Chapter 1080: Chapter 1054: The First Round
The white-haired elder in the center swept his eyes over the entire venue, just like an emperor inspecting his domain. Wherever his gaze fell, there was a display of reverence, and even some weaker individuals had the impulse to kneel before him. This gaze, filled with sharpness, filled with majesty, filled with supreme divine power. Just this kind of imposing presence was enough to invisibly kill a person. Such a great power could kill with just a glance, without needing to lift a hand.
Before such a great power, naturally, everyone was as silent as cicadas in winter, respectfully awaiting instructions.
After sweeping his gaze, the white-haired elder spoke in a voice that was not loud, but each word was crystal clear as it reached everyone’s ears: "This time, it’s the largest disciple selection in the history of our Jiuzhou Immortal Sect, and the Outer Sect disciples have been newly established. You are the fortunate first batch to participate. However, to become a disciple of our Jiuzhou Immortal Sect, one not only needs certain talent but also astonishing perseverance, a steadfast heart, and must excel in all aspects to possibly be absorbed by our Jiuzhou Immortal Sect."
"I shall not talk more on trivial matters. Although the scale of this discipleship selection is larger, the difficulty level has correspondingly increased. Since you are here to participate in the selection, be mentally prepared. This is a difficult trial, a test likened to leaping over the dragon gate. You must also be prepared for sacrifice. There’s still time to withdraw from the selection; exit now if you want to. I also advise those with weaker strength to withdraw early to avoid dying here and regretting unnecessary loss."
The words of the white-haired elder were spoken with such authority that no one dared to doubt their truth.
It appears that, indeed, the difficulty of the trial has been increased, and danger has been set.
Hearing the words of the white-haired elder, many people began to hesitate, as quite a few had come with the attitude of just having fun. For instance, those in the Mystic Law Realm Third Layer were merely here to join in the commotion, as their strength left them with no hope of passing the selection. On the contrary, their probability of sacrifice was quite high.
In past selections, the sacrifice rate was not high, and those who died were rather unfortunate. But this time, it evidently differed from the past. Hence, many who had come with a mindset of just joining in the fun began to waver.
Many people began to lower their heads and discuss among themselves; some had already become restless.
The white-haired elder spoke once more: "Our Jiuzhou Immortal Sect’s principle in disciple selection has always been to avoid participant casualties as much as possible. However, this time, I will break this principle. Without the trial of death, it is very hard to select true geniuses. The Path of the Immortals itself is a path between life and death, filled with endless dangers. Without rigorous trials, it is hard for you to grow. This time, if all participate, I estimate at most half shall survive! Hence, whether to advance or retreat is entirely up to you; I will only give you one chance to choose. If you are willing to die, then go ahead."
What—
The words of the white-haired elder suddenly shocked everyone, many were visibly frightened, with grave looks of worry in their hearts.
A death rate exceeding half made everyone’s scalp tingle, causing dread in their hearts. With such a high mortality rate, the weak participating would be tantamount to courting death?
"Forget it, I originally came just to have some fun, and if it involves risking my life, I’m not in; I’m withdrawing."
"I’ll quit too; I can’t afford this play; I don’t want to die here."
"I just wanted to experience this, but not something that threatens my life; I won’t do it!"
"Too terrifying, anyway, in this life, the best I can achieve is the Golden Core Realm; I don’t want to lose my life here."
Many people directly withdrew; indeed, the words frightened quite a number.
"For those planning to withdraw, leave swiftly; I only give you a hundred breaths of time to decide." The authoritative voice of the white-haired elder sounded once again.
Those who decided to leave also left quickly, not daring to linger. With some leading the way, those originally hesitant also began retreating, initiating a tidal wave of withdrawal.
Gradually, those exiting reached close to ten thousand, so after a hundred breaths, those remaining numbered around twenty thousand, a reduction by a third.
A single statement saw a third depart, undeniably leaving one admiring.
After those withdrawing had completely left, the white-haired elder nodded slightly and said: "Your ability to resist being deterred by my words indicates that you either have enough confidence in your strength or possess a firm heart. Immortal Cultivation cultivates both heart and spirit; a resolute heart is extremely important. Without a heart to seek the way, how can one pursue immortality? Retreating at the sight of danger means destined never to travel far on the Path of the Immortals. The Path of the Immortals is paved by countless blood and bones; though not everyone will travel far, at least you dared to embark. Those timid and withdrawn achieve, at most, Golden Core, and even among them, achievers are scarce."
"Your willingness to face mortal danger at least indicates that you have a relatively firm heart in immortal cultivation. With earnest effort, achieving Golden Core is still a very hopeful matter."
"It doesn’t matter if some people are temporarily weaker; as long as they can break through in the trials and improve, they still have hope of passing the selection. The most important thing is for each of you to have a clear understanding of yourselves and to give yourself a definitive position."
The words of the white-haired Elder brought enlightenment to many.
Likewise, these words allowed everyone to grasp some meaning. Apparently, the white-haired Elder’s previous words were meant to test everyone’s mindset and didn’t literally mean that the death rate for this disciple selection was that high. If it were truly that high, it would be utterly terrifying.
A fifty percent death rate is definitely an extremely frightening notion.
Those who can still remain here are essentially the talented elites of various forces. Each possesses remarkable talents, and most notably, many of them have great hope of achieving the Golden Core. If half were to die suddenly, it would definitely be a huge loss to the Jiuzhou Territory. Such a loss is likely something the Jiuzhou Immortal Sect would not want to see. After all, the strength of the Jiuzhou Immortal Sect still depends on all the forces within the territory providing excellent disciples.
The white-haired Elder waved his hand and said, "Everyone, follow me!"
After speaking, the Giant Sword spun around and swiftly flew forward, followed by the crowd, forming a majestic procession.
Before long, everyone saw a gigantic light sphere appearing before them, with a diameter reaching ten thousand feet. The colorful light sphere looked as if it were hidden by dense fog, obscuring the interior. The figures of the white-haired Elder and others stopped above the gigantic light sphere, overlooking the crowd. The voice of the white-haired Elder transmitted down: "This is the first round of trials. Let me announce the rules. Each of you has an Identity Token. Your trial is to seize the Tokens from others as much as possible, but there’s a premise: no killing allowed. Anyone who dares to kill will be executed without mercy!"
The final three words ’executed without mercy’ were said powerfully and authoritatively, making it absolutely impossible for others to defy.
"Aside from seizing others’ Identity Tokens, there are numerous Demon Beasts inside, the weakest at the Fourth Layer Mystic Law Realm and the strongest at the Seventh Layer Mystic Law Realm. You can kill these Demon Beasts and take their Demon Cores. Mystic Law Realm Fourth to Sixth Layer Demon Cores can be exchanged for one Identity Token, while Mystic Law Realm Seventh Layer Demon Cores can be exchanged for two Identity Tokens. Finally, individuals will be ranked by the number of Identity Tokens they possess. The top ten thousand will enter the second round, and all others will be eliminated."
Holy Sun smirked and said, "This kind of trial is quite interesting; haha, with twenty thousand people in melee, we can have a good fight. The top ten thousand seems pretty easy. This first round’s elimination rate is quite high already, and it seems that not many rounds of trials will be needed."
Wang Qiutian said, "Haha, let’s form a team directly. With the strength of our more than twenty individuals, forming a team would certainly be invincible, sweeping everything in our path."
Hua Wuliang once again opposed Wang Qiutian, "You’re dreaming, aren’t you? Do you think the Jiuzhou Immortal Sect hasn’t considered this? If everyone forms teams, it would be very unfair. Such a situation, I believe, is very unlikely to happen, at least not in the beginning. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be very meaningful; if everyone grouped together, it would turn into a team battle."
"Tch, who says it’s not allowed; there’s no rule against forming teams, right?" Wang Qiutian said, but in his heart, he also had to admit that such a situation is indeed hard to occur, or it would be too unfair.
Tangyu was indifferent, not concerned about the first round at all.
"Everyone, enter the formation!" At the command of the white Elder, the crowd surged into that massive light sphere like a swarm of locusts.
After watching the crowd, Tangyu also said, "Let’s go!"
Everyone entered the light sphere together. Upon entering the sphere, a terrifying force surged forth like a monstrous wave, providing Tangyu the sensation of being plunged into a vortex. Additionally, the space became completely distorted, giving the feeling of the body spinning.
This force was immensely strong and terrifying, obliterating visibility, even giving Tangyu the sensation of impending death.
However, evidently, no actual danger occurred, as the light quickly shifted, stabilizing the space, with visibility returning. Tangyu surveyed his surroundings, discovering himself in a mountainous forest area that seemed empty. The trees were peculiar, with some towering trees reaching heights over a thousand feet and crowns of thousands of feet. One large tree rendered as a massive entity.
Some trees stood like Heavenly Pillars, soaring into the sky; some grew in eerie, sinister shapes, appearing far from resembling trees.
The terrain was undulating, with mountain ranges stretching on, thereby limiting visibility.
Moreover, the gravity here was substantial, with space having a considerable binding force. When Tangyu attempted to fly, he realized he couldn’t fly in the air anymore, only managing to leap about a dozen feet high. Additionally, his speed and movement were greatly restricted, providing the feeling of being in a quagmire.
The surroundings appeared boundless; the sky was colorful and dusky, only about ten thousand feet high. Clearly, this place constituted a small world in itself, scattering everyone at random.