Proofreader: Prof Zhu Yuan
It was on the square of the Dahuang Palace.
With the young man in purple staring, the tall and robust teenager dared not say a word and left the square. Other candidates who had failed in this test were going dejectedly.
Over half of the three thousand people were knocked out in a minute, but this was only the beginning.
The young man in purple spoke with coldness. "Don"t think that the rest of you could be the out-door disciples of the Dahuang Palace? There are three tests in total. Only those who pa.s.s the three tests will be eligible to be disciples of this palace. Now, all of you, please listen to me and follow me."
With the guidance of a young man in purple, many young girls and boys moved forward to the large barren hills. Yan Li looked around through the crowd, trying to find Lin Jingyun and Long Ziyue.
But he failed. Although 20,000 candidates were knocked out of 30,000, there were 10,000 left. And it was too difficult to figure out two out of 10,000.
A quarter later, under the leaders.h.i.+p of the young man in purple, these young men came to a fully open s.p.a.ce, above which a giant ladder was hanging on the sky.
There were 999 steps in the ladder, and the gravity varied from step to step.
Those young people were looking at the ladder suspending on the ground with curiosity. The ladder was s.h.i.+ning with jade brilliance, which revealed a sense of deity。
It was said that this ladder was left over by the first ancestor master of the palace. And it was mainly used to a.s.sess the skills. The higher his skull was, the higher he could climb the ladder. As for the 999 steps, it was said that only those who could be the emperor would reach them.
The young man in purple said again, "Now listen to me carefully! Those who can not climb up to the ninth stage fail. Those who can climb higher than the ninth stage pa.s.s, so they can continue to partic.i.p.ate in the third level a.s.sessment, now begin!"
A young man could not wait to climb up the ladder as soon as the disciple finished the order. Suddenly, his face changed, and his body shook, he almost fell off the ladder.
He adjusted to stabilize the body, then climbed to the second step, and very soon, the fourth step. But when he stepped on the fifth step, it turned dignified on his slightly tender cheek. The body was more intense trembling as if it would fall down at any time.
"Next" Urged the young man in purple.
A few teenagers jumped up the ladder; with lessons learned, they were meticulous and cautious.
More and more young girls climbed up the ladder, and the first young man had already been on the sixth step. But he slowed down out of a sudden as if there were a mountain on his shoulder.
Time pa.s.sed slowly.
Hundreds of people had been climbing the ladder and struggled to move up.
Suddenly, somebody was shouting in the crowd, which turned out to be a young man in white. The minute he jumped up the ladder, he reached the fifth in a short time. After a little pause on the fifth step, he moved ahead of the first young man to ascend the ladder. Furthermore, the man in white stopped at the ninth level and continued climbing until he reached the eighteenth step.
Yan Li, who had kept cool and calm in the crowd, suddenly showed a trace of excitement, staring at the young man standing on the eighteenth step.
After a long time, he was back to normal, but he smiled slightly. "This guy, he"s still so showy, which hasn"t changed at all."
Yes, this first youth was exactly Lin Jingyun, YanLi"s good brother in a previous life. Lin Jingyun, the future Jingyun sword G.o.d, was respected and wors.h.i.+ped by the world, and he was both coquettish, and scheming.
"Ah!"
Suddenly, there was a cry. Yan Li couldn"t help but take a look; it was the first one who climbed the ladder. His body shook on the ninth step, and then fell and rolled down from the ladder.
"Whoos.h.!.+"
It was a flash of light, and a jade light wrapped his body. The next moment, he appeared under the ladder. From which people knew the rules of the ladder was that one could not retreat, once retreating, he or she would roll down the ladder.
The young man, who was transported out of the ladder, annoyed and regretful, only half a step to go, could step into the ninth step and pa.s.s the second-stage test. There was no repentance in the world.
"You were knocked out. Please go down the hill!"
The young man in purple faintly glanced at him; then a stand-by out-door guide sent him out.
"Whoos.h.!.+"
There were several flashes of light, which meant more were sent out of the ladder and knocked out.
"You go up!"
The man in purple pointed across Yan Li, and his fellows beside said indifferently.
"Yes!"
Yan Li stood on the tiptoe and quickly jumped about a foot from the ground ladder. Immediately, he felt a stronger sense of gravity than usual from all directions to pressure.
With a slight adjustment, he took his stride towards the second step, breathed a few short breaths, and climbed the ninth step, leading many of the young ladies who had climbed the ladder before him.
The minute the cold-faced young man in purple saw Yan Li"s move to the ninth stage in a quick way, he showed astonishment. Also, the first one who went through the second pa.s.s，Lin Jingyun put away his disdainful smile, looking at Yan Li"s figure.
Yan Li walked to the front of the ladder unhurried, for in his previous life he had been a disciple of the Dahuang Palace, he had climbed the ladder for many times, and he could reach more than two hundred steps.
And at the same time, Lin Jingyun had reached the 20th step, he hesitated for a little while, and the next moment he turned around. Then the jade light had wrapped him, and he was sent down the ladder.
"Stand over here," the young man in purple said to Lin Jingyun in a gentle way.
Lin Jingyun proudly nodded, going to the other side. He faintly took a look at the young girls and boys who were like the snails, with a sense of disdain.
Yan Li stopped on the ninth floor and stepped to the tenth.
The tenth floor.
The eleventh floor.
The twelfth floor.
Just a few dozens of breaths, Yan Li incredibly reached the 18th step, and the young man in purple was astonished. He thought for a while, and he understood how could Yan li could climb to the 18th step in such a short time.
For Yan chose a route of the curve instead of a straight line; at the same time, he made some irregular shaking to defuse the gravity of the ladder.
"The young man seemed to know the ladder well enough to master the skill of climbing it?" The young man in purple had become more curious about Yan Li when he thought of this.
To his surprise, however, Yan Li stopped climbing the 18th step, and he turned back without hesitation and was sent down. As for him, Yan Li"s performance made him convinced that he was capable of climbing.
"Come here, too." The young man in purple spoke in a soft tone with Yan Li.
"Thank you very much, sir."
Yan Li smiled and nodded; then he walked to Lin Jingyun.
"This is Yan Li. What"s the name?" Yan Li actively greeted by Lin Jingyun. In fact, being low-profile, he just wanted to meet the basic a.s.sessment requirements. But, he changed his mind after seeing Lin Jingyun, and he intentionally reached the eighteenth level to arouse Lin Jingyun"s attention.
"Yan Li, why don"t you go on when you can get to the next level?" Lin Jingyun asked in a discontented way.
Yan Li thought it was funny and suddenly found the answer. Being arrogant like this, he must have thought I was deliberately provoking him. Thus, Yan Li shook his head, "Although I can easily reach the 18th level, I have done my best, and unable to ascend to the 19th level."
"Hum! You"re lying!" Lin Jingyun sneered.
Yan Li became speechless because of astonishment. He thought this guy was still so compet.i.tive, willing to win in every compet.i.tion. Was it his ambition to win that turned him into a famed master of the sword in this Tianhuang land?
"Maybe you misunderstood !"
"I will beat you sooner or later," Lin said to Yan in a calm voice and looked in another direction.
At that time, Yan Li sighed; it was beyond imagination that he quarreled with his fellow in the previous life.
More and more young boys and girls were sent down the ladder, and it was no proper time to sort out the relations.h.i.+p with Lin Jingyun; anyway, later both of us would enter the Dahuang Palace.
Yan Li looked around, trying to find Long Ziyue.
But, to his surprise, he could not find Long when more than half of the teenagers had climbed the ladder. He started to be worried if there were a b.u.t.terfly Effect and Ziyue would not come to study in the Dahuang Palace?"
In a short time, at sunset. Only one or two hundred people were left, but Yan Li could not find Long Ziyue.
"Ziyue, where are you?" For a moment, Yan Li felt at a loss.
"Now I will announce the result. 8,324 people have pa.s.sed that second test!"
It was not until the voice of the young man in purple rang out that Yan Li came to his senses. He made up his mind, "Whether or not Ziyue has entered the Dahuang Palace. I will find her!"
There was a burst of cheers from the young girls and boys. And this time, the young man in purple did not stop. A while later, he said, "You are supposed to rest in the mountains tonight, and the third test will be on tomorrow !"
Then he left. Then hundreds of out-door disciples dressed in blue appeared and took them to a courtyard.
This night, Yan Li was sleepless and his eyes were dim, Long Ziyue"s figure appeared in his mind.
One night went by, and a few young people said, "You say, what will the third test be?"
"Who knows! In the annual entrance examination, the second level is fixed; the first and the third are always different!"
Yan Li was firm. He exhaled toward the sky, shaking his head, and shouted in mind, "Ziyue you watch out, wait for me to finish exercises, and I will find you no matter where you go!"