Fellow Daoist, I gladly accept this heaven-defying opportunity.

The strength test proceeded smoothly. Some people were happy to pass, while others were disappointed to be eliminated. Most people failed at this first hurdle.

Soon, Xu Mofeng's name was called.

He walked slowly to the copper lock, reached out and grabbed the lock ring. With a slight exertion of his wrist, the copper lock was lifted up lightly, as steady as Mount Tai.

The weight of 16,000 to 17,000 jin was no different from lifting an empty bamboo basket in his arms, which had a strength of nearly 50,000 jin.

Let alone ten breaths, even if he stood here holding up an incense stick, he wouldn't blush or pant.

The surroundings gradually quieted down, and many people stared at him and whispered among themselves.

"Who is this? He looks so thin and weak, how come he lifts it so easily?"

"A Qi Refining Level 10 cultivator with this kind of strength? How come I've never heard of this person before?"

"This person does resemble our senior brother surnamed Xu, but he's not even at the sixth level of Qi Refining, so it can't be him!"

"He's quite handsome, but I didn't expect him to be such a formidable character. He's the dark horse of this year."

After ten breaths, Xu Mofeng casually put down the copper lock and calmly stepped aside.

After the strength test, half of the participants were eliminated.

The rest of the group followed the disciples to an alleyway where several wooden figures stood indistinctly, exuding an aura that suggested they were not to be trifled with.

"The second task is the Wooden Dummy Alley. Passing the entire course within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea is considered passing."

The disciple in charge loudly announced the rules, and then began to divide the participants into groups of five, who entered the venue at the same time.

The first group of five rushed into the alley. People outside craned their necks to look inside, but couldn't see anything. They could only hear a series of loud noises and screams.

"ah--!"

The people outside were trembling with fear and felt a chill run down their spines.

The time it takes to drink a cup of tea passed quickly, and two people staggered out of the alley. One of them had half of his clothes burned black, and his hair was curled up as if he had been struck by lightning. The other was limping, and his face was covered in bruises.

Immediately afterwards, several disciples ran into the alley and carried out the remaining three.

One was bruised and swollen and limping, another was deathly pale as if he had been poisoned, and yet another had fainted and was unconscious.

"Inside, there are braziers, poisoned arrows, sleeping potions, and a sandpit!"

The disciple who ran out was panting heavily, his face filled with lingering fear. "Those wooden figures were all at the tenth level of Qi Refining, and they were as hard as blocks of iron blocking the road!"

Everyone gasped in shock. This wasn't a speed test; it was suicidal!

It not only tests agility and speed, but also requires avoiding traps and hitting wooden dummies; a slight mistake can result in being knocked out sideways.

The elimination rate in this round is even more outrageous than the strength test. Five people go in at a time, and it's considered good if two of them come out. Many people give up immediately.

Soon it was Xu Mofeng's group's turn.

"Timer begins!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Mofeng stomped his foot, creating a shallow pit in the ground, and shot out like an arrow, taking the lead into the Wooden Dummy Alley.

He knew in his heart that his movement skills were not top-notch, and if he wanted to get through this hurdle safely, he had to avoid falling into traps and getting entangled with the wooden figure.

I had only taken two steps when the stone slab beneath my feet suddenly collapsed—it was a trap!

Xu Mofeng lightly touched the ground with his toes and leaped into the air, but several crossbow bolts instantly shot out from the walls on both sides, their cold light flashing as they headed straight for his heart.

Nowhere to grab hold in mid-air?

He twisted his waist and abdomen sharply, his body shifting half a foot to the side in mid-air. With a wave of his hand, he knocked away several crossbow bolts, finally dodging the attack.

It was only a brief delay, and the people behind them took the opportunity to catch up.

Among the crowd, a thin disciple with exceptional agility stepped forward, quickly catching up with Xu Mofeng and running alongside him.

Several two-meter-tall wooden figures blocked the alleyway ahead. The gaunt disciple's eyes immediately flashed with a sinister scheme. He deliberately moved sideways to get close to Xu Mofeng, using his position to push him into the circle of wooden figures attacking him, so that Xu Mofeng would be trapped in the wooden figures' attack and he could take the opportunity to escape.

Xu Mofeng had no time to pay attention to the underhanded actions on the side. The wooden man guarding the gate had already swung his arm and launched a powerful attack, the offensive aimed directly at his face.

Xu Mofeng's gaze remained unchanged as he fiercely raised his fist and launched a direct attack.

boom!

The immense force of 45,000 jin was poured into the fist, slamming it hard into the vital part of the wooden man's chest.

A piercing, crisp sound exploded instantly, the cracking noise reverberating throughout the surrounding corridor. The burly, heavy wooden guardian figure, made of steel and wood, flew backward like a fragile straw, crashing into the stone wall of the corridor.

Upon seeing this, the gaunt disciple who had been waiting for an opportunity to cause trouble suddenly narrowed his eyes. His malicious thoughts vanished instantly, leaving him with only deep-seated fear.

He dared not linger for a moment, and retreated as fast as he could, wishing he could be eight feet away from Xu Mofeng, for fear that the next punch would land on him.

Before the time it takes to drink a cup of tea is even over, Xu Mofeng walked leisurely and stepped straight out of the Wooden Dummy Alley, which was filled with murderous intent.

"Level successfully passed!"

The disciple on duty loudly proclaimed the verdict.

Xu Mofeng exhaled a breath of stale air, relaxed his mind, and casually watched the other disciples attempt the challenge.

The Wooden Dummy Alley has an extremely high elimination threshold, with most disciples failing and stopping short of it, but there are still quite a few who manage to pass and break through.

There were many disciples in the arena who finished in a shorter time than Xu Mofeng.

One handsome young man stood out in particular. He strolled leisurely across the Wooden Dummy Alley in less than half a cup of tea's time, his expression calm and relaxed, as if he were simply taking a leisurely walk.

This person was surrounded by a two-zhang-long clear blue light. His luck and fortune were unparalleled in the entire venue. His foundation and strength crushed everyone else by a huge margin. He was the number one favorite to win this selection: Mu Qianzhong!

Amidst the murmurs around him, Xu Mofeng clearly heard the name.

"Senior Brother Mu Qianzhong already established his foundation last year, why is he still stuck in the outer sect?"

"They're clearly staying put to wait for this selection. Winning first place means getting a top-grade cultivation technique for free. Who wouldn't be tempted?"

"Sigh, with Mu Qianzhong blocking my way, there's one less spot for the top ten and top three in this selection!"

"Stop being self-satisfied. Even without Mu Qianzhong, you would have been eliminated in the first round and would still have been a runner-up."

The disciple who was about to speak was momentarily speechless, and the scene became awkward.

Aside from Mu Qianzhong, there were two other people in the arena who possessed the same blue-origin opportunity and were both genuine Foundation Establishment stage experts.

One of them was a female disciple named Wen Yuqing, with willow-leaf eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes, a stunning appearance, and a cool and aloof temperament.

Secondly, there is Liu Piaopiao, a young genius girl who dominates her peers in the outer sect. She is also the one who often teases Xu Mofeng for being "hardworking" but unable to break through his realm, calling him a piece of rotten wood!

Mu Qianzhong, Wen Yuqing, and Liu Piaopiao have secured their positions as the top three favorites in this selection. Their short time in clearing the Wooden Dummy Alley gives them a significant lead over others, and it is estimated that the outcome will be decided among these three.

Xu Mofeng had a sudden thought: if he could defeat one of the three in a head-on confrontation, he could transfer all of their opportunities and fortunes.

Moments later, the speed test in the Wooden Dummy Alley came to a complete end, with nearly half of the disciples being eliminated, leaving only about fifty finalists in the arena.

The group moved to the center of the square and drew lots to determine their final one-on-one opponents in the arena.

"Xu Mofeng!"

The disciple on duty called out the roll call in a loud voice. Xu Mofeng stepped forward slowly, reached into the divination tube, and pulled out a bamboo slip. The slip was engraved with the number sixteen, and the match pairing number was thirty-four.

Who exactly is number thirty-four?

Just as Xu Mofeng had this thought, a rough and domineering voice exploded in his ears.

"I am number thirty-four. Who is number sixteen's son?"

Xu Mofeng turned his head to meet the gaze, raising an eyebrow in surprise. His opponent was none other than Tan Tie, a burly man who had previously gained some fame in the outer sect.

It was truly a coincidence that I ran into this person in the first round of the competition.

Fortunately, avoiding the three giants of the Foundation Establishment stage in the first round was already considered a lucky start.

In contrast, the disciples who drew Mu Qianzhong's three names were all pale as paper and looked dejected.

Facing three Foundation Establishment experts is tantamount to being eliminated in advance, and the dreams of many disciples who were aiming for the top ten were shattered.

The lottery process was quickly completed, and the shortlisted disciples were distributed to various arenas to prepare for the battle.

Xu Mofeng stepped onto the arena, where Tan Tie was already waiting with his arms crossed. Tan Tie looked down at him, grinning contemptuously, "My luck is off the charts! I picked an easy opponent in the first round. At this rate, I'm a sure thing to make it into the top three!"

The disciples watching from below the stage echoed the discussion, and public opinion overwhelmingly favored Tan Tie: "Tan Tie has mastered the Iron Palm technique, his skin and flesh are tough and impervious to swords and blades, he has a natural strength of 30,000 jin, and at the tenth level of Qi Refining, he is almost invincible among his peers."

"As long as he doesn't fight against the three Foundation Establishment masters on the same stage, Tan Tie is guaranteed a top-three spot."

"Xu Mofeng performed reasonably well in the first two rounds and had a chance to make it into the top ten. Unfortunately, he ran into Tan Tie in the first round and was eliminated there."

……

Public opinion was overwhelmingly in favor of Tan Tie, who completely disregarded Xu Mofeng, displaying his arrogance to the fullest.

Xu Mofeng raised his eyes, his tone calm yet sharp: "You have extremely bad luck. Because of me, you can't even reach the top ten."

Tan Tie's eyes narrowed, filled with a fierce aura, and he coldly mocked, "I hope that when you're beaten to your knees later, you can still be stubborn and pretend to be strong."

Before he finished speaking, Tan Tie spun around and his burly figure burst forth.

His physique was far more robust than that of an ordinary adult man, and his attack was like that of a lion pouncing on its prey, fierce and domineering.