There are only five days to the end of the month, so anyone who wants to set a record that will last till next month has these last few days to do so.
That's why a lot more people are present at the lecture hall than normal and why all of them are in a rush.
He sneered inwardly and asked himself, "What can a bunch of people at the first mortal coil do?"
He was looking down on them because of the disparity of power between him and them.
Usually, the power of cultivators at the second mortal coil ranges from 20 at the first transformation to 110 at the tenth transformation.
Only in special situations such as the combination of Everlasting Wood Art and Divine Lightning Armament will cultivators at the second mortal coil be able to produce power greater than 110.
He already has a power of 90. So he is already close to the limit of what second mortal coil cultivators are capable of.
This is why he has the right to look down on them. The only thing he should be concerned about is how much of his strength he should show and how much he should hide.
They didn't know this, of course. But they saw the pride on his face and the aloofness in his demeanor when he alighted. They thought he was being cocky because he was an S-grade student.
Only a few people like Brian and the other children of the Dyson family who knew a little about him knew that he was always proud, not because of his S grade.
Brian sighed as he watched Arthur approach the teleportation platforms for the tests.
He thought to himself, "Let me see what the great and powerful Arthur Red Mane is capable of after one year in the sect. Or should I call him Arthur Green Mane now?"
He was being sarcastic, but it was to hide his jealousy. He would like to believe that he doesn't care about Arthur's performance, but deep down he wants Arthur to make a fool of himself.
So he cares very much about Arthur's performance. In fact, he believes that it will be good. But he wants to protect himself from feeling bad when the result comes out good by pretending not to care now.
There were a lot of people who were interested in his result too. Especially once they saw his uniform. Many people wanted to see what he was capable of.
There are nine tests, so there are nine teleportation platforms on the ground in front of the lecture hall. Arthur went towards the first one on his left.
Behind the teleportation platforms are ten boards. These boards show the ranking of the tests and outline the top score, as it is the score to beat in order to set a new record.
There are nine tests but ten rankings. The tenth board is the cumulative score of all nine tests.
Even if someone doesn't set a record in the nine tests, as long as they are the overall best of all nine tests, then they too qualify for one of the best accommodations.
That's what the tenth ranking is for. It is for jacks of all trades, masters of none.
The tests aren't arranged in order of their difficulty. But it is generally accepted that the first test on the left is the most difficult one.
This test is called the Fighting Excellence Test. It is an all-around test that challenges disciples to their limit by pitting them against golems with the same power as them.
When Arthur was teleported to the test location, he appeared in a large white world. There was a golem standing opposite him. The two of them were the only beings in the test location.
A few words appeared between the two of them.
FIGHTING EXCELLENCE TEST.
Cultivation Rank: Second Mortal Coil.
Cultivation Level (Body Refining): Second Transformation.
Cultivation Level (Energy Refining): Second Transformation.
Test Level: 1
Goal: Defeat the opponent as fast as possible.
Countdown: 0 minutes and 19 seconds.
He couldn't move yet, so the only thing he could do was observe his opponent.
The golem stood exactly 2 kilometers away from him. It looked like a knight, as it was covered head to toe in shining plate armor.
The golem was holding a sword and a shield. As if those weren't enough, it was also equipped with a bow and crossbows.
The bow is in its back, but the location of the crossbows isn't obvious. In fact, the crossbow can't be seen. But according to the information he gleaned from the guide, the crossbow was built into the golem's forearm.
Both of its forearms have crossbows built into them. The golden only needs to point at him to target him. The crossbow will spring out of its forearm, assemble itself quickly, load the bolt, and then shoot it at him.
This challenge has many levels. The first level is the easiest. Even so, many people failed to pass it because they couldn't defeat a golem with the same level of cultivation as them.
The problem is not the power of the golem. What stiffed people and made them fail is the skill of the golem.
Apparently, the golems in the performance tests are not like the clumsy ones they fought during the regional sect examination. It is said that these ones have a high reaction time and excellent decision-making.
It was clear that this golem was different from the ones he fought before. For one, this golem has eyes. It has gleaming red eyes that glared at him with naked malice.
But Arthur wasn't scared. He has never been scared of someone at the same level of cultivation as him. Instead, he was excited to see what was so difficult about the test.
He thought to himself with a glint in his eyes, "Bring it on."
As soon as the countdown reached zero and he could move, he reached into his pouch and brought out seeds. He plans to throw them to use them as raw materials for his wood spells.