Ye Heng's face was ice-cold as he held his hefty sword, standing proudly before the scars of past sword fights.
In the river of swords carved into the ground, the Sword Qi ebbed and flowed, so fearsome and sharp that all the powerful onlookers dared not come a step closer.
The expressions on their faces were a mix of shock, anger, and unwillingness.
Among their complicated expressions, regret was the most predominant.
It was clear from the conversation between Ye Heng and Jin Feiyan that if one simply marched forward resolutely, with unwavering determination, then one would pass the test with ease. That is to say, had it not been for the sight of Mao Bufan being defeated by Ye Heng, which filled them with fear and shook their resolve,
All of them could have passed this test.
Their will to pursue martial arts was not that unwavering.
As a result, these thirty percent of strong candidates were all eliminated.
Ye Heng cast a frosty glance at them, sheathed his hefty sword behind him, and sneered, "A bunch of useless fools! With such a half-hearted dedication to martial arts, you still dream of joining my Xiaoshanhe Institute? Ridiculous!"
The crowd blushed and was left speechless, unable to retort.
Jin Feiyan waved her hand and said, "Those who are eliminated may return the way they came or take the spectator passage on the right to Xiaoshanhe Institute!"
Before she finished speaking,
The two of them turned and left.
Leaving behind the powerful, who looked at each other, at a loss. After a while, someone spoke up, "Damn, the selection for Xiaoshanhe Institute is just child's play. What's this talk about the will to pursue martial arts? Is that really more important than innate talent? According to the way they select disciples, in the end, they will only choose some talentless trash..."
"You're right. Fang Tong, that useless guy, is already eighteen and only has Spiritual Realm Cultivation, yet he passed the first test. I'm only seventeen and am at the Golden Elixir Realm Cultivation, yet I was stopped before the first test. I shall see what kind of 'geniuses' Xiaoshanhe Institute ends up choosing..."
"Geniuses? Hmph, I bet in the end they'll only pick some rubbish..."
"Let's go, let's all go and see!"
These tens of thousands of disgruntled and unwilling strong candidates indignantly made their way to the viewing passage, heading toward Xiaoshanhe Institute.
Mao Bufan and the others arrived at the second test.
Guarding this checkpoint was none other than Yu Huaxian, with his flowing white hair and ethereal demeanour akin to an immortal. His black eyes shimmered with a dazzling light, quietly floating in mid-air, looking down at Mao Bufan and the rest, whose arrogance was nowhere to be found.
Blending in with the crowd, Mao Bufan put away his pride and gazed at Yu Huaxian with a hint more of awe in his eyes amidst his confusion, "It seems we've all underestimated Xiaoshanhe Institute. It's nothing like the inferior academies of other dynasties I've seen before. No, it might even surpass the Nantian Holy Institute..."
Having almost passed the Nantian Holy Institute's assessment, Mao Bufan's talent was naturally not lacking.
Even the Nantian Holy Institute or the Nantian Holy Land placed more emphasis on a disciple's innate talent.
It was their first time encountering a Martial Arts Institute like Xiaoshanhe Institute that prioritized the will to pursue martial arts and the firmness of one's resolve.
Having Mao Bufan's example as a lesson,
When others looked at Yu Huaxian, they also put away the arrogance in their hearts. And those who passed the first test had much firmer resolve, so they simply watched Yu Huaxian quietly, no longer displaying the imperious and unrestrained demeanor they had before.
"Congratulations on passing the first stage of the test. I am Yu Huaxian, the examiner for the second stage!"
Yu Huaxian descended light as a feather, his serene gaze sweeping over the crowd. With a casual wave, he conjured a white light that swept across the air, revealing a chessboard: "The content of the second test is right in front of you. As soon as you enter the Chessboard Array, you will all become chess pieces on the board. If you manage to walk off the chessboard, you will be deemed to have passed!"
People looked towards the chessboard covered in white light, which seemed to span only about ten square meters.
Puzzlement became apparent on their faces, "How can such a small space accommodate all of us?"
"Are we supposed to enter one by one to take the test? With tens of thousands of people here, how long would that take?"
As soon as these words were spoken,
Yu Huaxian stretched out his arms, and the chessboard immediately began emitting dazzling rays of light.
The chessboard grew larger and larger.
One black, one white; one heaven, one earth.
It expanded a thousandfold, ten thousandfold in the blink of an eye, enveloping the tens of thousands of people on the ground.
All of the tens of thousands of strong individuals were ensnared by the Array.
Watching the chessboard cover the crowd, even Yu Huaxian, who had seen the mystery of the Chessboard Array before, couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "The heavens and earth as a chessboard, all beings as chess pieces... Xiao's power is truly becoming more impenetrable!"
The Array was mysterious, fitting a mustard seed into Mount Sumeru.
This Chessboard Array was a creation of Xiao Yi's, which appeared no bigger than the size of a palm yet could hold tens of thousands.
Such a feat elicited amazed praise.
Mao Bufan and others, positioned within the Array, looked around in astonishment. They never imagined that a tiny Array could genuinely accommodate them all—what's more, this was no ordinary Illusion Array; everything seemed to genuinely exist.
"This level of skill in Array formation is unheard of!"
"I've heard that the Nantian Holy Institute has a secret realm called the Mount Sumeru Battlefield. It is an Illusion Array that seems as real as life itself and is a source of pride for the Nantian Holy Institute. But even the Mount Sumeru Battlefield there can only accommodate a thousand people at a time. This Array might be even more terrifying than that!"
"Xiaoshanhe Institute really has hidden dangers and talents. To think there was such a formidable master of Arrays; it seems I've indeed come to the right place this time!"
A young man exuding a scholarly aura gently waved his folding fan, a gentle breeze blowing. His eyes flickered with sharp wisdom: "Gentlemen, now is not the time for astonishment. Let us focus on how to break this Chessboard Array and leave this place to pass the test."
"Is that the scholar Ling Sanxiao? I didn't expect him to be here!"
"Ling Sanxiao, you look calm and collected, confident as if you have a plan. Do you have an idea already?"
Ling Sanxiao smiled without speaking, waiting until the eager glances of the people turned towards him, becoming the focus of everyone's attention, before he slowly said, "In my opinion, breaking this Formation is not difficult. Every Formation has its core, and although we are in the midst of the Formation, what changes most is only what our eyes can perceive—the actual topography and positions do not change. Agree to one condition of mine, and I guarantee I'll lead you all out of this Array!"
"Go ahead and say it!"
The crowd asked in unison.
Ling Sanxiao smiled slightly and enunciated each word carefully, "When Xiao Yi announces our successful completion of the test, I want everyone to join me in refusing to join Xiaoshanhe Institute! As long as you do as I say, I guarantee that once we return to the Nantian Dynasty, everyone will be able to enter the Nantian Holy Institute..."
Upon these words, the atmosphere within the Array suddenly tensed.
Mao Bufan's expression shifted subtly as he looked towards the crowd, "What will they choose?"
PS: More updates to come!