Wan Lei left, hurriedly. From his arrival to his departure, he only spoke for two minutes, which showed how urgent it was.
He didn't explain why Fang Xiaoyu was captured, attributing it to the presence of many outsiders, leaving him unable to speak or have time to do so.
However, Huo Feng and Yuan Jun could still sense the sorrow and despair emanating from Wan Lei. As they watched his desolate and resolute retreating figure, both women felt a heavy weight in their hearts.
Moments later, Yuan Jun returned to the room in a furious rage, kicking Qingwu, who was still unconscious. Huo Feng quickly pulled her back.
"Don't hold me back! I'm going to kill this slut! If it weren't for her greed, how could Xiaoyu have been captured? It was her impulsiveness, her greed! It was to save her that Xiaoyu was captured, and then the boss went to the Five Elements Hall to seek death by saving her!"
...
Wan Lei sped south at an extremely high speed.
Since his rebirth, apart from the time he escaped from the Liu family, he had never acted alone.
On that occasion to the Liu family, Wan Liuchuan accompanied him, and Qianniao helped him when he left.
Having grown accustomed to team combat and always having Fang Xiaoyu by his side, he now faced the prospect of being alone for a long time and challenging the colossal entity that was the Five Elements Hall. The loneliness and fear in his heart made him extremely insecure.
Fortunately, he was already a mature cultivator, a qualified warrior. He should learn to face everything alone.
Just like the countless rogue cultivators in the cultivation world.
Fang Xiaoyu was captured by the Five Elements Hall for using her Wind Blade遁术 (dùnshù - escape technique). Wan Lei could not afford to make the same mistake again. Spreading his wings, he reached his maximum speed whenever conditions permitted.
He knew that rushing was useless, but he felt an intense urgency.
When he arrived at the station, he felt apprehensive while buying his ticket, fearing he might be wanted. But fortunately, he wasn't, and he smoothly purchased his ticket.
In the waiting hall, he sat in a quiet corner, silently adjusting his state of mind.
His current mood was anxious, his mind filled with deep-seated hatred, and he wanted to tear apart anyone from the Five Elements Hall on sight. This state of mind was definitely not conducive.
He had to make himself forget about Fang Xiaoyu's capture, to appear more like a young prodigy who admired the Five Elements Hall and longed to join this most noble cultivation sanctuary in the world.
Otherwise, he feared he would be apprehended and investigated the moment he arrived at the Five Elements Hall.
A moment later, Wan Lei's mood recovered somewhat.
In the past, when encountering issues, he would instinctively consult Gouzi and Xiaoyu. Gouzi was knowledgeable and experienced, while Xiaoyu was exceptionally intelligent. He had grown accustomed to relying on them, but now, everything had to be done by himself.
After boarding the carriage, Wan Lei remembered Wan Qianxin's instructions. He took out his jade slip and began searching for information on the Five Elements Hall's assessment while traveling.
As Wan Qianxin had said, the assessment standards of the Five Elements Hall were very transparent.
Anyone could access them, which directly eliminated the possibility of bribery, corruption, and favoritism.
To become a disciple of the Five Elements Hall, one had to undergo three assessments.
These three assessments were rules established by the founders of the Five Elements Hall, who were not even Immortal Venerables at the time of its establishment, and the testing grounds were laid out by them.
The testing ground was a towering mountain peak.
The first assessment was the colorful passage at the foot of the mountain.
The colorful passage was divided into seven attributes: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Lightning, and Wind. Assessors would enter the passage corresponding to their attribute.
The colorful passage tested aptitude, physique, and cultivation. The method was simple: spiritual power pressure would descend from the end of the passage. The further one walked, the stronger the pressure, and it depended on how far the assessor could go.
The entire passage was one hundred li long. The further one could walk, the higher the score.
Reaching the end yielded a perfect score of three thousand points.
The second assessment was at the end of the colorful passage, at the base of the mountain peak. From the foot to the summit, there were one hundred thousand steps.
This stage tested the soul, divine sense, and willpower. Divine sense power would descend from the summit.
Similar to the first stage, the higher the assessor could climb, the higher their score.
Climbing to the very peak earned a perfect score of three thousand points.
The final stage was combat.
The Five Elements Hall would find a disciple of the Five Elements Hall with the exact same cultivation level as the assessor for them to engage in battle. The longer one could last without defeat against the Five Elements Hall disciple, the higher the score.
Of course, the degree of combat, whether counterattacks were made, whether they were constantly on the defensive, and the accuracy of controlling and releasing divine abilities were also contributing factors.
Defeating the Five Elements Hall disciple would directly result in a perfect score.
The third stage was worth a perfect four thousand points.
To allow every assessor to unleash their full potential, all stages were unlimited in time.
The information above also included a summary: the total score from the three items was ten thousand points. Achieving a score of eight thousand points was considered passing, allowing entry into the Five Elements Hall for cultivation.
This meant that if the combined score of the first two assessments was less than four thousand points, the third assessment would be irrelevant, as even a perfect score in the third stage wouldn't be enough.
These three seemingly simple stages rejected the vast majority of assessors from the Five Elements Hall.
Wan Lei put away his spiritual slip and quietly looked out at the starry sky.
The Five Elements Hall's assessments were designed to verify the basic data of its disciples: physique and aptitude, divine sense and soul, and combat experience and resilience.
As for the cultivation techniques, depth of understanding, and knowledge acquired by the disciples, the Five Elements Hall paid no attention to them.
Because no matter how much you know, you wouldn't know more than the Five Elements Hall.
As long as your foundation was good, the Five Elements Hall would clearly arrange avenues for your advancement and learning.
The Five Elements Hall would cultivate disciples in the most scientific and reasonable way, and the rest would depend on your own talent and effort.
One point Wan Lei noticed was that the higher the score obtained during the assessment, the more importance the Five Elements Hall would place on the disciple, and consequently, the more resources and attention they would receive.
In the five thousand years since its establishment, the Five Elements Hall had produced individuals capable of achieving perfect scores. These individuals had since shone brightly, becoming outstanding figures among the elite within the Five Elements Hall.
If he could achieve a perfect score, the Five Elements Hall would surely value him. With good performance and proactivity, and by building good relationships with others, he could strive to be transferred to the prison as a guard as soon as possible.
Even if he couldn't directly rescue Fang Xiaoyu then, he could at least use his connections to ensure she wouldn't suffer too much in the meantime.
So, what would the inside of the Five Elements Hall be like? Were there factions? Were there small groups and cliques forming alliances, and how should he navigate such relationships...