Chapter 24 The Competition
The Entrance exam is a competition where ordinary mortals and cultivators enroll; sects and many powerhouses come to watch for great talent and geniuses. The requirement is for the candidates to be at least at the fifth stage of the qi condensation realm, and their age must not be above 20 years old.
The Ju emperor usually rewards the winner with pills and cultivation resources. Most candidates selected by sects are more talented and proficient in cultivation than their peers. There are five stages to the exam, and they must pass all those stages within the required time with the least energy spent.
Shi Residence.
After the announcement of the Shi family secluding from worldly matters, many weaker powers were happy. Some who wanted to curry favor with the Shi family were disappointed. Some just wanted to be under the wings of the Shi family and enjoy the benefits of being sub-servants to them.
Imperial Capital.
The busy imperial city gate was flooded with people coming for the competition; many cultivators began gathering as they stood in lines waiting to register for the entrance exam. Some families gather with their descendants.
At the gate of the imperial city, a man stood six feet tall while holding a low-grade spear in his right hand; he had bronze armor and a helmet. Behind the guard was another fat and a chubby man sitting on a chair while documenting names and families for the competition.
"Get in line."
The six-foot guard shouted while releasing his spirit awakening realm qi; he was stronger than any of the participants, and they were just kids to him in terms of cultivation and age. The candidates were frightened as some went on their knees.
"Make way for the Kang family."
Suddenly, a shot rang from the back as guards in blue armor surrounded a boy who seemed to be an important figure; the men all had serious faces as they headed for the registration stand. The protecting boy had blue robes and rode a tiger beast, a level 5 beast. He wore several rings on his right fingers, black hair, and a pretty face.
"Isn't that Kang Mu from the Kang family?"
"Yes, you are right; it is indeed Kang Mu."
"They say at the age of 6, he was already at the qi condensation realm six-stage; and that he cultivated the Kang family's most powerful cultivation method."
Many people began speaking about the boy, as some even feared him. The Kang family is among the most powerful in the higher classes, not lower-class families; they have many higher-ranking cultivators and beasts. They also have one of the rarest techniques, which enables them to control beasts and cultivate them to their ranks while also being as strong as their beasts.
"Although the Kang Mu is already a disciple of the Sect leader of the Beast sect, I don't understand why he is here for the competition then."
"You idiot, it's because he is here to see Lou yan of the Lou family to whom he's engaged."
"No wonder he is already in the spiritual awakening realm; now I get it."
Kang Mu, who was at the Spirit awakening realm ninth stage, rode his beast as he stopped in front of the fat man. The guard knew that the person riding was the young master of the Kang family, so he didn't stop him as that would mean death.
Kang Mu is very arrogant, but his talent supplemented his arrogance; when he was 6, he was already in the qi condensation realm. Now he is 18 and in the spiritual awakening realm; he has become a disciple of the Beast Sect. He cultivated the Heavenly beast art found by his great grandfather after the battle ten thousand years ago.
"Register my name, and only pair me with these so-called geniuses."
Kang Mu spoke to the register as he walked away arrogantly; the register obeyed as he spoke compliments.
"It is only natural that young master Kang shows these peasants their place."
As the line continued, he wrote the name of Kang Mu; many other influential families and descendants also registered, but most were middle- or low-class families.
"Hey, look, the Moonflower sect is here."
A man pointed in the air while screaming at the sight of the presented group; the Moonflower sect is a sect specifically for women. They cultivated the Moon goddess technique to absorb moonlight as energy at night to cultivate; they can also use normal qi to practice.
A group of three women flew with elegance and beauty in the air as they slowly approached the imperial capital from a distance; they all covered their faces with veils, and they wore white dresses so one could see their curvy figures through them.
"They said that the Moonflower sect members cover their faces because they are too beautiful?"
"Fool, you know nothing; they cover their faces for a reason; no one knows why. It's said that a cultivator removed the veil of a moonflower Sect cultivator, but he was dead before he even saw their faces."
"That's why one shouldn't mess with them."
The next moment, groups of people also began appearing from all sides. They made powerful entrances and portrayed intense demeanor; these sects were no less powerful than the Moonflower Sect.
Six sects on the eastern continent are powerful in order; Heavenly rain, Sunblaze, Moonflower, Puppet, Devil, and Beast. Although they have rankings, they are not to be underestimated. They all possess an equal amount of power.
The Sunblaze sect wore yellow robes; the Puppet sect wore green robes; the Devil sect wore Black, the Heavenly rain sect gold robes, and the Beast sect brown robes. The sects' representatives were sent to recruit talents; their cultivation realms seem hidden from the public.
With the gathering of these powers, all the stands became noisy; the Emperor stood up and raised his hands, and the whole gathering became silent as he declared the beginning of the entrance competition. The crowd burst into cheers immediately after the Ju Emperor finished speaking.
Many participants began choosing their wood slates which had engraved numbers on them. A man jumped on the stage as he began announcing the trials.
"You are all qualified to participate in the competition to enter the sects; your talents and capabilities will guarantee your passing this test. This test has five phases; you will know the next one once you pass the previous phases."
The candidates stood facing the man announcing the test factors; many kids from powerful families didn't even budge at the man's words. Some already knew the test phases long ago, using their family backgrounds to get information.
"The first test will be to test your age and cultivation; if you are over 20 years and below the fifth stage of the qi condensation realm, then I advise you to step out now."
Many began looking around to see who would step out; a few minutes later, no one stepped out, and the candidates resumed their stances for their first test.
Some were more interested in the geniuses of the big and influential families. Many already imagined the shock from these kids of powerful households. The first one was Kang Mu, whose guards surrounded him with a smirk as he walked to the platform.
He wanted to destroy the confidence of these kids with his overwhelming power and let them give up before they even reached the fighting phase. His main goal was to be the winner and impress Lou Yan of the Lou family. She is a genius and beautiful girl with a cultivation base at the fifth stage of the mind accumulation realm.
Kang Mu walked to the platform as he touched the stone. He placed his hands on a device that looked like a circular stone, and it was twice as tall as him, with five gems on it of different colors.
Moments later, the man asked the Kang Mu to release his hand off the stone; the entire crowd watched with expectant eyes as this phase was the analysis phase where they tested for talent.
"Kang Mu from the Kang family, age 19, cultivation; seventh stage spirit awakening realm. Not bad."
"WHAT! The Kang family is powerful enough to produce such a genius at such an age."
"Why do you think they are among the top ten of the entire Ju Empire in terms of strength and resources?."
Gossip arose as Kang Mu's result came out; He stood on the stage with a proud and aloof posture as if he were heaven's prince. Members of the Kang family all had faces of pride and arrogance. This was not a surprise for most people as they expected a descendant of the powerful Kang family to be this strong; what would have been a shock if he showed weak prowess.
"Lou Yan from the Lou family, age 16, cultivation; mind accumulation, fifth stage."
Next came another commotion after Lou Yan tested her powers; she slowly walked down the stage when suddenly a woman wearing a white dress and a veil appeared in her.
"Little girl, you have the talent to join our Moonflower sect; how about you become a disciple of my sect?"
The woman asked in a charming and polite voice. She waited for Lou Yan's answer as she gazed at her.
"Thank you, elder; it is an honor for me to join the Moonflower sect."
"Good; I will ensure you receive the best cultivation resources and many times what you are receiving now."
The woman spoke as she used her energy to suspend Lou yan in the air while flying to her seat. Lou Yan was happy as joining a sect meant more resources and prestige, and her status would elevate to that of an inner disciple.
With the recruitment of Lou Yan, the testing continued as the line was getting shorter every passing second; Children from influential families were outstanding geniuses. This process continued as they reached the last group of people.
This last group seems more majestic than any other group. They all held extreme beauty; there were three people in this group: two girls with gold and silver hair and a boy with the same silver hair but a gold mix. They wore dresses never before seen in this world, and their presence and demeanor resemble gods gracing their presence on the earth.
Although they all had beauty and powerful demeanors, the most surprising thing was they were all in the qi condensation realm.