*Gong!*
The bell rang across the Four Symbols Sect compound, signaling the end of the rest period. Xian Tiandi stood from where he'd been sitting, his body loose and ready. Beside him, Xian Long bounced on his feet nervously while Ying Yue maintained her composed demeanor.
"Time to move," Xian Tiandi said.
They joined the stream of applicants heading toward the western training grounds. The area was even larger than where the talent assessment had been held. Multiple combat arenas were set up in neat rows, each one surrounded by protective barrier formations that shimmered faintly in the afternoon light.
Elder Zhang stood on a central platform again, flanked by the other Golden Core examiners. His voice carried clearly across the assembled crowd, enhanced by a simple spiritual technique.
