Chapter 1114 Time for the Entrance Test Again
In Snow Province of the Northern Region.
On Swordsmanship-seeking Mountain.
The mountain mist was not too lofty, extending to the distant horizon. In mid-Autumn, the leaves were yellow, dyeing the entire Swordsmanship-seeking Mountain Range golden, giving people a warm and reliable feeling.
Around the Swordsmanship-seeking Mountain Range, there were hundreds of human towns of all sizes.
!!
These towns were not very large, and each of them could only accommodate less than 100,000 people. However, they were well-organized and were in a corner with each other. Everything was peaceful in these towns, and the humans, who lived in them, had happy and hopeful smiles on their faces. They were busy working. It didn’t look like they were in troubled times at all.
Besides that, what was even more incredible was that there were some figures of the Demon Clan wandering between these inhabited cities and towns. They got along well with the Human Clan and did not cause much of a stir. Some demons and the humans were even greeting each other with smiles. Obviously, they were used to each other’s identities.
Such a scene was almost impossible to see in other places in the Land of Infinity.
There was nothing but hatred between the Human Clan and the Demon Clan.
The autumn wind blew, and yellow leaves were drifting in the sky.
The area around the mountain gate of the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect, which had originally been a wasteland, had become extremely rich at this time. It seemed to have become the most prosperous area in the entire Snow Province. There were martial artists patrolling in the uniforms of the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect, shuttling back and forth in various towns to maintain order.
There was no doubt that these disciples of Swordsmanship-seeking Sect were the most popular people in this area.
Everyone looked at them with respect and envy, especially many young people and children. They would be tempted when they saw the brilliant swordsman uniform.
Becoming a disciple of the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect was already what countless young people were dreaming of.
Not only in Snow Province, but also in other provinces in the Northern Region, there were young geniuses who had traveled thousands of miles and gone through countless hardships to come here to practice martial arts. Even if they could not become disciples of the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect, it would be a very lucky thing for them to be able to enter the Swordsmanship-seeking Martial Halls set up by the sect in various inhabited areas.
At the same time, streams of flowing light flashed across the void.
That was the area where the experts of the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect above the Primordial Realm patrolled. Every time the sword light flashed across the low altitude, it would attract countless cheers and attention.
In this area, the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect was as respected as a god.
Even the prestige of the Holy Palace of Mysterious Frost could not reach the level of popularity of the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect here.
All disputes and battles within a radius of 10,000 kilometers of the Swordsmanship-seeking Mountain Range had completely disappeared. Even those experts and major forces from the Land of Divine Grace did not dare to come to provoke them after paying a huge price in succession. No matter who it was, as long as they entered this area, they had to obediently carry out their activities according to the rules of the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect.
The power of the sect was beyond any doubt.
These days, it was time for the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect to open its mountain gate and recruit disciples, which was almost a grand event of the entire Northern Region. Many teenagers, who met the age requirements, came thousands of miles to the surroundings of the Swordsmanship-seeking Mountain under the protection of their families, waiting for the mountain gate to open. The towering Swordsmanship-seeking Peak had become the holy land of martial arts in the hearts of countless teenagers.
This kind of popularity and fame had exceeded that of the Blue Cloud Sect, the Extermination Swordsmanship Sect, the Burning Incense Valley, and the other senior top sects.
On this day, the wind was gentle and the sun was shining brightly.
Six melodious bell rings came down from the Swordsmanship-seeking Mountain and echoed between heaven and earth.
“It’s open! The mountain gate to the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect is finally open!”
“It’s time, haha. I must pass the test this time and enter Swordsmanship-seeking Sect!”
“There are just too many participants. The competition is just too fierce!”
“I heard that the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect will recruit 10,000 nominal disciples this time. We all have a chance. We must work hard. After entering the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect, we may even have a chance to meet legendary figures such as the Saber and Sword Addict, the Mad Saber, and the Three Thousand Swords!”
“Boy, I spent all my fortune to hire some warriors to protect you so that you could come to the Swordsmanship-seeking Mountain. If you can’t pass the test and become a disciple of the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect, we can only hang ourselves!”
Various kinds of people, be they poor, rich, well-dressed, or shabby, appeared in groups on the mountain road to the Swordsmanship-seeking Mountain. The edge of the Sword-cleansing Pond was already crowded with people.
Some Swordsmanship-seeking Sect disciples in swordsman uniforms were here to maintain order.
The young man in the lead had thick eyebrows and big eyes. There was a kind of heroic spirit between his eyebrows. His name was Ah Jin. He was an outstanding person among the inside disciples of the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect. He was an exception and recruited into the sect because he had won the appreciation of Ding Hao in the three life-and-death battles in Snow Province. Because he was older than his peers and worked very hard, he soon stood out and became an inside disciple. He was quite popular and was also valued by the higher-ups of the sect. He was in charge of the maintenance of order this time.
The endless stream of youths waved goodbye to their parents and elders at the foot of the mountain and entered the mountain gate to take the test.
The Swordsmanship-seeking Sect had always been fair and the whole process of recruiting disciples was extremely broad and open, so people didn’t need to worry that there would be cheating. There had been an inside disciple who had been found cheating in the process of recruiting disciples by Wang Juefeng, an elder of the sect. He had been severely punished, and such a matter had never happened again.
Because of that, those childes and powerful young men had no choice but to follow the rules.
There were hundreds of thousands of youths who took part in the recruitment this time.
For Swordsmanship-seeking Sect, selecting qualified disciples would be a very heavy project. Fortunately, after quite some years, the sect had formed a complete system in terms of recruitment, and proper rules had been set.
It was late in the morning, and the mountain gate of the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect was unprecedentedly lively.
“Have you heard the news? Great Martial Uncle Ding has returned to the sect and is cultivating in seclusion in the Back Mountain,” a disciple of the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect whispered to his companion.
Another disciple of the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect said with shining eyes, “Haha, you don’t say. I saw him with my own eyes that day. He’s really like an immortal. It would be great if I could be his disciple.”
“You do have a wild imagination!”
“It doesn’t matter. Great Martial Uncle Ding taught us that as martial artists, we should forge ahead. If we don’t even have a wild imagination, how will we go all out?” Speaking of this, the disciple of the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect suddenly lowered his voice and said, “I’ll tell you a piece of news, but you must not spread it.”
“What is it? Why are you being so weird?”
“When I was guarding the Elixir Palace yesterday, I heard that Great Martial Uncle Ding would be recruiting disciples in person this time. He is going to select a hundred geniuses from these little guys and take them as nominal disciples.”
“What? My God. Really? Great Martial Uncle Ding is going to recruit people personally? Which… which kids will get to be so lucky?”
Another disciple of the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect said disappointedly, “Only the teenagers who haven’t joined the sect can be selected? Doesn’t that mean that we have no chance?”
“It won’t be like that. It is said that Senior Brother Ding will recruit a total of 200 people as nominal disciples this time, and the other 100 people will be selected from the disciples that have entered the sect. We still have a chance.”
The two disciples of the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect whispered, full of yearning.
At the same time, a large number of people had already rushed to the mountain gate.
Just like before, it was the outer core elders who were responsible for recruiting nominal disciples. Each test was strictly carried out. The fields of the age test, property test, perseverance test, comprehension test, and so on were crowded with people. The teenagers who were waiting to be tested or waiting for their test results filled these places.
At this time, three or four leisurely figures were casually walking in the crowd.
They were very young and dressed very casually. They were all dressed in ordinary cotton robes. They didn’t look like disciples of the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect, but more like some logistics idle people who had nothing to do. When the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect disciples saw them, they acted as if they didn’t see them. Therefore, no one paid attention to these people. Because those teenagers were full of enthusiasm, they didn’t have time to pay attention to these idle people. Instead, they were looking forward to the acknowledgment from the elders in charge of the examination.
The place was overcrowded.
A group of well-dressed teenagers was bumped by the four leisurely figures, and one of them immediately roared discontentedly, “Hey, you guys, why are you pushing us? You’re not here to take the examination, so why are you here?”
“Yeah. We’ve passed the tests and are about to become disciples of the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect,” another plump young man said with a smug smile. “Judging from the looks of you guys, you must be handymen of the sect. Leave here now. Stop wondering around here. This place is already crowded enough.”
The young men were all arrogant.
Because they had passed the tests of property and comprehension, and their scores were nice. They were sure to be selected as disciples of the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect.
The four men in casual clothes smiled and turned to leave without saying anything.
“It seems that these people are not handymen,” a young man in purple said thoughtfully.
“Besides, look at them. They are not wearing swordsman’s uniforms or the elder’s uniforms. They must be logistics workers of the sect. However, these handymen do have a good temper.”
While they were talking, there was a commotion at the test field of willpower.
“Child, I advise you to give up. Your talent and attributes are all terrible, and you don’t have the qualifications to practice martial arts at all. Besides, you don’t have a solid foundation in martial arts. If you forcibly take the perseverance test, your life will be in danger.” An outer core elder raised his voice and advised a young man impatiently.
Everyone’s eyes were focused on the center of the field.
They saw a skinny young man in ragged clothes. He looked to be only eleven or twelve years old. He was thin and tanned. His ragged clothes barely covered his thin body, like a hundred-year-old cloth. His long hair was disheveled, and he had a stubborn expression on his face. He refused to step down and said, “Doesn’t everyone have a chance to take the entrance examination of the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect? Why don’t you let me take the test?”
The outer core elder’s eyes were already filled with extreme impatience.