"I… I'm sorry I have failed you and mother, sis."

"Don't think about it anymore, brother. It can happen to anyone."

"But we trained for this, I… I should have been ready."

After the 2nd test, the 4 remaining applicants were given time to rest and collect themselves. Jia Ning was with her brother, still trying to comfort him from losing the test so suddenly. It was as her brother said, the two of them were trained since childhood for this… and yet he failed just like that.

It wasn't the first time someone released their killing intent on him as well, as it was part of his training. No, it was the suddenness of it. Perhaps it was because, during training, they were always warned when their mother or the other instructors would release their killing intent. But here, with proctor Hannah, there was none of that.

Proctor Hannah just released her killing intent mid-sentence, without even any warning.

"...Brother," Jia Ning could only let out a regretful sigh as she watched her brother leaving the testing hall with his shoulders completely down.

"He'll be alright, we all fail sooner or later. It is what you do after that counts."

"...Mr. Yun Hao?"

Jia Ning then blinked a couple of times as Yun Hao suddenly approached her out of nowhere. She wanted to fix her hair, but alas, it was already too late as Yun Hao was already beside her.

"...Just Yun Hao is fine."

Yun Hao, on the other hand, could not help but be slightly weirded out as he saw Jia Ning slightly fidgeting, her eyes seemingly not knowing where to look.

"O… of course, please call me Jia Ning as well," Jia Ning almost bit her tongue as she stuttered. This was probably the first time that a boy her age outside of the family will be talking to her. Throughout her life, it had always been training. She and her brother were not even allowed to go to a normal school, instead, they were taught by a private tutor.

There was only always one goal in mind that was ingrained in her by their mother-- to surpass the Song family's young lady, Song Jian. Talking to boys? That was something reserved for those who have no goals in life, or at least that's what her mother said.

"...Okay?" Yun Hao mouthed, "Uh… good luck with the next test."

"Wait!"

"..." Yun Hao once again blinked a couple of times as he looked at his wrist, which was now being grabbed by Jia Ning.

"S… sorry!" Jia Ning quickly let go of his hand as she realized what she had done.

"Did… you need something else?"

"No, I…" Jia Ning's eyes once again wandered all over the place. Her hands instinctively reached out to Yun Hao and she didn't really have anything to say. But not saying anything now would probably prove to be more awkward, she thought. "Which… clan are you from, Yun Hao?"

"I'm not from any clan," Yun Hao quickly shook his head, "I'm here as… well the receptionist called me a free agent."

"That's--"

"That's amazing, what the hell!"

Before Jia Ning could even say another word, the 5th applicant, the applicant before Yun Hao, suddenly joined in on the conversation.

"Were you trained by some kind of hidden master? How were you even able to do that? I couldn't even keep my eyes open for 3 seconds. And yet when I did, I saw you staring at madame Hannah like a madman while all of us are struggling!"

"..." Jia Ning could only bite her lip as she was overwhelmed by the man's loud voice. But nonetheless, she remained. She was already here, she might as well take this opportunity to make new friends… or rather, make her first friend.

"Oh, sorry. I got a little excited," the man wiped his hand clean before stretching it towards Jia Ning, "My name is Ding Shun, my family runs a little salon in Duangzhou."

"...Jia Ning," Jia Ning lightly shook Ding Shun's hand. Afterward, Ding Shun stretched his hand towards Yun Hao. But after a few seconds, he retracted it.

"I forgot we already shook hands earlier, you might think I'm gay if I keep shaking your hand," Ding Shun let out a chuckle, "Well, I am. But I don't like you that way, bro. You get what I'm saying?"

"...It's fine," Yun Hao could only let out a sigh as this bundle of energy bombarded them with words.

"Anyway, what you did there was so cool," Ding Shun continued to talk, "Have you read 'Reincarnated as Both God and the Devil'? The main character there did almost the same thing as you did… except of course he is stronger than you. Not that you're not strong. In fact, you're abnormally strong. I am just saying he's like a god and…"

Once again, Yun Hao could only let out a sigh as the guy called Ding Shun continued to talk. He also looked at Jia Ning, who seemed pretty intrigued with whatever Ding Shun was talking about. It wasn't bad, Yun Hao thought.

Looking at the two right now, they just seemed like normal people. Yun Hao almost forgot that these applicants were probably almost on the same level as Long Yazhu when it comes to their wealth. Well, probably not. But still, Yun Hao had gotten used to being treated like shit by the young masters of Tsinghai High School that he almost thought that rich people were all asses-- it seems that wasn't the case.

"What are you guys talking ab--"

"Alright, enough chatter, people! Gather up!"

Finally, after a few more minutes of Ding Shun killing their ears with his stories, proctor Hannah asked them to get back in line. Sun Fang, who was about to join in on the conversation, was once again left out.

"I am sure that the three… I mean four of you are probably excited about the 3rd test," proctor Hannah snapped her fingers. And as soon as she did so, 3 old people in robes suddenly appeared out of nowhere, "Although we call it a test, this is actually the part where all of you become cultivators… or cripples, that is."

Yun Hao slightly took in a deep breath as she heard Hannah's words. He had already read this on the internet, the first and second test was just a measurement of whether or not a normal human could actually survive undergoing Immersion, which is actually the 3rd test.

Of course, those who were born in a cultivator family or clan would not have a hard time having their meridians opened up, as the blood of cultivators already runs through their veins. That means besides Jia Ning, the rest of the applicants were about to scream for their lives.

"Shall we start?"

As soon as proctor Hannah said this, Sun Fang started to get nervous. There were only 3 people here to help them open up their meridians… and there were four of them. Could it be… that he had truly already been forgotten?

But to his relief, one of the 3 cultivators went to him. The only one that didn't have a cultivator behind him… was Yun Hao. Seeing, this, a smile could not help but slowly rise on the edges of Sun Fang's mouth.

'Serves you right, you fucker!' He cursed in his mind.

"...Coach?" Yun Hao quickly raised his hand, "What about me?"

"Oh, you?" Proctor Hannah let out a grin as she tapped Yun Hao's chest, "You and me are going to have fun."

"...What?"

"I'm going to be the one personally opening you up, boy."

'God fucking damn it!' Sun Fang once again cursed in his mind.