"The test consists of two parts: first, a cultivation check, then a combat exam."
"Juniors participating in this year's test, step forward for the check!"
After Mu Tao's words, a young man and a young woman, both appearing to be about seventeen or eighteen, emerged from the crowd.
"Mu Tian, Mu Jing," an elder at the initial stage of Earth Yuan announced, opening the registry to record the results.
Another clan member, at the ninth level of Body Tempering, acted as the examiner, assessing the cultivation level.
Mu Tian was the first to be checked.
The examiner felt his body, occasionally squeezing his skin so hard that Mu Tian winced in pain.
Mu Zi watched, stunned. Is this really the test? Maybe she was still asleep and dreaming?
Mu Lingsha, noticing her reaction, leaned closer and explained:
"Ahem, it looks strange, of course, but it's really a cultivation check."
"Before the sixth level of Body Tempering, there's no Yuan Li in the body, and the level can't be determined by energy fluctuations."
"But at each level of Body Tempering, the physical strength is different, and this can be used as a guideline."
"The examiner is checking the elasticity of Mu Tian's skin and the toughness of his bones to determine his level."
Upon hearing Mu Lingsha's explanation, Mu Zi couldn't help but make a face. She watched in horror as the examiner felt Mu Tian's body in front of everyone, and a herd of heavenly demonic ferrets seemed to run loose in her mind.
A struggle was visible on Mu Zi's face. If the test required such "touching," then perhaps she would do without it!
"Sister, were you also... felt up like that last year?" she suddenly asked, giving Mu Lingsha a strange look.
Mu Lingsha rolled her eyes and, unable to restrain herself, gave Mu Zi a light flick on the back of the head.
"What are you thinking about?" she exclaimed. "By then, I was already at the eighth level of Body Tempering and could directly manifest Yuan Li. This wasn't necessary."
Mu Lingsha paused and said in a cautionary tone:
"That's why you can't be lazy in cultivation. If your level turns out to be weak in the test, you'll be in trouble!"
Although this was no longer a threat to Mu Zi, she involuntarily shivered, looking at the embarrassed Mu Tian, who was being stared at by everyone.
A few minutes later, under his desperate gaze, the examiner finally nodded and announced:
"Mu Tian, fifth level of Body Tempering, grade: below average!"
Mu Tian let out a sigh of relief, but then the examiner leaned in and whispered to him:
"Son, you have a great physique!"
Mu Tian turned pale and hastily retreated to his seat.
From the main seat, the elder Mu Tian commented:
"Today's youth can't handle anything. How can they serve the clan with such a lack of composure?"
Hearing this, Mu Tao and Mu Yun couldn't help but make faces, and a hint of an emotion seemed to flash on the elder's wrinkled face as well.
"Next!" announced the elder leading the test.
A girl named Mu Jing timidly stepped forward, her eyes fixed on the examiner with a look of fear.
After a brief exchange of glances, the elder finally relented:
"Mu Gang, go back! Mu Yue, you check her!"
A woman at the ninth level of Body Tempering stepped forward and began the check. Fortunately, this examiner was more serious: after a light squeeze on Mu Jing's wrist, she announced:
"Mu Jing, fourth level of Body Tempering, grade: satisfactory!"
Mu Jing returned to her seat, and after a short pause, the elder asked:
"Are there any more who wish to take the test this year?"
After hesitating, he flipped through the registry and soon stopped at one name.
"Mu Fei! If you don't pass this year, you'll exceed the age limit. Get up for the check, quickly!"
After a while, a chubby young man with a face full of despair was pushed forward by his parents' nagging reproaches.
As soon as the examiner squeezed his skin, he cried out loudly in pain.
"Mu Fei, second level of Body Tempering, grade: unsatisfactory!" the elder announced, shaking his head. "Mu Fei has failed the test. His status as a full member of the clan is revoked, and he loses the right to receive resources from the Mu Manor."
Upon hearing the verdict, Mu Fei froze, his gaze dimming. He fell to his knees and, holding his head, burst into tears. The hall was filled with a buzz of discussion.
As mentioned earlier, the Mu clan test also served as a coming-of-age ceremony. Those who failed were sent to worldly affairs controlled by the clan, forever cut off from the world of cultivation.
Seeing Mu Fei's pitiful state, many felt sympathy, but no one spoke up. Even his parents remained silent.
On the Tianxuan Continent, people usually began Body Tempering at thirteen, when the body was strong enough. The first three levels were not considered difficult—even without spiritual herbs, a normal person could reach them in two years.
Mu Fei was already eighteen, but he was stuck at the second level of Body Tempering. The only reason was laziness.
The strong improve themselves. On Tianxuan, where the law of the jungle prevails, no one will spend the clan's precious resources on such a person.
Mu Fei was led away, and the test continued.
"Are there any more participants?" the elder asked.
From the main seat, Mu Ye, who had been standing behind the elder for a long time, slowly walked toward the testing area.
Passing by Mu Zi, he averted his gaze, not daring to meet her eyes, and quickened his pace.
The elder frowned:
"So flustered; where is your composure?"
Upon reaching the area, Mu Ye calmed down. He scanned the hall with a confident gaze, full of determination.
"Who's that? I've never seen him before."
"I don't know. But that guy's face looks like it's asking to be beaten up."
"Stop joking; let's see what he's capable of."
Mu Ye, rarely seen due to his reclusive life with the elder, was unknown to most clan members, and the hall buzzed with discussion.
"Hmph!" Mu Ye gave a cold snort and addressed the elder: "Can we begin?"
The elder answered unhurriedly:
"Participant Mu Ye, sixteen years old. Do you confirm your participation in the test?"
Seeing Mu Ye's impatient nod, he continued:
"Mu Gang, check him."
Mu Gang stepped toward him, but Mu Ye stopped him:
"No need to go to such trouble!"
Under the crowd's astonished gazes, Mu Ye focused, and his body was enveloped in a dense glow.
Yuan Li on his body!
The hall gasped. The ability to manifest Yuan Li meant that Mu Ye had reached at least the sixth level of Body Tempering.
Among the junior members of the Mu clan, those who could show Yuan Li at the test were a rarity, like phoenix feathers or qilin horns.
"Pfft!" Mu Tao, who had been lazily sipping tea in the main seat, choked and spat it out, his eyes wide with astonishment.
With his Heavenly Yuan strength, he could see clearly: the Yuan Li fluctuations on Mu Ye's body clearly surpassed the sixth level of Body Tempering.
"Can you announce it?" Mu Ye, with a proud smile on his face, looked smugly at Mu Zi in the crowd, meeting her calm gaze.
The elder, recovering from the shock, took a deep breath.
"Mu Ye, eighth level of Body Tempering, grade: average excellence!"
The hall erupted in astonished exclamations, and sounds of shocked breaths could be heard.
"How is that possible? The eighth level of Body Tempering!"
"Am I dreaming?"
"Average excellence? That's the same as young lady Mu Lingsha!"
"And even more—last year, Mu Lingsha was a year older during the test."
In the main seat, Mu Tian was also shocked. Such a level at such a young age—even with the elder's resources, it was an outstanding achievement.
Looking at Mu Yun, whose face was clouded with worry because of Mu Ye's success, Mu Tian sighed mentally.
"Who would have thought that my jokes about Zi today would come true!"
The elder, having regained his composure, continued to lead the test.
"Are there any more participants?"
There was no answer, and everyone had already decided that the check was over, when a clear voice suddenly rang out:
"I am!"
Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, Mu Zi stepped forward with an expressionless face. But behind this mask of calm, a fire was already burning in her heart.
...
Don't worry, the main character won't get married! A new book awaits your feedback!