Chapter 190

The rain was getting heavier, and the village path was full of mud.

The girl was soaked through, hiding under the eaves, her hair sticking to her cheeks.

She was wearing old, worn-out cloth clothes with patches, the cuffs uneven, half of her arm exposed.

Clang!

The gate was pulled open.

"Why haven't you gotten lost yet!"

A servant walked out with a stick, looking at the girl viciously.

The girl was so scared she took half a step back, drenched in the rain, biting her lip, and said: "My mother's wages for her work haven't been given yet; that is life-saving money for medicine!"

The servant sneered, raised the stick, and hit the girl's shoulder hard!

Crack!

The sound of bone breaking was clearly audible!

The girl's body was already thin, and suffering this heavy blow, one arm immediately hung down powerlessly, and she fell heavily into the mud!

Severe pain spread throughout her body.

But she gritted her teeth and didn't make a sound.

A few seconds later.

Her small face was pale, she forced herself to lift her head, staring fixedly at the servant: "My mother worked in the mansion for half a year, starting early and finishing late, mending, washing, and serving the dozen or so people in the whole mansion!"

"Now that she is sick, not only did you dismiss her, but you are also dragging out the wages!"

After hearing her finish speaking.

The servant couldn't help but laugh out loud, walked up with the stick, and sneered: "You lowly people still want money?"

He bent down and lowered his voice, "To tell you the truth, the mistress saw that your mother was pitiful and did indeed give her some wages."

"However, this money was intercepted halfway by Chief Steward Xu, who took a few brothers to the county town to play, eat, drink, and have fun, and lost it gambling."

The servant's voice was like a heavy hammer, hitting the girl's heart hard!

Her face was as pale as paper, and she said in a low voice: "That is my mother's life-saving money!"

The servant kicked her: "Get lost!"

Being kicked again on the broken shoulder, an indescribable severe pain came.

The girl's vision went black, her body tilted, and she was kicked into the muddy water, her whole body covered in filth.

Clang!

The mansion gate closed forcefully.

The rain was getting heavier.

The pain coming from her whole body was heart-piercing.

The girl struggled in the cold muddy water, looked up at the misty sky, her expression dazed, letting the rain hit her cheeks.

"My mother is still waiting for me at home!"

Suddenly, thinking of her mother lying sick in bed.

The girl suddenly shivered, forced herself to climb up, her arm drooping, and limped toward the pharmacy.

"Doctor, please!"

In front of the pharmacy door, she begged bitterly, "Please give me a dose of medicine on credit first, my mother is about to die!"

The old doctor's expression was complex, standing at the door: "Even if I give it to you on credit, you can't pay it back."

"The two copper coins you earn from mending clothes for people are barely enough to buy rice, where would you get the money to pay me back?"

"What's more, your mother is so sick that one or two doses of medicine won't be of much use."

Hearing this.

The girl's expression was even more desperate.

Suddenly, she stood up straight and pulled at her clothes: "Doctor, please, give my mother two doses of medicine!"

"I am willing to do anything!"

The old cloth clothes were pulled down a little, revealing the girl's slender white arm.

The old doctor's face changed: "What are you doing!"

The girl didn't speak, just kept pulling at her clothes hard.

But her left shoulder was broken, making her arm powerless, and it was very difficult to take off.

"Stop taking it off! I'll give you the medicine!"

The old doctor sighed, gritted his teeth and said, "I'm already at this age, I don't want to do this kind of thing and be pointed at by the villagers!"

He went back to the medicine cabinet, grabbed the medicine in a few moves, and handed it to the girl.

"Decoct it with hot water, twice a day."

"It should be able to alleviate your mother's illness."

Speaking of this.

The old doctor turned back into the room and closed the door.

The girl took the medicine bag, water mist rising in her eyes.

The rain hadn't stopped yet.

She held the medicine bag in her arms, protected it with her good arm, and limped toward her home.

Creak.

Pushing open the wooden door.

Although the roof leaked wind and rain seeped into the roof.

But for the girl, this was her warm home.

The girl walked into the wooden house, carefully took the medicine bag out of her arms, and placed it on the stove.

Her whole body was soaked through.

The paper medicine bag, however, was well protected by her, the clean paper surface still warm.

"Mother!"

The girl picked up a ladle, scooped water into the pot, and called out gently.

Putting in firewood, lighting the fire.

She stared at the boiling water in the pot, holding the medicine bag in her hand, feeling much more at ease.

The injured shoulder was already swollen, full of purple and blue blood.

But the girl was unaware of this; all her thoughts were on the medicine bag in her hand.

Perhaps, after taking the medicine, Mother's illness would slowly get better.

She would mend clothes for a few more days and be able to pay back the medicine money.

If that didn't work, she would find another job as a tailor to maintain the future medicine expenses.

Her tailoring skills were so good, she would definitely be able to support herself and Mother.

Everything would slowly get better.

Thinking of this.

Hope surged again in her originally dark and lightless heart.

"Mother?"

The next moment, she called out again.

Still no response.

The girl put down the medicine bag and walked toward the inner room.

Lifting the cloth curtain.

The girl limped to the bed and lowered her voice: "Mother, are you asleep?"

She reached out her hand, which was full of needle pricks and calluses, not matching her age, and gently lifted the quilt.

The world seemed to go quiet.

The girl pinched the corner of the quilt hard, stunned in place.

Her hair hung down wet, the mud on her cheeks not yet washed clean, her whole body trembling, looking like a ghost.

"Mother."

The girl murmured.

Under the thick quilt was a pool of rotten, smelly blood and mud.

White bones were scattered among it.

"Mother!"

The heart-piercing cry pierced the rain curtain and seeped into the rain.

Unknowingly, it faded into silence.

Outside.

The water in the pot was boiling violently, and the medicine bag was placed quietly to the side.

After a long time.

The girl walked out of the heavy rain, limping, went to the river, and boarded the prefecture's large ship.

During these days, the prefecture was holding the "Holy Selection Ceremony".

The Holy Selection Ceremony is a one-in-ten-thousand survival rate.

This matter is known to everyone.

Ordinary people will surely die if they go.

But in this world, there are still many people who are unwilling to be ordinary, rushing one after another to enter it.

The vast majority of people die quietly and silently.

This is their own choice.

Once gone, there is no regret.

"Greetings, Holy Selection Lord!"

"Greetings, Lord!"

The pulling force gradually dissipated.

The fanatical shouting close at hand clearly entered his ears.

Jiang Jian opened his eyes, and 10 teenagers and girls came into view.

They gathered below the stone platform, their eyes full of awe and worship.

This was a village.

But this village was very strange.

It was very quiet all around.

There were only a few old houses and a well not far away.

"Welcome, Holy Selection Lord, for descending!"

Among them, a tall and strong teenager knelt on the ground, his eyes red, and his shouting was the loudest.

Jiang Jian was expressionless, ignoring them, and instead checked his resource preparations at the first opportunity.

Feeling that the spiritual energy was full and the practice situation was normal, he felt slightly relieved.

Through brief observation.

Jiang Jian could be sure that no one lived in this village!

These 10 teenagers and girls were all temporarily gathered!

At this time.

A cold mechanical voice passed through the great array in the sky and entered his ears.

It explained the rules of the entrance assessment from beginning to end, very meticulously.

"This Holy Selection, 202 people."

"Each person manages a village."

"In each village, there are 10 villagers and a well."

"Spiritual energy can be used to drive the well to produce well water."

"The well is made of a spiritual essence core, and the quality of the well water produced is closely related to the quality of the input spiritual energy!"

"The more well water drunk, the stronger the temporary combat power of the villagers!"

"24 hours a day, 24 random village battles are assigned!"

"If a villager dies, they will be replenished to 10 people before the next battle begins!"

"Offensive and defensive camps are random every time."

"The Holy Selection cannot leave the village!"

"The Holy Selection cannot attack the villagers!"

"Village battles last for 7 days."

"After 7 days."

"Based on many factors such as the number of battle victories, the degree of villager casualties, the speed of villager replenishment, and the duration of battles, a comprehensive evaluation will be made to calculate the assessment score."

After listening to the assessment rules.

Jiang Jian looked at the 10 people in front of him, frowning slightly.

These 10 teenagers and girls clearly had not experienced the divine gift ceremony.

Their Shen Que acupoints were completely blocked, and they had no spiritual essence cultivation at all.

"Where are you from?"

Jiang Jian looked at the tall and strong teenager and asked softly.

Hearing the Holy Selection's question, the tall and strong teenager couldn't help but blush and said loudly: "I am from Ling Shui Prefecture!"

He was excited, clenched his fists, and looked at Jiang Jian with eyes full of longing and expectation, "Holy Selection Lord, I will definitely be able to make it to the end!"

The "Holy Selection Ceremony" that occurs every so often in the Earth-Moon Academy world.

For the bottom-level creatures here, it is the only opportunity to cross classes, open the door to cultivation, and obtain wealth and honor!

The essence of the Holy Selection Ceremony is to select some local creatures to cooperate with the freshmen of the Earth-Moon Academy for the entrance assessment.

If there are local creatures who can luckily survive to the end.

Then, the Holy Temple will gather all the survivors and hold a real divine gift ceremony to open their Shen Que.

This is also the only cultivation opportunity given by the Earth-Moon Academy to these local creatures.

For local creatures, from the beginning of participating in the selection, to becoming a part of the assessment, to luckily surviving to the end, participating in the divine gift ceremony, and obtaining a divine gift talent.

This complete process is called the "Holy Selection Ceremony" by them.

Participating in the "Holy Selection Ceremony" represents having the opportunity to step into the door of cultivation.

For local creatures, it is an even greater glory and hope.

However, the Holy Selection Ceremony is a one-in-ten-thousand survival rate.

The vast majority of people become corpses.

Only a few people luckily survive to the end and become the final lucky ones.

At this time, they can pass the final "Holy Selection Ceremony", open their Shen Que for cultivation, and completely change their life trajectory.

In their eyes, both the Holy Temple and the Holy Selection are high-and-mighty existences.

Creatures of the two worlds each have their own trajectories.

If no accident occurs.

The only intersection between the two is this very moment, the "Holy Selection Ceremony" that has just begun.

"1 hour remaining until battle assignment."

Suddenly, a mechanical prompt sounded in his ears.

Jiang Jian frowned slightly and walked down the stone platform.

The teenagers and girls below retreated repeatedly, scattering and making way.

Jiang Jian ignored them and walked to the side of the well, sensing for a moment.

Then, he drove a wisp of Shen Que spiritual energy into it.

Rumble.

A very light sound of the array starting came from under the well.

Cold black well water quietly appeared at the bottom of the well.

It was just that the spiritual energy Jiang Jian drove was very little, and the well water within was also only a tiny bit.

"The well water that emerged seems to have inherited the killing attribute of the Long Que."

Looking at the black water at the bottom of the well, Jiang Jian's gaze brightened slightly.

The assessment rules once stated that the well water transformed normally should be colorless and transparent.

Villagers drinking it can temporarily increase their combat power.

The assessment rules did not mention what changes the change in spiritual essence attribute would bring to the well water.

"To produce enough well water, it requires a massive amount of spiritual energy!"

Jiang Jian poured in Shen Que spiritual energy again, and after estimating the production speed of the well water, he frowned.

Just now he had already discovered that the village here was locked by a great array, and there was very little heaven and earth spiritual energy.

Even if he practiced every moment.

The speed of recovering spiritual energy was also slow to the extreme.

Using spiritual energy requires saving.

But with constant attempts.

Jiang Jian noticed.

Whether it was the divine gift weapon or the talent light cluster.

These cultivation foundations could all be driven by spiritual energy and then poured into the well!

Through the special array of the well, as a medium.

After being weakened a lot, it was concretized and temporarily given to the villagers!

"This kind of rule is very much like a virtual game, and it is a turn-based tower defense type."

"It's just that, unlike the game, both offensive and defensive sides have become living villagers."

"The price of losing a battle is death."

Jiang Jian's eyes showed contemplation.

In the detailed rules, it was clearly stated that the winner of the village battle could obtain a Soul-Returning Pill.

The loser would have half the well water reduced!

These villagers are essentially equivalent to his own soldiers.

The combat power of each soldier is completely allocated by himself.

And the essence of the competition is still about the accumulation of cultivation foundation!

Whether it is the quality and quantity of well water produced, or the concretization of divine gift weapons and talent light clusters.

All are the clearest manifestation of the "Holy Selection's" own cultivation foundation!

"You guys, temporarily name yourselves from No. 1 to No. 10."

Jiang Jian suppressed his thoughts and looked at the tall and strong teenager, "You are villager No. 1."

The tall and strong teenager's eyes showed joy: "Thank you, Holy Selection!"

The other teenagers and girls also obtained their own numbers.

Subsequently.

Jiang Jian drove the Shen Que spiritual energy and began to pour it frantically toward the well array!

Boom!

Pitch-black well water surged out, the water roaring and churning, even creating a vortex!

Earth-Moon Academy freshmen only broke into the Yong Quan Jing within half a year.

Their Yong Quan spiritual essence is not considered high.

To compare the accumulation of foundation, most of the time, they have to rely on the Shen Que acupoints!

And Jiang Jian here has a perfect Shen Que of 121% of the divine gift realm!

While other Holy Selections were still dizzy from saving spiritual energy and allocating well water.

The well in Jiang Jian's village was already full of cold black water!

"No. 1, drink a ladle of well water."

Jiang Jian flicked his sleeves, stopped pouring spiritual energy, and his expression was calm.

Filling the well completely only consumed 30% of his Shen Que spiritual energy!

Although it is difficult to replenish spiritual energy after it is consumed.

But Jiang Jian had confidence.

The other Earth-Moon Academy freshmen could never be like him, ignoring the consumption of spiritual energy and filling the well directly!

Just as he guessed.

The vast majority of Holy Selections were struggling to calculate how to use the least amount of spiritual energy to trigger more well water, and also had to reasonably allocate combat resources to their villagers.

Hearing the instruction.

No. 1, the tall and strong teenager, stepped forward, scooped up a ladle of black water, and put it to his mouth.

The cold air hit his face, and the pitch-black liquid shook constantly.

Making him subconsciously stunned for a moment, not drinking the well water at the first opportunity.

In an instant.

No. 7, a girl, was expressionless, snatched the ladle with one hand, raised her head, and drank it in one gulp!

Gulp gulp.

She dropped the ladle, black water oozing from the corner of her mouth, and smiled at Jiang Jian: "Holy Selection, please let me go first."

Boom!

In the blink of an eye, the well water began to take effect!

No. 7, the girl, trembled all over, but her skin and flesh became harder and harder, like steel and iron, glowing with a metallic luster!

Faint pitch-black air currents flowed frantically in her blood vessels.

Making her unaware of pain or fatigue.

Even that drooping arm was lifted up amidst the infiltration of black energy.

Jiang Jian stared at her, just about to speak.

A mechanical prompt clearly entered his ears.

"5 minutes remaining until battle assignment."

"Your village is randomly assigned as the battle venue."

"5 minutes later, 10 villagers from the enemy village will enter here through the ladder array."

"Victory method one, all enemy villagers die."

"Victory method two, 1 hour later, the number of surviving villagers on our side is more than the number of surviving villagers on the enemy side."

"If an enemy villager touches your well, it is immediately judged as a failure!"

"Please allocate combat resources as soon as possible."

The prompt dissipated.

Jiang Jian turned his head, looked at the consumption speed of the well water, and said in a deep voice: "One ladle per person."

No. 1, the teenager, had his well water snatched, and was originally annoyed in his heart.

Hearing this.

He immediately stepped forward, took the ladle, scooped up a full ladle, and drank it down gulp by gulp.

The 10 villagers drank the well water in turns.

Jiang Jian stood in place, his eyes showing contemplation.

10 villagers, one ladle each.

The originally full well water had actually consumed half!

One battle per hour.

24 battles per day.

Lasting for 7 days.

The battle frequency was simply too high.

If this continued, the well water would definitely not be enough!

Jiang Jian did not know that other Holy Selections, in order to save well water, had several villagers share one ladle.

Like Jiang Jian, only a few Holy Selections could ensure that every villager could get a ladle of well water!

"Winner, reward of one Soul-Returning Pill."

"This thing should be similar to spiritual water and can restore spiritual energy."

Regarding the Soul-Returning Pill, Jiang Jian had a guess in his heart.

His spiritual essence spiritual energy currently had no means of recovery.

Even if the foundation was deep, it was just water without a source, wood without roots, and could not be replenished at all.

With the Soul-Returning Pill, the problem of spiritual energy recovery should be temporarily alleviated.

While pondering.

The 10 villagers had all drunk the well water.

Jiang Jian's gaze moved, his golden-white sleeves flicked, and he continued to pour toward the well array!

Boom!

A phantom of a bronze seal appeared above the well water!

"No. 1, you drink this ladle of well water."

Jiang Jian said.

"Yes! Holy Selection Lord!"

The tall and strong teenager's face was pleasantly surprised, he stepped forward, and drank the well water with the bronze seal phantom!

Boom!

Bronze patterns immediately appeared on his palms and fists!

When he punched, a bronze seal phantom appeared, roaring with him!

"I am so strong!"

The tall and strong teenager lowered his head, looking at his hands, his eyes showing obsession.

Although he knew clearly that this power did not belong to him.

It was just a temporary blessing through the special nature of the well water.

But the tall and strong teenager here, experiencing the feeling of having infinite strength, still couldn't help but be intoxicated, and was even more yearning to pass the Holy Selection Ceremony.

Jiang Jian was expressionless and continued to pour toward the well!

A phantom of a green vine paper appeared!

"No. 2!"

Jiang Jian said.

No. 2, the teenager, stepped forward and drank it in one gulp.

Boom!

Around his body, green vine talismans appeared, appearing and disappearing with his punches and kicks!

There was even cold rainwater emerging in between, making his figure quietly disappear, extremely difficult to find!

Seeing this scene.

The remaining teenagers and girls were almost all full of envy and jealousy.

For every additional means, the possibility of survival would increase by one point!

What's more.

The means bestowed by the Holy Selection Lord already looked extremely powerful!

"It should be enough to deal with the first battle."

Consuming half the well water and two divine gift weapon phantoms.

Jiang Jian stopped his movements and waited quietly for the assignment to begin.

"Assignment starting!"

"Assignment successful!"

"10 villagers from the enemy village are entering your village through the ladder array!"

"Battle starting!"

The prompt dissipated.

Jiang Jian looked up.

At the end of the village road, 10 villagers were holding weapons, their expressions cold and stern, walking toward this place.

Their target was the well!

If these villagers were allowed to touch the well.

Then Jiang Jian here would be directly judged as a failure!

"No. 1, you guard the well."

Jiang Jian said in a deep voice, "No. 2, you take the remaining 8 people and intercept the enemy villagers!"

The people below responded in unison: "Yes!"

In their eyes, almost no fear could be seen.

Participating in the Holy Selection Ceremony was entirely voluntary, entirely their own choice.

Every one of these villagers wanted to fight for that one-in-ten-thousand survival cultivation opportunity!

No. 1 clenched his fists tightly, standing in front of the well, his whole body flashing with bronze light.

Jiang Jian here retreated to the stone platform, watching the battle ahead.

As a Holy Selection, once the battle begins, one must return to the stone platform and must not participate in the villagers' battle.

Otherwise, one would immediately be judged as a failure by the array rules!

(End of this chapter)