The crowd looked towards the woman high up in the sky. The woman looked down on all those below, and once more spoke up in a powerful voice.
"As the Vice Sect Leader of the Heavenly Lightning Sect, I welcome all those here to the annual entrance exams for our sect."
John stared at the woman who had suddenly appeared.
'Vice Sect Leader? She's just like the Sect Leader...her power is something so high up that I can't even begin to imagine how strong she is."
Although John did not use his divine sense to inspect her, as that would be suicide, he was able to tell that the woman was so strong that he had only ever met one person stronger in his life, who was the Sect Leader himself.
Hushed conversations immediately broke out throughout the crowd.
"That's the Vice Sect Leader? I heard she's an absolute battle maniac."
"True, I've heard that amongst all cultivators in the Holy Lands, she's the one who loves battle the most. Most avoid her out of fear, as when she starts fighting, blood is always shed."
John heard some of the hushed conversations, and was surprised to hear such an appraisal of the Vice Sect Leader. However, he could feel an intimidating battle lust naturally emanate from the woman, making him believe those rumors.
The Vice Sect Leader glared at the crowd below, causing all those who were speaking to shut their mouths in fear. Silence descended on the crowd once more.
The Vice Sect Leader stared at the crowd for a moment before speaking up once more.
"I will now explain the rules of the entrance exam. The entrance exam will last one week. All those who enter must be below the Core Formation Realm, and sixteen years of age or below.
There are five stages to the exam, and to enter the sect as an Outer Disciple, the third stage must be cleared. Those who pass the fourth stage will become Inner Disciples, and those who pass the fifth will become Core Disciples."
Most in the crowd were familiar with the rules of the entrance exam, as they were explained in detail every year. However, this information was new to John, and so he listened closely.
"The trials will be monitored closely by Elders, and cheating of any kind will be dealt with severely. No treasures or weapons that use outside power will be permitted. Everything must be powered by the cultivators themselves."
John nodded his head in agreement at this rule. There were bound to be incredibly powerful treasures in the Holy Lands that the juniors could use, which would provide an unfair advantage.
"Lastly, fighting within the exams are permitted only when allowed by the specific trial. Fighting outside the permitted trials will result in disqualification. Lastly, the top cultivators who do the best within the exams will be given special rewards. That is all."
The Vice Sect Leader explained the rules to the crowd in full, which were fairly simple. After explaining the rules, she suddenly vanished from everyone's sight. No one had managed to see how she left.
'She's just like the Sect Leader. She moves so fast that I can't even track her movements. I wonder how high her cultivation is.'
After the Vice Sect Leader left, the massive white gates began to part, and a different Elder appeared in front of them. His voice boomed out across the crowd, drawing the attention of all.
"The Heavenly Lightning Sect entrance exams have begun. All those who wish to participate, please follow me through the gate."
The eyes of all the juniors lit up as they began to walk forward towards the open gates, while excited shouts of encouragement boomed out from the crowd in the back.
Mason turned to John and stared at him with an amused expression before he began to walk forward, making sure to stay at the front of the crowd.
John stared at Mason indifferently before he too began to walk with the crowd. Before long, he appeared directly at the gate and stepped through. A strange feeling passed over him, but other than that, nothing happened.
"Gah!"
A loud cry of pain echoed out behind him, causing John to turn his head in curiosity. He managed to see a boy, who looked slightly older than sixteen, violently flung backwards away from the gate. Blood squirted out of various wounds on his body, and he appeared quite miserable. His body landed on the ground, where he curled up in pain.
Many adults in the crowd watching, as well as the Elders on top of the walls, shook their heads in a disapproving manner.
"Idiot, does he think he can fool the Heavenly Lightning Sect. Every year people try to sneak in despite being older than sixteen years of age, and every year the formation at the gate rejects them violently. His bone age is clearly older than sixteen."
John heard similar discussions brought up amongst the nearby juniors, and came to an understanding of what happened. He shook his head before turning forward once more. The crowd continued to talk for some time, led by the Elder who had spoken up earlier.
The group followed the main road into the sect grounds, which existed in a valley that weaved through the surrounding mountains. The tall mountains were covered in lush green trees, giving them a vibrant feeling, and snow capped the very tops of the mountains.
A wide and powerful river with clear blue water rushed next to the main road, and many grand bridges stretching over the river were seen. Many roads stretched out from the main road, leading to various unknown parts of the sect grounds. Magnificent buildings occasionally dotted the sides of the road, although this part of the sect grounds was mostly uninhabited.
Majestic looking deer with large blue antlers roamed the riverbank, and they all seemed to be tamed. Many types of rare medicinal ingredients grew on the river bank, surprising John greatly. The early morning sunlight filtered through the mist kicked up by the powerful river, giving an ethereal glow to the valley.
Many powerful cultivators, some being carried by large beasts traveled on the road, going in both directions. Caravans carting various goods traveled in a hurried manner.
John and the rest of the youths couldn't help but take in all the grand sites as they followed the Elder.
After fifteen minutes of walking through the picturesque valley, the Elder stopped at a large cleared out area next to the main road. Directly behind him, hundreds of large tables, each with a stone tablet next to them, were visible. There was an Elder seated at every table.
John recognized the stone tablet, as he had seen something similar before.
'That's just like the essence tablet during the tournament in the Varis Clan.'
The Elder in charge addressed the massive crowd once more.
"This is the first test of the entrance exams. The essence Qi and talent test."