Chapter 49

Chapter 49: Divine Blood

The night passed.

Although the light of the morning sun wasn’t as intense as at noon, it was still domineering as it filtered through the window into the room.

It seemed that whether you liked it or not, as long as you didn’t hide under the eaves, it would fall on you without accepting any objections, awakening everyone from their slumber with its warmth.

Xu Qing slowly opened his eyes.

Looking outside the window, his body seemed to answer the sun’s call. His qi and blood were roused as he stood up.

After stretching his body a bit, he pushed open the door and looked around cautiously before leaving.

The city in the morning was completely different from at night.

Breakfast shops opened up one after another, as well as a large number of other stores. Crowds gradually filled the streets, but they were all indifferent and hasty, as if everyone was living under tremendous pressure.

However, the voices of children studying could occasionally be heard from the high walls. Apparently, there was still a certain amount of law and order in this main city.

As Xu Qing walked along the street, he suddenly thought of an herb Grandmaster Bai had talked about called the Twin Flowers, a strange herb where light and darkness coexisted inseparably.

“Perhaps, this is how all big cities are?”

Young people tended to accept new things faster than adults.

Xu Qing was a good testple of this saying. It didn’t take long for him to accept all of this. After eating breakfast, he asked around about the entrance test.

The people in the city seemed to know the entrance test quite well. After learning that today’s test would be at noon in a certain location, Xu Qing spent the rest of the morning observing the Seven Blood Pupils main city, as per his habit.

With his observation, Xu Qing understood the general structure of the main city. However, the time of observation was too short, and the main city was as big as tens of thousands of scavenger camps put together. In addition, there were many areas where people who weren’t disciples of Seven Blood Pupils weren’t even allowed to step in.

Thus, he couldn’t make a detailed mental map of the city yet, although he did find a path leading to the city gate.

After determining the way, Xu Qing looked up at the sky before walking over to the test area.

The site of the Seven Blood Pupils entrance test was at the southern edge of the city, right near the Truth Mountain Range.

Further south were the Seven Blood Pupils’ seven giant peaks. From a distance, seven winding mountain roads could be seen, each traveling to a different peak under the shade of the greenery.

At the test site, there was a huge square. Right now, there was a curtain of light covering the square, blocking it off from the outside world. Only those who held a token were allowed to step in.

When Xu Qing arrived, there were already dozens of people waiting around the square. Most of them were youths seventeen or eighteen years old. Some of them wore plain clothes, some wore expensive ones, some were clean, and some were as dirty as Xu Qing.

All of them were token-holders who had come from various places to take part in the test.

Three middle-aged cultivators were standing in the center of the square. Each of them gave off terrifying spiritual energy fluctuations that were even stronger than those of the Vajra Sect ancestor.

They chatted and laughed with each other while waiting for the test time to arrive, but their eyes would occasionally fall on the prospective disciples around them, as if analyzing them.

This scene made Xu Qing more cautious.

He wasn’t good at socializing, so he silently found a place to stand, waiting in a spot neither too far nor too close to the crowd. As he waited, he noticed that the people taking the test with him mostly had a certain level of cultivation.

In particular, there was a young man wearing a long blue robe and holding a fan in his hand. Not only was he dressed luxuriously, his appearance was also handsome. As he chatted and laughed, a crowd of other test-takers gathered around him.

“I’ll let you guys in on some information.”

“The seven districts of the Seven Blood Pupils main city each belong to a different peak and specialize in different areas.

“For example, the Seventh Peak manages the port area. They have great power and authority, and their cultivation technique is special. Thus, the disciples of the Seventh Peak all have amazing battle prowess. They sail around the Forbidden Sea all year round.”

“Another example is the First Peak, who are the sharpest swords of the sect. Most of them have experience entering the Phoenix Forbidden Land and are incomparably ruthless in battle. They rarely go to sea, taking the forbidden area as their tomb, killing and dying there.”

“These two peaks are the banners of Seven Blood Pupils. There are too many people who want to enter them each year, but the two peaks are very strict in recruiting disciples. You can’t choose them, you can only hope that they choose you. Those who don’t have their specific tokens will be unable to enter.”

“As for the other peaks, although tokens are still required, you can choose freely among them as long as you pass the test. The Sixth Peak is good at refining tools, the Fifth Peak is skilled in the Dao of Arrays, the Fourth Peak can control beasts, the Third Peak has all sorts of bizarre spells, and the Second Peak specializes in the Dao of Alchemy.

But no matter which peak you enter, before your cultivation reaches Foundation Establishment, you still won’t have the Seven Blood Pupils income rights. Even surviving is very brutal unless you have a core disciple token. As for how brutal… you’ll experience it for yourself once you pass the test.”

The young man smiled as he talked and observed the surrounding testees. As he listened in from not far away, Xu Qing noted the “brutal” mentioned by the young man as well as the words “Seven Blood Pupils income rights”. The former he could just take literally, but he didn’t fully understand the latter phrase, and his heart was filled with doubts. However, this wasn’t the time to think about it.

Right now, he was analyzing which peak was most suitable for him.

“I’m familiar with forbidden areas…” Xu Qing felt that he was most suited for the First Peak, but he didn’t know whether his token qualified him.

Just as he was ruminating, bells suddenly echoed from the seven mountain peaks in the distance.

The three middle-aged cultivators in the square stopped joking with each other and became serious.

One of them glanced at the dozens of testees outside the square and spoke lightly.

"Quiet!"

His words weren’t loud, but they fell into everyone’s ears like roaring thunder.

The young man in the blue robe shut up immediately, and everyone nervously looked at the middle-aged cultivator who just spoke.

Xu Qing looked over with a calm expression on his face.

“It’s time for the test. There are three sections in total, and those who pass all of them will be given 1,000 contribution points. The one who ranks first overall will receive additional rewards. First, we’ll be testing the level of heterogeneity in your body!”

“Now, step forward one by one. Hand over your tokens and report your names without hiding anything. Cheaters will be severely punished if discovered!”

Following the middle-aged man’s opening speech, the young man in the blue robe rolled his eyes. He was the first to walk up to the square, handing over his token and loudly reporting his name.

"Disciple Zhou Qingpeng pays respects to Seniors."

His voice was loud, and the three middle-aged cultivators nodded one after another as it fell into their ears.

Then the second person stepped forward, then the third. Soon, when there were six people left, Xu Qing walked up to the square and handed over the token respectfully. Hesitating for a moment, he spoke in a low voice.

"Disciple Xu Qing pays respects to Seniors."

After saying this, Xu Qing felt a bit dazed. It had been a long, long time since he’d told anyone his name. To be precise, it had been almost seven years.

When he finished speaking, Xu Qing bowed his head and retreated silently.

The three middle-aged cultivators glanced at his token but didn’t pay much attention to him otherwise.

Just like that, when all the testees finished, the first test officially began.

This first test was simple. One of the middle-aged cultivators waved his hand, and a marble boulder three meters tall appeared out of thin air, landing on the square with a bang and kicking up a cloud of dust.

"According to the order just now, measure yourselves one by one. Just press your hand on the boulder.”

Zhou Qingpeng went up immediately.

Xu Qing noticed that after Zhou Qingpeng pressed his hand on the marble boulder, it immediately shone brightly, and the outline of a human body appeared on the surface of the boulder.

More than 40 dots lit up inside the outline.

“42 dots, not bad. Pass.” The middle-aged cultivator on the side nodded and called the next person.

Zhou Qingpeng looked a little smug stepped to the side, observing the others closely.

Soon, Xu Qing saw some clues as testees continued to go up.

The more dots lit up, the more heterogeneity was in the body. Some people exceeded 100 dots and were evaluated as unqualified.

“I should have zero…” Xu Qing narrowed his eyes. He didn’t want to draw attention to himself on the first day without knowing anything about the situation.

However, being too mediocre might affect the test results, so Xu Qing looked deeply at his own shadow. After thinking, he slowly and subtly manipulated it to integrate into his body.

As he kept drawing heterogeneity into his body, people all around him suddenly exclaimed.

“34 dots, excellent!” The middle-aged cultivator seemed a bit emotional. Xu Qing immediately looked up to see a girl around his age standing next to the marble boulder.

The girl’s clothing was similar to his own, and her face was also dirty. She was obviously a scavenger.

She seemed very nervous as she lowered her head, not daring to look at anyone. After bowing to the middle-aged cultivator, she quickly walked to the side.

"She seems to be named Li Zimei.” Xu Qing recalled the girl’s name from the introduction earlier and retracted his gaze. He walked up and calmly pressed his hand on the marble boulder.

Light shone out, and dozens of dots of light slowly emerged inside the human outline on the boulder. They seemed to be a little unstable and even flickered a bit.

“43 dots, not bad. Pass.” The middle-aged cultivator glanced over and nodded.

Xu Qing quickly withdrew his right hand and walked to the side. The heterogeneity he was trapping in his body was quickly sucked into the shadow.

43 dots. This wasn’t an excellent result, but it was also not bad. Xu Qing figured it was enough.

And this was indeed the case. Among the more than 60 testees, only 19 had fewer than 50 dots, and 20 had more than 100.

These twenty people all had pale complexions.

“The three tests score you comprehensively, and the second test tests your willpower. All of you, step forward and sit down cross-legged.” Another of the three middle-aged cultivators spoke this time. He had a horse-like face and solemn expression, and his voice was hoarse.

As his words rang out, every testee stepped forward and sat down cross-legged. After sitting down, Xu Qing looked up at the horse-faced man, wanting to know how the test would be conducted.

The moment he looked up, the horse-faced middle-aged man waved his hand and took out a small metal bottle. This bottle was silver-colored and engraved with a large number of runes. Although it looked relatively plain, it also contained a unique charm.

After the bottle was taken out, all three middle-aged cultivators had grave expressions on their faces.

“There is a drop of blood in here that has been diluted countless times. Once stimulated, it can give off a deterrent. If you can’t bear it, just bite the tip of your tongue to give up.”

After speaking, he opened the bottle and poured its contents onto the marble boulder.

Xu Qing stared fixedly, and soon he saw a drop of golden liquid falling from the metal bottle. This liquid was very viscous and seemed to be a single entity.

As soon as it fell and touched the marble boulder, the boulder lit up, and golden light suddenly shone in all directions. A roar that seemed to come from ancient times erupted from the spot where the golden blood touched the marble boulder.

As the roar erupted, the boulder seemed to have transformed into a giant eye.

This eye had a vertical pupil, and there were countless tentacles inside of it. The tentacles swayed, as if trying to climb out. It was an extremely bizarre sight, but at the same time, it seemed to have a hint of holiness.

It was like an aloof god that looked down at all living beings was staring at them with an incomparable indifferent gaze.

All the testees sitting cross-legged suddenly felt their minds rumble, as if thunder had exploded inside their heads.

Each of them trembled violently, as if every bit of flesh and blood in their body had become independent, trying to split apart. As this feeling of ripping apart emerged, their expressions changed rapidly.

A trembling appeared from the depths of their souls, and a powerful sensation of life and death erupted in their hearts. The testees seemed to instantly lose their sanity, and three of them even directly spat out blood, howling and falling to the ground.

Even Zhou Qingpeng and Li Zimei went pale in an instant. Their eyes were bloodshot and their noses were bleeding as they trembled violently.

But for Xu Qing, although his body was trembling, his heart was trembling even more.

Because… he was familiar with this eye!

It wasn’t quite the same as when he looked up into the sky on that day God’s eyes opened, but the feeling of deterrence was…

Exactly the same!

Previous Chapter

Table of Contents

Next Chapter