Nine rings and one-third.
The entire plaza was shaken.
Everyone stared at Li Yun in disbelief, and their expressions changed again and again. For a moment, many of them could not believe what they were seeing.
This Li Yun, who was only at the 1st level of the Essence Qi Realm and had been regarded by almost everyone as a useless burden, had actually displayed such astonishing aptitude.
His result was even slightly higher than Princess Yuehan’s nine rings. Among all the participants tested so far, he was second only to Xue Wuyan, who had reached nine and a half rings.
At that moment, Crown Prince Xing Tian’s handsome face became twisted with anger. A cold killing intent surged from his body, and although he tried to suppress it, it was difficult to hide completely.
This was an enormous humiliation.
Only moments ago, he had declared that Li Yun was trash and had even ordered that Li Yun’s aptitude test must not exceed six rings. Yet in the very next moment, Li Yun had directly displayed an aptitude of nine rings and one-third.
Worse still, this result was higher than his own.
For someone as proud and arrogant as Crown Prince Xing Tian, this was not merely embarrassment. It was a slap across his face in front of everyone. In his mind, the only way to wash away this shame was to make Li Yun disappear.
As for the others present, although they did not develop killing intent like Crown Prince Xing Tian, their expressions were not much better.
Before this, they had mocked the Southern Martial Domain without restraint. They had been convinced that everyone from the Southern Martial Domain was weak and useless. Aside from Su Fengyan, they had thought the rest would surely be eliminated.
Yet reality had proved the complete opposite.
Aside from Su Fengyan, the remaining four people from the Southern Martial Domain were each more shocking than the last.
Huang Chen and Li Hao were already impressive enough. Their results of eight and a half rings were high, but still within a range that the crowd could barely accept. However, Qin Baoluo and Li Yun were different. One had directly become Elder Yunlu’s personal disciple because of his terrifying artifact refining talent, while the other had displayed an aptitude exceeding nine rings.
What exactly was happening with the Southern Martial Domain?
Their cultivation levels seemed weaker than the others, yet their talent was more monstrous one after another.
At this moment, even Princess Yuehan’s beautiful eyes rippled slightly, and a trace of surprise flashed across her gaze. Xue Wuyan also raised his head and looked at Li Yun once before calmly lowering his eyes again, returning to his usual expressionless demeanor.
As the focus of everyone’s attention, however, Li Yun remained calm.
This result did not surprise him.
He had already become much more proficient in controlling his chaos qi, so the mistake he had made when his talent was tested back when he first joined the Martial Ascension Gate did not happen again. This time, he controlled his power properly and allowed the Spirit Talent Pillar to display a result that would not expose too much, while still being enough to shock everyone.
"Very good."
The silver-haired elder looked at Li Yun with an extremely kind smile and said, "Li Yun, nine rings and one-third. Grade, superior."
Afterward, the silver-haired elder’s gaze landed on Jian Wuchen and Mo Qingren. He nodded slightly and said, "The talents selected from the Southern Martial Domain this time are all quite good. Although a weak region being able to produce such geniuses must have its own reasons, your discerning eyes also deserve credit. This time, it will be counted as a major achievement for both of you. The original reward of ten thousand merit points will be increased to thirty thousand."
Hearing this, Jian Wuchen and Mo Qingren immediately revealed joyful expressions. The other guides nearby, who had also brought participants from different prefectures and regions, looked at them with envy and jealousy.
Merit points were a special currency within the Heavenly Sword Sect. They were similar to Spirit Stones, but their value was even greater. Many things that could not be purchased with Spirit Stones could be exchanged for using merit points.
Of course, obtaining merit points was also extremely difficult. Receiving an additional twenty thousand merit points at once was a huge windfall even for Inner Sect Disciples.
After Li Yun returned to Su Fengyan, Huang Chen, Li Hao, Qin Baoluo, and the others, the assessment continued.
The next few groups came from weaker places like Mistcloud Prefecture and Cloudriver Prefecture. To everyone’s relief, these places continued the usual pattern of weak regions and did not produce shocking results like the Southern Martial Domain.
Among all of them, the strongest participant only barely reached seven rings. There were even several people who failed to reach six rings and were eliminated on the spot.
"The first phase of the assessment ends here. Next, all of you only need to wait quietly. The examiner for the second phase will arrive soon."
The silver-haired elder formed a hand seal.
Immediately, the ground at the center of the plaza trembled and slowly sank. The Spirit Talent Pillar descended into the depths of the earth and disappeared completely. A moment later, the ground returned to its original state, leaving no trace that the pillar had ever appeared there.
After that, the silver-haired elder vanished from everyone’s sight.
After about the time it took for an incense stick to burn, another elderly man appeared before the crowd.
This elder had a thin face, white hair, and a youthful complexion. However, unlike the previous examiner, he wore a green robe, and his entire body carried a sharp yet restrained aura.
"I am the chief examiner for the second phase of the assessment, the comprehension test."
The green-robed elder’s voice rang clearly across the plaza. "The rules of the comprehension test are very simple. Next, I will demonstrate a sword technique called the Falling Star Sword Technique. This sword technique was personally created by me, and it can extend into eighteen completely different variations. What you need to do is remember and comprehend as many of these variations as possible."
"I will perform the Falling Star Sword Technique three times in total. After the third demonstration, all of you will take turns displaying the technique and its variations."
The green-robed elder swept his gaze across the crowd and continued, "Those who can derive fewer than three variations will be eliminated immediately and sent back home. Those who can derive three to five variations will be considered to have passed. Those who can derive five to seven variations will receive a good grade. Those who can derive seven to nine variations will receive an excellent grade. As for those who can derive more than nine variations, congratulations. Your comprehension test will be given a superior grade."
After saying this, his voice became slightly heavier.
"Have all of you understood?"
"Understood."
Everyone nodded, but their hearts still trembled slightly, and their expressions became much more solemn.
Since this green-robed elder could serve as the chief examiner for the second phase, his strength was naturally not ordinary. A sword technique personally created by such a figure would definitely not be simple, even if its rank was not especially high. For ordinary geniuses, trying to fully comprehend it in a short time would be extremely difficult.
Moreover, the green-robed elder would only demonstrate the technique three times.
Under such conditions, how much a person could grasp would depend entirely on their comprehension ability.

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