Chapter 5176 — Raising the Question
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 3
"Heh heh, the Trial Contest is an old tradition of the Ancient Alliance—nothing unfamiliar to any of you. But some of our juniors here are taking part for the first time, so this old man must ramble a bit and explain once more just what the Trial Contest is." Xin Yi'an smiled and went on: "The Trial Contest, as the name suggests, is the preparation made for the Ancient Trials. Its purpose is to examine whether your strength is sufficient to qualify you for the Ancient Trials—and this, too, is out of consideration for your safety. The Ancient Trials are exceedingly perilous; if your strength falls short, you may well throw your life away for nothing."
"May I ask, Uncle-Master Xin, what counts as sufficient strength? Do you draw a line at some cultivation realm, with all above it qualified and all below it barred from the Ancient Trials?" someone asked impatiently.
"Not so. A single clean cut is simple and clear, but it does not accord with the purpose of our Ancient Trials. You must all remember: the Ancient Trials are no ordinary trial. Their existence has but one meaning—to let those disciples who truly possess strength stand out from the crowd and become the ones whom the various Ancient sects and clans will focus on cultivating in the years to come." Xin Yi'an paused, then added: "Of course, the strength this old man speaks of does not refer merely to cultivation rank. What matters more is innate aptitude and potential. Understand this: a genius disciple of outstanding aptitude, even if for the moment only at the early Foundation Establishment stage, is in no way less valuable than a fine hand at Foundation Establishment perfection."
"Then how are aptitude and potential to be judged? By the spirit roots?" the crowd asked one after another.
"The spirit roots are only one aspect. To look solely at spirit roots would be far too narrow a view. After all, so-called geniuses who possess outstanding spirit roots yet end by fading into the common ruck are everywhere. Therefore the high council of the Ancient Alliance has unanimously decided: only those disciples who distinguish themselves in actual combat are true geniuses worth cultivating." Xin Yi'an's expression turned grave.
"Actual combat? How is that to be done?" The crowd was at a loss. Though a Trial Contest was held before every Ancient Trials, the content of each contest differed from the last. In the earliest days there had been a single clean-cut threshold. In recent years, however, the contests had taken various forms of mutual competition—internal contests within each sect, and team contests between sects. The forms were myriad, never the same twice.
"Heh heh, the ability to adapt on the spot is itself one of the qualities that must be tested. As for the specific content of the contest, forgive this old man for keeping you in suspense. The Trial Contest formally begins three days from now; all will be explained in detail then. Go back, rest and gather your strength, and make your preparations—that is all you need do," Xin Yi'an said with a smile.
The crowd wished to press him further. But Xin Yi'an was, after all, the Uncle-Master leading the expedition, and a fine hand at the Golden Core stage besides; since he had said as much, no one dared question him too much to his face.
Xue Jianming, however, had no such scruples. He too was now a fine hand at the early Golden Core stage, and had already begun to hold Xin Yi'an somewhat in contempt. At once he said, in a voice thick with innuendo: "Uncle-Master Xin puts it very prettily, but who knows whether you might secretly tip off your own people in advance? That would hardly be fair to the rest of us, I'm afraid?"