Please be my partner.

The shuttle driver said "good luck" and left, which made Mellen realize that the other party did not provide a return service. If he wanted to go back, he would probably have to rely on his own legs to find a populated place first.

With an indifferent smile, Mellen looked at the document and electronic wristband in his hand. The former was a procedure, and the latter was proof of identity. After a simple confirmation, he walked towards Shenglong Mountain.

When Mellen stepped onto the huge bluestone steps, he clearly felt the electronic wristband vibrate slightly, and a strange expression appeared on his face.

He had thought that ancient martial arts schools like Shenglong School would be old-fashioned and conservative, but he didn't expect them to be quite down-to-earth and even at the forefront of technology.

Well, I don’t know whether the WiFi on the mountain is easy to use and whether the speed is fast?

With his thoughts wandering freely like this, Melen soon reached the halfway point of the mountain.

A huge stone five meters wide and more than ten meters high stood beside the road, with the three big characters "Shenglong School" on it, like iron paintings and silver hooks, vigorous and powerful.

The boulder was called a 'stone', but in terms of material it was more like some heavy metal mineral, and was different from the surrounding rocks. It was obvious that it had been moved up here later.

Mellen showed curiosity on his face and was about to approach when a voice suddenly rang out...

"Three hundred and thirty tons!"

Mellen turned his head and saw a young man in a long robe slowly walking towards him. He said as he walked, "This strange stone weighs a total of 330 tons. It is indestructible to swords and guns, and it is difficult to be damaged by water and fire. It was discovered by our ancestor Luo Lin 1,700 years ago."

"Back then, when Ancestor Luo Lin lifted the stone with one hand, he originally intended to bring it back to the sect and forge it into a divine weapon. However, after reaching the top of the mountain, he felt it would be a shame to destroy such a divine object. So he simply cut off a small piece and wrote the three characters 'Shenglong Sect' on it with his bare hands. He then threw it into the mountainside, and it became the Shenglong Sect's welcoming stone. The cut-off piece was then forged into one of the five divine weapons of the Shenglong Sect today... the Qifeng Sword."

As the young man explained, his tone was filled with an extremely strong sense of pride.

However, after listening to it, Melen could understand to some extent that such a large piece of material for casting magical weapons was placed here as a welcoming stone. While he did not use it himself, he did not have to worry about others coveting it. This confidence alone was enough to make people proud.

After showing off his sect's history, the young man looked at Mellen and asked, "Are you here to take the sect entrance examination? Which faction are you from?"

Hearing this, Melen's heart moved. He realized that this apprenticeship assessment might not be exclusive to the Holy Guards. He said honestly, "Holy Guards."

The young man nodded nonchalantly and said, "So it's the official. Come on, I'll take you up the mountain."

During the second half of the ascent, the attitude of the young man in the long gown was not bad, but it was quite perfunctory. He didn't even bother to tell each other's names. After Mellen took the initiative to chat for a few words, he stopped talking.

As we continued to ascend, the temperature gradually dropped. However, with a martial arts skill as strong as Melen's, there was no need to worry too much about this temperature difference.

Although the young man in the long gown was a little perfunctory in his attitude, he still did his job very well.

It was already late at night, so he took Melen directly to the public canteen of Shenglong Sect, where the three daily meals were provided for the servants of Shenglong Sect.

After packing a portion of food, the young man took Melen to a guest room and said, "Rest here for today. I'll take you to meet the elder in charge of the assessment tomorrow morning."

Seeing the young man turn around and leave, Mellen looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated.

The young man asked curiously, "Is there anything else you don't understand?"

In the end, Melen shook his head and did not ask, "What is the WiFi password here?"

After the young man left, Mellen looked around the guest room. It looked very tidy and obviously cleaned regularly.

When I opened the lunch box, I saw two meat dishes, two vegetable dishes and soup. Each dish seemed to be of a large portion, and the staple food was five steaming hot pancakes.

After tasting it, the taste was unexpectedly good. Apart from that, after drinking the bowl of thick soup, Melen could clearly feel a warm current spreading throughout his body, and his qi and blood increased slightly.

This is the meal for the servants. From this, you can imagine what kind of treatment the formal disciples of Shenglong Sect would receive.

After the meal, Mellen just did a few sets of boxing to help digest the food, and then went to bed with his clothes on to rest.

The next morning, six o'clock, outside the guest room.

When Melen saw the young man in long gown approaching slowly, he put away his boxing stance.

The young man in the long gown didn't say anything when he saw this, but just waved his hand to signal Mellen to follow.

The two walked one in front and the other behind. Along the way, Melen could see a large number of servants in gray robes busy at work. They were at least at the level of Blood Moving Realm, and some were even at the level of Flesh Training Realm. Occasionally, formal disciples in long robes could be seen passing by. From the greetings between them, Melen learned that the young man in long robes who led the way for him was named Wang Gengshan.

Under the guidance of Wang Gengshan, Melen came to a side hall where a man in his thirties with thick eyebrows and big eyes was reading a book. When he saw the two of them, he put the book away.

Wang Gengshan introduced, "This is Elder Sun from the Transmission Hall, and he's also in charge of your discipleship assessment."

"Elder Sun, this is Melen, the examinee recommended by the Holy Guards."

Elder Sun nodded slightly, looked at Mellen for a few times, and asked, "Mellen, right? I've already seen your basic information, but have you received funding from a family in the Federation?"

Mellen shook his head and said, "No."

Elder Sun nodded and said, "Without any financial support, he has reached his current level of martial arts at the age of twenty-three. That's not bad."

"How long has it been since you started practicing martial arts?"

Mellen said calmly, "Less than a year."

As soon as these words were spoken, Wang Gengshan, who had already walked to the door of the side hall, suddenly turned around with a look of surprise and doubt on his face.

Elder Sun paused for a moment and asked, "Oh? Have you ever taken any natural treasures?"

Melen said, "Except for a few secret medicines, I have never taken any natural treasures."

Elder Sun smiled and said, "So you're trying to say that you're a martial arts prodigy that appears once every thousand years, and that just one year of training can be equivalent to someone else's efforts of more than ten years?"

Mellen paused for a moment and said frankly, "Yes!"

Chapter 345: Refining, Fighting, and Enlightenment

Seeing the self-righteousness in Mellen's calm expression, Elder Sun and Wang Gengshan both looked strange.

For Wang Gengshan, it felt a little unbelievable and confusing. He originally had a good impression of Mellen, but now it seemed that he was just a delusional person.

And Elder Sun felt that it was... interesting.

Yes, it is interesting, just like when you meet a little kid who still has a runny nose, and he says in a very serious tone that he wants to become an astronaut, fly out of the earth and land on the moon.

Not only will you not feel that you have been deceived or teased, but you will also find this child really interesting.

After all, ideals are ideals, dreams are dreams, and fantasies are fantasies, and they cannot be generalized.

Elder Sun said with a smile, "Mellen, you must think carefully before you speak. For us in the Shenglong Sect, the higher the talent, the more difficult the test will be. Now, I will give you one more chance to reformulate your words."

Melen's lips curled slightly as he said, "Can the difficulty be increased? That's perfect. Give us the Shenglong Sect's most difficult assessment. Ideally, one that allows you to become the Sect Master's direct disciple upon completion. This will save me the trouble again and again in the future."

How much does it cost to charge? Of course it’s directly full!

Mellen came to Shenglong Sect with no intention of playing the game of mortal counterattack. If there was a chance to achieve his goal in one go, he definitely wouldn't mind showing some strength.

As for whether there will be plots like 'This boy has amazing talent, he must not be allowed to stay', 'He can cultivate so fast, he must have some huge secret, kill him and rob him'?

Please, reality is not a novel. Besides, even if the worst result really happens, Mellen is confident that he can deal with it.

Elder Sun's smile faded slightly, and he said calmly, "My Shenglong Sect has been passed down since the reign of Emperor Immolation. We have experienced countless tribulations and have countless miraculous achievements and secret manuals. We can test whether what you said before is true or not. Are you sure you won't change your words?"

Mellen said calmly, "Of course."

"Alright!" Elder Sun looked at Mellen carefully again and said, "Then I want to see whether you are a true demon or a fake genius. Let's go to Qiqiao Palace."

When Elder Sun and Melen left the side hall, Wang Gengshan followed. He also wanted to watch the fun and see whether the boy he brought up the mountain was just bragging or had some real skills.

On the way, Elder Sun also casually told Mellen about the assessment...

"In my Shenglong Sect, the examination for becoming a disciple is divided into three types: training, combat, and enlightenment."

"The so-called refinement tests one's innate aptitude for cultivation. The method is very simple. All you have to do is observe the examinee's improvement over a certain period of time."

"The so-called battle tests one's fighting talent. People are born different. Some people will unconsciously become nervous when faced with actual combat. No matter how strong they are, they can only exert 30% or 40% of their strength, and can only rely on acquired abilities to make up for it. Others are born with the ability to fight, and in battle they can often exert strength beyond their own ability, and occasionally even have a flash of inspiration that seems to be divinely assisted."

"The so-called enlightenment tests one's comprehension. For us in the Shenglong Sect, every formal disciple is trained towards becoming a Grandmaster. To condense one's true spirit and become a Grandmaster, the most important thing is comprehension."

"The Shenglong Sect has no shortage of resources. We even have quite a few treasures that can cleanse the meridians and marrow, open the meridians and strengthen the tendons, and change one's aptitude. So, in the three assessments, enlightenment comes first, combat second, and refining third."

Mellen nodded slightly. Perhaps in other martial arts schools, the most important thing is the qualifications for cultivation, but for a school as powerful as the Shenglong School, the qualifications can be compensated by resources to a certain extent, so the importance will be greatly reduced.

Qiqiao Hall.

In ancient times, "strange and ingenious skills" referred to skills or objects that were too ingenious. Generally speaking, it was a derogatory term. However, with the development of the times, especially the technological explosion in modern times, the definition of this term has gradually become blurred.

There were quite a few people in the Qiqiao Hall. Although Melen only saw the tip of the iceberg, he could still feel the overwhelming sense of technology here.

After Elder Sun stated his request, a person who looked like a supervisor respectfully led them into a side room where many high-end-looking instruments were placed.

Elder Sun brought Melen to one of the instruments. This instrument looked like some kind of observation equipment, and the object of observation was an irregular black stone placed in the center.

Elder Sun pointed to a black stone the size of a millstone and said, "This is a bloodstone. Although it's completely black, it can change color based on the concentration of Qi and blood it receives. It was a natural tool used by many martial arts schools in ancient times to observe the progress of their disciples over a period of time."

Then, pointing to the surrounding instruments, he said, "In the past, bloodstone could only be observed with the naked eye, and the accuracy was still too low. The instrument connected to the bloodstone can accurately detect changes in the bloodstone."

"Based on the relationship between Qi and blood concentration and the changes in bloodstone, our Shenglong Sect has defined a standard. Qi and blood are abundant and just reaching the point of guiding Qi and blood, which is called 1 degree. When the flesh is fully refined and one can begin to strengthen the bones, it is called 100 degrees. Of course, because everyone is different, 100 degrees is just an average."

"Next, I will measure your current Qi and blood concentrations, and then measure them again in seven days. During this time, I will provide you with various cultivation resources according to the standards of a formal disciple of the Shenglong Sect. The higher your level of improvement during this period, the higher your score in the 'refining' assessment will be."

Mellen nodded in understanding.

The term "great achievement in flesh refining" means great achievement, but in fact it means that the concentration of Qi and blood that the body can spontaneously produce has reached the minimum line for bone strengthening. Naturally, it can continue to improve with further training to produce even richer Qi and blood.

Richer qi and blood can also help strengthen bones and temper internal organs.

In ancient times, when there were no methods to strengthen bones and temper internal organs, or when the improvement of the methods was very low, refining the flesh to increase the richness of Qi and blood, in order to speed up the efficiency of strengthening bones and tempering internal organs, was the most important step.

At that time, those who could become martial arts masters generally had extremely exaggerated physical strength. Body-building methods such as the Golden Body, the Holy Body, and the Glazed Immaculate Body were the true foundation of a school.

At that time, if one wanted to become a master, one had to first master a body-building technique. To master a top-level body-building technique, talent, perseverance, and vast resources were all necessary.

At the signal of Elder Sun, Melen input his own breath into the bloodstone, and the color of the bloodstone suddenly changed, gradually turning from pitch black to crimson red.

Soon, a number appeared on the instrument screen...105.36.

After noting down this number, Elder Sun said, "Alright, you have a week to improve yourself. Do your best to be yourself. The more you improve after a week, the better your performance will be in the 'refining' assessment."

Seeing Elder Sun nodded to Wang Gengshan who followed him, he was about to leave.

Melen asked doubtfully, "What about the other two tests?"

Elder Sun said with a smile, "You still want to take the other two tests at the same time? The 'Combat' test requires you to engage in actual combat, which not only consumes a lot of energy, but if you get injured it will affect your subsequent cultivation for a period of time. Not to mention the 'Enlightenment' test, which requires distraction. If you do both at the same time, do you still want to achieve the results in 'Refining'?"

Since Mellen had decided to take the genius route, there was no reason to hide his incompetence. He said directly, "That's fine. The other two tests can be carried out at the same time. They won't affect mine."

Elder Sun seemed to be somewhat immune to Mellen's words. He pondered for a moment and said, "If that's the case, then let's continue."

Under the leadership of Elder Sun, the three left the Shenglong Sect headquarters and headed towards the outskirts.

After crossing a steep mountain road, they soon arrived at a natural platform.

Elder Sun took out a whistle and blew gently, then said, "On Shenglong Mountain, there live creatures called snow apes. They are naturally powerful and have bones as strong as steel. My Shenglong sect subdued them and taught them some basic boxing and kicking techniques. Snow apes are far more powerful than human warriors of the same level, a result of their innate race."

"Next, your opponent is a Snow Ape in the Bone Forging Realm. Defeat it, and you'll complete the 'Battle' assessment."

Soon, a snow-white, agile figure leaped flexibly between the peaks and soon arrived at the side of the platform.

This is a snow-white ape about three meters tall. It has thick and long arms, and the muscles all over its body are full of a strong beauty.

The snow ape seemed to be quite familiar with what it was going to do next. It first saluted Elder Sun in a formal manner, and then made a provocative look at Melen who was standing on the other side.

Mellen calmly unbuttoned their shirts one by one, took them off and threw them on a corner of the platform before asking, "Can we begin?"

Elder Sun smiled and said, "Of course."

"Boom!~"

Powerful energy and blood rose into the sky like a wolf smoke. In this hazy air, Mellen's body grew larger like a balloon, and in a blink of an eye, it increased to two meters and three meters tall. A ferocious dragon head vaguely appeared on his naked back, and the domineering aura flowed like mercury, penetrating deep into the snow ape's soul.

Through the distorted air, Melen looked directly at the snow ape. Although he was not as tall as the latter, he looked down on him with a sense of superiority.

The snow ape had wanted to launch an attack when Elder Sun said "of course", but was instantly shocked by Mellen's "transformation", especially the aura, which made it feel that it was not facing a human warrior, but some kind of prehistoric beast from the ancient times.

The beast's instinct told the snow ape that the one in front of it was a predator at the top of the food chain, while it itself was just a poor little bug.

"Da!~"

Melen took a step forward, and the snow ape shuddered as if awakened from some nightmare, then turned and ran.

Melen froze in place, Wang Gengshan was stunned, and even Elder Sun's mouth twitched slightly, obviously not expecting such a situation.

Mellen turned his head with an innocent look on his face, not knowing how to deal with the situation.

Elder Sun said, "Boy, you've mastered the art of cultivating your Red Dragon Body. You've even condensed a murderous aura. Under the influence of this aura, the strength of those beasts with keen senses and savagery will be greatly suppressed. It's not surprising that they'll flee."

"But even so, it's all your own ability. You've passed the 'battle' stage."

At this point, Elder Sun paused, then suddenly smiled and said, "Don't you want to increase the difficulty of the test? Ordinary snow apes are certainly not enough. But among the snow apes, there is a king, possessing the bloodline of an ancient alien species. His strength has reached the Great Accomplishment of the Blood Moving Realm. All he needs to become a Grandmaster is to condense his martial arts spirit."

"Because of its species, this Snow Ape King's strength far exceeds that of an ordinary Blood Moving Realm cultivator. Even a Grandmaster might not be able to easily defeat it without using his martial arts spirit."

"How about it? Want to give it a try? You don't need to defeat the Snow Ape King, you just need to hold out for a while."

Mellen said without any nonsense, "Okay!"

Elder Sun nodded and said with a smile, "Just for your determination, I admire you a little."