“A genius like him will soon become a disciple of someone with great power,” Lord Guanjun sighed. Seeing Sun Yuanhao made him think of Bei Moi and therefore his mood was depressed.
The sound of the wind suddenly appeared as a person dropped from the sky.
“That’s…”
The crowd below felt as if they were an ant in front of the person. The person was clothed in gold and he was like a god as he walked through the air. Under that pressure, even those of the Holy Martial Path felt their blood freeze.
Zhao Feng’s left eye saw a gold-robed man fly through the air.
Flying! Zhao Feng had never thought that cultivators could fly because flying was only a legend.
“Greetings Elder Xue!” Deacon Qiu exclaimed as he wiped sweat off his forehead and bowed down towards the gold-robed man.
“Hua," the other disciples bowed down at the same time.
The gold robed Elder stood in and surveyed the disciples like a god. Not far away, Quan Chen’s face was pale white and trembling.
The man in front of them was an Elder who held more power even more than Hai Yun Master.
In a flash of gold, the gold robed elder had appeared in front of Sun Yuanhao.
“Hahahaha… Changeable Body! I just wanted to take in a disciple, looks like I was pretty lucky!” Elder Xue inspected Sun Yuanhao with joy.
“Sun Yuanhao! Are you willing to take this elder as your master? According to the rules, if you do you can become an inner disciple straight away,” Deacon Qiu told him.
Under the envious gazes, Sun Yuanhao nodded his head nervously, “Disciple is willing.”
Elder Xue laughed, grabbed him by the hand, and then turned into a gold blur as he disappeared into the depths of the mountain.
After this small interference, the Spiritual Sky Beam test was coming to an end. In Zhao Feng’s mind, the image of the Elder flying lingered, and he couldn’t calm down.
“That was someone of the True Spirit Realm, they have the ability to fly for short periods and control unimaginable power…,” Lord Guanjun sighed as respect and longing appeared in his eyes.
Under the True Spirit Realm was the Ascended Realm and the latter had Seven Skies. The Seven Skies meant seven changes, with every change giving the cultivator incredible power.
From a certain point of view, cultivators of the True Spirit Realm were the evolution of humans, so they were able to do things that were impossible for normal humans.
A total of forty-five youths had passed the first test and scored one to five points.
There was a total of three tests and the first test gave up to six points. If someone reached the maximum score, they were accepted into the Clan straight away.
“The next two tests are the Mechanism Test and Nine Picture Array Tests. which give a maximum of two points each,” Lord Guanjun told his disciples, but he was addressing Zhao Feng in particular because he had scored only two points in the Spiritual Sky Beam test and the next two test only added up to give a total of four. If his score was too low, he might not be taken into the Clan.
“I understand.” Zhao Feng knew what to do.
“Follow me to the Mechanism Test.” Deacon Qiu led the group of people to a path that was one and a half meters wide. On either side, there were two hills, with man-made caves in them.
This was the Mechanism Test?
“After entering the Mechanism path, you will have to kill mechanic beasts which have the same cultivation level as you. You will get a point for killing two and two points for killing four or more…,” Deacon Qiu announced.
Truthfully, Zhao Feng had already received information from Lord Guanjun.
“Number 3, Wu Dan," a disciple called out.
A youth of the seventh rank leapt into the enter and walked onto the path.
A pure black mechanical beast walked out of one of the caves, its shape was similar to a human, and it held a scythe which swept towards the youth.
The youth and mechanical beast clashed together, but the youth's expression changed immediately as he retreated.
The strength of the mechanical beast was at the seventh rank, but its defense and offense was much stronger than the seventh rank. This meant that the mechanical beasts were elites among their ranks.
The youth used all his power and he was finally able to put the beast down.
He took another few steps and two mechanical beasts appeared from the nearby caves.
The expression of the youth changed dramatically as he tried to fight off the beasts at the same time. As time went on, a few more beasts walked out from the caves, but they weren’t fast. So the youth was able to slay one due to his speed.
“One point for killing two beasts,” the disciple announced.
After that, a few more geniuses went up and fought with the mechanical beast. Most of them were able to kill one or two, but it was incredibly hard to kill four or more.
The defense of the mechanical beasts is just too strong. Zhao Feng’s left eye saw the situation.
Even Xiao Sun, who was at the ninth rank, felt pressure as he faced mechanical beasts of the ninth rank.
The higher one’s cultivation was, the stronger the beasts that appeared were, so Xiao Sun had to face beasts of the ninth rank. He finally managed to kill three beasts and received one and a half points. Only a very low number of youths were able to get two points.
Two points was a perfect score at the second test, but was it easy to get? One needed to kill four elites of the same rank and sometimes face more at the same time.
“Number 49, Zhao Feng," the disciple's voice announced.
Lord Guanjun warned, “Your score for the first test was low, so you must get a full score for this test.”
The Clan placed importance on talent, therefore Quan Chen and the other disciples had already left. In their eyes, talent decided future, so the next two tests weren’t important.
Zhao Feng’s figure stepped onto the mechanism path.
A beast soon appeared from a cave nearby.
Star Finger! Flowing Wind Stance!
Zhao Feng’s figure immediately closed in on the beast and his body moved slightly to the side to dodge the mechanical beasts attack.
His azure finger hit the point where two parts were connected.
The arm holding the weapon immediately fell down. Such reflexes and accuracy stunned the others.
Zhao Feng then immediately fired off another few fingers which looked like fireworks. In just a few breaths, the arms and legs had been cut off by Zhao Feng and the mechanical beast fell onto the ground.
“What precision and speed! He’s just toying around with the mechanical beast,” Lord Cangtie couldn’t help but sigh and look at Zhao Feng in a new light.
Zhao Feng’s finger skills were both precise and strong.
Two more beasts soon appeared from the nearby caves.
Star Finger! Flowing Wind Stance! Smoking Transparent Step!
Zhao Feng’s figure was like a ghost that jumped in front of the two mechanical beasts.
After a few breaths, one of the beasts had been chopped into eight pieces by Zhao Feng. And just as he did so, three other beasts appeared, adding up to four active beasts, who closed in on Zhao Feng.
This was the same as four beasts near the ninth rank with extreme defense closing in on Zhao Feng. Under this situation, not many youths would be able to handle this.
One Line Star Finger! Tornado Stance!
A cold light flashed in Zhao Feng’s eyes as he thrust out his finger, which was a wide ranged attack. Tornado Stance was a skill which could increase the damage and area of an attack.
The finger pierced straight through where the heart of the beast would be. It was hard to imagine what kind of power was needed to instantly kill a mechanical beast, one had to know that the defense of these machines was around the ninth rank.
Zhao Feng immediately shot 3 more fingers and every finger
would easily pierce through the body of the mechanical beast.
The other 3 beasts had all been destroyed by Zhao Feng in one move and lay unmoving on the floor.
In just a moment, Zhao Feng had taken care of five beasts, leaving behind a group of dazed onlookers.
Chapter 109 - Illusion Fish
Zhao Feng’s performance was incredible compared to his average first test result. Even Deacon Qiu glanced at Zhao Feng.
“Killed five mechanical beasts, two points,” the disciple announced his score.
One only needed to kill four or more to get two points. There were others who had got full marks for this test, but they weren’t able to kill them in one hit like Zhao Feng did.
“Such terrifying strength! The power of the last finger could even harm normal ninth ranks.” Xiao Sun inspected Zhao Feng. He had the highest cultivation in the group, but he didn’t have any confidence in beating Zhao Feng.
The Mechanism Path test continued, and even though Zhao Feng’s performance was excellent, Deacon Qiu and the other members of the Clan didn’t put it to heart because they focused mainly on the first test which could earn six points.
So, although Zhao Feng was excellent, he only received two points.
“No matter how much battle experience he has, he’ll still be thrown away by us due to the lack of talent,” Princess Yun Mengxiang glanced at Zhao Feng, but she didn’t put his performance to heart.
Zhao Feng felt that his performance at the second stage didn’t draw the attention of the Clan and although the other youths thought that he was strong, the lack of talent would mean that his future wouldn’t be high.
But this was also what Zhao Feng wanted, not wanting to draw too much attention. Lord Guanjun nodded his head; it didn’t matter how well Zhao Feng performed at the second stage.
Soon, the second exam ended.
Zhao Feng calculated his scores, summing up to four.
“Next is the Nine Picture Array.” Deacon Qiu led the group of people to an old-fashioned building nearby.
At this time, the older generation who brought the younger generation here were all prevented from entering. Even the youths taking the test had to go in one at a time.
“This test seems pretty mysterious,” Zhao Feng murmured to himself.
The youths taking the test walked in, then out later, one after another. Most of the geniuses exited the building with their brow furrowed and irritated.
“You must remain calm for the third test, but seeing how high your enlightenment is, this test shouldn’t be much of a problem,” Lord Guanjun said in a low voice.
Zhao Feng nodded his head. Ever since the mysterious left eye merged with him, his reflexes and understanding had increased.
“Number 49, Zhao Feng!” After a while, it was finally Zhao Feng’s turn.
With the voice of the disciple, Zhao Feng stepped into the ancient building.
The building was empty, there weren’t even many disciples of the Clan here.
“Go upstairs.” Two disciples stood next to the stairs.
Zhao Feng walked up the stairs to the second floor and entering it, Zhao Feng found a giant picture hanging on the wall.
The scenery of the picture was extremely profound and had a feeling that it moved. Focusing on it, different scenes flashed in the picture.
Zhao Feng was shocked, there was something wrong with this picture!
Cough! A sound interrupted Zhao Feng.
On the left and right of the picture sat a white-robed old man and a red-faced old man. Deacon Qiu only stood near the exit, slightly crouched. On the second floor, Deacon Qiu had to stand on the side and he couldn’t even sit down which made Zhao Feng realize that the identities of the two old men were special.
“Nine Picture Array Illusion Fish Picture, appear!” The white-robed old man gently clapped his hands and the scenery in the picture on the wall changed.
“This Illusion Fish Picture has nine different scenes in total, getting harder as you progress. The test is to see how many fishes there are and what color they are,” the white-robed old man said.
Number and color of the fishes? Zhao Feng nodded his head in understanding.
Soon, Zhao Feng looked closely at the first change which was quite simple. “Three fishes, one black and two green,” Zhao Feng answered.
The white-robed elder expressionlessly changed the scene to the second picture.
Zhao Feng looked at it, noting it was slightly more complicated than before. But the details still couldn’t get past his sharp eyes.
“Five fishes, one black, two red and two white,” Zhao Feng answered quickly.
Hm? The expressions of the white-robed elder and the red-faced elder changed slightly.
Every picture that was answered correctly gave half a point, and the youths before were able to get one point or so, but they spent a lot of time thinking.
Zhao Feng’s response time was much faster than the others. Soon, the third picture appeared.
“Eight fishes, two black, two white, three red, and one green…,” Zhao Feng answered without hesitation.
The two elders looked at each other, then they inspected Zhao Feng.
When the Illusion Fish Picture reached the third scene, the profoundness involved would make cultivators of the Ascension Realm take a while to consider, but Zhao Feng was able to give the answer in just a few breaths time.
Soon, the picture changed once again.
“Thirteen fishes, five blue, three gold…,” Zhao Feng paused for a short time before giving his answer.
Surprise appeared in the two elders’ eyes. According to the rules, one got full marks if they were able to successfully pass the fourth scene, but…
“Continue.” The white-robed elder clapped and another scene appeared.
Weng~
The fifth change was extremely complex, Zhao Feng saw fishes playing around and jumping in the air. Missing any small point could change the answer dramatically.
After thinking for a bit, Zhao Feng said, “Twenty-seven fishes, seven brown, six orange…”
The expressions of the elders changed as they looked at Zhao Feng with surprise and intense interest.
The white-robed elder then made the sixth scene appear.
The sixth picture was full of truth and illusions that stacked on top of each other.
At this moment, Zhao Feng’s eyes suddenly became sharp and after staring at the picture for a while he responded with, “48 fishes, 9 purple, 12 black…”
Without any questioning, he had answered correctly once again. Shock appeared on the expressions of the two elders as they looked at each other.
Zhao Feng seemed to feel something because the changes after the fourth scene had exceeded the limits of geniuses, unless they had high understanding.
The white-robed old man sighed as he opened the seventh scene. The seventh picture was much harder than the others, and Zhao Feng had to fully circulate his left eye to see the truth.
This time, he considered for a moment before giving an incorrect answer.
The white-robed elder and red-faced elder let out a breath. If Zhao Feng was able to answer correctly again, then he would be a monster genius, but how were they supposed to know that Zhao Feng had purposely given a wrong answer?
“I am the vice-head of the Grass-Wood Division, would you like to enter the Grass-Wood Division and take me as your master?” the red-faced elder gave him a faint smile.
Vice-head? Master? Zhao Feng stood dazed.
“Old man Guan, what’s the meaning of this? Are you trying to steal my disciple? Can’t you see that his forte is arrays? He’s more suited to enter the Clan Mission Division,” the white-robed elder seemed to be pretty angry.
Somehow, the two started to fight, not giving in to each other. This stunned Deacon Qiu in the corner nearby. He hadn’t thought that a youth like this with such normal talent would cause two vice-heads to figh
t.
In the Broken Moon Sect, there were different divisions such as Regulation Division, Grass-Wood Division, Clan Mission Division, Central Division and the Grass-Wood Division. The Grass-Wood Division was in charge of planting, pill making, and healing.
Grass-Wood Division was extremely popular, especially with the pill makers. That old man Guan was one of the best pill masters of the Grass-Wood Division.
The Clan-Mission Division was in charge of the subtle things in the clan, including fixing and maintaining the arrays of the mountain.
The white-robed elder was an extremely good array master, who had completed this Nine Picture Array with a few other array masters.
“Young man, who do you want to take as your master?” the white-robed old man asked.
“Young man! You might not know how important a pill maker is and how high their status is…” the red-faced elder said.
One array master and one pill master both wanted to take Zhao Feng as their disciple, and both of their cultivations were higher than Deacon Qiu’s.
The two vice-heads both wanted to take Zhao Feng as their disciple, but Zhao Feng was extremely disturbed because joining one side would offend the other.
Although he needed to find a background after entering the clan how was he supposed to know which ones were trustworthy? A word from Hai Yun Master might make these two vice-heads cower in fear.
According to what Lord Guanjun told him, the best way was to first become an inner disciple, then find a strong background, preferably at the Elder level.
“Thanks for your good intentions, but I have no experience in arrays nor pills. All I wish is to become an inner disciple, then consider the other things.” Zhao Feng rejected the offers and said what he wanted to do.
The white-robed elder and the red-faced elder were both disappointed, but from the lights in their eyes, it seemed that they hadn’t given up yet since Zhao Feng said he would only consider it after becoming an inner disciple.
Then we’ll just watch for a bit…
Soon, Zhao Feng’s perfect score of two was announced as he walked out, but before he left, he asked to look at the eighth and ninth scenes in the Illusion Fish Picture. He felt that the insights contained in it might be even more complex than the four Wind Stances.
King of Gods Book II: (A Chinese Translation) Page 27
