The massive iron-black stone gates of Black Tortoise City rose like a cliff face against the rugged highlands, their dark granite surfaces covered in faint, earthy defensive runes. A long, crowded line of carriages, wagons, and traveling cultivators stretched across the dusty plain, waiting under the cold mountain wind for the inspection of the city guards. The guards, dressed in heavy green-and-black armor-robes, checked each traveler with strict, silent gazes, their earth-affinity Qi keeping a heavy pressure over the entrance.
Fang Lin, walking beside the lead wagon of the Tuo Clan caravan, kept his head slightly lowered under the hood of his grey-green robe. The heavy black broad sword on his back felt like a simple, inert piece of iron, and his presence was entirely masked by the Yin-Wind Concealment Cloak.
When they reached the front of the gates, Manager Tuo Feng stepped forward, presenting his merchant transit permit and a small bag of spirit stones to the lead guard.
"Caravan of the Tuo Clan, carrying seven wagons of Iron-Spirited Wood for the outer forge hall," Tuo Feng spoke politely, gesturing toward the wagons and the guards behind them. "This is our newly hired guard, Mu Tie. He helped us fend off a pack of Stone-Skin Wolves in the pass."
The guard captain turned his heavy, stone-like gaze toward Fang Lin. He scanned the youth's sturdy frame and the massive broad sword on his back, sensing only the dense, natural physical vitality of a Peak Spirit Foundation body cultivator. Finding no anomalies or traces of hidden Qi, the captain nodded slowly and waved his hand.
"Pass," the captain ordered.
The heavy iron gates creaked open, and the caravan rolled slowly into the streets of Black Tortoise City.
As soon as they crossed the threshold, the sheer scale of the city became apparent. Unlike Rivercloud City with its elegant stone pavilions and light wooden bridges, Black Tortoise City was a massive fortress built entirely of big polished blocks of black granite. The streets were wide, paved with thick stone slabs that had been worn smooth by the passage of heavy carriages and iron-bound boots. The buildings were squat and sturdy, constructed with thick walls and flat roofs designed to withstand the harsh mountain storms.
But the most striking feature of the city was the sound. From every alley, courtyard, and street corner, the rhythmic, metallic clashing of hammers hitting anvils echoed through the cold air. Plumes of black and grey smoke rose from hundreds of chimneys, carrying the scent of burning coal and molten iron. Almost every second person in the streets was a body cultivator or a blacksmith, their broad shoulders and thick arms visible under sleeveless leather vests.
After parking the wagons at the Tuo Clan's warehouse in the merchant district, Tuo Feng turned to Fang Lin, bowing gratefully.
"We have arrived safely, Brother Mu," Tuo Feng said, handing him a small wooden token. "This is our caravan's guard token. It will serve as your temporary residency permit in the city for the next month, allowing you to bypass the daily registration checks. I have also paid your entry fee. I wish you the best of luck in the recruitment trial."
"Thank you, Manager Tuo," Fang Lin replied, taking the token and clasping his hands. "Your assistance has saved me a great deal of trouble."
Bidding farewell to the merchant manager, Fang Lin walked through the crowded streets, heading toward the central district to locate an inn. He walked with heavy, deliberate steps, mimicking the typical posture of a body cultivator whose weight was concentrated in his legs.
As he crossed the massive Central Plaza, a large, noisy crowd gathered near the steps of the local registration hall caught his attention. He stopped at the edge of the crowd, his dark eyes scanning the scene.
In the center of the clearing stood a proud young cultivator in the dark-green silk robes of a local cultivation clan. His robes were marked with the emblem of a black tortoise shell, representing the Guan Clan, an influential family with strong ties to the outer sect of Black Tortoise Mountain. The youth, who looked around twenty-two, had a arrogant expression as he stood with his arms folded, his Late Spirit Foundation earth-affinity Qi radiating outward.
At his feet, a rogue cultivator in simple, patched robes was kneeling on the granite pavement, his face red and veins bulging on his forehead as he struggled to stand.
"A rogue trash from outside thinks he can enter the Black Tortoise Mountain?" the Guan Clan youth, named Guan Sheng, sneered. He slowly lowered his right hand, pressing down with a heavy, downward force. "The recruitment trial is for those with true natural talent and bone-strength, not for beggars who rely on cheap pills to raise their Qi. Kneel down and beg for mercy, and I might let you crawl away."
As he pressed his hand down, a faint, dark-brown glow of earth Qi gathered around his fingers, forming a small gravity-pressure field. The air around the rogue cultivator grew heavy, and the thick granite slab beneath his knees cracked under the sudden increase in weight. The rogue gasped for air, his chest heaving under the invisible pressure.
Fang Lin watched the scene in absolute silence from the crowd, his expression unreadable. He had no intention of intervening in a common dispute, but his mind was focused entirely on Guan Sheng's technique.
Without releasing a single thread of his own Qi, Fang Lin activated the deep sensory perception of his Peak-Solid Soul. He observed the invisible force vectors of the gravity field, tracking how the earth-affinity energy gathered around Guan Sheng's fingers, compressed the surrounding air, and directed the heavy pressure downward onto the rogue's skeletal structure.
He analyzed the technique's principles, realizing that the gravity-pressure was not a direct physical weight, but a localized distortion of the natural earth laws. By studying the pressure's pattern, Fang Lin understood how to resist it. By adjusting the alignment of his own joints and directing his Asura Flesh vitality to key muscle groups, he could completely neutralize the pressure on his bones, making his body seem weightless or immovably heavy at will.
"A simple earth-gravity technique," Fang Lin thought to himself, his eyes calm. "By compressing the earth Qi, he forces the opponent's bones to carry their own weight tenfold. If one does not possess innate bone-strength or refined muscles, the skeletal structure will collapse before the Qi can even protect it."
Guan Sheng finally released the pressure with a cold laugh, kicking the rogue aside before walking into the registration hall with his followers. The crowd slowly dispersed, whispering about the power of the Guan Clan.
Fang Lin turned away, his mind satisfied with the observation. He continued down the street, eventually arriving at a large, three-story stone building marked with the familiar three-starred banner of the Star-River Merchant Alliance.
Entering the main hall, he bypassed the busy front counters and approached a clerk, presenting a small piece of refined copper ore.
"I wish to speak with Manager regarding a private trade," Fang Lin spoke in his deep, Mu Tie voice.
The clerk inspected the high-quality ore and immediately led him to a quiet, private chamber on the second floor. A few minutes later, a middle-aged merchant in rich blue silk robes entered, carrying a gentle, professional smile. This was Manager Song, the local branch manager.
"I am Song Chen," the manager said, bowing slightly as he sat across from Fang Lin. "I hear our guest has some quality materials to trade, and wishes to discuss a private matter."
Fang Lin did not speak immediately. He placed three medium-grade spirit stones and the stone-skin fragments of the wolves on the table, along with a rare, earth-affinity beast core he had harvested.
"I am Mu Tie," Fang Lin said simply. "I am participating in the upcoming recruitment trial. I want to buy the official dossier containing the specific rules and parameters of the tests."
Song Chen looked at the materials on the table, his eyes shining with a merchant's greed, but he quickly maintained his polite smile. "The recruitment trial is organized by Black Tortoise Mountain, and the official dossier is strictly guarded. If the sect learns that we are sharing their specifications, it would cause trouble for our alliance."
"The alliance is large, and a single dossier is small," Fang Lin replied calmly, sliding the three spirit stones closer to the manager. "I only want to know what to prepare. The trade is anonymous, paid in cash, and will not leave this room."
Song Chen stared at the spirit stones and the high-quality beast core, calculating the value. The profit was high, and the risk was minimal for a single rogue cultivator. He let out a soft laugh and reached out, sweeping the materials into his wide sleeve.
He reached into his breast pocket for the storage treasure and produced a small, sealed jade scroll, placing it on the table.
"A wise transaction," Song Chen smiled. "This is the official trial dossier for this year. Keep it private, and do not show it to other candidates."
"Thank you, Manager Song," Fang Lin nodded, taking the scroll and storing it inside his storage ring, leaving the merchant alliance building.
Returning to his rented room at a quiet inn near the city walls, Fang Lin sat on the wooden bed and pressed his divine sense into the jade scroll. The sealed information flooded his consciousness, revealing the structure of the upcoming recruitment trial.
The first detail that stood out was that the recruitment was designed to measure natural talent and physical constitution, ensuring that anyone could attend, regardless of their cultivation style or whether they had trained in body-tempering techniques.
The trial was divided into separate male and female categories, recognizing the fundamental differences in physical anatomy and natural constitution.
For the male category, the trial consisted of two distinct tests:
The first test was the Gravity Passage. Candidates would walk through a long, enclosed corridor built of high-density granite where the gravity-pressure was artificially increased by the sect's arrays. The pressure would rise incrementally from two times normal gravity up to ten times normal gravity. This test specifically measured the candidate's innate bone-strength and internal organ durability under load, filtering out those whose skeletons were weak or who relied solely on spiritual Qi to support their frames.
The second test was the Qi-Suppression Carry Test. Held in a large stone basin, a powerful ancient formation would completely seal all spiritual Qi, preventing candidates from using any spells, defensive shields, or energy reinforcement. Reduced entirely to their base physical bodies, the candidates had to carry a massive, three-hundred-pound granite slab across a set distance. This test measured raw, natural physical strength, muscle endurance, and unyielding willpower.
The dossier noted that the female category had different tests, focusing on natural flexibility under gravity shifts and sensory coordination in high-pressure arrays rather than pure raw-force carrying.
Fang Lin retracted his divine sense, the jade scroll turning into dust in his palm.
"Innate bone-strength and raw physical willpower under Qi-suppression," Fang Lin murmured, a faint smile appearing on his rugged face.
This setup was highly beneficial for him. During the Gravity Passage, the gravity would test his bone structure, which was already tempered to the Asura Flesh stage and reinforced by his Core Formation foundation. During the second test, the complete suppression of spiritual Qi meant his three cores would be locked away automatically, eliminating any risk of his Frost, Life, or Death Qi leaking out and alerting the sect's detection arrays. He would only need to rely on the natural, raw strength of his muscles to carry the granite block.
He sat cross-legged on the bed, closing his eyes to consolidate his state. He began practicing the precise suppression of his core force, ensuring that when the time came, his body would react exactly like a Peak Spirit Foundation body cultivator, showing excellent strength to secure a position in the forging halls, but keeping his performance in the top ten percent to avoid drawing the attention of the high-level grandmasters.
Outside the window, the cold highland wind howled through the granite streets, carrying the distant, steady beat of iron hammers as the city prepared for the trial.
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