Chapter Fifty-Eight Test

  "You three are disciples of Qī Líng Zōng, aren't you?" asked the empty old man with a smile as Sun Ming and the other two had just entered the room.

  Sun Ming didn't have much of a reaction, after all, facing Yun Zhongzi who had achieved such great success in alchemy, and then facing these so-called masters of the Cultivation Realm, was like looking at flowers and grass. On the other hand, Ling Xing and Ling Yu were quite excited, to the point where they became somewhat incoherent, chattering on for a good while, making Kong Wu Lao Dao blush with embarrassment. Fortunately, after expressing their admiration for a while, the two of them finally remembered the purpose of their visit, and smiled apologetically at Kong Wu.

  "Alright, although you two have a lot of respect for me, this is still an examination after all. I won't show any favoritism because of that." Kong Wu's smile disappeared from his face, replaced by a serious expression.

  "Hmm, we know the elder, you can test us, we are disciples of Qilinglei Sect, true gold is not afraid of fire refining." Ling Xing and Ling Yu said in unison. Sun Ming on the side looked at them without answering, with a somewhat spectator-like feeling.

  "What's this disciple's name?" Kong Wu suddenly asked. However, Sun Ming didn't react for a moment, and Ling Xing shouted from the side

  "Intelligent and wise, our elderly friend asks you a question."

  "Oh, Disciple Lingming has seen Elder Kongwu." Sun Ming responded with great impatience. Although Elder Kongwu was quite annoyed by Sun Ming's attitude, as a senior and superior being, he couldn't lose his temper, so he forced himself to put on an air of a wise and enlightened person, speaking in a rather calm tone:

  "Alright, let's get started. This assessment is different from the ones within your sect. The basic knowledge section only has one question." Kong Wu said, waving his hand, and a door appeared on the wall behind him.

  Sun Ming and the other two looked at the door with puzzled expressions, thinking to themselves, what does this have to do with the assessment of a Refining Master? Kong Wu also noticed the doubt in their hearts and smiled as he explained.

  "Heh heh, behind this door is the largest repository of refining materials in the Holy Alliance. You'll find everything you've ever seen and things you haven't, but they're not organized by attribute. Later, I'll give each of you a Jade Examiner's Token. Once inside, use the token to record the serial number of the required materials for each question. Each small compartment has a serial number on it. Your task is to memorize the serial numbers of the required materials using the Jade Examiner's Token." The old man explained.

  "Is that it? It's too simple, isn't it? For all these years, Cloud Middle Master has been telling me about the materials, shapes, and contents of various refining equipment whenever he had a chance. I'm not even sure if there's more to it than what I already know." Sun Ming smiled to himself, looking confident. On the other hand, Ling Xing and Ling Yu looked like they didn't know whether to be nervous or excited, their faces full of eagerness.

  "Hmm, you three discuss it among yourselves, who goes in first? Each person is limited to one hour, if no one comes out after an hour, I'll send someone to bring them out, but the results of this competition will be cancelled and they will be directly eliminated." Kong Wu said expressionlessly.

  "Ah, I wanted to take a look at these specimens too, looks like there's no way now. One hour, who knows what kind of problems will arise? Ah, hope the time is good and enough." Ling Yu said regretfully, as if this kid was treating this assessment as a sightseeing trip.

  "Yes, I also hope to take a good look around. After all, some things can't be found now." Ling Xing sighed and said.

  Sun Ming was just an average performance, making Ling Xing and Ling Yu look somewhat depressed beside him.

  "Ling Xing, I'll go first. Looks like Ling Ming seems a bit tense." Ling Yu said with a mocking expression, looking at the silent Ling Ming beside him.

  "Uh-huh, okay big brother you go and come back quickly." Ling Xing replied with a tone of disdain, not forgetting to glance at the silent Ling Ming.

  "Hmm, since you're the first disciple to participate in the trial, I'll give you a simple task. Take this Jade Discerning Orb." Kong Wu said as he handed over a Jade Discerning Orb to Ling Yu.

  "Your task is to find as many fire-attribute materials as possible within one hour, and you will be scored based on how many you find." With that, I waved my hand and sent Ling Yu, who still looked bewildered, through the door.

  "It seems that this Ling Yu is quite lucky." Yun Zhongzi smiled and said.

  "Huh? Master, what do you mean by this?" Sun Ming asked in confusion.

  "This old man will let him find the materials with fire properties, think about it, are the materials with fire properties still useful for a refiner? Most refiners have bodies with fire properties, and this Ling Yu's original power is quite high, as long as he uses his skills, those materials that can produce resonance are obviously materials with fire properties." Yun Zhongzi explained with a smile.

  "But Master, I always feel that this test is not so simple." Sun Ming asked in puzzlement.

  "Heh heh, it seems like you've become smarter overnight. Indeed, since this is the handwriting of so many scattered immortals, just finding materials with the five elements' properties would be too simple. It definitely won't be as straightforward as it appears on the surface. Let's wait for Ling Yu to come out and we'll know," said Yun Zhongzi.

  Looking at Ling Xing beside him, he seemed to be stunned by this question. Haha, it turned out that we were looking for materials with the five elements attribute. Haha, so that's it! I thought to myself, with our Qiwu Sect's skills, even if I have to find all the materials with the five elements attribute, I can do it. A look of wild joy gradually appeared on his face, and Sun Ming shook his head as he looked at him.

  An hour later, Ling Yu came out, and as expected, Ling Yu had a tearless expression, which made Sun Ming feel uncomfortable in his heart. Yu Jian's eyes were handed over to Kong Wu, but before he could even greet the two of them, he was taken away by one of Kong Wu's disciples standing beside him.

  "Hehe, tomorrow, you'll have to be careful. It seems it's not as simple as I thought." Yun Zhongzi said with a smile.

  "Haha, Master, it's too simple and not fun anymore. After all, participating in an assessment without any challenge is meaningless." Sun Ming said with a smile, looking at Ling Xing who had just been overjoyed but now looked anxious and uneasy as he walked to Kong Wu's side.

  "Ah, Ling Xing, your test is to find as many earth-attribute refining materials as you can within one hour." As soon as he finished speaking, he handed a jade mirror to Ling Xing and sent her off before she could even react. Sun Ming watched in stunned silence, thinking to himself: "It seems that in the eyes of these scattered immortals, there is no distinction between genders."

  "Heh, the Dispersed Immortal is inherently a tragic figure. To call oneself an immortal is not to be one, nor is it to cultivate the truth. Alas, the twelve cycles of the Dispersed Immortal's tribulation are each more formidable than the last. No matter how glorious one was in the past, under these twelve cycles of the Dispersed Immortal's tribulation, even a slight lapse in attention will result in one's soul dispersing and disappearing into the void between heaven and earth." Cloud Middle Child sighed.

  "Master, why does the Dispersion of Immortals get bigger and bigger each time?" Sun Ming asked in puzzlement.

  "The Scattered Immortals are those who cultivate the truth, but fail to transcend the calamity, their physical bodies destroyed, and can only resort to cultivating with their primordial spirits. However, this method has always been rejected by the Heavenly Way. After all, in the eyes of the Heavenly Way, cultivating the truth is originally a rebellious act against heaven. Failing to transcend the calamity and having one's soul scattered is originally a matter of course. Cultivating as a Scattered Immortal with a primordial spirit is even more unacceptable to the Heavenly Way, which is why there are the twelve tribulations of the Scattered Immortals. However, the Heavenly Way did not completely sentence the Scattered Immortals to death. After all, everything that exists has its own reason for being. Since the appearance of the Scattered Immortals is also a manifestation of the Great Way, they can still ascend to the realm of immortals after passing through the twelve tribulations." Cloud Middle Child explained.

  "I see, I see, I've learned something." Sun Ming replied respectfully. His gaze towards Kong Wu also changed from disdain to a hint of sympathy. When he felt Kong Wu's eyes on him, Sun Ming immediately shifted his gaze to the wall covered in murals. "Damn," Sun Ming cursed under his breath, "This is luxurious, all made from thousand-year-old agarwood carvings."

  Ling Xing came out, with an expression that seemed even more unsightly than Ling Yu's. Silently, he handed the Jade Mirror to Kong Wu Old Dao and followed another white-robed cultivator as they left. As they departed, he only glanced back at Sun Ming, but his gaze was surprisingly similar to the one Sun Ming had just given Kong Wu Old Dao - a hint of pity. This made Sun Ming feel even more stifled.

  "It's clear, it's up to you now." Kong Wu handed Sun Ming a jade mirror, then thought for a moment before saying in a deep voice...

  "Uh-huh, and it's the same for both of them, one hour. The material property you're looking for is water attribute." After that, he made a gesture to send Sun Ming in again.

  "Alright, don't bother yourself, I'll just go in myself. This way is more to my liking." Sun Ming said, leaving behind a stunned Kong Wu Lao Dao and two bewildered white-robed cultivators as he strode in with large steps.

  "Master, are you saying that this kid is an idiot? Water attribute materials are so difficult for a refiner to deal with, yet he accepted it without hesitation and even looks quite pleased." The white-robed cultivator said to Kong Wu with a tone of disbelief.

  "Just casually asked, didn't think he'd actually go find water attribute materials. But this kid's looking for trouble, whatever, let him be." Kong Wu smiled and said.

  Sun Ming walked into the so-called Holy Alliance Refining Materials Specimen Room, and it was surprisingly similar to the Qi Ling Zong's residence. This was also a spatial treasure, with an enormous four-sided space on the ground, where one after another frame stood upright, each frame densely arranged with large and small cabinets. Sun Ming didn't think much about it and began searching for water-attribute materials. After all, having seen many astonishing things, he had become accustomed to them.

  "Master, there are quite a few things here. They even have Cold Water Condensed Iron, isn't that something that's been mined out long ago?" Sun Ming said as he recorded it on the Jade Mirror, chatting with Yun Zhongzi in a somewhat investigative tone.

  "Yes, indeed, the materials here are quite rich." Yun Zhongzi couldn't help but praise.

  "Tomorrow, you'll know why those two fellow disciples of yours left with such long faces?" asked Yun Zhongzi.

  "Why is that, Master? I didn't feel anything unusual."

  "Haha, that's your way of finding materials and theirs are different. You use sight, while they prefer to use their sense of touch. Try using your sense of touch for a change." Yun Zhongzi said with a smile.

  "So that's how it is, each of these small rooms has been sealed off and can't be used with our techniques. Haha, those two are quite pitiful." Sun Ming said, and couldn't help but sigh for the two of them.

  An hour passed quickly, and Sun Ming glanced at the dense numbers recorded in Yu Jian's eyes. With a swagger, he walked out of the door with an air of grandeur when there was still some time left before the hour was up. He handed over the Yu Jian's eyes to the hands of Kong Wu Old Dao, and without waiting for the lead of the white-clothed cultivator, he stepped through the gate that led away from the Ling Xing Spiritual Realm.

  "It seems that this kid is not capable of anything, he ran out before even an hour had passed." The white-robed cultivator looked at Sun Ming's departing figure and smiled, his smile full of disdain.

  "Yes." Kong Wuguang had just replied with a sentence, but was shocked by something in Yu Jian's eyes and couldn't speak.

  "Hmm, Jian Ge's recommendation is coming up next week. Before that, the number of collections is really making Jian Ge feel ashamed. Hope everyone can help promote Jian Ge, after all, seeing other authors' works with thousands of collections, Jian Ge's is still less than a thousand, it's quite embarrassing."

  Well, finally, I hope everyone enjoys reading and goes to the book review section to give Jian Ge some suggestions. After all, the book review section is always full of ads and not good to look at haha.