97 Second trial of the rank-up test. (1/2)
Li Yang was currently sitting on a floating platform of ice, completely surrounded by water. This body of water was so large that Li Yang was unable to see the end of the water. Were it not for the fact that he could just barely see a tall mountain in the distance it might have looked like he was floating on the vast ocean that surrounded the continent.
There were three more platforms of ice spread out in the area, each one carrying one of the disciples that had passed the first trial of the rank-up test. They were all sitting with crossed legs, their expression lax and bored as they swept the water around them with somewhat sleepy gazes.
They were currently taking part in the second trial of the rank-up test, following the orders of the brown-haired girl, Han Fen. The mission she had received was to kill off a colony of Three-Finned Locusts that had invaded this lake, robbing a nearby city that focused on fishing and harvesting sea-plants a major source of incoming.
As for why Li Yang and the three others were sitting on these platforms of ice, that was because they were in charge of preventing any of the locusts from escaping. Everyone else was already in the lake, sweeping through it and killing any locust that they came across, neatly wiping them out.
There were a few of the locusts who had reached the early stage of the Immortal Rebirth realm, but none of the disciples that had passed the first trial were weak, so the mission was practically a cake walk. Hence, the four which had been assigned this duty of preventing any locusts from escaping were bored out of their minds.
But there was nothing they could do, Han Fen, Elder Su, and the white-robed elder were sitting on a flying carriage that floated above the lake, keeping a close eye on the situation. As she was the one undertaking the trial right now, Han Fen was forbidden from taking part in the mission, this was a test of her leadership skills after all.
As he was sweeping the water with his eyes, the surface of the water about three kilometers away from Li Yang exploded outwards, several small Three-Finned Locusts jumping out of the water. Three-Finned Locusts looked like deep-blue locusts that had a round tail with three fins, almost like a strange mace. They had wing-like things on their back, but they couldn't actually fly, the wings were only there to increase their speed underwater.
Li Yang turned his gaze onto the eight locusts that were trying to flee from the slaughter at the bottom of the lake. He leisurely stretched out his arm and pointed at them, an azure bolt of light streaking out from his finger and roaring through the air. The lightning didn't aim for the locusts, hitting one of the countless drops of water that they had thrown into the air. The lightning then propagated at a rapid pace, spreading out from waterdrop to waterdrop, forming a net of lightning that surrounded the locusts.
Li Yang then clenched his hand and caused the net of lightning to shrink and cling to the locusts, electrifying them and overloading their brains, causing them to shut down. These locusts were amongst the weakest of the ones living in the lake, they had only been able to escape the slaughter for now because the other disciples didn't see a need to chase them, leaving them to Li Yang and the others. After dealing with the locusts, Li Yang turned his gaze back onto the surrounding water, letting out a light sigh.
”Can't they finish up a bit faster?”
Li Yang's wish did not come to pass, the other disciples spending an entire three days at the bottom of the lake, giving it several sweeps to make sure they didn't miss any locusts. The could only stay at the bottom of the lake for so long because one of the disciples could use the law of water, allowing them to stay beneath the surface for far longer than others of their cultivation would normally be able to.
After the other disciples resurfaced and reported that they were done, Han Fen turned towards Elder Su and awaited her judgment. Elder Su swept the entire lake with her completely white eyes, nodding her head after a short moment of silence.
”The mission has been completed. All the locusts have been dealt with and there have only been a few minor injuries. If there are no problems with your ability to follow orders in the upcoming missions, you will be considered to have passed the rank-up test and will become an inner disciple.”
The second trial wasn't all about leadership, it was also a test to see how well you were at following orders, accepting that others might boss you around at times. After all, there were times where the clan would give the inner disciples missions and would require them to follow strict orders. Han Fen pumped her fist into the air after receiving the clear, already assured that she would become an inner disciple.
Elder Su swiped her interspatial ring and took out another scroll, tossing it to the disciple who was in charge of giving orders for the next mission, a blue-haired man by the name of Xie Min. Li Yang and the other disciples also gave the contents of the mission a quick read-over, guessing at what roles they would be given. After everyone had read the contents of the mission, the white-robed elder, Elder Mujin, used his law of space to bring them all to the location of the next mission.