Sheng!
Suara nyaring bergema. Tiba-tiba, sesosok tubuh melesat keluar dari dinding lantai enam pagoda bagaikan hantu, menembusnya seolah-olah wujud tak kasat mata dan jatuh dengan sudut miring. Sosok itu bagaikan meteorit yang diselimuti oleh berbagai macam energi.
Bam!
Para kaum elit terlonjak kaget karena taksiap saat sosok itu menghantam tanah dengan keras. Namun, tidak ada kawah tanah seperti yang dibayangkan di tempat ia mendarat. Sebaliknya, benturan itu bagaikan karung pasir yang menghantam lantai baja yang diperkuat. Sosok itu memantul sedikit lalu tak bergerak.
"..." Keheningan mutlak merajai suasana selama beberapa detik hingga sosok itu mulai bergerak-gerak. Semua orang menyadari bahwa sosok tersebut tidak hanya diselimuti oleh berbagai jenis energi, tetapi juga darah. Sosok itu tampak seperti baru saja berendam dalam darah!
Dan dia masih hidup!
Pemuda bertubuh gempal dengan mata cerah memasang ekspresi suram dan gelap saat ia melangkah maju dengan hati-hati. Setelah mengamatinya dengan cermat, ia berseru, "Itu Wen Mingna!"
"Kamu bodoh, ya? Tentu saja itu dia! Siapa lagi kalau bukan dia?!" Seorang elit berbadan tegap melesat maju dan tiba di sisi Wen Mingna, matanya tampak berat dan serius. Kondisi Wen Mingna saat ini sangat mengenaskan. Seluruh tubuhnya dipenuhi oleh darahnya sendiri dengan luka-luka yang menutupi sekitar tujuh puluh persen tubuhnya. Bahkan wajahnya pun terluka. Selain itu, jejak-jejak energi ini bukanlah qi, melainkan energi elemen dan jenis senjata murni. Pastinya ada setidaknya delapan atau sembilan jenis energi di sini.
"Gah..." Wen Mingna memuntahkan sesapan darah, membersihkan tenggorokannya.
Elit berbadan tegap itu membungkuk dan bertanya, "Apa yang terjadi?"
Ekspresi pemuda gempal itu berubah. "Kamu bodoh, ya? Tidak kulihatkah dia terluka parah!" Sayangnya, ia tidak memiliki cara untuk mengatasi hal ini. Ia menoleh untuk bertanya kepada yang lain, "Adakah yang bisa menggunakan teknik penyembuhan?"
"Aku..." Wen Mingna mencoba berbicara, tetapi tubuhnya babak belur dan hancur. Dengan qi yang terkuras habis dan energi spiritualnya yang habis tersedot, ia benar-benar berada dalam kondisi yang mengerikan.
"Jika dia pulih, dia bisa menceritakan apa yang dia alami!" Elit berbadan tegap itu buru-buru berkata, takut wanita itu tewas sewaktu-waktu.
Lian Yu dan seorang gadis muda lainnya melangkah maju. Mereka tentu saja penasaran dengan ujian tersebut dan butuh jawaban. Mereka berjalan menghampiri dan menggunakan qi air serta kayu secara bersamaan untuk memelihara dan memulihkan tubuh Wen Mingna. Cara itu sangat efektif karena luka-luka dan darah yang hilang perlahan-lahan diatasi.
Setelah sepuluh menit pengobatan yang tekun dan konsisten, Wen Mingna cukup pulih untuk bisa berbicara dan bergerak. Dengan susah payah dan perlahan, ia mengangkat tubuh bagian atasnya sambil mengepalkan tangan dan menggertakkan gigi. Di tangan kanannya yang tergenggam erat terdapat sebuah benda berkilau yang tampak cukup mencolok di antara lumuran darah.
Tidak ada yang bertanya tentang benda itu padanya dan hanya menunggu dia berbicara.
Namun, mereka tahu setidaknya satu hal:
Dia gagal!
Setelah menenangkan pikirannya, ia menyapu pandangan matanya yang lelah dan merah untuk mengamati tatapan penasaran dan penuh penantian dari semua orang. Ia menghela napas dalam hati. Ucapannya bernada lesu namun jelas.
Lantai pertama dirancang seputar pengendalian qi dan ketajaman berpikir. Saat memasukinya, ia disambut oleh lantai yang melenyap dan permukaan air di bawahnya. Ia sudah menguasai teknik berjalan di atas air, jadi ia dengan mudah berdiri di permukaannya tanpa terperosok jatuh. Setelah waspada, ia menyadari ada makhluk mirip hiu yang mengerubungi perairan tersebut. Jika seseorang terjatuh, mereka akan dimakan dan dibunuh.
Kemungkinan besar inilah yang terjadi pada orang pertama yang memasukinya. Jika seseorang dikejutkan, diliputi rasa takut, atau tidak mampu menjalankan kemampuan berjalan di atas air, mereka akan dibunuh.
Ujian kedua juga merupakan wujud dari pengendalian qi. Ujian itu menuntut pengendalian sembilan benda berbeda secara terus-menerus pada saat bersamaan. Itu adalah sebuah teka-teki di mana kamu harus memindahkan kesembilan bidak tersebut atau tidak sama sekali. Membagi qi-mu dalam situasi seperti ini sangatlah sulit.
Waktu yang diberikan terbatas. Jika kamu gagal menyelesaikannya dalam batas waktu tersebut, tiga makhluk mirip serigala berkaki empat akan dilepaskan dan mencabik-cabikmu hingga hancur. Makhluk-makhluk itu terus-menerus mengaum ke arahnya untuk mengalihkan perhatiannya, dan detak pewaktu yang terus berjalan membuat jantung berdebar kencang.
Ujian ketiga tidak jauh berbeda dan berfokus pada pengendalian qi. Ada sebuah Formasi Spiritual yang menyerap energi bawaan dari tubuh seseorang, dan kamu harus menggunakan qi-mu untuk mencegah penyedotan tersebut. Semakin dekat seseorang dengan pintu, kekuatan penyedotan itu semakin meningkat.
Jika kamu tidak mampu menyelesaikannya tepat waktu, kamu akan berubah menjadi sesosok cangkang kering yang kosong.
Kerumunan orang itu terkejut. Beberapa merasa bersyukur karena belum mengikuti ujian-ujian tersebut. Setiap ujian ini merupakan pencapaian bagi mereka yang mahir dalam pengendalian qi. Sebagian dari mereka bahkan tidak bisa berjalan di atas air, apalagi mengubah satu menjadi sembilan atau menggunakan qi untuk mengendalikan energi bawaan mereka.
Itu adalah manifestasi qi tingkat sangat tinggi.
Tiga ujian berikutnya adalah tentang mengatasi boneka. Ujian keempat menghadapi satu boneka pada tingkat kultivasimu, ujian kelima memiliki tiga boneka, dan ujian keenam memiliki sembilan. Boneka-boneka ini menggunakan energi murni dan mantra spiritual. Mereka saling terhubung melalui formasi spiritual yang menghubungkan indra dan energi spiritual mereka. Jika kamu tidak memutus formasi tersebut, mereka akan memiliki keunggulan mutlak dalam hal indra, membuat mantra spiritualmu tidak berguna sembari meningkatkan kekuatan mereka sendiri.
Sheng!
A sound resounded. All of a sudden, a figure shot out from the walls of the sixth floor of the pagoda like a ghost, phasing through it like an intangible ghost and plummeting at a diagonal angle. It was like a meteorite as it was engulfed by various energies.
Bam!
The elites jumped, caught off-guard as the figure smashed heavily into the ground. But there wasn’t an expected earthen crater where it landed. Instead, it was like a sandbag hitting a floor of reinforced steel. It bounced slightly and then went still.
"..." Silence reigned supreme for several seconds until the figure started to twitch. Everyone noticed the figure was covered in not just various energies but blood as well. It was like a completely blood drenched figure!
And it was alive!
The chubby youth with bright eyes had a dim and dark expression as he eased his way forward cautiously. After careful inspection did he exclaim, "It’s Wen Mingna!"
"Are you an idiot? Of course its her! Who else could it be?!" A burly elite shot forward and arrived beside Wen Mingna, his eyes heavy and solemn. Wen Mingna’s current condition was harsh. She was completely covered in her own blood with scars covering about seventy-percent of her body. Even her face suffered injuries. Furthermore, these energy traces weren’t qi, but legitimate elemental and weapon-type of energies. There had to be at least eight or nine types here.
"Gah..." Wen Mingna coughed out a wad of blood, clearing her throat.
The burly elite bent down and asked, "What happened?"
The chubby youth’s expression changed. "Are you an idiot? Can’t you see she’s severely injured!" Unfortunately, he didn’t have any way to solve this. He turned to ask the others, "Can anyone use healing arts?"
"I..." Wen Mingna tried to speak, but her body was battered and broken. With her qi exhausted, her spiritual energies drained, she was truly in a horrible state.
"If she recovers, she can tell us what she experienced!" The burly youth hurriedly said, afraid she would croak at any moment.
Lian Yu and another female youth stepped forward. They were naturally curious about the examination and needed answers. They walked forward and used water and wood qi to nourish and repair Wen Mingna’s body in unison. It was incredibly effective as her scars and blood lost were being dealt with.
After ten minutes of diligent and consistent treatment did Wen Mingna heal enough to a sufficient state to speak and move. She slowly and arduously lifted her upper body with clenched fists and teeth. In her tightly clenched right hand was a shiny object that was quite notable despite the blood.
No one asked her about it and just waited for her to speak.
But they knew at least one thing:
She failed!
After calming her state of mind, she swept her exhausted and bloodshot eyes to observe everyone’s waiting and curious looks. She sighed in her heart. Her words were dispirited but clear.
The first floor was designed around qi control and swift thinking. When she entered, she was met with a vanishing floor and a surface of water below. She had already mastered walking on water, so she easily stood on its surface without falling through. After being cautious, she realized there were shark-like beasts infesting the waters. If one fell through, they’d be eaten and killed.
This was likely what happened to the first person who entered. If one was caught by surprise, rendered shocked by fear, or unable to execute the ability to walk on water, they would be killed.
The second test was similarly an expression of qi control. It required the continuous control of nine different objects at the same time. It was a puzzle where you can either move all nine pieces or none at all. To split up your qi in this matter was very difficult.
You had a time limit. If you failed to succeed in that time limit, three four-legged wolf-like beasts would be released and tear you to shred. They were constantly roaring at her trying to distract her, and the ticking of the timer was heart-racing.
The third test wasn’t much different and focused on qi control. There was a Spiritual Formation that drained one’s innate energies from your body and you needed to use your qi to prevent the siphoning. As one got further to the door, the siphoning force continued to increase.
If you’re unable to complete it in time, you’ll be turned into a dry and empty husk.
The entire crowd was startled. A few was happy that they hadn’t taken these tests. Each one of these were achievements of those accomplished in qi control. Some of them weren’t even able to walk on water, let alone turn one into nine or use qi to control their innate energies.
Those were very high-level expressions of qi.
The next three tests were about overcoming puppets. The fourth test was facing one puppet at your cultivation level, the fifth had three, and the sixth had nine. These puppets used pure energies and spiritual spells. They linked together via a spiritual formation that connected their senses and spiritual energies. If you didn’t sever the formation, then they would have an absolute advantage in sense, rendering your spiritual spells useless while enhancing their own.
"The first three tests qi control and the fourth through sixth test comprehensive combat strength, knowledge of spiritual formations, and spiritual strength?" The burly youth felt startled. He was absolutely garbage in all of this except combat strength.
He couldn’t help but gulp loudly. If he had been careless, he could’ve died.
Wen Mingna clenched her right fist tighter as she said with a hint of unwillingness, "When I passed the fourth test, the pagoda gave me this emblem." She opened her fist and revealed the shiny silver object that, despite being wrapped in her bloody fist, was completely clean. It said: Myriad Monarch Sect - Null Disciple."
"Null Disciple? What’s that?" A youth asked. According to Fairy Blessed Spirit, didn’t she say there were only five disciples?
"It’s the equivalent to an honorary disciple!" Wen Mingna answered through gritted teeth.
"A servant disciple?" The burly youth was shocked. Passing the fourth test was merely enough to become a servant of the sect? While honorary disciples sounded nice, they were just servants who worked, not official disciples. All the young elites here knew that.
Wei Wuyin had gotten his start as an honorary disciple in the Scarlet Solaris Sect. If he heard this, he would’ve treated it as an entry ticket and nothing more. After all, your future limits were based on yourself. But the various high-born youths here were disgruntled and in disbelief.
In the end, a few were happy that as long as they were capable of passing the fourth test, they wouldn’t be killed but sent out of the pagoda with an emblem.
"The talented are the skilled. This is such a hard criteria. If what you say is true, then even a first stage cultivator at the Qi Condensation Realm could pass these examinations as long as they were skilled enough." The chubby youth extrapolated the true point of the test.
A few felt certain that they could pass these tests, especially now that they knew about it.
"But...would the tests be the same for everyone?" A scholarly-looking youth with glasses asked with a tinge of uncertainty.
"..."
That’s right...different cultivation levels, ages, even gender could influence the tests. A creeping fear of the unknown unexpectedly swelled in their hearts. To determine this, others had to enter. However, if the test was different or more difficult for them because their cultivation bases or their ages were higher than wouldn’t their fates be unfortunate?
Long Chen gazed at the Myriad Nascent Dao Pagoda. A determined look emerged in his eyes as he looked towards the horizon Xiang Ling and the other took off in. ’ I’ll succeed, and then I’ll meet you again.’
Wen Mingna was a mess of emotions, but as she held the emblem in her hand, a wisp of resolute determination entered her heart. If she had to start low, then so be it. The examination only proved she was far from a normal disciple, but she was in a new world, and as long as she worked extra hard, she’ll definitely reach greater heights!
She wouldn’t give up; she can’t ever give up.
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