagers present looked at Er Gouzi with complex emotions, including envy, jealousy, and admiration.
The chieftains and priests of various tribes also turned their attention to the boy, their feelings extremely complicated.
The patriarch of the Famous Sword Holy Land was extremely glad that he had made the decision to let a group of slave boys participate in the test; otherwise, their Famous Sword Holy Land would have missed out on a genius boy. Of course, that wasn't the most important thing.
The important thing is that if the Sword Ancestor discovers in the future that he hasn't sent all the eligible boys, and then personally discovers this slave's extraordinary abilities, he can't even imagine the consequences.
On the Sword Peak, Xiao Chen looked at the nine-foot-long beam of light and smiled slightly, "Is this the extraordinary nature of the Hongyuan Continent? First, there was a young man with seven feet of Jin Guang, and now there's a young man with nine feet of lightning. If every tribe had a few such geniuses like the Famous Sword Holy Land, wouldn't the Human Race prosper? My Dao-Seeking Sect will surely be able to suppress this world."
The high priest was the first to recover and called Er Gouzi aside, "Alright, your test is over. From today onwards, you will become a member of my Famous Sword Holy Land, and your family will also enjoy the treatment of hunting warriors."
Upon hearing this, Er Gouzi's face lit up with excitement, and he respectfully said, "Thank you, High Priest. Er Gouzi will definitely strive to cultivate diligently."
"From now on, you don't need to be called Er Gouzi anymore. I'll have the Sword Ancestor bestow surnames upon everyone in the Famous Sword Holy Land in a little while. Maybe you'll even get a name bestowed by the Sword Ancestor."
The high priest spoke, and Dao Light shot from his hand, pointing it at Er Gouzi's little finger. The wound on Er Gouzi's finger instantly vanished without a trace.
"Thank you, High Priest."
Er Gouzi said with a respectful expression.
"Test continues."
The high priest didn't say much and continued to preside over the testing ceremony.
With Er Gouzi as their role model, the other slave boys' faces lit up with excitement. In their eyes, if Er Gouzi could turn the tables, they couldn't possibly be weaker than him.
But reality soon slapped many of the slave boys hard in the face. Out of hundreds of slave boys, only a third made the pearl glow, which was nothing compared to the fact that more than half of the disciples of the Famous Sword Holy Land made their pearls glow.
The High Priest was satisfied with the result; at least the young man from their Famous Sword Holy Land hadn't disgraced this old man.
After a day, the high priest finally finished presiding over the test. The result was that half of the boys who came to participate made the pearl glow, but less than ten of them were seven feet tall or taller, and most of them were only one foot tall.
The high priest announced in a booming voice, "Today's test is now over. All the young people who made the orbs shine, please come with me to the mountain to pay homage to the Sword Ancestor."
"Yes, sir."
The group of youths followed the high priest toward the Sword Peak, while the rest departed under the guidance of their respective tribal chiefs or priests.
When the high priest led the youths up the mountain, it was already dark, but for some reason, the youths immediately spotted the Sword Ancestor in the darkness.
Upon seeing the Sword Ancestor, the group of youths instinctively knelt on the ground and said in unison, "We pay our respects to the Sword Ancestor."
No need for formalities.
Xiao Chen said calmly.
"Sword Ancestor."
The group of youths stood up, but none of them dared to look directly at the Sword Ancestor before them.
Xiao Chen said, "Everyone will stay in these mountains tonight. Tomorrow morning, I will personally teach you the methods of cultivation."
The youths respectfully replied, "Thank you, Sword Ancestor."
Seeing that he had nothing else to do, the high priest said, "Sword Ancestor, this old man will take his leave now."
"Um."
Xiao Chen uttered a single word calmly.
As the high priest was about to leave, his gaze swept over Er Gouzi beside him. He suddenly remembered the promise he had made to the little guy earlier that day, and bowed to the Sword Ancestor once more. "Sword Ancestor, we have now changed our name from the Wolf Fang Tribe to the Famous Sword Holy Land. We beseech Sword Ancestor to bestow upon us a surname."
Xiao Chen hadn't expected the other party to make such a request, but upon reflection, it made sense, since this world was too primitive and many people didn't even have names.
"Can."
He pondered for a moment, then slowly stood up, took out his treasured sword from his storage ring, and said, "Since I have named this place the Famous Sword Holy Land, from this day forward, your surname will be Sword!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Chen swung his sword, and a huge character for "sword" was engraved on the giant sword.
The character for "sword" shone brightly in the darkness. Instantly, the Human Race in the Famous Sword Holy Land emerged from their homes, gazing at the glowing character atop the mountain, a feeling they couldn't quite describe welled up within them.
At the same time, Xiao Chen also sensed a true essence of the Sword Dao in the darkness. That Sword Dao was constantly solidifying, as if it wanted to merge with him. However, he did not immediately merge with this True Essence of the Great Dao True Essence of the Great Dao, but quietly waited for it to grow.
"Thank Sword Ancestor."
The high priest stared at the enormous character for "sword," wondering why his previously suppressed cultivation seemed about to break through.
Xiao Chen didn't speak, but simply closed his eyes and sat cross-legged on the spot. Upon seeing this, the High Priest immediately left.
Meanwhile, within the Famous Sword Holy Land, all the Human Race were cheering, for they had received a name bestowed by a True God. This was far better than the original name of their Wolf Fang Tribe, which they had never received from the Wolf God.
The other visiting tribes watched this scene with mixed feelings. It would be a lie to say they weren't envious, but they dared not be jealous. They thought to themselves: Why didn't the Sword Ancestor descend upon their tribe?
The night was spent in the merriment of the people of the Famous Sword Holy Land.
The next morning, just as the sun rose, all the young men on Sword Peak appeared before Xiao Chen in the same order as the day before.
"Greetings, Sword Ancestor."
No need for formalities.
Xiao Chen had just finished his cultivation. He slowly opened his eyes and said, "From this day forward, I will teach you the methods of cultivation. These methods are divided into basic sword techniques and Qi cultivation. Those who learn the sword techniques and pass the assessment within six months can become my disciples."
Those who awaken their physical strength within three years can become my personal disciples. If anyone fails to make any progress within three years or fails the assessment for a registered disciple, then they will return to their former tribe. Do you all understand?
"We understand!"
The group of teenagers said in unison.
Seeing this, Xiao Chen casually pointed towards the sky, and Dao Light flew into the sky, turning into countless raindrops of light that fell towards everyone, finally entering their sea of consciousness. His voice also rang in the ears of each of the youths.
"Now everyone sit cross-legged beside me, hold your breath Spirit Condensation on comprehending the cultivation techniques and sword techniques within your sea of consciousness. You must memorize these techniques and sword techniques within three days!"
"Yes, sir."
After the youths responded, they began to sit cross-legged, holding their breath and Spirit Condensation, just like the Sword Ancestor. Soon, lines of text and images appeared in their minds...