BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Seven exquisite-looking Jade Cauldrons flew out one after another from Shangguan Ming’s Storage Bag, landing in a neat row on the platform.
The seven Jade Cauldrons were identical in size. At the center of each was a single engraved character: Disciple, Warrior, Master, Maniac, Sect, King, and Warlord.
So this is the legendary Wuzong Seven Cauldrons. Long Chen squinted. He had long heard that they were used to test a person’s aptitude.
The seven characters engraved on the cauldrons represented the seven great Martial Arts Realms: War Disciple, Warrior, War Master, War Maniac, War Sect, War King, and Warlord.
If one could lift the first cauldron, marked with ’Disciple,’ it proved their aptitude was sufficient to cultivate to the War Disciple Realm. If one could lift the second cauldron, marked with ’Warrior,’ it proved their aptitude was sufficient for the Warrior Realm, and so on. A martial artist’s aptitude determined their future potential. Therefore, the seven Jade Cauldrons used by the Martial Ancestor to test aptitude directly decided a disciple’s quality and rank.
Under everyone’s gaze, Shangguan Ming announced slowly, "I presume you have all heard of the Wuzong Seven Cauldrons and their purpose, so I won’t go into detail. Those participating in the trial may now come onto the stage to lift the cauldrons."
As soon as he finished speaking, Su Miaoyu leaped lightly onto the platform.
"And me!" Long Yu declared, walking out from the crowd of Su Family members.
Long Xin looked at Long Chen beside her. "Brother."
Though Long Chen was already eager to start, his face remained calm and indifferent as he nodded. "Let’s go."
Seeing Long Chen and Long Xin step onto the platform, Long Yu sneered, "Why bother struggling? Today, the Long Family will be annihilated because of you. It’s already decided."
Long Chen swept a cold glance at him. "An animal like you isn’t worthy of speaking to me!"
"You..." Long Yu’s breath hitched.
Su Miaoyu waved a dismissive hand. "You’re just a slave. Why waste your breath on a dead man? We’ll kill him soon enough. For now, go lift the cauldrons. Show me if the son of the Long Family’s Great Elder has what it takes to be my slave."
These words caused Long Tian, the Great Elder of the Long Family, to grind his teeth in fury, wishing the ground would swallow him whole. He roared, "You beast! If you’re still a man of the Long Family, then—"
Before Long Tian could finish, Long Yu bowed deeply to Su Miaoyu, his voice filled with the utmost respect. "Yes, Master. Please watch. I will be sure to satisfy you!"
"You! Pfft..." Long Tian was so enraged he spat out a mouthful of blood. His vision swam with stars, and he swayed on his feet, looking as if he might collapse at any moment.
Seeing this, Su Miaoyu smiled brightly. "Very well. Go lift the cauldrons."
With all eyes on him, Long Yu walked to the Jade Cauldrons. He effortlessly lifted the first one, set it down, and then lifted the second. In quick succession, he lifted five Jade Cauldrons! The fifth cauldron signified an aptitude for the War Sect Realm!
"Hm, not bad," Shangguan Ming praised. "To lift the fifth cauldron with ease means that as long as you develop smoothly, you will surely enter the War Sect Realm within a few years! With such an aptitude, you could become an ordinary elder in the future. However, this isn’t your limit. If you can lift the sixth cauldron, you’ll have a chance to become a core elder of the sect!"
Upon hearing this, Long Yu began to tremble with excitement and hurriedly bowed to Shangguan Ming repeatedly in gratitude.
"I’m surprised a slave like you has such an aptitude," Su Miaoyu remarked. "But this still isn’t enough. If you want to be my slave, you need at least the aptitude for the War King Realm! I hope you can achieve it!"
"Yes! I will not fail to meet your expectations!" Long Yu took a deep breath. Suppressing his excitement, he walked to the sixth Jade Cauldron and bent down to embrace it.
While everyone held their breath and watched, Long Yu remained motionless, hugging the cauldron. His face turned from red to purple with strain. Clearly, Long Yu was using all his strength, yet the sixth Jade Cauldron didn’t move an inch. There was no sign of it being lifted at all!
"This... Is there such a huge difference between the aptitude for the War Sect Realm and the War King Realm? He lifted the fifth cauldron so easily just now!"
The crowd was in disbelief. Long Yu could effortlessly lift the fifth cauldron but couldn’t even budge the sixth. The disparity was staggering! This undoubtedly meant that Long Yu’s aptitude could not reach the War King Realm; he didn’t have even the slightest chance of stepping into it.
Shangguan Ming said indifferently, "You lifted the fifth cauldron with ease but couldn’t move the sixth one at all. This means your limit isn’t that of an ordinary martial artist in the War Sect Realm. For your entire life, the highest you’ll ever reach is Half-step War King.
"This realm is between War Sect and War King, a rank reserved for the strongest martial artists within the War Sect Realm. People with your aptitude are not rare in the Martial Ancestor sect. Whether we accept you or not depends on Miaoyu’s decision. You may step down for now."
Hearing these words, Long Yu felt as though he had been doused with cold water. The ardent excitement from moments before was completely extinguished, leaving him utterly disheartened.
"It doesn’t matter," Su Miaoyu said, blinking her beautiful eyes. "During the second trial, the combat test, if you can kill either Long Chen or Long Xin, I’ll ask Brother Shangguan to accept you into the Earth Institute."
She walked to the cauldrons. Effortlessly, she grabbed the rim of the first Jade Cauldron with one hand and lifted it straight over her head.
"Long Chen, no matter what constitution you have, it can’t surpass my Emperor Meridians! Coming here to participate in this trial is just you humiliating yourself!" Su Miaoyu set down the first cauldron and then proceeded to lift the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth Jade Cauldrons in succession.