The hundreds of young men and women stood straight with their chins raised in pride.
They were chosen as one of the greatest geniuses in the world. Their pride couldn't be described with words, but because of that pride, arrogance followed.
There were few very unique-looking individuals.
Some were fully tanned with muscular bodies and animal fur as their clothing.
Few of the young men and women wore luxurious clothing, making them sweat under the bright sun.
They used napkins to wipe their sweat but had no intention of lessening their clothing and instead suffered in the heat.
Then, there were the young men and women who were wearing summer clothes and enjoying the heat.
In front of them was the worn-out temple, and many of them first wondered if they were in the right place, but they received their answers reasonably soon.
Around the mountain, there were other mountain tops, which were connected with the main mountain.
On top of the mountains, there were temples and all sorts of wooden buildings.
They managed to see outlines of the figures on top of the mountains, and some of them recognized a few.
There were family members, relatives, masters, and friends.
All of them were the spectators of the test.
They were sitting around tables, discussing with each other and about their own younger generation members who were participating.
Some bragged, some stayed silent, but all of them were nervous.
On one of the tables.
A man with gray hair and a trimmed beard was sitting with three other middle-aged figures. His eyes showed signs of fatigue, but his face showed slight excitement.
''Sin, are you ready to lose?'' A middle-aged man grinned and slammed the table, ''I am very confident this time.''
Sin smiled and took a sip of the tea, ''Well… I am also fairly confident about my chosen ones.''
''Tch.'' The middle-aged man shook his head. He was Sin's long-time friend, Borbos, and he knows how impulsive his decisions always are.
There might be a chance that his choices were terrible this time.
''Do you see your chosen ones anywhere?'' Borbos asked, wanting to take a glimpse of them.
''Well, two of my chosen ones already went to rest.'' Sin said and shrugged, ''My third one… Has not arrived yet.''
''Oh?'' Borbos raised an eyebrow, ''Rarely anyone would arrive late.''
Sin wryly smiled and knew how impulsive his decision was when he chose the third one. Most of the Contenders arrived many days ago, and currently, the ones in the yard were the last batch.
There were thousands of young men and women gathered, but no one knew why there were so many.
Some young men and women who didn't get chosen were angry at first, but then their families heard about the news that they could take their younger generation with them, and even though they weren't part of the actual test, they could still measure themselves against the top.
Sin thought it was an excellent idea, especially because the world was going downhill.
Abyss' death was something that changed everything.
It was also the reason why there are so many younger generation members this time. Future relies on their shoulders, and it was better to help them to improve.
No one knows what will happen in the future, but many have feared it for a long time.
Abyss' death was the signal that something terrible was coming.
In front of the Temple of the Grandmasters.
The young men and women were discussing with each other, but soon, footsteps rang in the temple.
Everyone instantly quieted now and straightened their backs.
From the temple.
A skinny figure with golden robes arrived with ten other figures who were wearing similar robes.
Instantly, the yard was shrouded with intense pressure.
The young men and women paled and started sweating as they desperately tried to stand up.
The skinny figure had a bald head, but endless wisdom was visible on his face.
He smiled as he said calmly, ''My name is Shinu… I am the Dharma Teacher of Temple of Grandmasters, welcome!''
Once he revealed his identity, the young men and women couldn't keep standing and dropped down to their knees.
Some of them tried to stand up, but the pressure was too heavy.
The ten figures around Shinu had stoic looks with a few disappointed ones after seeing the younger generation not able to keep standing.
''Ohohoho.'' Shinu suddenly started laughing, and his eyes curved into amusement as he saw someone still standing!
The ten figures around Shinu were the Ten Grandmasters, and most of them looked interested after seeing one of the younger generation members standing.
The figure was a youth with black hair and a body that would be envied by many.
Next to the youth was a black-haired girl who was lying flat on her stomach, unable to move even an inch.
She wasn't the only one who was lying flat on their stomachs, quite many were actually, but she wanted to stand up.
Her lips bled as she pushed her body up but managed to only reach kneeling positions until there was simply too much weight on her shoulders.
Shinu silently clapped at the youth, ''Excellent…'' He waved his hand, and the pressure disappeared.
The young men and women took deep breaths, and some were too exhausted to even try to stand.
''Everyone, follow me.'' Shinu turned around and started walking away with the rest of the Grandmasters.
The young men and women tried to stand up, but it was easier said than done.
''Can you stand?'' Ichiro put his hand forwards and saw Azura sweating buckets.
''Y-Yes.'' She grabbed his hand and stood up with his help.
Her legs trembled, but she didn't want to be burden and only gritted her teeth and forced herself to keep standing.
Ichiro and Azura walked past the exhausted younger generation members, who looked shocked to see them walking!
They could barely lift their fingers, let alone move!
They walked up the stairs and entered the temple, but at the other side of the temple had another pair of the doors.
And on the other side of the door.
There was a village!
