Lying Low in the Martial World to Become a Saint

Chapter 459: Chapter 204: Selection 2

Hearing there would be ten Puppets of the same Realm, Li Wang, Nie Shanshan, and the others all gasped.

The difficulty of defeating ten opponents of the same level was staggering!

Although most Puppets were weaker than experts of the same level, there were still ten of them!

Shen Xiuyong continued, "And from the Fourth Layer onward, the trials are said to no longer test pure combat strength. Instead, they focus on disposition, comprehension, perseverance, and so on. They are profound and mystical, and the experience is different for everyone."

Hearing this, the crowd’s expressions grew more complex, their minds filled with different thoughts.

They now understood that the Celestial Treasure Upper Sect’s selection was meant to filter for well-rounded geniuses who excelled in combat prowess, disposition, and potential—it wasn’t based solely on one’s level of Cultivation.

Just then, it was the Fiery Sun Sect’s turn.

Most of the Fiery Sun Sect’s disciples performed similarly to those from the previous Sects, with the best among them only reaching the Fifth Layer.

That is, until ’Red Flame Hand’ Zhu Yu.

After he stepped into the tower, his rank shot up, displacing a disciple who had reached the Fourth Layer. When his name finally stopped, the words "Seventh Layer" appeared beside it, drawing considerable attention from the crowd.

"The Seventh Layer! It’s Zhu Yu of the Fiery Sun Sect!"

"Forty-seventh on the Heroes’ Record! His reputation is truly well-deserved!"

At that moment on the Celestial Treasure Stele, Zhu Yu’s name was impressively ranked ninth!

Shen Xiuyong said in a low voice, "Zhu Yu is a lock. His chances of entering Xu Wang Mountain are very high."

Chen Qing nodded slightly, taking note of Zhu Yu’s performance. He also observed several other outstanding geniuses from various Sects, silently memorizing their abilities and the final layer they reached.

Next, a few more powerful Sects took their turn. Each time someone ascended to the Seventh Layer, it caused a commotion.

Suddenly, an even greater cry of astonishment erupted from the square!

"Look! The Ninth Layer! Someone’s reached the Ninth Layer!"

"Heavens! It’s He Shuang of the Biluo Sect!"

"He Shuang?! The one who cultivates Three True Astrals?"

"That’s her! Third on the Heroes’ Record! What a monster!"

On the Celestial Treasure Stele, He Shuang’s name had suddenly leaped to first place, clearly marked with the words: Ninth Layer!

"She’s actually cultivating Three True Astrals at once?" Even many of the geniuses present wore expressions of disbelief.

For these disciples from the prefecture-level Sects, cultivating two True Astrals was already exceedingly difficult, requiring double or even more effort and resources. To cultivate three simultaneously... the difficulty and the foundation required were far beyond what an ordinary person could imagine. It was the mark of a peerless genius!

"That He Shuang... is a true monster!"

Watching the stele from the side, Zhu Yu couldn’t help but exclaim in awe, his expression grave.

Sang Yanping, Shen Xiuyong, Granny Hanzhuang in the distance, Fu Shoushan, and the other Elders were all visibly stirred, their expressions solemn.

As the geniuses from the various Sects made their attempts on the first day of the selection, they attracted a great deal of attention, and the rankings on the Celestial Treasure Stele temporarily stabilized.

The geniuses of the Major Sects, in particular, displayed their various skills, drawing countless gasps of admiration and focused gazes.

Currently, the first-place rank belonged to He Shuang, who had reached the Ninth Layer. Her brilliance was dazzling, stunning everyone present.

The selection grew even more intense on the second day.

Top-tier geniuses from the forefront of the Heroes List, such as Wu Anren, Zhu Ming, and Luo Qianjue, all made their attempts, pushing the rankings on the Celestial Treasure Stele to new heights.

The few in the top echelon were firmly in the Ninth Layer, but Wu Anren of Dubhe Mansion managed to break through to the tenth, causing an uproar and cries of amazement from the square. His title as number one on the Heroes’ Record was truly well-deserved.

By this point, the rankings on the Celestial Treasure Stele had largely solidified.

The cutoff for the top one hundred was the Fifth Layer. This meant that anyone who could reliably reach the Sixth Layer was essentially guaranteed a spot to enter Xu Wang Mountain.

The teams from Cold Jade Valley, the Bitaomen Sect, and others went up in succession.

Ye Qingyi gave it her all but ultimately stopped at the Third Layer, her expression downcast and dejected. The genius who had once shone so brightly in Yunlin Prefecture had failed to escape the fate of becoming just another face in the crowd on this grand stage.

Xiao Bieli, on the other hand, performed reasonably well, just barely reaching the Fifth Layer. His name was temporarily listed at ninety-second, but his expression was grave. He knew full well that this ranking was precarious and he could be pushed off the list at any moment.

Most of the Bitaomen Sect disciples faltered, with only Kong Yian managing to rank in the seventies, which allowed Elder Shi Ziyu to breathe a small sigh of relief.

At present, among the disciples from the Four Mansions of the Poison Swamp, the best performer was still Zhu Yu of the Fiery Sun Sect. He was ranked fifty-fourth, and while this was slightly lower than his ranking on the Heroes’ Record, his entry into Xu Wang Mountain was still considered secure.

Xiao Bieli and Ye Qingyi composed themselves and described their experience inside the Treasure Tower to Chen Qing, Shen Xiuyong, and the others so they could prepare.

Chen Qing cupped his fist. "Thank you for the information."

Soon, it was the Wutai Sect’s turn.

"Go on," Sang Yanping said in a deep voice, his gaze filled with both expectation and a silent warning.

Chen Qing, Shen Xiuyong, Nie Shanshan, Yan Yaoyang, and the others nodded, took a deep breath, and walked toward the towering Celestial Treasure Tower.

"I wonder how far Chen Qing will get," Xiao Bieli muttered from the crowd, his eyes fixed on the stele.

Beside him, Ye Qingyi also shook off her dejection for a moment, her gaze turning to the area on the stele where their names would soon appear.

Chen Qing stepped through the luminous gate at the base of the Celestial Treasure Tower, and the scene before him changed in an instant.

He found himself in an extremely spacious, square stone chamber. A peculiar pressure permeated the air.

HUMMM!

In the center of the chamber, a pillar of light descended, coalescing into a humanoid Puppet wielding a long blade.

The Puppet was forged entirely from some kind of dark metal. Its joints were flexible, its eyes flickered with a red glow, and the energy fluctuations it emitted were clearly at the Early-stage Astral Force level.

Chen Qing brandished his Cloud-Coiling Spear. Instead of rushing to attack, he began to circle the Puppet, then made a probing thrust toward the joint connecting its chest and abdomen.