Two thousand jin!
This terrifying number stunned everyone. It completely surpassed Huang Ming, and by a wide margin. Even if Huang Ming were to use his full strength, he likely couldn't beat that number.
"Two thousand jin..." Steward Liang was taken aback for a moment, then his eyes lit up. "That's already comparable to a normal cultivator at the Peak of the Body Refining Stage..."
The "normal" he mentioned referred to those who cultivated conventionally, not those who underwent special strengthening. For someone at the Seventh Layer of the Body Refining Stage to have strength comparable to the Peak of the Body Refining Stage was a terrifying thought. What would happen if Lin Xuan reached the Peak of the Body Refining Stage himself?
Of course, this didn't mean Lin Xuan could definitively contend with someone at the Peak of the Body Refining Stage. There were too many other factors, such as Martial Techniques and Weapons, which also contributed to one's combat prowess.
"T-two thousand jin... Is he a Demon Beast in human form? He's only at the Seventh Layer of the Body Refining Stage!"
"I thought Huang Ming was already a freak, but this Lin Longyun is even more monstrous! I don't know where he popped out from!"
...
The crowd burst into discussion, all of them committing Lin Xuan's face to memory. His performance was simply too astonishing. This far exceeded the level of the Seventh Layer of Body Refining Stage, didn't it? Even for someone in the Body Refining Stage, that kind of power was unbelievable!
"Y-Young Master... He's just strong, that's all. Nothing but a brute!" the attendant quickly consoled him.
Huang Ming's expression was grim. Having his thunder stolen would make anyone upset, especially since he had already considered himself number one.
"Some people are just born with brute force. But in many situations, raw strength doesn't give much of an advantage. The application of Martial Techniques is what truly matters!" Huang Ming snorted. His tone was dismissive, but his eyes swept back and forth over Lin Xuan.
However, Huang Ming was only fooling himself. In a corner of the testing grounds, an old man sat, a look of shock on his face as well. After a moment, he recovered and muttered to himself, "This kid is interesting. To have such perfect control over this Martial Technique at such a young age, with not a single trace of Elemental Power leaking out... It's a world of difference from his first punch. And he even has a slight grasp of a Realm... Isn't his Comprehension a bit too terrifying?"
No one noticed the old man's presence, nor did anyone pay attention to what he was doing.
Lin Xuan walked down from the testing platform, his face slightly pale. That punch had consumed a great deal of energy. He quickly began to regulate the Elemental Power in his body to recover.
He was very satisfied with this result. His goal was to attract Steward Liang's attention. Qingcheng Mansion wanted talented disciples, not useless ones.
"Two thousand jin. Very good!" Steward Liang said with satisfaction. "I hope you can perform even more exceptionally in the next tests. There is a reward for the one who takes first place."
Lin Xuan's eyes lit up. He cupped his hands respectfully and said, "I will do my best!" 'I'm lacking so many resources right now,' he thought. 'The Elixir Pills Lin Feng gave me are almost gone. Aside from a single Spirit-Breaking Pill, I have very few Solid Essence Pills left. It was thanks to those Solid Essence Pills that my initial attack could erupt with such condensed Elemental Power.'
Recalling that he could initially only exert four hundred jin of force, and that his first punch now reached eleven hundred jin, he had every right to be proud of this achievement.
Lin Xuan felt a hostile gaze on him and turned to look, his eyes meeting Huang Ming's. He saw undisguised contempt, a look that clearly showed Huang Ming looked down on him, as if he were just some country farmer who had nothing but brute strength.
Lin Xuan paid him no mind. 'The Huang Family is powerful,' he thought. 'Provoking them right now would do me no good, not unless I also join the Inner Hall. If I join the Inner Hall, the Huang Family's threat won't be as significant. Of course, killing Huang Ming would be another matter entirely. The Huang Family's Clan Leader would definitely go insane.'
Following that, a large number of people were eliminated. The initial group of around seven hundred was now down to just over three hundred! Nearly half the participants were gone. A full half had been cut in just the second trial, so what about the remaining ones?
"Three hundred forty-five people remaining. That's not a bad number at all." Steward Liang seemed quite satisfied with the count. Clearly, even fewer people had remained after this trial in previous years.
The most important thing was that they had unearthed a few talented individuals, like Huang Ming and Lin Xuan. They would rather have one talented Cultivator than a hundred mediocre ones. Mediocre talent was just a waste of resources.
The testing grounds were already quite large, and now with so many fewer people, they felt even more empty.
"The rest of you, follow me." Steward Liang led them to an open space at the side. Before them was an area that resembled a Martial Arts Arena, but there were no signs of battle on its surface.
"This is the third trial. It will test your Willpower!" Steward Liang announced in a grave voice. "For a Cultivator, Willpower is paramount. Without it, you cannot resist your Heart Demons, and breaking through bottlenecks will be even more difficult!"
He then walked over to the old man at the side and said respectfully, "Elder Chen, I'll leave the control of this Illusion Array to you."
This was the same Elder Chen who had commented on Lin Xuan earlier. His Cultivation had reached the Essence Pill Stage, making him an Elder Level figure in Qingcheng Mansion, although he was a lower-ranking Elder, not one of the core ones.
Elder Chen nodded and said, "There are quite a few people this time. Let's divide them into two groups. Too many people at once will weaken the Illusion Array's effect."
Steward Liang immediately divided the three hundred-plus people into two groups. The first group went up, but it did not include Lin Xuan. Huang Ming, however, was in the first group.
When the over one hundred people had stepped onto the Illusion Array platform, Elder Chen addressed them, "Just sit down and meditate where you are. Use your Willpower to resist the Illusions. You must last for a minimum of one incense stick's time. The longer you stay, the better. This will affect the assessment of your future qualifications!"
For a Martial Artist, besides talent, Willpower was the other most important trait. If one's Willpower wasn't strong enough, even the greatest talent was useless. If you lacked the perseverance to even learn something, how could you ever hope to improve? The path of Cultivation was long and arduous; talent alone wasn't enough. It also required immense Willpower!
Once everyone was seated in meditation, Elder Chen activated the Illusion Array. A halo of light rose from the ground and enveloped them, but their expressions could still be seen clearly from the outside.
'An Illusion Array, huh...'
Lin Xuan knew about these things from the memories of the soul within the Soul Pearl. It would bombard them with a torrent of Illusions. Without strong Willpower, it would be difficult to resist. Moreover, it also included Soul Attacks; you couldn't just dismiss the Illusions as fake and expect to resist them easily.
Sure enough, after a few moments, the expressions on many people's faces began to change. Some of their faces even started to contort, and it was clear they were about to break.
"AH!"
A scream rang out as someone fainted and collapsed. Elder Chen was already prepared. With a light wave of his hand controlling the Array, the fainted person flew out and landed on the ground.
Where one fainted, a second followed... No, it was more like large swathes of them were fainting. They hadn't even lasted half an incense stick's time before they were ejected, their trial ending in failure.
In the blink of an eye, of the over one hundred and seventy participants, only sixty-some remained, struggling to hold on. This sight caused the expressions of those who hadn't yet been tested to change repeatedly. 'Is this Illusion Array trial a bit too difficult?' they wondered.
"Look, Huang Ming looks completely fine."
"As expected of the Huang Family's young master. He's really not someone we can compare to."
...
Many people's attention turned to Huang Ming. His expression hadn't changed at all. He was calm and composed, no different from how he would look during normal meditation.
"This young master of the Huang Family is indeed not bad. Lasting for one incense stick's time won't be difficult for him. Let's see how long he can ultimately hold on," Elder Chen mused, quite pleased with Huang Ming. He appreciated anyone with talent. As for his personality, he was a bit too arrogant, but that could be corrected.
In the blink of an eye, one incense stick's worth of time had passed.
"AH!"
A scream was heard as another person flew out of the Illusion Array. But they had already passed the trial, so it didn't matter. One incense stick's time was the watershed, eliminating the vast majority of mediocre participants. Those who could only last for one incense stick were considered to have passed.
Another half an incense stick's time went by, and more people were transported out.
Two incense sticks' worth of time passed. Another person screamed and was transported out. This time, only Huang Ming was left on the entire platform! Even Huang Ming's expression had begun to change significantly; it seemed he was reaching his limit.
But no one dared to mock him. After all, he was the only one left in the Illusion Array. This achievement alone was enough to prove he had the capital to be arrogant.
Finally, at the two-and-a-half incense stick mark, Huang Ming let out a muffled groan, collapsed, and was transported out.
'Two and a half incense sticks...' A smirk played on Lin Xuan's lips. 'I must surpass this result!'
"Good, good, good!" Elder Chen beamed. "Not only does he possess Fifth-class Talent, but his Willpower is also strong. A time of two and a half incense sticks... even when compared to the Inner Hall Disciples, that's not far off."
"Elder Chen, if I may ask, what is the general level of the Inner Hall Disciples?" Lin Xuan suddenly asked.
"They last for at least three incense sticks. The longest time on record is five. What, are you thinking of challenging that?" Elder Chen looked Lin Xuan up and down, a hint of interest on his face.
"Yes, that is precisely this disciple's intention!" Lin Xuan's gaze was filled with determination. He was aiming straight for the Inner Hall, and even for the rank of Core Disciple.
'If I can't even surpass the Inner Hall Disciples, how can I even speak of revenge? How can I speak of protecting the Lin Family?!'