"Bang bang bang bang..."

"Zhou Zhilong, hurry up! We have to get here early today!"

A boy of about sixteen or seventeen years old was banging on the door of a house.

"Coming, coming, Tong Lian, don't rush me, I'll be done in a minute."

The voice was muffled, clearly indicating that the person was washing up.

The boy outside the door stomped his feet angrily.

"You idiot, I told you to go to bed early last night. If you mess things up today, I'm not letting you off the hook!"

"Coming, coming, I'll be right there."

"Clang~ Bang..."

The sound of a chair falling and a copper basin shattering came from inside the room.

The boy waiting outside couldn't help but cover his forehead.

This guy is like this no matter what he does; I don't know how he got through the pre-selection process...

Even his best friend couldn't help but mutter to himself, no wonder the other candidates kept gossiping.

With a "click," the door opened.

Zhou Zhilong emerged from inside, his clothes somewhat disheveled.

"You've made the Holy Land martial arts uniform look like this. All those people outside who are desperate to buy one must be spitting blood."

Zhou Zhilong could only chuckle awkwardly, then carefully straightened his clothes.

The Holy Land Martial Arts Uniform is the standard attire for members of the Holy Sect. It is black and white with a lustrous sheen, and is embroidered with a lively Qilin. Compared to ordinary long robes, it is more form-fitting and agile, breathable, comfortable, and exceptionally beautiful. It is simple, elegant, and exudes the demeanor of a martial artist, making it one of the most sought-after items in the world today.

Moreover, perhaps due to the special materials used, the textiles sold by merchants all over the world always appear dull in color and wrinkled in fabric, not even a fraction as good as the genuine articles.

Although only a little over half a year has passed since the Immortal Sect's Ten Thousand Beasts Manor established various Hope Private Schools in the twelve states of the world, the changes that followed have affected the entire world.

The Tianyun Martial Arts Holy Land began to send its disciples to travel the world, selecting promising talents from all over the land, especially those who had received education at the Hope Private School, for further training.

Originally, many people wanted to enter the Hope Private School. Although the subjects inside were unusually strange, profound and difficult to learn, it was established by the immortal sect and might be related to martial arts breakthroughs.

Later, the Tianyun Martial Arts Holy Land's admission criteria made ambitious young people all over the world eager to get in.

Ordinary people were proud that their children could attend the Hope Private School, because once enrolled, even if they were not chosen by the Holy Land, they would have a foundation to change their fate.

Zhou Zhilong and Tong Lian were originally just a pair of orphans who barely made a living by doing odd jobs. Although they were young, they were strong enough to avoid starving to death.

Because of the wars and turmoil of previous years, there were countless children or teenagers like this in the world. They were considered lucky, as they could at least eat something even if they were hungry. More than half of the others eventually starved to death.

The appearance of Hope Academy and Martial Arts Holy Land changed their fate. The two orphans had extraordinary comprehension and absorbed the strange knowledge taught in Hope Academy like a sponge. Later, they were selected by Martial Arts Holy Land and received the basic technique "Tianyan Book".

What's even more unbelievable is that a seemingly basic martial arts technique was actually evolved from a top-tier divine skill. The secret manual that would normally cause bloodshed was so easily passed down in the Holy Land, and it was even more exquisite than the original.

The reason they knew this was because among those selected at the same time were the original direct disciples of the Yundao Sect. The "Tianyan Book" was a secret passed down within their sect. According to that person's guess, the Yundao Sect's "Tianyan Book" may have originated from the Holy Land.

That is why the Yundao Sect currently considers the Tianyun Martial Arts Holy Land as its origin and regards itself as a branch of the Holy Land, while the Tianyun Martial Arts Holy Land does not deny it.

This delighted the Yundao Sect, who never expected their ancestor to have such a powerful background, considering that the Holy Land was backed by a powerful immortal sect.

However, although the Martial Arts Holy Land selects and trains people, it does not take them into the depths of Tianyun Mountain. Instead, it opens branch academies in various states to provide intensive training for the selected talents.

Some time ago, news came from the Holy Land that it would select the first batch of outstanding students to practice across disciplines.

The news caused a sensation not only among the students of the Holy Land, but also ignited the entire martial arts world and even the imperial court.

The term "cross-border" evokes endless imagination, with countless people speculating whether it refers to a journey to the celestial realm.

As the news spread like wildfire.

Many people want to get involved but lack the connections, so they have no choice but to sign up for the next cohort of students at the Holy Land.

Zhou Zhilong and Tong Lian, with their luck and ability, passed the preliminary selection and stood out from thousands of people in the Jiaozhou branch, becoming one of the hundred people from Jiaozhou who went to the Bingzhou headquarters.

Today marks half a month since we arrived at the Bingzhou headquarters, and it's also the day of the final election. Everyone is putting in their best effort to get through. Although no one has said how many people will be needed in the end, no one wants to fall behind.

The two walked together, and Zhou Zhilong ate the breakfast that Tong Lian had brought him from the canteen as they walked.

I thought it was too early to arrive before dawn, but the square was already packed with people. Nearly 2,000 students from the Holy Land had passed the preliminary selection, which was about 60-70% of the total. The key was the dense crowd of onlookers on the periphery, like ants.

The holy site is not located in any city in Bingzhou, but on a newly built plain along the river thirty miles outside Leping City. Heaven knows when these people and merchants arrived. Did they not sleep last night?

Although there were many people, no one blocked the road, so Zhou Zhilong and Tong Lian easily arrived at the square, receiving envious glances from countless people along the way.

When the sun was high in the sky, a tall, burly man walked onto the three-tiered platform reserved in the square.

"Classmates~~~"

"You have all passed the first preliminary selection. Your knowledge and martial arts aptitude are among the best of the best. Today we will have the final test. As for the content..."

Yes, 'human nature'.

"Those with evil intentions cannot pass, those without ambition cannot pass, and those who are treacherous cannot pass. These are the three things that must not be passed. Other factors such as age, gender, and level of understanding can be waived."

Upon hearing this, some people in the square breathed a sigh of relief; these were either women or older.

Women had a relatively low status in feudal society and were always worried about being discriminated against because of it. It was very good that older women could be selected for martial arts, but they could not digest theoretical knowledge as well as younger women.

Besides these two, there were others whose expressions changed slightly. These people were all candidates planted by various forces, but it would be too unwilling for them to withdraw at this time. They could only grit their teeth and wait for the Holy Land's methods, hoping to get through this.

The wait didn't last long. Suddenly, wisps of black, silky smoke appeared on the platform, strangely swirling around one spot.

People discovered that if they concentrated, they could see wisps of smoke rising from their bodies and flying towards the high platform.

After about ten seconds, thick smoke was billowing from the platform, but it did not rise or fly around randomly.

A sound that resembled a tiger's roar but wasn't quite came from within.

With a tiger's head, an ox's body, eagle's wings, and hedgehog's fur, the ferocious and extremely oppressive Qiongqi appeared on the stage, causing the hearts of everyone who saw it, regardless of good or evil, to beat faster.