Li Tan showed a slightly surprised expression. There were so many people participating in the assessment at the plaza, yet this guy had managed to line up right behind him by sheer coincidence. It was just too perfect.
“That’s right. Anything wrong?” Li Tan asked in return.
The chubby boy smiled innocently: “Hehe, nothing wrong, just asking.”
Li Tan didn’t say anything further but turned his head back.
The line moved slowly forward. After a long while, finally signs of progress appeared. Standing on tiptoe, one could see the half-human-height large black stone used for testing talent, as well as the person from the Tianlang Sect nearby.
“What’s your name?”
“Li Yue.”
“Alright, step forward, place your hand on it and don’t move.”
A young woman stepped onto the not-so-high wooden platform and placed her hand on the black stone. Moments later, a faint red glow appeared in the center of the black stone.
“Not bad. You may proceed to the next test.”
The Tianlang Sect disciple responsible for the test nodded, indicating the woman could proceed to the next stage.
This stone was used to test one’s innate talent. When touched by a person, it would emit a red glow. The higher the talent, the deeper the glow. Most people’s glow was similar to that of the woman. Whether they could ultimately join the sect depended on multiple factors. This was a side note and not the focus here.
Moreover, this black stone was extremely valuable. Ordinary families had no chance of possessing such a thing, so owning it was also a part of the sect’s strength.
The woman politely thanked them, left, and the next person immediately stepped up. Several people passed through like this, and the red glow emitted by the black stone was exactly the same as the first woman’s, causing no waves. This even made the Tianlang Sect disciple in charge of the test feel somewhat bored.
“Next! What’s your name?”
“Zhou Xue, from the Zhou family in Mo City, Zhou Xue.”
After waiting for a long time, the person in front of Li Tan finally stepped forward.
The youth named Zhou Xue nervously placed his hand on the stone. Soon, a red glow noticeably deeper than the previous ones lit up.
The Tianlang Sect disciple, who had maintained a blank expression the entire time, finally showed a hint of a smile. “Good talent. Proceed to the next test.”
“Thank you, senior brother!”
Zhou Xue grinned, bowed with his fists, and gave a respectful gesture.
He had already addressed the other as “senior brother.”
“Brother Zhou, you’re too polite.”
The Tianlang Sect disciple returned the bow, addressing him now as “junior brother,” which essentially meant Zhou Xue had passed the test.
Although the sect’s recruitment event today had set up a series of tests, clearly, the only truly important one was the talent test.
Zhou Xue cast a proud glance at the crowd still waiting in line, who were watching him with envious eyes, and then walked off smugly.
“Wow! If only I had half his talent!”
The chubby boy behind Li Tan whispered softly.
Hearing this, Li Tan said, “Talent isn’t everything. There are many opportunities on the cultivation path. As long as you can seize them, you won’t necessarily soar to the skies, but at least you won’t end up too badly.”
“Yeah, I know that too, but what kind of opportunities can a servant disciple encounter?
If I had half his talent, I might have become an outer disciple.” The chubby boy’s voice carried obvious envy.
Li Tan remained silent.
The chubby boy’s talent would likely be similar to that of the previous woman. However, that woman could definitely become an outer disciple, while he could only become a servant disciple through backdoor connections. In fact, this so-called recruitment was merely a formality. Most of Tianlang Sect’s spots had already been divided among various noble families. For ordinary people, unless they possessed extraordinary talent or used underhanded means, even becoming a servant disciple was difficult. Not only was this true for Tianlang Sect, but for nearly all human sects across the entire Jiuzhou region. This had seemingly become a default unspoken rule. However, it was precisely the existence of such unreasonable “rules” that would later lead humanity to face such a great crisis. Thinking about this, Li Tan couldn’t help but feel somewhat depressed.
“Hey, you, what are you spacing out for? Hurry up, it’s your turn.”
However, the somewhat annoyed voice of the Tianlang Sect disciple conducting the test pulled his thoughts back.
“Sorry.”
Li Tan stepped onto the wooden platform and casually placed his hand on the black stone.
The black stone showed no change at all—absolutely none.
“Remove your hand and place it again.”
The Tianlang Sect disciple in charge of the test ordered.
Li Tan complied, but the black stone still showed no reaction.
The Tianlang Sect disciple’s eyebrows furrowed immediately.
This black stone tested one’s cultivation talent. In fact, anyone who had cultivated to the early Foundation Building stage and participated in this test would at least cause the stone to emit some glow.
A situation with absolutely no change had likely never occurred since the founding of Tianlang Sect. Therefore, Li Tan’s case wasn’t just strange—it was abnormal.
A look of confusion and disbelief appeared on the Tianlang Sect disciple’s face: “Are you really at the early Foundation Building stage?”
Such a situation could probably only be explained if Li Tan wasn’t actually at the early Foundation Building stage but was instead an ordinary person sneaking in.
Li Tan gave a helpless smirk, “Yes, I’m at the early Foundation Building stage.”
At this moment, he indeed felt somewhat depressed.
In reality, the black stone had reacted, but the glow it emitted was so dark red that it was almost black. Combined with the sunlight, it was barely visible unless one got very close. However, Li Tan’s explanation did not convince the Tianlang Sect disciple. He coldly snorted with slight anger: “Then explain why the testing stone showed absolutely no reaction?”
Li Tan couldn’t answer this question. He couldn’t really say that his talent was just too amazing, causing this situation, could he?
Although that would indeed prove his ability, the saying goes, “A tall tree catches the wind.” It would also bring unnecessary trouble.
Besides, the test result didn’t really matter to Li Tan. As long as he could meet Zhang Chenghuan and the others, this test would probably be skipped altogether.
His ideal scenario was for this testing disciple to mock him a bit, then tell him not to waste time and let him pass.
However, this person seemed unusually responsible: “Speechless, huh? Hmph, so you really are a fraud. According to our sect’s rules, this kind of behavior is considered cheating. As punishment, one of your hands must be disabled.”
Disable a hand?
Li Tan had rarely heard of such a rule. Was it because of the rough customs of the border regions?
Regardless, Li Tan certainly wouldn’t obediently comply. He planned to directly state that he had been invited by Zhang Chenghuan.
But the person in charge of the test gave him absolutely no chance to explain. Angrily, he immediately approached Li Tan and sternly declared, “Without rules, nothing can be achieved. Today, I will disable your hand as an example to others.”
Rules are rigid, but people are flexible.
In fact, in such situations, the usual practice was simply to drive the person away. After all, causing someone to lose a hand on such an occasion would have a bad impact. Therefore, this person’s reaction was indeed quite strange.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage