"Dear, wait here for a while. Mommy is going outside for a little while."
A woman dressed in white and gold robes spoke to a child. Her face was not visible, yet her presence was marked by simplicity and elegance. After finishing her words, she turned away and moved in the opposite direction. As the child watched his mother depart, he cried out for her, but she did not turn back, continuing to walk forward.
The child kept calling out to her.
"Mother... Mother..."
As the child's voice continued to echo, Su Lin suddenly awoke from his unconscious state.
Looking at his sweat-soaked body, he realized it had all been just a dream.
When he looked around at his surroundings and saw his pathetic state, he remembered everything that had happened before he lost consciousness. A surge of emotion filled his body.
"No... No! This can't be!
I... I failed?
After everything... after everything I've endured... I still failed?
That girl...
Because of you... because of you, I lost everything!
I swear... I will never forgive you! Never!
Aaaaaahhh!" As Su Lin descended into a maddened state over his failure, his furious screams echoed throughout the room. He clenched his teeth so hard that they nearly cracked, while his fists tightened until his nails dug into his palms.
A look of overwhelming frustration twisted his face.
It was the frustration of someone who had watched the fruit of countless hardships and blood-soaked efforts be snatched away just as it was within reach.
"Stop barking like a mad dog in my medical palace."
A cold, indifferent voice suddenly echoed through the room. When Su Lin heard the voice in his maddened, angry state, he looked in its direction. When he saw who it was, he found a middle-aged woman dressed in light green robes looking at him with an arrogant air. She held a fan in one hand. She could not be considered an absolute beauty, but she was by no means below average.
"Do you look at everyone with the same gaze, even they saved your life?" After hearing the woman's words, Su Lin understood what had happened after he lost consciousness. He then stood up and bowed to the woman in a respectful manner.
"Thank you, Senior, for healing my wounds." When Su Lin thanked the woman, she did not pay much attention to him and called out toward the outside of the room. After that, a disciple came in from outside and stood before the woman in a respectful manner.
"Take this child to the selection grounds and tell Elder Sima Tai that he may continue with the test."
When the disciple heard the woman's words, he bowed respectfully toward her and led Su Lin outside the room. After that, he grabbed Su Lin and stepped onto his flying sword. Because he was carrying Su Lin, he neither flew too fast nor too high.
While Su Lin was in the air, he remembered how the flying bubble had brought him to this unfamiliar place. Right now, he did not know how far he had come, nor did he know where the imperial capital, where he had taken his examination, was located.
After a moment of hesitation, he looked at the disciple's face and spoke in a respectful voice,
"Senior Brother, may I ask you something?"
When the disciple nodded his head, Su Lin spoke in a calm voice,
"What happened after I lost consciousness?"
"Nothing. You were simply brought to the medical palace for treatment. Right now, the third test is about to begin." When Su Lin heard the young man's words, it felt as though a bolt of lightning had struck his mind. He had never imagined that while he was unconscious, the second test would have already ended, leaving him without even a chance to prove his worth.
While Su Lin was still in shock, they arrived at the place where the third test was about to begin. As soon as he reached the area, every candidate looked at him with sympathy, while some did not even spare him a glance.
"Go and stand in the line of the unselected candidates." Elder Sima Tai's voice reached Su Lin's ears. When he looked toward the elder, he saw that Sima Tai had merely spoken those words without even glancing at him, his expression remaining completely indifferent.
After Su Lin found a place for himself, he began looking around. He saw Chen Hao standing with the others who had passed the test. He also saw the girl who had pushed him. The moment his eyes fell on her, hatred surged within him, and his bloodshot eyes took on a shade of Autumn.
"Listen, everyone. We will now examine your talent for cultivation. Those who do not possess the talent for cultivation will be eliminated.
All unselected candidates will have their talent examined by me. As for the selected candidates, your talents will be examined later." Elder Sima Tai's cold voice echoed through everyone's ears. After some time, a straight line was formed, with Su Lin standing at the very end. From where he stood, he could not hear what the elder was saying clearly; he could only watch silently.
One by one, the candidates stepped forward to take the test. Around a hundred of them had already been examined, but only about thirty managed to pass.
As Su Lin watched Elder Sima Tai examine each candidate's talent, he could not understand what the elder was doing. Elder Sima Tai would place his hand on each candidate's abdomen and close his eyes for a brief moment. After that, he would simply declare whether the candidate was worthy or not.
When it was Su Lin's turn, he stood before Elder Sima Tai and looked at him. The elder paused for a moment before continuing with the examination.
When Elder Sima Tai placed his hand on Su Lin's abdomen and closed his eyes, Su Lin sensed a cold, chilling aura enter his body. It moved throughout his body before returning to where it had come from.
As Su Lin felt this chilling aura, he remembered that he had experienced it once before, but this time it was far stronger.
Before Su Lin could think further, Elder Sima Tai straightened his back and fixed his gaze on Su Lin. At that moment, Su Lin's heart was filled with an overwhelming sense of unease, as though it were about to burst apart.
"No talent for cultivation. You may leave now." When Su Lin heard those words, the emotions that had been building in his heart completely overwhelmed his sanity. An indescribable bitterness spread throughout his entire body.
Just as he was about to say something, a familiar voice reached his ears. When he looked toward it, he saw that it was Chen Hao.
"Elder, he is my brother. May I speak with him for a moment, please?" When Elder Sima Tai saw that Chen Hao was one of the selected youths, he gave him a long look before nodding in approval.
After that, Chen Hao brought Su Lin to his side and told him everything that had happened after he fell unconscious. When Su Lin heard the words spoken by Elder Sima Tai and the hua lan while he had been unconscious, he was filled with sympathy for himself and immense bitterness.
"I'm very sorry, Brother Li. I couldn't help you at that time."
"No, Brother Chen. It wasn't your fault. You don't need to apologize. The one who should be apologizing is someone else."
After telling Chen Hao that he had done everything he could, Su Lin turned his gaze toward Hua Lan. His eyes were filled with undisguised hatred.
When Hua Lan saw Su Lin's reaction, a glint flashed across her eyes. She walked toward him, stopped in front of him, and spoke in an arrogant voice,
"What are you looking at?
Elder already said that it was not my mistake. What I did was not wrong. If you want to show those eyes to someone, go and find the elder." When Su Lin heard those words, he felt the same feeling he had experienced before. It was the same tone he had heard from Feng Yin.
He took one last look at Hua Lan before turning around and walking toward the place where the eliminated candidates stood. However, on the way, he spoke in a calm voice,
"Your name is Hua Lan right, I am Su Lin. You may not know this, but the last time someone used the same tone as you while doing something wrong to me, I made a promise to him.
And that promise will be the same for you.
One day... you will pay for what you did today."
When Hua Lan heard those words, she shuddered for a moment. However, she quickly regained her arrogant expression.
"A dog who does not know the difference between heaven and earth." After saying those words, she turned around and returned to her place.
When Su Lin heard those words, the veins on his body bulged, clearly visible on his face. Despite that he bury his anger deep within his heart, and continued moving forward.