CHAPTER 3

Lin muttered to himself, "Wasn't the Immortal Dragon Gathering meant only for adults? Since when did they add a junior tournament for young talents?"

The Village Chief continued his speech.

"When midnight arrives, all trainees are to gather here before departing with the examiners for the selection tests. The purpose of these tests is to determine who is worthy of advancing to the preliminary tournament."

Lin thought to himself,

"As far as I know, the Immortal Dragon Gathering is a grand tournament where the finest disciples of the Four Great Sects compete against one another. The victorious sect receives a fortune in Spirit Stones from the Immortal Dragon Sect. Moreover, the most outstanding disciples are given the opportunity to join the Immortal Dragon Sect itself, allowing them to cultivate under the greatest experts and with the finest resources. However, this junior tournament is different. We don't represent any sect."

"It doesn't matter. The owner of this body was extremely poor. My priority is obtaining Spirit Stones, and this tournament seems like the perfect opportunity."

Lin stepped closer to the crowd.

Suddenly, several trainees around his age blocked his path.

"Look who's here! Lin, the talentless nobody, finally managed to open his Energy Pathway."

"So the worthless trash has finally taken his first step forward."

"Do you actually think you can keep up with us, weakling?"

Lin paid them no attention and continued walking toward the Village Chief.

He stepped forward respectfully and bowed.

"Excuse me, Sir. May I ask about the monetary rewards for this tournament?"

The Village Chief replied,

"The prizes vary depending on one's final ranking. However, as far as I know, both first and second place receive five thousand Spirit Stones. Still, those rewards are insignificant compared to the honor of joining the Immortal Dragon Sect."

"I see... Five thousand Spirit Stones. That's worth taking the risk."

---

Midnight soon arrived.

Around twenty trainees had gathered in an open square—fifteen boys and five girls—standing before ten examiners.

The girls were separated from the boys. Two examiners went to supervise the girls, while the remaining eight stayed with the boys.

Standing among the fifteen male trainees, Lin wondered what kind of test awaited them.

One of the examiners took out several First-Grade Energy Recovery Pills.

"Listen carefully. The examination consists of two parts.

The first test is to completely exhaust the energy within your bodies.

The second is to restore your energy using these First-Grade Energy Recovery Pills.

Prepare yourselves."

Everyone sat down in a meditative posture.

"The first test will begin in three...

Two...

One...

Begin!"

For the first ten minutes, nothing happened.

Then, energy began leaking from Lin's body.

Soon after, it started flowing from Ming, then Gu Chang, followed by two female trainees.

A few minutes later, the energy leakage stopped.

Only five people had successfully passed the first test, while everyone else failed.

The examiners ordered those who had failed to leave immediately.

Among those leaving were the same trainees who had mocked Lin the previous day.

In the end, they had failed, while Lin had passed the first stage.

One examiner stepped forward and handed each of the remaining trainees a First-Grade Energy Recovery Pill.

"Hurry. There's no time to waste.

The second test will begin in three...

Two...

One...

Begin!"

Lin and the others swallowed the pills and entered meditation.

For Lin, the test was effortless.

Thanks to the experience he retained from his previous life, it took him only five minutes to completely restore the energy within his body.

The others needed several more minutes before they could do the same.

One examiner turned to another and said,

"Five out of twenty trainees passed the examination. That's a promising result."

Another examiner addressed the successful trainees.

"Please state your names."

Meanwhile, another examiner took out a jade tablet.

"Begin recording the names."

"Wang Lin."

"Ming."

"Gu Chang."

"And the female trainees..."

"Bai Ling."

"Zhou Qin."

"Tomorrow, we will prepare a special training room to begin your instruction.

For now, you are dismissed."

---

Lin and Ming returned home.

Lin entered his room and stood by the window.

His thoughts drifted to the past.

"Back then, they called me the Immortal Demon. I hated that title at first, but eventually I grew accustomed to it. I was considered one of the strongest beings of my era. I had even achieved immortality."

"And now... I am Wang Lin—a weak, mortal youth."

"I have returned to the very beginning."

"But this won't stop me. It will only delay me."

"Sooner or later, I will reclaim both my power... and my immortality."

Suddenly, Lin noticed something unusual.

Someone was leaping rapidly across the rooftops, as if being chased by something.

Moments later, the mysterious figure disappeared into one of the nearby houses.

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