Chapter 50: Little Brother, You and I Are Fated!

  In those gazes that were looking over, Su Ming did not see Grandpa and the others. The barbarians in this place were mostly from the Wind Stream Tribe, but it seemed that they had arrived earlier than Grandpa and the others.

  Shi Hai put down Su Ming and handed him a black token without saying a word, then immediately turned into white mist and left.

  Standing alone here, Su Ming looked around and didn't see a single familiar face, so he remained silent, lowering his head to look at the black token in his hand, on which was written a barbarian numeral: 109.

  That black plaque looks ordinary, is ground out of stone blocks, held in hand, but it's a bit chilly.

  "This time's exam is said to have the most people, over a hundred!"

  "It's just over a hundred people, this is only the first round. I think among these people, there must be quite a few who will not participate in the second and third rounds, after all, if they are not strong enough, it's just self-inflicted humiliation."

  "You're wrong to say that, the three trials are difficult, and this first trial is the most difficult! You should know that the second trial requires a certain level of cultivation, and the third trial is actual combat, these two trials require a certain level of cultivation, and involve the manipulation of energy, with clear methods. But this trial alone, seemingly without any requirements for cultivation, actually compares willpower and potential!"

  "This kind of thing can't be faked, but it's also extremely cruel! No matter what your cultivation is, if you don't do well in this first trial, it means that your willpower is insufficient and your potential is not enough. Such a tribesman would not be highly valued in the tribe either."

  Su Ming lowered his head and played with the black stone token, the whispers of the people around him echoing in his ears.

  "However, if I had to say it, every time there's a big test, the top fifty are mostly our Wind Pavilion Tribe's warriors, while other tribes only have a few people who barely make it in. Especially the top ten, apparently no one from another tribe has ever appeared."

  "That's for sure, and it will be the same this time. In fact, among the top ten or even the top forty, there are only a few people, especially in the top ten selection, apart from those outstanding ones in the tribe, there can't be anyone else."

  Su Ming listened and gradually heard a lot of such discussions. At this time, the people in this place were not all participants in the first round, but most of them came to watch.

  Just then, Su Ming was still thinking about the six numbers that Ah Gong had said, when he suddenly seemed to have noticed something. He looked up and saw an old man quietly approaching him from the side. When the old man saw Su Ming looking at him, he quickly smiled and walked a few steps closer to Su Ming.

  The old man was wearing animal hide and had some bone rings hanging from his ears. Judging by his appearance, he should also be a member of the Wind Chime Tribe.

  "This young fellow, I'm exhausted. I see the stone tablet in your hand, you're also a participant of the first round, so I came over to chat with you, no ill intentions." The old man's appearance was slightly comical, with a pointed mouth and cheekbones, his smile seemed to shift his facial features, making it memorable at first glance.

  Su Ming's expression remained unchanged, and after hearing the old man's words, he nodded slightly.

  "Listen, young man, I'll be blunt with you, don't take offense. Although my cultivation isn't high, having lived for so many years has trained my eyes. Looking at your talent... it's quite ordinary." The old man blinked his eyes.

  "This grand assessment is held once every few years, and I come to watch the excitement each time. With talent like yours, it's unlikely you'll make it into the top fifty... In my experience, you'll probably rank around one hundred or so... However..." The old man took a few steps closer, his face mysterious, first looking around cautiously, then quickly speaking in a low voice when he saw no one was paying attention.

  "But, little brother, you're lucky to have met me. I have a kind of herb here that can make people release their potential in a short period of time. With this, you might be able to enter the top 50 in the first round! If you buy more and eat them at the same time, it's not impossible to even enter the top 10!" The old man said in a low voice, slightly opening his robe to quickly reveal some herbs inside before covering up again, with an even thicker air of mystery on his face, as if afraid that too many people would see.

  Su Ming was stunned for a moment, looking at the old man, and couldn't say anything for a long time.

  "Don't you believe?" The old man saw Su Ming's expression and immediately spoke in a low voice again: "Young brother, you're still too young. This kind of thing, even if it's fake, you have to try it out. After all, once you make a name for yourself, it'll be completely different in your tribe. I can tell by your appearance that you're also not satisfied with your current situation in your tribe."

  "Alright, if your herbs are really effective, why is it that every time there's a big test, the top 50 have always been from the Wind Pavilion Sect, and the top 10 have never had an outsider? I'm not buying it, you'd better go sell to someone else." Su Ming furrowed his brow and took a few steps back.

  The old man opened his eyes wide, raised his right hand towards Su Ming, and gave a thumbs up, praising him repeatedly.

  "Wow, little brother is really impressive, you thought of this point so quickly. It seems I was wrong about you earlier. Your talent may not be good, but your brain is extremely clever."

  However, little brother, you're wrong this time. The first pass of the top ten isn't that no outsider has ever entered, but rather fifty years ago, there was someone who consecutively got first place multiple times. You should have also heard of him, he's Mo Sang, the Barbarian King of Wushan! Do you know how he succeeded? It's because back then, he bought a large quantity of this very herb every time.

  There was also that person from Hei Shan Department back then, who bought my herbs and entered the top 40 or so. And there was someone from Wu Long Department as well, who did the same thing.

  "Hey, don't go, I'm telling you something close to my heart. Last time during the big exam, there was a guy named Bei Ling who made it into the top fifty, and he bought..." The old man started talking nonstop, causing Su Ming to frown and take another step back.

  "Hey, kid, I can tell we're meant to be, that's why I'm selling it to you. If it were someone else, I wouldn't even consider it, no matter how much they begged me. This herb would cost ten taels per stem if I sold it to anyone else, but for you, I'll let it go for just three taels. What a steal, right? If I shouted that out loud, a crowd would gather in an instant! Today, we're meant to be, so I'll throw in one free with the purchase...". The old man went on and on, spittle flying everywhere, his words getting him more and more worked up, until he was clapping his hands together in excitement. Su Ming listened, dazed, and subconsciously took a few steps back.

  The old man was about to continue, when suddenly the crowd on the square burst into a commotion. A huge black snake had suddenly drilled in from the sky, and several people were standing on it, who were Ah Gong and his party.

  "It's Wushan Department!"

  "Wushan Department's Man Gong, said to have extremely high cultivation, unfortunately the entire tribe has no one to inherit, but it is said that a junior named Beiling emerged, ranking 49th in the last big trial."

  The dark aura dissipated, and Ah Gong's group landed in a corner of the square. He glanced at Su Ming from afar, then withdrew his gaze. Bei Ling stood there, with an aloof expression, his face cold and indifferent.

  Lei Chen and Wu La looked around with a hint of excitement.

  "You see that old man and the cold-faced young man? They are Wu Shan Man Gong Mo Sang and Bei Ling, whom I told you about earlier." The elderly person beside Su Ming hastily spoke up, with an air of mystery still on his face.

  Just then, the murmurs of the crowd around them rose again, this time clearly louder than before. Five people walked slowly into view from the twisted alleys outside the square, with one person in front. He was wearing a black robe and had no hair - it was Wu Sen, the young man with a shaved head from last night. His face was gloomy, with a hint of anger, clearly still seething about what happened last night, especially the dark green blood that belonged to him... which made his heart anxious, but his expression didn't reveal even a hint of it.

  The four people behind him were also silent, following Wu Sen, and gradually approaching the square.

  "Wowson!"

  "He's definitely one of the top three in this year's Wind Zhen Department exams, and it's said that his cultivation method is quite unorthodox..."

  "Speak softly, this person is moody..."

  "Shut up, all of you!" Wu Sen suddenly let out a low growl as he walked forward, and immediately the surroundings fell silent. Wu Sen's face was gloomy, and he even walked past Su Ming, but in that instant, he turned his head and gave Su Ming a cold glance, with a hint of suspicion in his eyes.

  But after a closer look, he realized it wasn't the person he had met before. He let out a cold snort and walked away, sitting cross-legged in the distance with his four followers surrounding him, seemingly guarding him.

  Su Ming looked at Wu Sen again and then glanced at Beiling in the distance before withdrawing his gaze.

  "This Wu Sen is practicing the Corpse Qi Blood Devouring Technique, and he's worshiping an evil idol from the Wind Spring Tribe. He's full of evil energy, has a gloomy personality, and isn't a good person!" The old man beside Su Ming seemed to be quite angry, but was afraid of being overheard, so he whispered, looking like he had been cheated by Wu Sen and suffered a loss."

  "I'm telling you, young man, don't mess with this person... but even if you do, it's no big deal, I have another kind of herb here that will make you invincible after eating it..." The old man's eyes rolled and he continued to advise.

  Su Ming furrowed his brow, feeling that the old man's chatter far exceeded Lei Chen, and even if Lei Chen were compared to this person, he could be described as taciturn.

  The old man kept persuading him, as if he wouldn't rest until he bought one.

  At this moment, the square outside twisted again, and more than a dozen people suddenly surged in. These people chattered and laughed, and among them, one person stood out, surrounded by others like stars surrounding the moon. This person was not tall, slightly chubby, laughing loudly, constantly chatting with people around him, and occasionally waving his hand to gesture something.

  He had an aura about him that was hard to put into words, but it was extremely obvious among the dozen or so people there, and at a glance, one's gaze would be drawn to him.

  "Ah-Chong!" The distant Wu Sen, who was sitting cross-legged, opened his eyes and stared at the slightly chubby man, narrowing his eyes.

  Su Ming's gaze also converged on this person, clearly feeling a faint aura in the other's body that was difficult to describe, it wasn't the power of Qi and blood, but an inexplicable kind of sensation.

  "Zhēn Chōng, this is the little brother from our Wind Ruan tribe that everyone knows about. He's much better than Wu Sen." The old man hastily whispered to those beside him.

  "I'm telling you, but don't go telling others, this Zhang Chong is a big customer of mine, often comes to me to buy medicinal herbs."

  No need to rank high, just hope to keep above 7,000 votes every day, thank you all fellow Taoists~~