The Legend of Min Hong

After the same announcements was made on the female platform, about a thousand female participant had also failed the first round of the selection exams.

Now, only about 5000 girls and 2500 boys were left to take the second round of the selection exams where their Dao would be tested.

So, the two Elders each brought out another orb.

This orb was kind of unique and it also had some runes carved onto its transparent body which was very elusive to the eye. 

Then the man addressed all the boys who had passed the first stage and warned;

"Congratulations to all of you on becoming an outer court disciple of the Desert Sun Sect."

"My name is Elder Jiang and the reason why I didn't introduce myself earlier was because there was no point in letting those who weren't qualified to learn about it."

"So, you all who have successfully become outer court disciples have absolutely gained the qualifications to do so."

"I know a lot of you might be wondering what the essence of the second and third round of the test is, but you would understand fully well in the next few minutes."

"The Desert Sun Sect is split into fifty different districts in reoccurring rings with the Sect's biggest cultivation resource at the centre of it all."

"The outer court consists of the thirty districts, while the inner court and core court consists of fifteen and four districts respectively."

"District 1 which is right atop Sect's main cultivation resource is where the living quarters of the Sect's higher ups are located."

"The perks about the second and third rounds of this exams is to rank you all and assign you to different districts in order of increasing talents."

"Put in simple terms, as you move from district 50 inwards, your cultivation speed would increase by half as you move closer to the centre of the Sect."

"When you move into the inner court which starts from district 29 onwards, your cultivation speed would be doubled."

"Then when you move into the core court which starts from district 5 onwards, your cultivation speed would be increased by five folds."

"Thus, the cultivation speed for those in district 49 is generally higher than that of district 50."

"But all in the name of giving those of you who are late bloomers a chance, you can fight for a change of residence."

"This means that an outer court disciple in district 50 can challenge another outer court in district 30 and should such a challenging disciple win, he will swap residence and district with the challenged disciple."

"Furthermore, an outer court disciple can also become an inner court disciple through this same method and if lucky also become a core disciple also."

"In addition, asides from the cultivation speed, the quantity and quality of cultivation resources distributed monthly by the sect also increases as you move towards the centre of the Sect."

"So, I believe you all understand the importance of the next two examination rounds."

"Those who rank in the top hundred after the end of this round will all be exempted from the final round."

"The final round is an opportunity for those who feel they can defeat those higher in rank than them to challenge each other to a duel."

"Now that you have understood the reason and the pattern of how the rest of the entrance examination rounds will proceed, we shall begin the second round immediately."

Elder Jiang finished addressing the 7500 youths which now consisted of both sexes, since the second round of the exam did not involve any elimination.

Thus, both Elder Jiang and the female Elder; Elder Xing, both presided over this second round.

"For this round, this orb contains will respond to the amount and level of Daos they sense in each one of you."

"For instance, if you happen to have comprehended the Earth Dao and the Hammer Dao, the energy within the orb would form the character of each Dao starting with the one with highest comprehension..." Elder Xing began to explain the use of the orb to the youths.

"If the Hammer Dao is the highest for such person, the orb will display the hammer character first and would glow with a blue light to indicate if it is in the Concept level, or a yellow light to indicate the Intent level, and lastly, a red light to indicate the Law level.

"Furthermore, the number of times it glows will determine what Plane the Hammer Dao is in, from the First Plane to the Ninth Plane." Elder Xing finished explaining.

The test pattern for the second round was taken according to the rankings of the first round.

So, both Elders called out;

"For this round, first place Fei Hong and second place Fei Long, please step out to begin your test."

The moment the announcement was made, Min Hong and Long Sha looked at each other and gave a subtle nod before stepping towards the two Elders.

But if one was to look at Min Hong's face, they will find a frustrated frown on his face.

Ever since the first round completely ended, Min Hong had been caught in two minds about the Daos he was going to reveal.

He only had one Natural Dao; Metal, and three Mythical Daos; Oblivion, Chaos and Primus.

The problem is, as much as he wanted to make a name for himself, he also didn't think it was sensible for him to reveal any of his three Mythical Daos as that might only bring him more harm than good. 

But if he was to reveal only a single Dao at the Intent Level, he knew his rankings would crazily drop, so he was currently conflicted as he was going to make a very sensitive decision today.

Long Sha got to the orb first, and when he placed his hands on it, the energy within the orb formed the character 'Sword' then glowed with twice with a yellow light, indicating that his strongest Dao was the Sword Dao in the Second Plane Intent level.

Then the character warped and transformed into the character 'Metal' and glowed twice with a yellow light, showing that he also had a Second Plane ~ Intent Level ~ Metal Dao.

Then when everyone including Min Hong thought it was over, the character warped and transformed once again.

This time it displayed the character 'Flame' and then it glowed six times with a blue light, indicating his Sixth Plane ~ Concept Level ~ Flame Dao. 

Then Min Hong touched the orb in front of the smiling Elder Jiang who was expecting him to send the entire crowd cascading into a pit of awe.

Then Min Hong felt a tame and soothing energy seep deep into his soul.

It reached the depths of his soul where his Primus Dao Tree was currenting standing with a smooth, friendly but nonchalant vibe. 

Then when it touched the Primus Dao Tree, the Primus Dao responded to Min Hong's thought as it instantly transformed into a solid Metal Tree with no branches.

Then in the outside world, the orb formed the character 'Metal' and glowed twice with a yellow light indicating his Second Plane ~ Intent Level ~ Metal Dao.

Then as everyone was expecting the orb to continue, it suddenly went dim and returned to normal signifying that Min Hong had nothing else to offer. 

The entire spectator stand, including the 7498 youths who were also about to take the test and even the two Elders currently standing in front of the orb were all stunned speechless.

But of them all, there were only two people who were even more stunned; Min Qing and Long Sha.

They were both stunned by the results of the test, but what stifled them the most, was how he did it.

They knew the result was as wrong and were as sure as the existence of the sun. 

They also knew Min Hong would definitely have a good reason for doing that. But one thing they couldn't wrap their heads around was; How did he do that?

Elder Jiang almost convulsed from the results of the second round as an awful and disappointed expression climbed his previously joyful and expectant face as he spoke softly;

"Young one, though cultivating the Body and Qi is good, comprehending multiple Daos is even better."

"You have neglected that aspect of your cultivation, so you should spend more time on it." Elder Jiang advised. 

"Thanks for your guidance, Elder Jiang." Min Hong responded.

He knew that, even though the Elder was disappointed at the outcome of his test, he was still advising him out of a good heart and for his best interest.

So, he politely responded to the man. When he heard Min Hong politely reply, Elder Jiang then added;

"Un. Though, I am an ordinary outer court Elder, but I have comprehended the Sword Dao to the Law level.

So, like your friend here, if you want to obtain another Dao to reach or surpass his level, you can come find me."

"I would most certainly do that, Elder Jiang. Thanks a lot, but how do I find you?" Min Hong was already having a good impression of this outer court Elder.

"Just come over to the Mission Hall, you will find me there." Elder Jiang finally revealed a slight smile.

Though he was disappointed with Min Hong's result, to him, Min Hong made it up with his good attitude which is the most important factor in a cultivator's progression on the cultivation path.

After that had been sorted out, Min Hong and Long Sha stood to the side as Elder Xing called again; "Third place and fourth place, step forward."

Then Min Qing and Lao Shi stepped out and took the test. For Lao Shi, the orb formed the character 'Earth' and glowed twice with a yellow light indicating his Second Plane ~ Intent Level ~ Earth Dao.

Then the character once again transformed into the character 'Hammer' and glowed twice with the yellow light. 

When the crowd saw this, they were absolutely stunned. But to some amongst the crowd, it wasn't a new thing to them. After all, it was Long Sha they were talking about

They could say that amongst all the Super Clans outside the Dogon Empire, Lao Shi was the strongest under the age of eighteen amongst all known cultivators.

The result indicated Lao Shi's Second Plane ~ Intent Level ~ Hammer Dao. 

Then as if supporting everyone's wishes, the character within the orb warped once again and transformed into the character 'Metal' before going on to glow nine times with a blue light, smacking the viewers brains into a state of utter disbelief.

This meant that Lao Shi had a cultivation base at the 7 Star Emperor stage and had comprehended both Hammer and Earth Dao to the Second Plane ~ Intent Level, including the Metal Dao at the Ninth Plane ~ Concept Level, and to top if off, he was only sixteen?!

This sort of talent was a true brain stunner.

The crowd went wild in cheers as many girls amongst the crowd jiggled their supple breasts at him causing some of the 5000 female participants to blush in response.

The wild cheering went on for about five solid minutes before they died down when they saw that it was the participating goddess's turn to take the test.

Then Min Qing placed her hands on the orb and to everyone's shocking surprise, the orb only displayed the character 'Water' before glowing nine times with a blue light.

The entire area was plunged into deep silence. But this time, everyone was feeling conflicted as majority of all the boys who were previously adoring Min Qing significantly toned down their vibes and cheers for Min Qing.

Then she left the testing area and joined the Min Hong duo. Min Qing saw that Long Sha was absolutely stunned by the results.

After all, he was there when she knocked out Yue Lin at the Sunfire City gate, and then she had used the Yin Law. 

"Haha ha. Karma is a b**ch, slut!" Li Chun mocked joyfully when she saw Mi Qing's test results.

So, at this point he was slightly feeling that, though these Fei Family duo was trying to make a name for themselves, they were planning on approaching that goal in a subtle manner.

So, he initially wanted to berate himself for being so open with his test.

But then he reminded himself that, even if wanted to be subtle, did he know any technique that could hide someone's Dao?

So, he did himself a favour and decided not to dwell on the matter anymore.

But Min Qing looked over at Min Hong seemingly trying to see if he was also disappointed at her results.

But when she saw his face, it was adorned with his usual loving and doting smile which was insinuating that even if she did worse than that, he would still love and dote on her either ways.

She blushed slightly at his expression as she cutely hid her face before revealing a shy smile. 

Min Hong clearly understood how the result came to be.

Little Wu had once told him about the demonic entity residing within her and also mentioned that her Yin Law belonged to the demonic entity and though she was comprehending the Yin Dao and had the dormant 'Genesis Yin' bloodline, it was still a borrowed Dao and not one which had its root set deep within her soul.

This was why they both had a plan to subdue the demon and get its Yin Dao for Min Qing.

So, the results were still within his scope of prediction. But to Zi Kun, Chi Zheng, Yue Yao and Yue Lin who had bitterly and directly witnessed the duo in battle, they knew that the Min Hong duo were just deceiving the entire crowd.

But they would never know their suspicions was only half of the whole truth.

After that the rest of the participants went to the stage one after the other and took the Dao test. Then at the end of it all, the rankings ended up in the order;

1. Lao Shi (M – 16) = 2 Plane Earth and Hammer Intent, 9 Plane Metal Concept. 

2. Fei Long (M – 15) = 2 Plane Sword and Metal Intent, 6 Plane Fire Concept

3. Kun Chao (M – 16) = 2 Plane Fire and Wind Intent.

4. Kun Lin (F – 15) = 2 Plane Fire Intent, 1 Plane Wind Intent.

5. Xiao Fang (M – 16) = 2 Plane Earth Intent, 1 Plane Metal Intent.

6. Yue Yao (M – 16) = 2 Plane Fire Intent, 6 Plane Sword Concept.

7. Fei Hong (M – 12) = 2 Plane Metal Intent.

8. Qing Tan (F – 13) = 2 Plane Water Intent.

9. Mu Bai (M – 15) = 2 Plane Wind Intent.

10. Mu Li (M – 15) = 2 Plane Wind Intent.

The rankings saw a significant change when the second round ended with Min Qing dropping to the 100th position while Yue Lin, Chi Zheng and Zi Kun moved up to the 15th, 20th and 21st positions respectively.

The rest of the test went on with many more surprises, but on a much lower intensity when compared to the changes on the top ten rankings.

"Those in the top ten rank will proceed to District 21 and register to get an apartment there."

"Those from the 11th to the 100th position will proceed to District 22. Then from 101st to 300th position will proceed to District 23."

"From then on, each batch of 200 participants would keep entering the next District until District 49, then everyone else would all register into District 50."

"Anyone who wishes to challenge for a change in position can step out now." 

Seeing that nobody stepped out, Elder Xing gave some further instructions and advice, she discharged the youths who eagerly scattered to their assigned Districts to register and get their apartments.

Then the Min Hong trio came together and walked away from the platform where the test was just held.

But as they left; Chi Zheng, Zi Kun, Lao Shi, Yue Yao and the gang came together as they began to plot amongst themselves. 

"Who would imagine that we would actually be in the same district with the major piece of our plans. It seems luck is truly on our side."

Zi Kun spoke with a smug smile whilst Yue Yao nodded with a disgusted expression as she gazed at the Min Hong trio who were leaving in disgust.

"You all should forget about personal grudges for now and execute your part of the plan impeccably. When we have them, you can all sate your grievances then."

Lao Shi spoke with a commanding tone, clearly signifying that he was the leader of their quest. 

The oblivious Min Hong trio were still walking ahead with a strange silence surrounding them as they moved along the wide road leading to District 50, which they would have to pass through in order to get too their designated Districts 21 and 22.

The silence awkwardly continued for a while until Min Hong broke the silence;

"Fei Qing, you will have to go with us first to District 21 where we will register and get our apartments."

"Then after we are done, we will head over to District 22 together and get you settled in. Then we will contact your neighbours and have them swap apartments with us so we can all then stay together in the 22nd District." Min Hong explained as they moved along. 

But after hearing his explanation, Min Qing objected for the first time in her life which stunned both Min Hong and Long Sha speechless.

"Hong-ge, instead of doing that, why don't I just challenge your neighbour after you are all settled in?" She voiced her thoughts.

"I think it is better we get to District 21 first and check the strength of the experts there first before we decide on what to do." Long Sha gave his opinion.

"Based on what Elder Jiang said, it seems like there will be a lot of people challenging each other every time. So, we should be able to get such an information easily." He wisely added.

"Alright, we will do as Fei Long as said." Min Hong responded.

Though they had changed their names, they were still extremely surprised at how Min Hong was able to easily get into character.

Only if they knew how many names he had when he was living the life of an assassin in his first life, then probably they would instead be surprised if he didn't easily get into character.

They kept moving through several districts on the they arrived at the gates of the District 21.

Then they saw a little stall in front of the gate and noticed that there were already five figures registering themselves into the district.

The Min Hong trio noticed these figures to be; the Kun siblings who came third and fourth in the final rankings; Kun Chao and Kun Lin.

Then there was the 13-year-old, shy little girl who had a 4-Star Dan Formation stage cultivation in the first stage and eventually ranked 8th on the final rankings; Qing Tan.

Then lastly, were the Wind Intent twins; Mu Bai and Mu Li.

When the Mu twins saw the Min Hong trio, the Wind Intent twins who saw Min Hong outside the Sunfire City gates smiled and approached them;

"Hi there, I am Mu Li and this is my younger brother Mu Bai." The first one spoke.

They looked so similar to each other than Min Hong could not help but smiled awkwardly as he thought; "How do their friends know which is which?"

Seeing Min Hong's awkward smile, the other twin got pissed as he snapped at his twin brother; 

"Mu Li, if you refer to me as the younger once again, I will snap you in half and deliver your pieces to father when we return."

He slowly spoke with an aggressively twitching eyelid whilst the one called Mu Li simply laughed it off, as they both completely introduced themselves and related with Min Hong and Long Sha.

Min Qing stood to the side as she left the boys to get along with each other. 

But as she was standing there, the little girl called Qing Tan shyly walked up to Min Qing and spoke;

"Big sis Qing, I am Qing Tan. I am here alone, so do you mind if we team up?" She asked as she held both of her hands on her dress whilst looking at her foot.

Min Qing was initially taken aback, but she then recovered;

"I don't believe it is a coincidence that we are both named Qing, so you will have to take care of me in the future."

Min Qing bent till her face was on the same level as the little girl's face as she accepted her proposal.

"Aah!" the little girl was shocked. She never expected Min Qing to accept her proposal that easily.

She just decided to try her luck since she actually came into the Desert Sun Sect alone and wanted to find a partner.

She believed that she would be less bullied if she had a partner compared to if she was alone within the sect.

But what made her happy the most was that, Min Qing quickly found a similarity between them and used it in a way that made the conversations seem less awkward and strange.

Moreover, she had earlier sighted Min Qing after the second test and decided to talk to her if she ever had the opportunity since they were the only girls who had the Water Dao as their primary and strongest Daos.

So, she never expected that the similarities between her and Min Qing would smoothen their talks and relationship this easily.

After all, something this good, seamless and perfect doesn't come that often into one's life.

Furthermore, such things are always too good to be true, but she could clearly sense that, with Min Qing, the process was very sincere and true…