by Shian Jeen
Huwang Xiao spent the next two days in the city.
In these two days, he would spend the day cultivating his battle qi in his yard, and at times when the mood struck him, he would take a stroll around the city, returning at nightfall to read the books he purchased.
Two days later, Huwang Xiao had finished reading the books he bought, bringing his perspective on the current forces in the Black Tortoise Galaxy as well as some common knowledge about other world surfaces to a higher level.
At this point, the Black Tortoise Galaxy had as much as twenty-three super forces! And over two thousand first rank forces!
At galactic level, a power that had a Highgod Realm master could enter the ranks of super forces. In short, the Black Tortoise Galaxy had a total of twenty-three forces backed by Highgod Realm masters. On the other hand, powers that had Tenth Order God Realm masters and above were qualified to be acknowledged as first rank forces.
At the same time, from these books, Huwang Xiao came to know the names of the current top ten thousand world surfaces in Black Tortoise Galaxy. This ranking was based on the overall comprehensive force of a world surface.
Inside this list of ten thousand world surfaces, there was no Martial Spirit World. In other words, the strength of everyone in Martial Spirit World combined couldn't even enter a list ten thousand names long in the eyes of the Black Tortoise Galaxy!
This made Huwang Xiao a little depressed, was the Martial Spirit World that weak?
However, Huwang Xiao found Peace Emperor World’s name inside the list, in the group of one thousand one hundred something. Amongst one hundred and twenty-three thousand world surfaces in the Black Tortoise Galaxy, able to be listed at slightly past a thousand, one could imagine how strong the Peace Emperor World actually was!
“Truth be told, around a hundred thousand years ago, our Martial Spirit World was ranked somewhere in the thirties in the entire Black Tortoise Galaxy. But all the Highgod and God Realm masters have fallen during the Great Fiendgod War, causing the Martial Spirit World to fall out from the ten thousand rankings.” Dragon Emperor Ao Taiyi lamented. “Little brat Huwang, I hope that when the top ten thousand rankings reshuffle the next time, you can put Martial Spirit World’s name on the list once more!”
Every ten thousand years, the ranking list would be reshuffled.
“Don’t you worry.” Huwang Xiao nodded assuredly.
There were only two hundred years left to the next ranking reshuffling, but Huwang Xiao was confident he could bring the Martial Spirit World all the way up to top one hundred!
After staying for another two days in the city, Huwang Xiao left the city and headed toward the Black Warrior City.
The Black Warrior City was the only city built by the Black Warrior Institute on the Cloudsea Mainland, the place where participants registered for the disciple selection assessment.
Although there was a still a year’s time until the assessment, early registration was allowed.
…
One month later, Huwang Xiao arrived at the Black Warrior City.
Before arriving, he had prepared himself at the possible enormity of Black Warrior City, yet when he arrived, he still couldn’t help feeling awestruck.
Even he couldn't tell how high the city walls were, rising all the way into the clouds! The rest of the walls had seemingly no end.
“Awestruck? Heh, I had more or less the same expression when I first saw it myself. This Black Warrior City is slightly bigger than the Martial Spirit World.” Dragon Emperor Ao Taiyi said.
‘Bigger than Martial Spirit World?!’ Huwang Xiao was deeply astonished.
A city bigger than a world surface!
“Go on, to the registration place. After registering, go sell off a piece of divine grade spirit stone to an auction house and buy some beast cores.” Dragon Emperor Ao Taiyi went on, “Before the assessment day arrives, you can advance to half-step God Realm.”
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Huwang Xiao nodded.
After auctioning a piece of divine grade spirit stone, it would definitely be sufficient to supply him with enough peak half-step God Realm beast cores until he reached half-step God Realm.
Despite the fact that auctioning a divine grade spirit stone would attract attraction and cause a stir, Huwang Xiao couldn't be bothered at the moment. Well, he would just ‘change’ into another face before heading to the auction house.
Huwang Xiao proceeded to enter the Black Warrior City. Sadly, to enter Black Warrior City, each person was required to pay one thousand Xuanwu coins. Generally speaking, one need not give any Xuanwu coins to enter most cities other than the cities built by the twenty-three super forces. But then again, the Black Warrior City did set the highest fee of all. Although one thousand Xuanwu coins wasn’t much to Huwang Xiao, to any average Tenth Order Saint realm expert it was akin to a piece of their flesh.
Walking into the city, Huwang Xiao headed towards the registration area for the Black Warrior Institute. The registration area was located at the Central District of the Black Warrior City, at a place called the Hall of Heroes.
Three days later, Huwang Xiao walked into the Hall of Heroes.
Even though the Hall of Heroes was a ‘hall’ by name, its land area was larger than an imperial city on the Martial Spirit World many times over. By the time Huwang Xiao reached the doors, the front portion was packed with people bustling about.
With less than a year remaining to the day of assessment, the registration of participants was already opened, hence, top talents and family geniuses from all over Black Tortoise Galaxy had made their way over to process their registration.
Crossing over the Hall of Heroes’ front door threshold, a large square came into sight, but something at a corner of the square caught Huwang Xiao’s attention. A crowd was hovering over something interesting.
“That’s the ten thousand year Tortoise Boundary,” Dragon Emperor Ao Taiyi explained. “A formation carved by a primeval great master that can test your aptitude and strength.”
Test one’s aptitude and strength! Huwang Xiao was stunned.
“How about it, want to give it a try?” Dragon Emperor Ao Taiyi enticed.
Huwang Xiao was tempted.
He very much wanted to know where his talent and strength stood. But, if he was tested in public, wouldn’t that expose his talent and strength to everyone?
As if knowing Huwang Xiao’s worry, Dragon Emperor Ao Taiyi laughed, “During the test, you can suppress half the aura inside you, moreover, your True Dragon Physique has a hidden nature. You can totally hide your true strength during the test, and then regauge your talent and strength based on the result.”
Huwang Xiao nodded. This was also considered a way.
“This ten thousand year Tortoise Boundary is meant to help participants gauge their chances of passing the Black Warrior Institute’s assessment before they register.” Dragon Emperor Ao Taiyi went on, “In general, they have a hope of passing the assessment if they get 1000 points and above.”
As Dragon Emperor Ao Taiyi explained, Huwang Xiao already reached the crowd of people, joining the queue. Since he was already here, the registration could wait a while. However, the family disciples that wanted to test themselves were a staggering number, just in front of Huwang Xiao were five to six hundred people.
As the test results were announced one after another, the surroundings erupted with either mocking sneers or exclamations of surprise. Of course, jealous and envious stares were thrown in from time to time.
“Talent-892, strength-983!”
“983, the strength is very close to 1000. There’s hope in passing the assessment, which family does he belong to?”
“Seems like someone from the Iro World’s Luo Family!”
When a young man in azure robes walked out from the test altar, it raised a commotion among the spectating crowd. In ten thousand people who took the test, only a scarce few were able to exceed 900. Whenever a disciple’s test result was close to 100
0, it would draw exclamations and jealous stares from the crowd.
That Luo Family disciple left the square under a multitude of envious stares with his head held high and chest puffed up toward the Hall of Heroes registration location.
Huwang Xiao was excited. Although the Iro World’s Luo Family wasn’t one of Black Tortoise Galaxy’s twenty-three super forces, it was however, one of the first rank forces. The Luo Family, together with the Yi Family, controlled more than nine-tenths of the Iro World’s forces.
In the ten thousand planets ranking, it was placed close to a hundred.
“Talent-923, strength-1056!”
“That is also a disciple from the Iro World’s Yi Family!”
Subsequently, the crowd broke out in another wave of shock and jealousy.
This Yi Family disciple’s talent and strength were slightly stronger than the previous Luo Family disciple. However, the next two hundred over tests did not produce another participant with strength surpassing 900.
Two hours later, it was finally Huwang Xiao’s turn.
Huwang Xiao walked up to the test altar. In front of the test altar, something resembling a one-meter tall bath barrel was hovering. Looking at it , he knew this was the ten thousand year Tortoise Boundary.
Before stepping in, Huwang Xiao completely hid his True Dragon Physique, then following what the previous tester did, he lifted a palm, pressing it against the ten thousand year Tortoise Boundary, channeling his Asura qi into it.
Instantly, the ten thousand year Tortoise Boundary lit up like a sun, exploding in a profound aureate light that soared sky high. The airflow in the square became turbulent, ripples traveled across space, and the ground shook like a severe earthquake.
The noisy crowd around the test altar abruptly died down into a buzzing silence as everyone stared wide-eyed and agape at the ten thousand year Tortoise Boundary.
Disciples that came to register in the Hall of Heroes and at the square immediately felt the turbulent airflow within ten thousand li radius.
“This, this, what is the matter?!”
“It’s the test altar!”
At that moment, all experts and disciples from different corners of the square looked toward the test altar while geniuses and experts inside the Hall of Heroes rushed out from the hall. All of them had their eyes fixed on the ten thousand year Tortoise Boundary from all directions, looking toward the test altar with dumbfounded expressions.
“This, which super force does this genius disciple belong to?! To be able to trigger the ten thousand year Tortoise Boundary to release this thousand zhang light!”
“The ten thousand year Tortoise Boundary hasn’t displayed this level of manifestation for a very long time!”
“A freak genius! A peerless genius! This must be one!”
The Hall of Heroes’ square was in an uproar.
But, in the next second, they saw a shadow of a mythical golden tortoise projecting from the ten thousand year Tortoise Boundary, growing larger as it rose to the sky, reaching a gargantuan size.
“Heavens! The Tortoise Boundary’s spirit apparition! This is the tortoise spirit inside the ten thousand year Tortoise Boundary, god knows how many years it’s been since it last appeared, only when a genuine genius surfaces in the world will it show itself!”
Suddenly, the gargantuan golden tortoise raised its head toward the nine heaves, letting out a resounding roar that reverberated through millions of miles.
In the airspace above the Black Warrior City, silhouettes appeared one after another. Clearly, all experts in the Black Warrior City were alerted by the booming shockwaves.
In the northern airspace of the Black Warrior City, an old man clad in a light blue brocade robe with a black tortoise pattern on his chest was looking in the Hall of Heroes’ direction with a solemn expression, muttering to himself, “This is the ten thousand year Tortoise Boundary spirit’s roar. Finally, a genius that can shock the world has appeared in the Black Tortoise Galaxy.” His silhouette disappeared from the spot in a flicker, rushing toward the Hall of Heroes.
So did experts from all corners of the Black Warrior City.
Everyone wanted to take a glimpse at the monster of a genius who caused the ten thousand year Tortoise Boundary spirit to appear.
At this time, Huwang Xiao felt utter helplessness as he stared at the tortoise spirit in the sky. He didn’t expect to trigger such an exaggerated reaction despite having his True Dragon Physique hidden. It would be hard to remain anonymous after causing such a conspicuous a scene.
At the same thing, the bath barrel-like ten thousand year Tortoise Boundary started to spin. As it spun, both sides of the test altar that indicated talent and strength revealed the result.
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All eyes focused intently on the talent and strength figures on the test altar. Before their eyes, the thousand year Tortoise Boundary had barely begun to spin, but the numbers for talent and strength test shot up like a rocket.
The green and red lights representing talent and strength surpassed 1000 points in the blink of an eye.
Eyes protruded witnessing this.
“1000, it actually exceeded 1000 points in less than a breath’s time!”
“1100, 1200, 1300!”
Sounds of exclamation rose and fell from different corners of the square.
When the red and green lights surpassed the 1000 mark, it continued to climb rapidly all the way to 1300!!!
“1300, now it’s already 1400!”
“1500, it’s already 1500!”
The crowd’s breathing quickened as if their hearts about to jump out from their chests. Both talent and strength exceeded the 1500 mark!
In general, strength over 1200 held a seven-tenths passing chance in the Black Warrior Institute’s assessment, and at 1300 it would increase to eight-tenths. Then, what did 1500 represent?!
It meant that if there were no mishaps during the assessment, that person was bound breeze through the assessment. In short, that person would be one of the Black Warrior Institute’s disciples!
The pairs of eyes fixed on Huwang Xiao from all corners of the square changed. Becoming a disciple of the Black Warrior Institute was the dream pursued by numerous aspiring family geniuses and disciples from the Black Tortoise Galaxy.
“1700, 1800!”
“I, are my eyes deceiving me, it actually reached 1800!” After a brief silence, someone suddenly shouted.
1800!
Both talent and strength passed the 1800 mark!
Even the most steady person could no longer conceal the astonishment in their eyes.
1800! Their minds failed to wrap around the enormity that those numbers represent. To their knowledge, among the numerous family disciples that came to register for the institute's assessment until now, there hadn’t been any one genius that produced a result as high as 1800. Forget 1800, not a single person received even 1500 points.
Yet the green and red lights on the test altar were still climbing, and they didn't seem like they were about to stop!
The crowd grew nervous as they watched the lights continue moving up, hands subconsciously clenched into fists. Their hearts stuck in their throats.
“It’s already 1900, oh God, it broke past 1900!”
“It won’t breach the 2000 mark… right? In the last Black Warrior Institute’s assessment, the disciple who got the first place only tested slightly above 2300.”
As the numbers in the green and red lights rose above 1900, everyone’s hearts tightened, watching both numbers climb closer and closer to 2000.
The previous old man in light blue brocade robe with a black tortoise diagram on his chest had been watching for some time in the airspace above. He too was staring at the numbers indicated by the green light and red lights.
“Can it pass 2000?” He muttered to himself. If the black-haired young man below could pass the 2000 mark, then in this time’s assessment, he was guaranteed a spot within the top ten.
1976!
>
1985!
1993!
Everyone at the square could hear their own heartbeats drumming in their ears. All of a sudden, the green and red lights suddenly released an even more dazzling light as both numbers broke past the 2000 mark.
The crowd stared dumbly at the lights. In an instant, the silent square broke out in an unprecedented uproarious shock, mixed with excitement, jealousy, and awe.
Even so, the green and red lights continued to rise, but at a slower speed. A while later, both lights had reached 2100. At this point, Huwang Xiao began to suppress his battle qi, prompting the red colored light indicating strength to halt at 2132. However, the green light representing talent kept rising, finally stopping at 2256.
Huwang Xiao did not expect his talent result to still reach such a high number even after hiding his True Dragon Physique.
“This is the talent level represented by the twin dragon martial spirits and Asura bloodline in your body.” Dragon Emperor Ao Taiyi’s voice sounded.
This explanation made things clear for Huwang Xiao, but he did not expect the twin dragon martial spirits and Asura bloodline’s talent to be so high.
“Your talent is indeed shocking, if you did not hide your True Dragon Physique, I believe your talent could definitely rise to 4000.” Dragon Emperor Ao Taiyi added, “4000, what a monster ah! Furthermore, you suppressed a third of your strength, otherwise, it could absolutely go higher than 3000 points!”
During his time, Dragon Emperor Ao Taiyi too had tested his aptitude and strength on the altar, and his result was similar to Huwang Xiao’s. The person who took the first place in the same batch as Dragon Emperor Ao Taiyi’s assessment, his talent merely broke 2500. As for strength, it was around 3000.
Huwang Xiao stepped out of the test altar before a myriad of astonished, reverential, and even some flattering gazes. The crowd subconsciously opened a path for Huwang Xiao.
Huwang Xiao left the square area calmly, walking into the Hall of Heroes to the registration point.