Chapter 50: Divine Blood (Fourth Update)

A night passed.

The morning sunlight, though not as intense as at noon, still fell into the room through the window in an overbearing manner.

It seemed that regardless of whether you were willing or not, as long as you did not choose to hide under the eaves, it would land on the ground and on your body without allowing for any objection.

Using its warmth to awaken all those who were sleeping.

Xu Qing slowly opened his eyes.

Gazing at the light outside the window, his body seemed to absorb the summons from the sunlight; as his Qi and blood flowed accordingly, Xu Qing stood up.

After stretching his body, he pushed open the door, cautiously looked around, and then flickered away.

Inside the city, after daybreak, everything was different from the night.

Breakfast stalls opened one after another, as did a large number of shops, and the crowds slowly increased, yet they remained indifferent and hurried, as if everyone was living under immense pressure.

However, one could still occasionally hear the sound of children reading books from within high walls, which seemed to indicate that this main city still possessed a certain order.

Walking on the street, Xu Qing thought of a medicinal herb called the Twin Flower that Master Bai had introduced; it was a strange plant where light and darkness coexisted, inseparable.

"Perhaps, this is the norm for a large city?"

Young people are often faster than adults at accepting new things.

This point was well reflected in Xu Qing; not long after, he had already accepted all of this, ate a simple breakfast, and inquired about the time for the entrance test.

Regarding the entrance test, the people in the city did not seem unfamiliar with it. After learning that the daily tests were held at noon and finding the location, Xu Qing spent the entire morning observing the main city of Seven Blood Eyes; this was his habit.

And with his observations, Xu Qing also learned something about the structure of this main city, but the time was too short, and the main city was too large, comparable to the size of ten thousand scavenger camps, and at the same time, many areas were off-limits to anyone who was not a disciple of Seven Blood Eyes.

Therefore, he could not observe everything all at once.

But he did find a path leading to the city gate, and after confirming the buildings along the way, Xu Qing looked at the sky and walked toward the testing site he had inquired about.

The entrance test site for Seven Blood Eyes was located at the southern edge of the city, at the foot of the Truth Mountain Range.

Further south were the seven giant peaks of Seven Blood Eyes; looking from afar, there were seven mountain paths winding through the lush greenery, spreading toward different peaks.

Here, there was a huge plaza, currently shrouded by a light screen that blocked out outsiders; only those holding a token could enter.

When Xu Qing arrived, dozens of people were already waiting around the plaza. These people were mostly seventeen or eighteen years old, some dressed in simple clothes and others in luxurious ones; some were clean all over, while others were covered in filth just like Xu Qing.

They were all people who had come from various places with tokens to participate in the test.

In the center of the plaza, there were also three middle-aged cultivators standing there. The spiritual energy fluctuations on each of them reached a terrifying degree, seemingly even stronger than the ancestor of the Vajra Sect.

They chatted and laughed with each other while waiting for the test to begin, but from time to time, their gazes would fall upon the disciples around them, as if weighing them in their hearts.

This scene made Xu Qing even more cautious.

He was not good at socializing, so he silently found a spot—not too far from the crowd, but not too close either. While waiting there, he also noticed that the other test-takers around him, like himself, mostly possessed a certain level of cultivation.

Especially a youth in a blue long robe; he held a fan in his hand, and while his attire was luxurious, his appearance was also quite handsome. As he gestured and laughed, he attracted other test-takers to gather around him.

"Let me enlighten everyone."

"The seven districts of the Seven Blood Eyes main city belong to the seven mountain peaks, and these seven peaks each excel in different things, which is why they have their own characteristics."

"For example, the Seventh Peak manages the port district, which has immense power, and its cultivation techniques are very special, so the disciples under its banner have astonishing combat power and are often on long journeys, keeping company with the Forbidden Sea."

"Or take the First Peak, which is like the sharp sword of the sect; most of them train within the Phoenix Forbidden Zone, so every one of them is a cold and ruthless combat cultivator. They rarely go out to sea, and most of them treat the forbidden zones as their graves, killing there and perishing there."

"These two peaks are the banners of Seven Blood Eyes. Every year, too many people want to join them, but these two peaks are very strict in accepting disciples. It is not you choosing them, but them choosing you; those without a specific token cannot enter."

"As for the other peaks, although they also require tokens, it is a two-way choice. Anyone who passes the test can apply. Among them, the Sixth Peak specializes in artifact refining, the Fifth Peak in arrays, the Fourth Peak in beast taming, the Third Peak in strange arts, and the Second Peak excels in alchemy."

"But no matter which peak you join, before you become a Foundation Establishment cultivator and possess the rights to the Seven Blood Eyes' profits, survival is very cruel, unless you are a holder of a core token... As for how cruel it is, once you pass the test, you can experience it for yourselves."

While the youth smiled and introduced this to the surrounding test-takers, he was also observing them. Not far away, Xu Qing heard this and noted the words "cruel" and "rights to the Seven Blood Eyes' profits" in the other party's speech. He could understand the literal meaning of the former, but he was somewhat confused about the latter. His heart was full of doubts, but now was not the time to ponder these things.

He was currently more focused on analyzing which peak was more suitable for him.

"I am familiar with the forbidden zones..." Xu Qing felt the First Peak was suitable for him, but he did not know if his token qualified him.

Just as he was pondering, bell sounds echoed from the seven mountain peaks in the distance.

The three middle-aged cultivators in the plaza stopped their chatting and laughing, becoming solemn.

One of them glanced at the dozens of test-takers outside and spoke indifferently.

"Silence!"

As soon as the words were spoken, although they were not loud, they fell into everyone's ears like a thunderous roar.

The blue-robed youth immediately fell silent, and the others also became nervous, looking at the middle-aged cultivator who had spoken.

Xu Qing stood to the side with a calm expression, looking up.

"The test time has arrived. There are three stages in total. Those who pass all of them will be given one thousand contribution points, and the one with the highest overall ranking will receive more rewards. The first stage of the test is your internal alienation value!"

"Now, come forward one by one, submit your tokens, and state your names. Do not conceal anything; those who violate this and are discovered will be severely punished!"

Following the middle-aged cultivator's words, the blue-robed youth's eyes darted, and he was the first to walk onto the plaza, submit his token, and speak in a loud voice.

"Disciple Zhou Qifan, pays respects to the seniors."

His voice was resonant, and as it fell into the ears of the three middle-aged cultivators, they nodded one after another.

Then the second person stepped forward. Soon, when there were only six people left, Xu Qing walked onto the plaza, respectfully submitted his token, and after a moment of hesitation, spoke in a deep voice.

"Disciple Xu Qing, pays respects to the seniors."

After saying this, Xu Qing felt a bit dazed. He had not told anyone his name for a very, very long time; to be precise, it had been almost seven years.

After saying it, Xu Qing lowered his head and silently stepped back.

The three middle-aged men glanced at the token he submitted and did not pay him much attention.

Just like that, when all the test-takers had completed this step, the first stage of the test officially began.

This first stage was simple. As the middle-aged cultivator waved his hand, a cyan mountain rock that was a full ten feet tall appeared out of thin air with a boom, landing on the plaza and kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Follow the order from just now, come and test one by one, just press your hand on it."

Zhou Qifan immediately went up.

Xu Qing watched and saw that after the other party pressed his hand on the rock, the cyan boulder suddenly shone with light, and a pattern of a human body appeared on its surface.

In this pattern, more than forty points lit up.

"Forty-two points, not bad, pass." The middle-aged cultivator to the side nodded and called for the next person.

Zhou Qifan looked somewhat proud, stepped back a few paces, and closely observed the others.

Soon, as the others tested one after another, Xu Qing also saw some clues.

The more points, the greater the alienation value in the body. Among them, several people exceeded one hundred and were evaluated as failing.

"I should have none..." Xu Qing narrowed his eyes. He did not want to expose himself on his first day here without understanding the situation; this did not fit his personality.

But being too mediocre might affect the sect's choice, so Xu Qing pondered and looked down at his shadow, slowly and subtly manipulating a sliver of it to merge into his body.

And while he was continuously extracting the alien substances, exclamations came from all around.

"Thirty-four points, excellent!" The middle-aged cultivator's voice showed a hint of fluctuation. Xu Qing also immediately looked up and saw that the person standing by the cyan rock was a girl about his age.

This girl's attire was similar to his, and her face was dirty; clearly, her identity was also a scavenger.

She seemed very nervous, keeping her head down and not daring to look at anyone. After bowing to the middle-aged cultivator, she quickly walked to the side.

"She seems to be called Li Zimei." Xu Qing recalled the other party's name from before, withdrew his gaze, and walked forward. When he reached the cyan rock, he raised his hand with a calm expression and pressed it on it.

As the light shone, dozens of light points slowly emerged within the human-shaped pattern on it, appearing somewhat unstable and flickering.

"Forty-three points, not bad, pass." The middle-aged cultivator glanced at it and nodded.

Xu Qing quickly withdrew his right hand and walked to the side. The alien substances he had just suppressed in his body, which had not been absorbed by the shadow, now rapidly merged into the shadow and disappeared.

Forty-three points—this result could not be considered excellent, but it was not bad either. Xu Qing felt it was enough.

In fact, this was indeed the case. Among their sixty-plus test-takers, only nineteen had points below fifty, while twenty had over one hundred.

These twenty people were now all pale-faced.

"There are three stages of testing, and the results are calculated comprehensively. The second stage tests your willpower. Now, everyone come forward and sit cross-legged." The speaker was another of the three middle-aged men; this person had a horse-like face, a solemn expression, and a hoarse voice.

As his words spread, everyone stepped forward and sat cross-legged. After Xu Qing sat down in the crowd, he looked up at the horse-faced middle-aged man; he wanted to know how willpower was tested.

The moment he looked over, the horse-faced middle-aged man waved his hand and took out a small metal bottle. This bottle was silver, engraved with a large number of runes, and while it looked very ancient, it also contained a very special aura.

After taking it out, he and the two people beside him became much more serious.

"Inside this is a drop of blood that has been diluted countless times. Once activated, it can form a deterrent. If you cannot withstand it, you may bite the tip of your tongue to give up."

After speaking, he opened the bottle and poured the contents onto the cyan rock.

Xu Qing stared, and soon he saw a drop of golden liquid fall from the metal bottle. This liquid was very viscous and seemed to form an entity of its own.

The moment it touched the cyan boulder, the rock shone with light, and as the golden light suddenly covered all directions, a roar that seemed to come from ancient times erupted from the place on the cyan rock where the golden blood had landed.

With the eruption, it faintly felt as if a giant eye had manifested within it.

This eye had a vertical pupil and was covered in countless tentacles that swayed outward as if trying to crawl out. While it was extremely eerie, it also carried a touch of divinity.

It was as if a god, high above and looking down on all living beings, was gazing at everyone with extreme indifference.

Every test-taker sitting cross-legged here felt their minds boom in an instant, as if a heavenly thunder had exploded in their heads.

Their bodies trembled violently, as if all the flesh and blood in their bodies had lost control, each becoming an individual entity, wanting to separate from their bodies. As the feeling of being torn apart emerged, their expressions changed rapidly.

A tremor from the depths of their souls, a strong crisis from the instinct of life, erupted crazily in their hearts, causing these test-takers to seem to lose their wits in an instant. Three people even spat out blood and collapsed to the ground, wailing.

Even Zhou Qifan and Li Zimei turned pale in an instant, their whole bodies trembling violently, with nosebleeds spilling out and bloodshot eyes.

Only Xu Qing, though his body was shaking just the same, felt an even stronger shock in his heart.

Because... he was familiar with this eye!

It was not exactly the same as what he saw when he looked at the sky on the day the god opened its eyes, but this feeling of deterrence was...

Exactly the same!

Four chapters released, my handsome guys and pretty ladies, please cast your monthly tickets~~ Also, in my setting, the Seven Blood Eyes is very different from the sects in previous books~