The farther one walked, the greater their talent, and the more resources they would receive from the manor. Their chances of becoming a martial artist in the future would also be higher.

Very soon.

“George Johnson.” Robert Johnson read out the first name.

In the Jiang family manor, all disciples of the Jiang clan bore the surname Jiang, while other families in the manor would add “Jiangshan” before their names.

The voice spread out.

A boy standing next to Henry Johnson quickly walked up to the white line, looked up at the massive statue of the Martial Ancestor, and then slowly took his first step forward.

“Hmm?” The boy felt an invisible force blocking his way.

Buzz! Buzz!

As soon as he took his first step, wisps of the world’s vital energy surged out from the open Yuan Spring pit nearby, gathering toward him and merging into his body, making the resistance in front of him much lighter.

Quickly, he advanced another six steps, but could go no further and had to stop. Now, he was still dozens of steps away from the altar.

In the distance, Robert Johnson nodded slightly, marked something on the list in his hand with a pen, and announced again, “George Johnson, ninth-grade talent. Next, Ethan Johnson.”

In the crowd watching from behind, George Johnson’s parents showed expressions of unwillingness.

In this world, for cultivators, talent was not the most important thing, but it was absolutely essential.

Cultivation talent was divided into nine grades, but strictly speaking, at least seventh-grade talent was needed to have a sufficient affinity with the world’s vital energy, making it possible to cultivate true qi and condense martial patterns.

Ninth-grade talent, in fact, meant having no cultivation talent at all. Such a person would grow up to be an ordinary farmer, unable to join the guard, let alone become a martial artist, and would be at the very bottom of the manor’s hierarchy.

But most people turned their attention to the second child. Unfortunately, he only managed to advance a dozen or so steps.

“Ethan Johnson, eighth-grade talent. Next, Gavin Johnson.”

“Warren Johnson, ninth-grade talent. Next, Hugh Johnson.”

……

One child after another stepped forward to try, but none could get close to the altar; the best only managed a little over twenty steps.

“William Johnson.” Robert Johnson called out.

A sturdy little boy with a tigerish look strode forward in a few steps and headed toward the altar.

Five steps, twenty steps, forty steps—he advanced quickly, and the world’s vital energy merging into his body was clearly much greater.

Finally, he managed to step three steps onto the altar before he could go no further, then slowly knelt down in worship.

The guards and Jiang clan elders watching were all pleasantly surprised. Robert Johnson also stood up and shouted loudly, “William Johnson, seventh-grade aptitude!”

“Seventh-grade aptitude—he has the potential to cultivate and can become a guard warrior.”

“This is the first seventh-grade aptitude this year.”

The figure on the previously silent, fluttering portrait seemed to open its eyes, and a streak of blood-colored golden light surged from the portrait, shooting directly onto the child.

Very soon, wisps of blood light emerged from the child’s body. Standing on the steps, he instinctively struck a pose, imitating the Martial Ancestor statue, as if learning something.

In his previous life, Henry Johnson’s cultivation world had never experienced such things, but from reading in the library, he had learned some knowledge about the cultivation path and knew that this was the Martial Ancestor statue directly manifesting in the child’s sea of consciousness.

“Directly manifesting in the sea of consciousness—after this, as long as he visualizes the Martial Ancestor statue in his mind, he can obtain the inherited cultivation method, and his meridian circulation will be flawless.” Henry Johnson thought to himself, “This Martial Ancestor statue truly deserves to be the Jiang clan’s heirloom treasure.”

Soon, the child William stopped mimicking the pose, and the ball of demon beast essence blood floating in midair, as if guided, bathed directly over William. Although it was only a small portion, it made William’s body heat up and turn red.

Afterward, William simply found a spot beside the altar and sat down. The pit once again surged with a large amount of world’s vital energy, completely enveloping William.

Having read many books, Henry Johnson fully understood what this true blood baptism was all about.

For ordinary people, taking spiritual medicine or demon beast essence blood had its limits—too much was as bad as too little.

But for children with cultivation potential, after experiencing their first manifestation and taking essence blood or spiritual medicine, they could directly refine the medicinal power into their bodies, tempering their physique and strengthening themselves.

This was the true meaning of the baptism.

From this moment on, children who had undergone the true blood baptism and those who had not would embark on completely different life paths.

William’s success swept away the previously oppressive atmosphere.

After William sat down at the edge of the open space, the remaining children also stepped forward one by one to have their talents tested. Some failed, while others succeeded in reaching the altar.

Hundreds of children—this process lasted for more than an hour before everyone was tested. In total, thirty-six children possessed cultivation talent and received the true blood baptism.