Talent Test, Just Be Amazed

Li Siyi was still staying up late cultivating, though in truth, she was a bit nervous and couldn’t sleep, so she resorted to practicing.

As she continued her cultivation, she suddenly noticed that her diary had been updated.

At first, Li Siyi thought it was just Su Luo writing in her diary again, but to her surprise, there was a lot of new content.

She had been harboring a sliver of doubt about whether she could join the Seven Stars Sword Sect, but now she felt completely reassured.

Seventh-tier talent, hehe.

While having high talent was certainly a reason to celebrate, she still hoped she could perform well.

It would be even better if she could find a good master.

......

The next day, Su Luo got up early and joined the others to prepare for the day’s sect entrance examination.

The square in the center of Seven Star Town was bustling with noise and excitement.

Early in the morning, examinees from all over had gathered here, making final preparations, some nervous, others confident.

“Finally, it’s here. I’m definitely a fifth-tier genius.”

“You? They’d be doing you a favor to call you first-tier. You might not even have that.”

“It’s been ten years since anyone with seventh-tier talent appeared. I wonder if we’ll see one this time.”

“Seventh-tier? Even sixth-tier is rare. I’m starting to think the Star-Gazing Formation’s tiers are exaggerated. Seventh-tier is probably the highest, and anything beyond that is just a myth.”

“Third-tier, I just need third-tier. Please, anyone, bless me.”

Amid the crowd’s anticipation, the representatives of the Seven Stars Sword Sect arrived.

Not all the big shots from the sect were present, as they already had plenty of personal disciples and only showed up occasionally.

The main overseer of this examination was Elder Yan Xi, a master of flame magic and a Nascent Soul cultivator.

As he appeared, spirals of flame surrounded him, causing the temperature around him to skyrocket.

Then, he stepped out of the flames, tapped his staff on the ground, and the flames dissipated, replaced by a gentle breeze.

The rapid transition from heat to coolness demonstrated Elder Yan Xi’s terrifying level of control.

By his side were two Golden Core seniors, Qin San and Han Ying’er, who were responsible for handling the various aspects of the examination. Under normal circumstances, Elder Yan Xi didn’t need to do much; his presence alone was enough to command respect.

The rest of the team consisted of nameless sect disciples handling minor tasks.

This was the lineup for the sect entrance examination.

Only after passing the examination would the sect leader and other big shots of the Seven Stars Sword Sect make an appearance.

Elder Yan Xi scanned the crowd of examinees.

Without him saying a word, the entire square fell silent.

The pressure of a Nascent Soul expert was overwhelming, something these examinees could hardly comprehend, leaving them breathless.

Elder Yan Xi didn’t waste any words: “The sect entrance examination begins now. Give it your all.”

With that, the Star-Gazing Formation at the center of the square lit up with a purple glow. A swirling current of air formed three small semicircles, allowing three examinees to test their talent simultaneously.

Behind each semicircle was a cylindrical pillar marked with ten tiers, from lowest to highest.

Once an examinee stepped into the semicircle, the air current would swirl around the pillar, and the highest point it reached would indicate their talent level.

“The Star-Gazing Formation is activated. Please enter one by one,” the sweet voice of Senior Sister Han Ying’er reached everyone’s ears.

Her charming tone, combined with her adorable appearance, made hearts flutter.

The examinees obediently entered the formation one after another.

Those with first or second-tier talent were immediately disqualified, ejected from the formation in less than a second.

With thousands of examinees, time was of the essence.

The eliminated examinees shared their thoughts.

“What just happened? It was so fast, I didn’t even know how I got out.”

“I didn’t even make it past the first stage. My cultivation heart is shattered, though I’m not sure I ever had one to begin with.”

“So far, it’s just first and second-tier trash—oh wait, that includes me. Never mind. Damn, I really wanted to see some high-tier geniuses.”

“Look! Fifth-tier!”

The first fifth-tier talent of the day appeared, shocking all the examinees.

Envious gazes turned toward the person, wishing they were the one standing there.

This person was Lin Xuan.

He glanced at the pillar, then stepped down indifferently, as if it were nothing noteworthy.

Damn, he really pulled off that cool act.

This was the thought running through the minds of most of the eliminated examinees.

“Good luck, examinee. I’ll be waiting for you in the Seven Stars Sword Sect,” Han Ying’er said to Lin Xuan, her tone sincere with a hint of playfulness.

Her words were heartwarming and somewhat encouraging.

The examinees felt their hearts soften, though they couldn’t help but wish she had spoken to them instead.

Lin Xuan nodded humbly, barely glancing at Han Ying’er, and then went to rest and conserve his energy.

Han Ying’er gave him an intrigued look, her lips curling into a slight smile before she turned her attention back to the Star-Gazing Formation.

Qin San, standing beside her, also glanced at Lin Xuan, though his expression was far less friendly.

After that, third and fourth-tier examinees appeared one after another, but with a fifth-tier talent already revealed, they didn’t cause much of a stir.

When it was Su Luo’s turn, she tested as fourth-tier.

Su Luo was surprised—that was one tier higher than before.

But then she remembered her body had been continuously strengthened by her system, so an improvement was only natural.

As Su Luo stepped out of the Star-Gazing Formation, the entire square erupted in excitement—though not because of her.

“Seventh-tier! Oh my heavens!”

“What kind of scene is this? I’ve never seen anything like it!”

“I can’t believe I’m sharing an examination with a seventh-tier genius. This is so lucky. I’ll have stories to tell for years.”

While fifth-tier had been impressive, seventh-tier was an absolute earthquake, leaving some in disbelief.

Even the disciples of the Seven Stars Sword Sect looked awestruck, as if they’d never seen such a sight before.

The seventh-tier talent was, of course, Li Siyi.

Elder Yan Xi smiled with satisfaction. “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a candidate with such high talent. If word gets out, all the peak masters will rush out to fight over her. But now is not the time for that.”

Elder Yan Xi ordered the news to be kept under wraps.

It wasn’t that he wanted to claim Li Siyi for himself, but having the peak masters fight over her now would be undignified, and other sects might mock the Seven Stars Sword Sect for being overly eager.

Naturally, it would be better to wait until after the examination was over. Once she joined the sect, they could compete for her all they wanted, each relying on their own abilities.

After that, no one else reached the seventh-tier.

There were a few sixth-tier talents, but with seventh-tier already revealed, anything below that was considered ordinary.

Su Luo also spotted a familiar face—the little girl who had been following her a few days ago.

She tested as sixth-tier.

This surprised Su Luo. She hadn’t expected the girl she’d casually saved to be such a prodigy.

Though she had started late, for a genius, catching up was as easy as breathing. Su Luo believed she would rise quickly.

Still, Su Luo doubted she could surpass the protagonist. She might just remain a side character.

The Star-Gazing Formation eliminated half of the examinees.

This was the way of cultivation—without talent, the doors remained closed.

Not everyone could be the protagonist, rising from the ashes of poor talent, weak physique, or broken spiritual roots.

With the first stage concluded, it was time for the second stage.