Final Trial
Deep in sleep and without a sense of time, the night for Xue Bai went by quickly. And he would only wake up just shy of 6 am thanks to his natural alarm clock.
Quickly washing up with a bucket of spirit water, Xue Bai changed into a new set of training clothes before making his way to the city square. While he had already guaranteed his entry into the Inner Sect from the previous trial, the third trial was the one that would potentially allow him to become a Core Disciple.
The position of Core Disciple in the Soaring Sword Sect was something illustrious and was only given to those who were deserving of it.
And for any potential youth to become a Core Disciple, there were two requirements. The first was for one to have, at the minimum, a Black Grade Martial Vein. Which Xue Bai definitely passed.
While the second was to have a high enough affinity with Sword Law, which was going to be tested in the third and final trial.
The Soaring Sword Sect, after all, was a sect made for Sword Cultivators. So how could they allow someone in if they had no affinity for Sword Law?
And while Xue Bai didn't know his affinity for Sword Law, as his character in the game was a cripple, it couldn't be low as even now, with his Bone Strengthening Realm cultivation, he felt as if he had touched the boundary of Sword Law.
So going into the final trial, Xue Bai felt confident that he could follow up on his deal with Elder Yang and become a Core Disciple.
Walking side by side with Xiao'er and with the Wang Twins following close behind, Xue Bai calmly made his way to the city square, where the remaining 1000 participants awaited the final trial.
Other people, of course, were allowed to watch the final trial, as the results of this trial could improve or even nullify the results from the previous two. Making this final trial the only one that genuinely mattered for factions to take notice of.
However, only the participants were allowed into the City Square, while the attendants watching the trial were only allowed to watch from afar.
And Xue Bai himself, seeing all of the watching eyes focused on the stage, was even slightly nervous.
There was easily triple the number of participants watching the final trial. And each of them was the respective recruiter for their factions, which meant that they all had both strength and a good eye for talent.
And with thousands of powerhouses looking at him, not just Xue Bai but even all the other participants were slightly nervous at all of the invisible pressure.
The Soaring Sword Sect higher-ups obviously noticed this. Still, they played ignorant and let the situation happen, as this could also test the participants that were going into their sect.
Being able to keep your calm while having thousands of eyes on you was a valuable skill for any cultivator, especially a righteous one.
So after shaking away the stage fright, Xue Bai bid Xiao'er farewell before making his way to the stage where the final trial would take place.
The final trial, while the most important trial, was also the simplest one. As all one needed to do was to place their palm onto a testing stone, named the Sword Law Jade Stone, that could test one's affinity to Sword Law.
How the stone worked Xue Bai had no clue. But since it was one of the Soaring Sword Sects, Three Great Heirlooms, Xue Bai didn't bother to question it either.
Most likely, the Sword Law Jade Stone was something from ancient times that was passed down from Sect Leader to Sect Leader.
As the first-place ranker from yesterday's trial, Xue Bai was required by tradition to go first again in the final trial, so as he made his way toward the stage, the crowd opened and made way for him.
The earlier he went, the earlier they could go, after all. So why would they be rude and block him out when all it would be doing was also delaying their turn?
On the stage, the proctor once again was the same Inner Disciple from yesterday Luo Ye.
"Young Duke Xue, I think you know how this trial works, so I won't bother you with any more words." Luo Ye spoke with a smile that seemed to contain more meaning than Xue Bai was comfortable with.
"Yes, Senior Brother." Xue Bai replied with a forced smile as he placed his palm onto the Sword Law Jade Stone.
The Sword Law Jade Stone had nine grades and three secret tiers. The nine grades were the most common results for anyone trying to join the Soaring Sword Sect and were simply ranked highest to lowest, 1-9.
But, to keep his end of the deal with Elder Yang, Xue Bai needed to be a Core Disciple and to become one, Xue Bai needed his Sword Law affinity to reach one of the three secret tiers, which were named Immortal, God, and Divine.
However, throughout the entire history of the Soaring Sword Sect, only two people have ever had their Sword Law affinity be ranked at God, and both of them become the Sect Leader of the Soaring Sword Sect within their generation. While no one, not even from the Central Continent, has ever reached the Divine tier.
Even the Soaring Sword Sects founder didn't think that the Divine tier was something a youth in their Mortal Plane to reach. But rather, it was something that could only be touched by the geniuses in the legendary Immortal World.
Xue Bai himself didn't think he could get the Divine tier either, as even the strongest Child of the Plane barely reached the Divine tier. So for him, an ex-Cannon Fodder with no innate talents, how could he possibly match up with that monster?
Xue Bai was, however, confident in his chances of reaching the God tier, while he knew he was at least guaranteed the Immortal tier. And while it seemed arrogant for him to think so, something within him told him that he could.
The instinct was odd, but it was strong and wasn't something he could suppress.
Meanwhile, away from Xue Bai's thoughts, after he placed his hand on the Sword Law Jade Stone, it started to glow brilliantly.
And like a hologram, a number projected upwards showing Xue Bai's current rank detected by the Sword Law Jade Stone.
Speeding past the nine grades, Xue Bai's rank almost instantly became rank 2.
"Young Duke Xue's rank surely can't be lower than the three secret tiers, right?" A youth mumbled, accidentally portraying the thoughts of everyone near him.
"How can it not? Young Duke Xue has a High Black Grade Martial Vein, after all." A youth beside him seconded.
"And remember that Wang Yu only has a Middle Black Grade Martial Vein, but even he was able to get an Immortal tier rank. If Young Duke Xue can't at least match that, then it would be the world's greatest injustice." Finally, an Elder nearby spoke out.
No one disagreed with their words. However, since they were all keen on finding out Xue Bai's grade, they all stayed mum, waiting for the Sword Law Jade Stone to finish its appraisal.
After almost a minute of staying at rank 2, Xue Bai's score naturally climbed up to rank 1, where it plateaued for a few minutes, giving everyone in the crowd a scare.
However, since Xue Bai himself looked confident and relaxed, no one dared to yell for him to get off the stage. He was the son of two Peak stage Domain Lords, after all. If they insulted and berated him, wouldn't that just be seeking an early death?
The reason that Xue Bai, on the stage, looked so calm was that he had yet to fully place his palm onto the Sword Law Jade Stone. Currently, he had only latched the tips of his fingers on it while his palm stayed above it, elevated.
And after seeing his score plateau, Xue Bai eventually figured out it was time to stop holding back and fully placed his hand on the Sword Law Jade Stone. Almost instantly, Xue Bai's grade changed and turned into an Immortal tier grade.
Seeing his score change after an almost 2-minute-long plateau, the crowd, while shocked, didn't react much. Everyone had predicted Xue Bai would get such a grade. The only question was if Xue Bai managed to reach the legendary God tier grade.
"Young Duke Xue, you've already met the standard for a Core Disciple!" Luo Ye spoke excitedly from the side.
The more he looked at Xue Bai and his overwhelming talents, the more Luo Ye knew his decision was right. But, sadly, he didn't know the more he tried to get close to Xue Bai, the further he pushed him away.
Still wary of his Senior Brother, Xue Bai ignored his words before fully concentrating on the Sword Law Jade Stone. He felt something within the Jade Stone that almost felt like a blockade. Something inside was blocking him from reaching the God-tier grade.
And it didn't seem like a third party who interfered with the Sword Law Jade Stone, but rather a test. It was like there was a puzzle stopping Xue Bai from reaching the God tier Grade.
But Xue Bai had come this far, so how could he give up now? So instead of giving up like Luo Ye persuaded him to do, Xue Bai poured his Spiritual Qi into the Sword Law Jade Stone.
However, as he did, something within changed, and before he could react, his vision went dark, and he found himself somewhere else entirely.
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