"Now, if you are ready to partake in the Dragon Essence Temple disciple examination, step forth and enter the gate!"
After he finished speaking, the middle-aged man jumped down from the gate before walking into the gate as a demonstration, disappearing into the portal.
And immediately afterward, the people there began rushing towards the gate. Meanwhile, there were more than just a couple of people there who decided to remain standing still and not approach the gate, clearly hesitant to continue.
As for Yuan, he followed the mass and entered the gate.
A second after entering the gate, along with every person that entered the gate, Yuan was transported to this vast and empty grassland that stretched to the horizon. Furthermore, there was another gate that resembled the one they just entered a few miles away from their location.
"W-Where are we?"
The people there were puzzled as to why they were brought to this empty grassland. After all, what could they possibly do in this place that is related to the examination?
After waiting for a few minutes for everyone to gather, the middle-aged man with the colorful robes began to speak, "This will be your first examination. In this vast grassland that spans over 10,000 miles, there are 1,000 hidden jade slips, and only those who have a jade slip may advance to the next stage of the examination. You all have two days to advance to the next test by entering the gate over there before you are automatically disqualified and kicked out of this place."
"Does anyone have any questions?"
The participants there immediately raised their hands.
"What kind of examination is this? I don't see how finding a needle in a haystack has anything to do with becoming a disciple of the Dragon Essence Temple!"
The middle-aged man turned to whoever just spoke and said, "This is an examination based on your luck— we are simply testing your fate— whether you are fated to become a disciple or not. Although you may not understand it, one's fortune and destiny play a huge role in the cultivation world, and without either of these, you will never achieve anything great in the cultivation world, and our Dragon Essence Temple has no use for someone like that."
"Senior, what exactly do you mean by 'hidden'? Are they buried underground or are they just placed around this grassland?" Another participant asked a few moments later.
The middle-aged man smiled at the participant's question and said, "There are 997 jade slips resting above the ground normally with three special jade slips buried within the ground. If any of you manages to find the jade slip buried within the ground, you will receive a very special reward at the end of the examination if you pass the examination, or you can exchange the jade slip to automatically become a disciple. However, if you do that, you will forfeit the reward. The choice is up to you."
After answering a few more questions, the middle-aged man said, "The first examination begins!"
Immediately after the middle-aged man ended his sentence, the thousands of people gathered there began spreading out in every direction and running around with their heads looking left and right without stopping.
Meanwhile, Yuan stood there with a calm expression on his face.
'This is not much different from when I had to pick Spirit Grass with Yu Rou. I should be able to find it with my Divine Sense,' Yuan thought to himself.
'Hm? Why's this young lad just standing there?' The middle-aged man turned to look at Yuan after noticing his odd behavior. However, when he saw the powerful aura subtly emitting from Yuan's body, he immediately gasped in shock.
'Fifth level Spirit Warrior?! Why the hell is someone like that participating in our disciple examination?! He could instantly qualify to become an Inner Disciple if he spoke to a sect elder!'
It was not just the middle-aged man who had noticed Yuan's powerful presence, as a few figures within the participants had also taken notice of him. Furthermore, the sect elders that were watching the disciple examination from somewhere within the Dragon Essence Temple with a treasure were all pondering to themselves why someone at his level would go through the trouble to participate in the examination meant for beginners or those without backgrounds.
In fact, there were even a few of them who thought Yuan could be a spy sent by another place.
After taking a deep breath, Yuan closed his eyes and began using his Divine Sense to search for the jade slips.
'Divine Sense?! Impossible! He's only a Spirit Warrior! How can he possibly use Divine Sense?! But that aura! This feeling! He's definitely using Divine Sense!'
The middle-aged man became even more surprised after realizing what Yuan was doing, nearly falling on his butt from shock.
Meanwhile, somewhere in the Dragon Essence Temple, a dozen sect elders gathered and watched the situation from a large bucket of water that projected whatever was happening in the examination hall.
"What the heck?! Who is this person?! He can even use Divine Sense as a Spirit Warrior!"
"Whoever he is— his background must be immensely powerful! That's probably why he's hiding his identity!"
"What should we do? Should we just let him participate in the examination?"
"Let's continue watching to see what he's up to."
While many pairs of eyes watched Yuan's every movement, Yuan himself had already found six pieces of jade slip with his Divine Sense.
'It's too easy if I look for the normal jade slips. Let's try finding the ones buried in the ground for that special reward. I have two whole days, anyway.'
With that in mind, Yuan walked around the vast grassland with his Divine Sense activated.
After walking around for three hours with his Divine Sense constantly looking around, Yuan suddenly stopped moving.
"Oh? Is this it?"
Yuan retrieved his Starry Abyss and used it to dig a hole in the ground.
A few moments later, he grabbed the red-colored jade slip from the ground.
Meanwhile, the people watching him were speechless, as they didn't expect someone with Divine Sense to participate in their disciple examination.
'So much for luck and fate…' The middle-aged man sighed after seeing the red jade slip in Yuan's hands.