Am I the one with the best potential among this entire group?
An Jing raised his eyebrows and looked around, discovering that his suspicion was correct.
Roughly two hundred feet in front of the estate lay an open, treeless space. It was likely cleared to guard against the intrusion of mountain beasts and malevolent entities, as well as to prevent people within the estate from escaping.
Twenty or thirty carts were parked in the clearing, and many more were approaching from the mountain forest—the very same massive caravan he had arrived in.
And he was the first person among all those vehicles to step down.
"The others are likely still dizzy and feeling unwell, and since they fear being brought to a completely unfamiliar, remote, and enclosed environment, their hesitation to step off the carts is to be expected," An Jing thought to himself. However, he made no effort to keep a low profile afterward.
"Thank you for the compliment, sir."
He openly examined the estate before him, responding to the one-eyed rider's praise: "Is this where we will be living from now on?"
The estate, situated deep within the uninhabited mountains, gave off an imposing, chilling air. It stood loftily amidst the surrounding forests and ridges, and its sense of incongruity was not that of ghostly gloom, but of a majestic, overbearing intimidation.
It felt as if one were looking down into an abyss from the edge of a jagged, precipitous cliff; even without any ghosts or demons present, a person would still naturally feel fear.
But An Jing squinted slightly, realizing the source of this chilling aura was the plaque hanging above the estate gate.
[Xuanming Village]
The characters on the plaque were written with a vigorous, powerful hand, subtly exuding an overwhelming Divine Will that struck at the heart.
"Man is born of the earth, and his life hangs from the heavens. The confluence of heaven and earth is what we call man..."
A flood of information surfaced in his mind as An Jing whispered to himself: "Life is a gift from heaven, thus it hangs from the heavens..."
"Heh, you really are a scholar, aren't you?"
Watching An Jing, who seemed captivated by the estate, the one-eyed leader felt quite pleased; he felt he had stumbled upon a treasure.
During this Northern Frontier Frost Calamity, they had dispatched nine teams to collect disaster-stricken children who met their criteria.
By custom, the scouts who discovered children capable of eventually awakening a Destiny Grid would receive generous rewards.
But children who could awaken a Destiny Grid were rare.
In previous trials, the number of children who successfully awakened a Destiny Grid had never exceeded the number of fingers on one hand. He himself had been a failure in the trials of his youth.
Often, a team would gather twenty or thirty eligible children, yet not a single one would awaken a Destiny Grid, leaving the team with nothing but their standard pay and no additional bonus.
But An Jing was different.
He possessed exceptional talent, superior intellect, and the boldness to bargain with them.
To save his mother, he dared to sell himself, and he dared to kill wicked men, using their severed heads to intimidate others.
His physique was resilient, capable of resisting the Soul-Calming Incense for a full quarter of an hour.
Now, An Jing was the first to resist the motion sickness and the potency of the medicine, overcoming the terror of being in a strange land, daring to be the first to step out of the carriage, and fearlessly meeting the gaze of the "Xuanming" characters personally inscribed by the Northern Patrol Envoy.
This ruthlessness ingrained in his bones, his inherent cold-blooded grit, his naturally gifted physique, and his daring spirit to fight fate—his chances of awakening a Destiny Grid were far greater than those of the other children!
The one-eyed leader felt that after so many years of bad luck, he finally had a guaranteed win! Not to mention, this kid might even become his superior one day, so it was only natural to treat him well.
About another quarter of an hour passed before the other children trickled out from the carts.
Most of them were nervous and cautious. After looking around with trepidation, they lowered their heads and stared at their feet, not daring to move.
An Jing stood aside, calmly counting. By the time everyone had gathered and someone from the estate came to open the gate, he had arrived at a number: "Two hundred and fifty-three..."
The total number of children collected in this batch was two hundred and fifty-three.
Among them were a few special cases who had been "escorted" off their carts by the riders. They wore a uniform style of black clothing, and these children gave An Jing a distinct impression, distancing themselves from the other ordinary children.
Their status was clearly higher than those of the riders; even leaders like the one-eyed man treated them with considerable respect.
"Have they already awakened their Destiny Grids?" An Jing speculated internally as the estate gates creaked open.
"Deputy Envoy Yao!"
The person approaching was the master of the estate, an old man referred to as Deputy Envoy Yao.
He stood ramrod straight, his face pale, his gaze cold and icy. His appearance carried the withered, gaunt look characteristic of a man near death, and the tips of his white hair shimmered with a faint green light—the exact same light that glowed from deep within his pupils. A single sweep of his gaze was enough to make one’s entire body turn cold.
All the leaders bowed respectfully to him, then stepped forward to report the name lists and other miscellaneous matters.
After confirming the list, Deputy Envoy Yao nodded with satisfaction. He raised his eyes and swept them across the gathered children.
Instantly, a sense of fear took root in every child's heart—a fear similar to seeing some colorful, venomous creature, as if the slightest movement would cause the beast to pounce upon them. They broke out into a cold sweat, afraid even to breathe.
But this was merely an instinctive intimidation; Deputy Envoy Yao had no intention of terrorizing them.
On the contrary, he even squeezed out a smile that had absolutely nothing to do with kindness. After nodding at everyone, he waved his hand, signaling them to enter the estate.
"Bathe and change clothes first, then roll call followed by a meal. Once everyone has recovered, I will have the people from the Apothecary Hall perform another check on everyone... After a period of recuperation, once it is confirmed that all criteria are met, we will begin training and the trials."
Because An Jing was the first to leave the carriage, he stood at the very front of the line, second only to the five rider leaders and Deputy Envoy Yao, making him, in a sense, the "leader" of the group.
His overly keen senses allowed him to overhear Deputy Envoy Yao’s instructions to his subordinates regarding the arrangements for them.
Bathing, changing, eating, recuperating... and then, training and trials.
Everything up to that point was normal, but trials... as expected, was this the selection process for some mysterious organization?
But what did it specifically entail?
Just as An Jing was pondering this, Deputy Envoy Yao, at the front of the line, suddenly stopped and turned his head to look at An Jing: "Is this the one with the best potential among this batch of disciples?"
An Jing was caught off guard, staring blankly at the old man, but he quickly regained his composure, smiled, and responded: "Greetings, Elder Yao."
"Heh." The old man stared at An Jing, emitting an ambiguous chuckle.
Deputy Envoy Yao did not respond to An Jing’s greeting in the end; he merely stroked his beard and continued walking forward.
Following this episode, An Jing noticed many more gazes directed at his back.
The other children did not know where they had arrived or what they were about to face, so they naturally and subconsciously focused on An Jing, the one with the "best potential."
They wanted to see exactly who it was that had received such special attention from the master of the estate.
An Jing’s appearance was indeed striking. Although he was too thin from the long life of fleeing disasters, his frame was excellent, supporting his posture well. Viewed from behind, he appeared like a young, lean tiger, or perhaps a nimble leopard, fitting for the title of "the best."
But not all of these gazes were friendly or merely observational—it was a well-known fact that as long as someone was crowned number one, regardless of whether it was true or false, there would always be people wanting to take their place.
An Jing glanced from the corner of his eye and detected several gazes filled with hostility or a desire to challenge him.
"Heh, there are always those who refuse to submit."
Sensing the many gazes filled with different intentions, An Jing raised his eyebrows. His nature had never been about humility; at most, he was cautious, not wanting to expose himself for the sake of empty fame.
He would hide himself before he struck, and give his all once he did.
Since he was already exposed, why not embrace the fame? Furthermore, as the top-ranked individual, he might gain many additional benefits during the upcoming training and trials.
Let it unfold as it would.