“Huh?”Meng Chuan suddenly felt an irresistible force envelop him before lifting him up. He saw all the geniuses fly up as well. All of them were somewhat astonished.
275 people flew up into the air and were scattered forcefully. They landed in the palace compound, about twenty feet away from each other. They stood on top of a stone slab—a circle ten feet wide was carved on the stone slab.
“All of you are in your respective circles. None of you can exit the circle in any way,” continued King East River. “There will be hail falling from the sky. You need to avoid every piece! As long as you get hit by the hail—be it your body or your weapons—it will be considered as failing. Leaving the circle also counts as a failure. If you don’t survive the first two rounds of hail, you will also fail. The longer you can dodge everything, the better.”
Meng Chuan and company looked up.
In the dim sky, countless fluttering snowflakes began to gather suddenly. They gathered in midair, forming a dense cluster of icy hail particles that were as large as fingers. The hailstone shards were only 150 feet above them. This was the height of the tallest building in Archean City.
All the geniuses nervously watched the hailstones cover the sky.
They didn’t dare look at King East River, but they could stare at the hail.
“Begin.” As soon as King East River finished speaking, the hailstones shot down.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Each hailstone was comparable to an arrow shot by experts at the Seamless realm. They were extremely fast. However, Meng Chuan was used to such things.
For years, he had trained with volleys of arrows flying at him for an hour every day. As his strength and speed increased, he had his guards draw closer and closer to him to put himself under more pressure! Therefore, Meng Chuan forced himself to push his movement technique, reaction speed, and saber techniques to their limits, refining and improving them step-by-step.
But in this assessment, movement techniques were not important! In a circle that was only ten feet wide, as long as one could react quickly, they would be able to avoid the hailstones. The key was to react in time! If they didn’t react in time, they would be hit.
Saber techniques were not important either! Having the weapon hit spelled failure as well. The test was for reaction speed! He had to react in time.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Hailstones flew towards him. Instantly, three hailstones fell towards Meng Chuan’s circle. Then, there were two more, followed by three more…
Meng Chuan was relaxed. The hail isn’t launched all at once but split into batches. There are only two to three hailstones in each batch.
Meng Chuan didn’t know how much his reaction speed had improved since he had started his training regime. He pushed his limits every day! He pushed himself to the limits of what he could endure.
To him, it was currently a stroll in the park. With a simple movement, two hailstones shot past him, smashed into the ground, and were reduced to powder.
Not only was his reaction speed swift, but he also had his 100 foot wide perception domain—that resulted from his soul—aiding him. In the hundred-foot domain, the hail was extremely clear, allowing him to avoid them easily.
…
The spectators watched from a distance nervously.
They didn’t dare to look at King East River. They could only stare at the geniuses and the countless hailstones in the sky. Snowflakes began fluttering in the air with increasing intensity, affecting their vision.
“It’s the third assessment.”
“There are only three segments to the preliminaries. The rankings will be decided after the preliminaries.”
“You must hold on.” Many people watched nervously. They stared at their family clan’s pride and hope.
Meng Chuan was the Meng family’s hope; likewise, many geniuses here were their family’s hope.
…
King East River controlled everything expressionlessly. The hail continued for quite some time before it came to an abrupt stop.
“Next up is the second round,” King East River said calmly.
The hail only stopped for a few seconds before it rained down again.
It’s a lot faster now. Outside his 100 foot wide perception domain, Meng Chuan could use his Force domain to determine the hailstones’ vague trajectories. When they entered his 100 foot wide domain, he could clearly sense the hailstones! He easily determined that the hailstones’ speed had increased by 20%. Although it was only a 20% increase, the difficulty of dodging the hailstones increased tremendously.
Pfft. Pfft. Pfft.
Meng Chuan could sense people around him being hit one after another! They couldn’t react in time, thus, their bodies, weapons, or clothes were hit!
“No…” A genius held a huge hammer in his hand in despair. The hammer had just been hit by a hailstone when an invisible force wrapped around him and lifted him up. It wasn’t only him, the other geniuses who had failed the second round were also lifted up and sent off into the distance.
“You can’t even withstand the second round of hail. This reaction speed is really too slow.” King East River’s icy voice rang out in every geniuses’ ears. “If you were to engage in a life-and-death battle, you would die easily.”
When the second round of hail ended, a total of thirty-six geniuses had been “lifted” up and thrown far away.
Archean Mountain had set the second round as the demarcating line because this condition could stop many geniuses in their tracks.
This made the remaining geniuses heave sighs of relief. At the very least, I managed to hold out for the second round, reaching the minimum requirement. Many geniuses who had narrow escapes felt fortunate that they still had hope.
Whoosh~
After a slight pause, the countless hailstones floating in the sky began to rain down a third time. Archean Mountain wanted to select the truly outstanding geniuses—they weren’t just looking for people who could meet the minimum requirements.
Chapter 81 - Potential
Translator: CKtalon Editor: CKtalon
In the dim sky, heavy snow fell.
Many geniuses stared at the countless hailstones floating in the sky. When the third round began, the hailstones rained down again. One by one, they shot down at newly-elevated speeds.
It’s too fast. Many geniuses felt like the hailstones had arrived in front of them in the blink of an eye. They barely had time to think and react. Before they could dodge, the hailstones had hit their bodies.
It’s over. I got hit.
Crap.
That’s too fast.
Many geniuses were struck. The number of geniuses that were struck by hail increased.
An invisible force hoisted them up and threw them towards the spectators.
“Although they have reached Archean Mountain’s minimum requirements, not being able to withstand the third round means that they only have ordinary reaction speeds.”
“Unless one is especially outstanding in other aspects, there’s no value in nurturing them.” The Godfiends chatted casually. Only the most outstanding geniuses were qualified to enter Archean Mountain. Ordinary geniuses would waste the Godfiend Blood Pool’s powers.
…
The third round quickly ended, and 58 geniuses were thrown out.
There were still 181 geniuses standing in their circles. Meng Chuan and company waited attentively. The hail stopped for a moment before it rained down for the fourth time. Its speed had obviously increased again.
Too fast.
This… Many geniuses had only seen the hailstones flying over. By the time their brains reacted, the hailstones had already hit them.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Many geniuses were lifted into the air. This scene caused the spectators to exclaim in shock. This was because there were simply too many people who had been eliminated in the fourth round of hail. The number of geniuses floating in the air was greater than the number of geniuses left in the c
ircles.
I’ve actually managed to survive. The geniuses who remained in the circles heaved sighs of relief. Only then did they realize how few people remained standing in the circles. A total of 102 people had failed the fourth round. There were only 79 people remaining.
These 79 geniuses were very outstanding. They had either consumed rare treasures and forged a robust Godfiend foundation, or they had extremely high talent and excellent reaction speed.
Of course, there were very few people who had Godfiend foundations like Meng Chuan and Yan Jin. There were only about ten of them. Most of them had only consumed one or two ordinary treasures, with a few consuming a drop of Godfiend Jade Marrow Liquid. They were 50–80% stronger than typical geniuses. The more robust one’s foundation, the stronger their Godfiend bodies were. They naturally had an advantage in terms of reaction speed.
Whoosh. King East River stood there, staring coldly at everything. With a thought, the hail began falling for the fifth time.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!
Countless hailstones rained down, and the 79 geniuses immediately tried their best to dodge. The spectators watching from afar were all extremely nervous. They knew very well that Archean Mountain only chose twenty people! How would they choose? It was based on the results of the comprehensive assessment. The results from the preliminaries’ three segments and the final assessment were combined and used to select twenty people.
Therefore, the more outstanding one was, the higher the chances of obtaining a spot. If one wasn’t exceptionally outstanding, they had to excel in all aspects, making them well-rounded. Only then could they obtain a spot.
“Second Young Master, you have to clear it. You have to.” An elder watched nervously.
My dear disciple, my dear disciple… Just a bit more. If you pass the fifth round, your chances of getting a spot will be much higher. A fat elder watched nervously. I’m a useless master. I couldn’t afford to buy any natural treasures for you. You have to fight for it yourself.
Natural treasures that helped forge a Godfiend foundation were too precious. Without consuming any rare treasures, the disadvantage was huge. To be able to hold on until now was testimony to an individual’s extreme talent.
Chuan’er. Meng Dajiang watched. Chuan’er has fought with a second Firmament demon monarch before. He could even withstand a prolonged pursuit. His reaction speed must be very fast.
Everyone watched nervously.
The hail was too fast. Many geniuses were hit before they could react. They were thrown out one after another. This continued until the fifth round of hail stopped.
Sigh. He didn’t manage to survive this round. Many spectators sighed when their hopes failed the fifth round.
He survived this round. My dear disciple survived this round. The fat elder was excited as he watched. His disciple—who had never consumed any natural treasures—had actually passed the fifth round.
…
Meng Chuan looked around and saw how sparse his surroundings were. Only 23 people remained after the fifth round.
For example, those with robust Godfiend foundations like Chu Yong, Yan Feng, Yan Jin, Zong Sha, and Princess Li Ying were naturally able to survive the fifth round. As for the thirteen-year-old genius, Yan Chitong, although his Godfiend foundation was robust, he was still far from the peak of the Force realm because he had only comprehended Force recently. If he failed to form a Heaven and Earth Force domain, dodging would prove to be difficult. This was reflected by his failure to pass the fifth round.
“Three people who passed the fifth round have never consumed any natural treasures. Their Godfiend bodies are much weaker,” said the sloppy man with a voice transmission. “Their Godfiend bodies are so weak, but they can still react so quickly. Their talent is truly high.”
“Yes, Zuo Xiao, Shangguan Feng, and Yu Chang.” The cyan-clothed woman nodded. “These three are indeed suitable for grooming. However, they failed to establish a robust Godfiend foundation at the Mortal Shedding realm. It will be difficult for them to close the gap in the future. Let’s see… if they are selected for the final assessment, and they have outstanding performance in certain areas, we can give them a spot.”
The sloppy-looking man nodded.
King East River and the two of them were in charge of presiding over the entrance examination. They were the ones who decided on the rankings.
Godfiends with robust foundations were naturally given priority. As for these three people—who had never consumed any natural treasures—their passing of the fifth round had won them a chance at entering Archean Mountain. As long as they had excellent performances, it would be enough for Archean Mountain to recruit them.
…
There were only 23 geniuses left.
King East River calmly looked at the 23 youths. Although there were those who hadn’t consumed rare treasures and reached this point—implying their high talent—what Archean Mountain wanted most were geniuses with extremely high talent and robust Godfiend foundations.
Whoosh. The sixth round began and the hail rained down. The speed of the hailstones had once again increased.
“Too fast.”
Immediately, geniuses were struck one after another. The fifth round had been the limit for many of them. They could not withstand the hailstones’ increased speed.
Hold on. The purple-robed princess, Li Ying, struggled to hold on. She could vaguely sense geniuses being hit by hail. She tried her best to survive the sixth round. Although she was an imperial princess with extremely high status, the competition within the imperial family was equally intense… As the number one Godfiend family clan in the Great Zhou Dynasty, her status as princess didn’t mean much. Her strength was more important.
A princess that had yet to reach the Godfiend realm wasn’t of value to the imperial family.
Swish!
The hail became faster and increasingly difficult to dodge. Finally, a hailstone brushed past her quiver. Her expression changed immediately. As a true expert, she had great control over her body. Having a hailstone touch her quiver meant failure.
An invisible force enveloped her, and she began to levitate. She knew that she had failed to survive this round. She looked around and saw that there were still 7 geniuses holding on. She heaved a sigh of relief. I still have a high chance of being in the chosen twenty.
Not good. Jin Huan’s body flashed with lightning as he tried his best to dodge again and again. The speedy hailstones finally exceeded his reaction speed.
Jin Huan was also enveloped by an invisible force and floated up. He looked around him.
There were six geniuses remaining.
Duck!
Yan Jin was dodging with all his might. He cultivated the Icefire Divine Body, and he was good at close combat. In melee combat, there was a fine line between life and death! Normally, he could use both swords to fight the enemy, but now, he could only dodge. He tried his best to rely on his instincts and dodge the falling hailstones. As the hail was too fast, he could only rely on his instincts.
Pfft.
An icy hailstone brushed past Yan Jin’s back. His face turned pale—he had also failed.
He, too, was enveloped by an invisible force as he floated up.
When Yan Jin flew up, he saw Chu Yong and Yan Feng floating as well. They had also failed.
…
When the hail stopped, there were only three people left standing—Meng Chuan, Zong Sha, and Ji Yuantong.
The other geniuses looked at them with mixed emotions as everyone stared at the remaining three.
“Good.” A smile finally appeared on King East River’s face.
Chapter 82 - Natural Spiritual Perception
King East River had high standards. Only when Meng Chuan, Zong Sha, and Ji Yuantong managed to survive six rounds of hail could they satisfy him.
“If they can survive six rounds, the three of them will definitely rank in the top ten,” the sloppy-looking man said via voice t
ransmission. “Who do you think will be ranked first among the three?”
“Ji Yuantong gives me special vibes,” said the cyan-clothed woman. “My bets are on him.”
“I think most highly of him as well. His performance in the first two segments was pretty good. It also looked like it was easy for him to dodge the hail,” praised the sloppy man. “I don’t think he’s at his limit yet. However, Zong Sha and Meng Chuan aren’t to be dismissed as well. Zong Sha is a sharpshooter, so he has a limitless future. Meng Chuan is extremely fast. I believe he can live for a long time. There’s hope for everything if he has a long life.”
They were in a good mood seeing outstanding geniuses. Archean Mountain’s goal was to choose the most outstanding geniuses for grooming.
…
There are only three left. Ardor and zeal coursed through Meng Dajiang’s blood. Regardless of what happens, Meng Chuan will definitely be in the top three for the third segment. Meng Dajiang was already very satisfied.
After all, all the geniuses of the Great Zhou Dynasty were gathered here! What more could a father ask for, after seeing what his son had accomplished?
In his mind, the thought of his son coming first in the entrance examination at Archean Mountain—allowing him to be well-nurtured by Archean Mountain—surfaced. However, it was a fleeting thought. Firstly, he didn’t wish to put too much pressure on his son. Secondly, the natural treasures the geniuses from the ancient Godfiend family clans had consumed were in no way inferior to what they had given Meng Chuan. They also received the guidance of powerful Godfiends. Their training environments were much better than Meng Chuan’s.
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