As he sat here for a while, the people who were coming in and out of the tea house, regardless of gender, couldn’t help but glance at him.
In terms of appearance alone, he was truly stood out.
"I’m Amalia, and this is Kenny Lin. We both come from a rather remote mountainous area, and this is our first time to go out to practice."
Amalia provided a background for them, hoping to avoid further questioning.
"I can see it," Kiran Xiao said.
From Amalia’s questions, he had already guessed that they weren’t from a place that was well-informed about current events.
These days, the only people who are unfamiliar with Master Lian are those people from remote and less-informed areas.
"I wonder if you have signed up yet, Amalia, Kenny?" Kiran Xiao asked.
Amalia shook her head and suggested, "Not yet. We’re planning to register tomorrow. If you haven’t registered either, why don’t we go together?"
"Sure," Kiran Xiao smiled, "For some reason, I feel quite a connection with you two."
"We feel the same," Amalia replied sincerely.
They agreed to meet the next day.
Early the following morning, Kiran Xiao came to find them.
The two newcomers relied entirely on Kiran Xiao, finally sparing themselves from having to ask for directions along the way.
When they arrived at the entrance of the Green Lotus Sect, they realized that Kiran Xiao’s description of tens of thousands of people was not an exaggeration.
The sea of people seemed endless.
In front of them, the gate of the Green Lotus Sect stood tall and very majestic, exuding an imposing aura that reached the sky.
The grand and magnificent golden plaque emanated a natural pressure that made the tens of thousands of people instinctively hunch their backs.
Among the dense crowd, only a few of people who stood straight.
Their eyes gleamed with determination and unwavering will.
Amalia and Kenny Lin were naturally among those people, their nonchalant demeanor seemingly unaffected by the imposing golden plaque.
Kiran Xiao had been quietly observing them and couldn’t help but admire his own judgment.
Yesterday in the teahouse, he noticed that despite their simple clothing, the two of them carried themselves with extraordinary demeanor.
In the world of cultivators, one’s demeanor often speaks louder than appearance.
He initiated the conversation with them, sensing they were not ordinary individuals. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have bothered, no matter how many spirit stones they were offered.
However, one thing puzzled him.
Both of them seemed to be around twenty-five to twenty-seven years old, yet their cultivation was only at the Foundation Building Stage.
Typically, those people from wealthy backgrounds would be supported by abundant family resources, and most of them should have reached the Golden Core stage by this age.
At first, he couldn’t reconcile with this inconsistency until yesterday when Kenny Lin remarked, "Fifty low-grade spirit stones for a pot of tea?"
This made Kiran Xiao chuckle.
The tea served in the teahouse was brewed with spiritual leaves, which can help cultivators in cultivation and spiritual energy recovery.
So, the high price was justified.
This incident revealed to him that demeanor and wealth do not always correlate.
The people with great demeanor aren’t necessarily wealthy, and those from wealthy backgrounds don’t always possess great demeanor.
He realized that he had been narrow-minded.
Nonetheless, someone with an exceptional demeanor often achieves great things.
After this realization, Kiran Xiao no longer dwelled on it.
Today, witnessing their composed demeanor under the golden plaque at the Green Lotus Sect gate, he felt even more confident in his judgment.
"Today, a lot of people will probably be eliminated," Kiran Xiao said mysteriously to Amalia and Kenny Lin.
Amalia and Kenny Lin were fully aware of Kiran Xiao’s discreet observations but they pretended not to notice.
They could certainly feel the pressure emanating from the golden plaque, but it didn’t seem particularly daunting to them.
Combined with Kiran Xiao’s words, they quickly understood what he was referring to.
"Is this a test of willpower?" Amalia asked.
"Exactly. Those with weak willpower won’t get far in cultivation. This golden plaque was created by the first Master of the Green Lotus Sect and contains a mental pressure. If someone can’t withstand this, there’s no point in continuing with the other tests," Kiran Xiao explained.
He added, "There are too many people signing up this time. This test helps to weed out those who are just hoping to get lucky. Once we get inside, make sure to behave appropriately. The Green Lotus Sect cultivators are probably watching us from the shadows."
"Got it, we’ll be careful," Amalia responded without any pretense.
Kiran Xiao’s smile deepened, and he glanced at Kenny Lin again but he didn’t mind his aloofness.
Through their brief interaction, Kiran Xiao had come to understand that although Kenny Lin appeared cold and spoke little, the decision-maker between the two was still on Amalia’s.
He wasn’t sure about their exact relationship, but given that Amalia could make decisions for both of them, it was highly likely they were either brother and sister or a lover.
Amalia glanced around and noticed that many people had disappeared, leaving fewer than before.
"It’s the ripples from just now," Kenny Lin said calmly.
Kiran Xiao couldn’t help but glance at him.
It was rare to hear him speaking; since yesterday, he hadn’t uttered more than three sentences.
"Everyone here now has passed the first assessment. Those who were eliminated have been transported elsewhere," he explained.
"I see," nodded Amalia, "Among those people who stayed, there are a few familiar faces."
They might be small prince or nobles that Amalia and Kenny Lin encountered in Arabesque City or Tranquil Mist Town by chance.
"The next step is the official registration. Shortly, a cultivator from the Green Lotus Sect will come out," Kiran Xiao said, almost as if to confirm his words, a Green Lotus Sect cultivator in white robes emerged.
The cultivator had a young face but exuded a sharp sword aura, a faint pressure looming over everyone’s heads.