Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Ye Feng smiled lightly. The fear everyone had of Shen Qianjun indicated that most of the rumors about him were true. It seemed that this iron-blooded elder had a deep connection with him. The specific details of the assessment were printed in that small booklet, and continuing to waste time with idle chatter would only lead to unnecessary delays.
Soon, a disciple from the Heavenly Mechanism Sect walked out of the main hall, looking bewildered. Clearly, he hadn't expected that the chief examiner was only responsible for bringing the preparatory disciples here and had left without even notifying him.
"Alright, I will now call out names. Those whose names are called should enter the hall directly. Please remember, before each assessment, you must proactively submit your Identity Token. The Proctor Elder has been busy for many days and does not wish to remind you to hand over your Identity Token during the examination process. Previously, there was a preparatory disciple who upset the Proctor Elder over this minor issue and ended up failing what could have been a passable assessment." This Outer Sect Disciple was quite enthusiastic, reminding everyone before calling names.
Many preparatory disciples expressed their gratitude loudly, their appreciation evident. Ye Feng, however, scoffed at this. With how seriously the Heavenly Mechanism Sect took recruitment, how could the Proctor Elder let a momentary displeasure cause the Sect to miss out on a talented disciple? In his view, this statement was merely meant to intimidate everyone into compliance so that the subsequent examination wouldn't be too troublesome.
Before long, a disciple's name was called, making him the first among Ye Feng's group to enter the Heart-Seeking Hall.
This preparatory disciple was relatively short with a square face, appearing somewhat honest and simple. Upon hearing his name, he nervously stepped out of line and made his way to the front of the hall.
All eyes were on him, which made him even more anxious. Fortunately, there was no life-threatening danger in the First Round Assessment; only potential injuries in the Martial Arts Arena assessment. The short disciple quickly composed himself and entered the hall under the guidance of the Outer Sect Disciple.
At that moment, in front of the Heart-Seeking Hall's plaza, aside from this batch of participating preparatory disciples, there were no others present. Many preparatory disciples couldn't stand the silence and began to whisper among themselves.
"Although it's just the First Round Assessment, I've heard that nearly fifty percent of participants are eliminated in previous years. The elimination rate is extremely high. There was even one year when only thirty percent passed; it truly lives up to being a Heavenly Level Sect with such stringent requirements for accepting disciples."
"Hey, I heard that in Earth-Level Sects, as long as your Vital Energy compatibility reaches Sixth Rank or above, you can directly become an Outer Sect Disciple without needing to participate in re-examinations or face any risks."
"You can't compare Earth-Level Sects with Heavenly Level Sects. Some insignificant small Sects allow anyone who shows first-level Vital Energy compatibility to become an Outer Sect Disciple directly. But what future do such Sects have?"
The discussions gradually turned the quiet Heart-Seeking Hall into a noisy place until it finally attracted some nearby Outer Sect Disciples and elders. An Elder with Long Beard approached with a stern expression and suddenly unleashed a powerful aura from his Gangwu Realm, silencing everyone once again.
"What do you think this place is? A marketplace? This is Heavenly Mechanism Sect's Outer Sect! Whoever dares to make noise while our Outer Sect Disciples are cultivating here will be thrown off a cliff by this Old Man!" The Elder with Long Beard glared at everyone. Seeing them intimidated by his presence to the point where their breathing became labored, he turned to leave.
Just as he stepped down from the hall's platform, he suddenly paused and glanced toward Ye Feng's direction.
The old man's gaze was sharp and contained a powerful will; however, Ye Feng's expression remained unchanged, not even his breathing rhythm was affected.
"It seems this batch of disciples has decent qualifications; there's indeed one kid worth paying attention to." After taking another look at Ye Feng and memorizing his appearance, the Elder with Long Beard left with hands behind his back.
In just a few minutes, the disciple who had previously led the Trial Disciples into Heart-Seeking Hall walked out again, picked up the roster in his hand, and called out another name.
Ye Feng thought to himself that the short span of a few minutes should not mean the end of all assessments; it was merely that the previous preparatory disciple had passed through the first hall and arrived at the second hall. It seemed that, as stated in the manual, the assessments for the eight types of talents were conducted consecutively, and the results would be directly marked on the Identity Token. With each successful assessment, an additional Spirit Pattern would appear on the Identity Token.
As that Outer Sect Disciple frequently entered and exited, batches of preparatory disciples entered the Heart-Seeking Hall for their assessments. The number of people in the square gradually decreased, and none of the disciples who had participated in the assessment came out early, indicating that there was indeed another hall within the Heart-Seeking Hall designated for resting.
Bai Jing's expression gradually became tense. The hands hidden in his sleeves tightened repeatedly, and sweat poured down his forehead. His seemingly frail body swayed slightly in the mountain wind, as if he might fall to the ground at any moment due to an inability to maintain his balance.
Bai Jing still wore a scholar's attire; his loose scholar's robe danced in the wind, resembling a long dress typically worn by women. Ye Feng casually turned his head to look and noticed a few playful strands of hair escaping from the jade crown atop Bai Jing's head, lightly brushing against his nearly transparent earlobes.
Seemingly unable to endure the itchiness of his earlobes any longer, Bai Jing reached out and made an extremely feminine gesture, tucking that strand of hair behind his ear.
Ye Feng's heart jolted. Could it be that Bai Jing was cross-dressing? However, such a possibility seemed too small; men and women exuded entirely different auras. Although Bai Jing occasionally displayed feminine mannerisms, the masculine aura emanating from him was undeniable. With his Soul Thought, Ye Feng could easily capture this aura, making it not difficult to discern Bai Jing's true identity.
The morning glow illuminated Bai Jing's delicate and fair face, casting a shimmering light that was mesmerizing. From the side view, Bai Jing indeed appeared to be an exceptionally handsome man. Yet suddenly aware of Ye Feng's intense gaze, he turned his neck abruptly, revealing an overall unremarkable face that was only slightly refined.
Ye Feng was startled by Bai Jing's action, and his expression became quite peculiar.
"What's wrong with you? Why are you looking at me like that? Did you just now notice my good looks?" This was the first time Bai Jing had shown such flustered behavior in front of him. Although he didn't know why this was happening, he felt quite satisfied. He had grown accustomed to Ye Feng's calm demeanor, which resembled that of a weathered old man who seemed unaffected by anything.
"Ahem... It's nothing." Ye Feng couldn't hide his embarrassment. He had indeed experienced an illusion earlier, mistakenly believing that Bai Jing was a beautiful girl disguised as a boy. However, with this sudden turn and statement, a wave of masculinity washed over him, leaving him feeling quite frustrated.
Bai Jing seemed to sense something as well but did not appear overly embarrassed. Instead, he said earnestly, "I'm only interested in beautiful women. Although you look decent enough, it seems you're still far from being classified as beautiful."
Not just far off; they were fundamentally different genders. Ye Feng widened his eyes in shock, his nostrils flaring as his breathing quickened.
"Hahaha! Your expression is so funny!" Despite risking being thrown off a cliff by that Elder with Long Beard, Bai Jing finally laughed unabashedly.
Bai Jing's laughter made Ye Feng even more embarrassed; for a moment he didn't know how to respond. Fortunately, the Outer Sect Disciple responsible for calling names came to his rescue.
"Next up, Zhou Jun!" The Outer Sect Disciple shot an annoyed glance at Bai Jing and said sternly, "Everyone please remain quiet!"
Ye Feng realized that Zhou Jun was his alias. He shook his head helplessly at Bai Jing and after pleading for mercy with a word escaped towards the high platform. Although Bai Jing covered his mouth under the Outer Sect Disciple's warning, that sharp laughter seemed to linger in Ye Feng's ears until he followed the Outer Sect Disciple into the hall and gradually calmed down.
Outside the Heart-Seeking Hall in the square, Bai Jing slowly reined in his laughter and focused intently on the figure disappearing into the hall. A trace of unerasable strangeness flashed in his eyes as his frail body trembled slightly.
"Strange, with my state of mind and will, this shouldn't happen." The suspicion about Bai Jing's gender temporarily subsided. The other person's carefree and arrogant demeanor made Ye Feng find it hard to believe that he could harbor such thoughts. Channeling the Innate Spirit Summoning Technique, he forcefully dispelled all distractions and arrived at the entrance of the first hall.
"Fate Hall!"
At the entrance of the hall hung a jade plaque the size of an arm, simply inscribed with three characters.
The plaque was just an ordinary sign, and the characters were the simplest of words, written in a neat and orderly manner without any sharp strokes like those found in elaborate calligraphy. Yet, it gave him a sense of being enveloped in clouds and mist, as if there was a vortex hidden within the plaque and its characters, continuously pulling his gaze and Divine Consciousness into it.
A strange change suddenly occurred within Ye Feng's Nirvana Palace; the spiritual energy stored within became agitated, and his vision began to blur. Fragments of illusions flashed rapidly before his eyes.
"What are you still dawdling for? Are you going to give up your chance to be assessed by Fate Hall? Don't keep Proctor Elder waiting!" The Outer Sect Disciple who brought him in looked somewhat displeased.
In his view, this preparatory disciple named Zhou Jun had not shown him enough respect. He had only cast a grateful glance when he first called his name, then lowered his head in contemplation, unlike other preparatory disciples who tried to ingratiate themselves by offering gold or silver in hopes of gaining some insights into the assessment.
"Sorry!" Ye Feng forced a smile. This so-called Fate Hall was indeed too bizarre; no wonder it was the renowned branch of the Heavenly Mechanism Sect. Just the plaque at the entrance could induce such an overwhelming illusion.
Ye Feng shook his head and stepped into the hall, realizing that his cultivation in terms of state of mind and willpower was still somewhat lacking, as he had been encountering various mishaps lately.
Comment 0 Comment Count