Chapter 137 – Round One (1/2)
Chapter 137 – Round One
Everyone waited patiently in the side hall.
“Little man, are you working for the union?” One of the middle-aged participants narrowed his eyes at Ye Wei. Ye Wei’s posture was seemingly uncomfortable and rather out of place.
“No.” Ye Wei shook his head.
“Well… are you… Is it possible, you’re here for the qualification exam?” The middle-aged cautiously questioned Ye Wei while widening his eyes in disbelief.
“Yes!” Ye Wei gently nodded while sitting in the corner. He was trying his best to keep a low profile. It was not in his interest to introduce himself, directly or indirectly, near Lu Feng.
The middle-aged man gave Ye Wei a strange judgemental look. ‘Isn’t one young brat enough? That arrogant Lu Feng is only twenty-two, and this kid is what? Like ten years younger than that? Someone needs to do something about martial family’s kids getting in here all because of their damn connections!’
Slowly realizing how strange it was for Ye Wei to sit all alone in the corner, Lu Feng and the people around him began to shown interest, and they all looked over in his direction.
Before they could get a good look at Ye Wei’s face, an official from the Ning City Union Branch entered. He had the skin complexion of a middle-aged man. He was dressed in a long, gray robe. Embroidered on the cuffs of the robe were seven tiny star shapes.
“Silence!” The official scanned around him. His hoarse voice quieted the sound of the chatter.
Everyone closed their mouths and looked respectfully at the man in the gray robe; however, humbleness looked slightly awkward on Lu Feng’s face.
Ye Wei, like everyone else in the room, focused on the official, but most importantly, he felt relieved the crowd shifted their attention away from him.
‘A seven-star Runemaster!’ Ye Wei pupils dilated. He was startled as he noticed the embroidered stars close to the official’s hand.
A Runemaster’s rank is not exactly only related to cultivation but instead involves a distinguishment between a Runemasters’ knowledge of runes and their contribution to the Union. Green Moon City’s Master Mu, who was a ten-star condensed prime Warrior, was merely a five-star Runemaster.
A member’s privileges were directly proportional to their rank. Most notably, when a member became a ten-star Runemaster, they will gain the right to command some of the Runemaster Union’s armed military force.
The Runemaster Union’s influence spread to every corner of land where men lived. Their army, the power behind such influence, could only be matched by the Royal Green Army.
This was one of the reasons why Master Yi, a ten-star Runemaster, was feared by many influential figures in the region. Even though he based himself in a tiny city in the middle of nowhere, if needed to, he could send the union’s army anywhere he wanted. With the cost of a terrifying amount of contribution tokens and a small squad of the union’s forces, they were able to reduce any city in the region to debris.
Before his deep voice spoke again, the middle-aged official’s stern gaze slowly examined everyone. “A lot of you have have taken part in this exam before, more than once if I may add, for those who don’t recognize me, do not cheat!”
Zuo Qiu Ming’s static gaze made everyone in the side hall respectfully stand up straight. His intimidation and authority rose the hair on the participant’s arms and left some secretly shaking inside.
He cleared his throat and took a deep breath, “I, Zuo Qiu Ming, represent the Runemaster Union, any cheating will be seen as provocative behavior against the union, which we do not tolerate! Anyone who is caught cheating, regardless of your reason to do so and your family background, will be executed immediately. No exceptions! Even if you are the dynasty’s leader!”
“Sacred statue!” Zuo Qiu Ming satisfyingly nodded as he saw the humble faces, his devout voice echoed the hall.
“Boom!”
The ground shook, a three-meter tall Combat Master statue rose with a deafening rumble. Its golden glow radiated an immense pressure. Ye Wei felt the coercing presence both within his body and his mind. He found this experience similar to what he felt at the tournament when Ning City’s returned prime Warrior leader gave the opening speech.
Under the mental influence, all the participants’ minds were clouded. Nothing concerned them except the insuppressible need to bow and worship the Combat Master.
“Bow to the sage!” Zuo Qiu Ming lowered his head, bent his back forward. Everyone else followed suit. Although Ye Wei was not affected by the coercing presence, he too bowed to the figure he greatly respected.
“Bow again!”
“And the last bow!”
“The Combat Master invented mystic scrolls and set up the union, for every Runemaster and cultivators who look to become one. He is our master, and we serve him! In no case may any of you show disrespect to the founding sages!”
After everyone had bowed three times, the golden shine of the statue faded as well as the presence, ‘Very well, let the examination begin!’ Zuo Qiu Ming said.
“Your first task is to refine mid-level Spirit stance, Quadruple Spirit Sword. Your aim is to improve it by a level before this stick burns out!” he pulled an incense stick out of his interspatial bag.
‘Quadruple Spirit Sword?’ all the contestants included Ye Wei frowned, displeased since they heard the stance name they were not familiar with. They were wary, knowing how difficult it was to refine a stance of that level, the first task of the exam and already it was a difficult one.
None of the participants imagined the first task would be this hard, after all, stance refinement was usually a time-consuming process. Lu Feng, on the other hand, appeared casual and relaxed.
Zuo Qiu Ming flicked his sleeve and rose his right hand, leaving behind a trail of brilliance. After twists and turns, a sequence of runes appeared in front of him, with the spark on this fingertip he lit the incense stick held in his other hand.
The sequence of eighty-three runes immediately became the focus of all the contestants. They all concentrated their thoughts and began to study the stance carefully.