bookpower Chapter 289 Attitude
Chapter 289 Attitude
"Slaying Demons! Is it really a demon-slaying series of exam tasks!?"
"Damn, I had made sure to find out that several descendants of big families would be taking the exam with me, so why haven't I seen a single one!? Now it's over, the stewards didn't receive enough money, and the 'drawing lots' ended up with the hardest of the thirty-four tasks... Ten thousand Pure Yang Great Pills down the drain! It took ten years for my whole family to accumulate this for my chance..."
"Is there any wealthy cultivator left? Hurry up and take the 'Genius Exam' to appease the steward Elders and lower the difficulty of the exam."
"Where would you find such wealthy cultivators? Those in the Golden Core Realm who can be called wealthy are all members of big families, and those born to big families are taken as Direct Disciples by the Hollow Void Elders backing them, a cut above even Inner Sect Disciples. What need have they to undergo Inner Sect examinations?"
"It's over. Our family has been targeted by a demon, they were all waiting for me to become an Inner Sect Disciple of the Heavenly Dao Sect, to use the Sect's name to deter the demon from rash actions. If I fail this examination, the demon will be unrestrained, and our entire family... will be finished."
A commotion arose among the more than four hundred exam participants.
Fear and despair filled the eyes of many.
Xiang Yunlong, who had just finished talking with an Elder, returned to the scene and caught the reactions of everyone, couldn't help but sneer inwardly, "Rely on ten thousand Pure Yang Great Pills to use the name of my Heavenly Dao Sect for their own ends? As if such a good deal exists."
On the face of it, however, he spoke in an upright and self-righteous tone, "The Demon Race's Nine Veins are our Immortal Path's ten great enemies. As cultivators, we must take it upon ourselves to uphold justice and slay demons. If you don't even have the courage to confront demons, what are you cultivating for, what Dao are you seeking? Therefore, your exam task this time is to face this Ninth Rank Great Demon within the Formation and endure for ten breaths."
Having said that, he paused slightly, "However, every Sect has special considerations for geniuses. Our Heavenly Dao Sect places extremely high value on the cultivation of geniuses and chosen ones. Therefore, I will give you one more opportunity. Those who believe they are geniuses or chosen ones may request the corresponding exam. You have three minutes to think it over. After three minutes, the exam will officially start, and by then you can only rely on your own strength to join the Sect."
Alkaid watched calmly as this Elder and that Steward from the Hollow Void put on their act.
Even though he had heard more than once before that what is called the Ten Great Immortal Paths is actually an interest coalition formed for the sake of mutual support.
Only, the Elders, Peak Masters, Vein Masters, and Sect Leaders belong to the ruling class of this interest coalition, while the rest are the ones being ruled.
Right now...
He was finally getting an eye-opener.
The outside rumours all glorified these top Sects.
"The top powerhouses actually have the strength to establish the order of the Northern Sea Star, but the special circumstances of the Northern Sea Star mean that the very top powerhouses are focused on Ascending to Immortality, and after becoming immortal, they head to the Immortal Realm, not caring all that much for the future of the Northern Sea Star. As for the Shattered Void level powerhouses who are second only to those achieving the Dao, they can benefit more and achieve the Great Dao faster in tumultuous situations, the Refining Void and Hollow Void are the same."
Alkaid slowly realized the true face of the Northern Sea Star, "I even suspect that the chaos on the Northern Sea Star is deliberately condoned by them, just to better sell the 'security' brought by top Sects, thereby forcing those who have made accomplishments in cultivation to find ways to join their Sects."
They vigorously promoted that the outside world was fraught with dangers, plunged into war and chaos, where people lived in constant uncertainty and could go hungry at any moment, and only by joining their Sect could one enjoy peace and security.
As a result, even if the Sect squeezed the middle and lower levels dry and treated them like beasts of burden, as long as they could still survive, these middle and lower layers wouldn't dare betray the Sect easily.@@@@
On the other hand, those strong cultivators who have reached the Hollow Void have broken free from the confinement of the lower levels, with far-reaching visions and significant strength, they have a much bigger range of choices. They don't have to confine themselves to a single Sect or Path. There are top Sects vying to recruit them.
"Only by achieving Hollow Void can one truly have a say on the Northern Sea Star and obtain the most fundamental 'freedom' rights," Alkaid thought to himself.
However...
Soon.
After becoming an Inner Sect Disciple, he would immediately compete for True Transmission. Once he became a True Disciple, he would head to Dashang to claim the bounties on Tong Yan and others. Then, he would hunt in the Stormy Sea for a while to gather the Pure Yang Great Pills needed for the Deep Blue Golden Core.
Once the Deep Blue Golden Core evolved to the second stage, the Middle Stage, he would advance directly, reaching for Hollow Void.
The three minutes quickly passed.
Frightened by the difficulty of the demon-slaying tasks, another three chose the genius route.
But...
That was just those three.
This terrifying casualty rate instantly frightened the remaining candidates.
However, ten thousand Pure Yang Great Pills, which for many Sunburst Golden Cores could be all the wealth they ever amassed in a lifetime, despite the extremely dangerous assessment, this opportunity bought with the pills was worth risking their lives for.
In the arena, out of more than four hundred participants, fewer than thirty left because of fear, with the rest still gritting their teeth, each undergoing the assessment.
And in this batch of ten, two died miserably, while eight reacted quickly and escaped the Formation, failing the assessment.
Watching the eight who had escaped, Xiang Yunlong couldn't help but curse inwardly, wondering why the Sect allowed these Formations to be entered and exited freely.
Those who failed the assessment might as well die inside.
Unable to afford even the fee for the genius channel, they would probably only come to the assessment once in their lifetime, never to be considered "repeat customers."
But on second thought, it was precisely because the Formation allowed free entry and exit that these Sunburst Golden Cores harbored any hope of luck when sensing that they were no match.
Furthermore...
If the death rate during the assessments was too high, it would instill fear in others.
Later on, if the number of assessors decreased, their income would drop as well.
The assessment, moving at a pace of one round every ten breaths, naturally progressed very quickly.
It was just that the pass rate was frighteningly low.
In the assessment of the first one hundred and thirty people, only eight passed, not even one-tenth, but as many as twenty-five people died, nearly two tenths.
Compared to others, Xiang Yunlong treated those who passed the assessment noticeably better.
After all, those who could pass the Slaying Demons assessment might have a future chance to contend for a True Disciple position.
"Next batch."
Following Xiang Yunlong's command, Alkaid stepped forward from the crowd and entered the Formation.
Upon entering the Formation, he keenly sensed something.
This Formation appeared to be only a hundred meters in diameter, but its interior space expanded tenfold, and stepping into it was like wading into a stream—energy dissipation and power release were both impacted.
"Roar!"
In the midst of his rumination, the Ninth Rank Great Demon that had devoured several Golden Core Level assessors was already charging with a roar, its ferocious expression and the lingering bloodstains at the corner of its mouth enough to deliver a mental shock to any Cultivator.
However, Alkaid's expression hardly changed.
Without using the You Long Sword, he directly unleashed a Rip the Sky with One Strike.
The next step after becoming an Inner Sect Disciple was to compete for the True Disciple title, and the Heavenly Dao Sect had even fewer True Disciple spots than the Taiyi Immortal Sect, only eighty-eight. Out of those eighty-eight, only six were Blazing White Golden Cores, with the remaining eighty-two being Deep Blue Golden Cores.
If he wanted to secure a position as a True Disciple, he had to demonstrate the strength of the Deep Blue Golden Core Level.
Therefore, facing this Ninth Rank Great Demon, his Rip the Sky with One Strike, even without the amplification of the You Long Sword, still managed to forcefully repel the Great Demon head-on.
And this was the first time since the assessment began that someone managed to face a Ninth Rank Great Demon head-on.
This scene made Xiang Yunlong's heart tighten.
The Hollow Void Elder, in charge of overseeing the assessment, also opened his eyes immediately, with a trace of surprise in them.