Desolate Devouring Art

The elders knew the exact number of Black Beetles. Xia Ru had raised the swarm herself, and they had all verified the count.

Grim looks settled over those whose answers were a little above 200,000. Only 8,000 participants could advance. Nearly half would have to leave.

"Holy shit! I guessed three hundred thousand! I didn't think I'd get anywhere near Brother Long's answer!" Most applicants had turned to guesswork when their soul energy could no longer sustain the count. Luck would now decide their fate.

"I had 310,000, then changed it to 210,000!" Some rejoiced over their figures, while others despaired at the difference between their estimates and Long Yuanxiong's.

Cheers and dismayed cries mingled across the platform.

"If your name disappears, leave the ring," Elder Kong announced. Names began fading from the projection overhead. With each erasure, the corresponding token dimmed, and disappointed applicants filed out.

Many high-level Divine Immortals numbered among the failures. Accepting the result proved harder than leaving the ring.

"Damn it! He's only at the Profound Immortal Realm. How could his guess be that accurate?" the eliminated Divine Immortals demanded, swinging their fists in frustration. They could not stomach losing to a mere Profound Immortal.

"Then whose answer is closer?" people asked.

Once the eliminated applicants had departed, only eight thousand remained inside the ring, leaving wide gaps between them as spectators crowded around the perimeter. Everyone awaited the answer to the same question. Had Liu Wuxie or Long Yuanxiong counted correctly? Only a single beetle separated their totals.

The surviving names on the projection offered one certainty. The true count of Black Beetles was around 300,000.

"With a guess that accurate, Long Yuanxiong has certainly earned his reputation as the Long Clan's finest prodigy in the past ten thousand years," Cao Qizheng remarked, nodding with extravagant approval.

Decline had not stripped the Long Clan of its deep foundations. It had once ranked as a superpower, only to fall after its ancestor had vanished. Its former standing had never returned.

"What matters most is that his answer is perfectly accurate. There's nothing ordinary about Long Yuanxiong," Yan Yongwen added, joining Cao Qizheng's praise. The other elders nodded, equally impressed.

"A pinnacle Golden Immortal giving a perfect answer is hardly surprising. Liu Wuxie interests me more. His count differs by only one. Could he really have arrived at it through a random guess?" Xu Rui asked.

Long Yuanxiong's talent was beyond dispute. Liu Wuxie's answer was the one they struggled to explain.

"It has to be a guess," Yan Yongwen insisted. He could not believe that a mere Profound Immortal had accurately counted more than three hundred thousand Black Beetles moving at such extraordinary speed.

Parts of their conversation reached the applicants below. Everyone was still waiting for the Azure Jade Palace to announce the official total and name the winner of the second trial.

More and more people believed that Liu Wuxie had been just lucky to guess correctly. Even among the ten elders, more than half believed he had simply guessed well. He had finished in ten breaths, long before Long Yuanxiong.

"Here is the correct answer," Elder Kong declared, ending the discussion. Speculation would accomplish nothing more. At his beckoning gesture, a string of numbers appeared in the sky.

Excitement erupted as the crowd read the figure. "300,070! Long Yuanxiong got it exactly right!"

Many hurried forward to praise him. "Congratulations, Brother Long!"

Long Yuanxiong accepted the flattery with a nod, his expression barely changing.

"Wait. We may need to revise that answer," Xia Ru interjected, bringing the celebration to an abrupt halt.

The other nine Immortal Venerables looked toward her in bewilderment. Had their own count been wrong? Giving an incorrect answer would expose them to ridicule and shake the crowd's confidence in the Azure Jade Palace.

Xia Ru did not lower her voice. She clearly intended those below to hear her.

"One of the Black Beetles produced a young one just moments ago. The total is now 300,071," she explained. A wave of her hand changed the number overhead, making it identical to Liu Wuxie's answer.

She perceived everything inside the bottle. As an Immortal Venerable, she needed only a single breath to count every Black Beetle it held.

The gathering erupted. "But..." Those who had failed, those who had passed, and elders accompanying their juniors stared at the revised figure in astonishment.

Even the surrounding Immortal Kings could make no sense of it. "How could he know? Can he see the future? Elder Xia said the young Black Beetle was only just born. He must have counted it before it even appeared!"

Jealousy did not fuel their disbelief. They genuinely could not understand how a mere Profound Immortal had accomplished such a feat. The people praising Long Yuanxiong fell silent, their eyes drifting involuntarily toward Liu Wuxie.

"Elder Xia Ru, are you sure there's no mistake?" Cao Qizheng asked, his brow creasing.

"You doubt me?" Xia Ru demanded, her gaze turning cold and her aura at the Immortal Venerable Realm surging into the sky.

"Not at all!" Cao Qizheng replied, hastily retreating before her authority.

Everyone below saw the exchange. With the official total now standing at 300,071, Liu Wuxie had become the undisputed winner of the second trial.

"Congratulations, Brother Liu!" Huang Zechang said, unable to hide his delight. He was the only person who offered Liu Wuxie his congratulations.

The result did not affect Liu Wuxie's composure. Either answer would have carried him into the next trial. To him, the distinction mattered little.

From above, the ten elders studied his face. Nothing had changed. He remained as composed as he had been from the beginning.

"An excellent temperament. His cultivation is low, but his talents are first-rate in every other respect. If the next test reveals five immortal roots, his potential will be no less than Long Yuanxiong's," Xu Rui remarked with approval. She was likely witnessing the greatest prodigy she had ever encountered.

Despite his low cultivation, Liu Wuxie had delivered a performance that almost no one present could match.

Conversation swelled as curiosity about him took hold. Ninety-nine percent of the cultivators had arrived with family elders or companions. Liu Wuxie had come alone.

"The third trial begins now. It will select five thousand people," Elder Kong announced. He put away the crystal sheet, and the projection disappeared.

The chatter subsided. All eight thousand remaining applicants steadied themselves for what came next.

Elder Kong waved his hand. A massive monument descended from the sky and came to rest at the center of the platform.

"What is that thing?" many participants asked, staring in confusion.

Roughly five meters tall, the peculiar monument bore no engravings. Clearly, the third trial was not intended to test strength. What else could it measure?

"This is the Immortal Spirit Monument. It will test your immortal roots. Three or more immortal roots will pass, while those with fewer than three will be eliminated," Elder Kong explained. The test itself was simple. It measured the number of immortal roots each applicant possessed.

A greater number of immortal roots meant greater potential. Regardless of present cultivation, anyone with only one or two could never progress beyond the Golden Immortal Realm.

Unease spread across many participants' faces.

"Form a queue. We'll begin the test now," Elder Kong instructed, descending from the sky. The other nine elders followed him down to observe the monument.

The eight thousand participants quickly lined up. Because Liu Wuxie had been the first to retreat to the perimeter during the second trial, he now stood at the very back.

The applicant at the front could barely restrain his eagerness. "Let me start!" He lifted a fist to punch the Immortal Spirit Monument, only for Elder Kong to stop him.

"Channel your immortal energy into it. You're not here to test your physical strength," Elder Kong clarified, prompting laughter from the spectators. Had that fist struck, it would have shattered the Immortal Spirit Monument.

The applicant smiled in embarrassment. Gathering immortal energy into his hand, he carefully rested his palm on the Immortal Spirit Monument.

Runes awakened across its surface as his energy entered. The first appeared, followed by a second, a third, and a fourth. The number stopped there.

"With four immortal roots, you pass," Elder Kong declared.

The testing soon settled into a brisk rhythm. The first applicant stepped away, and the second immediately took his place.

"Two immortal roots, below the requirement. Eliminated!"

"Five immortal roots, a pass!"

......

"Only one immortal root. Eliminated!" The line moved rapidly. Those who failed left the ring in frustration and disappointment. This assessment scarcely resembled those of earlier years.

In a little under an hour, more than half the applicants had undergone the immortal roots test. Only 2,000 had passed.

"Six immortal roots. Pass!"

The ninth-level Divine Immortal's result stirred the crowd. Gaining even one additional immortal root was extraordinarily difficult, and five formed a major threshold. Ninety-nine percent of cultivators in the Celestial Realm fell below it. Those who exceeded five immortal roots belonged among the exceptional prodigies.

An incense stick's worth of time passed before a Golden Immortal approached and sent his immortal energy into the Immortal Spirit Monument.

"With seven immortal roots, you pass!" Elder Kong announced. Satisfaction showed on his face as he examined the glowing runes. Seven immortal roots offered a 70% chance of attaining the Immortal Venerable Realm, provided the cultivator did not falter along the way.

The second Golden Immortal stepped forward next and likewise revealed seven immortal roots. The third revealed six.

As the queue steadily shortened, Long Yuanxiong’s turn drew closer.

Speculation spread through the spectators as the line advanced. "What do you think Long Yuanxiong's count will be?"

"Eight at the very least," an Immortal King replied.

Eight immortal roots bestowed the potential to attain the Immortal Regnant Realm. Reaching the Immortal Emperor Realm, however, required at least ten.