"Can you do it?" Tessa asked as she glanced at Rocky.
"It should not be a problem." Rocky nodded.
"Thank you for your help," Tessa said to Eugene, appreciation evident in her tone.
Eugene surveyed the training ground thoughtfully. Then he pointed at a stone not far from Tessa. It
appeared to weigh at least two hundred and fifty kilograms. He faced Rocky and said, "Let's test your
strength, okay? Before we decide whether you are a suitable disciple for the Sword Spirit Sect, we
need to assess some of your skills. For starters, I need to see if you can push that stone for a short
distance, at least."
"Okay." Rocky nodded before approaching the stone. Since he needed to keep a low profile, he
couldn't show his real strength. Hence, he gritted his teeth and grunted with exertion as he pretended
to push the stone. To everyone's astonishment, the stone did not move at all.
"Well, he seems to be a weakling."
"He doesn't look like he can push a stone weighing twenty-five kilograms, let alone the one that is two
hundred and fifty kilograms."
"If I were you, I wouldn't have attempted a challenge that is beyond my abilities. You've made a fool of
yourself here."
The newly recruited disciples sneered at Rocky when they saw how much he struggled.
Even before they could finish scoffing at Rocky, the stone, which had been motionless all the while,
suddenly slid about ten meters. The disciples watched with mouths agape.
Tessa and Eugene exchanged puzzled glances as well.
"It's so heavy. I feel so tired now," Rocky uttered, panting as though he couldn't catch his breath.
"This is strange. I've only ever seen a disciple who is at least at the third grade of the Spirit Realm
move that stone such a distance," Eugene remarked, a hint of confusion evident in his voice.
"Could it be that he has great potential?" Tessa added.
"Well, that's a reasonable explanation." Eugene gave a contemplative nod.
At the time, Rocky returned to Eugene's side.
"That is good. It seems that you have some talent in strength. Let's assay your speed!" Without a
second of hesitation, Eugene faced the disciples and asked, "Who was the fastest in the recruitment
test?"
"Me!" A young and handsome man stepped forward.
"What is your name?" Eugene questioned.
"Barlow Liu," the handsome man replied.
"Oh, you were from the Shadow Pavilion. Then you were recommended to join our Sword Spirit Sect.
The Shadow Pavilion disciples are known for their incredible movement skills..." A smile lit up Eugene's
face when he recognized the disciple.
"Do you want me to compete with him?" Barlow Liu pointed at Rocky as he asked, disdain apparent in
his demeanor.
"Yes," Eugene answered.
"In that case, I shall only use half my speed to save him from crippling embarrassment," Barlow Liu
declared proudly.
"That's very generous of you. Shall we begin?" Rocky pretended to be pleasantly surprised, which
made the others despise him even more.
"You can compete with him at half speed if you so choose. However, if he can't surpass you, I'm afraid
he will not be good enough for our Sword Spirit Sect," cautioned Eugene.
"Basil, try your best. I have faith in you!" Tessa encouraged Rocky.
Rocky smiled at her gratefully. He then cupped his hands before Barlow Liu and said, "You first."
"Do you think that you can keep up with me?" Barlow Liu snorted.
"I will spare no effort," Rocky responded with a smile.
All of a sudden, a stream of spiritual energy sprang up under Barlow's feet, propelling him forward like
an arrow traveling at an astonishing speed.
Everyone shook their heads as they felt quite certain that Rocky could never catch up with Barlow Liu.
However, when they peeked in Rocky's direction, they couldn't see him.
How had he flashed past them unnoticed? "Where is he?" Tessa whirled swiftly but couldn't spot him
anywhere.
"He has caught up with Barlow." Eugene's eyes narrowed. Although he didn't notice when Rocky set
out, his eyes were already fixed on the white figure that was closely tailing Barlow Liu's yellow shadow.
"Is that Basil?" Tessa muttered in a tone of disbelief.
All the disciples present were stunned when they looked in Barlow's direction and saw not one but two
shadows moving as fast as lightning.
"Is he from some clan or sect?" Eugene asked and tilted his head. Considering how well Rocky had
done so far, it seemed evident that he had some foundation for cultivation.
"No." Tessa shook her head.
"Although he doesn't have any spiritual aura, he surpasses the other new disciples in terms of speed
alone," Eugene concluded.
"Is he really talented with a solid foundation?" By now, suspicion had swelled in Tessa's heart, whereas
earlier, she had credited Rocky's astounding abilities to his natural potential.
"Perhaps." Eugene nodded.
"Does this mean that he is eligible to join the Sword Spirit Sect?" Tessa asked with a very expressive
smile.
"We pay greater importance to a person's talent for swordsmanship. Before I answer your question, I
must see if he has the talent in swordsmanship..." Eugene spoke.
Meanwhile, Barlow Liu and Rocky continued to race. Barlow Liu frequently turned to check on Rocky's
progress and frowned when he realized that he couldn't shake Rocky despite trying his best. In fact,
Rocky almost matched him step for step. That alarmed Barlow Liu. About half an hour later, he stopped
and stood on the side, panting.
"It's really amazing that you ran so fast despite using only half your speed, Barlow!" Rocky praised and
pretended to wheeze as he stopped beside Barlow Liu.
"Ahem!" Barlow Liu was so out of breath that he could only respond with a wry smile. He also remained
silent as he didn't want to admit that Rocky had run faster than he had expected. At some point in the
race, he had broken his promise by using his full speed. And yet, he hadn't managed to get rid of
Rocky. He would be the laughing stock of Sword Spirit Sect if the other disciples learned about that.
"Barlow, you can leave now," Eugene ordered.
Still skeptical of Rocky's abilities, Barlow Liu shot him a glare before he left dejectedly.
"Now, it is time to test your swordsmanship talent. This time, I will be your opponent," Eugene
explained, mild insistence noticeable in his inflection.
"Okay!" Rocky replied with matching enthusiasm.
"As a disciple of the Sword Spirit City, controlling a sword with spiritual power is the most basic skill you
need to learn. Of course, we are aware that new disciples would find that impossible. And so, we
gauge potential based on whether or not a disciple can let the spiritual sword sense their spiritual
power... So, if you want to become a disciple of the Sword Spirit City, you have to let the spiritual sword
behind me sense your spiritual power."
"Your Cloud Sword can recognize its owner, right? I don't think Basil's spiritual power can let your
Cloud Sword sense it!" Tessa objected immediately.
"The Cloud Sword has a special feature that allows it to sense the spiritual power released by any spirit
warrior with excellent swordsmanship aptitude. That's why, every year, the responsibility of recruiting
new disciples falls to me. Don't worry. If he has excellent swordsmanship aptitude, his spiritual power
will let the Cloud Sword sense it," Eugene explained.
"Your expectations are too unrealistic. If he is not that excellent, he will fail, and then he will have no
chance of joining the Sword Spirit Sect," Tessa complained.
"Tessa, you know better than anyone else that strict rules and difficult tests are compulsory for anyone
who wants to become a Sword Spirit Sect disciple. Besides, since you brought him to us, and we need
to avoid appearing biased, we have to test him with the highest requirements."
Silence engulfed the training ground as everyone waited to see how Tessa would respond to Eugene's
remarks. However, after a few contemplative moments, she nodded in resignation. She knew that his
justification was reasonable, and yet, she couldn't help but feel as though there was an ice-cold grip on
her heart. She shot Rocky a concerned glance.
"Don't worry, Tessa. I will pass the test." Rocky flashed Tessa a reassuring grin.
"Humph, he's too confident. If he can make Eugene's Cloud Sword move, I will eat five kilograms of
shit right away!"
"If he succeeds, I'll call him grandpa."
"I'll take off my clothes and run naked if he has excellent swordsmanship aptitude!"
Clearly, none of the new disciples present thought that Rocky could make the Cloud Sword sense his
spiritual power.
While they ridiculed him, Rocky fixed his gaze on the Cloud Sword behind Eugene.
He surmised that Eugene was testing him as he had grown suspicious. If he was not careful enough,
he might expose his real strength. That was indeed possible as Eugene's strength was equivalent to
that of a warrior at the Immortal Stage, and he would instantly notice the slightest lapse by Rocky
during the test. Therefore, Rocky had to hide his real strength from everyone while simultaneously
allowing the Cloud Sword to sense his spiritual power. That was certainly not an easy
feat!
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