Chapter 32: Chapter 32 King-level Aptitude
The aptitude testing on the Enlightenment Stone continued, with most disciples who came to the True Martial Holy Sect having third or fourth class aptitudes, and many also possessing first or second class aptitudes.
Just as the aptitude testing was about to come to an end, everything changed when a young man clad in a black robe placed his hand on the Enlightenment Stone.
Instantly, lines of Tao became visible on the stone, the patterns emitting beams of golden light that shot straight up into the sky.
“King-level aptitude,” an Outer Sect Elder excitedly declared.
“The last time we saw a king-level aptitude was ten years ago, if I remember correctly,” an Inner Sect Elder said with a smile.
King-level aptitude was not rare within the True Martial Holy Sect, but it definitely belonged to those with considerable potential and extraordinary talents.
King-level aptitude was one notch above first class aptitude.
The young man seemed to have known about his talent all along; he was not at all surprised, instead, he proudly basked in the envious glances of the other youths around him.
“What is your name?” an Inner Sect Elder stepped forward and inquired.
“Disciple Yu Bo,” the young man hurriedly answered with respect.
“Would you like to become my direct disciple,” the Inner Sect Elder asked, “Even if you don’t pass this trial, I can still take you as my disciple if you agree.”
“Thank you, Master. I am willing,” Yu Bo did not stand on ceremony and began to kneel and kowtow immediately.
The youths nearby were filled with envy, “Just arrived at the True Martial Holy Sect and already taken as a direct disciple by an Inner Sect Elder, Yu Bo’s future is boundless!”
“Brother Yu’s talents are unrivaled, hardly comparable to mere mortals like yourselves,” a keen disciple by the side began to butter up right away.
“Zimo, shall we recruit him to our side?” Lin Ruhu asked as he looked at Yu Bo.
“He’s just a jumping clown,” Xu Zimei shook his head. In his past life, Yu Bo indeed had a moment of glory, but all he had was talent; his Dao heart was unstable, and ultimately, he faded into obscurity.
As a martial artist, one can work on gradually improving inferior talents; there’s always a way.
But if there’s an issue with one’s Dao heart, then one is unlikely to achieve much in this lifetime.
Therefore, among martial artists, there’s a saying that goes, “If you have an invincible Dao heart, then you have the qualification to become a strong person.”
After the second stage of the aptitude test was over, everyone rested for a short spell before moving on to the third stage.
The third stage was to test the Dao heart.
The True Martial Holy Sect would create an illusion, and the person who remained lucid the longest within would score the highest in this stage.
If one could remain lucid until the end of the illusion, a full score would be attained.
Generally, there were two types of lucidity: one where the spirit doesn’t fall into delusion from the start, demonstrating a resilient Dao heart; the other is where a person succumbs but manages to extricate themselves from the temptation of the illusion and achieves self-awareness at the last moment—a Dao heart with imperfections, yet teeming with potential, meriting a full score as well.
After the brief rest, a young man emerged from within the Holy Sect.
The youth was dressed in the special blue robe of the True Martial Holy Sect, his features resolute, and there seemed to be a sort of magic in his eyes that could make one lose themselves if looked into for too long.
The Seventh Elder of the True Martial Holy Sect was an Array Master, under whom were five direct disciples, famously known in the martial world as the Ten Thousand Arrays Five Disciples.
These Five Disciples each specialized in different formations: some excelled in killing arrays, others in defense formations, and some in auxiliary formations.
The young man named Qi Shan was the most skilled in illusion arrays among the Ten Thousand Arrays Five Disciples.
“I’ll be setting the challenge for the third round,” Qi Shan said lightly as he looked at the young men before him, “I’ll lay out a Seven Emotions and Six Desires Formation. Just from the name, you should guess the purpose of this Formation, so I won’t explain further.”
Spiritual Energy surged in Qi Shan’s palms as he began to form Array Seals with his hands, crafting each one, the size of a thumb, from the Spiritual Energy.
He formed the seals at a rapid pace. In just a few breaths, a hundred Array Seals were conjured.
Formations also have a strict hierarchy, similar to the realms of a Vein Practitioner.
Based on the number of Array Seals, ten seals would constitute a first-tier Formation, while one hundred seals belonged to a second-tier Formation.
Once these one hundred Array Seals were set in their strategic positions on the ground, lined up in order, and merged into the Spiritual Energy,
Qi Shan’s hands once again stirred up Spiritual Energy, transforming it into a beam of light that fell into the Formation, which was then instantly activated.
The inside of the Formation was shrouded in a thin layer of mist, making it impossible to see what was within.
Outside the Formation were white streams of Spiritual Energy, forming a circle of light that was both luminescent and mist-laden,
“The assessment will last a quarter of an hour. After a quarter of an hour, I will dismantle the Formation,” announced Qi Shan.
The new disciples each made their way into the Formation, sitting cross-legged and relaxing their minds, seeking to be in the best state to face the assessment.
“Let’s go join the fun,” Xu Zimei suggested to Lin Ruhu.
He led Lin Ruhu into the Formation and had just settled down when the Formation began to operate.
Layers of mist enveloped everyone.
The surrounding youths were instantly subjected to illusions, but Xu Zimei remained unaffected, taking a moment to survey the Formation.
In his view, although it was full of flaws, it was still decent by the standards of a second-tier Array Master.
Xu Zimei emptied his mind and allowed the mist to draw him into an illusory world.
If he hadn’t been willing, such a low-level Formation would never have been able to compromise his mind and spirit.
All around was a vast expanse of white. Laughter, clear as silver bells, reached Xu Zimei’s ears.
Several scantily clad women approached him with a sultry gait, their ample bosoms and long legs exposed, and their black hair billowing loosely behind them as if they had just bathed.
However, before these women could come close, Xu Zimei lashed out with a palm strike, dispelling all the illusions.
“How uninspired, cliché. Beautiful women are fleeting; in the end, they’re nothing but skeletons.”
The next moment, thunderous cheers suddenly erupted in Xu Zimei’s ears.
He saw himself standing at the summit of the firmament, surrounded by Destiny. He looked regal in a purple robe, his presence monumental and unstoppable, as if he were the Great Emperor who ruled over the world.
No, he was the Emperor, the mightiest of his era. Countless beings knelt before him in worship.
“Having been reborn in this life, I am destined to ascend the Firmament and become the Great Emperor. Why should I indulge in these fantasies?” Xu Zimei shook his head and shattered the illusions with a punch.
At the next moment, the scene before Xu Zimei’s eyes transformed.
He became an ant, crawling between heaven and earth, while ten Great Emperors strode through the air above the summit of the Firmament. Their imperial majesty swept across vast distances, their purples aura spanning ninety thousand miles, holding the sun and the moon, plucking stars from the sky.
“Xu Zimei, do you plead guilty?” the ten Emperors challenged him simultaneously, their gazes divine, their statures colossal, shoulders carrying the heavens, feet treading upon clouds. Their oppressive might bore down like the collapse of the nine heavens, leaving Xu Zimei gasping for breath.