211 Chapter 211 (1/2)

”Think this is going to take a while, didn't expect so many people to show up…”

Two people in United Element sect robes were talking with each other. They were blue with a sort of emblem attached to the shoulder part. This was something that indicated that they were elders and not disciples. There was also the violet color which was above this, it was reserved for core elders and disciples that were even above them in prestige.

One was a large fellow, quite rotund yet muscular. The robe he was wearing had to be custom made to fit around all of that mass. His name was Zhang Hong and he had a moderate amount of fame in the sect from the old days when the Zhang Clan was still going solo.

The other person was a lot more ordinary. His face was plain and his height might have been a bit short. He was also a person that lasted through the old times and his name was Zhang Bao.

The two young men were in one of the guard towers. They were looking down at the space in front of the large gate entrance to the New Spirit Spring City that was considered United Element sect territory. It was the first time the sect would be accepting new disciples into their midst.

Zhang Hong was holding a bag with some pastries and eating while squinting. What he saw was making him worry. Outside the city gates, there were hundreds of thousands, maybe even a million of people. Tents and impromptu made shelters had been set up even a month before the sect trials could take place. The latecomers were continuing to pour in and some of them even camped out in the forest that hadn't been cut down.

Zhang Bao just gave out a sigh. He had managed to gain an elder's position and was even an inner sect elder but this honor came with added responsibilities. Their first task would be to get the prospects through the trials and they had to screen everyone, there were no exceptions.

They weren't the only blue robe elders tending to this. The more potential disciples appeared the more people the sect had to assign. They had to make sure that everything went smoothly. This wasn't the only gate that was letting people come through, there were three others.

”Luckily the seniors designed that device, it will make this process more bearable…”

Bao nodded while looking at the swarm of people that were getting ready to be accepted through their gate.

”Yes, thank god we have the divine artifact department. We'll be able to root out the unfit before they can enter the city.”

Hong nodded while munching on some sweets as the two people headed out of the tower, some other people in gray elder robes followed behind them.

At the middle point there stood a strange looking machine. Similar looking treasure devices were placed at all the other gates. It was cylindrical in shape and there was an entrance from one side. It was connected by some thick wires to a console in a closed section. The people could see someone operating those consoles through a small window that was covered by glass. There were more than one of those devices here and the sect members were performing the last inspection before opening them up.

”Remember the training, move every potential disciple into the scanner artifact. The result will appear on the console and depending on it we will grant them entrance or have them leave. Only the ones chosen by this artifact will be allowed to participate in the rest of the trials.”

Zhang Bao delivered his short speech while moving to the side. He and his brother Hong were responsible for this gate, they would need to stay here and make sure that nothing went wrong. They had permission from the elders in higher positions to use force if anyone got out of line. They didn't think that anyone would be stupid enough to do this, but there could be a spy among the people and this device apparently could tell this as well.

”Let them in, everyone form a line towards each divine artifact scanner, the faster we finish the sooner you all can go home!”

The people behind the gate started shouting as the metal bars were lifted up into the air. No one dared to move in quite yet though. They waited for a person in a gray robe and with the united element sect's emblem to go out. He did a short speech explaining what would be happening.

”Please follow the instructions in an orderly fashion. If any fights break out, you will be removed forcefully…”

People just wanted to run through the gate and be done with everything. The people that were at the front had waited for a whole month, just sitting there and meditating. The first person moved forward and was instructed to go into some strange looking artifact. The doors slid open and he found himself in a well-lit space.

'Please place your hand on the measuring orb.'

The man flinched after hearing a woman's voice call out to him. He looked around wondering if someone from outside was calling out to him but before he could ask an orb the size of a bowling ball popped out from some kind of hidden slot. It looked to be made from glass or some kind of crystal. The man didn't react and kept wondering what this was about, the woman's voice repeated the massage again before he finally reached out to touch the sphere.

The moment he touched it a jolt of electricity ran through his body and he felt weak. He wasn't able to move a muscle or utter a word. A ray of light appeared above his head in a horizontal line and it started moving downwards. It moved through his entire body, scanning it and feeding that data to the console outside.

A woman from the sect looked at the console. It showed her various biometric data, height, weight, bone structure, and age. Every small detail was revealed thanks to this machine. The woman looked at the numbers and her eyebrows furrowed slightly. There were a few red indicators that didn't spell anything good for this potential disciple.

”Age 27… Qi Condensation 5th stage… Potential: low… Disposition: Orange…”