"Since all of you understand, I will now begin the first demonstration of the Falling Star Sword Technique."
The green-robed elder did not pay attention to the nervous expressions of the crowd. His voice remained calm and indifferent.
As soon as his words fell, he drew his long sword and began demonstrating the Falling Star Sword Technique.
The sword in his hand moved gently at first, but in the next moment, it seemed as if countless strands of starlight were spreading through the air. The sword shadows shifted continuously, like stars descending from the sky. Each movement evolved into a different transformation. Sometimes the sword light resembled strange beasts. Sometimes it turned into divine weapons. Sometimes it formed human figures. Sometimes it transformed into trees, flowers, and flowing grass.
The changes were countless.
The entire sword technique flowed naturally, like drifting clouds and moving water, yet every transformation contained hidden sharpness and profound mystery.
In the blink of an eye, the green-robed elder completed the first full demonstration.
The entire process had taken only a dozen breaths.
"This is far too fast."
"I did not even see it clearly."
Most of the people present had failed to follow the green-robed elder’s movements. They looked at one another with helpless and confused expressions, their minds completely blank.
There was nothing they could do.
The green-robed elder’s speed had been far too fast. Before they could even react properly, the demonstration had already ended. Among the eighteen variations, many of them had not even managed to recognize more than a few.
"The second demonstration will be performed at normal speed. Watch carefully."
The green-robed elder completely ignored the crowd’s reaction and began demonstrating the Falling Star Sword Technique again.
This time, his speed was slower than before, but not by much. After roughly twenty breaths, he finished the second demonstration.
At this point, the participants could barely make out some of the transformations within the sword technique, but if they were asked to remember those changes and reproduce them personally, they were still far from capable.
"For the final demonstration, I will slow down. How much you can comprehend will depend on your own ability."
The green-robed elder’s expression remained indifferent.
This time, his movements finally slowed. Every sword motion, every change in force, and every transformation of starlight was clearly displayed before everyone’s eyes. The demonstration lasted for nearly half the time it took for an incense stick to burn before he finally completed the sword technique.
"Alright. The three demonstrations end here."
The green-robed elder withdrew his sword and spoke calmly. "Next, you will have the time it takes for one incense stick to burn to organize your insights. After that, the assessment will officially begin."
"This..."
"I can recognize more than ten of the eighteen variations, but I still have no idea how to actually perform them."
"This Falling Star Sword Technique is at least a high-grade Profound Rank martial skill. Asking us to perform it after only seeing it three times is simply too difficult."
Aside from a few people like Li Yun, most of the participants wore blank and troubled expressions.
Even though the green-robed elder had deliberately slowed down during the final demonstration, the Falling Star Sword Technique was still far too profound and complex. For many of them, merely remembering the movements was already difficult, let alone understanding the variations and displaying them properly.
However, at this moment, no one dared to give up.
One after another, the participants sat down cross-legged. Their brows tightened as they desperately recalled the three demonstrations they had just seen, trying to grasp even one more variation before the test began.
In the blink of an eye, the time it took for an incense stick to burn passed.
"The assessment begins. First participant, Lin Chen."
The green-robed elder’s indifferent voice rang out.
The order of the second phase was the same as the first phase. The first person to step forward was still the Heavenly Sword Sect’s Preparatory Disciple, Lin Chen.
Lin Chen’s face was bitter as he walked forward. He gripped his sword, took a deep breath, and began performing the Falling Star Sword Technique.
However, the same sword technique that had seemed smooth, mysterious, and endlessly changing in the green-robed elder’s hands became stiff and clumsy when performed by Lin Chen. His movements lacked rhythm, his sword force was disjointed, and the transformations he tried to display were hollow and incomplete.
"Two variations evolved, and one of them is incorrect. Lin Chen, failed."
The green-robed elder’s expression did not change. He did not even wait for Lin Chen to finish before announcing the result directly.
"No."
Lin Chen’s face turned pale.
He stood there in despair, unable to accept such a blow.
Failing this stage did not only mean that he had lost the qualifications to continue the assessment. It also meant that he would be expelled from the Heavenly Sword Sect’s Preparatory Disciple ranks. From this moment onward, even his current status would be stripped away.
At best, he could only become an outer deacon of the Heavenly Sword Sect in the future.
In other words, this result was almost the same as declaring that his path had reached its limit. From now on, it would be incredibly difficult for him to step into a higher realm or achieve anything greater.
Seeing Lin Chen’s performance, Lu Yanfeng, who was next in line, immediately turned pale.
His aptitude had only been slightly higher than Lin Chen’s, and in terms of comprehension ability, the difference between them was not great. If Lin Chen could not pass this stage, then Lu Yanfeng knew that his own chances were not much better.
Reality soon proved his fear correct.
Although Lu Yanfeng managed to evolve three variations of the Falling Star Sword Technique, one of them was wrong. Because of that single mistake, he suffered the same fate as Lin Chen and was eliminated on the spot.
After him, several more contestants stepped forward one after another, but none of them managed to escape elimination. It was only when the sixth contestant took the stage that someone barely evolved three correct variations and scraped through with a passing grade.
After that, the overall performance of the participants improved somewhat, but the failure rate remained frighteningly high. More than half of the contestants were still eliminated.
One had to know that during the previous aptitude test, only a few people from bottom-tier weak places like Mistcloud Prefecture had been eliminated. Yet in this comprehension test, so many had already been disqualified right from the beginning. This alone showed how difficult the second phase truly was.
"Next, Xue Wuyan."
After some time, the green-robed elder’s voice finally caused the gloomy atmosphere to stir again.
Everyone raised their heads and looked toward Xue Wuyan.
This was the genius who had reached nine and a half rings in the aptitude test. He was hailed as a rare talent of the Heavenly Sword Sect who appeared only once every twenty years. Since his aptitude was so monstrous, everyone wanted to know what level his comprehension ability would reach.
Under countless gazes, Xue Wuyan stepped forward with his usual expressionless face and began demonstrating the Falling Star Sword Technique.
The moment he moved, the difference between him and the previous participants became obvious.
When others performed the technique, their movements were more or less stiff and clumsy. Many parts lacked proper connection, and they could not truly fuse the variations into the sword flow. However, when Xue Wuyan performed the technique, there was already a faint trace of the green-robed elder’s style within his movements.
His sword flowed smoothly, like drifting clouds and flowing water. Sword Qi whistled around him, and faint starlight seemed to spread through the air. As his sword shifted, different variations unfolded one after another, each one containing a sharp and mysterious charm.
"Not bad."
After Xue Wuyan finished his performance, a faint smile finally appeared on the green-robed elder’s indifferent face.
"You evolved thirteen variations in total, but two of them were incorrect. That means you successfully evolved eleven correct variations. Result, superior grade."
The moment these words fell, the entire plaza erupted into an uproar.
So many people had failed to evolve even three correct variations and had been eliminated directly. From this, everyone could already see how difficult the Falling Star Sword Technique was. Yet under such conditions, Xue Wuyan had actually evolved eleven correct variations and obtained a superior grade.
Such comprehension ability was simply terrifying.
"It is already ridiculous that his aptitude is so high, but his comprehension ability is also this monstrous. This Xue Wuyan is far too frightening."
"If nothing unexpected happens, Xue Wuyan becoming a True Disciple in the future is almost certain."
For a time, the gazes directed at Xue Wuyan were filled with envy, jealousy, and a faint trace of awe.
Unless an accident occurred, the first place in this assessment would most likely belong to Xue Wuyan. Whether in talent, comprehension, cultivation, or combat reputation, he had already surpassed most people before the real competition had even begun.
At that moment, Xue Wuyan, who had become the focus of everyone’s attention, suddenly turned his gaze toward Li Yun.
A strange light flashed in his eyes. Then, in a calm voice, he said, "Li Yun, I look forward to your performance."

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