Chapter 1089: Chapter 1089

The crowd suddenly quieted down, and then the chubby Elder took a few steps forward and said:

"I won't say any unnecessary words. The second test is about motivation, and I will briefly explain the rules. It's actually very simple. See that Stone Drum? It's made of special materials, and the test is to get it to sound. This time the test is slightly more difficult than usual because we've set up some control formations to slightly suppress your True Qi, so I hope you'll use all your strength. As long as you sound it three times, you'll pass. I wish you all good luck in advance! The test is about to begin!"

As soon as the chubby Elder finished speaking, the crowd below immediately started discussing.

"What? They actually added control formations, isn't that too harsh!"

"Oh my God, this is indeed too difficult."

"Yeah, I didn't expect them to even add formations this time, it's simply too harsh."

At this moment, Ling Fen, wearing a light blue robe, watched Ding Fan with icy eyes through the crowd. During the first test, Ding Fan had left a very deep impression on him; he never expected that person to gain more fame than him after that test.

For Ling Fen, who always carried a star-like aura, how could he not resent Ding Fan?

He was eager to see how this second test would go for this guy, who had no True Qi fluctuation, and how he would compete with him.

But when he looked at Ding Fan, he originally thought Ding Fan would panic upon hearing the Elder's words, but that person was standing there as if nothing happened, calm and composed.

"Alright, the test starts now. Those who passed the first test, come up to draw lots and take the test in the order of the numbers drawn from the lots."

At this moment, the same tall Elder from before stepped forward and said, although the tone was very calm, his voice was indeed extremely loud, and everyone present could hear it clearly.

Upon hearing the Elder's words, nearly a hundred cultivators quickly came up from the Snow Spirit Altar, both men and women, but all of them were quite young, because the Dayang Sect recruits disciples and there are age restrictions, which is something all cultivators are basically aware of.

Nearly a hundred cultivators, including Ding Fan, Lianzi, and others, soon completed the drawing of lots.

Ding Fan looked at the small bamboo strip he drew, and the number on it was fifty-six. This meant he would be the fifty-sixth to appear.

Ding Fan simply made a mental note of this, then went to a corner of the woods to sit cross-legged and closed his eyes.

Soon, under the arrangement of some white-clothed disciples, the first cultivator, a young boy, came on stage. The boy looked very ordinary; it was just that he walked into the Stone Drum formation with his brows tightly furrowed, clearly very nervous.

The boy picked up the Stone Hammer beside him, took a deep breath, and then fiercely smashed it against the Stone Drum.

Evidently, it was the sound of stones colliding, and the Stone Drum did not sound.

The boy repeated this several times. But the Stone Drum still did not show any sign of sounding.

"Eliminated, next," a white-clothed disciple nearby saw this, and his face seemed a bit cold as he told the boy.

Upon hearing the words of the white-clothed disciple, the boy could not help but show a dejected and somewhat unwilling expression on his face. He knew he was too nervous and felt he hadn't performed well, but he clearly felt that after entering the formation, a lot of the True Qi within him had solidified, making it impossible to use his full strength.

The boy regretfully walked off.

Immediately, another boy came up and entered the Stone Drum formation.

Then he picked up the Stone Hammer and fiercely smashed it against the Stone Drum.

A loud noise emitted from the Stone Drum, evidently completing the first sound successfully. A burst of surprised cheers came from below.

The sound from the Stone Drum was very loud, and it was evident even without an announcement from the proctoring white-clothed disciple that the Stone Drum had been struck.

At this moment, a look of joy flashed in the eyes of the second boy, and he then waited for a while, doing his best to mobilize his True Qi before striking the Stone Drum again.

A sound of stones colliding was heard, indicating that the second strike by the examining cultivator boy did not sound the drum.

"Eliminated, the next," at this time, the proctoring white-clothed disciple announced.

Upon hearing the words of the white-clothed disciple, the boy walked off the altar with a face of regret.

Next, nearly ten people in a row were eliminated, among which the one who sounded the most was a burly boy who struck four times, but unfortunately, he vomited a mouthful of blood and still couldn't make it sound the last time.

Seeing this scene, everyone couldn't help but sigh.

"This is too difficult; the pass rate is even below one-tenth!"

"Alas... too difficult. You have no idea that when I got up there, most of my True Qi was frozen, and I couldn't exert my full strength. If it weren't for the formation, I could have struck five times."

"If only there were no formations…"

At this moment, Ding Fan slightly opened his eyes, watching the previous scenes of disciples failing the test. Ding Fan could see that whether it was the first test or the current one, the Dayang Sect likely placed great importance on the disciples' physical qualities. At this time, the control formation to suppress the contestants' True Qi was indeed testing these cultivators' fundamental skills and physical qualities.

Unknowingly, time passed for an hour, and another seventeen or eighteen disciples went up for the test. However, only three passed.

After a short while, a wave of cheers erupted from the crowd below. Ding Fan slowly opened his eyes to see that it was Ling Fen who was about to take the stage.

"Ling Fen is so handsome!"

"Young Master Ling Fen will definitely pass the assessment. The few people before him mostly sounded it five or six times to pass. I'm sure Young Master Ling Fen won't be worse!"

"Yes, I also have high hopes for Ling Fen. After all, his cultivation isn't just talk; being at the Early Nascent Soul Stage at such a young age, how many people can compare?"

"I kind of think that God-like Ding Fan will be even more impressive later!"

"Hey! That's not certain, you know..."

Amidst the crowd's cheer and exclamations, Ling Fen stepped onto the Snow Spirit Altar and entered the Formation around the Stone Drum. Ling Fen seemed to glance inadvertently in Ding Fan's direction. He had long noticed Ding Fan, though most only knew Ding Fan's name and not his appearance. Ling Fen had firmly memorized the other's features during the first assessment.

He had been paying attention to Ding Fan all along. What made him a bit miffed was how, for most cultivators, such an important assessment didn't seem to worry Ding Fan at all; he was merely resting with his eyes closed, which baffled and astonished Ling Fen. The most update n0vels are published on 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭⚑𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⚑𝕟𝕖𝕥

Could this person really be a top genius who didn't care about such an assessment?

Meanwhile, at a table on the Snow Spirit Altar, three elders from the Dayang Sect were seated. The results of the previous disciples were not ideal. Seeing Ling Fen take the stage, the three elders glanced at him more than once, as his score in the first assessment was indeed excellent.

But because of the sudden appearance of a dark horse like Ding Fan, his achievements seemed rather ordinary.

At this moment, Ling Fen picked up the Stone Hammer and smashed it against the Stone Drum with force.

A thunderous drum sound immediately echoed.

Ling Fen's first strike succeeded, clearly boosting his confidence. He quickly adjusted and, after a moment, gathered his True Qi before striking the Stone Drum again.

The second strike was also a success.

Ling Fen continued, pausing after each strike on the Stone Drum to adjust his internal True Qi, then grabbing the Stone Hammer again to strike.

About half an hour passed, and Ling Fen had completed five strikes.

The crowd below was all excited, evidently thrilled that the cultivator they valued did not let them down.

"Ling Fen, mighty as ever!"

Quite a few people cheered for him, after all, he was a famous young genius in the local area.

By this time, Ling Fen was slightly sweating, the Stone Hammer gripped in his hand was even perspiring, but he didn't show any sign of stopping. Gathering his True Qi, he once again smashed it towards the Stone Drum.

The barrage of drum sounds continued, reaching a total of eight strikes.

The crowd's faces were visibly more excited upon hearing this, it was already eight strikes, the highest record so far.

The young cultivators who had been eliminated earlier looked on with admiration. They understood the power of the Stone Drum, and it was hard to believe someone could manage eight strikes.

"Ling Fen is truly amazing! I bet Ling Fen will be first in this second assessment!"

"Hold on, I think Ding Fan hasn't made his move yet, has he?"

"Even if Ding Fan makes a move, he might not surpass Ling Fen's score! After all, that's eight strikes!"

Naturally, Ding Fan noticed what was happening on the Snow Spirit Altar, sparing Ling Fen an extra glance. He thought Ling Fen's cultivation was decent but certainly incomparable to his own.

The three elders nodded, impressed by Ling Fen's performance, recognizing him as a once-in-a-generation genius. If it weren't for Ding Fan, they might have discovered him earlier. But alas, Ding Fan had stood out too much in the first assessment.

Now exhausted, Ling Fen finally stopped, his face slightly haggard as he looked at the nearby disciple in white.

"Passed, next one." The white-robed disciple received the elders' signal and loudly announced.

Hearing the announcement of passing, Ling Fen smiled slightly and then, slightly unsteady, walked down from the Snow Spirit Altar.

As Ling Fen came down, two youths who had been following him hurried to support him, clearly indicating that eight strikes were Ling Fen's limit.

Seeing Ling Fen's current state, everyone understood that striking the Stone Drum was no easy task.