Immortal

13. What it Takes to be a Disciple

As a former martial arts leader, Lachlan's attainments in the wind-chasing swordsmanship were unparalleled. The timing and strength of his blade were just right, and the speed of the blade was even more impressive. 

His attack looked simple, but it was very effective, forcing a bloody path through the rat tide.

"Hey..." Liutrad, who was hiding behind the crowd, screamed and looked at Lachlan's back with a gloomy expression.

Since they met on the way up the mountain, Lachlan had surprised him time and time again. He thought that Lachlan was just a boy who came to watch the fun. Back there, the weather was cold and Dragon Mountain was high. He couldn't even have reached the top of the mountain with the way he walked so slowly step by step. 

But the boy did not give up halfway. He really climbed Dragon Mountain, which was known as the highest peak in the world, in the wind and snow. What happened next was even more shocking. At the age of fifteen, he entered the immortal trial and defeated Hildegard, a disciple of Supreme Infinity School who came forward to provoke him, in public.

In that battle, Hildegard was the loser, but Liutrad felt as if he had been slapped twice in public. Anyone with a little experience could see the relationship between him and Hildegard, and knew that he was the mastermind behind the scenes.

"Damn..." Liutrad gritted his teeth and stared at Lachlan's back. If he had a crossbow in his hand, he would shoot Lachlan from behind without hesitation.

"Don't worry, Liutrad. Since that kid wants to show off, then we'll watch him die." Hildegard gnashed his teeth in hatred. 

Tamin, a long-haired young man standing nearby, frowned, glanced at Liutrad and Hildegard, his eyes flashed with displeasure, but he didn't say anything, and looked up at Lachlan's back as he walked away.

The rat tide was fierce, and Lachlan, ​​who was brave enough to face the challenge, attracted everyone's attention. The trialists tried their best to kill the turtle-backed rats that rushed up, while watching Lachlan's back, waiting to see what would happen. 

If he could not hold on for long and fell down and was drowned by the rat tide, it meant that he would die faster if he rushed forward; if he could insist on walking all the way, it meant that it would be the only way to survive in the desperate situation!

"Hey, that boy, Lachlan, is really good." On the cliff, Halia was a little surprised and noticed Lachlan standing out from the crowd. "It seems that this level would not be difficult for him!"

"He has solid basic skills and his sword moves are steady and decisive. Among the martial artists, his understanding of sword skills is relatively good. What's more rare is that he used the ordinary long swords we distributed, and also used the  sword skill specially issued for this trial. His courage is commendable, but it's a pity that he hasn't truly comprehended the mysteries of the Laogu sword manual. But if he wants to become a disciple of our sects, this is far from enough." Zander spoke each word with emphasis, and at the end, he sighed softly and expressed some regret.

The skill manual distributed to many trial participants before this trial looked simple, but in fact it was a technique created by masters of the four immortal sects specifically for this trial. The simple moves combined the basic techniques of the four hidden immortal sects. 

There were actually two ways to pass this round of assessment. 

One was to forge directly through the tide and rush to the teleportation array at the foot of the mountain opposite the grassland; the other way was to comprehend the mysteries hidden in the manual and perform it, which would trigger the restriction and pass the test in advance.

Trialists who were not strong enough and were careless had actually been eliminated before they even stepped into this innate trial field, and were doomed to die under the impact of the rat tide; those who were powerful but could not perceive the mysteries of the Sword Manual. 

Even if they successfully passed the test and joined the four hidden immortal sects, they would only be the lowest-level outer disciples, and their mediocre qualifications were destined to have limited potential; those who could forge ahead bravely under the impact of the rat tide and unleash the ultimate moves contained in the simple moves of the Sword Manual were the ones that the four immortal sects truly wanted.

Lachlan, ​​the first one to rush into the rat tide, was certainly eye-catching and shocking, but for the grandmasters of the four hidden immortal sects, this was far from enough and there was no real shining point.

"Hehe, this level is not difficult for him? Halia, the trial has just begun, it's still early."

"Those who stand out at a young age may not necessarily be outstanding when they grow up. Those who rush to the front in the trial often die the fastest. You see the way the turtle-back rats are running towards them? It's like they haven't tasted flesh and blood for a long time, hahaha..." Hachar laughed loudly. The more violent the wave of turtle-backed rats came, the happier and more gloating he felt in his heart. He wished that Lachlan, ​​the first one to rush out, would fall to the ground and be eaten by the turtles.

As if on cue, before his laughter died down, the turtle-backed rats launched a fierce group charge at Lachlan, ​​who was the first one out. So, he paused as he was surrounded by a wave of turtle-backed rats. 

The fierce turtle-backed rats rushed towards him like a tide, leaping high and revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth, biting hard and tearing off a large piece of skin and flesh.

In an instant, Lachlan's thin body was submerged by the mighty turtle-backed rats. 

Zander and Halia sighed secretly, but Hachar laughed even louder and more proudly.