Chapter 135: The Strongest Disciple in a Century

"Junior brothers, I have truly enjoyed our conversation today. However, there is something I must tell you. Although you were selected through the branch sect's grand competition, this does not mean you are already official disciples of the Qitian Sect headquarters. This is merely the beginning. In a while, there will be another assessment waiting for you, and a number of disciples will be eliminated then." Zhou Zheng, who was leading Wu Tian to register, reminded them earnestly.

"There is another assessment?" Wu Tian asked, somewhat surprised.

Zhou Zheng nodded and smiled. "Junior Brother Wu, the Qitian Sect has dozens of branches in towns across the Mad Martial Empire. A total of eight hundred disciples were selected for the headquarters. However, not all of these eight hundred are qualified to become official headquarters disciples. Ten days from now, after all eight hundred disciples have reported, an assessment will be held. Only those who pass will be allowed to remain at the headquarters."

"What exactly does the assessment entail?" Niu Wuji asked curiously.

"I am not sure about that. The sect competition is generally held once every five years, so the sect places great importance on it and typically does not reveal the assessment criteria in advance. Furthermore, the content of the assessment changes every time. However, one principle remains constant: the stronger you are, the less likely you are to be eliminated!" Zhou Zheng shrugged, indicating there was nothing he could do.

"Survival of the fittest—that is perfectly normal." Wu Tian shrugged, looking indifferent. This was how the world worked: survival of the fittest.

"Alright, enough about that. Now, you need to go and complete your enrollment registration."

Zhou Zheng led Wu Tian into the interior of the Qitian Sect. The headquarters truly lived up to its name; both in scale and architecture, it was a hundred times larger than the branch sect, and disciples of the Qitian Sect could be seen everywhere.

After passing through several large buildings and luxurious corridors, Zhou Zheng brought Wu Tian and Niu Wuji to a training ground, where new recruits were being registered.

"Senior He, these two junior brothers were selected through the sect competition. I have brought them here to register," Zhou Zheng said to the person in charge, who was sitting at the training ground, with a cheerful smile.

"Name and origin—write them all in this register," Senior He said, tossing a booklet to Wu Tian.

After Wu Tian and Niu Wuji filled in their information, Senior He inspected it and, confirming everything was correct, pointed to a black stone as tall as a person standing nearby. "This is the Spirit-Testing Stone. Strike it with your full strength to measure your cultivation level. Give it your best shot."

"Alright, I'll go first." Niu Wuji, eager to try, shook his arms and said.

He stood before the black stone, took a deep breath, gathered all his true energy, and struck out at the stone with all his might.

*Bang!* A fist-shaped indentation appeared on the black stone. Seeing this, a flash of surprise crossed Senior He's eyes.

"Seventh-level Martial Spirit cultivation—quite impressive. I never expected a disciple from a branch sect to possess such cultivation. Among this year's new disciples, seventh-level Martial Spirit is already near the top!" Senior He said in astonishment while recording the result in his ledger.

"Hehe, I owe this strength to my boss. Compared to him, I'm nothing; I'm just a nobody," Niu Wuji said, scratching his head in embarrassment.

"You are not yet a disciple of the headquarters, yet you've reached the seventh-level Martial Spirit at such a young age. Your future is boundless; there is no need to be so humble," Senior He replied with a smile.

"I'm not being humble. My boss is truly much stronger than I am," Niu Wuji said earnestly, pointing at Wu Tian.

"Alright, reaching the seventh or eighth level of Martial Spirit at this age is already remarkable. Even if he is better than you, it won't be by much," Senior He dismissed the comment. "Wu Tian, you're next."

Wu Tian nodded, walked up to the black stone, channeled his true energy into his fist, and unleashed a punch against the stone.

*Boom!* With a deafening roar, the black stone was snapped clean in half, and the top portion flew off.

Seeing this, Senior He’s jaw dropped to the floor, and he stared at Wu Tian in utter disbelief.

Wu Tian looked bewildered and asked, "What happened? This stone seems quite fragile. Has it been hit too many times?"

Zhou Zheng was also stunned. He had witnessed Wu Tian's prowess at the Qitian Sect gate earlier, where he had taken on over a dozen disciples single-handedly. He had thought Wu Tian was formidable then, but he never expected him to destroy the stone with a single punch.

"Junior Brother Wu, this Spirit-Testing Stone can withstand a maximum cultivation of the tenth-level Martial Spirit. You shattered it with one strike, which means your cultivation is at least at the tenth-level Martial Spirit!" After his initial shock, Zhou Zheng explained to Wu Tian.

"I see. I should have used less force. I didn't expect the tenth-level Martial Spirit to still be too high; this is awkward," Wu Tian muttered helplessly. He was currently at the third-level Martial King realm. He had only used the strength of a tenth-level Martial Spirit, hoping to keep a low profile, but he hadn't realized that even that would be too much.

"Heavens! You... just how high is your cultivation?" Senior He asked, staring at Wu Tian with wide, incredulous eyes.

"Tenth-level Martial Spirit," Wu Tian replied.

"Tenth... tenth-level Martial Spirit? A disciple from a branch sect reaching the tenth-level Martial Spirit—this is unprecedented! Even within the entire Qitian Sect, there are very few who reach the tenth-level Martial Spirit at your age. The highest cultivation among those selected in this year's competition was only the eighth-level Martial Spirit. I was already shocked by his seventh-level, but you... you come along as a tenth-level..." Senior He trailed off, unable to describe his feelings.

"Well... I don't think the tenth-level Martial Spirit is all that impressive. I passed many disciples on my way here, and quite a few were at the seventh, eighth, or ninth level. I'm only slightly higher than them," Wu Tian said, not feeling like it was a big deal, especially since he had suppressed his cultivation by three levels.

Senior He took a deep breath and said helplessly, "How can you compare the two? They have been cultivating at the headquarters since childhood, with access to resources and guidance far superior to what you had at the branch. Yet, you managed to reach, or even exceed, the standards of headquarters disciples. Your talent is simply staggering."

"Junior Brother Wu, I must tell you a fact: even among the geniuses in the Imperial City who have had access to vast resources since birth, those who reach the tenth-level Martial Spirit at your age can be counted on one hand. And you didn't even come from the Imperial City, but from a small town! I am completely in awe of your talent!" Zhou Zheng said, looking at Wu Tian with admiration.

Senior He nodded in agreement and said excitedly, "Wu Tian, as of now, you are the one with the highest cultivation among the eight hundred disciples selected in this year's competition, and you are also the highest-cultivation disciple to be selected from a branch in the last hundred years!"

"That sounds, I suppose, a little bit impressive," Wu Tian said, stroking his chin. It was fortunate that they did not know he was actually a third-level Martial King, or they might have collapsed from the shock.