Chapter 58 Inner Sect Assessment
After she finished speaking, a cold aura emanated from her body, and her figure flashed, turning into a stream of light and disappearing from Shangguan Jiannan's sight.
Looking at the direction where Chu Qingxuan left, Shangguan Jiannan took a deep breath and put aside all the distracting thoughts in his mind.
He understood that reaching the Sword King realm was only the starting point of cultivation, and the real challenge had just begun.
He must work harder to practice and prove his determination and strength with practical actions. At this moment, Shangguan Jiannan is no longer the young man who was complacent with his temporary achievements.
His heart was full of fighting spirit and faith, and he vowed to write his own legendary chapter with sweat and persistence in the days to come.
At dawn, the sky was still tinged with a light blue-purple hue. Shangguan Jiannan, holding a cold iron sword, had already set foot on the path leading to the inner courtyard.
The inner gate trial begins at the hour of Mao every day. Naturally, he does not want to miss this precious opportunity, so he gets up early to meet the challenge.
The Trial Hall, the solemn building standing at the edge of the inner courtyard, had opened its doors even at this early morning, as if silently calling out to every warrior with a dream.
In front of the door, a few warriors were coming in and out. Some of them looked solemn, while others were full of expectations. Together, they were weaving the morning prelude between this world.
"I am here to participate in the inner disciple trial." Shangguan Jiannan's voice was clear and firm, breaking the silence in front of the door.
He turned toward the inner disciple in charge of registration, his eyes gleaming with an unquestionable light.
The disciple raised his head lazily, his eyes swept lightly over Shangguan Jiannan, and then casually handed over a pen and paper: "Fill out the information first." There was a hint of routine and perfunctory in his tone.
Shangguan Jiannan took the paper and pen and filled in the information stroke by stroke. The simple information seemed to be given life in his hands, revealing his inner calmness and confidence.
Soon, he finished filling out the form, returned the paper and pen, and then strode into the trial hall.
After passing through the screen that separated the inside and the outside, Shangguan Jiannan's eyes suddenly opened up.
The interior space of the hall is vast, several dozen feet square, spacious and solemn.
There were already several disciples scattered around, some standing and some sitting, each immersed in his own world.
Most of these disciples were introverted and their cultivation was obviously still shallow, only at the tenth level of the Great Swordsman realm. However, the desire and determination in their eyes could not be ignored.
Shangguan Jiannan's arrival was like a breeze blowing across the calm lake, attracting the attention of those disciples.
Their eyes all converged on him, and when they recognized Shangguan Jiannan, complicated expressions appeared on their faces.
"It's him!" someone exclaimed in a low voice.
"Didn't he say that he has been accepted as the closed disciple by Elder Yin? Why is he still here to participate in the trial?" Doubt and confusion spread among the crowd.
However, Shangguan Jiannan seemed to turn a deaf ear to all these discussions.
He knew very well that no matter what rumors the outside world spread, he could only prove everything through his strength.
Trials are the threshold he must cross and the only way for him to reach a higher level.
At this moment, he had only one thought in his mind: no matter how bumpy the road ahead was, he would keep going unswervingly until he reached his own peak.
Without ever seeing his appearance, Shangguan Jiannan deeply felt the transformation of his body. An unprecedented force surged in his body, as if every punch could shake a thousand-pound rock, or even more than five thousand pounds.
This sudden power made his face glow with joy, and his heart was filled with excitement and anticipation.
The noise and discussions around him seemed to be background music to him and failed to distract his attention at all.
He merely greeted his fellow students with a smile and a nod, then stood quietly aside with a deep gaze, as if he could see through every subtle change, patiently waiting for the assessment to officially begin.
The Tianjian Sect is a sect that has gathered countless sword-fighting talents. Although it has thousands of outer disciples, there are still many new faces with dreams and passion who come to take the test every day.
Time passed quietly, but in a moment, several more disciples arrived, making the originally empty venue gradually lively.
Shangguan Jiannan stood in a corner, his eyes sharp as a torch, examining each of his partners who were about to compete on the same stage with him.
What surprised him was that there were many masters among these disciples.
In addition to the three powerful men who have reached the peak of the Grand Swordsman realm, there are four more who have already stepped into the threshold of the Sword King realm. Their strength is evident.
This discovery made Shangguan Jiannan secretly admire in his heart that there were indeed many hidden dragons and crouching tigers in the sect, and the sect was full of talented people.
Just as everyone was immersed in their own thoughts, a sudden heavy sound broke the silence around them.
The door of the assessment hall slammed shut, and then an old and majestic voice sounded from inside the hall, shaking people's hearts like thunder, and echoed in every corner of the hall for a long time.
This sound not only awakened the attention of all the disciples, but also stirred up ripples in their hearts, making people involuntarily feel an inexplicable tension and anticipation.
As the voice fell, a crisp sound of footsteps came from afar, attracting everyone's attention.
A white-haired old man slowly walked into everyone's sight. He was wearing a black robe, with white hair and beard. He looked ordinary, but his deep eyes were shining with extraordinary light, as if he could see into people's hearts.
This person is none other than Elder Wang Changqing, the one in charge of this assessment.
The appearance of Elder Wang moved all the disciples present, and an expression of awe and expectation appeared on their faces at the same time.
Shangguan Jiannan could hardly hide his excitement and nervousness. He knew that the next assessment would be a double test of his strength and will.
He secretly made up his mind that no matter how difficult the road ahead was, he would go all out and live up to his youth and the expectations of the sect.
The assessment process is streamlined into three stages, and failure in any stage means the beginning of elimination.
The first thing to be tested is the combat effectiveness.
Elder Wang stepped into the arena, his eyes like torches, and swept lightly among the disciples. Finally, he announced calmly: "The assessment begins."
With steady steps, he led everyone to a huge monument. The monument stood tall like a millstone, embedded in a stone base. A soft milky white glow shone faintly from the inside, revealing its extraordinaryness.
Shangguan Jiannan was mixed in the crowd and vaguely caught Elder Wang's gaze lingering on him briefly, then looking away as if nothing had happened. He couldn't help but feel a ripple in his heart.
"For the strength test, only those who can reach the standard of 3,000 kilograms can pass." Elder Wang's words were concise and powerful, without the slightest emotional fluctuation, but they were enough to make everyone present hold their breath.
This physical test monument is not only a yardstick for measuring strength, but also a preliminary screening of the sect's disciples' potential.
"The stele is not filled with spiritual energy. It is the ingenuity of the elders of the sect, and it is designed specifically for testing strength." He continued to explain, "When you strike with all your strength, the surface of the stele will change color, showing the level of strength. Green represents two thousand pounds of strength; blue means three thousand pounds; as for purple, it symbolizes a huge force of five thousand pounds." As soon as these words came out, all the disciples suddenly realized, and there was both expectation and uneasiness in their eyes.