Strongest War Emperor

When Shen Lang opened his eyes and took a look, his expression immediately darkened.

When other people placed their hands on the stone stele, all sorts of wondrous changes would occur, some even producing strange phenomena.

But when Shen Lang put his hand on it, the stele showed no reaction whatsoever!

"Hehe, the stele isn’t reacting at all. This kid is the first one!"

"Tsk, it’s my first time seeing the testing Demon Stone fail to show even the slightest reaction. To think someone with such poor aptitude wants to join the Profound Dao Sect, it’s just..."

Many people in the crowd started to snicker.

They were all competitors, so naturally, they were eager to see a large number of people eliminated in this first round.

Even those who had already been eliminated for their poor aptitude and lost the right to proceed to the second round seemed to find some comfort in Shen Lang’s performance.

There’s no such thing as the worst, only worse!

If you tested poorly here, you could still try your luck with other, smaller sects. But Shen Lang couldn’t even trigger the slightest reaction from the Demon Stone. With aptitude like that, no one would want him anywhere.

Zhang Tianyue and the two Elders exchanged glances and gave bitter smiles. "This young man has a decent air about him, and he even looks the part, carrying that single saber on his back. I didn’t expect his physique to be so poor. He’s completely unsuited for Martial Arts..."

Su Shi and Zhan Wuji stared at each other, stunned and speechless.

Along the way, they had come to see Shen Lang as a true friend and wanted to look out for him.

The problem was, aptitude was something you couldn’t help with, no matter how much you wanted to!

"Kicked out in the first round. Your friend is certainly... unpredictable," the woman in green couldn’t help but remark, though she had intended to stay silent.

Shen Lang himself was dumbfounded.

’Judging by the runes on it, this stele is used to test physical constitution and examine the nature of one’s Pill Sea Spiritual Power, among other things. I didn’t undo the Golden Needle Acupoint Cutting, and I even used a high-level Breath Concealing Technique to suppress my aura and compress my Pill Sea. Looks like I overdid it a little... Ah, whatever. If this doesn’t work, I’ll just have to crack the runes on this stele directly.’

Just as Shen Lang had this thought, the blue-robed disciple standing by the stele announced loudly, "Qi Martial Realm Fifth Heaven. Aptitude: inferior. Spiritual Power is impure and uneven, unsuitable for practicing Martial Arts. Although your physical strength is greater than that of a Martial Artist of the same level, your meridians are severely hardened and your Mystic Gates are blocked. No matter how you practice cultivation, they will be difficult to expand. You will find it hard to achieve anything in Martial Arts. Alright, step aside."

"No, no, no, there must be a mistake! Brother, please let me test one more time. Just once more is all I need," Shen Lang said loudly in a panic, his eyes wide.

The blue-robed disciple’s face filled with displeasure. "What nonsense are you spouting? The Profound Dao Sect’s testing Demon Stone comes from the Celestial Secret Mansion and must pass a strict inspection by the Artifact Refiner Guild before it can be used for recruiting disciples. How could it possibly be wrong? Also, don’t call me ’Brother.’ You’re not even in the Profound Dao Sect yet. Move aside immediately and stop holding things up... Next!"

As he spoke, the blue-robed disciple tilted his head slightly to the side, and two other blue-robed disciples immediately came forward. They grabbed Shen Lang by his arms, one on each side, and prepared to drag him away.

"Wait!" Zheng Donghong, who had already passed, suddenly stepped forward.

Zheng Donghong walked to Shen Lang’s side, pulled a sword-shaped Jade Token from his robes, and bowed towards Zhang Tianyue. "Sir, I have a Celestial Profound Order. According to the rules, I can bring one person into the Profound Dao Sect."

"A Celestial Profound Order? What’s that?" Zhan Wuji and the others around him were taken aback.

The woman in green chuckled lightly and explained, "The Celestial Profound Order is something the Profound Dao Sect created to thank its allies. A person holding one can ask the Profound Dao Sect for a favor, as long as it doesn’t harm the sect’s interests. That, of course, includes joining the sect. I’m not too clear on the specifics, though."

Zhang Tianyue reached out and took the Celestial Profound Order from the blue-robed disciple who brought it over. He ran a finger lightly across its surface and nodded. "It is indeed a Celestial Profound Order... But since you have one, you should also understand that it isn’t omnipotent."

"If his aptitude were only slightly poor, it wouldn’t be a major issue. But his meridians are hardened, making cultivation nearly impossible. In that case... the Profound Dao Sect, after all, will not accept someone who cannot practice Martial Arts. Whether it’s an Outer Sect or Inner Sect Disciple, the Sect must expend resources to train them. Letting him pass would, in fact, be detrimental to the Profound Dao Sect’s fundamental interests." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Although Zhang Tianyue’s words were polite, giving Zheng Donghong plenty of face, the meaning was clear: it was a no.

The implication was simple: The Profound Dao Sect doesn’t accept useless people, nor would it waste resources on someone who could barely cultivate.

’But it’s truly strange,’ Zhang Tianyue thought. ’This boy looks to be only sixteen or seventeen. At his age, having a cultivation of Qi Martial Realm Fifth Heaven is actually not bad. In many families in the outside world, he would be treated as a genius... The problem is, if his meridians are hardened and difficult to expand, how did he even cultivate to this level?’

Zhang Tianyue was baffled, unable to understand how such an anomaly could exist.

Seeing the anxious look on Zheng Donghong’s face, Zhang Tianyue added, "How about this? There are actually three trials to enter the Profound Dao Sect. The first was to run from the Mountain Gate to this spot within the time limit, which he has already passed. The second is the aptitude test, and the third is passing through the Wooden Man Alley... The Celestial Profound Order can allow him to pass this trial, but he’ll still have to rely on his own strength to get through the Wooden Man Alley. What do you think?"

"But you need to think this through carefully. The Celestial Profound Order could have gotten you directly into the Profound Dao Sect, yet you would be using it just to get him through this one trial. Whether he can pass the Wooden Man Alley will be up to his own fate. If he fails, it’s all for nothing! And if you choose to use the Celestial Profound Order to help him pass this trial, you will also have to go through the Wooden Man Alley yourself, and you too will risk being eliminated! Think about your choice and give me an answer in a moment."

After saying this, Zhang Tianyue looked calmly at Zheng Donghong, awaiting his reply.

The surrounding crowd erupted in an uproar, whispering amongst themselves.

Anyone with a bit of sense wouldn’t possibly choose the latter option.

Using a perfectly good Celestial Profound Order, which could have guaranteed his own easy entry into the Profound Dao Sect, on someone else, and only to pass the aptitude test... On top of that, he would have to shoulder such a huge risk himself!

With such poor aptitude, even if he passed this trial, there’s no way he could get through the Wooden Man Alley, right?

The Wooden Man Alley was filled with puppets made from special materials, possessing immense strength and astonishing power. It was said to be a very tight formation with only extremely narrow gaps for evasion. Once you entered, you had to fight your way through head-on; there was almost no way to cheat!

Furthermore, the Wooden Man Alley had special rules. All who passed the second trial would be thrown into a chaotic brawl inside, fighting each other until they were black and blue!

In other words, inside the Wooden Man Alley, besides the countless wooden men, every other person was also an enemy!

Forget this black-clothed youth with his terrible aptitude; even if his talent were astonishing, the chances of getting through such a Wooden Man Alley were minuscule.

It wasn’t just Shen Lang; Zheng Donghong’s chances of passing were also incredibly slim!

Just as Zheng Donghong lowered his head, seemingly pondering his choice.

Shen Lang patted his shoulder and said, "I appreciate the kind gesture, but don’t worry. You go on ahead. I’ll be fine."

With that, he walked up to the long table where Zhang Tianyue and the two others sat and said in a low voice, "Hey, could you Uncles do me a favor and cut me some slack? Let me test one more time, please? It’s not a life-or-death matter. I guarantee I’ll pass this time. If I don’t, you can do whatever you want with me..."

Zhang Tianyue glanced at Shen Lang indifferently and said, "The testing Demon Stone cannot be wrong, and it has never been wrong. The result will be the same whether you test once or a hundred times. There’s no need for a second try. There are still many people waiting. If you continue to pester us, I’ll have no choice but to have you thrown out."

As he spoke, a sharp glint flashed in Zhang Tianyue’s eyes. The immense pressure of a Xuanwu Realm powerhouse erupted from his gaze, instantly enveloping Shen Lang!

To put Shen Lang in his place, Zhang Tianyue didn’t hold back at all, intending to blast him aside with sheer presence.

Unexpectedly, the immense pressure—enough to strike fear into the hearts of even Spirit Martial Realm Martial Artists—vanished without a trace after it was released, like a clay ox sinking into the sea!

Zhang Tianyue’s heart jumped in shock. He then saw Shen Lang lean in again and say, "Rules should be flexible, right? I know Senior Leng Hui from Purple Stream Peak. Just let me test again. Why don’t you ask her? I’m sure she’ll agree to help."

Zhang Tianyue couldn’t help but laugh. It was the first time he’d ever seen someone so audacious and shameless about trying to use connections.

"You really know Leng Hui?" Zhang Tianyue asked with a smirk.

Shen Lang’s spirits lifted. "Of course I do! Absolutely!"

The Elder to Zhang Tianyue’s right took a sip of tea and said languidly, "Knowing Leng Hui is no big deal. In Celestial Palace City, if there aren’t a hundred thousand people who know our Martial Niece Leng Hui, there are at least eighty thousand. Earlier this morning, someone claimed to know the Sect Leader. He was thrown out with three broken ribs. Another claimed to be the Sect Leader’s illegitimate son. He had his legs broken and was tossed into a valley to fend for himself... Are you *sure* you know Leng Hui?"

"..." Shen Lang rolled his eyes dramatically.

Just then, Zheng Donghong declared in a loud voice, "Sir, please accept this Celestial Profound Order. I choose to fight through the Wooden Man Alley with Shen Lang! He helped me, and I know he’s a good person!"

"Whoa!"

The surrounding crowd burst into a commotion. They couldn’t believe that this handsome, clean-cut young man was actually so foolish as to make such a choice!

"Looks like it won’t be long before those two come crawling out of the Wooden Man Alley... Who talks about ’good person’ this and ’good person’ that these days? What an idiot," someone said, shaking their head repeatedly.

"Two Martial Artists around the Qi Martial Realm Fifth Heaven, and it doesn’t look like they have any other strong companions. How could it be easy to break through the Wooden Man Alley? This kid is really a blockhead, giving up a chance to enter the Profound Dao Sect directly!"

Shen Lang blinked and looked over, only to see Zheng Donghong giving him a bright smile and a nod.