"Outer Sect Deacon, Tang Hao's son, right? Very well!"
The middle-aged man spoke, a meaningful smile playing across his face.
Tang Shan saw this and thought he had escaped disaster, a smile appearing on his face.
But the next moment, he felt as if his entire body had been hurled into the air, crashing into the crowd below and rolling several times.
"You little bastard! Sneaking through backdoors and trying to pull one over me!"
The middle-aged man roared angrily, his gaze sharp and merciless.
Tang Shan scrambled to his feet, his face pale and furious. "My father is an Outer Sect Deacon! How dare you show such disrespect?!"
"Outer Sect Deacon? Such great authority! I am Xing Feng, Inner Sect Law Enforcement Elder!"
This time, the middle-aged man, Xing Feng, spoke calmly—but to Tang Shan, it was like a thunderclap exploding in his ears, shaking his very mind.
He immediately lost all courage, stammering, unable to utter a single word.
An Inner Sect Elder!
That title alone was enough to crush his father's authority. Not to mention, Inner Sect Elders of the Sacred Land were all at least at the Fifth Heavenly Layer of cultivation!
And this Law Enforcement Elder was one of the elite among them, holding real power, with cultivation reaching the Sixth Heavenly Layer!
His father, by contrast, was only at the Third Heavenly Layer—the gap was like a chasm!
Everyone knew that Law Enforcement Elders were extremely upright and strict. And he had actually thought of bribing one!
It was over.
Tang Shan felt as if the sky itself had collapsed.
Not only him—he imagined his father, Tang Hao, would also be finished.
Amid his terror, Tang Shan was also filled with confusion.
As far as he knew, this entrance test of the Sacred Land was supposed to be small in scale. The host should have been just an Outer Sect Deacon.
And his father had already arranged things for him.
Yet unexpectedly, the person presiding over the test turned out to be an Inner Sect Elder, a figure of immense authority!
Filled with doubt and resentment, Tang Shan noticed that the crowd was staring at him like he was a clown.
Especially one familiar face, whose gaze was a mix of pity and mockery, inflaming Tang Shan's rage.
"Ye Chen… this useless brat, mocking me like this! He's already digging his own grave!"
Rage surged in his chest, but he dared not act out, fearing he would provoke Xing Feng even further!
This was a man he could not offend—and neither could his father. Even invoking the Tang family might not earn him much respect here!
On the stage, Xing Feng returned to his original expressionless demeanor.
Yet inwardly, he muttered to himself.
Just like Tang Shan, he too was somewhat puzzled. For an entrance test of this scale, there was no real need for an Inner Sect Elder of such rank to appear.
But there was no choice—the Sacred Lord had personally given the order, so he had to comply.
"Next, Ye Chen."
Xing Feng spoke again. From the crowd, a young boy with delicate features and a determined expression stepped forward.
The boy was around sixteen or seventeen, slightly older than most of the others.
Chu Ge noticed that as Ye Chen stepped forward, it was as if he emitted a magnetic force, instantly drawing all eyes toward him.
Especially the previously humiliated Tang Shan, who now glared at Ye Chen viciously, as if a deep, irreconcilable grudge existed between them.
Whispers rose among the crowd:
"Is this the Ye Chen who once possessed a King Body but later became a cripple?"
"Heh, this useless fellow… still thinking of joining the Taihuang Sacred Land?"
"Ridiculous! Even Outer Sect disciples must have at least mid-grade B-class aptitude to qualify!"
Chu Ge's expression turned strange. Ye Chen seemed to have activated some kind of ridicule-buff, instantly attracting the mockery of many.
'This guy… could it be…'
Chu Ge murmured in his heart, quietly speculating.