Two hours passed.
The willpower test had sped up and it was finally the female trainees’ turn.
“Listen up!”
Niu Hechuan’s copper bell-like eyes showed a hint of impatience. “Everyone, neaten your hair.”
“When you enter the laboratory, you must show the epaulettes for the willpower test. That’s the name code on your shoulders.”
“Otherwise, the results would be rendered invalid.”
“And you will have to take the test again.”
There were less female trainees than male, only slightly more than a hundred.
They were mostly young or middle-aged females.
A young female like Jiang Lulu seemed to stand out from the crowd. There was no way to hide her youthfulness.
She was fifth in line.
There were four others before her.
“Willpower test.”
Jiang Lulu had always been curious about this. How did they measure the specific intensity of something intangible like willpower?
It was so interesting.
When she entered the laboratory, she must observe carefully.
“Go in.”
Soon it was Jiang Lulu’s turn. The chief instructor Niu Hechuan instructed her to enter in a serious tone of voice and a blank expression on his face.
“╭(╯^╰)╮”
Jiang Lulu levitated right away. She turned her head and flicked her red hair back. Like wind, she turned the back of her head to Niu Hechuan.
Niu Hechuan nodded secretly to himself.
She was extremely courageous and had a temper. He liked stubborn trainees like her.
That’s right…
Only trainees like her…
He could set his mind at ease when fighting and scolding them. There was no need to worry about crushing their self-confidence, and there was less to worry about. They would presumably be able to withstand high-intensity special training too.
Glancing at Jiang Lulu’s shoulder, Niu Hechuan committed her name to his memory: Jiang Lulu.
Swoosh!
After entering the laboratory and listening to the tester’s routine explanation, Jiang Lulu jumped onto the circular stage.
“What is that?”
Her eyes were shining as she stared at the box.
No one, except Tang Hong, had seen a god before.
“I wish to open the box.”
With that thought, Jiang Lulu bounced past the light-colored area all the way to the golden area. That was when her expression became slightly serious.
She felt inexplicably oppressed.
Something whispered sacred syllables in her ear!
Most people were afraid of, unaccepting of and unwilling to get near to the unknown. But Jiang Lulu was different. The girl’s curiosity began to swell infinitely and she immediately clenched her small fist.
She took a step forward.
She actually stepped into the golden red inner circle area!
“Attackkkkk!”
“I, Jiang Lulu, am going to counterattack today!”
After many more steps forward, she couldn’t walk anymore. Deep regret immediately appeared in her big black eyes.
The truth was that Jiang Lulu had watched too many western fantasy movies. She subconsciously thought that the box was a treasure protected by an evil dragon.
On other side of the circular stage.
The staff members looked up in shock. “The sixth person to reach golden red? It turns out to be a female?”
“She is only eight steps away!”
“This special training camp is interesting. There are six trainees who reached the golden red zone. Three are just a few steps away from the box. The ones who are just a few steps away from the box are closer to being Transcendent than the others.”
Perhaps.
Before graduation.
All three would be able to break the limit of willpower.
One should know that a few years ago, if even just one Transcendent was born here before the completion of each special training camp, it was already a joyous event worth celebrating.
And now.
As the current Transcendents became more aware of the mystery of willpower, with the refining and wide application of divine objects, as the training methods became more and more standardized and effective, breaking the limit of willpower or even becoming Transcendents before graduation was no longer such a monumental occurrence.
As long as the willpower reaches the standard, the special training camp would provide resources to help one become a Transcendent.
“The average level for this batch is pretty high.”
After testing the willpower of all the trainees who entered the camp, the testers were exhausted. They simply leaned against the circular stage to chat.
What did the golden red color symbolize? It symbolized the advantage of entering the camp.
Some people made full use of the opportunity, others did not.
No matter how excellent the golden red candidate was, there were always those who did well later on and rose up. After all, there was no step-by-step method to improve willpower. For those with high potential, it was never too late to start.
“Yeah, this is not a cultivation type online game.”
“There were two golden reds in the last session. They probably watched too many online movies. They thought that getting to golden red was equivalent to having extraordinary aptitude. Furthermore, they were complacent and kept saying that one day of training for a golden red was equivalent to three days for the rest. What kind of rubbish theory is that?”
“Don’t talk about those two. They didn’t end well. In the end, they almost didn’t graduate.”
A tester waved his hand, then turned around and looked at the box in the middle of the circular stage. He sat down. The box contained remnants of a regular god. The god was dead but they were still not qualified to move it.
They could only wait for the instructor to arrive.
At this moment.
Someone said, “The top three in the willpower test in this year are Xiao Ziyun, Tang Hong, and Jiang Lulu. The first two willpower scores are only slightly different. It seems that the result of this entry test is very interesting. Which one do you prefer?”
“Tang Hong. I’m envious of all his muscles.”
“The first place has been decided.” Someone next to him interrupted, “Xiao Ziyun has been honing his willpower since the beginning of the spring last year. Do you really think Xiao Ziyun is sickly and weak? Are the consultants in Guangnan so careless?”
——
The willpower test took a total of four hours and thirty minutes.
Compared with the golden box on the circular stage, the physical test was easier to understand. There was nothing strange about it.
Simply put.
The physical fitness assessment was easily understandable by all. There was no confusion.
It was clear at a glance who was stronger in which aspect and who had higher ratings. This simple comparison of quantitative data made it easier for people to understand why they lost and why they won.
“Flexibility.”
The top seed Xiao Ziyun held a measuring instrument expressionlessly to test the range of motion of the joints.
He had practiced for more than a year for this moment!
He expected to break the limit of willpower in three months. After that, with external help, he would spend another three months breaking the limit of the human body!
At this moment.
His fingers bent backwards to form a strange arc, likewise his elbows and knees. Ordinary people with higher flexibility could not exercise vigorously, but this does not include Xiao Ziyun, who was about to become Transcendent.
His estimate for himself: He would become a Transcendent before the end of the year.
“Tang Hong.”
“I hope you won’t disappoint me.” Xiao Ziyun seemed indifferent on the surface, but he was quite ambitious.
He looked at the test results of endurance. Tang Hong had finished the test. An unknown person was waiting in line. Xiao Ziyun retracted his gaze and concentrated on his own test.
“It’s my turn.”
Guo Bojun took a deep breath and stepped forward.
There was a rectangular step in front of them. A total of ten people were performing the monotonous movement of going up and down the steps at the same time. They continued this for three minutes and before their pulses were measured.
“What is mine?”
Guo Bojun stared at the simple instrument for measuring pulse rate.
The number jumped between 81 and 83.
“Damn it.”
“The standard for Excellent is within 55. The standard for good is within 75.” Guo Bojun immediately understood that he was only a little short of achieving a good standard for endurance.
He didn’t want to compete for ranking.
He couldn’t even if he wanted to.
But there was still a trace of annoyance in his heart.
“Haha, good.” Qian Xinxing’s low laughter sounded next to him. He was breathing hard as if venting.
Chief instructor Niu Hechuan used Qian Xinxing as a sacrificial lamb in front of 300 people to induce their awe and fear on the first day of camp. Qian Xinxing had been completely disgraced.
He stared at Guo Bojun. “Brother Jun, your result is not good.”
“It’s passable.”
Guo Bojun squeezed out a sorrowful smile and shook his head imperceptibly.
Qian Xinxing looked up to him and followed his lead. He seemed to have changed overnight.
Could the blow be too much?
As he was thinking about it, he heard surprised shouts from nearby!
“Tang Hong.”
Guo Bojun stood on tiptoe and looked over. He faintly heard shocked exclamations of Tang Hong’s name from the crowd.
It should be mercury.
Guo Bojun observed for some time and came to this conclusion. He had taken a thermometer apart before and was rather familiar with mercury.
Hua!
That mercury glass door slowly opened, revealing a laboratory with a gold brilliance but more could not be seen.
The laboratory was huge, this door was only a side door.
“Xiao Ziyun, you’re first.”
Niu Hechuan gestured for Xiao Ziyun to enter the laboratory. That double-layer mercury glass door that was full of sci-fi color slowly closed.
The passageway
fell into deep silence.
People who stood at the front and personally watched this door naturally didn’t dare to speak aloud. The silent atmosphere spread, causing people behind who could not see the huge mercury doors to not dare to speak without permission.
‘Mercury.’
‘It’s being used to prevent leakage of gods’ divine breaths?’
Tang Hong’s thoughts diverged. According to his understanding, the so-called gods’ divine breaths could be the gods’ breaths or auras.
Just like bubbles that fish blow.
In this case.
A vivid image of a goldfish swimming to the water surface with great effort and blowing out bubbles emerged in his mind. “I’ve probably thought wrong.”
Tang Hong closed his eyes and cleared his mind, dispelling the distracting thoughts.
Before his eyes.
Urgently awaiting completion was the entrance test.
‘Strength has been added.’
‘My willpower figure has gone up by 10%.’
If he fails, he would not have any regrets. His top priority was to figure out as quickly as possible how to effectively alleviate his headaches.
According to his current deduction, it was probable that raising strength could weaken the pressure on his nerves, but adding strength once again within such a short period… Tang Hong let out a breath and looked towards Niu Hechuan. He was worried that this transcendent would have inkling.
‘Two days later.’
‘Even if a huge change occurs, I can blame it on me being allergic to Transcendent food.’
Tang Hong pondered while lifting his head to look towards that mercury door.
Hua!
The huge mercury doors pulled open towards the two sides and Xiao Ziyun staggered out with a deathly pale face. When he walked past Tang Hong, he darted a glance at him with no expression.
The first place of the entrance test certainly belonged to him. This was a fated result.
“Tang Hong, go in.”
Niu Hechuan ordered in a low voice.
Hua!
As the mercury doors closed, Tang Hong strode quickly into the laboratory.
As he turned left, coming into sight was a circular platform that refracted rings of gold light. A bright gold chest was placed in the center of the circular platform.
The chest was opened with a narrow gap.
Tang Hong’s heart trembled. He was witnessing and feeling this once again. The flowing holy brilliance was suspended in the chest, unmoving, it was extremely stable.
It emitted an inexplicable enticement.
Only, the enticement was very weak, so faint that Tang Hong completely paid no heed to it.
“Tang Hong.”
Beside the circular platform, a person said loudly according to the computer screen, “Reveal the name label on your shoulder, now step onto the circular platform. Slowly move closer to the chest… the light colored ground is the super high standard for a normal human. Once you enter the pure gold area, it means that your willpower is outstanding, surpassing majority of your peers… The golden red area that is the closest to the chest is the standard for passing out whereby you are about to break through the limits of willpower.”
“You must not forcefully move forward.”
“It is already considered rather great if you can cross 90% of the light colored area, you’ll get a good grade.”
In this case, while current technology was lacking in the ability to measure willpower, they could do so through other methods.
For example, doing indirect measuring and calculations through a portion of the remains of the gods. “This is probably the remains of a regular god. Even consultants have to be careful when faced with dangerous gods, which are ranked above regular gods.”
Tang Hong’s guesses swirled around.
If he could touch the chest, it meant that he had broken through the limits of willpower and was qualified to resist the gods.
The inner circle of golden red that was the closest to the chest.
The pure gold of the middle section.
And the light colored area.
After going through them once in his heart, Tang Hong stepped onto the glossy circular platform and bowed his head.
One circle within another, the colors going from light to dark, they represented the levels of willpower.
He took one step.
He entered the light colored area.
“Eh?”
Tang Hong’s thoughts swirled and he continued to move forward. But doubts surfaced in his mind.
‘There’s no oppression at all!’
‘I can’t feel it at all!’
‘The outer circle is light colored, the middle section is pure gold and the innermost ring is golden red… all that they said about the light colored area is the normal human’s limits might be a lie.’
In the blink of an eye,
Tang Hong had passed through the light colored area.
His willpower percentage figure was 79%. Together with his element fist technique, Tang Hong believed that his senses were still quite clear.
The gods’ oppression indeed weren’t present.
It was just like walking on flat ground without any obstacles.
So.
They intentionally reminded trainees that going past the light colored area was already good performance so as to purposely create tension?
Tang Hong pondered as he passed through the gold section of the middle ring.
‘Perhaps it was just a hint.’
‘To create anticipation in advance and boost confidence.’
People who originally thought that they had no way of passing through the light colored area would certainly be brimming with confidence when they enter the gold area.
Building self-confidence!
The special training camp had truly gone to great pains. Tang Hong stepped into the golden red area, a rather familiar holy murmur entered his years.
It was not enticement.
This was eviction.
With strong willpower, Tang Hong only felt a soft breeze caressing his face. He soon passed a good half of the golden red area.
He was two meters away from the chest, he visually estimated that he only needed three steps.
At the same time, the staff members seated before the computer screen looked over in surprise. “Another one who’s reached golden red and is a few steps away?”
“It was already great when we had two to three golden reds with the past batches. And those that were only a few steps away in the golden red area were more rare.”
There was a huge difference between being in the ordinary golden red and being a few steps away in the golden red area.
The few staff members revealed looks of delight.
“Si!”
Tang Hong gnashed his teeth hard.
The evicting pressure had reached the maximum!
It was like sky-shaking tides striking Tang Hong’s brain without end. His body still had strength but his neural signals did not allow his body to moves. His entire body was stiff and could no longer move forward!
Suffocating!
Crisis!
Tang Hong really wanted to take another step forward, but there seemed to be a string pulled tightly in his mind. Even the slightest bit of external force would cause this string to immediately snap.
“I cannot advance rashly.”
Tang Hong suppressed his desire to move forward.
Knowing his limits and when to let go, he left the circular platform.
…
Outside of the laboratory, admitted trainees were lined up to take the test.
The queue was moving very slowly. It seemed that even an hour wouldn’t be enough, they might take more than two hours. Together with the female trainees who had yet to take the willpower test, Tang Hong wouldn’t find it strange if the entire process took four to five hours.
“I’ll go for a stroll outside.”
Tang Hong no longer squatted in a corner of the mercury passageway. Taking the elevator up, he walked out of the fourth building.
It was already night outside.
Specks of starlight filled the sky, it was a strangely tranquil atmosphere.
The comfortable night breeze blew, Tang Hong really enjoyed it and decided to close his eyes and sit down at the entrance of the fourth building.
After some time, the elevator hummed as it operated. The young man, Hua Yu, who had crouched beside the wall alone earlier, came to Tang Hong’s side.
“This starry sky is really beautiful.”
“With ourselves alone, when will we be able to head for the sea of stars and explore the dark universe?”
Hua Yu sighed with emotion, lost in a deep reverie.
But Tang Hong remained silent. Just the current invasion of gods from another dimension was enough to make it difficult for modern civilization to stride forward. Transcendents were even derived as a result but it remained unknown whether they would ultimately be able to repulse the gods.
According to what he knew——
Transcendents were in a very unfavorable situation!
But, when gazing at the starry sky, even the strongest creature would feel his insignificance and inferiority.
“Tang Hong.”
“You must have been a golden red in the willpower test earlier, right?”
Changing the topic, Hua Yu wore a bitter smile as a helpless and resigned look appeared on his face. “Unfortunately I stopped at the light colored area. Just like what the testing crew said, I stopped at the 90% mark of the light colored area.”