Chapter 6: Prove your Worth Mortals!

As soon as the long blue-haired elder declared the initiation of the test, the other elder accompanying him released his Qi. 

In an instant, every single participant was subjected to a huge amount of pressure. 

People with weak bodies found themselves slammed onto the ground before they could even comprehend what had happened.

"What-?!"

"I cannot Move!"

"This is the power of an Immortal cultivator!"

In the midst of the confusion, the people who were pressed to the ground were struggling to withstand the invisible force that bore down on them.

Even the heir of the great clans, who have been training their whole lives for this moment could feel the strain and it was as if a mountain had been pressed upon their shoulders, testing their endurance and resilience. 

Among the numerous participants, there were only a few people who seemed to be left unaffected by the pressure, their expressions and their bodies were relaxed, contrasting sharply with the distress of their peers, as if the weight was nothing for them.

Among these few people stood Long Tian, his expressions remained quite relaxed while he was casually leaning against a pillar, seemingly unperturbed by what was going on.

"This is the first test. Only those with a strong body can truly endure the gruesome challenges that one might face during their journey of cultivation," announced one of the elders before taking a look at the unaffected participants, causing a realization to dawn on the faces of the participants who were lying on the ground.

The elders were not exerting their full power in this test, lest all of the participants in the hall were to perish.

This trial wasn't merely a demonstration of strength; it was a proving ground, akin to a crucible. 

It was like they were saying 'Prove Your Worth Mortals!'

In fact, the trial wasn't just for that, there was another reason behind this test. 

The elders were looking for talented individuals like the ones who were standing unfazed, these were the seeds with the potential for growth, and nurturing. 

Cultivators need willpower and not just innate talent.

Individuals with a solid foundation passed through this trial more effectively, showcasing their potential to excel in the future. 

Taking note of the faces of these special participants, the elders surveyed the vast expanse of the hall, their sharp gazes glancing through the entire hall within a fraction of a second.

______

In the spectator's area.

Pride and anticipation filled the air as the families watched their descendants.

"Long Chen, look there, that's my granddaughter. She will definitely become a great cultivator, she has a bright future ahead of her in the sect," an old man laughed out loud while stroking his goatee.

The head of the Xiao family couldn't conceal his satisfaction. A hearty laugh escaped his mouth, his pride was evident as he watched his granddaughter hold herself against the imposing pressure. 

Long Chen, the head of the Long family, couldn't help but snort in contempt upon hearing his friend's boast. They both were of similar generation and grew up together.

"Don't let your imagination run wild, My Bai'er performed better than her," Long Chen added, pride clearly evident in his words. Yet, his expression quickly shifted from the previous prideful to a more complex mix of emotions as his attention was drawn to a certain child amidst the crowd.

Feeling something wasn't right, Xiao Cheng, the current patriarch of the Xiao family also followed Long Chen's gaze. 

The sight that greeted him caused his prideful expression to darken with seriousness. 

"You always said that he was a waste," Xiao Cheng hissed as he glared at his friend. 

"How is that trash unaffected by the elder's pressure? We can't afford any complications in our plan, Long Chen. You're well aware of the cost I had to pay to secure this cooperation."

Long Chen's response was marked by a casual shrug, not taking Xiao Cheng's words to heart as he waved, "No need to overanalyze it."

"After all, the boy's mother comes from a common background and her cultivation hasn't increased at all ever since she married my son."

Taking another look at the stage, he added, "So, how exceptional could his innate talent truly be? As for his father, he might have possessed some latent potential, but he chose power over his family and went on a journey to increase his cultivation."

Despite his friend's assuring words, Xiao Cheng still had some doubts and could only take a heavy breath before looking at the stage with a gloomy expression.

"Rest assured, when the opportune moment arises, our plans will seamlessly fall into place," looking at the gloomy face of his friend, Long Chen reassured. 

Amidst their conversation, a voice laced with sarcasm and mockery suddenly interjected, drawing their attention.

"You truly live up to your reputation Long Chen," the man mocked before letting out a laugh and added. "You are even ready to sacrifice your grandchild, just to gain some benefits. What a crafty bastard."

The owner of the voice was none other than the head of the Wang family, Wang Wei, head of one of the three ruling clans of the city.

Long Chen scoffed at his words and replied in a similar tone. 

"Do you think you have what it takes to say that, Wang Wei," Long Chen retorted, his voice heavy with contempt as he added. 

"I have heard rumors about the things you did to your own granddaughter when she was just ten years old." 

Being someone who would not take an insult while lying low, Long Chen retorted, how words were full of sarcasm and mockery.

While he may fear the strong, against his peers and people lower than him, he didn't have any reason to be afraid of.

Xiao Cheng's laughter cut through the banter, a sharp contrast to the gravity of his words. "Heh! I even heard that both the girl and her mother took their lives the next day and their father died in grief. I wonder how much of that is even true," he remarked.

Wang Wei's expression turned cold, his anger palpable as he unleashed his cultivation in a show of force, yet this didn't cause Xiao Cheng nor Long Chen to flinch. Outnumbered, Wang Wei could only relent, clicking his tongue in frustration.

"Choose your words more wisely, Long Chen," to keep his face, Wang Wei did not back down but he still took his pressure back. He knew this was not a place to attract any unwanted attention.

"Those mother-daughter pairs deserved their fate, they wanted to reveal the secrets that should have been best left buried. I had no choice but to take action. It was for the good of the family," the brute-looking old man tried to justify his action, but his words only garnered further disdain from the others.

They knew him better than anyone. There was not a single crime he had not committed. He was even more nefarious than both of them combined. 

Long Chen decided to brush off the old man's remarks, completely aware that Wang Wei was more bark than bite. 'He is nothing but a mere Dog..'

With a casual shift of his attention, Long Chen turned back to the stage. He observed as the elders retracted their aura, signaling the resumption of the proceedings. Meanwhile, the children on the ground also started to get up, regaining their footing.

The proceedings continued as the elder on the right stepped forward and addressed the assembled contenders. 

"Before we continue, allow me to provide you all with an overview of cultivation and an introduction of our sect," he began, his tone measured and authoritative as he stood tall, his hands clasped behind his back.

Noticing that he had everyone's attention, the elder continued, "Let me start with the introductions first, I am Tang San, an inner elder of the esteemed Soaring Heaven Sect. Beside me stands Shen Che, another elder of equal rank. We both are cultivators of Foundation Building Realm."

His words carried a sense of pride and arrogance, emphasizing their role and authority within the sect. 

Then, the elder turned to look at the boy who was accompanying them.

"This here is our young master. He is the son of our current sect leader and shares the same age as you all. He will also be participating in this test alongside you," 

The revelation of this information shocked the crowd, eliciting their attention towards him. Their gazes were filled with a mixture of admiration and envy, but most were just jealous of his background.

In the realm of cultivation, lineage carried significant importance, and powerful individuals were often likely to have talented descendants. 

This boy's lineage alone was enough to spark numerous speculations about his potential among the crowd.

Some of the few intelligent people could understand the hidden motive behind this act. 

'They want to showcase his talent as a form of advertisement to promote that their sect has a great future with his talent.' Long Tian discerned as he gazed at the body's arrogant face.

Ignoring the whispers and glances, the young master's gaze lingered on his maid with an unreadable glint inside them. He did not care about anyone in this place. To him, they were nothing but country bumpkins.

Long Tian's lips twitched as he observed this young master's action.

Despite being looked at with such an intense gaze, the maid exhibited a remarkable poise, showing no signs of discomfort or surprise at his unwavering attention. 

"Let me elucidate what cultivation is," after the initial uproar, Elder Tang spoke, gaining everyone's attention once again.

"Cultivation is the art of aligning oneself with the universal energy, often referred to as QI, and endeavoring to harness and store it within your energy reserve, known as the Energy Core. This core resides in your lower abdomen, a few inches below your belly button. It is mostly known as dantian."

The elder paused, allowing the weight of his words to settle giving time for the audience to absorb this new information. 

"There are three phases in cultivation, out of which we teach about the first two. They are mainly– the Qi phase and the core phase."

"In the Qi phase, there are three major realms, Body Tempering Realm, Qi Gathering Realm and the last Qi Condensation Realm."

Everyone was eagerly hearing this information because in this world any information regarding the cultivation itself was much more important and more valuable than money and being able to learn this for free, they considered themselves being blessed by luck.

"The core phase is divided into three realms: The Core Base or Foundation Realm. The Revolving Core Realm or Core Formation Realm. And finally, The Golden Core Realm."

Addressing their collective astonishment, elder Tang continued, his voice tempering their enthusiasm with a dose of sobering reality. 

"You will learn the details in the sect, I must inform you to not think too much about it. Among you, there will only be a select few who will be able to achieve the second phase after years of arduous cultivation. Those who can reach the Second Phase will be regarded as core disciples and their status will be on par with the inner elders."

Nevertheless, the allure of the potential prestige and power enticed the commoners, letting them imagine their future as an elder of the sect, making them even more eager to join the sect.

"Let us get back to the selection process." with a firm command that boomed through the arena, Elder Thang redirected their focus on the selection process, signaling for the continuation of the trials that lay ahead and waking everyone from their dreams.