Chapter 1502: Chapter 1502: Four Titles
Compared to the rich and splendid civilizations of other universes, the Collapsing Mountain race's culture could be considered simple and primitive.
This reflected even in the way they tested out their members' strength.
The test required only one thing: a golden, square stone. This stone was placed in the middle of a square where warriors were then asked to push it using their full strength. The distance they managed to cover would determine their level.
The test for body refiners should be more complicated than that, and the standards to measure the body refiners' levels should not be only limited to pure strength.
Aside from pure strength, certain factors such as endurance, tenacity, flexibility, and other aspects of the physical body had to be put into consideration.
Such things did not matter to the Collapsing Mountain race. Their simple test was enough for them to gauge their warriors' strength. Of course, this type of test was quite biased and did not objectively represent the true, overall strength of a warrior.
It all came down to culture. The Collapsing Mountain race had always been proud of their brute strength and held it in the highest regard. It was understandable that it was the only thing they ever cared about.
According to the standard set by their test, the strength to be displayed could be divided into four levels.
Anyone who could push the golden stone two inches would be graded as an outstanding warrior.
Anyone who could push the stone for at least one foot would be graded as a mighty warrior.
Anyone who got to five feet would be graded as super powerful warriors.
And anyone who pushed it more than ten feet would be heralded as the wild king.
With their strength, the Collapsing Mountain warriors could most probably move tens of thousands of mountains in one push!
The golden square stone, however, was a different matter altogether.
The Collapsing Mountain race's younger generation saw it as a great honor to follow their elders out to hunt. This was because the requirement for joining the hunt was to push the stone at least two inches and receive the title of outstanding warrior.
Not everyone managed to pass the test which meant that the number of younger warriors that joined the hunt was less than a third of their total population.
The reason why this test was so difficult was that the gravitational force of the Collapsing Mountain race was extremely strong. The golden, square stone was equivalent to a hundred thousand mountains compressed together in weight. It would be extremely difficult to move it even a single inch, let alone to move it two inches.
It was because of the difficulty of the test that there were only four levels to appraise the warriors' strength.
Reaching the level of an outstanding warrior was already a great honor.
The atmosphere this year was slightly different.
Everyone, whether they were from the Collapsing Mountain race or from other races, carried themselves with an air of great confidence.
There was only a small number of warriors that felt dejected and they were the ones who failed to find any strength source during the trek inside the Sacred Spring Mountain. The others, on the other hand, eagerly rubbed their hands together in excitement. The goal was not just to get the title of outstanding warrior but to push it to the limit and attain the mighty or even the super powerful warrior title. 𝐑ÃƝ𝘖𝐛ƐȘ
Laquisha, with the support of Kennan and a few others, sat on a soft stool placed on the side of the square. This gave her the best view of the oncoming tests.
Chapman, on the other hand, took two steps forward and jumped on top of the golden square stone. He then held out a long list of names. “Jonty!”
First on the list were the Collapsing Mountain warriors.
Jonty slowly went forward. His expression didn't look too good since he was one of those unfortunate warriors who failed to find any strength source back in the mountain.
He had been relentlessly tortured by the gravitational force inside the Sacred Spring Mountain and had failed to obtain any strength source for himself.
Not only that, but he also chanced upon an area filled with protruding stalagmites. If not for his vigilance, then he would've already died!
It was understandable for Jonty to be reluctant to take the test. He hadn't improved his strength at all so he already knew what the results were going to be.
However, he couldn't go against the leader's order. He had no choice but walk gloomily towards the golden stone the moment Chapman called out his name.
Chapman had facilitated this test many times and could immediately tell that Jonty gained closed to nothing based on his expression. Although the Collapsing Mountain race was primitive in their customs, they still had a set of rules to follow and one of them was that nobody was allowed to give up on the test. Not even the foreign warriors were an exception; they had to take the test before leaving the Collapsing Mountain race.
With a sigh, Jonty took his stance.
He might not have obtained any strength source but there was still that sliver of hope that remained in Jonty's heart. If he managed to push the stone at least two inches then he'd obtain the title of outstanding warrior. There had already been excellent warriors who managed such a feat despite never setting foot in the Sacred Spring Mountain.
Jonty took on a horse stand and tightened his muscles, coordinating his body to reach its peak condition.
The larger ones' build, the harder it was to coordinate all the power in their body. The Collapsing Mountain race, however, possessed extraordinary talent in this aspect.
“Ha!”
Jonty roared before throwing out a punch.
He wasn't expecting much but he still gave it his all. Their race held strength in the highest regard and would fight to the best of their abilities.
“Bam!”
There was a dull thud as the force of Jonty's punch hit the stone.
Despite his best efforts, the stone stood in its place and hadn't moved a single inch. Chapman, who had been sitting on top of the giant golden stone this entire time, announced the result. “Jonty, out!”
Jonty's face darkened. He already knew this was going to happen, but he still had a bit of hope. He lowered his head and walked to the side where his family members were already waiting with consolations. He still had time and would surely grow stronger in the years to come.
“Kieron!”
Chapman called out again.
Kieron had gotten lucky. He was able to come upon the place Zen had previously passed by.
That pool of strength source poured down just as he arrived and he managed to absorb a lot of it.
His strength was in a saturated state. As soon as Chapman called his name, he leapt out excitedly. “I'm here!”
Chapman nodded, signalling Kieron to display his strength.
Kieron made his way to the stone in stride. He cupped his hands at Chapman and revealed a face brimming with confidence. “I want to challenge the 'super powerful warrior' title!”
His words set everyone abuzz with discussion.
“How conceited! There hasn't been any warrior who's won the 'super powerful warrior' title for thirteen years now, right?”
“It's different this time. Back then, it was already enough to obtain a couple of drops of strength source, but this time, there are many warriors who managed to get their fill.”
“It's possible, but the younger generation's physical bodies have their limits. The tile of 'super powerful warrior' isn't going to be that easy to get.”
Kieron pinched his fingers. A sound, similar to that of firecrackers resonated all over the place and his entire demeanor underwent a drastic change.
An airflow spread out from his body as he directed his power. Kieron's stance at that moment was incredibly mesmerizing, both heavy and light, contradicting yet still beautiful.
“Go... back!”
“Whoosh!”
He threw out his punch and a sudden thunderous boom swept through the entire square!
“Bam!”
This shocking display of strength generated powerful airwaves that drove everyone a few steps back.
“Your Highness!” Kennan shouted, quickly standing in front of the Princess Royal.
Kennan and the rest of the warriors with him were all world lords but they remained wary of such power. The Collapsing Mountain race was a weird and peculiar race after all.
If not for their mission, Kennan and his group would be happy to take the chance to enter the Sacred Spring Mountain to practice.
“Whap...”
Kieron's punch moved the stone and it began to slowly slide backwards.
Despite such explosive strength, the stone merely glided on the ground. One could imagine the extreme mass of this golden square stone…
Two inches...
Five inches...
One foot…
Two feet...
Three feet …
Three and a half feet!
And then it stopped.
Two inches would grant him the title of outstanding warrior, one foot the mighty warrior, and five feet the super powerful warrior.
“Three and a half feet. Ha-ha! This Kieron is still amazing!”
“What a pity… Just two more feet he would've gotten the title of super powerful warrior.”
“What a joke! By the time the stone glided for two feet, he was already out of power. Do you really think you can expect the stone to slip by itself as if it is oiled underneath?”
The results filled many warriors with regret.
The difference between a mighty warrior and a super powerful warrior was simply too great.
“Three and a half feet! You are a mighty warrior! You can join the hunt!” Chapman declared while someone recorded Kieron's result on the side.
The result could be considered stellar but Kieron had a look of bitterness on his face as he walked away. The titles of mighty warrior and super powerful warrior were only one level apart but the gap between was just too large. He still lacked the strength to obtain a higher level of glory.
Chapman turned and gently kicked the stone, returning it to its original position.
There was nothing in the air for him to gain momentum. He had to rely on his own movement to push the golden stone three and half feet back to its original place. Such a feat was truly amazing!
A few of the warriors from other races watching were awed but the Collapsing Mountain warriors simply shrugged it off. This kind of strength was already a given since he was their leader.
Chapman once again sat on the stone and shouted another name. “The third warrior, Saqib!”
This third warrior managed to push the stone for four inches and gained the title of outstanding warrior.
Back in the day, an outstanding warrior would warrant cheers and lots of merriment, however, the crowd was unusually quiet in the face of Saqib's accomplishment. They were all already aware that the results for this year would not be bad and those who received the title of outstanding warrior were not as exemplary as the ones who would come out on top.