Chapter 620: Chapter 616: The Lost Pearl in the Sea

“Director Hook Chen, you’re in charge of these students now.”

The man in the mask stepped forward, his gritty voice echoed once more, “All those wanting to join the Martial Hall, stay. The rest return to your respective schools.”

Having an outsider dictating in the heart of Tang Clan had always been an unimaginable scenario, but with the seal of approval from the Patriarch, the pupils from the clans, albeit reluctant, did not defy this order.

Yet, the nearly two thousand students that were left looked at the mask-clad man with an audacious gaze, as if questioning him: what makes us take orders from you?

Once the Patriarch and the clan pupils had left, the pampered and arrogant side of these children of established families emerged. Merely the words “old friends of the Patriarch” weren’t enough to convince them.

Tang Luo did not wish to engage further with them, so he kept it short and said, “All of you will need to get a number from me, and after your personal cultivation, come to the quiet room for martial arts demonstration. Based on your martial skills, I will assign you to different training grounds within the Martial Hall.”

This simple and direct method was very similar to the one used on Red Cloud Mountain, except this time Tang Luo had several stewards by his side, carrying specially-made blank rosters.

These stewards were assistant teachers from the clans, covering the seven major schools. They were gathered together and almost recognized all of the clan students, and what Tang Luo asked them to do was to call out the names of the pupils they recognized.

“Tang Hongfang, number 1!” the teacher on the far left pointed at a slim and handsome youth in the first row and announced loudly.

Tang Luo then whispered a number to the teacher: 758.

The first entry was added to the blank roster: Number 1, Tang Hongfang, 758.

“Tang Feiyu, number 2.”

“Tang Haobo, number 3.”

“Tang Hanliang, number 4.”

Calling out over two thousand numbers took an entire hour. Tang Luo had finally finished recording the information of the two thousand students looking to join the Martial Hall.

“Next, all of you will remain here to cultivate. Once you have completed 36 cycles of cultivation, come to the quiet room for martial arts demonstration.” Tang Luo announced dryly, he then retreated into a small room on his left with the stewards carrying the blank rosters.

Although the Patriarch ordered these students to yield to Tang Luo’s commands before he left, when the actual order came, none of them immediately started their cultivation, instead, they gathered in small groups.

No matter where, there are always a few exceptional talents. Undoubtedly, there were quite a number of such exceptional youths in the clans. Thus, as soon as the cultivation command was given, they began to discuss in animated hushed voices.

“This numbering and demonstration… what game is this masked man playing!?”

“In my opinion, he wants to assess our energy levels, then measure our proficiency in martial arts.”

“If that’s the case, why the secrecy and anomaly?”

“Perhaps he has innumerable enemies out in the world and dares not reveal his identity. His abilities must be limited.”

Youth opinions are pretty straightforward. If today, a stunning female cultivator came to test them, their comments and opinions would definitely be different. But sadly, Tang Luo’s current demeanor isn’t very appealing and even his voice is loathsome, so it’s not surprising that these teenagers, who were no older than seventeen or eighteen, were so angry.

“No matter what he thinks,” Tang Feiyu, the center of the group, said while crossing his arms, “I will conquer him with my strength. I’ll show him that it’s not just fighters from the Martial Hall who are the elite of Tang Clan.”

Ever since the flood, infighting among students from the Cultivation Hall and the clan has been nonstop. Although the seven major schools were taught by scholars, they also had martial arts research courses, and the students from these courses were recognized as the strongest within the clan.

Being one of the top students of martial arts research, Tang Feiyu believed he was no less powerful than any fighter from the Cultivation Hall. His carelessness in his younger years to join the Martial Hall was his only lapse. But now, he wanted to make up for this regret and show the people from the Martial Hall that compared to him, the likes of Tang Zheng and Tang Fengran were insignificant.

Two thousand students sat cross-legged, gathering endless spiritual energy from the earth and the sky. It looked as if were an approaching rainstorm from afar, almost hiding dragons and snakes within.

By noon, several had completed their practices, but none of them was in a rush to leave. Their clan background taught them to be patient regarding matters they didn’t fully understand. They understood that they can never tell whether what appears first is poison or treasure.

Sacrificing small benefits for assurance was the quality instilled in these children of the affluent families.

However, different people have different attitudes, and indeed some were more ambitious and impatient.

Tang Feiyu wasn’t the first to finish his practice, but when he saw that no one else was going to the quiet room, he scoffed, stood up, and headed towards it with a confident stride.

Since no one else dared to be first, he decided to see for himself what this martial arts demonstration was really about.

The self-confident youth arrived in front of the quiet room and announced, “Number 2, Tang Feiyu, reporting for martial arts demonstration!”

The door of the quiet room opened automatically. Several stewards separated by curtain sat in one corner of the otherwise empty room, with the tall, thin man in the mask sitting in the middle, his silver eyes silently observing Tang Feiyu.

Unintimidated, Tang Feiyu walked into the quiet room without any expression, gently closed the door, and stepped forward to the masked man, asking, “May I start now?”

“No need.” The gritty voice of the masked man echoed, “Number 2, Tang Feiyu, enter Training Ground Number 1.”

Tang Feiyu was taken aback. He thought he had to perform martial arts, so why was he directly assigned to Training Ground Number 1? Although he had enough self-confidence, he was still slightly uncertain.

However, the man in the mask did not seem to desire spending more time on this matter. After announcing Tang Feiyu’s placement, he directly said, “You can head to the Martial Hall in Auspicious Cloud Valley to report, you may leave now.”

The purpose of the martial arts demonstration was to identify students who may not have ideal aptitude but demonstrate a high comprehension of martial skill, to ensure no talent is overlooked.

But for a martial artist like Tang Feiyu with a good 1.2 aptitude, such a test was unnecessary. As long as he himself did not slack off, his advancement to the Fierce Realm was almost a certainty. There was no need for an unnecessary spectacle to waste everyone’s time.

A gold nugget always shines. He could save the show for later. After all, even if he put on a stunning performance now, in Tang Luo’s eyes, it would still be worthless and meaningless.

Having passed the selection process in a perplexing way, Tang Feiyu, full of doubts, exited the quiet room. The entrance area, which had been empty before, was now crowded with dozens of clan students who had finished their cultivation, all waiting for his return.