Chapter 81: Potential

Under a dim sky, large, feathery snowflakes drifted down.

Many geniuses stared at the countless hailstones suspended high above. As the third round commenced, the hailstones poured down once more, their speed accelerating further.

“Too fast.” Many geniuses felt the hailstones shoot before them in the blink of an eye. They barely had time to register what was happening before the hailstones struck their bodies, leaving no time to dodge.

“It’s over, I’ve been hit!” “Darn it.” “This is just too fast!”

Geniuses were struck one after another, and the number of those hit in this third round noticeably increased. An invisible force enveloped them, lifting them up and casting them far away.

“Though they met the minimum requirement, they couldn’t withstand the third round. Their reactions are merely ordinary.” “Unless they excel significantly in other areas, they hold no cultivation value.” The gods and demons conversed amongst themselves. Only the most exceptional talents were deemed worthy of entry into Yuanchu Mountain for training. Ordinary geniuses weren’t worth expending the power of the God and Demon Blood Pool on.

The third round concluded swiftly, with fifty-eight geniuses being eliminated.

One hundred and eighty-one geniuses remained within the circle. Meng Chuan and the others stood focused, poised for the next challenge. After a brief pause, the countless hailstones in mid-air began their fourth descent, their speed naturally increasing even further.

“Too fast.” “This… this…” Many geniuses found that by the time their minds registered the incoming hailstones, the projectiles had already struck them.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. Dense rows of geniuses were lifted into the air one after another. This sight drew gasps from their distant families and friends, as an overwhelming number had been struck in the fourth round. The floating geniuses… actually outnumbered those who remained within the circle.

“Finally, we made it,” the surviving geniuses sighed in relief. They then noticed how sparsely scattered the remaining participants were. A staggering one hundred and two individuals had been eliminated during the fourth round, leaving only seventy-nine still standing.

These seventy-nine were truly exceptional.

They had either consumed rare natural treasures to establish a profound foundation as gods and demons, or possessed incredibly high talent in this area, demonstrating superb reactions.

Of course, among those who had consumed natural treasures, very few possessed foundations as profound as Meng Chuan or Yan Jin—perhaps only around ten. The vast majority had only taken one or two common natural treasures; even a single drop of ‘God and Demon Marrow Liquid’ was a rare acquisition. Yet, even they were 50-80% stronger than ordinary geniuses. With a more robust foundation and a stronger god and demon body, they naturally held an advantage in reaction speed.

“Hmph.” King Donghe stood observing everything with an indifferent gaze. With a mere thought, the hailstones suspended in mid-air began their fifth torrential descent.

Whiz! Whiz! Whiz! Whiz! Whiz! Whiz!

Countless hailstones pelted down, and all seventy-nine geniuses immediately exerted themselves to dodge. From afar, their families and friends watched with extreme tension. They knew well that Yuanchu Mountain would ultimately select only twenty individuals. The selection process involved combining results from various assessments: the three preliminary rounds and the numerous screenings in the final selection, all leading to the final twenty.

Therefore, excelling in a particular aspect significantly increased one's chances of securing a spot. Even without exceptional brilliance in one area, consistently high performance across all aspects—being well-rounded—could also earn a place.

“Second Young Master, you must push through, you must!” An old man watched nervously.

“My dear disciple, my dear disciple… just one more step, one more step. Endure the fifth round, and your chances of securing a spot will be much greater.” A plump old man watched anxiously, “It’s my fault, your master is useless. I couldn’t afford any natural treasures for you. You must strive hard on your own.”

Natural treasures vital for establishing a god and demon foundation were exceptionally precious. Those who hadn't consumed such treasures were at a significant disadvantage, meaning that to have lasted this long truly signified extraordinary talent.

“Chuan’er,” Meng Dajiang murmured, watching intently. “Chuan’er has even fought a Second Heaven demon king and withstood such a long pursuit. His reactions must be incredibly fast.”

Everyone watched with bated breath.

The hailstones in the fifth round were simply too swift. Geniuses, unable to react in time, were struck and subsequently eliminated, one after another, until the barrage finally ceased.

“Alas.” “They couldn’t endure it.” Many families and friends sighed in disappointment.

“He made it! My dear disciple made it!” The plump old man, however, watched with surging excitement. His disciple, who had never once consumed a natural treasure, had actually managed to pass the fifth round.

Meng Chuan glanced around; the circle had grown significantly sparser. “Only twenty-three people remain who passed the fifth round.”

Individuals with robust god and demon foundations, such as Chu Yong, Yan Feng, Yan Jin, Zong Sha, and Princess Li Ying, had all naturally endured. However, the thirteen-year-old genius Yan Chitong, despite his profound god and demon foundation, had only recently comprehended his ‘form’ (势). He was still far from its peak and hadn't yet formed a ‘Heaven and Earth power domain,’ which made dodging difficult, and consequently, he failed to pass the fifth round.

“Among those who passed the fifth round, three have never consumed any natural treasures, meaning their god and demon bodies are significantly weaker,” the disheveled man transmitted telepathically. “To react so well despite such a weaker god and demon body—their talent is truly exceptional.”

“Indeed, Zuo Xiao, Shangguan Feng, and Yu Chang,” the woman in green nodded, transmitting her voice. “These three are certainly suitable for cultivation. However, having failed to lay a profound god and demon foundation in the Mortal Transformation Realm, it will be very difficult for them to bridge that gap later. Let’s observe further… if they also demonstrate outstanding abilities in the later final selection, then we can grant them a spot.”

The disheveled man nodded. King Donghe and the two of them were responsible for overseeing this entrance examination, and it was also their duty to determine the final spots and rankings.

Those with robust god and demon foundations were naturally given priority. However, these three who had never consumed natural treasures yet still endured the fifth round had effectively stepped halfway into Yuanchu Mountain. If they demonstrated further outstanding qualities later, it would be sufficient for Yuanchu Mountain to recruit them.

Only twenty-three geniuses remained on the field.

King Donghe calmly surveyed the twenty-three individuals. While those who had endured this far without natural treasures possessed remarkable talent, what Yuanchu Mountain most desired were individuals with both exceptional talent and profound god and demon foundations.

“Whoosh.” The sixth round commenced, and hailstones once again shot down, their speed continuing to skyrocket.

“Too fast.” Geniuses were immediately struck one after another, as the fifth round had already pushed many of them to their limits. With the noticeable increase in hailstone speed in the sixth round, they instantly found it unbearable.

“Hold on,” Princess Li Ying, clad in purple royal robes, struggled to maintain her stance. She could vaguely sense other geniuses around her being struck. She exerted every effort to withstand this sixth round. Although she was a royal princess of exceedingly noble status, competition within the imperial family was equally fierce. As the foremost god and demon family of the Great Zhou Dynasty, a princess’s title meant little; true strength held far greater significance.

“Whiz.” The hailstones were steadily gaining speed, making resistance progressively harder. Finally, a hailstone grazed the quiver on her back, and her expression instantly shifted. As a true master, her self-control was exceptional. For her quiver to be grazed by a hailstone… that also counted as a failure.

An invisible force enveloped her, and she began to float upwards, drifting into the distance. She knew she hadn't endured this round. Looking around, she saw seven other geniuses still holding on, which brought her a slight sense of relief. “Only twenty will be chosen in total,” she thought, “so I still have significant hope.”

“Not good,” Jin Huan muttered as lightning crackled across his body. He desperately tried to dodge, time and again, but the astonishingly fast hailstones finally surpassed the limits of his reaction speed.

Jin Huan, too, was enveloped by the invisible force and lifted into the air. He looked around, noting that only six geniuses now remained.

“Dodge!” Yan Jin desperately evaded the projectiles. He cultivated the Ice-Fire God Body and specialized in close combat, where life and death were decided in an instant. Ordinarily, he would engage enemies with his twin swords, but now he could only dodge. He strained to sense each incoming hailstone, relying purely on instinct to move, for the hailstones were simply too fast for conscious thought.

A hailstone grazed Yan Jin’s back; his face paled, and he knew he hadn't endured it.

He, too, was enveloped by the invisible force and lifted into the air. As Yan Jin floated away, he saw that both Chu Yong and Yan Feng were also suspended in the air, indicating their failure.

When the hailstones ceased, only three individuals remained standing: Meng Chuan, Zong Sha, and Ji Yuantong.

At that moment, all eyes were on them. The other eliminated geniuses watched them with complex emotions.

“Good,” King Donghe finally said, a faint smile appearing on his face.