Noah stared at his plant for some time before raising his head to inspect the other applicants.
They had their eyes closed, their plants were still growing in various shapes and there wasn't any similarity between the twenty of them.
'Mine has grown quickly because my mental waves are stronger than theirs, I wonder what kind of judgment I will receive.'
Noah had realized that the characteristics of his plant were outside of his understanding, he didn't know if he had succeeded in the test.
More minutes passed and the plants of the other applicants slowly completed their growth and separated themselves from their faces, the youths had tired expressions, that process wasn't easy to withstand with their weak minds.
The three cultivators of the Flowing river sect began to inspect the plants as soon as the last seed fell on the mat, they would nod or shake their heads while giving a brief explanation to each applicant.
"The branches are too soft, you lack determination."
"This bud isn't fully flourished, you are still too immature."
"Your plant lacks shine, you are too average."
"Straight and sturdy, you have passed!"
Most of the comments from the three cultivators were negative, it was obvious that only a minority of the applicants would reach the second stage of the entrance test.
Then, Noah's turn came.
The old cultivator was his examiner and he abruptly stopped his tracks when his gaze met Noah's plant.
"A bloodied armor and a black heart."
He mumbled those words after a few rounds of inspection, they were spoken softly, Noah could only hear them because of his powerful mind.
The cultivator then raised his head to look at Noah, his mental energy tried to probe his cultivation level but he couldn't make out the exact power of the young man in front of him.
It was needless to say that he was extremely surprised by that event.
Noah had the appearance of an eighteen years old man, his aging had stopped since his body and dantian had improved too quickly, it would resume only if he remained at that level for many years.
Yet, that young-looking man was able to hide part of his power from the probing of a rank 3 cultivator, such a feat was generally considered impossible for a rank 2 cultivator.
"You are too used on being alone, your branches are strong and sturdy but they reject anyone that comes close to you. Your heart is dark, it was born in the darkness of your armor, it has severed any need for light and can only feed on more darkness."
The elder sighed before putting Noah's plant in his space-ring and shaking his head.
"I can see that you are a rare talent by the shine of your plant but I know that you will never manage to become part of the sect. I'm sorry, we can't accept you."
Noah was a bit surprised by the long explanation.
He knew that the test would have revealed his personality but he didn't think that it would be so accurate!
Also, that final judgment had stated that he had failed the entrance test, the sect wasn't willing to accept someone like him.
'I guess there is nothing I can do about it, this is just how I am.'
Noah sighed before standing up and bowing to the elder.
The latter nodded at that gesture and watched as Noah neared the curtains of the pavilion to exit the test area.
"Will you remain in the archipelago for the time being?"
He asked that question before Noah crossed the curtains.
"Maybe."
Noah gave that vague answer and left the area.
He had bet on the Flowing river sect to return to the continent but he had failed in the first test, he needed to reorganize his thoughts and find another opportunity that could lead to the same result.
'I should just cultivate for a few days before going back to island one hundred and thirty-two. I still have to explore the market and maybe something new will appear after I update the map.'
It was with those thoughts that he left the crowded area and walked toward the matrixes to return to his rented room.
Meanwhile, the entrance test of the Flowing river sect continued and ended in about an hour.
Only a few applicants had succeeded and they were given instructions about the second phase of the test before being dismissed.
"Good work today, we found some promising youths. Rest now, I have some matters to attend."
The old cultivator instructed his two followers and left the area, calmly walking toward the city at the center of the island.
At some point, he entered a simple-looking tavern that had a horn as its banner.
He crossed the hall and sat on the table at the bottom of the tavern, the other cultivators there moved their gazes away when they sensed a trace of his cultivation level.
A waitress brought him a jug of wine and he took small sips from it as he waited in silence.
"Dwight, I hope the selections of your sect went well."
A hooded figure sat in front of him after saying those words.
"Roy, I told you many times to start speaking only after you've sat. The governors are looking for you people like crazy these days, island one hundred and sixty has been hit hard by the last investigation."
Dwight complained but Roy didn't seem to care, he simply released a small laugh before replying to him.
"So, did you find anything interesting?"
"Only the usual, naive kids with some talent and a strong sense of justice, you know what my sect looks for in a cultivator. Yet, I might have found a candidate for your Chasing demon sect."
Roy released a surprised sound at those words and gave a space-ring to Dwight, waiting for him to continue speaking.
Dwight inspected the contents of the ring and nodded in satisfaction before taking out an item from his storage device.
Noah's plant appeared on the desk of the tavern and Roy didn't hesitate to inspect it with great interest.