I alone am the Honoured One!

Chapter 476  Sect Entrance Examination [2]

"And of course... the top three who get more marbles will gain special rewards."

Ohhhhhh!

The young people were obviously excited upon hearing this.

Zhao Tian frowned slightly upon hearing this 'Should I go for the top spot?' he mused, glancing at the eager faces around him.

He has already seen through the cultivation of the young lads beside him and most are in the initial levels of Soul Refine Stage... so it won't be hard for him to get the first spot.

'But still... that would make me stand out so much... well, it doesn't matter at this point as I can already feel some glances to my side.'

And he also has a huge ego, been called a genius since he was young in sports, studies, and even gaming because of this physique.

But maybe it's because of all that gaming and the sense of pride...

'Call me hypocrite or whatever, but I hate to lose...'

'And well, it's just the Entrance Examination.... Let's give it our best shot.' Nôv(el)B\\jnn

He snapped out of his thoughts hearing Eldric Grey's voice "Now then, follow me to the Great Tianque forest."

Eldric Grey and the old man flew high in the air and following him, the other disciples also floated in the air.

A few minutes later, they came near the Great Tianque forest and everyone glanced at the thick green forest, which stretched to kilometers till their eyes could see.

Floating in the air, Eldric Grey glanced at them "I have placed a restriction barrier here, so you can't fly around. You will have to move through the forest on foot."

Everyone nodded their heads and Eldric Grey then pointed toward the horizon, where faint red beams of light glowed at the edge of the forest. "That is the boundary. You must not cross the red lights."

"The marbles you are seeking are scattered within this designated area. If you see the red lights, retreat immediately. The marbles are only within the safe zone."

They all understood that if they saw red lights, they should immediately retreat because the marbles were inside the vicinity of the red lights.

"When the sun sets, you all should return to the Southern gate of the sect and you can enter in after showing the 20 marbles you have collected."

"After the sun sets, even if you brought 100 marbles... you won't be allowed to enter the Sect."

Everyone nodded their heads in understanding and Eldric Grey gave a nod "Now... disperse."

*swoosh* In an instant, the young cultivators dashed toward the forest, their bodies moving in blurs of light and energy.

As they reached the edge of the restriction barrier, their ability to fly was immediately nullified, and one by one, they fell gracefully to the forest floor.

Landing on the ground, Zhao Tian muttered in amusement, "I should learn about barriers, runes, and alchemy while I am in this Sect..."

He glanced around at the thick forest, as sunlight peeked through the trees and the leaves rustled in the wind.

"And where are these marbles..."

He didn't get much information from Xia Shenyi and others about the Sect Entrance Examination as it is random each time.

A blue glint passed through his eyes as he used his astral sense and soon he felt a condensed trace of astral energy in the trees.

Of course, they would not put simple marbles on the test, then the Exam would be luck based on getting 20 marbles... we have to use our Astral Sense to trace the astral energy and find these marbles.

*flick* He teleported to the sturdy branch of the building and noticed the slice glint in the small crook of the bark.

He reached out and pulled out the marble from its position and glanced at the small silver marble in his hand.

"One..."

...

Zhao Tian sat perched on a sturdy tree branch, the leaves above casting a soft shade over him and he held a small pouch in his hand, shaking it slightly to count the marbles he had collected. "Twenty..." he muttered with a smile.

"This should be enough to join the sect, but not enough to get the top spot."

During the past two hours, he did encounter some young cultivators.. but they didn't cause any ruckus and left quiet.

*flick* With a subtle movement, Zhao Tian disappeared from the branch, teleporting from tree to tree with practiced ease.

His body flickered like a shadow, and he wasn't searching for marbles now.

 He needed something more, something that would secure his place among the top contenders.

 A scapegoat.

"Oh, found it..."

*flick* He reappeared on the branch of a tall tree, sitting comfortably as he observed the scene playing out beneath him.

 On the ground, a fight was underway.

A handsome young man with jet-black hair was in the midst of battling two cultivators.

 His movements were swift and brutal, his bare hands delivering powerful blows that sent the two young men in disarray.

*splat* Blood splattered across the forest floor as the two young men struggled to defend themselves.

Behind the handsome young man stood two more men who had smirks on their faces looking at the fight.

"Brother Zing is so powerful!" one of the lackeys exclaimed, his voice dripping with admiration. "He easily beat them both. Hahaha!" Seeing them Zhao Tian smiled dryly, it is the cliche young master and his bootlickers.

The handsome young man, Mo Zing, had a calm and indifferent expression on his face as he glanced at the bloodied young men on the floor and extended his hand "Give me your marbles..."

The two young men, battered and bruised, looked up at him in panic and they clutched their pouches tightly, their faces pale with fear. "N-No..." one of them stammered, shaking his head desperately. "We've only collected ten of them... We won't give them to you!" Hearing this, Mo Zing didn't hesitate and gave a swift kick to his face, snapping his neck to the left.

"I did not request it... I ordered you to give me your marbles."

Seeing his friend getting beaten up like this, the young man hurriedly handed over his marbles. The second young man, shaking with fear, quickly grabbed his fallen friend, pulling him close. "G-Give him the marbles, Shen," he whispered frantically.

"We can try the examination again next time... It's not worth it!" Shen, the beaten young man, groaned in pain but nodded weakly.

His trembling hands fumbled inside his robe, pulling out a small pouch filled with marbles and with a reluctant expression, he handed the pouch over to Mo Zing.

Mo Zing took the pouch without a word, his eyes barely flickering as he counted the contents. "Good," he said, his voice as indifferent as ever.

 The two defeated cultivators, not daring to linger any longer, scrambled to their feet and staggered away, supporting each other as they disappeared into the forest. The two lackeys of Mo Zing cheered for him "With this, Brother Zing can easily get the top spot."

Mo Zing, still ignoring the praise of his followers, focused on the pouch in his hand, carefully counting the marbles inside.

His expression remained indifferent, though a faint glimmer of satisfaction crossed his eyes as he tallied the total. *flick* Zhao Tian teleported in front of them and Mo Zing who was on guard, quickly took a fighting stance.

With a smile on his face, Zhao Tian spoke "Hand me over those marbles..."