The group of juniors all looked at John with mixed expressions. Some stared at him with curiosity, some confusion, and some as if he was stupid, with both Russell and Mason staring at him in such a manner. Mae and Hartley stared at John with amused curiosity, while June ignored everyone, focusing only on the gate in front of her.
John began to become annoyed at how many of them were staring at him, namely the two boys in the front of the group.
"Look at this stupid bumpkin, daring to step forward despite only being in the mid Qi Condensation Realm," Mason commented in a snide tone, causing John to frown.
"What the fuck are you looking at?" John grumbled out towards Mason and Russell.
He was still in a bad mood from his arduous journey, and did not like the way he was being looked at by those two, as if he was beneath them. He had been on constant edge in the forest, always having to be prepared for a battle with a powerful beast at a moments notice.
As such, John had developed quite a sharp edge to his personality over the past few months, and it would take some time for him to unwind and relax himself.
Many of the juniors in the crowd had looks of shock appear on their faces.
"Who is this boy? Does he not know who he's talking to, or does he not care?" one girl commented.
"Look at him, he's clearly a nobody, who probably doesn't even know the customs of this entrance exam. He's only in the mid Qi Condensation Realm, so he's clearly unworthy of standing there," a boy in the crowd chimed up in a mocking tone, and those nearby all nodded their heads in agreement.
"You're probably right. That boy most likely doesn't even know who he's just offended. His time within the entrance exam won't be a pleasant one," another junior chimed in.
Many similar discussions broke out throughout the crowd.
There were thousands and thousands of juniors who had cultivations at the late Qi Condensation Realm. Despite that, none of them dared step forward to the front of the crowd, as they knew that was reserved for only the strongest of them. However, this unknown boy suddenly did so, with only a cultivation at the mid Qi Condensation Realm.
Clearly, he had no idea what he was doing, or who he was offending.
…
Elder Ragur stared down from the top of the wall at John, and a slight smile hung on his face.
"Not bad, he advanced once more to the middle Qi Condensation Realm. It seems his time in the forest was quite bountiful."
Elder Ragur turned his head sideways to look at the man standing next to him.
"You were watching over him for the last three months. Tell me, how is his combat prowess?"
Although Elder Ragur had spent quite a bit of time with John, he had never seen him fight, and so was unsure of how powerful he really was. He was hoping for a good assessment from the Elder who guarded John.
The man next to Elder Ragur was silent for a moment as a thoughtful look appeared on his face.
"His combat prowess...is terrifying."
The man's assessment was short, but it was enough to cause Elder Ragur to raise his eyebrows in slight surprise.
He knew John was talented, given that he had an Innate Variant Body and a Lightning Attribute Body, but for him to get such an assessment from the man was beyond the Elders expectations.
A smile slowly appeared on Elder Ragur's face once more as he turned to look back down towards the crowd below.
"Then it seems like this year's entrance exam will be quite entertaining."
…
John continued to stare at the two boys with cold eyes as they continued to look down on him.
"Kid, you're lucky we're in front of the Heavenly Lightning Sect, otherwise I would love to see how long you can look at me like that," Mason spoke up in an annoyed tone.
He was used to being looked up to and revered, and did not like the way this dirty and weak newcomer was looking at him.
"Who cares about where we are, if you want to fight, then let's fight," John stated bluntly, causing both Mason to frown. Shock appeared on the faces of all the nearby youths.
All John had done was walk to the front of the crowd, and yet he was being looked down upon and insulted. He had no idea why this was happening, but would not stand by idly while it occurred.
"Haha, that's exactly the type of attitude a cultivator should have, I'll take up your offer" Russell stated loudly while laughing. His fists powerfully collided together, and his powerful aura began to flare from his body. It appeared as if he truly was about to start fighting John in front of the gate.
The power emanating from Russell's body shocked all the nearby youths.
"How powerful, no wonder he has the confidence to stand at front and claim that he will obtain first this year."
"That's more like it," John replied with a smile as he too began to prepare for battle, undeterred by Russell's display of power. His aura began to grow as he prepared to clash with the muscular boy.
However, just as he was about to move, a familiar hand of immense power once again pushed down on his shoulder, making him unable to move at all.
"There will be no fighting before the exam begins," Elder Ragur stated. At the sight of a Heavenly Lightning Sect Elder's arrival, Russell's aura immediately retracted, and he bowed his head slightly as he retreated to his original position.
"Apologies, Elder."
John turned his head to look at Elder Ragur as a frown appeared on his face. He turned and pointed at the Elder.
"You old fart, you clearly knew how tough getting back would be, didn't you? Couldn't you have dropped me off a little closer to the gate?"
Shock appeared on the faces of all those in the crowd as they heard John speak to the Elder in such a manner. Not only that, but the boy's words indicated that there was some sort of familiarity between him and the Elder.
Elder Ragur cleared his throat and did his best to keep a straight face. He could tell that John was joking with him for the most part, but the Elder had to keep his poise to maintain face for the sect.
A set of black robes suddenly appeared in Elder Ragur's hands as he handed them over to John.
"Take these and put one on, you're completely filthy. As for those words you just said to me, I hope you're prepared to sit in front of the Enforcement Wall for some time as punishment."
John's lips quivered as he listened to the words of the Elder, but he didn't argue back. He knew the Elder had to maintain his appearance and status, and so he decided to back down. He wasn't truly mad at Elder Ragur, just frustrated from such an arduous journey.
John accepted the robe, and donned one immediately while storing the others away. With a thought, the dirty half torn robe on his body was sent to his storage ring, leaving only the clean robe on his body.
He was just about to speak to Elder Ragur once more when the Elder suddenly disappeared from his sight.
"Silence!"
A loud voice suddenly boomed above the crowd, causing everyone to look up into the sky at the source of the voice.
A woman, who appeared to be in her mid twenties hovered high above the gate, and stared down at the crowd below. Her luxurious white and gold robe billowed gently in the wind, and her long blue hair seemed to glow in the sunlight. Her face was very attractive, but her sharp features and serious face, as well as intimidatingly powerful presence made all those who looked at her feel as if they were staring at a powerful battle deity.