Chapter 2064: Willpower Examination

Qi Xiong gritted his teeth, suppressing his anger as he spoke, while Lin Potian beside him, hearing this, transmitted his voice doubtfully.

"Senior Brother, I didn't arrange a willpower examination."

However, the reply he got was only a single cold word.

Get lost.

After saying that, he fiercely glared at Lin Potian, his gaze seeming to want to devour him.

Facing Qi Xiong's murderous glare, Lin Potian wisely chose to remain silent.

After all, arguing now would clearly be unwise, so he sensibly shut his mouth and silently watched Qi Xiong personally take charge of this sudden willpower examination.

Under Qi Xiong's orders, the many young cultivators who had come to participate in the entry sect examination, though full of doubt, obediently quickly formed a circle as required.

The circle was tightly arranged, the distance between each person just right—not too crowded, yet allowing everyone to observe each other's movements.

However, strangely, the center of the circle was empty, with nothing placed there.

Everyone looked at each other, wondering in their hearts how this willpower examination would be conducted.

Although everyone felt bewildered by this strange arrangement, recalling the ease of the first two rounds, they relaxed again.

"The first two stages were so easy to pass; this round surely won't stump us."

Someone muttered softly. Others nodded in agreement, and some even confidently claimed they could pass even with their eyes closed, feeling no pressure at all.

In short, at this moment, everyone's state of mind was extremely relaxed.

They either chatted in small groups or stood alone, their gazes wandering aimlessly.

Thus, time ticked by; after about a quarter of an hour, suddenly several people filed in, each steadily holding a table.

As they approached, people finally saw what was on those tables—an abundance of lavish dishes.

Instantly, the formerly quiet scene became noisy; the young cultivators widened their eyes, faces full of disbelief.

"What... what is this? Wasn't this supposed to be the entry sect examination? Why suddenly lay out so much food? Are you going to treat us to a meal?"

Whispers and exclamations began to spread through the crowd.

However, while everyone was doubtful and puzzled, Qi Xiong, who had been hovering high in the sky, suddenly darkened his face and spoke in his low, resonant voice.

"Everyone, don't panic; the next is this examination's third round—the willpower examination. The requirements are: you must endure the inner craving for the pleasure of taste; even with such delicious dishes before you, you must hold to your original heart and not be moved. If you can persist for a full Shíchén, you pass this round."

His words caused an uproar; the already noisy young cultivators below exploded in an uproar.

"What joke is this, counting as a willpower test? We are proper cultivators—do you even understand cultivators? At our level we've long given up grains; not to mention a Shíchén, even enduring ten or eight years would be easy."

In an instant, complaints and criticisms rose to the heavens, and everyone felt that the examiner Qi Xiong was simply mad.

However, they had not yet truly grasped the deep meaning and severity hidden behind this seemingly absurd examination.

In stark contrast to those young cultivators wildly complaining, Lin Potian, Qin Shan Hai, and others standing beside Qi Xiong suddenly changed expression, evidently not expecting Qi Xiong to go to such extremes.

"Senior Brother, isn't this too harsh? Requiring a full Shíchén."

Lin Potian's face showed surprise as he lowered his voice to speak to Qi Xiong.

"Who to blame? It's all because of the mess you caused."

Hearing this, Qi Xiong immediately glared angrily at Lin Potian, gritting his teeth and snarling lowly.

If it weren't for Lin Potian messing things up in the first two rounds, he wouldn't have needed to personally intervene.

However, facing Lin Potian's question, Qi Xiong gave no further explanation.

Amid the rising and falling complaints of the young cultivators, he without hesitation loudly announced.

"The third round willpower examination begins now."

Although many disciples felt resentful, the matter had come to this point, and having gone this far, no one chose to withdraw midway.

After all, everyone thought this so-called willpower examination was extremely simple, even easier than the first two rounds—like child's play, merely needing to endure a Shíchén; for cultivators, time flies like a white horse passing a gap, a blink and it's gone.

But who could have imagined that, once the examination truly began, less than a hundred breaths had passed when someone in the crowd suddenly wrinkled his nose and involuntarily murmured softly.

"Huh? How fragrant..."

Just as those words fell, a low, clear 'gurgle' sound broke the formerly quiet atmosphere.

Everyone turned toward the sound and saw that it was the very person who had just spoken, now covering his belly with an embarrassed expression.

However, the matter didn't end there; as if drawn by some mysterious force, those nearby began to hear similar sounds one after another.

As time passed, the sounds grew more frequent and loud, like a great chorus of stomachs.

At the same time, an enticing aroma faintly lingered around everyone's nostrils, then gradually grew stronger, invading each person's nose without restraint.

It made everyone involuntarily swallow saliva, and then the saliva in their mouths began to secrete wildly.

That intense hunger, long unfelt, now surged like a flood and beast, overwhelming everything.

Each person's belly felt as if gripped by an invisible hand, constantly issuing protesting cries.

Everyone's gaze uncontrollably turned toward the nearby tables, for they knew the mouth‑watering aroma came from there.