"Icy Spiritual Liquid?"
Zhang Xuan didn't expect that the other party would give him a gift after apologizing. He was stunned for a moment before looking at the jade bottle.
The bottle wasn't too big, but it emanated a frigid aura, as if it could freeze a person at any moment. At the same time, the concentrated spiritual energy it emanated was even denser than concentrated high-tier spirit stones.
Even though Zhang Xuan had never heard of it before, he could tell that it was an extremely valuable artifact with just a single glance. With the spiritual energy contained within it, he would be able to push for a breakthrough to Half-Leaving Aperture realm or even Leaving Aperture realm!
"Yes. I hope that Zhang Shi will accept it!" Chen Leyao quickly replied.
Cultivating the cultivation technique that the other party had modified was equivalent to becoming half a teacher to him. On top of that, the other party was also the teacher of the young court chief.
Previously, if she hadn't thought that the other party was trying to strike up a conversation with her, she wouldn't have drawn Zhang Qian here and caused so much trouble later on.
Therefore, no matter what, he had to make up for it and not allow any cracks to appear.
"This …"
Zhang Xuan blinked his eyes.
Zhao Xingmo had spoken so harshly earlier, and he had even apologized to Zhang Xuan … Why did it seem like the young lady from the Glacier Plain Court was actually so easygoing?
"If Zhang Shi doesn't accept it, I'm afraid we won't be able to eat and sleep in peace …"
Noticing Zhang Xuan's hesitation, Chen Leyao thought that he was still angry with her, so she quickly explained.
"This … alright, it would be impolite to refuse. I won't stand on ceremony then!"
Judging from the other party's attitude, if Zhang Xuan were to refuse to take it, he might just refuse to leave. Helpless, Zhang Xuan could only accept it and keep it in his storage ring.
"Thank you for your understanding, Zhang Shi!"
Chen Leyao's eyes lit up as she heaved a sigh of relief.
Accepting the gift meant that he was no longer angry, and the conflict had been resolved.
"There's no need to stand on ceremony …" Zhang Xuan clasped his fist in bewilderment. "I was rude to you earlier as well, so why are you apologizing to me instead?"
He couldn't understand.
It was just a moment ago that the other party was so furious that he wanted to make a move on Zhang Xuan, but how long had it been since then?
Wasn't the change a little too fast?
"This …"
Chen Leyao and the others glanced at one another with bitter smiles on their faces.
"It's because …"
Just as Zhang Xuan was about to explain, he suddenly heard a commotion in the surroundings, and everything fell silent in an instant. Following which, he saw several figures flying over from afar, floating in the air, emanating a fearsome aura.
They were three old men. It was impossible to tell how powerful they were, but they gave off an intimidating feeling. It was as if they could tear a person apart with just their gaze.
"He's even more terrifying than Luo Chengxin …"
Raising his eyebrows, Zhang Xuan clenched his fists tightly under his sleeves.
These three people in the air were even more terrifying than Luo Chengxin!
Luo Chengxin was a Saint 7-dan expert … Could it be that the three of them had already reached Saint 8-dan?
If that was the case, his strength would definitely be ranked at the top even in the entire continent!
"These are the three elders of the Sanctum of Sages. They are in charge of the examination this time."
Zhao Xingmo replied telepathically.
"Elder?"
Zhang Xuan gasped in astonishment.
As expected of the Sanctum of Sages, even the strength of an elder was fearsome to behold!
"Silence!"
The elder at the very front swept his gaze across the crowd before declaring, "The three of us will be in charge of the Sanctum of Sages' examination this time around. I am 8-star master teacher, Liu Haoyu. You can address me as Elder Liu. The one on the left is Elder Han Zhu, and the one on the right is Elder Lin Qing! "
His voice wasn't loud, but it echoed in everyone's ears. Even if they were to block their ears and shut off their sense of hearing, they would still be able to hear his voice.
"It's a demonic tunist, and it has reached an extremely high level at that!"
Zhang Xuan remarked grimly.
As a demonic tunist, he could easily tell that the other party's voice had already reached the level of 'Even the greatest sound is silent'.
If he were to utilize the power of his Primordial Spirit, it was likely that none of the people in the square would be spared.
As expected of a Saint 8-dan 8-star master teacher, they were able to wield strength beyond imagination just by casually waving their hands.
"I believe that the welcoming envoys should have told you all about the entrance examination.
Huala! "Nodding, Elder Liu spread open his palm and grabbed forward. Huala! A massive door appeared before everyone's eyes. It was shimmering brightly, but it was impossible to tell what was inside.
"This … Is this the Teleportation Formation that allows one to teleport lifeforms?"
Zhang Xuan was taken aback.
Legend had it that grade-8 formations were capable of teleporting not only images and words, but even lifeforms.
The door before them was emanating intense spatial fluctuations, as if one would be transported into another world upon stepping through it. Most likely, it was a formation of this nature.
"It's a Teleportation Formation!"
Zhao Xingmo nodded. "The Mountain Gate isn't held within the academy but in a unique folded space. One has to rely on a Teleportation Formation to enter it!"
"Folded space?"
Zhang Xuan nodded.
Based on the introduction, the Mountain Gate was much more difficult than the Cage Duel. He had been wondering what kind of location would allow ten thousand people to challenge the Mountain Gate simultaneously, and the difficulty would be different as well.
He had a folded space in his possession, and he had tamed the Qiu Wu Palace left behind by Ancient Sage Qiu Wu. As such, he was extremely familiar with it.
"The difficulty of the Mountain Gate will be adjusted according to the individual's capability. Everyone's experiences will be different, so there's no way to use it as a reference. All you have to do is give it your all and bring out your greatest strength."
Elder Liu glanced at the crowd before continuing. "As for the results, you can rest assured. The Sanctum of Sages has a Jade Tablet of Trials, and it will grade you fairly based on your strength and the results of the test. The higher your score, the higher your chances of clearing the test!
"This time around, we will be recruiting five hundred people. Most likely, those within the top five hundred will be able to clear the test. As for those who are ranked behind, they won't stand a chance at all!"
"We are only recruiting five hundred people?"
"There should be at least ten thousand people here, right? Five hundred … one-twentieth? "
"That's really difficult!"
…
With reddened faces, the crowd clenched their fists tightly.
Zhang Xuan's eyebrows shot up in astonishment.
Those who had been chosen to enter the Sanctum of Sages were all geniuses among geniuses, experts among experts. To select one out of twenty … the difficulty of the test was truly frightening.
It was no wonder Zhao Xingmo had said that none of them would be chosen. With such a huge ratio … it was indeed difficult to succeed.
Even he did not have absolute confidence in his own ability.
But at the same time, it also showed how fearsome the Sanctum of Sages was.
Given that they were already so talented, and yet, they still had to undergo such a cruel selection process. Just how powerful would those who were chosen be?
"Zhao shi, what's the Jade Tablet of Trials?"
A master teacher asked in confusion.
"Everyone will face different tests in the Mountain Gate. For example, if you encounter a Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle saint beast and defeat it as a Primordial Spirit realm advanced stage cultivator, it goes without saying that your score will be higher than defeating a saint beast of the same cultivation realm. These scores will be converted into numbers and tabulated on the Jade Tablet of Trials. The higher the number, the better your score will be! "
Zhao Xingmo said.
"I see …"
The crowd widened their eyes in realization.
"Then … other than defeating saint beasts, what else can be used to calculate one's score in the test?" another master teacher asked.
Since it was possible to convert one's score into numbers, there was bound to be a strict criterion. Defeating saint beasts was one way to earn more points, but surely, one couldn't possibly be surrounded by saint beasts! There had to be other ways to earn points.
"In the test, defeating saint beasts, challenging formations, foreseeing danger, conducting lectures, and so on, as long as one performs well, one can earn points. In fact, there are even some unique occupations that display unique effects, such as spirit enchantment, terpsichorean art, painting, and so on. As long as one's performance surpasses that of the others, one will be able to shine brightly and be absorbed by the Sanctum of Sages!"
Zhao Xingmo explained. "In other words, as long as one has something that surpasses the others and performs well, it will be recorded and tabulated to be converted into points to help you rise above the others!"
The crowd clenched their fists tightly.
What Zhao Xingmo had said sounded simple and fair, but in truth, it was the most difficult of all.
If you were to compete with one or two people, you might be able to achieve something that others were unable to match up to. However, if you were to compete with tens of thousands of people, your uniqueness would become indistinguishable.
If you were strong in painting, there would always be someone more formidable than you. If you were strong in spirit enchantment, there would always be someone more fearsome than you.
There would always be someone stronger than you. It was not hard to imagine how difficult it was to stand at the very top of the world and stand at the very top.
"The purpose of the Sanctum of Sages is to tap into the wisdom of mankind so that mankind can walk to greater heights. As such, its requirements are extremely stringent. Your ability to manage and lead will be able to add to your score as well!"
Seeing that the pressure on the crowd had increased, Zhao Xingmo chuckled. "There's no need to worry. Just like what I have said before, as long as you display your talents perfectly, you will be able to shine brightly and catch the attention of the Sanctum of Sages!"
"Yes!"
The crowd nodded in agreement as they pondered over what they should shine in.
Zhang Xuan stroked his lower jaw and fell into deep thought. After a moment of contemplation, he shook his head. There didn't seem to be anything special about him!
Impartation, formation deciphering, terpsichorean art, painting … None of these could be considered weak, but they were definitely not the strongest either!
Take his painting for example. While his mastery of painting had reached the level of a Seven Star Painter, there were still geniuses from the Painter Guild who had come to the Sanctum of Sages, and there were bound to be some who far surpassed him.
Pill forging, smithing … That was the case as well.
His supporting occupations could be considered as formidable among the master teachers, but he was still lacking when compared to a true master teacher.
"If I were to say that I am the strongest in … acting!"
Narrowing his eyes, Zhang Xuan nodded.
His supporting occupations were roughly the same, and there wasn't a single one that stood out.
If he were to say that he was the strongest, it would be 'Impersonating an Expert'!
Even Luo Chengxin hadn't noticed his impersonation of 'Yang Xuan', and the fact that he had never failed despite having tried so many times was a testament to his capability.
"But … Impersonating an expert shouldn't add any points to my score, right?"
Zhang Xuan said with a bitter expression.
This is the examination for the Sanctum of Sages! You shouldn't add any points to your score by pretending to be an expert, right?
It seemed like he wouldn't be able to use his strongest ability anymore.
"Forget it, if it comes down to it, I'll just have to use some of my weaker abilities. At the very most, I'll just have to use a few more of them. Surely, I'll be able to get a decent score!"
Nodding his head, Zhang Xuan finally had a plan in mind.
He was determined to enter the Sanctum of Sages. As long as Lozosy was involved, there was no way he would back down.
At the very most, he would just have to use a few of his weaker abilities. As long as he did enough of them, he should be able to get some points and clear the examination!
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
