Yunmeng Martial Institute — Grand Plaza.
At this moment, hundreds of students from all corners of the nation had gathered at the center of the wide plaza.
Every one of them had been carefully selected by a recruiting official—all were top-tier talents of their respective academies. Now, they stood here, together for one purpose:
The Advancement Assessment—the test of Martial Will.
Geniuses… always came with pride.
Sparks practically flew as they exchanged glances, tension and eagerness brimming in the air.
But amidst the subtle standoffs, there stood a lone figure who kept to himself—a young man clad in black, lean and sharp, eyes closed as he remained relaxed.
There was no need for him to measure up to others.
Because from the start, his world had always been above theirs.
Su Ba.
A quiet yet overwhelming confidence radiated from him.
He stood like a drawn sword—poised and waiting.
The test of Martial Will wasn't about righteousness or evil.
It was about one thing only:
the unwavering resolve to walk the martial path.
Su Ba knew himself. Even if he only used half of his current willpower, he'd still pass the assessment with ease.
Suddenly—
The plaza gradually quieted down.
Su Ba opened his eyes.
From the front, a tall and familiar figure walked toward them with a calm expression.
Xia Hang.
The recruiter from Yunmeng Institute.
He came to a halt before the crowd of gathered talents, his sharp gaze sweeping over the group. When it passed over Su Ba, it paused ever so slightly—but quickly moved on.
Then, he spoke plainly.
"Alright. Everyone's here. Follow me. We'll begin the advancement assessment."
Without another word, he turned and began leading the way.
The sea of students quickly fell into formation and followed behind him.
Su Ba stepped forward as well, but just as he moved—
A calm voice echoed directly in his mind through true essence transmission:
"Su Ba, brat—
Of the dozens I recruited this round, you're the most talented.
If you don't give me a good performance in this test—
If you don't rank in the top few and get beaten out by those smug bastards from the other recruiters…
I'll dock your entire disciple allowance for the next three months.
Don't test me."
Su Ba blinked but didn't stop walking.
He couldn't use True Essence Voice Transmission yet—it was a technique that required a Three-Star cultivation level—but the message was clear.
A glint of sharp light flashed across his eyes.
Top few?
Heh. Not a problem.
As they walked deeper into the institute, scattered conversations echoed softly through the crowd:
"You've heard, right? Yunmeng Martial Institute's advancement assessment—the Martial Will test—is famous across the nation."
"Yeah, I heard the array was obtained by the Institute Master during an ancient encounter. It's terrifyingly powerful."
"They say the elimination rate is brutal. Every year, less than thirty percent of examinees make it through."
"What? Isn't the Martial Will test just about resolve and perseverance? I feel like mine's pretty solid."
"Heh… Just wait until you're inside. My cousin took it a few years back—he said it was terrifying. Never wanted to step into it again."
"It's rough, yeah. But for true geniuses, it's not a problem. In fact, the longer you endure inside, the more likely you are to get noticed by the higher-ups."
"And if you break a record—hoo boy. You'll be on a straight path to glory."
"Heh, I feel like I've got a shot."
"Yeah, sure. Eat a few more peanuts and dream a little harder."
"…"
Su Ba walked silently in the crowd, unmoved by their chatter.
Hard, is it? He smirked faintly.
He'd see for himself.
Truthfully, he was curious.
Where would he rank among the countless generations of test-takers before him?