Chapter 190: Second Round Of Assessment
While thrusting his sword, Tang Wujian also informed Su Zhan about the power of his own sword technique.
Of course, if Su Zhan really couldn't match up, with his level of cultivation, dispersing the sword qi would be effortless. The reason for saying this was simply to stimulate Su Zhan's full potential. Pressure is necessary to perform better!
Tang Wujian smiled, wanting to see what kind of surprises this Su Zhan could bring him.
However, as the Celestial Dragon directly dissipated his Great Boundless Sword Qi, his smile became somewhat stiff.
Feeling the space in front of him tearing apart and revealing a large vacuum zone, Tang Wujian widened his eyes.
Could this be the sword qi that someone below the Saint realm can unleash?
No wonder his own stupid cow wasn't a match for Su Zhan and even had one of its horns cut off. It's not that the cow is too lousy; it's just that this Fish-Dragon Fourth Transformation is a too illogical!
Seeing the sword qi approaching, Tang Wujian slightly loosened his strength, reaching a level around that of a Saint, and with both fingers together, he pointed toward the Celestial Dragon.
"Boom!"
The Celestial Dragon dissipated, and he took a couple of steps back.
"Old man, truly impressive!"
Su Zhan sighed, "I thought my strength was decent in the Fish-Dragon realm, but I never expected I wouldn't even be a match for an old man. I'm truly too weak!"
"I…" Tang Wujian's lips twitched.
Originally, even though he was suppressed to the same realm, because of his understanding of the sword, his physical body was at the level of a Saint King, and various comprehensions and graspings, he already had a significant advantage. But in the end, he was still forced to use the realm of a Saint by Su Zhan.
And now, Su Zhan was still saying he was weak? If you're weak, then what does that make me when I was in the Fish-Dragon realm?
Thinking about all of this, Tang Wujian said, "Su Zhan, not only are you not weak, you're already very strong!"
"If I'm strong, then why couldn't I even handle you, an old man?"
"Well…"
"Could it be that you just used power exceeding that of the Fish-Dragon Fourth Transformation?"
"I…"
"In that case, aren't your words unreliable?"
"Of course not!"
"Then, if I couldn't even handle an old man like you, am I not weak?"
"I… you…" Tang Wujian clutched his chest, feeling a bit suffocated, "Alright, alright, you're weak!"
"As expected, I'm still weak. If you were at my age, you could probably defeat me easily." Su Zhan said.
Tang Wujian's face darkened. Isn't he intentionally mocking me?
If I were at your age, I probably would've been chopped in half by your crazy sword already!
And why, the more I listen, the more I feel like you're deliberately saying these things to annoy me?
"Okay, let's drop that topic. By the way, Su Zhan, have you ever thought about taking a Saint King as your master?"
"A Saint King? Is he very powerful?"
"He's quite good."
Tang Wujian smiled, "Among the Saint Kings of the Tianxuan Empire, he can be ranked in the top five!"
Su Zhan hesitated, "But even if he's powerful, would it really help my cultivation?"
"How could it not help?"
Tang Wujian brimmed with confidence, "Right now, you're at the Fish-Dragon Fourth Transformation. If you become his disciple, he can help you enter the Saint realm within three years and potentially become a Saint King within fifty years!"
"Who is this person?"
Tang Wujian felt the timing was right and smiled, "Of course, it's…"
"There's a Saint King that lousy? It takes three years just to enter the Saint realm? I might as well cultivate on my own. Why would I want to be a disciple of such a useless master?" Su Zhan said irritably.
Tang Wujian's smile instantly froze, and he couldn't find words for the rest of his explanation.
"Well, who is it then? Come on, tell me."
"Well, I'm not really sure, I just said that randomly. If there's nothing else, I'll be on my way!" Feeling Su Zhan's skeptical gaze, Tang Wujian hastily departed.
With a light tap of his foot on the ground, he continued to walk for thirty miles before stopping. He wiped the cold sweat off his forehead.
That was close. I almost lost my face there!
But this guy doesn't even think three years to reach the Saint realm is good enough. Could it be that he's really confident in achieving it in an even shorter time?
It's not impossible!
Recalling Su Zhan's extraordinary divine physique and that stunning sword strike, Tang Wujian exclaimed, "Unprecedented, truly unprecedented!"
Isn't this the prodigy he has been seeking, the one destined to inherit his legacy?
However, this Su Zhan fellow seems a bit too accomplished, and his status as a Saint King might not impress him much!
And he definitely can't reveal himself as the owner of that dumb cow and the flashy mountain. That would be too embarrassing! He must come up with a good plan, a good approach.
Hmm?
Isn't today the second round of the aptitude assessment?
With Su Zhan's talent, he's bound to become the Holy Son of our Heavenly Profound Holy Land. But according to our rules, the Holy Son must apprentice under a Saint King!
However, in the past five or six hundred years, all the Holy Sons were extraordinary geniuses, renowned throughout the Tianxuan Empire and the Southern Territory. As soon as they entered the Holy Land, the Holy Master would snatch them away.
Perfect! While this Su Zhan hasn't become a disciple yet and hasn't caught the attention of the senior brothers and those old fellows, I'll seize the opportunity ahead of them!
Quick! I have to be quick! If I'm too slow, I'll miss my chance!
Tang Wujian made up his mind and began thinking about how to convince Su Zhan using his arguments.
…
Heavenly Profound Holy Land.
In a white stone plaza, there stood a massive stone wall. Carved upon the wall were depictions of small swords, human figures, elixirs, refining furnaces, and more. In total, there were sixteen scenes.
Less than ten meters in front of the stone wall stood four thick stone pillars, spaced three meters apart from each other. These pillars were adorned with numerous peculiar inscriptions, the exclusive golden inscriptions of Saint artifacts!
At the edge of the plaza, there were several raised platforms. On these platforms, powerful Saints sat upright, their gazes sweeping over the talented individuals from various regions who were continuously arriving at the plaza.
After a brief wait, a middle-aged scholar at the center of the foremost platform spoke up, "Good, the time has come. Those who are not participating should step aside!"
"The second round of assessment is very simple. You only need to stand in the middle of these stone pillars, circulate your energy, and do nothing else. The special formations in place will stimulate your greatest innate talents. The degree of brilliance emanating from the light on the four pillars will classify your talents as low-grade, medium-grade, high-grade, or peak-grade!"
"Moreover, not only will your cultivation talents be evaluated, but your talents in swordsmanship, body refinement, alchemy, weapon refinement, and more will also be displayed on the stone wall ahead!"
"There are sixteen wall paintings, representing the sixteen main cultivation paths of our Heavenly Profound Holy Land!"
"The powerful Saints you see before you are representatives of the sixteen paths!"
"When entering the Holy Land for cultivation, you must select one path as your main focus. If you perform well, a peak-level Saint may take you as their disciple. Whether you can seize this opportunity depends on your own capabilities!"
"Furthermore, the minimum requirement for cultivation talent is high-grade. For the sixteen paths, at least one must reach medium-grade talent, otherwise, you won't pass!"
As soon as the words fell, the thousands of talented individuals qualified for the second round of assessment began to discuss in animated tones.
"High-grade cultivation talent, medium-grade talents in sixteen paths? That doesn't sound too difficult!"
"Not difficult? Hah, don't you know that a medium-grade talent in the Holy Land is actually equivalent to a high-grade talent in the outside world? It might even surpass the strongest talent in some smaller regions!"
"True! The first round could be a matter of luck, but this round is all about your own abilities!"
"Sigh! I wonder if my fire attribute spiritual physique can achieve a high-grade cultivation talent."
…
Anxious and uneasy voices echoed one after another.
Ye Kuang let out a cold snort.
"A bunch of weaklings. What's there to be afraid of? Today, I'll show you what it truly means to possess peerless talent!" With his words, he took the lead and headed toward the stone pillars.