Immediately after, the second youth, who carried a saber, stepped forward. He raised his hand and pressed it against the Spirit-Testing Orb.
A moment later, the spiritual light flared, and the deacon called out loudly.
“Heishui Commandery City, Xiao Zhan, eighteen years old, Houtian Twelfth Layer, talent rating: peerless.”
Exclamations rippled through the crowd once more, the commotion even louder than before.
Everyone couldn't help but sigh with emotion. Xiao Zhan's cultivation was already at the Houtian Twelfth Layer, clearly a level higher than Su Qinghan's, yet his ranking was still below hers. This showed just how terrifying Su Qinghan's actual combat ability was.
The third person, a young woman holding a long whip, quickly stepped forward for the test. Once the spiritual light stabilized, the deacon announced in a clear voice.
“Liu Yanli, eighteen years old, Houtian Eleventh Layer, talent rating: peerless.”
Discussions erupted among the crowd as everyone gasped in admiration. The top three geniuses of the Commandery City actually all possessed peerless talent. Their innate aptitude was truly terrifying.
Soon, it was the turn of the fourth person, Zhou Xing. He stepped forward and pressed his hand onto the Spirit-Testing Orb, and the deacon announced the result.
“Zhou Xing, eighteen years old, Houtian Eleventh Layer, talent rating: excellent.”
The fifth person, Ye Xiao, immediately followed for his test. At nineteen years old and at the Houtian Eleventh Layer, his talent rating was also excellent.
Soon, it was the turn of the youth who had been riding the horse earlier. Moving with a dashing posture, he raised his hand and pressed it onto the Spirit-Testing Orb. After the spiritual light flowed, the deacon called out loudly.
“Zhao Chen, seventeen years old, Houtian Tenth Layer, talent rating: excellent.”
To reach the Houtian Tenth Layer at seventeen years old meant his talent was already extraordinary. Yet in the Commandery City team, which was packed with experts, he could only rank in the top ten. This was a testament to the sheer strength of the Commandery City's overall power.
Half an hour later, the last person took the stage. Tong Lu, who was at the very end of the line, stepped forward and placed his palm against the Spirit-Testing Orb.
As the light shone, the deacon called out the result.
“Tong Lu, nineteen years old, Houtian Tenth Layer, talent rating: upper-middle.”
With that, the testing for all fifty geniuses of the Commandery City was complete.
Everyone silently tallied the results, their hearts filled with shock.
The top three of the Commandery City team all possessed peerless talent, the top twenty were all rated excellent, and even the fiftieth-ranked person at the very bottom had reached the upper-middle level.
In contrast, among the hundred-plus subordinate cities, Ye Ling was the only one in the entire venue who had received a peerless talent rating, and there were only six with excellent talent.
The contrast was stark, the difference night and day. The comprehensive strength of Heishui Commandery City was truly frightening.
The first round of cultivation testing officially came to an end. Seeing that everyone had stayed up through the entire night, the Commandery Lord decided to call for a break. Although martial artists possessed strong physiques and wouldn't be heavily affected by fatigue, the second round would test their comprehension. Performing while in a poor state could easily lead to subpar results. Thus, he immediately ordered everyone to disperse and rest for a day, postponing the comprehension test to the following day.
The crowd dispersed. As Ye Ling followed the flow of people back to the private residence, a beautiful and elegant figure quickly approached her. It was Qin Fuyue.
Today, she wore a pale yellow dress that accentuated her fair skin, making her exceptionally eye-catching among the crowd of martial artists clad in martial arts attire.
Qin Fuyue's eyes shone with bright admiration, her tone filled with praise.
“Ye Ling, your performance today was amazing! You actually have a peerless talent rating. That's incredible!”
Ye Ling smiled faintly and replied in a calm tone, “It's nothing. There are still people more powerful than me.”
“You mean Su Qinghan, right?” Qin Fuyue immediately understood and spoke seriously.
“She is indeed very strong, but she comes from the Commandery City. She has had access to the best cultivation resources and guidance from famous masters since childhood. Her conditions were naturally advantageous.”
“You only come from tiny Baiyun City, yet you can already stand shoulder-to-shoulder with her. That's already heaven-defying. I believe you will definitely surpass her completely in the future.”
A trace of warmth flickered in the depths of Ye Ling's eyes, her voice carrying absolute confidence.
“I know. I will surely surpass her in the future.”
With that, the two walked side-by-side toward the private residence. Qin Fuyue chattered non-stop along the way, and Ye Ling responded occasionally, not finding it annoying at all.
The next morning, the sunlight was warm and gentle.
Having rested for an entire day, all the participating geniuses were in high spirits, their auras refined and focused as they gathered in the square on time.
After experiencing yesterday's cultivation and talent testing, everyone understood.
The first round was merely a screening threshold. The real key to whether they could be exceptionally recruited by the four major sects and seize the top spots lay in the comprehension test before them.
Cultivation could be accumulated through diligent practice, and talent was determined at birth. Only comprehension was the fundamental core that set top-tier geniuses apart.
Under the gaze of thousands of eyes in the venue, the Heishui Commandery Lord slowly rose from his seat on the high platform. His voice was clear and resonant as it echoed throughout the square.
“The first round of talent testing has concluded. Today, we begin the second round of the sect selection: the comprehension test.”
Just as the Commandery Lord finished speaking, the deacons of the four major sects beside him stepped forward together to publicly announce the rules of the second round.
This comprehension test was extremely strict. The four major sects had jointly provided a Yellow-grade high-tier cultivation method that had never been circulated in the outside world as the test material.
All participants would enter the quiet cultivation area of the square to undergo closed-door cultivation for three full days. No communication or external guidance was permitted; they had to rely solely on their own comprehension to understand the secret technique.
The criteria for comprehension were as follows: successfully reaching Entry Level within three days would earn a rating of peerless comprehension.
Comprehending seventy to eighty percent of the artistic conception would result in an excellent comprehension rating.
Comprehending forty to sixty percent of the artistic conception would result in a mediocre comprehension rating.
Those who comprehended less than thirty percent and barely scratched the surface would be classified as having poor comprehension.
Once the rules were announced, the martial artists from the subordinate cities below instantly fell into an uproar.
How precious was a Yellow-grade high-tier cultivation method? In ordinary cities and families, it was absolutely a foundational treasure of the highest order, something that could only be wished for but not sought out.
Standing in the crowd, Ye Ling also sighed inwardly.
The vast Ye family had been passed down for hundreds of years, yet they had only accumulated a dozen or so Yellow-grade high-tier cultivation methods.
Every single one was classified as part of the family's heritage and strictly sealed away, with only core family members qualified to practice them.
Yet, for a mere selection test, the four major sects could casually produce a unique Yellow-grade high-tier cultivation method for everyone to comprehend. The foundation of these sects was truly unimaginable.
Soon, identical rubbings of the cultivation method were distributed to all the participants. Ye Ling reached out to receive hers and looked down to slowly flip it open.
This unreleased Yellow-grade high-tier cultivation method was not an offensive or defensive martial art, but rather a specialized technique for training eyesight.
Its core application was extremely practical, capable of continuously tempering a martial artist's eyes.
It would make their vision increasingly clear and sharp, allowing them to see through illusions and capture subtle movements, greatly enhancing their observation and perception.
For Houtian Realm martial artists who had not yet birthed Divine Sense and could only rely on their physical eyes to perceive their surroundings, this was absolutely a top-tier auxiliary divine technique. Its value was immense, enough to make countless low-level cultivators fight over it.
However, in Ye Ling's hands, this technique seemed somewhat redundant.
Her cultivation foundation was unique, and she had already awakened her Divine Sense ahead of time. This eye-tempering technique was practically useless to someone who already possessed Divine Sense.
Yet Ye Ling did not treat it with contempt or slack off. This was the core test of the sect selection, a crucial question to evaluate her comprehension.
Even if the technique was of little use to her, she still composed her mind. With a solemn attitude, she carefully read through it, sinking her mind into comprehension.
Blessed by the boost of her Heaven Rewards Diligence Dao imprint, in less than an hour, Ye Ling had successfully reached Entry Level in this secret technique, securing her peerless comprehension rating.
Since this technique was of little use to her, she did not delve any deeper after meeting the requirement.
She planned to spend these three days meditating and cultivating. The spiritual energy in Heishui Commandery was far denser than in Baiyun City.
Having been here for only a few days, the spiritual energy she absorbed already rivaled more than ten days of hard cultivation in the past. Now, her cultivation was not far from the Houtian Eleventh Layer.
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