Everyone had assumed this was a power play from the Legion Commander, but they hadn't expected this underlying intention.
The crowd began to discuss it animatedly.
"What? The Legion Commander was testing him just now?"
"Ahem, I saw it coming all along. Didn't you feel it? Just watching that pressure from before made me feel like I could barely breathe!"
"Me too. Even though we're so far away, I still felt flustered. He was in the center of the arena, facing the Legion Commander directly, and yet he didn't even change his expression?"
One Eternal Dao Lord Cultivator had imagined a lot more into it.
Although none of them had faced that pressure directly, they weren't stupid; it was impossible not to feel anything at all.
"Young Master Han's willpower is truly terrifying; it likely far surpasses the Cultivators of this generation."
Someone sighed with emotion. While most people might not pay much attention to the Heart-Nature Realm, in some powerful factions, the requirements for this aspect were not low at all.
Wang Ping suddenly stood up from his seat, his face flushed red, and clapped his hands vigorously:
"Good! Well done, Brother Han!"
"That's it? He passed?"
Li Tiantong nodded slightly, the worry in his eyes dissipating a little, though he still felt it was somewhat dreamlike:
"If it were this simple, why go through such a huge production?"
As soon as these words were spoken, many people in the stands nodded in agreement.
They didn't think the Huben Legion was that kind-hearted.
On the other side, next to the Legion Commander, Centurion Zhou Lie's expression was not very good.
He stood with his arms crossed, staring expressionlessly at Han Xuanji in the arena, his jaw slightly tensed. He had long known that Han Xuanji's willpower was strong; the other party's exploits at Qianmeng Pavilion had spread throughout the city, so it was impossible for him not to know.
But seeing with his own eyes that the other party remained composed under the Legion Commander's pressure, he still felt a trace of displeasure.
"But that's all there is to it."
Centurion Zhou Lie snorted coldly in his heart:
"Strong willpower doesn't mean strong combat power. Real battles don't rely on just standing there without moving."
Several of his comrades beside him also began to discuss in low voices.
"This kid really has some skills."
"Some skills? Could you stand your ground in front of the Legion Commander? I remember the Legion Commander tested this before, but no one managed to hold out."
"...Shut up."
...
Han Xuanji ignored the surrounding discussion. He looked at Commander He Guanshan, but felt a faint intuition that things wouldn't be this simple. If one could enter the Creation Platform just by "withstanding the pressure," then Hun Qianxue wouldn't have needed to waste so much breath.
Sure enough, Commander He Guanshan's next words confirmed his guess.
"Han Xuanji."
Commander He Guanshan's voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears:
"Although I recognize you, the spots for the Creation Platform are precious. My recognition alone is not enough to be convincing."
Once this was said, the crowd seemed thoughtful, feeling it made some sense.
But to the ears of Han Xuanji, Hun Qianxue, and others, it sounded somewhat comical.
"Are you kidding me?"
Han Xuanji was speechless in his heart; this kind of talk could only fool those who came from out of town and were unaware of the situation.
Commander He Guanshan was famously overbearing in the Huben Legion. Don't let his approachable appearance fool you; in reality, the legion had long been his personal fiefdom, and no one dared to oppose the decisions he made.
However, Han Xuanji had long been mentally prepared and knew this matter wouldn't be so simple. While he complained internally, on the surface, he remained attentive, ready to listen.
Commander He Guanshan ignored the surrounding discussion and held up three fingers:
"The first trial, you have just passed. Withstanding my pressure proves you have sufficient willpower."
"The second trial: you need to face Centurion Zhou Lie, the youngest Centurion of the Huben Legion, in a direct battle. Regardless of win or loss, as long as you can put on a performance that satisfies me, that will suffice."
"As for the third trial, we'll talk about that after you pass the second."
Commander He Guanshan kept them in suspense. After finishing, he looked Han Xuanji up and down, seemingly wanting to see through everything about the young man before him.
This young man is truly not bad.
He evaluated him silently in his heart.
To be able to remain as steady as a mountain under his pressure—based on this Heart-Nature alone, he already surpassed over ninety percent of the Cultivators in the Huben Legion.
What was even rarer was that he liked Han Xuanji's gaze.
Like still water.
Among the younger generation he had seen, those who could achieve this step could be counted on one hand.
"It's just a pity that he is a member of the Hun Family."
Commander He Guanshan sighed slightly in his heart.
He had been the Legion Commander in Qianhun City for many years. In the eyes of outsiders, he, Commander He Guanshan, came from a Saint Family, held the Huben Legion in his hands, and wielded immense power in Qianhun City, to the point where even the Hun Family had to give him some face.
But only he himself knew that this position, to put it nicely, was "guarding a region," but to put it bluntly, it was "exile to the frontier."
Although Qianhun City could be considered prosperous in Jiuxuan Prefecture, compared to the entire Eternal Continent, it was merely a remote backwater.
His He Family's Foundation was in Jiuxuan City, where the resources and opportunities were far beyond what Qianhun City could compare to.
He was thrown here; on the surface, it was being entrusted with a heavy responsibility, but in reality, he was a loser in the Family's power struggle.
"If there is an Opportunity, I must go back."
This thought had lingered in his heart for many years and had never dissipated.
And to go back, he needed manpower.
Not ordinary Cultivators, but Prodigies with real talent and potential who could be used by him.
He had been operating in Qianhun City for many years and had cultivated many people; Centurion Zhou Lie was the most outstanding one among them.
But that kid, although talented, had a Heart-Nature that was too impetuous and still needed to be polished.
"If this child can really pass the three trials and enter the Creation Platform..."
Commander He Guanshan calculated silently in his heart.
"Then it means he has this Opportunity and strength. Even if a person like this cannot be used by me, forming a good relationship is still good."
As for Centurion Zhou Lie's little schemes, he had seen them long ago.
Spreading rumors, suppressing opponents, competing for the title of "Number One Prodigy"... these little actions were nothing more than children playing house in his eyes.
He did not stop them, and even intentionally allowed them, for a simple reason.
Trees that can withstand the wind and rain cannot be grown in a greenhouse, and true powerhouses cannot be forged in comfort.
Centurion Zhou Lie needed an opponent, and Han Xuanji needed tempering.
Letting them collide would be beneficial for both sides.
"I just don't know how far this Han Xuanji can go."
Commander He Guanshan retracted his gaze, picked up his teacup, and took a light sip.
...
In the stands, there was complete silence.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on Han Xuanji; there was anticipation, worry, and also schadenfreude.
Hun Jiuge leaned into Li Tiantong's ear and whispered:
"Brother Li, can Brother Han win if he fights Centurion Zhou Lie?"
Li Tiantong shook his head, his gaze heavy. He pondered for a long time before speaking:
"I don't know..."
Hun Jiuge rolled his eyes. He didn't know, yet he still acted so profound?
"But I believe in Xuanji..."
Although Li Tiantong didn't know Han Xuanji very well, he still trusted his fellow countryman very much.
...
Han Xuanji stood where he was, looking into Commander He Guanshan's deep eyes, and suddenly smiled.
"The second trial: a battle with Centurion Zhou Lie."
He repeated it, his tone calm:
"Fine, I accept."
This trial was also within his expectations; he just didn't know what kind of attitude the Legion Commander actually held towards him.
He hoped the other party wasn't deliberately making things difficult for him and giving him an impossible task for the third trial.
Han Xuanji had already made the worst-case preparations. If the other party made things difficult, then so be it if he didn't go to this Creation Platform; there were always places to Sign In.
At most, it would just be further away and take longer. Hun Qianxue silently cheered for Han Xuanji, feeling that this second trial wasn't actually difficult.
He had already discussed it with Han Xuanji; if Commander He Guanshan deliberately made things difficult, then they would just forget it.
Now that he saw it was just a battle with Centurion Zhou Lie.
Then there was not much to worry about.
You're actually quite nice.