As the bell tolled.
The Imperial Capital, silent throughout the night, awoke like a giant beast revealing its fangs.
Countless talented young people, eagerly anticipating, had no idea what would happen today. Yet they gathered enthusiastically from all directions to participate in the selection competition.
When Ye Qingchen and Ye Qing arrived at the assessment site, it was already a sea of people, bustling and lively.
It could be said.
The nationâs talented youth had all gathered here.
"This is the first round. Only those who pass the first round can enter the venue!"
A young man, carrying a long sword and exuding heroic spirit, shouted loudly.
Ye Qingchen had previously learned about the three stages.
The first round: Cultivation level assessment.
The second round: Monster hunting.
The third round: Heaven-Ascending Ladder!
Only those who pass all three rounds can be selected by the eight major sects. Those who perform excellently in all three rounds may even receive the best offers from the sects, vying for admission!
The Newcomer King is the one who ranks first in all three rounds.
"Brother, I canât go in further. Iâll stand here cheering for you. You can definitely win this yearâs Newcomer King!" Ye Qing shouted loudly, clenching her fists outside the fence.
"Donât worry!" Ye Qingchen nodded.
This conversation immediately attracted sideways glances from many.
It even elicited some ridicule.
"Hmph, what kind of person dares to covet the position of Newcomer King?" A red-robed young man happened to pass by, hearing their conversation. He scanned them with disdain.
Ye Qingchen quietly glanced at him, said nothing, and continued walking inside.
However.
People around them couldnât help but gasp when they saw this red-robed young man.
"Isnât that Lu Ming, ranked fifty-sixth on the Genius Rankings, known as the âRed Flame Swordâ?"
The crowd erupted with exclamations.
"Look, âThunderbolt Handâ Yuan Cong, ranked twenty-sixth, is here!"
Someone exclaimed.
Soon after, the plaza was in an uproar again.
Ye Qingchen didnât even need to search deliberately and saw the crowd automatically parting. A well-built, leopard-like youth walked in slowly, exuding a powerful presence.
From time to time, the appearance of each youth from the Genius Rankings caused a commotion.
After their appearance, they joined the line and moved towards the âSoul Stoneâ at the front. This âSoul Stoneâ could measure the contestantsâ cultivation levels directly to prevent cheating.
One by one, the talented youths placed their hands on the stone, starting the test.
"Qi Refining Eleventh Layer, qualified!"
"Qi Refining Ninth Layer, disqualified!"
"Qi Refining Eighth Layer, disqualified!"
...
One by one, the talented youths nervously placed their hands on the blue stone, and then the members of the eight major sects recorded their names and cultivation levels.
"Qi Refining Twelfth Layer! Qualified!"
Ye Qingchen placed his hand on the Soul Stone.
He saw.
The Soul Stone burst into a dazzling light.
The steward responsible for statistics saw the light and nodded slightly at Ye Qingchen, friendly.
To know.
Most of the people coming to this event had cultivation levels around the Qi Refining Tenth and Eleventh Layers. Reaching the Twelfth Layer was already considered excellent. Reaching Half-Step Spirit Sea or even Spiritual Sea Realm was considered top-tier.
Of course, this wasnât absolute.
Because cultivation requires a large amount of resources, the varying strengths of these talented youthsâ families could also have an impact. Hence, the other two assessments!
"Half-Step Spirit Sea!"
Suddenly, an exclamation came from another assessment point.
They saw the Soul Stone burst out with even more blinding light. This was the mark of the Half-Step Spirit Sea Realm, causing a burst of astonishment.
The tester was the previously mentioned âRed Flame Swordâ Lu Ming.
Ye Qingchen looked towards the sound and saw Lu Ming standing proudly before the Soul Stone, enjoying the reverent gazes of the crowd.
Some sighed, some revered.
In short, their eyes were full of envy.
Ye Qingchen withdrew his gaze, expressionless, and continued moving forward.
Not long after.
He reached the center of the plaza.
By now, there were nearly a thousand people gathered in the plaza.
Most people were stopped at the first round. Those here would undergo the second assessment, monster hunting. Behind the plaza, the senior members of the eight major sects were responsible for the last two assessments, currently in discussion.
"Hehe, I wonder who this yearâs Newcomer King will be!" An elder from the Celestial Essence Sword Sect scanned the talented youths in the plaza and laughed.
"Itâs destined to be âCloud-Weaving Handâ Lei Qianjue, ranked first on the Genius Rankings!" The elder from the Primordial Sect replied without hesitation. "Lei Qianjue comes from the top family of the Imperial Capital, with cultivation long reached the Spiritual Sea Realm, exceptionally powerful, far superior to other disciples!"
"Not necessarily, the second-ranked âHeaven-Sundering Saberâ Chen Beixuan isnât weak either!" An elder from the Guangling Sect shook his head with a smile, "And the third-ranked âHeaven-shocking Pointingâ Zhao Yue is no ordinary talent either! This yearâs Newcomer King will surely come from these three!"
In their words.
They had already determined that the Newcomer King would emerge from these three.
As if there could be no surprises.
Even though.
The other talents on the Genius Rankings werenât weak, compared to these few, the gap was still significant.
"An Mengxiang, do you know that person?"
On the other side.
An Mengxiang stood not far away, still surrounded by many talented youths as before.
The previous Lu Ming was also around her.
Noticing An Mengxiangâs gaze frequently falling on Ye Qingchen in the distance, Lu Ming couldnât help but feel a surge of jealousy and asked irritably.
An Mengxiang nodded slightly, fear hard to conceal in her eyes, "Just interacted once, he is âLife and Death Swordâ Ye Qingchen!"
Originally.
Ye Qingchen was an unknown figure, but after his battle with Chu Mingyang, his swordsmanship left an extremely deep impression on everyone.
Thus, the title of âLife and Death Swordâ spread.
"Is he the one who killed Chu Mingyang?"
Lu Ming seemed a bit surprised, but after seeing An Mengxiang nod, he suddenly laughed disdainfully: "...Rest assured, I already know about you and him. Watch how I teach him a lesson!"
An Mengxiangâs expression changed slightly, quickly saying, "Lu Ming, donât provoke him, his strength is formidable!"
Lu Mingâs face was full of mockery, "Just a Qi Refining Twelfth Layer kid, Chu Mingyang couldnât do it doesnât mean I canât! Watch how I prevent him from passing the second test!"
Just then.
Dong!
The sound of drums and gongs erupted.
The originally noisy plaza suddenly fell silent.
Countless excited eyes turned towards the platform.
They knew the second round of the selection competition was starting soon.
Sure enough.
In the next moment, a loud voice resounded through the venue: "The second round, monster hunting, will take place in the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range! The mountain range is teeming with monsters. If you donât wish to participate, you can exit now!"