Chapter 608: Chapter 607: Perfect Performance (Could I Ask for a Monthly Pass)
The peak of Mount Wanxiang was completely silent.
"Has he really found a way to break through his limitations?"
The kind-hearted, rotund elder turned his head and asked the others.
Breaking through one’s limits sounds straightforward, but a lot of people don’t even know their own limitations. It’s an incredibly painful process to even get close to those limits, let alone surpass them. How many people can really manage it?
"If the Array System is not wrong, the fluctuation of this kid’s vital energy has been kept at a critical point,"
The elder with the silver beard stated each word distinctly.
The maintenance of vital energy fluctuations at their critical point means that Shi Xiaole was doing his utmost every moment, enduring it for three 2-hour periods until he fainted. His will power was so shocking that it left the elders in a daze.
They themselves would never have been able to do such a thing.
"This kid’s physical condition is not top-notch, he can barely score eighty-five out of a hundred. But his control is very strong, worth full points. As for his will power..."
Will power is a subjective concept and is difficult to measure, but the silver-bearded elder was adamant and said, "Full points!"
Everyone shuddered, their faces changed in an instant, but no one refuted him.
If even the will power that enables one to break through one’s limits can’t get full points, then what can? The standards at Mount Wanxiang are indeed high, but they are not artificially increased.
"So calculated, this kid got a score of ninety-five in the first test, tied with Gui Zhihang for first place."
When he said this number, the eyebrow of the elder with silver beard twitched.
It had been concluded from performances in hundreds of previous sessions that horizontal practice martial artists can’t score more than ninety points. But today, someone had broken this rule.
Although Shi Xiaole did not get full points, the shock he brought to everyone was equally great.
"Among the four genius monsters, Gui Zhihang scored ninety-five in the first test, Zhang Xiangfeng and Mu Ling both scored eighty-nine, and Duanmu Keren scored eighty-eight. I wonder if that young man can maintain the same level in the next test?"
The rotund elder suddenly said.
"This kid’s control is amazing, I suppose his mental strength is not weak either. But exactly how strong it is, we’ll have to wait and see."
Another elder tried to calm himself and said.
Control is related to mental strength, but the relationship is not absolute. And the first test is mainly a test of the body, the requirement for control isn’t too high, therefore it is still impossible to judge Shi Xiaole’s level of mental strength.
Interestingly, the second test is a test of mental strength.
"This child’s willpower is so amazing, I hope his mental strength is not too bad, otherwise it would be a pity."
"We’ll have to wait and see."
As the proverb goes, one can know a leopard by its spots. From the first test, several elders could tell that Shi Xiaole’s qualities were certainly better than those of ordinary people. But their phrase ’not too bad’ was not meant to compare with ordinary people, but with the prodigies whose names had been recorded on the Ten Thousand Forms Stele.
There have been cases in the past where someone did exceptionally well in one test, but performed averagely in the others.
Hum...
The platform was filled with dazzling light.
More than eighty percent of the people were repelled by the Array System.
"Those who did not reach the pass line of the first test, the test ends here for you. You can choose to go down the mountain, or stay here, wait until everyone has finished before you leave."
A cold voice echoed, but it was no match for the chill in these geniuses’ hearts.
They couldn’t even pass the first test?
"I don’t believe it, I persisted for a 2-hour period, to the point of nearly vomiting blood from exhaustion. How could I not even reach the pass line?"
"You nearly vomited blood from exhaustion? I was almost completely depleted."
"What exactly are the judging criteria for this test?"
Debates boiled over on the middle slope, many promising individuals, either with faces full of despair or raging with indignation, some with faces full of doubt, not believing themselves to be inferior to others.
"If you don’t accept the judgement of Mount Wanxiang, you can leave."
The cold voice sounded again.
The noise and shouting immediately disappeared like a fire extinguished by water.
Even the hot-headed prodigies suddenly came to their senses. This is Mount Wanxiang, with its status in the Martial World, its prestige, and its accurate judgments in the past, what right do they have to question?
So, the prodigies, full of themselves, at most are just the same as the nameless geniuses who had failed in the past sessions, they might even be inferior. After all, some people managed to get into the second or third tests after all.
Looking at The Ten Thousand Forms Stele, the names inscribed on it were so pressuring.
"Ok, ok, I have to stick around and see; what kind of people can make it through all five tests, and have their names inscribed on the monument."
A promising individual from the Azure Dragon State exclaimed.
Many, who had planned to leave in anger, heard these words, and couldn’t help but stop their steps. Yeah, they were already here and it was a rare opportunity, might as well take the chance to see which real prodigies would emerge in this session.
"Fu Tong, Wu Siming, Huan Yundu, and the Tianya Saintess have not come out yet."
Someone turned their head to look around, and suddenly said.
"In my opinion, if there are really people who can leave their names on the stele, it would probably be one or two of these people."
"That seems likely."
The constant clamor halfway up the mountain signified that those who were still in the Array System had moved on to the second trial.
Shi Xiaole woke up from his faint and to his surprise, he felt unexpectedly well, as if everything that had happened previously was just a dream. In front of him, the daunting road had disappeared, replaced by a brilliant world.
Petals of various colors were blooming in the distance, with fish swimming in the garden pond. A proud sun rose from the horizon, dyeing the clouds red. Among the clouds, a white crane soared with its wings spread, occasionally giving out a pleasant cry...
The scenes were changing rapidly in front of Shi Xiaole’s eyes, like a rolling lantern show. Within less than a quarter of an hour, the scenes had changed a hundred times.
When everything came to a standstill, the familiar voice said, "Depict everything you’ve seen on the sand surface."
In front of Shi Xiaole was a chunk of sand land, thirty feet long and wide, as soft as cotton. With a simple glide of the fingers, you could leave a mark.
You had to admit, this round was insanely difficult.
Given the lightning-speed changes and the vast amount of scenes, it was nearly impossible for any ordinary person to perfectly recreate even just one scene. As per the standard of Mount Wanxiang, only those able to depict sixty scenes with more than 60% accuracy could pass the round.
The elders on the peak of the mountain glanced at Shi Xiaole from time to time, while observing others.
In this slightly nerve-racking and anticipatory atmosphere, Shi Xiaole started walking towards the sandy land.
Back at the Tiantai Cliff, Shi Xiaole had learned painting from Shui Lingping, and received his high praise. Little did he expect that he would get to use those skills here.
Of course, Mount Wanxiang probably values the spirit of the paintings more than their form. But in any case, if the painting is too ugly, it would be an embarrassment.
With Shi Xiaole’s soul and spiritual power, saying he has eidetic memory would be an understatement. With the hundred images rushing through his mind, he casually began sketching on the sand with the Vigorous Air in his left hand. His handy lines quickly came to life on the sand surface.
"What’s going on? What is he painting?"
"All I see are lines and curves, far from even the first painting."
Observing Shi Xiaole’s gibberish-like drawings, the elders were all frowning.
Even an ordinary person should be able to remember the basics of a few pictures, and Shi Xiaole was far from ordinary. So what was he up to?
As the elders continued to watch with patience, they noticed that things were going wrong. As time went by, the entire sandy area became a jumbled mess of lines, resembling a child’s doodles.
On the other hand, the others were painting their pictures in separate categories.
Especially Fu Tong and his crew, they had already rendered more than forty scenes with more than 80% accuracy. Even though the accuracy of their following scenes was less than before, it still reached 70%. They were expected to pass this round and gain decent scores.
"Hey, look!"
The short and chubby elder suddenly pointed shakily towards where Shi Xiaole was.
Unknown to everyone, the chaotic lines on the sand had gradually evolved into lively pictures under continuous refinement. The blooming petals, the rising sun, the soaring white crane... everything was filled with unspeakable vitality, seeming ready to leap out from the sand at any moment.
As Shi Xiaole made his final stroke, he stepped backwards a few steps.
The entire sandy area looked like a slowly unfurling scroll from left to right. The hundred pictures, each illustrating different aspects of the scene, were sequenced exactly as the illusion that happened before.
The elders could hardly believe their eyes. They were so shocked that their eyes nearly popped out and they couldn’t take their eyes off it.
How is this possible? How is this possible?!
The painting Shi Xiaole created gave them the illusion of re-experiencing the illusion. Not only were the scenes full-bodied, they also captured an astounding extent of the spirit and essence of the illusion.
One of the elders formed a seal with both hands and channeled it into the Retaining Image Stone next to him.
The Retaining Image Stone immediately reproduced the illusion. The elders compared the illusion to the painting that Shi Xiaole did. It was only after a long time that anyone would speak.
"The second perfect score! I thought that after Jade Lion Mu Ling scored a perfect score in this round, it would be a long time before anyone could catch up. But only two years later..."
In the silence, an elder started speaking tremulously.
"The Jade Lion’s trial was no less difficult than this one. But he was more direct than this boy, yet lacked some of the elegance that this boy possesses."
The plump elder’s already red face turned even redder with excitement, his body was even trembling.
As one of the elders of Mount Wanxiang, he had spent his life measuring the talents of the world. What could be more thrilling than discovering an exceptional talent with his own eyes?
With a score of 95 on the first round and a perfect score on the second one, Shi Xiaole’s performance in the first two rounds could be described as perfect.
Of course, there were still three rounds to come, and it was too early to predict the final result. But no matter what, Shi Xiaole had undeniably drawn the attention of all the grand elders present.
"This kid is worth noting. Should we notify the clan leader?"
The short, plump elder turned to face the old man with silver whiskers.
The silver-bearded elder shook his head, a smile scaling across his usually stern face, "Do you think the clan leader is not paying attention to this test? If this young man keeps up his momentum, there’s no need for us to report. The clan leader himself will show up."
Half an hour later, the Array System of the second round automatically shut down, eliminating those who had failed.
The third round.
Shi Xiaole found himself in an empty space, and all of a sudden, a dense, dark mass was approaching from afar. Upon closer inspection, he found out that it consisted of countless arrows, darts, and silver needles.
"Make your way through, but do not attack. You can only dodge," the voice said.
Shi Xiaole understood that this round tested awareness, reaction, and control. And the standards were astoundingly high.
Given the distance between the hidden weapons, any action taken by an adult wouldn’t be enough to pass. But at certain moments, the gaps would shift, creating the possibility of a path.
