Chapter 1085: Chapter 1059: The Top Five of the First Round
Speaking of betting, Elder Xiao and Elder Mo both shook their heads, feeling uneasy about betting with Elder Yu.
Therefore, the best strategy to avoid losing was not to bet at all.
Elder Yu suddenly became serious: "The time has come. It should end now."
As Elder Yu spoke, everyone flew into the air. Elder Yu waved his hands, unleashing an overwhelming force that enveloped the entire light sphere. The light sphere shone brightly, and figures like locusts were expelled from the sphere, falling to the ground densely. After a while, everyone was expelled from the light sphere. Elder Yu collected the enormous light sphere, shrinking it rapidly to the size of a fist, and kept it.
On the open ground, the over two hundred thousand participants in the selection process hadn’t decreased much; few had died. Of course, most were injured, some seriously. This made the air filled with the smell of blood.
Miao Li’s group of five, along with Xing Tian, Holy Sun, and Hua Wuliang, quickly gathered around Tangyu. Seeing everyone was fine, Tangyu and his companions were relieved and delighted.
Tangyu also asked with concern, "How are you all? Still okay?"
Xing Tian nodded to Tangyu, saying, "Not bad, collected over four hundred tokens, should be enough to pass."
"Wow, over four hundred, impressive." Wang Qiutian grinned, while Hua Wuliang also looked over: "Impressive indeed, over four hundred tokens, I only have a few dozen, not sure if I can pass, you’re too demoralizing. Tangyu, what about you, don’t tell me you have even more, or else I’ll really feel discouraged."
Tangyu replied, "No, not even three hundred."
Everyone reported their situation, with Xing Tian achieving the best. Tangyu was second, Holy Sun third, with close to two hundred. Others had just a few dozen, but happily, everyone’s token count exceeded fifty, meaning they should pass the first round. Wang Qiutian and the others benefited from Tangyu’s help, which explained the token abundance for them. Miao Li’s group of five was remarkably lucky.
Their group of five gathered early, aggressively collecting tokens initially, fortunately not encountering any strong opponents. Later, they hid, accumulating over fifty tokens each. Though the result was the worst among them, it ensured they passed.
"Brother Tangyu." Zhuang Qian and a few others approached.
Tangyu immediately asked, "Brother Zhuang Qian, how are you all?"
Zhuang Qian grinned, "So-so, Zicang and I have around a hundred each, passing shouldn’t be a problem. As for our performance, it’s not great. We managed okay, but the others suffered considerably."
This time, among Yanshan Sect participants, besides Zhuang Qian and Zi Cang, there were three more, but their situation seemed dire, wounded heavily, clearly robbed of their tokens. Their journey ended, and they would soon return to Yanshan Sect.
"Alright, everyone line up, come and submit to inspections. Token holders with over forty proceed; those with less can leave. I hope no cheating occurs; violators will be severely punished." Elder Yu’s stern voice echoed, quieting the field again.
Those without forty tokens shook their heads and departed, while those with forty stayed, faces full of joy.
The three from Yanshan Sect bid farewell to Tangyu and the others, then left.
The Jiuzhou Immortal Sect disciple selection was originally akin to a single-log bridge for a mighty army; on average, a force as large as Liang Kingdom might pass only about ten individuals. This was an average estimate. With bad luck, some second-tier regions might have none pass at all.
It should be noted that a second-tier region’s jurisdiction is vast. A second-tier region manages hundreds of third-tier regions, and there are over a hundred second-tier regions within Jiuzhou Immortal Sect’s territory, meaning thousands of third-tier regions. On average, a third-tier region like Yanshan Sect would only have one person pass the first round.
Currently, Yanshan Sect has three people passing the test, a very commendable result.
After those with less than forty tokens left, the remaining were roughly ten thousand.
Then, the token count for everyone was checked, ensuring no impersonation. Though no one dared to impersonate, some fraudulent individuals were discovered, promptly punished, and expelled.
It was Tangyu’s turn. Tangyu submitted his tokens for registration, feeling a gaze on him as he came over. He glanced over, seeing the white-haired elder scrutinizing him. Their eyes met, and Elder Yu gave Tangyu a slight nod, showing a friendly demeanor. Tangyu was momentarily surprised to see Elder Yu nodding and smiling at him.
A thought flashed in Tangyu’s mind: Could it be the white-haired elder appreciated him?
If one could earn the appreciation of a powerful elder, it would undoubtedly be an immense fortune. Although Tangyu already has the Yanshan Sect Master as his mentor, truth be told, the might of the Yanshan Sect’s master is still somewhat lacking. It may suffice in a small place like the Yanshan Sect, but in the Jiuzhou Immortal Sect, it would hardly be noticed. Before this white-haired elder, it would appear even more pitiably weak. Having a strong mentor definitely makes the path much smoother.
After an hour, everyone had finally been inspected.
Wang Qiutian was quite disgruntled: "Damn you, Hua Wuliang, you actually have over five hundred tokens. How did you get so many? Didn’t you say you only had a few dozen?"
Yun Qi and the other two girls really only had a few dozen tokens, but Hua Wuliang having over five hundred tokens was indeed quite unexpected—exceeding even the results of Xing Tian and Tangyu was a surprise. Even Tangyu began to view Hua Wuliang differently, realizing he had underestimated this guy. Though he seemed weak on the surface, his true strength was not to be underestimated. To collect over five hundred tokens, what level had his strength reached?
In a vague sense, Tangyu felt that Hua Wuliang’s strength might not even be below his own. It turned out he had encountered yet another expert he needed to take seriously—this guy was truly deeply hidden.
Hua Wuliang grinned: "I just left out a zero, calm down, calm down. This way, don’t I appear more low-key? You know, my principle has always been to keep a low profile. I wouldn’t engage in such high-profile activities."
Wang Qiutian, too, felt contempt, but after realizing Hua Wuliang’s true strength, he was greatly shaken. Initially, he thought Hua Wuliang’s strength might not be as strong as his, but now he discovered Hua Wuliang’s strength was much superior. This kind of feeling was like falling from heaven to hell, making Wang Qiutian feel like killing Hua Wuliang. This guy was too good at pretending and a total con man.
Elder Yu’s gaze swept around the vicinity, and his authoritative voice resounded: "You have passed the first round of the test, but passing this first round is just the beginning. It only indicates that you are relatively outstanding in the entire Jiuzhou Territory. However, there is still quite a distance for you to become disciples of my Jiuzhou Immortal Sect. It depends on your subsequent performance. No matter how talented you are in your own factions, you are not considered anything here. The first round is just a minor test; the true test lies ahead. There’s nothing worth celebrating about passing the first round."
Elder Yu’s words indeed dampened many people’s confidence, serving as a rude awakening for many.
But those words were indeed the truth and also sobered up quite a few.
To become a disciple of the Jiuzhou Immortal Sect is what would truly mark one as a genius, defining them as geniuses across the cultivation world.
Elder Yu went on: "However, a few people’s performances this time brought me some comfort. The overall strength of your class, looking at the entire selection history of the Jiuzhou Immortal Sect, can be considered one of the strongest. Now, let me announce the top five of this first round."
Hearing this, everyone perked up, for those who had shown such dazzling performances in the first round—able to seize a top-five position—were undoubtedly exceptional figures, ones who could make a sudden name for themselves. Perhaps they might catch the eye of an elder and be directly taken in as a direct disciple, spreading their fame far and wide, elevating the family’s prestige, and bringing glory to their ancestors.
Many people began to softly discuss who could seize the top five positions.
"First place: Pan Chenyu."
"Second place: Ye Ren."
"Third place: Gumu Can."
"Fourth place: Yan Huohuo."
"Fifth place: Hua Wuliang."
As Elder Yu finished announcing, the entire scene instantly erupted with heated discussions, the atmosphere igniting as if set ablaze, with bustle and clamor soaring.
"Pan Chenyu is the unparalleled genius of the Pan Family; his first place makes sense. Ye Ren is the true grandson of a prominent elder of the Jiuzhou Immortal Sect. I have long heard his name; taking second is normal. That Gumu Can is the unparalleled genius of the ancient Gumu Family; his fame has been heard for a long time, didn’t expect him to take the third. As for Yan Huohuo, being fourth is reasonable; dubbed as the once-in-a-millennium genius from the Flame Nation, seems impressive. But—who is this Hua Wuliang who suddenly sprang up like a dark horse?"
"I accept the top four, but can anyone tell me who this Hua Wuliang is?"
"No idea, never heard of him, truly a dark horse, it seems."
"But hearing the name, one would guess he’s no good, without conscience, probably very unscrupulous, why else would he have such a name?"
"Haha, there’s a rogue in my region named Hua Wuliang."