“The disciple examination will be split into 3 parts!” Mu Chen said, continuing his previous speech.

“The first part will be a simple talent test. You will learn the specifics after you enter the specified area. The second part will test your comprehension ability. As for the last part, well you’ll just have to find out if you reach that far.”

When he spoke the last sentence, Mu Chen had a devious grin on his face that created an ominous feeling in the hearts of the young cultivators before him.

“Before anything else, take these tokens. They will be used as your identifiers during the exam.”

It wasn’t even a long process. Mu Chen simply threw a large mass of tokens into the air like candy, and seemingly without intervention, they landed in the hands of each participant.

Damien looked at his number, which was 3416. ‘Maybe it judges based on the order we arrived?’

“Remember, this examination isn’t simply to gain entry into the sect, but much more than that! If you are lucky enough, you may receive the favor of a sect elder and become their disciple!”

Upon hearing this, the crowd broke out into hushed conversation.

“We will actually become disciples of the elders?!”

“The pressure to do well just increased by tenfold!”

Damien looked around in slight confusion. Was being an elder’s disciple that important? But he quickly berated himself for thinking such stupid things.

The help he had gained from Malcolm after taking him as his teacher was immense to the point where it was almost unquantifiable. His lightning element had been supremely improved and he had gained insights into mana circuits.

Without the Ananta System that was currently infused into his body, Damien didn’t think he’d be so well off in his cultivation path. Not only did it boost his mana regeneration rate and reaction speed, but it also multiplied his output enough to give him his current edge.

It could be said to be half the reason he was still able to fight above his rank to such a degree even after becoming 3rd class. After all, the levels in this class were much wider apart than those in the previous classes.

“Alright!” Mu Chen said. “Now that I’ve given you this explanation, it’s time to begin the test! Let me say in advance, I wish prosperity among those of you that will become new outer disciples of our grand sect!”

Right after his words fell, Mu Chen waved his hand, creating a large portal in front of the wall he was standing on.

“Enter through this portal and you shall be taken to the testing grounds! May fate shine upon you all!”

The crowd of cultivators immediately rushed towards the gate, many of them wanting to be the first to get through. They didn’t know if this was also a test for them.

However, those true geniuses within their ranks waited patiently and walked calmly to the portal. They had no rush to prove themselves, as they had an inborn pride in their own achievements.

Damien was among these geniuses. He simply walked forward as he admired the structure of the portal in front of him.

‘Not just the structure, but the stability and functionality are leagues above what I can do.’

Damien had the eyes of someone trained in space element. He could clearly see the oceans of spatial layers that made up the world. He could also see the way they were distorted by the portal.

‘There are so many pathways leading from this single portal.’

Just this single portal could lead to tens of different locations. Damien had no idea how it was done. He could only connect two points in space, and even in this regard, he was limited. Portals weren’t something he was too familiar with, as he had only used them for world travel.

‘Maybe I wasn’t giving this sect enough credit before.’

He couldn’t be blamed though. Judging on reputation alone wasn’t something anyone would do, even if they used it as reference for their evaluation. Damien wasn’t aware of the Celestial Star Palace’s feats or achievements, so he was subconsciously looking down on them.

‘Well, it’s to be expected from a sect lead by tens or even more 4th class beings.’

As he wrapped up his thoughts, Damien stepped through the massive portal in front of him.

When his vision was returned to him, Damien found himself in a slightly expansive room filled with other competitors. However, the number was vastly reduced. Out of the thousands that he saw in front of the gate, only around 500 were here with him.

The scenery of the room was simple, yet confusing. There was a large lake filled with silver liquid, it’s surface reflective and depth unknown. At end of the lake, there was a small island with a stone obelisk on it.

After the entrance of a few more people, the portal to the room closed and a young woman appeared before them.

“Alright. Now that everyone’s here, we can begin. This is the talent test, and it is relatively simple. All you have to do is walk across this lake as far as you can. Anyone who can take more than 45 steps will pass this portion of the exam.”

The participants looked doubtful but didn’t raise their voices. Every time the Celestial Star Palace held its disciple examinations, no word was leaked about the process. Even those who failed the exam would never speak about how they were tested.

“Number 2500, come forth!”

Out of the crowd, a young woman stepped forward. She stood at the edge of the lake with nervousness clearly written on her face.

“I just have to step in here and walk?” She questioned.

“Yes, just walk forward until you can’t anymore.”

Hearing the confirmation, the young woman stepped into the lake. The water only reached her ankle and she didn’t feel any change, so she continued forward.

5 steps…15 steps…25 steps

She was halfway through the passing requirement, and the young woman could already feel the purpose of this test.

With every step she took, a minute amount of pressure bore down on her. And with each step further, the pressure would multiply. Now that she was at the 26th step, she felt like there was a large boulder placed on her back.

35 steps…40 steps…44 steps

She only had one step left until she passed, but she felt immense difficulty in taking it. With the pressure continuing to multiply, the previous boulder had been transformed into a small hill.

However, with much difficulty, she managed to take the last step.

Boom!

The water in the lake pulsated due to her momentum, but it wasn’t totally moved. With sweat covering her entire body, the young woman turned back and returned to the shore.

“Good job. You may proceed to the next section.” The lady in charge said.

Another portal opened up in front of the young woman before she passed through it with a smile on her face.

Disregarding this, the lady continued with the exam for the next few hours. Many people ended up passing, with some even going a few steps further than the goal, but the results were always the same.

Before the 50th step, they’d always be forced to retreat. With the hours passing, the number of people left in the room dwindled, and Damien’s turn was fast approaching.

But before him, there was another genius who had to go. Unlike the others who simply had their number called, this person was called by name.

“Long Chen, please step forward.”