"Second Elder, are you being too greedy by wanting to keep such good talent all to yourself?"
Just as the Second Elder, Gao Shan Xiuyi, was contemplating how to recruit the man and woman into his service, an old man with a goatee beside him spoke up indifferently.
This man was named Okamura Yasuhira, the Third Elder of the Martial God Mountain, whose cultivation had reached the mid-stage of the God level.
"Indeed! Such monstrous talents are rare even once in a century. Second Elder, if you wish to take them under your wing, let us all rely on our own abilities!"
At this moment, the Fourth Elder, Inoue Masatsune, whose swordsmanship had reached the peak of mastery, also approached.
Not only that, but after Inoue Masatsune, all the other Elders, with the exception of the First Elder, Nogawa Sagami, focused their gazes on the pair of young individuals.
It was as if they were all observing rare treasures, their gazes burning with intensity.
"You... you all!"
Gao Shan Xiuyi's face instantly darkened as he saw everyone setting their sights on the couple.
At this point, his desire to claim them for himself had become unrealistic.
"Fine! Let's all rely on our own abilities then!"
Gao Shan Xiuyi snorted coldly and ceased to pay attention to the others.
Simultaneously, he dispelled his oppressive aura.
The time for fifteen minutes had elapsed, and the first round of the assessment was declared over.
"Go and tally the number of people who passed the first round of assessment!" Gao Shan Xiuyi commanded.
"Yes!"
As soon as the personnel for the tally left, Gao Shan Xiuyi transformed into an afterimage and vanished from his spot.
"Damn it! He's trying to get a head start!"
Seeing this, the faces of the other Elders stiffened. Without time to think further, they all soared into the air and rushed down the mountain.
At this moment, only the First Elder, Nogawa Sagami, remained on the vast observation platform.
She calmly watched the Elders rushing down the mountain one after another, appearing to have no interest whatsoever in the young couple they had been discussing.
However, beneath her blood-red veil, the corner of her lips curved into a slight arc. Even in the deepest part of her eyes, a barely perceptible hint of... slyness could be seen.
...
At the foot of the mountain, after Gao Shan Xiuyi released his oppressive aura, the vast majority of the examinees collapsed to the ground, their faces pale and looking utterly disheveled.
"It's over! My three years of effort have been in vain!"
"Damn! This oppressive aura is something that ordinary people cannot possibly resist! I, a B-class ninjutsu user, couldn't even endure it. This is too difficult."
"No! I think I saw a D-class ninjutsu user endure it earlier. This assessment should have nothing to do with strength!"
"Wh... what! Even a D-class can pass? You're not kidding me, are you?"
"It's true! Just now, there was someone like that beside me!"
"This..."
"..."
After the assessment concluded, most people wore expressions of unwillingness.
Especially after learning that people with weaker cultivation had passed the assessment, their mental states completely collapsed.
However, no matter how unwilling they were, and no matter how much resentment they harbored in their hearts, no one dared to question the fairness of this assessment.
This was because, in their hearts, the Martial God Mountain was an absolute sacred land. Any distrust towards it was an unforgivable blasphemy.
At this moment, as everyone had yet to emerge from the shadow of failure, their bodies suddenly stiffened, as if the sky above them had collapsed. An unprecedented sense of suffocation instantly tensed every nerve to its limit.
"Wh... what's happening? Has the second round of assessment begun?"
"Ah! My head hurts so much! It feels like many terrifying presences are approaching!"
"It's over! Could it be that someone here has violated a taboo of the Martial God Mountain, and people from the mountain have come!"
"God... God-level experts! This is definitely the pressure that only God-level experts can exude!"
"My heavens! Why have so many God-level experts descended upon this place?"
"..."
Just as everyone was racking their brains for an answer, the air in front of them seemed to be instantly evacuated. Several figures stood tall in the void, each radiating an extremely powerful aura.
Unrivaled!
"This... these are the Elders of the Martial God Mountain!"
Upon seeing the group before them, countless ninjutsu users' eyes widened in disbelief.
Among this group were, without exception, the Elders of the Martial God Mountain, a total of six individuals.
Second Elder, Gao Shan Xiuyi.
Third Elder, Okamura Yasuhira.
Fourth Elder, Inoue Masatsune.
...
Each of them was a renowned God-level expert.
But who could have imagined that the purpose of these people descending the mountain was for a pair of young individuals?
And at this moment, facing these sudden God-level experts, the pair of young people before them seemed somewhat stunned.
"Ye... Ye Ming, has our identity been exposed?"
Nangong Qianyu, seeing the fiery gazes of the group of old men fixed upon them, asked somewhat uncomfortably.
After much thought, she could only come up with this possibility as the reason for such a commotion.
"Impossible! With their strength, how could they see through my disguise?" Ye Ming shook his head repeatedly.
"Then... they..."
Hearing Ye Ming's reply, Nangong Qianyu didn't know what to say.
She carefully recalled, they hadn't done anything particularly attention-grabbing before.
"Don't think about it anymore! It's not..." Ye Ming said as he watched the Elders approaching them, "We'll know soon."
As expected, led by the Second Elder, the group of old men wore amiable smiles, as if they all wanted to leave a good impression on the couple.
This scene once again left Ye Ming bewildered.
Of course!
The onlookers were equally stunned!
Since when did God-level experts become so obsequious?
"Young man, may I ask your surname?"
Gao Shan Xiuyi opened his mouth, his tone so amiable that it had no bounds, devoid of any of the dignity expected of a God-level expert.
As soon as he spoke, the jaws of all the onlookers dropped to the ground, their eyeballs almost bulging out.
"Young girl! I see you have remarkable bones, making you a rare sword cultivation prodigy among tens of thousands. This is the culmination of my years of experience and insights. Today, fate has brought us together, so I shall bestow it upon you."
Inoue Masatsune, unlike Gao Shan Xiuyi, did not engage in unnecessary pleasantries. Instead, he directly began to offer a gift, seizing the initiative.
"Holy crap! You old rascal, I didn't expect you to be so cunning!"
Seeing this, the other five Elders rolled their eyes.
However, in order to have the couple join their ranks, they all cast aside their pride and revealed the benefits they were offering.
"Young man! This is a top-tier God-level cultivation technique! Practicing it will surely lead to a qualitative leap in your strength!"
"No! Young man! That old man's cultivation technique isn't suitable for you! What you need most is a suitable weapon. Fortunately, I've collected quite a few good weapons over the years. Old man, I'll take you to pick one!"
"Young girl! What do you think of this Bright Moon Pearl I have? It can delay skin aging and has the effect of nourishing beauty and extending life. If you like it, this old man will give it to you as a meeting gift!"
"..."
Seeing the pile of treasures radiating various colors before them.
"????" Ye Ming.
"????" Nangong Qianyu.
"????" Everyone.