The next morning, Ye Pianpian came to pick me up and bring me to the Metaphysics Association. Since it involved the secrets of cultivation and I had to stay at the Metaphysics Association to absorb star power from the obsidian stone after the test, I couldn't leave for a short period of time. Thus, the fatty couldn't go with me and could only stay in the small courtyard to wait for my news.
Because of what Ye Pianpian had told me yesterday, I was rather relaxed along the way. However, when I arrived at the venue where the Metaphysics Association would test for the five elements, I couldn't relax anymore — — A dense crowd of people had gathered at the venue. The people from the various metaphysical worlds who had been watching the competition hadn't left. Together with the people from the Metaphysics Association's headquarters, the small venue was filled to the brim.
After today, everyone's attention was focused on me.
I was a little puzzled. As I walked inside, I asked Ye Pianpian, "The five elements aren't that important. Why are there so many people here to watch the show?"
Ye Pianpian also glanced at the crowd with some confusion. She turned her head and explained, "I think those people from the metaphysical families haven't had time to leave yet. You were previously gifted with four meridians, so it's normal for these people to stare at you now."
I nodded and didn't say anything else. I walked to the center of the venue where Han Wennan, Zhang Kunlun and a dozen other people were already waiting.
Ye Pianpian had previously mentioned that the Metaphysics Association would give out obsidian stones once every three months. These people should be all the candidates to break through to the Glory of Knowledge realm.
Nine of them were people he had met in the previous competition, and the remaining few were unfamiliar faces.
After I walked over, the people I knew all greeted me. After I returned their greetings, I asked Han Wennan how his injuries were yesterday. He grinned and said in a low, muffled voice, "I'm fine."
While we were chatting, President Gu brought a group of people from the Metaphysics Association to the venue. After briefly explaining the five elements test today, he called someone from behind and said that he would be in charge of the five elements test.
I looked up. This person was an old acquaintance. He was Chao Cuo, who had come to pick us up with Yang Shilong when I had first arrived in the capital.
At that time, I had only paid attention to him because of Yang Shilong's respectful attitude towards him. I didn't expect to meet him again today.
Chao Cuo was a middle-aged man with a thin face. After he walked over, he didn't say much. He just put a box in his hand on the table and carefully took out a foot-long humanoid statue.
The statue was completely black, and its design was simple and crude. One could only see the various parts of the human body, and everything else was blurry. Only the eyes on the head seemed to be embedded with two transparent pearls. They looked very beautiful and overflowing with color.
After putting the statue down, Chao Cuo still didn't say anything. Instead, he sat cross-legged under the statue, pressed his left hand on the statue, and chanted a mysterious incantation.
She didn't know what he was doing, but judging from his posture, it was obvious that he wouldn't stop anytime soon.
Zhang Kunlun, who was standing to my right, was the first to speak. "The ancient magic has been lost for a long time. Only the Great Chao Clan's Five Elements Testing Technique has been passed down. I've yearned for it for a long time, but it's a pity that the Great Chao Clan's technique has never been passed down to outsiders. Those without the Great Chao Clan's bloodline are unable to study it. It's a pity."
As soon as he finished talking, Han Wennan chimed in, "Ancient witchcraft techniques emphasize the most on bloodline inheritance. Moreover, they're very different from the techniques of the future. Even if you find a chance to study them, I'm afraid you won't be able to benefit from them. It'll just be a waste of time."
Zhang Kunlun smiled and said, "I'm just studying them out of interest. It's not important whether I can benefit from them or not."
The two of them were strange. Yesterday, they had fought to the death in the arena, but they weren't polite to each other. However, as soon as they got out of the arena, their relationship returned to normal. There was no ill feeling between them.
I was interested in their conversation. I couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean by ancient witchcraft and the Great Chao Clan?"
Zhang Kunlun smiled and pointed at Chao Cuo. "In this world, only the Chao Clan, where Chao Cuo comes from, can test for the five elements. This Chao Clan is the descendant of the Great Chao Clan, one of the Three Sovereigns. When they test for the five elements, they use the ancient witchcraft techniques that have been passed down from ancient times.
However, these ancient witchcraft techniques have been lost. Only the Chao Clan's method to test for the five elements talent has been passed down. "
His words opened my eyes. Everybody knew that Chinese characters originated from the oracle bones. Before the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, there were no written records. There were only legends. I didn't expect that there were ancient witchcraft techniques at that time. No wonder Zhang Kunlun sighed and wanted to find a chance to study them. I couldn't help but feel interested. I hurried to look at Chao Cuo's statue. I wanted to see if there was anything magical about this ancient witchcraft technique.
However, after studying for a long time, I couldn't find anything. Chao Cuo kept mumbling something, but the statue didn't look any different.
"Thump!"
After a few minutes, Chao Cuo finished chanting the last syllable. He suddenly stood up from the ground and turned to tell us, "Everyone, line up and place your hand on the statue in order to be tested for your innate talents of the five elements."
After he said that, he moved to the back and made space for the statue.
I naturally didn't have any intention of going up. Han Wennan and Zhang Kunlun also stood there without moving. Chen Yadong from the Hui Zhou Chen family, whom I had defeated in the first round, was the first to walk up. Without any hesitation, he placed his hand on the statue.
In an instant, the colorless pearl in the statue's eyes was dyed with a layer of blood red. It emitted a bright red light, making it look very beautiful.
The Metaphysics Association member who was in charge of recording said expressionlessly, "Chen Yadong, fire element talent."
Even though he only had one talent, after Chen Yadong withdrew his hand, his face was filled with excitement and he retreated to the side.
Zhang Kunlun seemed to be acquainted with Chen Yadong. He chuckled and said, "This kid is really lucky. This time, the Fire Obsidian Stones are of excellent quality. Just one Fire Obsidian Stone alone is enough to absorb star force."
Following his words, the second person walked up. It was Zou Yu from the Metaphysics Association. That brat was obviously nervous. After he walked up, his face was tense. After taking a deep breath, he placed his hand on the statue.
There was another flash of light. This time, the eyes of the statue revealed black and gold colors. It was obvious that Zou Yu had two of the five elemental talents. One was gold and the other was water.
It was a good thing to have two talents, but it was a pity that Zou Yu was ranked last in the competition and could only receive one Blazing Stone. Moreover, it didn't match his talent and had to be replaced. Thus, his expression was much worse than Chen Yadong's. He walked down with a gloomy expression.
Following that, everyone went up to be tested. Almost all of them had one element. Only two or three people had two elements. However, these people were all from the Metaphysics family, so they weren't as depressed as Zou Yu. Instead, they were pleasantly surprised.
The examination ceremony had been relatively peaceful until Zhang Kunlun went over to take the examination. Only then did it cause quite a commotion. After he placed his hand on the statue, the eyes of the statue shone with three colors: red, green, and yellow. This meant that he had the talent of fire, wood, and earth.
There was a clamor in the hall as the audience gasped in surprise.
It was extremely rare to have three elemental talents. In recent years, only Ye Pianpian had done it once. However, Ye Pianpian had three meridians while Zhang Kunlun had only opened two meridians and two apertures. From the apertures, the probability of him awakening three elemental talents was much lower than Ye Pianpian's. It wasn't surprising that the audience was surprised.
Zhang Kunlun, on the other hand, was calm. He grinned and walked down.
At that moment, only Han Wennan and I were left. Before I could move, Han Wennan walked over and placed his hands on the statue.
Very quickly, the statue's eyes emitted a red light. This meant that Han Wennan only had one of the five elements. He wasn't dispirited. Instead, he grinned and nodded at me, gesturing for me to go over.
After what Ye Pianpian had said yesterday, I wasn't nervous. I smiled and walked over.
Following my actions, everyone in the hall quietened down and focused their gazes on me.