Chapter 95 (1/2)

It was not long before a lineup successively appeared on the high platform, which immediately attracted the attention of all the people present.

“Look at the man in the middle. He must be Excellency Yao Tuohai, the one who shocked the southwest region of the empire and was highly regarded by of the prime minister today!”

“Thirty years ago, Excellency Yao passed the County Test, State Test, and Province Test within just one year. With such peerless achievements, he really affords a good example to the young practitioners.”

“Yes, it is said that Excellency Yao has owned the cultivation of Tao Insight Realm now. In the whole empire, he is a top overmatch with real strength and power!”

“You can see, even a lot of big shots like Yu Canglin, president of Donglin School, Wu Chaoqun, patriarch of Clan of Wu, and Black Rose – Mu Wansu from Keystone Business, can only accompany his Excellency Yao around. That is what power and influence mean!”

There were many discussions among the more than 9,000 candidates for the County Test on the square, whose excitement was shown on their facial expressions.

Lin Xun looked up and caught sight of a learned and refined man, who wore a long dark robe with wide sleeves, with scanty goatee, sitting in the central position of the platform and showing demeanor of transcendent being.

He sat there at will, emitting an invisible majesty of turning up his nose at the heaven and the earth. His eyes seemed mild, but they were frightening when you glanced at them by accident.

That was Yao Tuohai!

A man shot to fame in the imperial Nation Test as early as 30 years ago, and there was only one could put on a par with him, namely Liu Wujun, governor of southwestern province in the empire of the day!

“Tao Insight Realm! I wonder what kind of horrible power such overmatches have…” Lin Xun sighed with endless emotion.

The more he strived for higher cultivation, the more he understood on the hardship during the whole process which was just like climbing mountains with bare hands — one mountain was higher than another, and also more dangerous than another.

For ordinary practitioners, it was a good fortune to enter the Gang Spirit Realm in this life, let alone the higher mysterious realms like Sea Spirit Realm and Tao Insight Realm.

At the same time, Lin Xun also noticed Wu Chaoqun, who was a middle-aged man in a black hat and looked honest and tolerant. There seemed to be nothing special about him, which, however, made him even more unusual.

Being able to sit on the throne of Clan of Wu, and to be a guest of honour today, was originally a symbol of identity. Ordinary people didn’t deserve to be on the platform.

Mu Wansu was there, too. Lin Xun just casted a glance at her and withdrew his gaze.

Dang!

A clear bell rang, resounding over the Donglin School, as if a signal announced the opening of the County Test.

Atmosphere on the square got solemn and silent.

At the moment, Yu Canglin, president of Donglin School, stood up and announced the significance of County Test in a clear loud voice and briefly expounded rules of it. Then he brought the topic to Yao Tuohai.

As chief examiner, Yao Tuohai rose to his feet with a smile, scanning the candidates present, and said in a serious voice, “Here you are all future pillars of the empire. I hope you will make a good performance today, strive to serve the empire early and make your own brilliant achievements!

The voice, with awesome power, clearly echoed throughout every corner of the school.

All at once, the audience broke into thunderous applause.

Some young girls and boys were excited with their blood boiling.

But Lin Xun felt a little bored, for such platitudes could only enchant those kids who were immature in both mind and feeling.

It was just a County Test. Although it was indeed a big event for the empire, as long as pondering over it calmly, you would find that this was only the most basic level in imperial tests. Even if it was passed, the result just represented the good intelligence and was not equal to any glorious achievement.

Numerous outstanding talents emerged from the County Test in countless cities of the thirty-four provinces of the empire every year, but only a handful of people could own the qualification for taking the higher-level test, and most of them could only be nobody.

Fortunately, the time of boredom soon passed. Yu Canglin announced that here came the real beginning of this County Test.

The assessment rule was very simple, i.e. people participating in the test would come forward one after another to undergo inspection from the “Bone Testing Stele” and “Spiritual Realm Stone” which could detect one’s age and cultivation respectively.

And then by those two criteria, a thousand of those best would pass the test, and others would be eliminated.

It was really simple. There was no fight on the arena, no test on life or death, and no weird test, just test your age and cultivation level.

“Fang Shuanchong, fourteen years old, the second level of Martial Realm!”

“Liu Gangshan, fifteen years old, the fourth level of Martial Realm!”

“Shi Hong, eleven years old, the first level of Martial Realm!”

…

After each practitioner came forward to be tested, the result would be announced on the spot. No one could cheat in the full blaze of publicity.