Global Game: I Can Choose Instance Rewards

One of them he saw was struggling to climb the mountain path, about to reach the summit, yet an eagle inconveniently appeared at that moment to attack him, causing considerable interference and leaving him on the brink of a severe crisis, almost falling off the path.

Another young boy was even more unfortunate; he had barely managed to reach the summit, his body bearing several pecks, when a nearby demon spotted him. Now he was desperately fleeing, his stamina rapidly depleting, on the verge of being completely torn apart by the pursuing demon.

Another young boy was also in trouble. When Wang Zhifan saw him, he found him lying on the back of a large bird, being carried erratically through the sky. Perhaps in the next second, he might lose his grip on the bird’s feathers and transform into a skyward flyer.

This kind of situation occurs when taking a lift from a large bird to the mountain top, without being cautious enough not to anger the bird. It’s hard to say how much chance there is for remedying this later.

There were ninety-nine trials with varying situations like these. Wang Zhifan had barely inspected about thirty when he suddenly refocused his mind on the interior of the underground palace, as three more people had been eliminated at once.

"You three have not passed the test, quickly return to the hall and leave with your elders."

This time, Wang Zhifan deliberately spoke in a more severe tone, making these three young boys not dare utter a single word, and they all left with their heads downcast towards the underground palace doors.

This method of handling might be a bit strict for children, but selection is cruel like this. They all understood clearly where they failed and wouldn’t think they were unjustly treated; even if their lips disagreed, their hearts had to accept it.

"I estimate we’re about to enter the stage of mass elimination. So far, I haven’t found an eliminatee that satisfies me; I wonder if such talents will appear later on."

Earlier, when Wang Zhifan had the three young men leave, it wasn’t simply seeing they hadn’t passed the test that they were eliminated. Before passing judgment, he quickly reviewed each person’s test records before making a decision.

If an eliminatee had a standout performance in some aspect of the test, he would still take them on as a disciple.

Thus, as time passed unhurriedly, more and more boys were forcibly moved out of the Black Tower, facing their failed fates.

Many of them were eliminated due to interference at the last moment of climbing the steep path, while others lost their composure at the sight of the terrifying demon atop the summit, getting defeated in no time by demons not much stronger than them.

Wang Zhifan judged that these young boys hoping to practice martial arts should give up the fantasy and return home. His criteria for taking disciples weren’t very strict, but the talent they displayed was simply insufficient to impress him.

It wasn’t until half a tea’s time later that the first truly successful candidate, who also satisfied him, appeared.

This person had been imprinted in Wang Zhifan’s memory for a while because he had communicated with Master Xuanzhen in the hall for two players, just at the time Xuanzhen had completed a bone-check and praised him as an extraordinary youth.

This boy was taller and sturdier than his peers, his skin slightly darker and bearing a "bronze" texture. Physically, he was likely the most suitable for martial arts practice among this batch of learners, and his performance in the test did not disappoint.

Wang Zhifan could discern from the Black Tower records that he opted to ascend the steep path before him in the test, but he did indeed have the strength for it. Even when the test auto-escalated the difficulty due to his swift climbing, arranging four eagles to block him, he calmly solved the problem and reached the summit with minimal injury despite interference.

When facing the demon atop the mountain, his performance was even more remarkable. Not only did he remain unflustered upon seeing the terrifying demon, but he also initiated a fierce attack against the demon, directly overshadowing this opponent in terms of momentum.

If it were just this, Wang Zhifan’s evaluation of him would have been merely brave or reckless and not particularly satisfying; it was his subsequent performance that moved him.

Firstly, because of the specific test settings, the demon this youth faced was a few levels stronger, surpassing those faced by others by far, subjecting him to the same level of pressure as other testees.

The most commendable aspect, however, was that upon realizing he couldn’t defeat the demon head-on, he didn’t panic nor did he recklessly fight; he remained calm, measured, and swiftly changed tactics when needed.

He first circled to the demon’s back, seized a weapon, and continued battling. Finding it still precarious, he subtly maneuvered the demon towards the cliff’s edge, and finally, seized the opportunity to knock the demon off the cliff, where it fell to its death on the sharp rocks below, all while incurring only minor injuries himself.

If given an overall evaluation, this youth, in Wang Zhifan’s eyes, belonged to the type with exceptional physical attributes and considerable combat talent—ideal material for martial arts training. If his understanding of martial arts is sufficiently high too, he could undoubtedly be deemed a martial arts genius.

"You performed well in the test, would you be willing to become my disciple?"

At this time, in the subterranean palace lit by an oil lamp, amid envious and jealous glances from over a dozen young boys deemed eliminated by Wang Zhifan, he looked down at the slightly dark-skinned, tall, and strong youth.

"Master, please accept my bow as your disciple Qin Quan!"

The tall, bronze-skinned youth understood swiftly and immediately used his actions to demonstrate that he was more than eager.

"Well, no need for too much formality, quickly go upstairs to find the Daoist who checked your bones, and let him arrange accommodation for you. I will formally teach you martial arts tomorrow."

Wang Zhifan then waved for this first disciple to handle the formalities, given he, as the head of the Martial Venerable Hall, was only responsible for essential matters. Currently, others helped with detailed mundane affairs, and he did not need to bother with every little task.

In fact, if he desired, even the disciple selection process could have been managed by Qingyangzi’s disciples, but Wang Zhifan felt that even if he was destined to be a passing visitor, he shouldn’t be too careless. Thus, he personally devised the test to select disciples he found satisfactory.

After determining the first disciple, there followed one after another eliminates forced out of the Black Tower, none reaching Wang Zhifan’s disciple recruitment standard.

Among them, Wang Zhifan also examined their test records separately, discovering some with decent potential, but unfortunately, they appeared after the talented youth Qin Quan.

If they had emerged earlier, Wang Zhifan might have taken them for cultivation due to some highlights in their test performance, but after Qin Quan’s appearance, Wang Zhifan’s expectations naturally elevated.

He didn’t demand every disciple to be as gifted as Qin Quan, but they certainly couldn’t be too far behind, leading to the unfortunate situation where youths who had a chance of meeting his initial standards encountered a suddenly raised bar, as if fickle fate was playing a joke on the unlucky ones.

It wasn’t until the first batch of people was entirely moved out of the Black Tower that Wang Zhifan had selected a total of three disciples, including the earliest confirmed Qin Quan.

The other two fortunate ones were individuals Wang Zhifan had impressions of.

One was the first thin and small youth to enter the Black Tower. This guy was of a particularly astute type, taking a longer time to achieve a flawless clearance. His method of passing involved manipulating a fight between the demon and the large bird atop the mountain, utilizing the bird’s power to eliminate the demon, all without ever being touched by the demon.

The other was the embroidered girl who hadn’t entered the Black Tower in the first round. Wang Zhifan realized this girl might be the strongest in the initial hundred due to her possessing entry-level Daoist cultivation. She directly flew to the summit to fight the demon, without needing to climb or find secret paths.

The demon she faced also had elevated strength and substantial flying ability, but this girl had her combat techniques, relying on her operations, delivering blow after blow until she killed the demon. She was the only testee to directly resolve the demon with combat skill advantages, which inarguably labelled her as a genius.

Wang Zhifan initially thought this little girl was here for fun, possibly a direct descendant from one of Celestial Essence City’s three great high Daoist courts.

Yet, the little girl claimed her cultivation was ancestral, having arrived in Celestial Essence City with her family only days ago. They originally planned to seek Dao in Zhenxu Hall, but she also harbored an interest in martial arts, deciding to try out when she learned Martial Venerable Hall was recruiting disciples.