The square was crowded with nearly 10,000 people. Xia Xiao and Shu Shuang walked up from the crowd and stood next to Lin Tian and the other two.

Tomorrow, they would enter the valley. Today, they had to complete the last step before entering the valley!

To the east of the square, under the platform, there were thousands of young men and women. People said that cultivators were rare, but a gathering of such cultivators was even rarer!

Thousands of people stood straight to show their grace. All the people present were outstanding young people from all over the country, and they all wanted to show themselves with their passionate ambitions.

In comparison, Xia Xiao seemed too ordinary. He glanced around a few times and was definitely not serious. But he knew that everyone should have gathered, although Rongcheng was not the farthest from here. But as of now, those who have not arrived are no longer qualified. This is an iron rule!

Because Rongcheng had never achieved good results in the selection of Wanling Valley, Xia Xiao and the other four stood at the end of the team. If they hadn't had the tokens in their hands, they would probably have been treated as spectators and driven into the crowd.

Um?

Xia Xiao noticed something, but did not move. When he glanced over, he saw three soldiers behind him carrying an exquisite desk, walking around a thousand people and placing it on the platform.

A sandalwood low table, a soft golden thread cushion, and an incense burner, the three are a perfect match. This time, the Ministry of Rites is responsible for the selection of Wanling Valley, and everything is very rigorous. If the National Elderly Institute finds any small mistakes, I am afraid that they will never be able to take on the responsibility again.

The Minister of Rites, wearing an elegant light fur coat, stepped onto the seventh step and said:

"Everyone, the teachers of Ningshen Academy are about to arrive to complete the final preparation process for you!"

After that, everyone in the square bowed and saluted, and the Minister of Rites also stepped aside and made way for the steps.

When Xia Xiao looked up, he saw three people standing on the platform. Two of them were middle-aged, and one was young. Although they were not white-haired and young-looking, they were dressed in white robes and had extraordinary expressions.

Many people were shocked when they saw him. Is this the teacher of Ningshen Academy who is in charge of the Great Xia Dynasty? It is said that the lowest level of the teachers is at the level of Zunjing Qulun. There are only a handful of such people in the entire Great Xia Dynasty.

The middle-aged man in the lead had a cold look in his eyes, which made people respect him. He glanced at everyone and said without hesitation:

"I am the team leader Fang Hai. I will be doing the final pre-match work for all the contestants. Please prepare your tokens."

After saying this, the Minister of Rites bowed, stretched out his hand, and made a "please" gesture towards the desk.

Fang Hai nodded slightly and sat upright on the cushion.

The Minister of Rites was a little nervous and signaled Si Ying, who was on the far left of the team, to take the lead. Usually, two instructors would take charge of such matters. The team leader was of noble status, so he didn't expect him to come in person. If he was not polite, it would be terrible!

The young teacher turned his back to the crowd in the square and formed seals with his hands. Suddenly, a talisman formation appeared in the sky, and a shuttle-shaped black spirit stone slowly appeared in the center of the formation.

The spiritual stone was three meters high, smooth on the surface, and cone-shaped at the bottom. It was precisely inserted into the groove on the platform under the control of the young teacher's man.

Xia Xiao was very familiar with this spiritual stone. When he was still in the imperial capital, he often used it to test his vitality fluctuations, but there was no movement. But this time, he would prove himself in front of it!

Xia Xiao made up his mind secretly, and suddenly felt that the young teacher looked very familiar. That figure reminded him of the senior he had seen on the top of Cangyun in Rongcheng.

The young instructor walked aside and nodded to the leader. He was tall and thin. Xia Xiao stared at him for a long time before he dared to make a judgment. It must be him!

“Let’s get started!”

When Fang Hai spoke to the Minister of Rites, the latter, who had been accompanying him, looked at Si Ying and signaled that he could go on stage. Si Ying walked up the steps, handed the token to the leader, and walked to the spirit stone.

When he placed his palm on the spirit stone, another middle-aged fat instructor moved his fingers slightly, and a stream of light entered Si Ying's body. But the latter was completely unaware, and just released all his vitality under the guidance of the spirit stone.

The young teacher held a book in his hand and twisted his fingers in the air, and ink appeared on the book.

"The next one..."

The Minister of Rites personally delivered the message, which shows the respect that the Great Xia Dynasty has for the Zoushou Church. If it weren't for the leader's pursuit of simplicity, I'm afraid His Majesty would have come too.

From left to right, the younger generation snaked onto the stage. Xia Xiao waited, standing for an hour at a time.

The contestants who had come to this stage all knew what the instructors were doing. The leader Fang Hai held the token and tapped it with his finger, and the vitality flowed in. In this way, as long as they encountered life-threatening situations in the Wanling Valley, they could crush it, and the vitality in the token would protect them. The stream of light that rushed into their bodies was a signal. After the token was crushed, the instructors would take them out of the Wanling Valley. To put it bluntly, it was for safety reasons.

Although the contestants all secretly vowed to work hard to make a name for themselves, many of them still did not dare to work hard.

As for what the young teacher does, it is to record. They will compare the strength when entering and leaving the Ten Thousand Spirits Valley based on the accurate records of the spirit stones. As long as the strength improves fast enough, even if they are eliminated, they still have a chance to be admitted.

The competition is arranged by the Great Xia Dynasty, and the faculty of Ningshen Academy will be responsible for recruiting students. They have the final right of interpretation, and no one dares to say no!

The sun was shining brightly, making people feel hot even in winter. Finally, when Shu Shuang stepped off the platform, it was Xia Xiao's turn to go on stage. He held the token and stepped onto the steps.

The nine steps were heavier and heavier, and Xia Xiao's legs felt like they were tied with lead. When all the spiritual stones in the center of the platform appeared in his eyes, the bitterness in Xia Xiao's memory came flooding out.

Looking back, Xia Xiao looked at Su Huan, who had a pretty and cold face. Now they were only a few dozen meters away, and Xia Xiao really wanted to ask, if I didn't have any vitality fluctuations now, would you still hold an umbrella for me?

Su Huan's expression was never vivid, and this time was no exception. She raised her chin to Xia Xiao and told him to hurry up.

Although it was only a quick glance, which took less than two seconds, the Minister of Rites still became anxious. He lowered his head and said in a low voice:

"Xia Xiao, hurry up!"

Xia Xiao felt as if a huge rock was pressing on his heart, and his face turned a little cold. However, as he walked in front of the low table, he still bowed respectfully and handed over the token with both hands.

From the beginning till now, Fang Hai had never looked up at anyone, but now he was looking at Xia Xiao.

This feeling was a bit strange, and he was a bit flattered, but Xia Xiao was still calm, smiling and nodding his chin. Fang Hai's serious face showed a hint of smile, and he glanced at Lingshi and motioned Xia Xiao to come over.

Xia Xiao nodded again and walked over. He asked himself if he had a strong mental quality, but he couldn't help but get excited. He had forgotten how many times he had stood in front of the spirit stone. Was it the 300th time? Or the 400th time? In fact, it had been more than 600 times, but Xia Xiao didn't expect that he had never felt so resolute.

Raising his wrist and head, Xia Xiao was in a state of confusion. The last time he touched the spirit stone, he was much shorter than he is now, and could only touch the lower corner, but now his palm was open, and he was touching the smooth surface of the spirit stone. This part had been touched by many people, and it was a little warm at this time, but Xia Xiao still shuddered.

His eyes were determined, his lips were pursed, his eyes were closed, and his rapid breathing showed his excitement.

What was normal in the eyes of others, Xia Xiao thought was as sacred as worshipping a god. No one could understand his mood at this moment, because no one had such a rough life as he did. If the spirit stone could talk, Xia Xiao really wanted to have a good talk with it, telling it about the hope he had every time he met it, and the cruel reality afterwards.

Soon, the dark black spirit stone began to vibrate, and a dark yellow light flashed from it. Xia Xiao's thoughts were not here, and he let it absorb his vitality.

Lingshi, Lingshi, you are the best proof. Tell everyone that I am no longer the same person I was before. The injustice suffered by my Xia family should not be kept in my heart! I, Xia Xiao, am back!

Bang--

There was a stir of vital energy, a beam of light rose into the sky, and a wave of wind and waves rose on the platform, heading towards the square, surprising many contestants.

Si Ying, who was standing in the first row, saw this and his face turned the most livid. He was in the middle stage of the young age of the Venerable Realm. The spirit stone showed only a ball of blazing flames without any sound. Xia Xiao was not in the middle stage of the Condensation Seed Realm? How could he cause such a commotion?

His robe was lifted by the wind, and Si Ying's eyes were filled with blazing vitality. When he saw the light column on the spirit stone, his brows were furrowed. This vitality was indeed just a seed, and had not yet reached the realm of nobility, but why was it so strange? And the green vitality in it was growing wildly like bamboo shoots after rain, rushing from the platform, presenting an illusory towering tree.

The big tree stretched out its thick branches, and its leaves were lush and full of vitality. Soon it covered the entire square and even the entire mountain!

Fang Hai's scalp tingled and he stood up.

"As expected of someone who has come from afar! As expected of someone who has come from afar!"

As he murmured, an uncontrollable smile broke out on Fang Hai's stiff and serious face.

Everyone in the audience looked surprised and raised their heads high, except Shu Shuang. She had already known everything, and now looking at Xia Xiao's back, her little face was full of pride and incomparable happiness.

Xia Xiao didn't know what happened yet, he was just depressed, when his hand left the spirit stone, the tree between heaven and earth disappeared. The green air was as illusory as a mirage.

If it happened elsewhere, people might think it was an illusion, but who would dare to act rashly in front of Fang Hai? Moreover, there were only four of those spirit stones in the world, and they had never been wrong, so the scene at this moment could not be fake. But Xia Xiao's strength was only at the seed level, so why was there a towering tree? Could it be that he had the power of the wood element in his body? Even if he did, a spirit stone that tested strength should not show such a scene.

When everyone was puzzled, they all waited for Fang Hai to give an answer. The latter held the token and waited for Xia Xiao to come.

Xia Xiao stretched out his hands, took the token, and listened to Fang Hai:

"Go back and prepare well."

Xia Xiao was a little surprised. He looked at him and nodded very seriously.

"Thank you for the warning, senior!"

Xia Xiao walked off the stage and felt strange when he saw everyone looking at him. These people were so narrow-minded. Fang Hai just said a few words to him, but they stared at him like this?

Xia Xiao still found out something and walked over to Shu Shuang. After Shu Shuang told him the whole situation, Xia Xiao was not too surprised, but just said:

"Jumang is about to wake up!"