Chapter 858 - Seven Spirit Academies' Disciple Examination
"Yuan? What are you waiting for?" Wang Ming asked after noticing that he was just standing there.
"I'm waiting for a friend of mine," he said.
Five minutes after Yuan contacted Xiao Hua, two figures could be seen soaring through the sky above the square for the disciple examination.
"Oh, there she is." Yuan looked up and watched as Xiao Hua descended right beside him with Min Li, who looked a little shocked.
"Brother Yuan!" Xiao Hua immediately went to hug him even before her feet touched the ground.
"Once again, sorry for leaving you behind, Xiao Hua." Yuan said with a bittersweet smile.
"Who's that?" Wang Ming asked with raised eyebrows.
"This is Xiao Hua, she's the first friend I made in this world." Yuan introduced her to the others.
"Oooh, how cute!" Wang Bingbing stared at Xiao Hua with glitters in her eyes.
"Anyways, where are the others? The examination should be starting soon." Yuan asked them.
"Who knows. There's too many people here to tell." Shi Lang shrugged.
"We'll probably see them during the examination." Wang Ming said.
Sometime later, Yuan approached Min Li and asked her, "How are you feeling?"
"I'm a little nervous if I have to be honest," she sighed.
"Really? I can tell that your cultivation has improved. You'll do fine."
"Thank you, but I cannot help it. It's been a very long time since I've felt such emotions. And this is the Seven Spirit Academies that we're talking about. I've heard of their reputation even when I was still in the Lower Heavens."
"The acceptance rate is also incredibly low. There will probably be less than ten thousand people who will pass the examination despite the amount of people here today."
"Even then, I still have faith in you." Yuan smiled.
"..."
Min Li began blushing.
Sometime later, everybody at the square stopped talking when seven figures descended from the sky and landed on a platform above the square, and all of them emitted the aura of a Spirit Lord.
"Welcome to the Seven Spirit Academies' Disciple Examination, young cultivators. I am Elder Lang of the Heavenly Academy. Before we begin, allow me to introduce our judges for the examination."
"Elder Mon from the Universal Music Academy… Elder Ging from the Healing Spirit Academy… Elder Yi from the Lonely River Academy…"
After introducing the other six elders that hailed from one of the Seven Spirit Academies, Elder Lang continued, "As you already know, the Seven Spirit Academies have decided to start our disciple examination early due to circumstances. However, this does not mean it will be any easier to join us."
After giving a quick speech about the disciple examination and the history of the Seven Spirit Academies, Elder Lang sat down while another elder stood up.
"I will now speak of the rules for the examination." The elder said.
"First and foremost, there are four sections in the examination you must pass before you qualify to join us. Once you pass all four sections, we, representing the Seven Spirit Academies, will offer you a spot in our sect. Some of you may receive more than one offer while some of you may only receive one offer. If you have been offered to join more than one sect, you are allowed to choose which sect you wish to join."
"If your desired sect did not offer you a spot, do not panic, as it's not impossible to change sects later. As long as you join one of our sects, it is possible to transfer to another sect at a later date. Hell, you can even negotiate with us at the end of the examination if you so choose."
"Now let's talk about the rules for our examination."
"First rule, you are not allowed to deliberately kill other participants. If caught, you will automatically fail the examination and be banned from ever joining us for the rest of your life."
"However, this does not mean you cannot hinder others' progression or fight them. The cultivation path is filled with bumpy roads and uncertainty. You cannot expect it to be a walk in the park."
"Second rule, you are allowed to use any treasure you want as long as it doesn't disturb the examination or cause massive destruction to the area."
"Third rule, you are strictly prohibited from consuming any sort of pills that will enhance your body or spiritual energy. This includes recovery pills. The Seven Spirit Academies are looking for raw talents— people with real potential. Sure, one might argue that allowing the usage of powerful treasure is the opposite of such a statement, but it still requires some skill to control such a treasure, whereas consuming a pill that enhances your strength temporarily doesn't require any skill."
"Final rule… You should already know this, but if you are above the age of 40, you are not qualified to participate in the examination. However, if you still wish to join us, you may visit us at another time for an interview."
The elder took a seat after announcing the last rule, and another elder stood up.
"Let's move onto the examination itself now."
"As you all heard, the examination will have four different sections."
"For the first part of the examination, you will have your talents evaluated. Your spiritual energy, your spiritual veins, your aptitude— everything. Allow me to be completely honest here. Less than 20 percent of you will pass the first examination."
The nervous atmosphere amongst the participants became even heavier after hearing such words.
"For the second examination, we will analyze the extent of your talents."
"For the third examination, you will be given limited time to hunt magical beasts."
"And for the final examination, if you somehow make it this far, you will be interviewed by the seven of us."
"Now, you will be given 15 minutes to prepare yourselves before we open the portals to the real examination area."
The moment the elder sat back down, the participants began mumbling to each other about the examination.