Chapter 681 - The Testing Begins!

The morning dew rolled down the leaf of the ancient tree that stood just outside Moon Crest Academy's gates. It reached the end of the leaf and dripped down, falling until it landed on top of a purple black horn. From there, it continued its journey until it hit a bed of soft hair and soaked into it, causing a faint golden glow as it did.  A hand reached up and touched the small damp spot before the head as to which the horn and hair were attached to looked up. "Raining?"

Kana gazed at the ancient tree and then at the sky and scratched her head in confusion. Since she couldn't figure it out, she thought nothing more about it and looked at the tall stage in front of her that had a clear floating crystal on top of it. Also on this stage was an old man and a beautiful woman. One of which Kana knew, and that was Elder Ning.

Elder Ning stepped forward and looked out over the young cultivators who came to test their luck in joining the sect and smiled. "You have all come from afar. While some of you will be able to pass our entrance exam, some of you will fail and will have to return from which you came. The path of cultivation is not an easy one, nor is it a fair one. Some may be blessed by the heavens with a powerful spirit root and aptitude that reaches the heavens, while others work hard to get the same results. There will also be those who are weak minded and are not meant for cultivation. 

"I am a person who will never tell you that you can grow up to be a legend in a world where strength makes right. As cultivation itself is something that goes against the heavens, you should understand that the path is not easy. You will face many life and death struggles as you progress along your journey. You may kill, or you may even be killed. 

"One thing you must know is that even if you do become powerful, you should never look down on others. The one you call an ant today could one day rise up and squash you like a bug. Some of you already know this and some of you do not. But I will say this now. If you enter Moon Crest Academy, your status that you once had is no more. Your family names have no meaning within the sect. So if you were someone who was all powerful in your hometown and you came here and get beaten up, your families can not help you.

"While we do have strict rules about killing fellow disciples, this does not mean we do not allow friendly competition. Those who do join the sect will understand more about this later. For now, this old man will no longer speak. Elder Shaun will explain the first test." Elder Ning stepped back, allowing the beautiful woman next to him to step forward. 

"As Elder Ning said, my name is Elder Shaun. I will now explain to you what the first test is about. " Elder Shaun turned and pointed to the floating crystal. "This testing stone will test not only your spirit root but also your spirit power. It is also the reason why we limit the test to those in the qi gathering realm and above. It also checks bone age." 

Hearing that the stone checks bone age, Kana became slightly worried. She was like old after all… Elder Shaun Continued: "We will only accept those under the age of twenty two. There are over one hundred of you here, so let's get the testing started."

Elder Shuan waved her hand to tell the disciples assisting with the test to get people gathered. Within a matter of a few minutes, a long line had been formed. As for Kana, she was starting to sweat. She was much older than that woman on the stage. Or at least she thought she was much older than her. She did not know if she could pass the age requirement! She kept sneaking peeks at Elder Ning, trying to get his attention, but the damn old man seemed to be blind!

Kana felt depressed. She wanted to join the sect in order to learn more about cultivation, but it seemed things were for naught if they found out she was over a hundred years old! Kana's depressed thoughts were broken when she heard the crowd making a fuss. "A heaven spirit root! He's a genius!"

"That's Fan Sengya. He is from the Fan Clan, which is an ancient family."

"To think I would get to see a heaven spirit root. Even his spirit power is rank purple."

Kana looked curiously not at the young man standing on stage but the crystal itself as she was interested in how it worked. She could see a few faint glowing points on it with runes. "An array?" 

Fan Sengya who was standing on stage looked over in Kana's direction and felt like his heart had been stolen at that time. The girl was definitely not human, but she was still very beautiful. He saw her faint smile as she 'looked at him' and knew right then and there that she must like him. He hoped she would get into the sect so he could court her.

Many more cries of surprise could be heard as those with powerful spirit power and spirit roots stood on stage. While some lowered their heads in shame, others celebrated, knowing they passed the first test. But now it was Kana's turn. She slowly and depressingly walked up on stage and gazed at Elder Ning. He walked over and smiled at her. "It's good that you made it."

Kana pouted her lip and looked at him and was about to say something when Elder Ning stopped her. "Don't worry, demonic beasts are tested differently than humans."

At that moment, Kana wanted to give this old man a hug. He understood her worries! She nodded and stepped forward to where Elder Shaun was standing. She even bent over and whispered softly:  "Do not worry about bone age.. You are only being tested on your spirit power and spirit root."