Chapter 75 (1/2)
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Chapter 75
The Three Tests
The crowd erupted in motion. Most were ecstatic, these were people who did not have the golden invitations.
A small portion of the crowd looked furious. One bad-tempered person raged, “My family has been paying the Spiritual Mountain Sect a small fortune every year for thirteen years, just to get this golden invitation! How could you declare it useless just like that? How is that reasonable?”
Now that the first person had spoken up, another person shouted in a.s.sent, “Yeah!”
It was obvious that these two wanted to take advantage of their invitations. With the invitation, they were practically culativators already, yet this announcement meant they had to suffer the three tests just like everyone else! How could anyone remain calm?
A fat man in expensive silk burst into tears. “Don't play me like that1”
Sun Boyi looked at them in contempt, though a little delighted in himself. He looked at the first guy to speak up and said, “What is your name?”
The man puffed up his chest, “Zhang Haobo of the Botong Zhang family!”
Sun Boyi snickered. “Botong? What kind of place is that? Haven't heard of it!”
Zhang Haobo yelled furiously, “YOU!”
“Ah, I remember now. The Zhang family of the Botong City from Nanhai County! Your family pays seven thousand silvers every year, that makes a total of ninety-one thousand silvers in thirteen years!”
The ones from poorer families looked at him in admiration, though some in envy.
He raised his head higher. “That's right!”
“Alright, let me tell you this. In your first year of cultivating with our sect, regardless of your court, if you want to succeed, you need a good mentor, good magical items to help with combat and good spiritual medicine to train your body! Just a little bit of this medicine costs more than ten thousand silvers per month, and as for magical items… Hmmph, haven't you heard of how magical items are rarer than gemstones?”
Sun Boyi's expression changed and he spat on the ground. “Ptui, such imbeciles! Zhang family of Botong, right? Let me tell you this, your family's yearly offerings are not even enough to cover the expenses of a month's cultivation! How dare you put on airs when you're so poor? You must be blind! Look around you! This is the Number One Spiritual Mountain! It's the sect that battled at Heaven's Corner three times, Nine h.e.l.ls five times, thirteen times against Dijon Kingdom and nine times against Hunqi Kingdom! The sect that has never lost once out of the one-hundred and thirty-two battles we have fought!”
Zhang Haobo and the rest turned ashen and hung their heads as he yelled at them sternly.
Chengfeng was impressed. This speech was enough to make all the rich sons of powerful families humble and agreeable, plus it made them respect him.
When no one else spoke, Sun Boyi nodded satisfactorily. “Anyone else objects?”
It was silent, save for a few sobbing men.
Sun Boyi grinned, delighted with himself as he declared, “If that is the case, follow me! The next step is the most important point of your lives. We shall begin the three tests!”
The crowd followed Sun Boyi past the square up the mountain to the front of a stone door. Upon entry, Chengfeng felt as if an invisible hand had shoved him inside. He felt a slight vibration that seemed to push him into another world.
It was a vast, endless world. They were surrounded by silence, for all the insect and bird sounds had suddenly disappeared. All they saw were clouds and mist floating gently by.