It’s already very good. Meng Dajiang looked on happily, and his eyes moistened. I’ll be very satisfied if he can enter Archean Mountain.
…
Everyone stared at Meng Chuan, Zong Sha, and Ji Yuantong.
King East River smiled. Many hailstones floated in the air, and a number of them began to fall at even greater speeds.
Meng Chuan, Zong Sha, and Ji Yuantong were fully focused. Within their ten-foot-wide circles, they dodged the high-speed hail. The hailstones were virtually phantoms as they fell from 150 feet high. The distance was too short! The speed was too high!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Zong Sha was ordinary and unremarkable, but he was the strongest sharpshooter at the Archean Mountain entrance examination. He cultivated the Wind Divine Body. He could sense the “wind’s breathing.” With every incoming hailstone, he could discern their trajectories. He dodged them accordingly to what he had perceived! It was too difficult to detect the fast hailstones with the naked eye due to the short distance between them and the falling hail. He had to rely on his perception to dodge them.
Only then did he reach the seventh round. However, the hail had reached an even faster speed. He could sense the hailstones with the wind’s breathing, but the hailstones were too close to him by the time he could react.
He dodged five hailstones in a harrowing manner, but the sixth hailstone hit his abdomen before he could dodge it.
I still failed. Zong Sha sighed softly.
He was enveloped by an invisible force as he flew up. When he flew up, he looked in two directions. Meng Chuan and Ji Yuantong were still dodging.
Their movement styles were different. Meng Chuan moved agilely and naturally, while Ji Yuantong was dodging with his eyes closed.
In the blink of an eye, the seventh round ended. Zong Sha was eliminated, while Meng Chuan and Ji Yuantong survived.
What monsters. We only survived the fifth round. Meng Chuan and Ji Yuantong actually managed to survive the seventh round. Princess Li Ying was somewhat shocked. The hailstones were so fast that it made her heart tremble. However, the duo could still dodge them. Such reaction speeds were inconceivable.
That amazing? Chu Yong was silent. As the number one genius in the imperial capital, his name had been heard throughout the world seven years ago. He originally thought that he would dominate the test, but he never expected that he would be crushed in all aspects. He was clearly one level inferior to Meng Chuan and Ji Yuantong. When all aspects were considered, even Zong Sha was more outstanding than him. Zong Sha’s results in the second and third segments were even better than Chu Yong’s.
As for the first segment, although Chu Yong’s attacks were mighty, Zong Sha was a sharpshooter. His arrows were extremely fast, bringing his threat level to Ji Yuantong’s level.
Chu Yong knew that he should be ranked second. Yan Feng and Yan Jin were comparable to him.
There’s always someone stronger than you. Chu Yong’s heart was filled with complicated emotions.
I’m still so far from him. Yan Jin was very calm when he saw this scene. He had treated his father as his goal and had always felt the huge gap between them. His good friend, Meng Chuan, had suppressed him, and he had been chasing after him all this while! He chased after Meng Chuan and his father, King Calm Sea.
He had patience, and he would continue chasing after them.
…
“These two actually managed to come this far. They have very high spiritual perception.” The group of powerful Godfiends felt rather surprised.
“They aren’t even Godfiends yet, but their spiritual perception is so strong! It seems like they were born with extraordinary spiritual perception.”
“They are worth nurturing.”
These Marquis Godfiends—who usually guarded the Great Zhou Dynasty’s various states—watched Meng Chuan and Ji Yuantong with appreciation.
On the surface, the third segment of the preliminaries was a reaction speed test. However, what it truly tested was the geniuses’ spiritual perception! It was one of the most important qualities they tested for during the preliminaries, and it required King East River to preside over the third segment personally.
Meng Chuan and Ji Yuantong glanced at each other. The competition was between them now.
“In the eighth round, the two of you have to survive. The longer you survive, the better,” advised King East River. Following that, the icy hail in the sky rained down again.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Every hailstone was faster than the last.
Ji Yuantong—who was extremely confident—began to struggle. He closed his eyes, and his perception of his surroundings became clearer. He could vaguely sense the hailstones coming towards him.
He dodged through pure instinct. However, with the ever-increasing speed of the hailstones, he soon reached his limit.
Pu! A hailstone finally smashed into his shoulder. He failed to dodge it. When he opened his eyes, he was enveloped by an invisible force and began floating up. He saw Meng Chuan still dodging the hail crazily in the distance.
He’s better than me? Ji Yuantong frowned. He had had a supercilious attitude towards his peers since he was young. However, he wasn’t willing to flaunt his prowess. He had already crushed the so-called geniuses from Archean City long ago. When he had revealed a portion of his skill, he was deemed as Archean City’s number one genius. He didn’t take it to heart when the thirteen-year-old Yan Chitong comprehended Force. He believed that Yan Chitong wouldn’t be able to catch up to him.
After all, no one had ever managed to catch up to him. He kept becoming stronger because he wanted to shock everyone at the Archean Mountain entrance examination!
It was fine if he usually kept a low profile, but he had to display all his prowess at Archean Mountain’s entrance examination. Only then would Archean Mountain give him the best nurturing. However, he had never expected someone to surpass him in the second and third segments of the preliminaries.
Wu State’s Meng Chuan? It’s said that he’s part of a Godfiend family clan in a remote area of Wu State. As he thought about this, the hail stopped.
Meng Chuan—who was dressed in a navy blue robe and had a saber by his waist—continued standing in his circle silently.
He passed? Ji Yuantong landed on the ground and watched from afar.
“Meng Chuan passed the eighth round. He’s the only one!” Everyone watched.
“Chuan’er!” Meng Dajiang looked at Meng Chuan standing by his lonesome. Some distance away in front of Meng Chuan stood King East River.
This scene made Meng Dajiang extremely proud. That was his son!
…
“He managed to dodge all of that? His spiritual perception is extraordinary.”
“His natural spiritual perception is extremely high.”
The Godfiends also observed carefully. They were also very curious. Meng Chuan was the last man standing. How much longer could he last?
“Very good.” King East River smiled at Meng Chuan. “Hold on. The longer you can last, the better. I’ll begin the ninth round.”
“Yes.” Meng Chuan nodded.
He understood this logic. He had to use all his strength at the Archean Mountain entrance examination to showcase himself fully. The only exception was the glabella space—it was too unique. Even Fairy Meng—who had been a Godfiend for nearly eighty years and had a bunch of Godfiend friends while serving under King Calm Sea—had never heard of the glabella space. This both delighted and worried her.
It was either a fortuitous opportunity or a calamity. Therefore, he had to investigate the glabella space discretely before deciding if he wanted to announce its existence. Meng Chuan naturally listened to Fairy Meng. His grandaunt wouldn’t harm him.
Persevere. Persevere to the end. Meng Chuan’s Saber Force domain allowed him to sense the hailstones, likewise for his hundred-foot perception domain. His Saber Force domain gave blurry images, and his hundred-foot domain gave hi
m an extremely clear view.
Dodge, duck! Meng Chuan dodged very gracefully. He had been following his training regime for a long time and was used to dodging.
As time passed, the spectating Godfiends’ expressions turned solemn.
“What?”
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
The sloppy-looking man and the cyan-clothed woman arrived beside King East River.
“The ninth round hasn’t forced him to his limits yet,” said the cyan-clothed woman in surprise.
“Not at all.” King East River stared at Meng Chuan, his eyes shining.
“Is his spiritual perception that powerful?” The sloppy-looking man couldn’t believe it.
Phew, the hail stopped. Meng Chuan continued standing in his circle after surviving the ninth round of hail.
“Ji Yuantong only survived the seventh round, but Meng Chuan has already passed the ninth round!” The sloppy man couldn’t believe it. “Ji Yuantong is already very impressive. But he’s so much better than Ji Yuantong?”
“His spiritual perception is so sharp that it’s unbelievable,” said the cyan-clothed woman softly. “With such a strong spiritual perception, it shouldn’t be difficult for him to condense an Essence Soul in the future, right?”
King East River’s smile became even more radiant. He stared at Meng Chuan and said loudly, “Meng Chuan, continue to persevere. The longer you hold on, the better. I’ll begin the tenth round now.”
With that said, the hail began falling at high speeds—its speed rising to new heights once again.
The tenth round began!
Marquis Southcloud, Marquis West Sea, and the other Marquis Godfiends carefully watched Meng Chuan as though they were looking at a peerless treasure.
Chapter 83 - The Preliminaries End
Meng Dajiang watched his son from afar.
The powerful Godfiends of Archean Mountain were currently paying attention to his son. The three Godfiends in charge of presiding over the examination were staring at Meng Chuan. This showed how much attention they paid to him.
A lone figure!
His son had now surpassed all the geniuses. Even the extremely talented Ji Yuantong had only passed the seventh round, while his son was already dodging the tenth round of hail. Meng Dajiang could sense the geniuses’ envy and jealousy as they stared at Meng Chuan.
Chuan’er. Meng Dajiang felt even prouder.
Nianyun, our son is really outstanding. He will definitely enter the Archean Mountain and obtain the best nurturing. Meng Dajiang’s blood boiled as he watched from the side. He was even more excited than his son—who was undergoing the assessment.
…
As the Godfiends watched, the geniuses also stared at Meng Chuan with mixed emotions.
The segment’s tenth round continued. The hailstones were terrifyingly fast. Meng Chuan had transformed into a blurry phantom completely. Every time he moved, the hailstones would appear to pass through his “body,” but in reality, none of them hit him.
When the hailstones stopped, Meng Chuan remained in the circle.
He passed the tenth round as well? Ji Yuantong, Zong Sha, Chu Yong, Yan Feng, Jin Xin, Yan Chitong, Li Ying, and the other geniuses were all dazed. The gap between them was ridiculously huge, and they only had disbelief in their hearts!
So Meng Chuan is that powerful. Yan Jin stared at the solitary figure carefully.
“Continue!” King East River’s voice was filled with anticipation. His eyes were filled with fervor as the hail rained down at elevated speeds. Although the hail seemed to hit Meng Chuan, in actuality, they only pierced through his afterimages.
This scene left the other geniuses somewhat numb. The difference was ridiculous.
Pfft!
Suddenly, a hailstone turned to powder when it hit an afterimage. Meng Chuan stopped, and the hail came to a halt.
Everyone knew that he had failed.
After dodging several hailstones in the eleventh round, Meng Chuan ultimately failed. However, his results still left the geniuses speechless.
“His spiritual perception is indeed incredible,” said King East River with a smile. He said to the sloppy man and the cyan-clothed woman, “Ji Yuantong’s spiritual perception is very strong, but such quality can be found once every few years. However, Meng Chuan’s spiritual perception can only be found once every few centuries. His spiritual perception will definitely make it very easy for him to condense an Essence Soul. His potential is extremely great, but what’s crucial is to nurture him well.”
“He still needs to achieve Saber Intent and Saber Soul… He needs to cultivate step by step.” The sloppy man nodded as well. “Nothing can be accomplished with a single step. No matter how talented he is, it’s useless if he doesn’t focus on cultivation.”
“A peerless piece of unpolished jade has arrived at our Archean Mountain. It is our duty to nurture him well,” said the cyan-clothed woman with a smile.
“Yes.” King East River nodded.
The trio’s aura fluctuations were something the mortals didn’t dare to look at. Their voices were cut off from any outsiders.
…
Meng Chuan stood still dazedly. I still couldn’t dodge that hailstone. My body is still too slow.
Unbeknownst to Meng Chuan, when a genius avoided the hail, they would first see with their eyes, or use their Force domain to sense the hailstones. The information would then be transmitted to the brain. This transmission required very little time. The feedback from the brain also needed time to be transmitted to the body.
There were three stages for reacting to a stimulus: acquisition, thought, and instruction.
As for Meng Chuan, his hundred-foot domain was actually the result of the 'soul” in his glabella space directly sensing something. His soul would 'see” everything. After sighting, the soul would think and react.
Therefore, Meng Chuan skipped the process of transmitting information to the brain. He 'saw” with the soul directly, and his soul did the thinking. This was much faster than using his brain to think!
The only thing that remained the same was the fact the brain commanded the body. This was the same as the other geniuses. If Meng Chuan fused the Power of the Soul with his entire body, then the commanding of the body would be done through the Power of the Soul. That made it much faster! He would’ve probably reached the fifteenth round if he did so!
However, he didn’t use the Power of the Soul. Just relying on the uniqueness of the 'soul” in his glabella space, Meng Chuan managed to pass the tenth round, though he failed the eleventh round.
“Meng Chuan.” King East River’s voice rang out. “Well done.”
Upon hearing the praise, Meng Chuan couldn’t help but feel delighted.
King East River turned and left.
The sloppy-looking man smiled and said loudly, “The preliminaries have ended. All of you can take a break. According to the results of the preliminaries, Archean Mountain will decide on the hundred participants that will participate in the final selection tomorrow. Those who are not in the top 100 are eliminated.”
With that said, he and the cyan-clothed woman turned and left. However, when they left, they took another look at Meng Chuan.
“Haha.” The group of Marquis Godfiends—who had been watching the preliminaries—also stood up and left.
“Meng Chuan, well done.” A familiar voice sounded in his ears. Meng Chuan looked up and saw Marquis Southcloud smiling at him from afar before he left with the other Godfiends.
Meng Chuan stood alone in his circle.
“Young Master Meng, please follow me.” Immediately, a steward from Blazing Sun Palace came to guide him.
Meng Chuan nodded.
Soon, he arrived in a hall. There were dozens of geniuses, and their family and friends present. The moment Meng Chuan arrived, he immediately attracted the attention of many.
“Chuan’er.” Meng Dajiang welcomed him.
“Dad.” Meng Chuan smiled.
�
��Well done.” Meng Dajiang patted Meng Chuan on the shoulder. “If your grandaunt knows about this, she will definitely be very happy.”
Meng Chuan nodded gently. His grandaunt was still waiting for news back in their hometown.
“Let’s wait. Archean Mountain will need time to decide the top 100,” said Meng Dajiang. “This ranking is very important. It should take quite some time.”
“Yes, I wonder how high I’ll rank,” said Meng Chuan.
“Being in the top two shouldn’t be a problem,” said Meng Dajiang. “The only one who can compete with you is Ji Yuantong.”
Meng Chuan nodded as well. “I was too weak in the first assessment.”
Meng Chuan was ranked twenty-third in the first assessment. However, he ranked first in the second and third assessments.
On the other hand, there was Ji Yuantong—who had ranked number one in the first assessment, fifth for the second assessment, and second for the third assessment. It had to be said that Ji Yuantong traversed the second assessment’s tunnel while carrying hammers—which weighed a few hundred kilograms. His physical talent was indeed monstrous.
“Meng Chuan.” Yan Jin walked over. The others had friends and family, but he was alone. He said, “Congratulations. You will definitely be able to obtain a spot for Archean Mountain’s final selection. Furthermore, you will definitely be in the top three.”
“I hope so.” Meng Chuan smiled.
“Meng Chuan.” A clear female voice rang out.
Meng Chuan turned to look.
A purple-clothed woman walked over. She was the focus wherever she went. She was born with an air of nobility, and her smile could melt the hearts of others.
“Princess,” greeted Meng Chuan politely.
“I heard of your name a long time ago,” said Princess Li Ying with a smile. “It’s just that you’re far more powerful than I thought. Once we enter Archean Mountain, we must spar and see if you can avoid my arrows.”
After the first three assessments, Li Ying became confident about her chances of entering Archean Mountain. She was the second best sharpshooter among the geniuses this time. Only Zong Sha was stronger than her. Archean Mountain placed great importance on sharpshooters, so she was confident that with her strength, Archean Mountain would admit her.
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