The aura erupting from the burly man surnamed Xiong was violent and ferocious. It made one feel as if they were standing before a High-level Fierce Beast, in constant danger of being devoured. Although his aura was aimed solely at Zhaang Ye, wisps of it still leaked out. The youths standing around Zhaang Ye were struck by these stray wisps, and they shivered involuntarily as their expressions changed.

The mere wisps of leaked aura were enough to make the youths’ faces pale. Zhaang Ye, who bore the full brunt of it, couldn’t even breathe. Under the pressure of Senior Brother Xiong’s immense aura, his body began to make creaking sounds. It was as if he were being pounded by an Iron Hammer, sinking into the ground inch by inch.

"Hm?"

Seeing that Zhaang Ye’s expression remained perfectly calm even as he was being forced into the ground, a look of shock flashed across "Senior Brother Xiong’s" eyes.

He possessed the bloodline of the Ancient Bear Clan. Although this trace of bloodline was very thin, it still allowed him to emit a hint of the Ancient Bear Clan’s aura.

The Ancient Bear Clan was one of the Ancient Races that dominated the ancient era, possessing unimaginable power. A single one of their roars could frighten countless Barbaric Beasts to death. Although Senior Brother Xiong’s aura was a far cry from that of the Ancient Bear Clan, for the Human Race, it was already exceptionally formidable. Even an expert at the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer could not match him in terms of aura.

With such a powerful aura, he only needed to release ten or twenty percent of its pressure on an expert of the Martial Arts Fourth and Fifth Layers to send their inner energies into chaos, causing them to vomit blood or even suffer a mental collapse.

Just now, in order to test Zhaang Ye’s strength, he had used a little over ten percent of his aura’s pressure. Senior Brother Xiong thought that it would be impressive enough if Zhaang Ye could last for two blinks of an eye. He never expected this youth, whose Cultivation was only at the Late Stage of the Martial Arts Fourth Layer, to actually withstand it for a full five or six blinks. This completely exceeded his expectations!

"Excellent!" Senior Brother Xiong grew excited. He maintained the pressure of his aura, keeping it locked firmly on Zhaang Ye, intending to see his limit.

Eight blinks passed. Sweat beaded on Zhaang Ye’s forehead. The surrounding youths who were watching now looked at him with a trace of admiration.

Ten blinks passed. Zhaang Ye’s clothes were soaked with sweat. Even Lin Chong’s expression changed slightly, seeing Zhaang Ye hold on for so long. ’Although my Purple Mountain Overbearing Technique is formidable,’ he thought, ’I doubt I could last ten blinks against such a terrifying aura.’

Among the youths, two who looked remarkably similar watched Zhaang Ye’s performance, a solemn look appearing in their eyes. They hadn’t expected Cyan Forest County to have such a powerful young expert.

Even Zhaang Yijian, who was quite familiar with Zhaang Ye, showed a flicker of emotion on his cold face. It was unexpected that Zhaang Ye could withstand such a terrifying aura for so long.

Twelve blinks passed, and Zhaang Ye’s knees had already sunk into the ground...

"That’s enough, Junior Brother Xiong." The Middle-aged Man in Purple Clothes, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. With a light flick of his sleeve, a silent wave of power rolled out and severed the aura that Senior Brother Xiong was releasing.

The instant the aura was severed, Zhaang Ye felt his entire body lighten. His blood, which had been constricted under the pressure, suddenly surged, and he nearly coughed up a mouthful of it.

The aura pressing down from the burly man surnamed Xiong was simply astonishing. The aura from the Ancient Mammoths in the Mammoth Cemetery was purely a spiritual Suppression. This man’s aura, however, exerted not only spiritual but also physical Suppression. The terrifying pressure had literally forced him into the ground. If Zhaang Ye had not been practicing the Dragon Elephant Skill and had not fused with the Six-Thread Ancient Elephant Power, he would have been completely unable to endure such a frightening aura.

"Hahahaha! Not bad, little fellow. To think you could withstand that trace of my Ancient Race’s aura." The burly man looked at Zhaang Ye, his eyes filled with admiration.

Though he had only released his aura for a dozen blinks, the clash of their energies had already told him that Zhaang Ye was a practitioner of a Body Refining Technique. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

The burly man surnamed Xiong practiced a Body Refining Technique himself, so he always had a soft spot for others who did the same. Zhaang Ye had relied on his own Body Refining Technique to withstand his aura for more than a dozen blinks. This astonished the man and greatly increased his liking for the boy. He praised Zhaang Ye several times in a row, making the other youths look on with undisguised envy.

This burly man surnamed Xiong, the Middle-aged Man in Purple Clothes, and the woman in purple were clearly figures of the same rank. Receiving praise from such an individual was a rare honor.

The Middle-aged Man in Purple Clothes was also quite satisfied with Zhaang Ye’s performance. He gave Zhaang Ye a slight nod, then let out a clear call, "Everyone, gather around."

At his call, all the youths on the platform walked over.

Only then did Zhaang Ye realize that in addition to the twenty youths from the Celestial Cyan Flowing Cloud Vessel, there were ten other youths on the platform. Their ages and strengths were comparable to the few geniuses from Cyan Wood County. Evidently, these were also talented individuals selected from various regions, and the one who brought them to the True Hall was clearly the burly man surnamed Xiong.

The moment Zhaang Ye left the cabin, he was immediately suppressed by the burly man surnamed Xiong, unable to catch his breath. Only now did he have time to observe the people around him. He discovered that among the youths on the platform, the ones with the most profound and unfathomable strength, besides Zhaang Yijian and Lin Chong, were the two similar-looking youths brought by the woman in purple.

The two youths were clearly twin brothers, yet their auras were polar opposites. One was suffused with a fiery presence, looking as if he could ignite at any moment. The other was filled with a cool, gentle aura like water, making him seem as deep and still as a pool.

Besides these two, Zhaang Ye noticed that among the youths brought by the burly man surnamed Xiong, there were two or three with exceptionally powerful auras. One was a short youth, bare from the waist up, whose bulging muscles gave off a faint metallic sheen. He immediately projected a sense of metal and strength. This short youth’s aura was no weaker than Zhaang Yijian’s; he was clearly an extremely powerful individual.

Another with a powerful aura was a red-haired youth. A sword was strapped to his back, marking him as an expert swordsman. The aura emanating from him was like a Sharp Sword itself—so powerful it felt tangible, chilling and piercing, making one feel uneasy just by glancing at him from afar.

Apart from these few, Zhaang Ye sensed that while the other youths were slightly less powerful, their overall strength as a group was considerably higher than that of the youths from Cyan Forest County.

’So many masters here,’ Zhaang Ye thought, secretly amazed despite his usual confidence. ’That burly man surnamed Xiong mentioned the Five Eastern Counties, the Nine Southern Counties, and five northern counties. With so many counties, there must be even more masters out there. It looks like another fierce struggle awaits after I enter the True Hall...’

Once the youths had gathered, the Middle-aged Man in Purple Clothes spoke slowly. "First, let us introduce ourselves. Our True Hall has four Hall Masters, and the three of us are from the Fourth Hall Master’s lineage. The Fourth Hall is responsible for the Three Western Counties of the Wei Kingdom."

The Middle-aged Man in Purple Clothes then introduced the three of them. As it turned out, all three were True Disciples of the Fourth Hall Master. The Middle-aged Man in Purple Clothes was named Zhao Zifeng, and he was the fifth disciple. The burly man, whose name was Xiong Li, was the sixth. The woman in purple with the indistinct face, Fang Caiying, was the seventh.

After introducing themselves, Zhao Zifeng said slowly, "The disciples of the True Hall are divided into Outer Hall Disciples and Inner Hall Disciples. If you are favored by a Hall Master, you can also become a Hall Master’s True Disciple..."

Hearing this, the eyes of all the youths lit up.

Zhao Zifeng smiled and said, "I don’t need to elaborate. You should all know that becoming an Inner Hall Disciple allows you to enjoy all kinds of Cultivation Resources, and your status is much higher than an Outer Hall Disciple. However, this time the True Hall has selected over two hundred geniuses from various places, but the Inner Hall is only recruiting ten disciples. If you want to become an Inner Hall Disciple, you must stand out in the upcoming test. Otherwise, you are destined to be an Outer Hall Disciple."

A low murmur went through the crowd of youths. A few of the more powerful ones exchanged glances, each seeing the others as their main rivals.

Having just withstood Xiong Li’s formidable aura for over a dozen blinks, Zhaang Ye had demonstrated immense strength and naturally become a target for the other youths. Though he was standing in the back due to his shorter stature, he was the center of everyone’s attention. Lin Chong, the twin brothers, the short youth, the red-haired youth, and all the other powerful young masters fixed their gazes on Zhaang Ye, their eyes glinting with provocation.

Zhaang Ye felt a pang of frustration at becoming a public enemy for no reason. ’Great, now I’m everyone’s target.’ However, he had fought his way through life and death to get here; his spirit and will were incredibly tempered. His heart was as solid as a boulder, and his mind was as tough as steel wire. No amount of hostile stares could shake him.

Under everyone’s gaze, Zhaang Ye remained perfectly composed, which made the other youths’ evaluation of him rise even higher. Xiong Li also gave a slight nod.

Zhao Zifeng chuckled. "There’s no need to stare at Zhaang Ye. This test will be held together with participants from nineteen other counties. All of them are your competitors. Now, the test is about to begin. You may all regulate your breathing and prepare to give it your all."

The youths all sat down cross-legged one after another and silently began to regulate their breathing.

Zhaang Ye knew that this kind of test could affect his entire life, so he didn’t dare to be complacent. He sat down cross-legged on the spot and silently circulated the Dragon Elephant Power within his body.

About two hours later, a voice rang out from the distant sky, "The time for the test is near! Disciples from all counties, please gather at the martial arts arena to participate!" (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with Recommendation Tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)