Chapter 473 - 471: Selections.

Chapter 473: Chapter 471: Selections.

The entire place became lively the moment Lin Luo Yao finished her exuberant speech, declaring the beginning of the trials.

The participants had been relocated to the ground floor of the coliseum-like building, something I found quite funny since I was just in one such location on Aetheris Prime not long ago.

The place was less an arena floor than it was a swamp of bodies.

Everywhere one looked, there were youths choked to the brim.

"Damn... what the hell is this!?" Paku couldn’t handle it. The pure absurdity of the numbers was getting on his nerves.

"How are there this many youths in one place? WHY are there this many youths in one place?"

I couldn’t even answer the question cause I myself was stumped.

Reading about over a hundred thousand youths gathered within one place and being placed right within such a setting were two drastically different things.

I could feel the laws of space constantly being used to increase the size of the arena to something the outside would never have suggested.

"I wonder how they plan on thinning out these ridiculous numbers." I was now exceedingly curious as to how they were going to drop these numbers to something less stupid.

"Alright, everyone!" Sure enough, a loud voice came from above as an elder in a blue robe appeared in the skies, his body levitating peacefully.

The laws around him bent to his, churning and transforming into whatever he wished. I could feel a unique essence within the laws surrounding the man which made it clear his current realm,

"Law manifestation, huh?"

"I know most of you might be wondering how we’re going to be conducting the outer sect trials. Well, let me start by letting you know that in this test, only one hundred out of all of you shall be selected."

His voice echoed through the air as the crowd suddenly went dead silent, and then,

"WHAAAAAAT!???" They erupted.

"Only one hundred!!"

"How’s that fair!??? How can they only pick one hundred!?" Mmmm

Understandably, the gathered youths were unhappy with such news.

Which one of them didn’t believe themselves a chosen son/daughter of heaven? Which one of them didn’t believe themselves the chosen ones?

But now they were being told that only a measly hundred out of the sea of humans would be chosen?

I myself was taken aback by the news, but then again, on further thought, it made sense.

These trials weren’t exempted to Canglan alone. The Spirit Ascension Sect, as uncovered by Sana, was a behemoth of a sect that belonged to the Lin ruling family itself, and just that single sect owned more than half of the entire high planar galaxies.

The Ascendant Heaven Sacred Grounds it was located on might have been said to be on the Martial Spirit World, but it was more accurately a secret realm the size of a world on its own. That’s where the Spirit Ascension Sect resided, and as for why they need an entire world for one sect? It was because their trials didn’t just pick disciples from one world, but from every world the high planar galaxies governed over.

So, by the time you pick a hundred candidates from every one of those qualified worlds, the numbers start looking increasingly ridiculous, so it was no wonder they had to trim the numbers so drastically, for even they would be overwhelmed by such numbers if they decided to admit just whomever they wished.

"SILENCE!!!" The man floating above thundered as his aura pressed down from above.

The raucous died down instantly as the man’s aura was nothing to scoff at, at least to these bums.

"There shall be no disorganization during these trials, do I make myself clear?"

The sea of people remained quiet as the man nodded in satisfaction before continuing.

"As I was saying, only a hundred of you shall be selected."

A murmur immediately spread through the crowd once again as they still seemed dissatisfied, although now, they were less rowdy about it.

The man waited for the noise to settle before continuing.

"And the method by which those hundred shall be selected is none other than a proving of capabilities."

"Capabilities?"

"What is he talking about?"

The sea of candidates began whispering once more, confusion spreading throughout the crowd.

The man allowed them a moment to discuss among themselves.

"Now, many of you might still be confused as to how we’ll be selecting only one hundred from such a number of candidates. Well, that part is easy," the man’s voice rang out once more as he smiled.

It wasn’t a pleasant smile.

"As for how I’ll be doing that, well..."

His voice had changed.

The warmth was gone.

So was the pretense.

A terrifying aura erupted from his body.

BOOOOOOM!!!

The entire coliseum trembled as the pressure descended upon the gathered candidates, crushing against their bodies like an invisible mountain.

"Survive."

His sinister voice echoed throughout the arena.

"Survive the full force of my aura pressing down on your being. Only the top one thousand shall be selected to go on to the next phase of the competition, which will determine the hundred to be selected."

"Ughh....."

"Fu... fuck!!"

Groans of pain and despair were all that filled the space as the man’s presence poured down mercilessly.

I had felt the aura of a law manifestation powerhouse before.

The two old fucks Malachi had wiped out back on Aetheris were law manifestation powerhouses. Kolen’kul, the Veyr Emperor, was one himself, yet this man still managed to feel different,

"Heh... must be something to do with a cultivation technique, isn’t it? I wonder what would happen if I actually learned one?" I couldn’t help but think off the top of my head as I shrugged off the flimsy pressure trying to act upon me.

The man might’ve been powerful for a law manifestation powerhouse, but he was nothing more than an ant trying to shake God if he thought his flimsy presence could do anything to me, to us.

I looked beside me.

Malachi was already asleep. Paku had returned to his tiny frame, floating aimlessly. Leo had crouched down, eyes closed in peaceful meditation. As for Salazar, the freak had a rare condition that made it impossible for him to ever stay put, so he was busy "helping" struggling candidates with their "forfeit" so that the trial could go on.

And by helping, I meant he was actively knocking them out, of course.

....

The pressure test lasted exactly ten minutes before the man took back his aura, a satisfied expression on his face.

The fool had probably enjoyed bullying weak children,

"Pathetic."

"Alright then! It seems you lot are the more competent ones, congratulations." Trying to sound wise and magnanimous, he congratulated the lasting as a leaderboard appeared, bearing the names of those that had withstood the pressure without flinching.

At the very top, if you would believe it, wasn’t mine or any of the others’ names.

It was—

1- Shu Wuren.

2- Yang Bai.

3- Zhao Kai.

...

...

95-Yang Kai (Malachi).

96- Huang Xiaolong (Leo).

97- Duan Ling Tian (Paku).

98- Salazar Entros.

99- Chu Feng (Salazar).

100- Long Chen (Dante).

Yup... that was the list. I was dead last.

"IMPUDENT!!!" Sulvan immediately lost his marbles the moment he saw that leaderboard, yet before the crimson fellow could cause a scene,

"Silence!" My voice drifted into his mind.

"But master... they dared..."

"A minor inconvenience. It is more funny than it is upsetting. Let us merely watch in entertainment; do not be rash."

"As you wish."

Done pacifying the jittery apostle, I raised my head to see the man from above looking down at our group, the malice in his eyes clear to be seen.

"Ahh... so that’s the card she’s playing, huh?" It seems that’s the route this particular elder is taking.

Make things difficult for the participants that dared go against your will?

"Well, this is bound to be fun, I guess."

The man finally took his eyes off my group as his words rang out loud once more,

"What you see before you is merely an initial estimate of your capabilities. There are many others that had done what these hundred did, but these were selected because they’re more than just strong, something one would need if they wanted to be true leaders themselves."

The man’s words successfully calmed the rising tensions between the candidates as he continued, "The top ten you see on the leaderboard are the seeded candidates. Candidates the sect had already qualified for the trials and are now only here to prove their places."

The simultaneous gaze of the entire group down below turned to the ten names saturating the top ten list.

It would seem, just like Nyssara and that Lin fellow, some people had already received byes for the trials, but they had decided to show off like the young masters they are, huh?

"Alright everyone, prepare yourselves. The tournament stages shall begin shortly."

RUUUMBLE!!!

Following his words, the arena rumbled as multiple mini-arenas rose from the floor.

Each arena was labeled one through ten, the elder’s voice following right after,

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, let’s get this tournament truly started!!"

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A/N: Terra’s image is active now both here and discord, the others will be coming soon.

Ps: I wrote this Chapter half awake, so please if you spot any inconvenience, let me know.

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Thanks for reading...