Chapter 1312: Front Five

"The Mountain Gate assessment requires you to showcase only your talent and ability. Weapons or runic artifacts are not allowed. Anyone caught cheating will have their results nullified! Furthermore, infighting is prohibited; anyone who kills without cause will be immediately disqualified, regardless of their score!" Elder Haoyu's voice resonated once more.

"Yes!" Everyone in the square nodded in unison.

The assessment emphasizes fair competition. Even if completed, results achieved through the use of magical artifacts will not be counted. Otherwise, if everyone brought artifacts to the assessment, the Saint Son Hall would become a gathering place for treasures, not a hub for geniuses.

"Please leave your soul imprints on this gateway. The assessment stele will automatically display your names and origins, which will facilitate our assessment and selection process!" Elder Haoyu continued.

Everyone nodded, each employing a secret technique to leave their soul imprint.

"Begin! The Mountain Gate challenge will last for three days. Good luck to you all!" Elder Haoyu waved his hand.

"Yes!" Excitement coursed through the crowd. Their auras surged as they collectively headed towards the gateway.

"Since this is a teleportation array, we might not stay together. Whether we pass or not will depend on ourselves..." Seeing more and more people entering and his turn approaching, Zhang Xuan turned to Zhang Jiuxiao.

"Don't worry, Teacher Zhang, I will do my utmost!" Zhang Jiuxiao nodded.

Before, he wouldn't have had any confidence in passing, but now, he felt quite self-assured. During his time learning from Zhang Xuan, his strength had not only improved rapidly, but his understanding of combat had also undergone a drastic transformation. Most importantly, he had comprehended the half-step Sword Dao truth, making him virtually invincible among his peers. He now had high hopes of breaking into the top five hundred!

"Be careful!" Seeing his confidence, Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief.

"Teacher Zhang, we'll see you again at the Saint Son Hall!" After bidding farewell to Zhang Jiuxiao, Chen Leyao and the others cupped their fists.

"Mm." Zhang Xuan nodded. The group from the Ice Plain Palace walked towards the gateway. In their view, someone who could easily defeat Zhang Qian would certainly have no difficulty passing the assessment. The only question was how well he would perform and if he could enter the elite class.

"Let's go!" After waiting a bit longer, Zhao Xingmo called out, and over thirty people from the direction of the Eight Great Empires rushed towards the gateway. Zhang Xuan followed closely behind. The moment he touched the gate, he felt a dense spatial energy envelop him. His figure flickered, and he vanished from his spot.

Watching him leave, Zhang Qian's eyes narrowed, and he gritted his teeth. "I must get into the elite class!" With that, he followed closely behind and entered as well.

It wasn't long before all ten thousand assessed geniuses on the square had entered, leaving behind only the various reception envoys.

"Let's go to the Results Hall..." Zhao Xingmo followed the other reception envoys, swiftly flying towards the Saint Son Hall. They soon arrived at a grand hall.

Inside the room, a greenish-grey jade stele stood in the center, emanating an ancient and profound aura. It was clear at a glance that it had existed for countless years. The surface of the jade stele glowed with a gentle light, illuminating the surroundings. Everyone stopped before it, looking up in unison, hoping to find the names of the geniuses they had brought.

"It's still early; there's no need to rush..." Seeing their eager attitudes, Elder Haoyu smiled. The assessment lasted three days, so checking the jade stele now was indeed a bit early. The final rankings wouldn't be determined for at least two more days.

"Mm!" Everyone nodded and sat cross-legged, intending to rest for a while. Just then, the stone stele flickered with light, and several names appeared.

"Someone already has a score? That fast?" Their pupils contracted as they collectively looked up.

"Feng Ziyi, one hundred twenty-seven!""Zhang Xu, one hundred twenty-one!""Jiang Xuecun, one hundred sixteen!""Yuan Haiqing, one hundred nine!""Bai Qingxuan, one hundred three!"

"Over a hundred points? How long has it been, and they're already that high?" Seeing the names and scores, everyone erupted in an uproar. It had only just begun, and scores over a hundred points were truly astonishing. The most crucial part was that it wasn't just one or two such high scores; five consecutive individuals had already passed a hundred points, leaving everyone speechless with shock.

"Defeating a Saint Beast one minor level higher than oneself earns 1 point, two minor levels earns 5 points, three levels earns 25... Over a hundred points? What on earth did they do?" Zhao Xingmo's throat felt dry, his face filled with disbelief. Based on previous assessments, when the stele first started displaying scores, they would usually be around ten points, gradually increasing. To have scores over a hundred appear immediately, and five of them at once... What had happened?

"Where is this top-scoring Feng Ziyi from?" Unable to restrain himself any longer, he turned to a black-robed Master Teacher beside him.

"He's from the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters! He's said to be a direct disciple of a certain Elder. Despite his young age, his cultivation has already reached the mid-Domain Realm, making him a true prodigy among this group," the black-robed Master Teacher explained in detail.

"A direct disciple of an Elder?" Zhao Xingmo's breathing quickened. To be an Elder at the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, one's rank must be at least nine-star. No wonder a student of such a powerful individual was so formidable!

"Indeed. The second-ranked Zhang Xu is a super genius sent by the Saint Clan Zhang this time. His bloodline purity has reached the Earth-tier!"

"Earth-tier? This... that's already a top-tier bloodline!" Zhao Xingmo exclaimed in surprise. The core bloodlines of the Saint Clans are categorized into four levels based on their strength: Second-tier, First-tier, Earth-tier, and the highest, Heaven-tier. Normally, core members possess Second-tier bloodlines. Slightly more powerful ones have First-tier. Those who reach Earth-tier are almost direct descendants of the main lineage, or at the very least, descendants of Elders.

"That's right. Since the establishment of the Saint Son Hall, the Zhang Clan has sent a total of thirty-seven Earth-tier bloodline holders. Even the weakest among them eventually reached the peak of Saint Realm 8-dan... With such a bloodline, Zhang Xu's future achievements are bound to be limitless!" the black-robed Master Teacher stated.

"Peak Saint Realm 8-dan?" Swallowing, Zhao Xingmo was speechless. Such power undoubtedly stood at the very pinnacle of the entire continent. A single stomp could cause forces like the Qianchong Empire to collapse instantly, utterly incapable of resistance.

"By the way, I just saw someone named Zhang Qian from the Zhang Clan. What's his bloodline?" Remembering something, he couldn't help but ask.

"Zhang Qian has only an ordinary Second-tier bloodline. Among the thirty people from the Zhang Clan participating in this assessment, he ranks at the bottom. He's not worth mentioning!" The black-robed Master Teacher chuckled.

"Not worth mentioning?" Zhao Xingmo's body swayed, his face turning as black as coal. Zhang Qian was a peak Nascent Ascendant Realm expert, yet he ranked at the very bottom among thirty people from the Zhang Clan... How strong must those at the top be? That was terrifying! In previous years, the Zhang Clan had always been outstanding, but never to such an extent!

"Jiang Xuecun... is he from the Saint Clan Jiang?" Suppressing the shock in his heart, he couldn't help but continue asking. Among the Saint Clans, there were three at the absolute pinnacle: the Zhang Clan, the Jiang Clan, and the Luo Clan! This person's surname was Jiang, and his scores were excellent, only trailing Zhang Xu. It was highly probable that only a transcendent clan like theirs could produce such a genius.

"Yes, the Saint Clan Jiang specializes in soul attacks. I've met Jiang Xuecun once; he possesses inherently powerful soul force, and his true strength is in no way inferior to Feng Ziyi's!" The black-robed Master Teacher's expression became solemn as he continued, "Yuan Haiqing is a talent from the Saint Clan Yuan! The Yuan Clan is slightly weaker than the Zhang, Jiang, and Luo Clans among the Saint Clans, not ranking in the top three. However, I've heard that half a year ago, they found a successor with a Heaven-tier bloodline, so it's not impossible for them to challenge for a top-three spot in the future!"

"Heaven-tier bloodline?" Zhao Xingmo was astonished. A Heaven-tier bloodline was considered the pinnacle lineage among the Saint Clans. Anyone possessing such a bloodline, as long as they didn't perish prematurely, was destined to become a renowned figure on the continent. Just like the current Clan Heads of the Zhang and Luo Clans... they had all reached this level.

"That's right! The Yuan Clan's rise to prominence is already inevitable. In recent days, many major powers and influential families have extended olive branches, eager to form alliances," the black-robed Master Teacher nodded.

"These few are all so powerful... So what's the background of this Bai Qingxuan?" Digesting the information he had just received, Zhao Xingmo continued to ask. The first four all had incredibly prominent backgrounds and extraordinary statuses. For the fifth person to be able to stand alongside them, they must also be exceptional!

"Bai Qingxuan is from the Blazing Flame Palace!" the black-robed Master Teacher stated.

"Blazing Flame Palace? The top-tier power on par with the Ice Plain Palace?" While the Ice Plain Palace possessed the Yin-Yang Pool and had cultivators practicing both Yin and Yang arts, its primary focus was on Yin arts. From the Palace Master to the Elders, nearly all were women who cultivated ice-cold attributes. The Blazing Flame Palace was its exact opposite, almost entirely composed of men who cultivated Yang-attribute techniques like the Blazing Flame Art. These two sacred lands were reportedly founded by the same patriarch but later split into two factions due to their completely contrasting cultivation methods. Over a decade ago, the two powers attempted to unite through marriage to end their division. Everyone thought a happy outcome was imminent, but the Ice Plain Palace Master fled the wedding at the last minute and vanished without a trace. Ultimately, the two powers fell out again and parted ways unhappily.

"Yes!" The black-robed Master Teacher nodded. "The Blazing Flame Palace doesn't have a flashy reputation and rarely establishes branches, but its overall strength cannot be underestimated. Otherwise, the Ice Plain Palace wouldn't have sought a marriage alliance with them back then!"

"Indeed!" Zhao Xingmo nodded. A marriage alliance, so-called, required an equal match. If two powers differed too greatly, they certainly couldn't unite. Leaving aside other factors, differences in cultivation and values alone would make such a union difficult.

As the two spoke, the stone stele before them vibrated again, and more names seemed to appear.

"The top five hundred are already showing..." Someone called out. Zhao Xingmo quickly looked over and indeed saw the stele filled with names from top to bottom. The stele's height was perfectly sized to accommodate five hundred names, indicating that the Saint Son Hall only admitted five hundred individuals, without any favoritism.

"Quickly check if any of the geniuses you brought are there..." The black-robed Master Teacher chuckled.

Zhao Xingmo nodded and scanned downwards, quickly frowning. Among so many names, he didn't recognize a single one. "Under normal circumstances, Zhang Xuan's abilities should have put him in the top five hundred. How is it... he's not there?" Zhao Xingmo was filled with worry. "Could it be... that none of the people I brought will pass the assessment?"