Qin Xingxuan was also incomparably surprised. Having experienced the dream realm for herself, she knew exactly how fierce and powerful it was. But to think Lin Ming would only take half an incense stick of time... anyone would think this was unbelievable!
Even though they already somewhat expected it, the elders were also astonished. Their astonishment only grew upon learning his exaggerated result in the Strength Trial. However, their excitement immediately deflated like a balloon when they asked for his talent.
Muyi answered then, "Grade three medium."
"Only grade three?" One of the old men began to shake his head in disappointment and sighed, "What a pity, what a pity!"
A grade three talent wasn't too bad, but it could only be considered common in the Seven Profound Martial House.
However, Muyi said confidently, "Sometimes talent isn't everything. Just you wait and see, that Lin Ming is a dragon among men."
But the other old man only shook his head, unbelieving.
From a distance, Lan Yunyue continued gazing at Lin Ming, her eyes full of complex emotions. Even though she had long known that his will was firm and steady, she didn't expect him to have passed so quickly and calmly, completely different from the other candidates who had extreme expressions. She knew that her hopes of him giving up on martial arts was impossible.
Back on the jade platform, over half of the original numbers had already disappeared. Lin Xiaodong was nowhere to be seen either. With a sigh of regret, I left the jade platform. Soon, a staff member led me to the resting lounge where the ones who passed the Dream Trials would be escorted to the final trial – the Exquisite Pagoda.
The Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda was constructed by the masters of the Seven Profound Valleys. It had seven floors in total, each one engraved with magic arrays.
However, unlike the jade platform's illusion array that provoked harmless dreams, the Exquisite Pagoda was covered with killing arrays that utilized illusions to kill. Those who were trapped inside the illusion and died would truly die.
Of course, the Exquisite Pagoda was only used for the entrance exam, so a death inside would only get one kicked out from the magic array.
Inside, one would also not be able to use rare weapons or armor, only ordinary weapons. The trial would depend on one's own ability to pass.
After half an hour, a second person on the jade stage finally opened his eyes. Exhaling a long breath, he shakily stood up with a pale face, his back soaked in cold sweat. This was the high fourth-grade talent, Wang Yanfeng.
After he stood up, he turned to look for the tall and burly youth and Lin Ming who stole his spotlight during the Strength Trial. However, he only saw the suffering burly youth and did not see Lin Ming. Wang Yanfeng's lips turned up to form a proud and happy smile.
However, when the staff led him to the lounge, he saw Lin Ming calmly meditating inside. His face darkened, he never imagined that this Lin Ming would've passed the Dream Trials first.
Wang Yanfeng felt a deep crisis in his heart, and as he left the lounge, he found the person he ordered to investigate, "What is that fellow's talent?"
The lackey replied, "Grade three medium."
Wang Yanfeng was surprised, but then he smiled. The examination doesn't only judge one's age and results, but also one's talent. He believed he still had a high chance to win first place.
I could sense Wang Yanfeng's hostility, but I ignored him. As time passed, more people gathered in the lounge and the second trial concluded.
In the end, out of the nearly thousand candidates that participated in the second trial, only ninety-two remained. Nearly 90% were eliminated, which included Lin Xiaodong.
"The road of martial arts is really unsuitable for me. I can only bid you good luck, Brother Ming." Lin Xiaodong said his farewells before he left. I could only wryly smile. From your healthy complexion, you obviously didn't even try!
To the candidates who just barely managed to pass the Dream Trial, they weren't even given time to rest. The last trial began immediately after everyone gathered.
"The third trial – The Exquisite Pagoda."
A loud and forceful voice resounded in the crowd. This time, the supervisor for this trial was a tall and thin middle-aged man. Though he looked ordinary, he was actually at the Houtian stage.
It was a bit of a surprise to me to see another Houtian expert. In the Sky Fortune Kingdom, Pulse Condensation experts were barely even seen, but in the Seven Profound Martial House, there were nearly ten Houtian experts just for this examination. This showed the difference between a sect's heritage and a kingdom with next to none.
"Follow me." The middle-aged man said, as he turned around and walked away.
The remaining candidates followed after, including some onlookers. Not everyone could watch the second trial and the third trial. These people following were either nobles or were students of the Seven Profound Martial House.
The middle-aged man's pace seemed slow, but the speed was actually similar to running. The candidates had to race forwards to keep up.
After roughly ten minutes, they finally arrived in a valley of the Zhou Mountains. In this valley was a large and magnificent building, its entrance plaque had four calligraphic characters written with a large brush. However, it wasn't the 'Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda, it was the 'Seven Profound Martial Pavilion'.
It was only when we entered inside the building that we saw another building that was 200 feet high and each of its seven floors was about thirty feet high. THIS was the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda.
As of this point, this was the highest building I've seen in this world. It couldn't compare at all to the skyscrapers of Earth, but these were made with unknown and more resilient materials from this world of the Dao.
"You can go in. There is no time limit. As long as you pass through the first floor, you have qualified. The second floor is good and the third floor is outstanding. The fourth floor is for geniuses. As for the fifth floor… hehe…" The middle-aged man slyly smiled and let the anticipating crowd hang onto his word, "It's simply impossible."
The Seven Profound Martial House entrance exam had three trials. The first trial tested the foundation, the second trial tested the heart of a martial artist, and the third round was the most important; it was a practical test of combat prowess!
The Exquisite Pagoda's killing array used the age of one's bones to determine which enemies would be faced. The older the bone age, the more difficult the opponent. Aside from Qin Xingxuan who was at the Peak of Fourth Stage at fifteen years old, nobody has ever reached the fifth floor.
Because of this, only one person has ever reached the fifth floor, Qin Xingxuan. At the Peak of the Fourth Stage at fifteen years old, she was an incomparable genius.
"Go in! The difficulty of the trial will be decided by your age." As soon as the middle-aged man waved his hand, the gate of the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda swung open.
Beyond the arched entrance, a brilliant light shone from inside. Taking a deep breath, I slowly stepped in.
Qin Xingxuan was also incomparably surprised. Having experienced the dream realm for herself, she knew exactly how fierce and powerful it was. But to think Lin Ming would only take half an incense stick of time... anyone would think this was unbelievable!
Even though they already somewhat expected it, the elders were also astonished. Their astonishment only grew upon learning his exaggerated result in the Strength Trial. However, their excitement immediately deflated like a balloon when they asked for his talent.
Muyi answered then, "Grade three medium."
"Only grade three?" One of the old men began to shake his head in disappointment and sighed, "What a pity, what a pity!"
A grade three talent wasn't too bad, but it could only be considered common in the Seven Profound Martial House.
However, Muyi said confidently, "Sometimes talent isn't everything. Just you wait and see, that Lin Ming is a dragon among men."
But the other old man only shook his head, unbelieving.
From a distance, Lan Yunyue continued gazing at Lin Ming, her eyes full of complex emotions. Even though she had long known that his will was firm and steady, she didn't expect him to have passed so quickly and calmly, completely different from the other candidates who had extreme expressions. She knew that her hopes of him giving up on martial arts was impossible.
Back on the jade platform, over half of the original numbers had already disappeared. Lin Xiaodong was nowhere to be seen either. With a sigh of regret, I left the jade platform. Soon, a staff member led me to the resting lounge where the ones who passed the Dream Trials would be escorted to the final trial – the Exquisite Pagoda.
The Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda was constructed by the masters of the Seven Profound Valleys. It had seven floors in total, each one engraved with magic arrays.
However, unlike the jade platform's illusion array that provoked harmless dreams, the Exquisite Pagoda was covered with killing arrays that utilized illusions to kill. Those who were trapped inside the illusion and died would truly die.
Of course, the Exquisite Pagoda was only used for the entrance exam, so a death inside would only get one kicked out from the magic array.
Inside, one would also not be able to use rare weapons or armor, only ordinary weapons. The trial would depend on one's own ability to pass.
After half an hour, a second person on the jade stage finally opened his eyes. Exhaling a long breath, he shakily stood up with a pale face, his back soaked in cold sweat. This was the high fourth-grade talent, Wang Yanfeng.
After he stood up, he turned to look for the tall and burly youth and Lin Ming who stole his spotlight during the Strength Trial. However, he only saw the suffering burly youth and did not see Lin Ming. Wang Yanfeng's lips turned up to form a proud and happy smile.
However, when the staff led him to the lounge, he saw Lin Ming calmly meditating inside. His face darkened, he never imagined that this Lin Ming would've passed the Dream Trials first.
Wang Yanfeng felt a deep crisis in his heart, and as he left the lounge, he found the person he ordered to investigate, "What is that fellow's talent?"
The lackey replied, "Grade three medium."
Wang Yanfeng was surprised, but then he smiled. The examination doesn't only judge one's age and results, but also one's talent. He believed he still had a high chance to win first place.
I could sense Wang Yanfeng's hostility, but I ignored him. As time passed, more people gathered in the lounge and the second trial concluded.
In the end, out of the nearly thousand candidates that participated in the second trial, only ninety-two remained. Nearly 90% were eliminated, which included Lin Xiaodong.
"The road of martial arts is really unsuitable for me. I can only bid you good luck, Brother Ming." Lin Xiaodong said his farewells before he left. I could only wryly smile. From your healthy complexion, you obviously didn't even try!
To the candidates who just barely managed to pass the Dream Trial, they weren't even given time to rest. The last trial began immediately after everyone gathered.
"The third trial – The Exquisite Pagoda."
A loud and forceful voice resounded in the crowd. This time, the supervisor for this trial was a tall and thin middle-aged man. Though he looked ordinary, he was actually at the Houtian stage.
It was a bit of a surprise to me to see another Houtian expert. In the Sky Fortune Kingdom, Pulse Condensation experts were barely even seen, but in the Seven Profound Martial House, there were nearly ten Houtian experts just for this examination. This showed the difference between a sect's heritage and a kingdom with next to none.
"Follow me." The middle-aged man said, as he turned around and walked away.
The remaining candidates followed after, including some onlookers. Not everyone could watch the second trial and the third trial. These people following were either nobles or were students of the Seven Profound Martial House.
The middle-aged man's pace seemed slow, but the speed was actually similar to running. The candidates had to race forwards to keep up.
After roughly ten minutes, they finally arrived in a valley of the Zhou Mountains. In this valley was a large and magnificent building, its entrance plaque had four calligraphic characters written with a large brush. However, it wasn't the 'Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda, it was the 'Seven Profound Martial Pavilion'.
It was only when we entered inside the building that we saw another building that was 200 feet high and each of its seven floors was about thirty feet high. THIS was the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda.
As of this point, this was the highest building I've seen in this world. It couldn't compare at all to the skyscrapers of Earth, but these were made with unknown and more resilient materials from this world of the Dao.
"You can go in. There is no time limit. As long as you pass through the first floor, you have qualified. The second floor is good and the third floor is outstanding. The fourth floor is for geniuses. As for the fifth floor… hehe…" The middle-aged man slyly smiled and let the anticipating crowd hang onto his word, "It's simply impossible."
The Seven Profound Martial House entrance exam had three trials. The first trial tested the foundation, the second trial tested the heart of a martial artist, and the third round was the most important; it was a practical test of combat prowess!
The Exquisite Pagoda's killing array used the age of one's bones to determine which enemies would be faced. The older the bone age, the more difficult the opponent. Aside from Qin Xingxuan who was at the Peak of Fourth Stage at fifteen years old, nobody has ever reached the fifth floor.
Because of this, only one person has ever reached the fifth floor, Qin Xingxuan. At the Peak of the Fourth Stage at fifteen years old, she was an incomparable genius.
"Go in! The difficulty of the trial will be decided by your age." As soon as the middle-aged man waved his hand, the gate of the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda swung open.
Beyond the arched entrance, a brilliant light shone from inside. Taking a deep breath, I slowly stepped in.
