It was soon the turn of Qingshi City, which was adjacent to Baiyun City. The managing leader, Zhou Kun, led his ten geniuses toward the testing platform.
The crowd stepped forward one after another, and the arrogant youth from before was the first to go up.
He raised his hand and pressed it against the Spirit-Testing Orb, and the spiritual light of the orb suddenly surged. The deacon called out loudly.
“Qingshi City, Zhao Yan, nineteen years old, Houtian Tenth Layer, talent rating: upper-middle.”
A soft wave of exclamations rippled through the crowd. Zhou Kun wore a proud look and nodded slightly.
In the queue, Ye Ling quietly watched the glowing Spirit-Testing Orb.
After two days of bitter cultivation in the private residence, her Turtle Breathing Art had reached Initial Mastery.
As long as she deliberately restrained herself and did not use her true cultivation, it would be absolutely impossible for an ordinary Houtian martial artist to probe her true depth.
However, the object before her was a high-grade spirit-testing treasure specifically used by the sects. She wasn't entirely sure if she could conceal her cultivation from it.
With a second thought, she cast her worries aside. Even if her true cultivation was detected, it wouldn't matter. Her cultivation was far from her only trump card.
Once her cultivation broke through in the future, she could just suppress her realm back down.
Having thought it through, she stopped looking, closed her eyes to focus her mind, and waited quietly.
Before long, the testing for all of Qingshi City was completed. According to the rules, the number-one genius of each city would step forward first for verification.
Ye Ling stepped out of the queue alone and walked slowly to the front of the testing platform.
She looked up at the Spirit-Testing Orb. The orb was translucent, pristine white, and perfectly round. The spiritual light inside flowed like moonlight, and faint traces of spirit-probing aura slowly diffused outward.
She raised her hand and placed her palm on the surface of the orb. A gentle suction immediately traveled over, slowly drawing out the spiritual energy in her body.
In an instant, the orb shone with brilliant light, and golden characters materialized in the air.
The deacon called out loudly, “Baiyun City, Ye Ling, fifteen years old, Houtian Tenth Layer, talent rating: peerless.”
As soon as those words fell, the entire venue instantly fell dead silent, followed by a sudden burst of commotion.
On Baiyun City's side, Uncle Qin and the disciples were dumbfounded.
Everyone had originally thought she was only at the Houtian Eighth Layer. They hadn't expected her to not only hide her cultivation but also possess a talent that reached the peerless level.
Ye Chen's expression was calm. He had long since guessed that Ye Ling's strength was far greater than what she showed on the surface, but reaching the Houtian Tenth Layer at fifteen and possessing peerless talent still shook his heart.
The crowd from Qingshi City looked terrified. Zhou Kun sighed in astonishment again and again.
“Old Qin, you were actually hiding your strength so deeply. I thought she was only at the Houtian Eighth Layer, but to think she is at the Houtian Tenth Layer and even rated as a peerless talent.”
“This time, Baiyun City has truly produced a monster.”
The previously arrogant Zhao Yan was even more dejected. At nineteen years old and at the Houtian Tenth Layer, he was simply not worth mentioning in front of her.
The news spread like wildfire, quickly sweeping through the hundred-plus teams in the square. Everyone's eyes converged on Ye Ling.
High up on the platform, the Commandery Lord and the four elders also looked over in surprise.
Sitting on the far left of the seats was the female elder of the Qinglan Sword Sect. Clad in a simple and elegant green-and-white sword robe, her features were cold, and her temperament was as sharp as a cold blade.
She had originally only glanced over casually, but when her gaze swept past Ye Ling in the crowd, she was suddenly firmly attracted by an ethereal yet sharp aura.
She instantly abandoned her relaxed posture. Her phoenix eyes narrowed slightly as she probed carefully.
In the next instant, she clearly captured a faint, incredibly pure trace of Sword Force lingering around Ye Ling.
A tempest raged in the female elder's heart. At the Houtian Realm and only fifteen years old, she had actually touched the threshold of half-step Sword Force.
She had lived for over a hundred years and met countless geniuses, but she had never seen such a heaven-defying young sword seed.
She didn't dare to think that the girl had already mastered half-step Sword Force; that would be too far-fetched.
Yet, based on this thin but pure trace of sword charm alone, she was already a top-tier sword cultivation genius rarely seen in a thousand years.
She instantly made up her mind that no matter how well or poorly this girl performed in the subsequent martial arts test and the climb up the heavenly stairs, even if both results were entirely mediocre,
she would absolutely recruit Ye Ling into the Qinglan Sword Sect and would not allow the other three sects even a fraction of a chance to snatch her away.
Suppressing the shock and determination in her eyes, she returned to her cold and indifferent expression, closing her eyes as she sat.
Ye Ling withdrew her palm and calmly retreated to the side of the field to wait.
Ye Chen, who was lined up behind her, stepped forward and pressed his hand onto the Spirit-Testing Orb. As the spiritual light flowed, the deacon called out loudly.
“Baiyun City, Ye Chen, fifteen years old, Houtian Eighth Layer, talent rating: excellent.”
Many surrounding people cast their gazes over. To reach the Houtian Eighth Layer at fifteen with an excellent talent rating was already outstanding among his peers.
However, with Ye Ling's performance of reaching the Houtian Tenth Layer at fifteen with peerless talent as a brilliant precedent, his brilliance was significantly diluted.
Having finished his test, Ye Chen walked straight to Ye Ling's side and stood still.
The remaining disciples then stepped forward one after another.
Li Wanxi, Su Qinghe, and Liu Daoyao took the stage in succession. When the Spirit-Testing Orb lit up, their talents were all rated as upper-middle, drawing a few scattered gasps of admiration.
The cultivation and talent of the remaining people were ordinary, all falling into the average range.
Once all ten people from Baiyun City had finished their testing, the group lined up neatly and quietly waited for the cultivation verification of the entire field to conclude.
The cultivation testing continued through the night without pause until dawn broke, and the geniuses of the hundred-plus subordinate cities were finally all verified.
In the entire venue, Ye Ling was the only one with peerless talent. There were six with excellent talent, over a hundred with upper-middle talent, and the rest were of average or lower-middle aptitude.
With the testing of all the cities coming to an end, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, it was finally the turn of the grand finale: the fifty geniuses of Heishui Commandery City to take the stage.
Commandery City possessed top-tier cultivation resources. Its heritage, talent, and foundation completely crushed all the subordinate cities. With a whopping fifty entry slots, it was the gathering place for the peak combat power of the entire selection.
A crowd of Commandery City geniuses dressed in fine silks and satins with steady auras lined up and stepped forward, their presence far exceeding all previous participants.
These people had upright postures, and their auras differed. Some looked calm and showed no emotion, clearly possessing high standards and not caring about the commotion around them.
Many Commandery City cultivators also raised their eyes to scan the participants from the various cities, a hint of casual disdain in their expressions.
Ye Ling raised her eyes to look over, her gaze eventually landing on the young woman at the very front of the queue.
She wore a sword at her waist, her features were delicate, and her brow was sharp as a blade. Her eyes were as sharp as a cold sword unsheathed, and when she swept her gaze casually across the field, she naturally carried an awe-inspiring pressure.
The sword intent around her was restrained but unreleased, heavy yet overbearing, and her foundation was unfathomably deep.
Ye Ling felt a trace of interest rise in her heart. Based on this aura alone, she could conclude that this girl's strength was absolutely not to be underestimated.
The young woman stepped out of the queue, walked to the front of the testing platform, and lightly pressed her hand onto the Spirit-Testing Orb. The orb trembled slightly, and as the spiritual light flowed, a line of characters slowly emerged.
The deacon announced loudly, “Heishui Commandery City, Su Qinghan, sixteen years old, Houtian Eleventh Layer, talent rating: peerless.”
The voice resounded through the entire venue. The square, which had still been buzzing with quiet discussions, instantly erupted into an uproar, and everyone wore shocked expressions.
Previously, Ye Ling had been the only one in the entire venue to obtain a peerless rating. Now, Su Qinghan had not only received the same peerless rating, but her cultivation had also reached the rare Houtian Eleventh Layer, far exceeding everyone's expectations.
The geniuses from the subordinate cities were filled with shock, and even the Commandery City cultivators who had behaved arrogantly just now showed solemn expressions.
A glint flashed in Ye Ling's eyes, and she understood in her heart that this top genius of Commandery City was indeed extraordinary.
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