Chapter 237: Chapter 95: Countless Stars Twinkle, A River of Stars Across the Sky
“I’ll go!” Zheng Yang raised his eyebrows and strode forward.
Among the three of them, he was the only man, and no matter how dangerous it might be, he was determined to be at the forefront.
“Hmm!” Bai Xiaosheng nodded his head in satisfaction. Regardless of the ultimate potential of the individual, he quite liked this kind of determination.
As Zheng Yang walked forward, before he even reached the Wanxiang Map, he felt a powerful oppressive force bearing down on his spirit, suddenly finding himself in a special space.
Here, there were countless straight paths, interwoven into a web, dense and endless, each path identical and indistinguishable from the others, as if trapped within a huge chip with exact replicas of patterns everywhere, causing disorientation and a loss of direction.
The Wanxiang Map, connecting everything and taking stock of the world, involves massive calculations. Ordinary people who fall into it can become completely lost and sink into darkness if they fail to find their way out.
That’s why using this as a test of talent is so risky – the rewards are tremendous for success, but failure is equally dangerous.
“Since they are all the same, just pick a direction and go forth!”
Zheng Yang didn’t feel confused; instead, he smiled slightly. With a flip of his wrist, a spear appeared in his palm, and he tossed it gently. It floated in mid-air, serving as a compass to mark a direction.
His teacher had once taught him, in any maze or illusion, as long as one sticks to one direction, keeps going without doubt or faltering, one could definitely find the way out.
At Hongtian Academy, when he first met his teacher, it was after a heartbreak, a blow to his confidence, which caused his spearmanship to falter, unable to exert his full strength.
Boom!
As he stepped forward confidently, the space composed of countless paths collapsed with a roar, and then he entered a world enveloped in darkness. If the previous test was to assess his confidence and discernment, this one tested his courage and conviction.
Outside, in the hall, three grand elders watched the young man below and whispered among themselves.
“Elder Sun, did you activate the Wanxiang Map directly?” The grand elder on the left frowned.
“Yes, Ouyang Hai was personally trained by me. I know his temperament and personality well. Since he praises them so highly, these three must be extraordinary. I want to see just how great their potential is,” Elder Sun stroked his beard and replied.
“With the Wanxiang Map activated, every step is a new world, every thought a universe. Without firm conviction, unparalleled will, strong mental resilience, and astounding courage, it’s impossible to reach the end. Even when I reached the pinnacle of the Galaxy Realm, I only managed to take seven steps.”
The grand elder on the right nodded.
“I took eight steps!” the first grand elder to speak claimed.
Elder Sun smiled, “I only took nine steps… I don’t expect much; if this youngster can take six steps, I am willing to personally accept him as a disciple!”
“Let’s see. Even if his talent is high, it’s a pity that he’s so young, and his cultivation is too low. He probably hasn’t experienced much hardship. If he can take three steps, that would already be quite impressive!”
The grand elder on the left shook his head.
While they were communicating telepathically, Zheng Yang, who was moving forward, didn’t show the slightest hesitation with his step.
“He’s already out of the Ten Thousand Path Maze?”
The grand elder on the right was surprised, but before he could finish his sentence, Zheng Yang had already taken another step forward, with no hesitation or doubt.
Two steps, three steps, four steps…
In just five breaths, he had already taken five steps!
“This…”
The three grand elders felt a chill run down their spines, their eyes widening in disbelief at what they were seeing.
This was the Wanxiang Map, where every step should be an ordeal. How come it seemed so trivial to him, as if he were merely playing a child’s game?
Normally, taking five steps within half a short hour would mark someone as a genius among geniuses, yet Zheng Yang had done it in just five breaths…
Hu!
Zheng Yang’s sixth step landed.
“Elder Sun, are you going to take him as your disciple? If not, I will…” The grand elder on the right, full of excitement.
At first, they were somewhat skeptical about Ouyang Hai’s claim of finding three geniuses, but now all their doubts had turned to certainty.
“I…” Elder Sun was about to speak when the youth moved forward again.
Seventh step, eighth step, ninth step.
What seemed like insurmountable barriers in their eyes were child’s play before Zheng Yang. By the tenth step, he had reached the Wanxiang Map and casually placed his hand onto it.
“He walked ten steps directly? A genius, a true Super Genius…”
All three grand elders rose to their feet, their indifference turned to excitement.
The strongest among them had only managed nine steps, yet Zheng Yang had easily taken ten. Didn’t that imply his future achievements would surpass theirs?
Currently standing near the pinnacle of the Source World, surpassing it would likely mean contending with several of the most powerful clans!
“Ten steps taken with such ease… What do you think, how many stars will light up for this youngster on the Wanxiang Map?”
“I lit up nine stars. I think, at the very least, ten…”
Buzz!
Before he could finish, a dazzling light shot out from above the Wanxiang Map, and numerous stars began to assemble, sketching a vast expanse of the starry sky.
Among them, a star shaped like a spear shone the brightest.
“A sky full of glittering stars, the Milky Way hanging high… These are the signs of an unparalleled genius. He is definitely qualified to comprehend Second-level Heavenly Destiny!”
“This is a Super Genius that appears once in ten thousand years. I must take him as my disciple!”
“Old Sun, didn’t you say you were not taking any more disciples? Please let me have him. The other two are also highly talented; you can choose from them. This boy, I’m taking him…”
Seeing the room full of stars, the three grand elders completely lost their composure.
Not only them, Bai Xiaosheng also froze on the spot, trembling nonstop.
This talent has clearly surpassed the Emperor-grade, which means it is stronger than his by several notches.
Are there really such formidable geniuses in this world?
“I just knew it would be a sensation . . . ”
Ouyang Hai breathed a sigh of relief.
Although he knew the other party could light 99 Heavenly Destiny Incense, he was unaware of the other talents; he had no idea how many steps the final tally would be, and deliberately made demands hoping that it would last longer. To his surprise, the first candidate was so explosive.
It looks like he would not only avoid punishment, but also rise in status and receive plenty of rewards.
“Alright, you can step down now. Who’s the second one to come up?”
After Zheng Yang’s talent assessment was completed, Bai Xiaosheng suppressed the excitement in his heart and called out loudly.
“Big Sister, let me do it!”
Just as Zhao Ya was about to move, Wang Ying timidly said.
“Alright! Come on up,” Zhao Ya said with a smile and nodded.
“Okay!” Wang Ying looked at Zheng Yang, who was walking back, and curiously asked, “Is this assessment… difficult?”
Zheng Yang shook his head: “It’s not too hard, just walk over and find a way to press down on the Wanxiang Map. The challenges we experienced have all been taught by our teacher . . . ”
“Got it!” Hearing her junior brother’s explanation, Wang Ying smiled slightly and cheerfully hopped her way to the front.
At this moment, the three grand elders were fighting tooth and nail over who would take Zheng Yang as a disciple.
“This is already the ceiling; no matter how strong the next two talents are, they won’t be able to surpass this one. His natural gift comes once in ten thousand years. Whoever fights with me for him, I’ll break ties with them!”
“So be it, break ties. Are you thinking we’re scared? I’m determined to take this disciple; the next two, I don’t care how you compete for them—this one is definitely mine!”
“Enough, I was the first to say I would take a disciple, so this young man is definitely mine. You two take the other two . . . ”
“Why should we?” the remaining two grand elders said as their eyes seethed with fury.
“Ahem . . . ”
Just then, Bai Xiaosheng’s voice rang out, “The three of you, could you stop quarreling for a moment and finish watching the other two people’s tests first?”
Elder Li shook his head: “No need to watch anymore. Elder Sun is right, that one just now is definitely the ceiling. It’s impossible for anyone to surpass, to surpass . . . ”
Before he could finish speaking, his gaze fell inside the hall, and his lips involuntarily began to tremble.
There, the Wang Ying whom they deemed impossible to surpass joyfully hopped her way to the front of the Wanxiang Map, her ponytail swishing back and forth, emanating a youthful vibe.
Hopping . . . and advancing ten steps?
Do the challenges that appeared in my precious treasure have no effect on you at all?
Buzz!
While the shock had yet to subside, the girl’s palm had already landed on the map, with stars filling the sky, and one special star shone dazzlingly bright.
“This is spirit . . . could she possibly comprehend the ‘spirit’ of Heavenly Destiny?”
The three of them blacked out once more, too shocked for words.
The talent of the spear was indeed powerful, yet it was just around grade-3; breaking through to Tier 2 was extremely difficult.
But spirit . . . that is a true Second-level Heavenly Destiny. Especially for the leader of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, neither the strength nor the status is lower than that of Wanxiang Sect’s leaders.
That being the case, this girl’s talent is even more defiant than the first one.
“Old Sun, the young man just now is yours. This girl is mine; from today on, she is my disciple . . .”
The elder on the left said with a faint smile.
“Bullshit, you were the one who insisted on being their master just now, and I agreed. This girl is mine . . . ”
Elder Sun moved his hand dismissively.
“Both of you need to have some shame; you said you wouldn’t be her master. She’s mine . . . ”
The three once again began to argue, but before they could finish, the last girl frowned.
“It’s just a talent test, and you two are so indecisive . . . ”
With a flash, Zhao Ya teleported and appeared directly in front of the Wanxiang Map.
“Is this . . . running over here?”
The three grand elders were utterly maddened.
All this time, they thought that advancing seven steps, eight steps, or nine steps was impressive and that their talent was unbeatable, but in comparison, one person casually walked ten steps, another cheerfully hopped over, and the last one simply ran over . . .
The distance of ten steps was finished in less than a single breath, which also meant that the challenging obstacles they found so hard to overcome were nothing in the eyes of the others.
“It seems our perceived ceiling was still too low . . . ”
Elder Sun wanted to cry.
Just when they thought Zheng Yang was the ceiling, it turns out that their so-called ceiling could be easily shattered by these three individuals . . . “