Everyone knew that those who were truly smart would try to be among the last to participate in the second-stage assessment. This way, they would have ample time for meditation.
However, the man standing before them now, Jiang Yuan, was surprisingly vying to be the first one to go.
It was unclear whether he was excessively confident or simply foolish.
The elder looked at Jiang Yuan with a hint of concern and asked, “You heard what I said earlier, right?”
“Many self-proclaimed geniuses meditate diligently before carefully participating in the assessment, yet none of them succeed.”
“You, on the other hand, haven’t even meditated, and you’re diving straight into the assessment. Do you really have enough confidence?”
Jiang Yuan nonchalantly replied, as if he didn’t care about the assessment at all, “Mhm.”
The elder sighed deeply, attempting to earnestly advise Jiang Yuan, “To focus your mental power, you need inner calmness without any distractions.”
“And to achieve that inner calmness, you need to close off your five senses and meditate for an extended period.”
“To some extent, the mental power of strength-based martial artists is weaker than other types. It’s harder for them to concentrate and requires more time for insight.”
The point the old man made resonated with everyone present.
It was common knowledge that martial artists could be categorized into five types based on their attributes: strength-based, agility-based, elemental-based, perception-based, and utility-based.
Each type of martial artist had their strengths and weaknesses.
Strength-based martial artists had immense physical power and robust defenses but they often lacked in terms of speed and mental strength due to their focus on physical training. Therefore, their mental strength became their weakness, making perfect sense.
The elder viewed Jiang Yuan as a strength-based martial artist because of his colossal strength which led him to believe that his mental strength was weaker compared to other types of martial artists.
The elder pointed at the meditating martial artists and advised Jiang Yuan with great seriousness, “So, I advise you to do as they do. Meditate for the time of an incense stick, focus your mental power, and then proceed with the assessment.”
The onlookers initially thought that after hearing the elder’s suggestion, Jiang Yuan would acknowledge the difficulty and agree to meditate for several hours before nervously attempting the assessment.
However, Jiang Yuan’s next words left everyone in shock.
“It’s just a simple assessment, why make it so complicated?”
Jiang Yuan’s tone was remarkably casual, as if he was saying having a simple meal with relatives was nothing complicated.
The whole place fell into a stunned silence. Everyone was thunderstruck by Jiang Yuan’s words.
Simple?
A simple assessment?
They could hardly believe what they had just heard.
The second-stage assessment was deemed nearly impossible. That’s why those who passed the first stage were so cautious. This assessment which felt like an insurmountable mountain was being called simple by him?
“Did he just say the second-stage assessment is simple? It seems like he doesn’t take it seriously at all!”
“Hmph, I hope he can still say those words confidently after failing the assessment!”
The crowd’s disdain for Jiang Yuan increased with these words.
In the elder’s eyes, Jiang Yuan was merely taking a chance with this behavior. The elder continued, “Every day, numerous Condensation Realm martial artists come to participate in the Union’s assessments.”
“However, the number of people who can truly pass the assessment is minimal.”
“So, I hope you can take this seriously, not treating it like a child’s play or trying it with a fluke mentality.”
Facing the elder’s advice, Jiang Yuan simply nodded calmly and then asked in a dispirited tone, “May I start now?”
The elder’s mouth twitched.
He realized that all his well-intentioned advice was like trying to play the lute to a cow.
Even cows can learn when you teach them three times, but this man in front of him was even more obstinate than cows.
“Since you insist on this, I won’t advise you any further. Please, begin your assessment,” the old-man examiner helplessly shook his head and made space for Jiang Yuan.
The onlookers watched Jiang Yuan with smirks, expecting to see his reaction upon failing the assessment. In their eyes, anyone who went straight into the assessment without prior meditation was destined to fail, no matter how strong their mental power was.
Moreover, Jiang Yuan was an extraordinarily strong power-type martial artist, and they believed his entire focus must be on physical cultivation which leaves little room for mental power development.
In front of the mocking gazes, Jiang Yuan strolled up to the stone platform.
No hesitation.
No pause.
He simply reached out and casually picked five stones from the grooves.
The entire process took just an instant.
His actions were so clean and effortless which appeared incredibly nonchalant.
The crowd was left astounded by Jiang Yuan’s actions.
Everyone who came here for the assessment was exceptionally gifted, but they all had to prepare for a long time through meditation before cautiously selecting stones on the platform during the second-stage assessment.
In contrast, without any preparation or even a hint of hesitation, this man confidently made his choices in front of the platform.
It was as if it were a child’s play!
“He picked so quickly, he must be making random choices!” one person asserted.
“That’s right. He didn’t even look before making the choices, so he must be picking randomly.”
“Even if he tried to pick carefully, he couldn’t have chosen correctly. So, he might as well just make random choices to look confident.”
Others chimed in agreement.
But the elder overseeing the examination had an expression that had frozen at this point.
Before him, Jiang Yuan had already spread out his hand which revealed five pebble-sized stones.
These five stones appeared indistinguishable to the naked eye.
However, in the elder’s perception, one of them was slightly larger than the rest, and the other four were slightly smaller.
It was because of this slight size difference that the elder could distinguish the other four smaller stones.
“Five for four, you’ve passed the second-stage assessment,” the elder proclaimed with a face filled with shock, and his voice slightly trembling.
The space felt as if it had frozen.
The entire area fell into absolute silence.
Everyone was stunned like they had just witnessed the most unimaginable event.
“I… I didn’t hear wrong, did I? He… he chose correctly?”
“No meditation, no hesitation, and not even a single glance, yet he chose correctly? How is that possible?!”
“I don’t believe it! Isn’t he a power-type martial artist? How can his mental power be so strong?”
For a moment, the crowd was filled with doubts because this seemed too absurd.
In the records of the Martial Arts Union, the fastest anyone had passed the second-stage assessment took a full two minutes, and that was after several hours of meditation.
Now, this unknown man had passed the assessment in the blink of an eye which shattered all previous records!
This extraordinary performance made people think he might have deliberately chosen incorrectly just to help others distinguish the stones.
If he wanted to, he could probably have selected all five in an instant.
The people who had mocked Jiang Yuan earlier now wore looks of embarrassment as if they had been slapped in the face.
Even the elder examiner in charge of monitoring the assessment couldn’t help but feel a bit awkward. He had only offered advice to Jiang Yuan out of goodwill, but it had turned out to be unnecessary.
While the crowd was stunned, Jiang Yuan displayed no emotions. He acted as if passing the second-stage assessment was merely a trivial matter.
thansk for the chapter 🙂