The seat next to his was empty. No one appeared to take it.

Lu Jiu Que saw the position of the man's seat and couldn't help feeling secretly surprised.

No wonder this Qin Ying had wanted to use such a roundabout way to get into his good books. She felt that this man had to be someone of remarkable status.

The high platform on the opposite side was divided into a total of five layers. Other than the fifth layer, which was designated as the location for a visitor from the heavens, the first layer was the location for sects rated lower than third-cla.s.s, the second layer was the location for third-cla.s.s sects, the third layer was for second-cla.s.s sects, and the fourth layer was for first-cla.s.s sects.

First-cla.s.s sects were the giants who ruled the continent, the ones who held truly dominant positions.

In the face of a first-cla.s.s sect, a second-cla.s.s sect like the Heavenly Divination Sect would be considered sc.u.m. If the former casually stamped its feet, the whole continent would shake a couple of times.

The sects in a same region all relied on a first-cla.s.s sect for survival and leaders.h.i.+p.

Just like with this test, the location set up for the Pantheon merely existed in name without any practical function. The people of the first-cla.s.s sects were the true decision makers of this test.

It turned out that this man was the overlord of this region—the representative of the Fighting Soul Sect!

Qin Ying saw how the man didn't encourage Lu Jiu Que in the same way as he encouraged her and secretly gloated in her heart.

She ruthlessly wiped away the traces of blood from the corners of her mouth, and with eyes that looked malicious and sneaky, she said, "Lu Jiu Que, this matter is not over!

Not over?

Lu Jiu Que smiled wickedly. Of course, this matter wasn't over yet.

'If it ended like this, wouldn't that be letting you off too easily?'

With the old hatred of the original host combined with the new hatred for battering Ye Hui's face, how could Lu Jiu Que not get back at her properly?

Suddenly, someone tugged at Lu Jiu Que's sleeve and whispered, "Lu Jiu Que, do you know Lord Zuo well?" Talking to Lord Zuo in such a way and still being able to live to tell the tale… If it wasn't because they were on close terms, what else could it be?

Lu Jiu Que looked at Ye Hui's swollen pigheaded face and replied in a frustrated tone, "Whatever lord you just named, I don't know anyone by that name. If you, on the other hand, rush out like this again, see if I still bother to take revenge for you or not. You're so green with such unpolished skills, and yet you still thought to jump out to save someone. Go back and train well for a few more years before saying anything else!"

Ye Hui's "swollen pigheaded face" also stiffened. Grinding his teeth, he said, "You're really mistaking a good man for a bad one. Be careful, or you'll have no friends in your entire lifetime!"

Lu Jiu Que was actually not bothered about having friends or not. After all, from all the acquaintances she had made in her previous lifetime, she knew very well what friends were.

The dealings and contacts that people carried out among themselves always involved mutual suspicion and deception wherein everyone would place emphasis on personal interests first. How many sincere people could there truly be?

Upon seeing that Lu Jiu Que had indifference written all over her face, the pigheaded boy felt a little hurt. He was unhappy and angry, so he straightened out his face with a stern expression and ignored Lu Jiu Que altogether.

The lord looked at the empty seat next to him and whispered, "Why is this person not here yet?"

The person standing behind him said very carefully, "This… Lord Zuo, you know about this, as well. Lord Bai always wanders unpredictably as he pleases… This…"

Zuo Lengyang waved his hand and said, "Forget it. There's no need to wait any longer. We shall begin now."

"Yes!"

The man gave his order and stepped forward. His eyes surveyed the surroundings with due solemnity and authority, and then, without even opening his mouth to speak, the boisterous noise that filled the test grounds silenced instantaneously.

This was the absolutely overbearing oppression of the strong. It compelled everyone there to hold their breath with exceptional discomfort and apprehension in their hearts.

"Welcome to the test grounds of the sect test. Since all of you here are elites from various countries and forces who have pa.s.sed levels of screenings, there's no need for any further talk about unnecessary nonsense. The only deciding factors for whether you are able to enter the sects and become their respected disciples are your strength and apt.i.tude!"