The System Identifies Supreme Emperors as Ants, I Crush Them Instantly with One Punch - Chapter 7:

Chapter 7: Strength of Nine Bulls

“Finally done scrubbing,” Qin Tian shrugged and stretched a little, feeling his body heat up from the exertion.

The moss on the old turtle’s shell had been completely cleaned off, and the shell now gleamed with a polished shine.

The old turtle’s eyes were lifeless, its head drooping, and a line of tears flowed from its eyes.

“Why are you crying? Is it because no one’s ever cleaned your shell in all these years, and today you finally met someone as kind as me? No need to thank me,” Qin Tian said as he casually tossed the old turtle onto the ground.

Thank you, my shell! The old turtle felt utterly hopeless.

It was humiliating. 

He had no face left to show in public. If anyone ever brought up the fact that his shell was scrubbed with a toilet brush, how could he go on living?

The moment he left Qin Tian’s hands, the old turtle felt his cultivation return. With a flick, he shot deep into the pond.

“That kid is too terrifying. I lost all my power in front of him. I’m never coming out again,” the old turtle was completely shaken by Qin Tian.

“Ran off pretty fast,” Qin Tian clapped his hands. “Perfect! Now with the Strength of Nine Bulls, I’ve got nothing to fear from ordinary cultivators.”

[Ding! Mission settled. Congratulations to the host for acquiring the Strength of Nine Bulls.]

Qin Tian felt an overwhelming power surge through his entire body, like he could punch an elephant to death.

Satisfied, Qin Tian returned to the bamboo house.

“What are you all doing? This is too disrespectful. Touching everything, looking everywhere—don’t you people have any manners?” Qin Tian scolded sternly, “We’re here for the Sect Selection, not to steal. Sure, immortal sect items are great, but that doesn’t mean you should want everything you see.”

Everyone was stunned into stillness by Qin Tian’s outburst.

Some wanted to speak back—who was he to talk about rules?

He fought at the Mountain Gate, even picked up the talking turtle and made it disappear.

But remembering how ruthless he was, they all swallowed their words.

Cultivation starts with cultivating the heart. One must act true to oneself.

Sect Hall.

“Wait a minute… why did the ancestor run off?”

“Is this part of the test too?”

“A test my ass. The ancestor ran away!” the stern-faced Vice Sect Master barked.

“Why would the ancestor run? Did he feel the sacrifice was too much and decide to quit?”

“Then what do we do? What about the second test, the wisdom trial?”

“Don’t panic. I’ll ask the ancestor,” the Sect Master raised his hand to calm them, then sent a voice transmission to the old turtle.

Suddenly, the Sect Master’s face fell—completely dark.

“Sect Master, what did the ancestor say?”

“The ancestor said we’re all a bunch of ungrateful, thankless beasts and told us never to contact him again,” the Sect Master’s voice trembled.

“What?!”

The Sect Hall erupted into chaos.

“Why would the ancestor say that? We’ve always respected him, treated him as our elder, and responded to all his requests. How are we ungrateful?”

“Exactly! Could the ancestor have been provoked?”

The red-robed Vice Sect Master, Great Elder, and all the elders began sending voice transmissions, trying to contact the ancestor to understand what happened.

But soon, everyone’s expressions turned dark.

“This doesn’t make sense! Even I got scolded. He said I’m ungrateful and heartless… I bring him spiritual fish every month!” Second Elder Yu Xingxue looked completely lost.

She had been raised under the ancestor’s care, treated warmly by him, and she often brought him his favorite spiritual fish. She was the ancestor’s favorite disciple. This was her first time being cursed.

And what did he mean by “left him to die”? The ancestor’s cultivation was deep and unfathomable—one of the most renowned experts in the Southern Mountain Region. Why would he need saving?

“Wait—‘left him to die’?” The Great Elder suddenly thought of something. Their ancestor always had a playful nature. Could it be that this time, he wasn’t testing the disciples… but testing them?

To see who among them would step up to help?

“Damn it! It’s all that reckless brat’s fault. Sect Master, I propose we immediately expel him,” the Great Elder grew more convinced by the second.

“No. What does this have to do with Qin Tian? We failed the test. Besides, Qin Tian has supreme-grade talent,” the Sect Master immediately rejected.

“Sect Master, that boy is too abnormal. You’ll regret keeping him,” the Great Elder said seriously. Having lived so long, he trusted his ability to judge people. And no matter how he looked at Qin Tian, he didn’t seem like a good person.

“Enough. Supreme-grade talent is rare and precious. We can’t reject someone like that. Our Absolute Righteous Sect follows the teachings of the Sage of Confucianism. If our ancestors could teach Lord Sacred Turtle and make him our sect’s guardian, surely we can guide a mere disciple. If we can’t lead even one student onto the righteous path, wouldn’t that be a disgrace to the name of the Sage?” the Vice Sect Master finally spoke. His stern face, paired with such words, made everyone feel solemn and respectful.

Only the three of them knew about Qin Tian’s supreme-grade talent.

“We’ll let him stay. But with the ancestor hiding, who will conduct the second test?”

Historically, the second test had always been handled by the ancestor. After all, only he was bored enough to come up with hundreds of bizarre questions.

“The second test is waived. Everyone passes,” the Sect Master said. “Since the second test was created by the ancestor, and he’s no longer participating, everyone passes by default.”

“Agreed.”

No one raised objections.

This second test didn’t hold much value anyway.

“Second test, Wisdom Trial—everyone passes.” A voice echoed above the bamboo house.

“Passed?” The Golden-Haired Youth’s face lit up. “See? I was right! It was testing our observation and whether we would act without knowing the truth. That’s wisdom.”

“I think it’s because I lifted the wooden chair. That’s what made us pass,” said a confident youth who had done just that.

“Nonsense! I opened the window!”

The crowd started arguing, each one convinced they were the reason they passed.

Qin Tian stayed silent. Could it be the second test never even happened and the sect was just pretending?

“Next is the third test—Character Assessment.”

“With ‘virtue’ as the topic, give an interpretation and exposition. You may remain inside the bamboo house. Time limit: two hours.”

They say a person’s appearance reflects their inner nature. One’s interpretation of a concept could reflect their heart.

The voice rang out across the bamboo house, clear to all.

“Another immortal technique?” Qin Tian was in awe. The speaker hadn’t even shown themselves, yet their voice spread everywhere.

“‘Virtue’ as a topic—so the sect wants to examine our character?”

“They say the founder of the Absolute Righteous Sect was a Sage of Confucianism. He emphasized character above all else. There are rumors that disciples of this sect are the true paragons of righteousness. Inside the sect, they are upright, save lives, aid the weak, enlighten all beings—even demons are no exception. Truly men of virtue.”

The sect’s reputation was not only well-known in the Southern Mountain Region but throughout the entire Eastern Wasteland.

Kind, benevolent, compassionate—every one of them was a model of virtue.

“If your character doesn’t pass, you definitely won’t enter the sect.”

“Character, huh? That’s easy.” Qin Tian had studied moral education back in elementary school—he was an exemplary student with outstanding moral values.

But how should he explain it?

“If people don’t offend me, I won’t offend them. But if they do, I kill them on the spot?”

“No, no, that won’t work. That’s not the right interpretation.”

“Wait, for a discussion on virtue, surely The Analects comes first! It’s filled with moral standards and practical wisdom about benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness.”