A row of people lined up in front of a gargantuan gate over a thousand meters tall. There were sculptures of a coiling dragon on one side and a soaring phoenix on the other. Engraved in the center of the gate was the Xi character. Of the crowd of people, only one person’s back faced the gate. He was an aged man with graying hair and hunched back.
That person cleared his throat, so that his voice would become sonorous. “Let me be clear. Most, if not all, of you will fail the assessment. Yes, even you superhumans. Your chances are only a little higher than regular people, so don’t get your hopes up. If you fail and make a scene, don’t blame me for being impolite.”
The hunched man could see that only a few of the superhumans took his words seriously. He sneered. They weren’t the first batch he tested, and they certainly won’t be the last. But like all that came before and those that have yet to come, they would learn. It’ll just be the last lesson they learn.
He clapped his hand, and on his signal, the gate swung open. The ordinary people’s faces paled. The gate had swung open by itself, and they couldn’t help but wonder if ghosts had opened it.
The hunched man ignored their fear or amazement and walked inside. “Follow me. If you’re already scared, leave now and never come back.”
Of the hundred plus people, three or four chickened out and left. No one paid attention to them. They followed the hunched man inside. They expected to see a grand palace, or something magnificent. But to their disappointment, they found themselves at the foot of a mountain.
“What, disappointed?” the hunched man asked. “Hmpf, if any of you succeed, you will know how miraculous this place is. And if you become an inner disciple, you will go to an even better location.”
The hunched man looked up toward the peak of the mountain, where a palace lay. His eyes scanned past the base of the mountain to the middle, which was covered in fog, and all the way up to the tallest point of the palace. The palace’s tallest tower reached over a thousand meters tall. He turned back, but froze.
“Not bad,” the hunched man said as he pointed at a plain-faced man. Although his appearance was nothing extraordinary, he exuded a calm and alluring temperament. Currently, the young man was looking at his hand in amazement. “It seems that at least one of you is destined to join the Xi Immortal Dynasty.”
Many of the people who came to join stared at the plain-faced man. They scrutinized him, wanting to explore his secrets and figured out why he was guaranteed to join. A few superhumans who exuded powerful auras snorted. They didn’t think the plain-faced man was more talented or powerful than them.
“Stop wasting time and follow me,” the hunched man said, not caring about the test takers’ internal struggles. He led them to a large building. It was grand, standing over a hundred meters tall, but it was plain. After entering, the test takers saw an orb the size of a head placed atop a pedestal.
“All of you line up. One by one, place your hand on the Talent Appraisal Orb.”
The test takers did as they were told. Most of the superhumans forced themselves to the front. The ordinary people were mad, but they didn’t start a fight over it, as it was pointless. They simply needed to wait a bit longer, that’s all.
The first person, a man that stood over two meters tall, swaggered forward. His muscles rippled through his robes and he stopped confidently in front of the Talent Appraisal Orb. He placed his hand atop the orb and waited. And waited. And waited.
His originally proud expression turned ugly. Just as he was about to shout, a small dim yellow light shone. He turned toward the hunched man, waiting to hear news of his success.
“Failed,” the hunched man said without a hint of surprise.
The tall man’s expression was still frozen in ecstasy, as if he hadn’t processed what entered his ears. After a few seconds, his expression morphed into rage. “What, why? Didn’t I pass the test?”
The hunched man sneered. “That little glow? You’re not qualified. Leave.”
The man didn’t. He stomped toward the old man. His height towered over the hunched man, and his eyes dug holes into the latter. “Listen here. If you don’t pass me, you don’t want to know what I’m going to do to you.”
The hunched man smiled, almost derisively. “What if I don’t?”
The man didn’t answer directly. Instead, he raised his fist up, eliciting gasps from the test takers. However, the hunched man didn’t react, as if he didn’t see it. Then, the fist came down, but just before it landed, the hunched man raised a finger.
The fist stopped. That seemingly frail and skeletal finger had halted the towering man’s fist in its track. His eyes widened in shock. He gritted his teeth and tried to force the finger to bend, but all he got were bulging veins popping out on his forehead and labored breaths.
“You done?” the hunched man asked. “Now, it’s my turn.”
Before anyone could react, or even see what had happened, the tall man’s head vanished from his body. The headless body stood still for a second before madly twitching. Blood spurted from its exposed neck and into the hunched man’s linen robes. The corpse soon collapsed backward onto the floor with a thud.
The hunch man turned his gaze from the corpse to the test takers. “The next person who isn’t satisfied with the results can follow his fate.”
Now, none of the superhumans dared to look the hunched man in the eyes. Like little children, they walked toward the orb and placed their hands atop. Most of them could only make it exude a dim light, while a few couldn’t even make it light up at all. Although they were angry and disappointed, none dared to lash out.
So, most of the superhumans walked away in shame. They stood at the side and watched the ordinary people place their hands on the Talent Appraisal Orb one by one. They all cursed the remaining test takers to fail like them.
Suddenly, the Talent Appraisal Orb exuded an intense red light, dyeing the person touching it in red.
The hunched man’s eyes lit up in surprise. “Not bad, not bad. Second-class talent. What’s your name?”
The test taker, a young girl with pigtails, smiled. Her lips pulled back, revealing pearly white teeth. “Xingyi, sir.”
“Good, good,” the hunched man said. “Stand behind. I’ll bring you inside after everyone is done.”
With the appearance of the first person to succeed, the rest of the test takers couldn’t help but become excited. Alas, a string of failures followed. Just as they thought no one else would pass, the Talent Appraisal Orb exuded a white light, one even more powerful than the red light.
The person who had her hand on the orb was a woman in her late teens. Her garb was that of a bridal gown, but it had frayed edges and was full of dirt. The woman’s eyes didn’t show much excitement, only determination.
“Hahaha, I’m truly lucky. First-class talent, first-class talent! And there’s at least another possible disciple. There’s going to be three new disciples under my supervision!”
After the hunched man calmed down, he asked the woman’s name. She said, “Hou Yawen.”
The hunched man smiled even more and told the woman to stand beside Xingyi. Xingyi smiled at Hou Yawen, but the latter ignored her, causing the former to become downcast. Few noticed, as they were even more determined to pass.
However, their hearts were willing, but their bodies were not. After many ups and downs, it finally came for the plain-faced man’s turn. The hunched man smiled as he waited expectantly.
The plain man placed his palm atop the Talent Appraising Orb, and for a second, nothing happened. Then, a blinding, icy blue light engulfed the room.
“P-Peerless talent! Another peerless talent!” the hunched man shouted. His breathing became short as he stared at the plain-faced man as if he wasn’t a person but the most delectable piece of meat or a priceless treasure. “You, what’s your name?”
“Wuqiang.”
“Quick, stand behind me,” the hunched man said.
When Wuqiang stood beside the other two, they glanced at him in interest, even Hou Yawen. Wuqiang glanced at Xingyi and gave her a kind smile, which the young girl reciprocated.
From there, the hunched man urged the rest of the test takers to finish. Unfortunately for the test takers, no one else passed. When the hunched man ushered them out, over ten superhumans collaborated and resisted, hoping to force the hunched man to change his decision.
The hunched man let them join the first superhuman that defied him.
With the gates to the Xi Immortal Dynasty closed, the hunched man escorted them up the mountain. When they crossed halfway up the mountain, a dense fog surrounded them. “Keep close. Otherwise, don’t blame me for getting lost. Only people part of the Xi Immortal Dynasty, or one leading the way, can pass this. If you are an outsider, you will get lost forever until death.”
Xingyi inched closer to the hunched man. Wuqiang and Hou Yawen also paid more attention, keeping their eyes on the hunched man at all times.
An hour later, the fog parted, revealing a grand palace. The quartet walked to the palace gate, where the hunched man bowed with his hand cupped in his other hand. “Protector Hanwei has brought the new disciples to the dynasty. Please open the door and allow me to bring them inside.”
Like at the base of the mountain, the palace doors opened without any apparent external force. Unlike the bottom of the mountain, the entrance hall was guarded by a row of soldiers. All of them sported graying or white hair, and appeared the same as the hunched man, Hanwei.
“Follow me,” Hanwei said.
Along the way, Wuqiang, Hou Yawen, and Xingyi couldn’t help but glance around. Xingyi’s eyes especially couldn’t help repeatedly returning to the elderly guards.
“You’re probably wondering why the guards are so old, right?” Hanwei asked.
Xingyi flushed and looked down.
Hanwei laughed. “You don’t have to be so reserved. In the future, your status will only exceed mine. All these guards have no future. Everyone of us took a pill that forcibly raised our strength. I reached the Twelfth Stage of the Qi Gathering Realm, while these guards could only reach the Fifth or Sixth Stage of the Qi Gathering Realm. Although we are stronger now, we cannot become stronger, unlike you guys.”
Upon hearing this, all three couldn’t help but look at the guards again. All these guard’s aged appearance belied their power that exceeded regular mortals. especially Wuqiang. Unnoticed by anyone, he clenched his fist until his nails pierced his palms.
“Okay, stop here,” Hanwei said, as the quartet stopped in front of a circular room with a towering stele made of unknown materials. On the stele were over a hundred names. He took out a thin needle and said, “Pierce your finger and write your name on it. Afterward, your names will be engraved into the Monument of Records.”
“I'-I’ll go first,” Xingyi said. She took the needle and pierced her finger without changing her expression. Once the blood started to flow, she wrote her name atop the stele.
A bright light flashed as her name appeared in the middle of the list.
Xingyi - Second-Class Outer Disciple
Hou Yawen walked up to the stele next. She followed Xingyi’s action and her name also appeared on the stele.
Hou Yawen - First-Class Outer Disciple
Then, it was Wuqiang’s turn. When he wrote his name on the stele, nothing happened. The blood didn’t disappear or glow. His face became ugly. At this time, an uneasy feeling overtook him. He looked around, but couldn’t find the source.
At the highest location of the Xi Immortal Palace, a man in white robes and refined features looked at a slim, metal rectangle in his hand. Most of his hair was black, but the tips had started to turn white. He frowned as he looked at the video playing on the tablet.
“What are you trying to do, Tianyi?” Xi Ri asked, to which no one responded. The Xiyi Talisman in his hand displayed all the plain-faced man’s history and current status, including his true name, Jun Qiangwu. Xi Ri shook his head. “Forget it, let’s just give a little boost to the little guy.”
Suddenly, the blood-written name finally flashed. The quartet searched for Wuqiang’s name, but couldn’t find it.
“Ah! It’s up there!” Xingyi shouted as she pointed near the very top. The other three also looked up.
Wuqiang - Inner Disciple
