Zhong Yue stood on the stage while still using his [Jiao Dragon Winding Body Totem Art]. His psyche had not dispersed yet, so there were still light-green energy waves winding like a ferocious Jiao Dragon around him.
It was visible to the naked eye; a pure expression of power from the psyche.
The Qi Practitioners of the Great Wilderness possessed strong psyches capable of transformation. When the psyche transformed into a bird it could fly, as a beast, it could leap, and as a weapon, it could kill. When psyche and Qi were combined, they would be unbreakable.
However, that was for Qi Practitioners!
Zhong Yue's psyche was blurry but still visible. Even if it was not anything close to the psyche of a Qi Practitioner, his overbearing psyche still had a substantial impact on the other outer disciples!
The [Sui Sovereign Flame Order Palace Visualization Art] given to me by Xin Huo is really strong and potent!
Zhong Yue was excited. He had only practiced the [Sui Sovereign Flame Order Palace Visualization Art] twice. However, not only could he liberate his soul, but the strength of his [Jiao Dragon Winding Body Totem Art] had also increased a lot. It was way beyond what the Swords Gate Visualization Art could have done!
The teenagers below the stage were dumbfounded as they stared at him. The only exception was Shui Qingyan, who was excited and dancing around. She hopped and jumped, waving her fist to express her happiness. It was like she was the one that passed the examination.
On the other hand, the examiners were talking and discussing among themselves, without any results.
"The Swords Gate has never gone through such a thing," said an examiner with white hair.
Suddenly, he voiced out, "The purpose of this Cloudless Hall examination is to test the soul strength and combat awareness of the disciples, but the Zhong Shan Clan member used a physique refining technique to defeat the Mantis Demon. This shall not count as a pass. In my opinion, it should even be a fail. What do the other junior martial brothers think?"
"Senior Martial Brother Tian, you are right." There was another examiner that agreed with him, "If this is counted as a pass, it will disrupt the principle of Swords Gate. We of Swords Gate manifest the spirit and cultivate Sword Qi to protect the Great Wilderness. If the outer disciples make him a model and follow his footsteps, it would emphasize the physique refining techniques and promote the unorthodox ways of Swords Gate. It will not only break the rules of the Swords Gate but worse; it will undermine the culture of Swords Gate; things at that point will then be irreparable. This examination shall, therefore, be counted as a fail…"
Zhong Yue's heart instantly sank. At this time, a young examiner suddenly stood up. His dark hair flew in the air. With a sudden outbreak of his aura, he criticized, "Enough! Senior martial brothers, I have had enough of you all! The children of the peasants are trying so hard to pass the examination, but only one out of ten thousand can do so. The dead and the wounded, most of them are from the poor families! The disciples of the big clans can use the totem godly pillars while the disciples of the poor have nothing, where are fairness and equality? If there isn't any, then what is wrong with passing the test with physique refining techniques? Today, this Zhong Shan Clan must pass!"
The white-haired examiner frowned, "Junior Martial Brother Zuo, you are a bit presumptuous…"
"Then I will be presumptuous for this once!" The young examiner released his aura, and a gate shaped like a sword appeared above his head. As the gate opened, a ball of burning sun-like flame like flew out. In the middle of the sun, stood a foot-tall celestial being with the head of a bird and the body of a man; this was his totem spirit, he sneered, "Senior martial brothers, all of you come from the famous clans and monopolize Swords Gate. When will it be the day where people like us that come from the poor can rise high? I, myself, come from the poor and today I will fight for the poor!"
His totem spirit was a human with a bird's head, a pair of wings and with bird's feet. The moment it made its appearance, the whole Cloudless Hall became dry and hot. Blazing fires burned in the air as if the sun were really here!
"Senior Martial Brother Tian, 60 years ago, you became a Qi Practitioner. On the other hand, I only became one 10 years ago. Today, I challenge you to a duel, let's see who is stronger! Whether if it is you, the Qi Practitioner from a well-known clan or me, a peasant Qi Practitioner! Do you have the courage to accept?"
"Zuo Xiangsheng, you are overestimating yourself!" The white-haired elder snorted coldly. Above him, a Sword Gate also appeared. He called out his totem spirit. It was also only a foot tall; a treant with no legs. The bottom half was its roots, it had tree crowns as its hair, and the leaves grew lushly!
There was an outbreak between the two Qi Practitioners. Suddenly, the totem spirit of the white-haired elder made the first move. Countless roots flew and danced in the air. The roots were like pythons and Jiao Dragons, getting thicker and sturdier. It shuttled through the air as it headed toward Zuo Xiangsheng!
His totem spirit turned into a towering giant tree. Lively energies burst from the totem spirit and the tree's crown wholly covered Cloudless Hall.
Meanwhile, the totem spirit of Zuo Xiangsheng was also getting bigger. As the wind blew, the birdman celestial grew bigger and fully spread out its wings. It opened its mouth and blasted out breaths of fire, burning off the roots!
All of a sudden, the treant lifted its hands. Giant timbers appeared out of nowhere, one after another, each of them weighing at least tens of thousands of pounds. They all rained down onto Zuo Xiangsheng!
Utilizing wood as swords and forming a sword array!
The celestial birdman totem spirit shot out countless Sword Qi from its eyes, using fire as swords, incisively sharp and blazing hot!
The outbreak between the two Qi Practitioners suppressed the outer disciples, who could not withstand the intense ambiance of this fighting scene. Quickly, the other examiners stepped forward and shielded the outer disciples. They shouted, "Senior Martial Brother Tian and Junior Martial Brother Zuo, stop, stop at once!"
With the examiners guarding them, Zhong Yue, Shui Qingyan, and the other outer disciples were finally able to exhale a breath of relief. The outer disciples raised their heads and looked up; the battle between the two Qi Practitioners was getting more and more intense. Their eyes were entirely riveted by the battle.
The rest of the examiners did not know whether to laugh or cry. They quickly tried to persuade the two of them to stop. One of them whispered, "As glorious Qi Practitioners, they actually fought because of an outer disciple. If word of this gets out, the honor of the Cloudless Hall will be no more!"
In the history of the examinations of Cloudless Hall, this was the first time an outer disciple had ever bare-handedly defeated a Mantis Demon. It was also the first time the examiners fought among themselves.
"Should we help?"
"Help who?"
"Of course, it will be Senior Martial Brother Tian! Senior Martial Brother Tian comes from a well-known clan, the Tian Feng Clan, which holds great prestige within the Swords Gate…"
Right when they finished their discussion, the white-haired elder examiner fell from the sky and landed on the floor. There was blood trickling down his mouth. He struggled to get up but was not able to.
The other examiners were shocked. They looked up at Zuo Xiangsheng who was floating in mid-air. There were flames around him as he transformed himself into the birdman celestial being. He had bird claws and a pair of wings, his appearance was grand and impressive, like an immortal in flames, while his totem spirit was nowhere to be seen!
"You have cultivated to the state of [Human-Spirit As One]?" The white-haired elder turned gray and dull. He gazed at Zuo Xiangsheng in terror and envy, coughing out a mouthful of blood, and said, "You can combine your body and the totem spirit as one, I am convinced that I am no match for you. I will have no second words if you take control of the Cloudless Hall. But the rules are the rules; the Zhong Shan Clan didn't use his soul to defeat the Mantis Demon, his actions are against the rules, I will report this matter to the higher-ups of Swords Gate, and you will see!"
Zuo Xiangsheng walked down from the air. It was like he was stepping down some stairs, he was high-spirited as he laughed and said, "There is no need for Senior Martial Brother Tian to talk to the higher-ups. If the Zhong Yue of Zhong Shan Clan can defeat the Mantis Demon with his fists, then he can surely defeat the Mantis Demon with his soul with no difficulty. Since you hold a different opinion, then let him try another time! Zhong Yue!"
On the stage, Zhong Yue bowed and answered, "I am here."
"You will be examined again. You are not allowed to kill the demon with your physique refining art, only use your soul!"
Zuo Xiangsheng lifted his finger, and the Swords Gate on the stage opened once again. Another Mantis Demon rushed out from it as Zuo Xiangsheng said in a solemn tone, "I want you to find and pave a path for the children of the poor, a path where we the peasants can pass the examination without the availability of totem godly pillars!"
"[Jiao Dragon Winding Body Totem Art]!"
Zhong Yue groaned deeply. He imagined the Jiao Dragon totem and his psyche turned into flows of light-green energies. The energy flowed through his body like a Jiao Dragon winding around him. He raised his arms, then grabbed and stopped the arms of the Mantis Demon!
The man and the demon clashed, hand-to-hand!
"Soul liberation!"
The Mantis Demon's arms were restrained, so its speed was slow. A ray of light flashed between Zhong Yue's eyebrows, and his soul dashed out to enter the psyche ocean of the Mantis Demon. A Sword Gate appeared in the psyche ocean of the Mantis Demon. Suddenly, a Sword Qi flew out of the gate, cutting the demon's soul in half!
Zuo Xiangsheng looked at him with a pair of eyes filled with praise. He smiled and said, "Zhong Yue's body is strong; the Mantis Demon could not fight him off. As long as his soul is liberated, he can easily kill the Mantis Demon. Senior Martial Brother Tian, now I say he has passed the test, do you have any objections?"
The white-haired elder gave another cold snort and kept silent.
Zuo Xiangsheng took out a token of the upper house and handed it over to Zhong Yue as he said, "From today onward, you are officially a Soul Liberated disciple. You can claim 10 Feather Spirit Pellets every month from the Valley of Remedy within the upper house. You have done well; it is hard for the children of the poor to become Qi Practitioners. If there are more peasant Qi Practitioners in the future, you are to be credited!"
The words he said were not an exaggeration at all. Physique refining arts were not the focus of Swords Gate, so most of the children of the poor families could not pass the soul liberation examination of Cloudless Hall. With the fact that Zhong Yue managed to pass the examination with his physique refining technique, it would trigger a surge of physique refining techniques among the children of the poor. In the future, there would be more and more disciples passing the examination through this path!
The number of peasant Qi Practitioners would therefore increase!
"You are 15 years old this year, right?" Zuo Xiangsheng pondered for a moment and said, "With your current age, there will be some dangers when manifesting your spirit at the age of sixteen. Feel free to look for me if you are facing difficulties."
Zhong Yue thanked him and thought in his heart, This Junior Martial Uncle Zuo, he is truly a hero.
He did not leave immediately after, standing below the stage and watching Shui Qingyan's examination. On the stage, Shui Qingyan circled around and fought with the Mantis Demon. Her blouse floated in the air as she moved around. It was like there were waves of currents beneath her feet that helped her maneuver around the stage without her feet touching the floor.
She did not use her totem godly pillar, but it was clear that her cultivation technique was high quality. Her speed was comparable to the Mantis Demon. It was only her strength that was lacking.
The way Zhong Yue used to defeat the Mantis Demon was crude and straightforward. The impressive force of his muscles was fully utilized. In contrast, her maneuvers were elegant and graceful, much like a fairy dancing in the air.
Shui Qingyan soon seized upon a flaw in the demon's movements, and her soul dashed out. With the visualized Swords Gate, she slashed at the demon's soul!
"This little girl from the Shui Tu Clan, did she really just join a year ago?"
The examiners looked at each other, and one of them whispered, "I hear that there are Qi Practitioners from the clan that took good care of her, but her cultivation speed is indeed exceptional. Passing the examination without the use of totem godly pillar, a disciple like this is rarely seen."
As for Zhong Yue passing without the totem godly pillar, the fact was completely ignored by them.
In their eyes, Shui Qingyan's method was the only authentic way of Swords Gate, while Zhong Yue's approach that relied on the physique refining technique was merely a crooked and spurious path.
Shui Qingyan also received the upper house token and very happy. She left together with Zhong Yue for the upper house of Swords Gate.
The upper house was divided into two, the men's and women's houses. The purpose of the separation was to avoid improper relationships between the disciples from daily communications. After all, the outer disciples of the upper house were the focal point of the outer hall. If their morale were hampered, it would affect their cultivation speeds.
Shui Qingyan and Zhong Yue each went on their own paths. Before leaving, Shui Qingyan said hesitantly, "Brother Yue, remember to come and look for me often at the women's house!"
Zhong Yue nodded, carrying his medicine basket as he walked away on the path to the upper men's house. He attracted many gazes from the other disciples along the way. He thought, I wonder if the upper house allows the male disciples to enter the female house… It's better if I go to the Valley of Remedy and claim the ten Feather Spirit Pellets to improve my body. Otherwise, with my body in this skinny and dried up state, I can't continue cultivating the [Sui Sovereign Flame Order Palace Visualization Art].