As the sun slowly rose in this world of 1000 cities, sunlight seeped through the gaps of the cave's entrance, slowly illuminating the dim environment inside it.
More than 5000 spirit stones were piled up on the ground around Shun Long in an orderly manner, and all of them seemed to have lost their luster by now, looking like they were nothing more than average stones without any value.
In the last 24 days Shun Long hadn't moved from this cave at all, and he was either absorbing the energy inside the middle-grade spirit stones in front of him, or he spent his time trying to breakthrough to the next stage of body refinement.
Since he wasn't certain yet if there would be another test of the Holy sect after this one, breaking through to the early fifth stage of the 'Monarch's Eternal body' and increasing his strength as much as possible was the most important thing to do right now.
After all, in this third test alone, someone like the golden-robed 'senior brother Qiong' had already forced him to nearly go all-out after using the 'Thundergod's slash'.
If there was a fourth test and it was even harder than the third test, Shun Long guessed that even in the best-case scenario, not more than 200 out of the original 1000 disciples that passed through the third test would manage to successfully pass the fourth one.
It was too bad that during these last 24 days, Shun Long hadn't managed to break through to the early fifth stage in the 'Monarch's Eternal body'.
Although he could feel that his 'Monarch's Eternal body' had already reached the absolute peak of the fourth stage and his 'Dao of Space' was also at a high enough level for him to breakthrough by now, Shun Long could feel that he was still half a step away from succeeding.
At the same time, since he was still inside the Holy sect's test, Shun Long didn't dare to enter inside the 'Stone of Time' or summon the 'Heaven Swallowing vine' to swallow the middle-grade spirit stones and provide him with pure qi during this time.
Instead, he was absorbing the spirit stones in front of him by himself, and although it was a slow process with a much lower efficiency compared to the Heaven Swallowing vine's, this was still the only thing he could do right now to advance his strength.
After all, Shun Long knew that if the Holy sect learned of the existence of the Heaven Swallowing vine, then, even if they were a sect that would never rob its disciples, it was still very likely that there would be at least a few Elders who would be unable to reign in their greed and would choose to make their move.
After all, even in his previous life, Shun Long knew that the 'Heaven Swallowing vine' was a peerless treasure that could increase anyone's speed of cultivation, as well as provide them with endless pure qi.
This was something that had been buried in the annals of history, a treasure that hadn't been found for countless years.
Who could expect that something like it would appear in a place so small like the Desolate East?
Even Dao Emperors would have their eyes turn red with envy if they learned of the existence of this treasure, and would trade everything in their possession if it meant that they could get a hold of this treasure vine.
Of course, during these past 24 days, since he was unable to use the 'Heaven Swallowing vine' to turn the middle-grade spirit stones into pure qi, Shun Long knew that his 'Monarch's Hourglass' would end up expelling even more qi from the middle-grade spirit stones, causing him to waste even more spirit stones in the process.
After all, Shun Long knew, that the 'Monarch's Hourglass' wouldn't allow him to absorb the entirety of the qi contained inside a single middle-grade spirit stone, and would only absorb the tiniest amount inside it that contained the purest qi, rejecting anything that contained even the slightest bit of impurities.
Of course, the 'Heaven Swallowing vine' was still a treasure that could cleanse the qi regardless of its source, including the qi coming from the bodies of magic beasts let alone that inside the spirit stones, and turn it into pure qi that Shun Long would then absorb.
In reality, even the qi coming from the 'Heaven Swallowing vine' was still 'screened' by the 'Monarch's Hourglass' in the end, allowing Shun Long to only absorb 80% of it while rejecting the rest, but compared to the qi that was coming directly from the spirit stones, the difference in quality was simply incomparable.
At the same time, this was the only point that Shun Long couldn't help but lament on regarding his own cultivation.
After all, not only did the 'Monarch's Hourglass' require enormous amounts of qi compared to other cultivators at the same level as him, but Shun Long also knew that it would only allow him to absorb the purest qi possible inside his qi balls.
Thus, even with the 'Heaven Swallowing vine' and the foggy space inside the Stone of Time, Shun Long still had to spend more time cultivating compared to other cultivators at the same level as him.
Of course, after obtaining the golden-robed 'senior brother Qiong's' spatial ring, Shun Long definitely didn't feel the pinch of wasting 5.000 middle-grade spirit stones.
After all, 'senior brother Qiong's' spatial ring had more than 200.000 middle-grade spirit stones inside it.
Such wealth easily rivaled that of an average Dao King's in the Night star continent.
Of course, as a person who most likely came from a major power in his own continent, it wasn't too surprising for 'senior brother Qiong' to be this rich.
As for the old man's and the short-haired woman's spatial rings, Shun Long had been initially surprised to find out that they were practically empty.
However, after thinking about it for a while, he understood that this was only natural in the end.
After all, the Holy sect would definitely sweep their spatial rings clean before exiling them in this place, and would only allow them to keep their weapons to defend themselves and fight.
Letting them keep their spirit stones or any rare pills and medicinal herbs in their possession was simply impossible.
As the spirit stones on the ground completely turned to dust, Shun Long finally condensed the 7th ball of qi above his head, reaching the peak of rank 1 in the Nascent Soul stage.
At the same time, as the final day came to an end, Shun Long saw the Holy sect's token that he had placed beside him suddenly lit up with a bright golden light.
In the beginning, the light was dim and had barely covered the surface of the Holy sect's token, but as time went on it started to expand as it turned even brighter, slowly turning into a golden, incorporeal door.
The door started to ripple, and in just a few moments, it looked no different than a real door. The only difference was that this door that was created from qi had no handle on it.
However, with just a glance, Shun Long could see that this was definitely the exit from the third test.
This door didn't only appear in front of Shun Long.
Everyone else who had a Holy sect's token on their possession saw a similar scene appearing in front of their eyes.
In a forest far away from Shun Long, in a small, isolated cave, 2 peerlessly beautiful young women were staring at the 2 doors golden doors that were taking shape in front of them, with dazzling smiles on both of their faces.
It was like spring had come inside the small cave, painting a scene of indescribable beauty as the 2 kingdom-toppling beautiful women stood next to each other.
A moment later, the green-robed blonde beauty on the left looked at the young woman on her right who had just finished putting a white veil on her face and asked with that same smile
''Mei, are you ready?''
Liu Mei nodded her head a moment later, while Shun Long's image suddenly appeared in her mind, almost as if he was waiting behind this golden door, and without hesitating for a moment, she placed her left hand on the golden door's surface.
Xie Xingyi smiled and did the same, before the figures of the 2 beautiful women instantly disappeared from the cave, leaving nothing left inside.
At the same time, inside the small mountain he was in, Shun Long took a step forward and placed his right hand on the golden door's surface.
Golden light suddenly appeared from the door, completely covering his body from head to toe, before a moment later, Shun Long's body disappeared from the small cave.
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The moment that his right hand touched the golden door, Shun Long could sense the familiar feeling of spatial fluctuations instantly covering his body, before the scene in front of his eyes started to blur.
At the same time, he could sense his surroundings that were rapidly changing, while different scenes flashed through his eyes one after the other.
Finally, an hour later, Shun Long could see the segregated colors around him as they started to come together, forming a completely unfamiliar place.
It was a large arena filled with empty seats, that seemed spacious enough to hold hundreds of thousands of people at the same time.
As Shun Long took a look around him, he instantly realized that he was no longer in the world of 'one-thousand cities'.
At the same time, he saw hundreds of other disciples around him dressed in all kinds of different clothing, all of them staring at their surroundings with eyes that didn't hide their confusion, clearly having no idea what this place was.
And yet, barely a moment had passed since Shun Long had appeared in this place, when the same powerful voice that he had heard back during the start of the third test suddenly resounded throughout the entire arena, like a bolt of lightning that was coming down from the sky, as it once again said in that same, domineering tone as before
''Welcome to the fourth test of my Holy sect, the entrance battle!''
As this booming voice resounded throughout the arena, everyone suddenly raised their heads to stare at the sky above the arena at the same time.
Turning his eyes towards the sky, Shun Long saw an old man in white robes standing above the arena, staring at Shun Long and the rest of the disciples around him with a calm smile on his face.
With just a glance, Shun Long's eyes instantly took in the old man's appearance.
He was thin and tall, with a long white beard and almost no hair on his head.
At the same time, from the smile that was hanging on his lips, anyone could guess that he was the person who had spoken just now.
However, everyone shook when they noticed the old man's aura.
Unlike his domineering voice, the old man's aura was completely retracted, making him look like an ordinary, harmless mortal.
And yet, this scene was actually even more terrifying to the disciples inside the arena, than if the old man had been openly displaying his strength. After all, to be able to stand in the sky without emitting the slightest bit of qi fluctuations, showed how terrifying this person really was.
''A Dao Emperor realm expert!''
This thought flashed through every disciple's mind practically at the same time, causing waves of shock to rise in their hearts.
This was especially true for those disciples who didn't come from a powerful force in their own continents and didn't know the true strength of the Holy sect. Seeing a Dao Emperor realm expert standing in front of them with a smile on his face caused them to tremble while some of them involuntarily lowered their heads, not daring to meet his gaze head-on.
At the same time, although Shun Long had already guessed long ago that a Dao Emperor realm expert was most likely presiding over the Holy sect's test, he hadn't expected that he would meet one today.
After all, in the last 3 years that he and Liu Mei had spent in the Night star continent, Shun Long hadn't even seen a single Dao Emperor realm cultivator!
He had only heard rumors that in the past, there were a couple Dao Emperor realm experts in the Night star continent, but they eventually left for the central continent and never came back.
After staring at the old man for a moment, Shun Long turned his gaze to the people following behind him.
A step behind this old man was another old man in white robes, with long white hair and a clean-shaven face, his appearance in sharp contrast to the old man in the lead.
This old man's aura caused another wave of shock to rise in Shun Long's heart.
Although this person wasn't at the Dao Emperor realm, his aura was definitely similar to Duan Zhu's from the 'Demon Emperor Palace', at the peak of the Dao King realm!
No, it was actually slightly stronger than Duan Zhu's!
Shun Long stared at this peak rank 9 Dao King realm expert for a few moments with a serious look in his eyes, before he turned his attention towards the young men and women who were standing in the sky behind him.
Most of those young men and women had arrogant looks on their faces, almost as if they were looking down on Shun Long and the rest of the disciples around him.
At the same time, these people were dressed in yellow robes, with the word 'Holy' engraved on the front part of their robes, near their chests, while the word 'Sect' was engraved on the back of their robes.
These were definitely disciples of the Holy sect.
At that moment, Shun Long's eyes suddenly narrowed when he realized how many of those disciples were present here.
There were precisely 1000 of them!
Before anyone could ask any questions however, the old man that was leading the Holy sect's group smiled before he continued speaking
''This is the fourth and final test of my Holy sect, the entrance battle!
The rules of this test are actually very simple, and yet... this can also be considered the most difficult test for you!
All you have to do is fight against an outer disciple of my Holy sect and defeat them.
Those of you who manage to pass this test and defeat your opponents will be able to join my Holy sect and become official outer disciples.
As for those of you who fail... you can only blame yourselves!''
As the old man finished his words, looks that were filled with both shock and disbelief immediately appeared on the faces of the disciples inside the arena, as they all turned their gazes towards the 1000 young men and women in the sky behind the old man.
The disciples of the Holy sect however weren't flustered in the slightest, obviously having already expected this, as they stared back at the disciples inside the arena with condescending looks in their eyes.
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''Defeat an outer disciple of the Holy sect?''
The old man's words reverberated like a bolt of thunder in everyone's ears, as the disciples inside the arena stared at the yellow-robed disciples of the Holy sect in the sky with shock in their eyes.
Even the weakest among the disciples of the Holy sect was at the early rank 4 of the Nascent Soul, while the strongest of them were actually at the early rank 6!
After all, not only did the disciples of the Holy sect have a much higher cultivation level than the disciples in the arena, but it was certain that most of them were most likely training in Saint grade cultivation techniques and martial skills as well.
No matter what, this test was simply impossible.
Even Shun Long was stunned for a moment when he heard the rules of the fourth test, before he turned to look at the old man with a curious look in his eyes.
''Is the Holy sect planning on eliminating everyone with this fourth test?''
As this thought flashed through Shun Long's mind, he quickly rejected it as it didn't make any sense. There was definitely more to this test than what the old man had explained just now, otherwise, the previous 3 tests would have been pointless.
Indeed, the old man smiled a moment later when he noticed the reaction of the disciples in the arena, before he continued explaining with an unperturbed expression on his face
''Hehe, don't be so afraid. The disciples that you fight will have their cultivation restricted at the peak of rank 3 of the Nascent Soul. Otherwise, I doubt that there would be any of you who would be able to pass this test, hehehe.''
Sighs of relief quickly filled the arena when the disciples heard the old man's explanation, and yet, the condescending looks on the faces of those disciples of the Holy sect in the sky didn't disappear, as mocking smiles slowly appeared on their faces at the same time.
Staring at the Dao Emperor old man in the sky, a young woman that was at the middle of rank 3 in the Nascent Soul and was standing a few meters away from Shun Long took a deep breath, before she took a step forward, attracting everyone's attention, as she asked in a curious voice
''Senior, I-I want to ask... what happens to those who fail this test? Can they still join the sect?
I heard that even if someone fails the third or the fourth test, they can still choose to become followers of an outer disciple. Is that true?''
''Hahahaha!''
The white-robed old man with an unkempt appearance started laughing when he heard the young woman's words, before he nodded his head and said with an amiable smile on his face
''That's right. As long as you pass through the fourth test, you can choose to take in 2 people along with you when you enter the sect. Those people can be your servants and will have to listen to everything you say. Additionally, if you fail the fourth test, if someone else who passes takes an interest in you, you can choose to become their servant and follow them in the sect as well.
Of course, if you fail the fourth test and you don't want to become someone else's servant, you can choose to return back to your own continent instead.''
Most disciples nodded their heads as if they already knew about this matter. At the same time, Shun Long's eyes instantly widened, as he suddenly remembered what the old man from the 'Alchemists' Guild' in the Heaven's Dome city had said a little more than 2 years ago.
Back then, the peak rank 3 gold grade alchemist Zhao Lan, had told Shun Long that as long as he was willing to, the 'Alchemists' Guild' would give him a chance to groom him and allow him to become a 'follower' of one of the geniuses that enter the Holy sect.
This way, he would be able to follow them inside the Holy sect and become their so-called follower.
After all, a talented alchemist would be sought after by both individuals and large powers alike.
However, the Dao Emperor the Holy sect didn't use the word follower just now to describe the people who entered the sect this way, but the word servant instead.
This implied that those 'followers' would only have the same status as a servant inside the sect.
Even if their status slightly higher, it wouldn't be that much different from an actual servant's in the end.
''Thank you senior.''
The young woman who had asked the question just now bowed to the Dao Emperor in the sky with a determined look on her face.
It was obvious that she had made up her mind to pass this fourth test no matter what.
Seeing that no one else took a step forward to ask any more questions, the white-robed old man waved his hand and took out a Holy sect's token from his spatial ring.
This token was practically identical to the one that Shun Long and the rest of the disciples here had all obtained during the third test!
Seeing that everyone below him recognized the token in his hands, the old man's lips seemed to have curved up unnoticeably, as he then continued with that same smile on his face
''Each of you managed to obtain a token during the third test. It doesn't matter if you hunted others and stole it from them, or if you obtained it directly from one of the thousand cities in the test. The token in your hands is what will determine your opponent during this fourth test.''
As soon as the old man finished speaking, the 1000 disciples of the Holy sect behind him all took out a golden-colored token from their robes, that looked identical to the one that Shun Long and the rest of the disciples around him had.
However, their tokens didn't have the words Holy sect on them but they had different numbers instead.
Those numbers ranged from number 1 all the way to 1000.
Taking a look at the token in his hands, Shun Long was stunned for a moment.
The words 'Holy' and 'Sect' that were engraved on the token seemed to have disappeared, as 3 numbers seemed to have taken their place instead
''351''
At the same moment that this number appeared on his Holy sect's token, Shun Long suddenly felt an unstoppable force enveloping his body, as he and the rest of the disciples in the arena were all sent flying towards the audience seats, no longer standing in the middle of the arena.
The unstoppable force slowly disappeared once Shun Long and the rest of the disciples arrived above the audience seats, allowing them to land safely.
Of course, this force had come from the old man in the sky, and it was nothing more than a simple wave of his hand.
Even a thousand Nascent Soul stage cultivators were unable to resist a single gust of air that came from the Dao Emperor as he swept his hand!
Ignoring the shocked expressions on the disciples' faces, the old man with an unkempt appearance turned his head around and stared at the 1000 disciples of the Holy sect behind him, before he asked in a domineering voice
''Who is fighting first?''
The disciples of the Holy sect all turned their eyes towards a tall, robust young man with long black hair.
This was the same young man who had said that he doesn't put Shun Long in his eyes during the third test, a peak rank 5 Nascent Soul stage expert!
The young man looked at the white-robed old man in the sky and bowed deeply, before he said in a tone filled with confidence
''Elder Cao, this junior is first.''
The white-robed Dao Emperor, Elder Cao nodded his head after seeing the golden-colored token in the young man's hands that had the number '1' on it, and allowed him to go and stand at the center of the arena.
The young man smiled as he descended in the middle of the arena like a bolt of lightning coming down from the sky.
At that moment, his cultivation started to 'drop', from the peak of rank 5 in the Nascent Soul, until it finally stopped at the peak of rank 3 a few moments later.
As soon as his cultivation stabilized at the peak of rank 3, the robust young man turned his attention towards the group of disciples in the audience seats in the arena, before he called out in an arrogant tone as if he didn't place any of those di
those disciples in his eyes
''Which one of you has the token with the number 1 on it? Come out!''
At that moment, everyone instantly turned their attention towards a handsome young man in sky-blue robes who shot towards the center of the arena with a serious expression on his face.
This young man stared at the tall and robust outer disciple of the Holy sect in front of him with a solemn look in his eyes, before he took out a golden-colored token from his robes.
This token had the number '1' on it.
At the same time, in the audience seats, Shun Long narrowed his eyes when he saw the blue-robed young man's face. After all, this was a person that Shun Long had already met once back in the 'Night star continent'!
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430 Difference
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With just a glance, Shun Long instantly recognized this person as the young master of the Golden Exchange firm, the person who was ranked 4th in the House of Rankings of the Heaven's Dome city, Hu Liu.
This man with blue-colored hair and sword-like eyebrows was the same person who owned the 'Blue-tailed thunder leopard' and had allowed it to attack Little Silver at the entrance of the Golden Exchange firm in broad daylight.
Back then, Hu Liu hadn't chosen to suppress the 'Blue-tailed thunder leopard', and instead had a smile on his face as he observed the 2 magic beasts fighting with each other, almost as if he was watching a play.
And yet, his expression right now as he was about to face an outer disciple of the Holy sect lacked any hints of a smile, and was replaced by a serious and solemn look instead.
Staring at his opponent, Hu Liu seemed to have suppressed his usual arrogance as he cupped his hands and introduced himself
''My name is Hu Liu and I come from the 'Golden Exchange firm' of the Night star continent.''
However, the robust young man in yellow robes opposite to him smiled when he heard this introduction, and after shaking his head lightly he took a step forward and said with a smile filled with mockery
''It doesn't matter who you are since you are getting eliminated here today.
As soon as you are ready you can make your move.''
Hu Liu's expression changed when he heard the mockery and disregard on the robust young man's voice.
After all, in the end, Hu Liu was a person of extremely high status in the Night star continent, the young master of one of the peak powers in the Heaven's Dome city, the 'Golden Exchange firm'!
This was the first time that he had been treated like this and was brushed aside like a random beggar on the streets.
Not only did his opponent not introduce himself, but he even said that he was going to eliminate him without a change in his expression.
To a person like Hu Liu who had never lowered his head before to someone of the same generation, this was an insult that he couldn't swallow. The utter disregard and the ridiculing look in his opponent's eyes was no different than a fishbone being stuck in his throat.
Unable to endure this any longer, Hu Liu raised both of his hands in front of his chest and placed his palms against each other as he shouted in an angry voice
''Earth golem summoning!''
At that moment, Hu Liu's cultivation at the peak of rank 3 exploded outwards while the ground beneath his feet had also started to rumble at the same time. The earth around him started to come together, as it quickly turned into a large golem more than 15m(49ft) tall!
This was a Saint low-grade martial skill that Hu Liu had obtained from the 'Golden Exchange firm', 'Earth golem summoning'!
Of course, this was the only Saint low-grade martial skill that the 'Golden Exchange firm' had, and it was something that they had obtained by chance thousands of years ago.
This martial skill could only be practiced by cultivators who had comprehended the Dao of Earth, allowing them to summon an earth golem at the same cultivation level as themselves.
This golem had terrifying defensive capabilities, and it was almost impossible to be damaged by cultivators at the same level. Additionally, even if this golem was damaged, it was impossible for it to be killed as long as Hu Liu's qi didn't run out!
Without waiting for the robust young man from the Holy sect to respond, after summoning the huge golem, Hu Liu also summoned a thick layer of earth armor around his body, making him look no different than a miniature golem himself.
At the same time, he also took out a shining silver-colored shield from his spatial ring and held it in front of his chest!
This was the full power of the person ranked 4th in the Night star continent, and the reason why Hu Liu had been high in the House of Rankings for so many years!
The robust young man's expression changed slightly when he saw the shield in front of Hu Liu, but he didn't seem to care one bit about the golem that was standing in front of him like a guard.
Of course, as an outer disciple of the Holy sect, how could he not realize that the silver shield in front of Hu Liu was a rank 3 gold grade weapon?
It wasn't just an average rank 3 gold grade weapon either. Instead, it seemed to be very close to reaching the peak of rank 3 as well!
Of course, the robust young man's expression only changed for a single moment, as he turned to look at Hu Liu with that same smile on his face a moment later, before he took out a small snow-white sword from his spatial ring.
This was another peak rank 3 gold grade weapon, while its quality was actually similar to Hu Liu's shield.
Hu Liu wasn't surprised when he saw the peak rank 3 gold-grade sword in the young man's hands.
Although his origins as the young master of the 'Golden Exchange firm' were illustrious in the Night star continent, many disciples of the Holy sect originated from powerful forces as well whose statuses may not be inferior to Hu Liu's own.
Thus, he was already prepared if his opponent were to have a rank 3 gold grade weapon as well, which was why his father had given him this shield to use during the Holy sect's test.
After all, even for the 'Golden Exchange firm' which was one of the top powers even in the entire Night star continent, the number of rank 3 and peak rank 3 gold grade weapons that they had could be counted on two hands.
They only had a single peak rank 3 gold grade weapon which belonged to the head of the 'Golden Exchange firm', while the rest of their rank 3 gold grade weapons actually didn't exceed 10 in number!
Without waiting for the young man of the Holy sect to make the first move, Hu Liu then pointed forward with his shield, as the large earth golem in front of him raised its feet, and ran towards the tall young man in yellow robes in front of it.
The young man of the Holy sect didn't seem flustered by the fact that Hu Liu seemed to have taken the initiative, and instead, a mocking smile was slowly formed on his lips.
Raising his snow-white sword above his head, the young man infused his qi inside it as he said with a casual voice
''Ice Seal!''
A blinding white light instantly enveloped the small white sword, as large amounts of qi left the yellow-robed young man's body, rapidly forming layers of ice around the sword's surface.
At the same time, Hu Liu's earth golem had already closed the distance between itself and the yellow-robed young man, but at the same moment that it clenched its fist and sent its large fist flying towards the yellow-robed disciple of the Holy sect, the yellow-robed young man suddenly slashed the sword forward.
A powerful hailstorm instantly erupted from the sword's surface, instantly enveloping the huge earth golem.
Hu Liu's eyes instantly widened when he saw the scene inside the hailstorm!
The golem that he had summoned using his Saint low-grade martial skill was now trapped in a thick layer of ice, unable to even touch the yellow-robed young man in front of it.
Although its fist was less than 1 meter away from the yellow-robed man, the golem was unable to even move its muscles.
Hu Liu instantly saw his strongest skill being stopped without even inflicting any damage on the disciple of the Holy sect!
And yet, this wasn't the end of it, as the terrifying hailstorm that had already frozen the earth golem in its tracks, started to move towards Hu Liu.
Hu Liu wanted to dodge, but the hailstorm had already covered a third of the arena!
No matter where he went, he would still be trapped inside the hailstorm eventually!
At the same time, his biggest advantage was his own defense. If he backed down now, he might as well give up on the Holy sect's test.
Raising the silver shield in front of him, the blue-haired young man stood rooted on the spot as he actually resisted the powerful hailstorm head-on.
At that moment however, the yellow-robed young man from the Hothe Holy sect didn't stay idle, as he dove inside the hailstorm as well.
Sitting in the audience seats, Shun Long narrowed his eyes when he saw this.
Barely 3 breaths of time passed since that moment, as the hailstorm rapidly dispersed revealing the scene inside it.
The yellow-robed disciple of the Holy sect was holding his sword against Hu Liu's neck with a playful look on his face, almost as if he was looking at an ant that he was toying around with.
In less than 3 moves, the young master of the 'Golden Exchange firm', a peak rank 3 Nascent Soul stage cultivator, the person ranked 4th in the Night star continent, Hu Liu had actually been defeated.
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431 shocking revelation
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Hu Liu stared at the young man in front of him who was holding the snow-white sword against his neck with a dazed look in his eyes.
For a moment, the young master of the 'Golden Exchange firm' thought that he was actually living in a nightmare and couldn't wait to wake up from it. And yet, the chilling feeling that was coming from the tip of the sword, as well as the few droplets of blood and the faint pain on his neck both made him realize that this was all real.
Seeing the blue-haired Hu Liu stumble backwards the yellow-robed young man of the Holy sect smiled mockingly, when a cold voice came from the sky and said in a cold tone
''Eliminated!''
As everyone turned their heads towards the sky, they noticed that this voice came from the white-robed old man with long hair, whose cultivation was at the peak of the Dao King realm.
''NO! I didn't lose! I want another chance! I am still standing!''
The moment that the word 'eliminated' entered Hu Liu's ears, it was as if something had suddenly broken inside him, as the young master of the 'Golden Exchange firm' shouted unwillingly at the old man in the sky from the top of his lungs.
His father, the head of the 'Golden Exchange firm' had already told him time and time again during the past few years of how important it was for him to enter the Holy sect.
If he became a disciple of the Holy sect, not only would he be able to help the Night star continent alleviate the pressure that they were feeling from the 'Demon Emperor palace', but his own cultivation and status would also explode.
Even though Hu Liu didn't really care about the Night star continent and its fate, how could he possibly accept being eliminated from the Holy sect's test at this point? The Holy sect was the dream of every young cultivator in the Night star continent, especially those who came from the peak powers of the continent!
This was the ticket that would allow Hu Liu to become a true powerhouse in the future, one that wouldn't be restricted at the peak of the Dao King realm!
And yet, the peak rank 9 Dao King in white robes stared at the raging Hu Liu who was filled with unwillingness, with a calm expression on his face.
Raising his hand, the old man revealed a small white token with mysterious symbols on it.
Before Hu Liu had any time to react, a white ray of light appeared from the token in the white-robed elder's hand and instantly covered his entire body.
''NO! I DIDN'T LOSE!''
The blue-haired young man's scream reverberated throughout the arena as his body started to fade away, turning into countless motes of light that slowly disappeared in front of everyone's eyes.
Silence immediately filled the arena as everyone stared at Hu Liu's disappearing body with different expressions on their faces, before they all turned their attention towards the old man in white robes in the sky.
The peak rank 9 Dao King looked at the disciples in the audience seats with a serious look, almost as if he was taking in everyone's appearance, while stopping on a few select individuals for a few seconds longer than the rest.
Finally, a few moments later, the old man smiled before he said in a nonchalant voice
''Don't worry, that kid isn't dead. I simply sent him to wait along with the rest of those who have failed the third test. If any of you has a good relationship with him, I suppose that you can choose him as your servant later on and allow him to follow you inside the sect.
Hehe, that is of course under the premise that you will actually manage to pass this test first.
The truth is, that the disciples that you will all face here today are actually the 1000 weakest outer disciples of my Holy sect!
And yet, less than 100 out of the 1000 people that participate in the fourth test manage to enter our Holy sect in the end and become official disciples.''
After a brief moment of pause, the old man's smile slightly widened as he then continued
''Of course, I am sure that some of you were shocked when you heard the test's rules and thought that it is unfair.
After all, how can you fight against those who have already become outer disciples of the sect?
Hehehe, however, the truth is, that these disciples in front of you only entered the sect 2 months before you!''
The moment that the white-haired old Dao King finished his words, shocked looks appeared on the faces of the disciples in the audience seats.
Even Shun Long couldn't help feeling stunned for a moment once he heard this.
''These were the one thousand weakest disciples of the sect?
They only entered the sect a month ago?
In that case, how many disciples did the Holy sect actually accept?''
However, aside from these 3 questions, an even more shocking one appeared in Shun Long's mind at the same time
''A random disciple among the one thousand weakest disciples of the Holy sect could actually defeat Hu Liu within 2 or 3 moves?''
Of course, it was natural for Shun Long to feel shocked after realizing this.
After all, no matter how weak Hu Liu may have really been, as the young master of the 'Golden Exchange firm' and as a peak rank 3 Nascent Soul stage cultivator, it should be impossible for him to lose against someone else so quickly.
For the fight to end so quickly, this only proved one thing! That Hu Liu's opponent was so powerful, that he could definitely surmount realms and fight people stronger than him.
At the very least, as a peak rank 3 Nascent Soul expert, the young man in yellow robes was definitely strong enough to fight against early rank 4 Nascent Soul stage cultivators head-on.
And yet, such a person was still ranked within the 1000 weakest disciples of the Holy sect!
The gap of strength between the Holy sect and the peak powers in the Night star continent couldn't even be described if one compared them with the clouds and the mud!
The old Dao King seemed satisfied after seeing the shocked looks on every disciples' faces, before turning his attention towards the yellow-robed disciples behind him, almost as if he was waiting for the next person to step into the arena.
At the same time, the old Dao Emperor who had stayed silent during this time actually raised his eyebrows with a curious expression on his face.
He had originally expected that these new disciples would have been shocked for a good while, and perhaps they would even tremble after realizing the Holy sect's strength that was beyond their expectations.
And yet, there were actually 2 among those disciples who were only startled for a few moments, before they turned their eyes towards the rest of the yellow-robed disciples behind the old man, almost as if the shock from what they had just heard didn't matter too much in the end.
At that moment, Shun Long had the illusion that the Dao Emperor's gaze had landed on his body, before it slowly moved away from him, towards a person clad in black robes not too far away from his location.
A few moments later, the white-robed Dao Emperor closed his eyes, his lips curving up into a smile as he mumbled a single word
''Interesting!''
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432 the holy sex undefeatable disciples
The moment that he heard the bald old man's mumbling, the peak rank 9 Dao King who was standing in the air just a few meters away from him immediately turned his eyes to look at the bald Dao Emperor with a shocked look.
Having obtained a deep understanding of this Elder's personality over the years, the white-robed Dao King that was responsible for overseeing the first 3 tests of the Holy sect, Elder Zhuan, clearly knew that there were very few things that would attract this Dao Emperor's attention.
Even in the tests of the Holy sect that took place 3 months ago, there were only a handful of disciples who had managed to pique this Elder's interest.
Without hiding his astonishment, the long white-haired Elder Zhuan stared at the white-robed Dao Emperor next to him before he asked in a voice filled with curiosity
''Senior Cao Ling, did one of those disciples managed to attract your attention?''
The bald Dao Emperor in white robes, Cao Ling opened his eyes when he heard 'Elder Zhuan's' question, and looking at the peak rank 9 Dao King next to him, he nodded his head while his lips slowly curved up into a smile before he replied
''Hehe, there are actually 2 brats who didn't seem to feel any fear for the sect even after hearing your explanation earlier. Although they appeared shocked for a few moments, there were no traces of shock in their hearts.
This old man is indeed a bit curious about their backgrounds now. However, let's wait and see if they manage to pass this test first.''
Elder Zhuan nodded his head once he heard 'senior Cao Ling's' words.
Although he didn't know which disciples had managed to attract the Dao Emperor's attention, as the overseer of the first 3 tests, Elder Zhuan already knew that there were some disciples that were participating in the sect's test, who were really worth paying attention to.
At the same time, without waiting for any instructions, the robust young man in yellow robes didn't stay in the arena any longer and flew towards the mass of disciples behind Elder Zhuan, before another disciple in yellow robes flew out from that group of disciples and landed at the center of the arena.
Without waiting for the disciples in the audience seats to get over the shock that they felt after hearing Elder Zhuan's previous words, the young woman in yellow robes who was now standing in the middle of the arena took out a Holy sect's token from her robes with the number '2' engraved on it, and turned to look at those disciples in the audience seats before she then said
''Which of you has the token with the number 2? Come out!''
Shun Long raised his eyebrows once he felt the nearly tangible anger and killing intent coming from the young woman's voice, puzzling him for a moment.
However, he instantly linked the woman's behavior with the words that the white-robed Dao King had said a few moments ago, quickly realizing what was going on.
''Indeed, it's only natural for her to feel humiliation in her heart. After all, that Holy sect Elder clearly said, that each of them are actually the 1000 weakest outer disciples of the sect.
And yet they are still official disciples of the sect.
If they lose in front of everyone else and allow new disciples to enter the sect, wouldn't they feel humiliated? So this test motivates both those disciples and us to do everything in order to win.''
At the same time that this thought flashed through his mind, Shun Long saw a tall young man dressed in beast skin walk out from the group in the audience seats, as he slowly walked towards the center of the arena to face the young woman in yellow robes from the Holy sect.
However, what surprised Shun Long the most was that the fight that followed wasn't too different from Hu Liu's fight in the end!
The young man dressed in beast skin had only managed to last for 5 moves against the young woman from the Holy sect, before he was sent flying back towards the audience seats.
The third, fourth and fifth fights followed right after, and yet the disciples of the Holy sect seemed to have won every single time.
This result made some of the disciples in the audience seats start to despair once they realized the difference in their strength between themselves and the disciples of the Holy sect.
In the blink of an eye, the first 10 fights were completed, and not a single disciple of the Holy sect had lost yet.
Finally, after the first 20 fights were over, even the peak Dao King in white robes, Elder Zhuan raised his eyebrows as if he hadn't expected this.
Although it wasn't abnormal for 20 fights in a row to go by for the disciples of the Holy sect without a single defeat, it wasn't too common either.
At that moment however, as the 21st disciple of the Holy sect stood in the arena, the eyes of the white-robed Dao Emperor, 'senior Cao Ling' lit up with interest when he saw the person walking out from the audience seats!
It was a person whose silhouette was completely covered by a pair of black robes not leaving even a small part of their face exposed, while the aura coming from their body had actually surpassed the peak of rank 3 in the Nascent Soul.
This was an early rank 4 Nascent Soul stage cultivator!
Out of the people who were participating in the fourth test of the Holy sect, there were less than a handful of them who had actually broken through to the middle-stages of the Nascent Soul, and this black-robed person was precisely one of them!
At the same time, this was also the person who had managed to attract 'senior Cao Ling's' interest earlier along with Shun Long! The white-robed Dao Emperor had an eager look in his eyes, curious to find out what secrets this person really held.
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433 Black robe person
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As the black-robed person landed in the middle of the arena, the disciples sitting in the audience seats all had serious looks in their eyes as they stared at his back. After all, among the disciples who were participating in this fourth test, this was the first person whose cultivation had reached the middle stages of the Nascent Soul.
No matter what, this black-robed person was definitely considered a genius.
If even he couldn't defeat a disciple of the Holy sect, the confidence that the rest of the disciples had to pass this fourth test would definitely plummet.
As the young woman from the Holy sect stared at this black-robed person who had appeared in front of her and sensed the aura coming from his body, her eyes narrowed dangerously before she turned around to look at the white-robed peak rank 9 Dao King in the sky behind her.
If Elder Zhuan wanted her to fight against this person with her cultivation suppressed at the peak of rank 3 in the Nascent Soul, she wouldn't mind doing so either.
Elder Zhuan seemed to have fallen into deep thought for a few moments, before he nodded his head without saying anything.
However, the young woman in yellow robes at the center of the arena smiled and bowed lightly at the Elder in the sky, before she unsealed part of her own cultivation bringing herself at the early rank 4 of the Nascent Soul as well.
She understood that Elder Zhuan nodding his head was a sign that she should fight the opponent on equal grounds.
At that moment however, just as the young woman was about to speak, the silent white-robed Dao Emperor, Cao Ling, shook his head with a smile on his face, before he then said in a deep voice
''Unseal your cultivation completely. Go all out!''
The Dao Emperor's voice reverberated throughout the silent arena, bringing endless shock to every single disciple that heard his voice.
It didn't matter if it was the disciples in the audience seats, the yellow-robed disciples of the Holy sect behind him or even the peak rank 9 Dao King that was next to him, everyone turned their attention towards the Dao Emperor with eyes filled with disbelief!
Even Shun Long was no exception to this, as he stared at the white-robed bald old man in the sky above the arena with confusion in his eyes.
At the same time, the black-robed person at the center of the arena and the yellow-robed young woman from the Holy sect, both raised their heads to look at the old man in the sky, before the young woman from the Holy sect asked in a cautious tone
''Elder Cao, should I really not hold back?''
Without waiting for Elder Cao to respond, the peak rank 9 Dao King Elder Zhuan, looked at the young woman with an angry look in his eyes, before he said in a berating tone
''Since Elder Cao Ling said so, then fight with your full strength!''
Although Elder Zhuan was initially confused, since he clearly knew the cultivation level of this young woman, his words didn't lag behind his thoughts, as he immediately ordered her to fight without holding back.
Of course, it only took a single moment for Elder Zhuan to actually link Elder Cao Ling's abnormal order with the fact that he had been interested in 2 disciples earlier on.
''Without a doubt, this black-robed young man must be one of the 2 people that caught senior Cao Ling's attention!''
As this thought appeared in Elder Zhuan's head curiosity filled the white-robed Dao King, who could no longer wait for this fight to start.
After all, someone who had attracted Elder Cao Ling's attention was definitely bound to be extraordinary in some aspects.
Although the yellow-robed young woman and the rest of the disciples in the Holy sect were stunned by this order, no one dared to say a word since Elder Cao Ling had already spoken as they all turned their eyes towards the 2 people standing at the center of the arena.
The young woman from the Holy sect looked at the person in black robes in front of her with a pitiful look in her eyes, before her cultivation immediately started to rise uncontrollably.
In just a moment, it had instantly reached the middle of rank 4 of the Nascent Soul, and yet there were still no signs of stopping, indicating that this was still the beginning!
Middle of rank 4 of the Nascent Soul... Peak of rank 4.... Early rank 5..... Middle rank 5 of the Nascent Soul!
The disciples in the audience seats had their eyes widen in horror, as the young woman's cultivation actually stabilized at the middle of rank 5 in the Nascent Soul stage.
Although the black-robed person's was concealed by his black robes, he still raised his head to stare at the Dao Emperor in the sky for a few moments, before he turned his attention towards the yellow-robed young woman in front of him.
As a disciple of the Holy sect, the young woman had an embarrassed expression on her face after feeling the black-robed young man's gaze on her, obviously unwilling to fight against an early rank 4 Nascent Soul stage disciple using her full strength.
Shaking her head, she looked at the black-robed person opposite to her and said in a somewhat apologetic tone
''This is Elder Cao Ling's order. I don't want to do this either but we don't have a choice. If you are ready, let's fight!''
For a disciple of the Holy sect like her, defeating an early rank 4 Nascent Soul stage cultivator this way brought her no glory. However, since this was Elder Cao Ling's order, she had no other choice.
For the first time since he had entered the Holy sect's tests, the black-robed person finally took off his hood, revealing a devilishly handsome face that could make countless women go crazy, which was only 'tainted' by a single scar below his left eye.
Staring at the yellow-robed young woman from the Holy sect in front of him, the black-robed young man slowly shook his head, before he said in a cold voice
''No matter. Let's begin!''
As the young man finished his words, his aura at the early rank 4 of the Nascent Soul exploded outwards, before a pair of huge black wings burning with dark red flames erupted from his back.
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434 trump card
Elder Zhuan's eyes widened slightly the moment he saw the black wings that had sprouted from the black-robed young man's back, while some of the disciples of the Holy sect narrowed their eyes at the same time, as if they had just realized something.
This black-robed young man was the first person to pass through the second test of the sect a month ago after comprehending the 'Demonic wings'!
At the same time, the wings that he had created back then were still somewhat incorporeal while the dark flames that were burning around them weren't this intense.
However, right now, not only were the black wings on his back looking no different than real wings, but the dark red flames around them were burning so intensely that they were slowly distorting the air around them.
The young woman from the Holy sect opposite to him only needed a single glance to realize, that the black-robed man's comprehension of this Saint low-grade martial skill had already increased by leaps and bounds during this last one month that he was spent in the third test. If his level of comprehension had originally reached 27 percent before he had passed through the Barrier of Knowledge and entered the third test, then right now it was definitely above 80 percent!
Although this wasn't too shocking to the disciples of the Holy sect after having seen Shun Long comprehend more than 90 percent of the first level of the 'Thundergod's slash' within 4 days, it was still a result that even inner disciples may not be able to achieve within a month while passing the third test at the same time!
After all, the early portions of a martial skill were much easier to comprehend compared to the later ones.
Of course, although she was surprised for a moment, the young woman from the Holy sect didn't seem flustered at all by this development! Let alone 80 percent, even if the young man in front of her had comprehended the entire first portion of the 'Demonic Wings', he still wouldn't be able to put up a fight against her.
Shaking her head, the yellow-robed young woman no longer waited for the black-robed young man to make a move, as she suddenly sprung into action.
Her feet started to blur as her body instantly disappeared on the spot, leaving behind nothing but rows of afterimages wherever she passed.
She continuously circled around the black-robed young man, almost as if she was trapping him into place, not allowing him to take even a single step forward.
However, she didn't immediately attack him, and instead, she kept circling around him while her speed continued to increase while she asked in a casual tone
''Did you think that you were the only one who has comprehended a Saint low-grade movement technique? If this is your trump card, then you were too unlucky that you had to face me today. Even if my cultivation was suppressed at the early rank 4 of the Nascent Soul, you would still be unable to match up to my speed.
Although the first level of the 'Demonic Wings' can definitely increase your speed, it is actually useless against me.
After all, I don't mind telling you that I have already comprehended the entire first level of the 'Thousand afterimages'. Even if you had managed to comprehend the entire first level of the 'Demonic Wings', you would still be helpless against me.''
The disciples in the audience seats around Shun Long, including Liu Mei and Xie Xingyi who were quite a distance away from him mixed among the crowd, seemed to have suddenly realized what was going on, as they stared at the ever-growing afterimages around the black-robed young man that didn't stop increasing in number.
At the same time, Shun Long had a thoughtful look on his face as he stared at the scene at the center of the arena with a deep look in his eyes.
Like most of the disciples around him, he had also noticed the 'Thousand afterimages' skill that was in the 'Barrier of Knowledge' during the second test of the Holy sect!
Since Shun Long had intended to check every martial skill to see if any of them were related to his Dao of Time or the Dao of Space, he had to pay more attention to the martial skills in the barrier of knowledge compared to the rest of the disciples participating in the second test.
Thus, he clearly remembered that the 'Thousand afterimages' was a movement technique that was purely used to evade the opponent's attacks.
If a cultivator could train this martial skill to the fourth level, he would be able to move so quickly that he could create a thousand afterimages around him almost instantly.
At the same time, although the 'Demonic Wings' wasn't any inferior to the 'Thousand Afterimages', and both of them were Saint low-grade martial skills, the latter still countered the 'Demonic Wings' to a certain extent, despite the fact that the 'Demonic Wings' were actually even more difficult to train in compared to the 'Thousand Afterimages'.
After all, the 'Demonic Wings' was a martial skill that not only increased a cultivator's speed, but it could also attack and defend while moving, while the 'Thousand Afterimages' focused on evading the opponent's attacks instead!
Thus, after having understood how both of those martial skills worked, Shun Long also understood that if the black-robed young man didn't have any other trump card and was planning on staking everything on the 'Demonic Wings', he would most likely lose.
The young man in black robes shook his head after hearing the yellow-robed young woman's question, and without responding directly he waved his hand, as he took out a large, 2m(79inch) saber from his spatial ring.
The saber was golden in color and its surface was filled with countless interweaving runes and patterns that seemed connected with each other while forming different symbols.
The moment that the saber appeared in his hand, a deep look appeared in the black-robed young man, before he started to infuse his qi inside the saber.
The mysterious patterns around the golden saber's surface lit up, while at the same time, a terrifying aura so dark, that it seemed to have come from the deepest depths of hell erupted from the saber, completely covering the black-robed young man's body!
At that moment, it didn't matter if it was the white-robed Dao Emperor, the peak rank 9 Dao King, or the disciples of the Holy sect and those sitting in the audience seats, everyone's expressions instantly changed when they felt the aura around the young man's body.
Silence filled the surroundings of the arena before a disciple in the audience seats mumbled in shock
''A star-rank weapon?''
.
435 the black robed young man desperate struggle
.
It was unknown who had asked this question, but the moment that the words 'Star-rank weapon' were uttered, they instantly broke the silence that had filled the arena as the disciples of the Holy sect and those in the audience seats couldn't sit still any longer.
''A star-rank weapon? A mere early rank 4 Nascent Soul kid has a star-rank weapon? What kind of background does he have?''
''No matter what his background is, there is no way that any force outside the central region can afford to give its disciples or its descendants star-rank weapons! That guy must have definitely stepped on some dogshit luck to obtain that saber!''
''Right! Even we can't obtain star-rank weapons from our families, let alone someone outside from the central region!''
Whether it was the disciples of the Holy sect or the disciples sitting in the audience seats, they were all staring at the golden saber in the black-robed young man's hands with red eyes that were filled with jealousy.
Even the yellow-robed young woman opposite to him ended up slowing down her speed, almost as if she couldn't believe that the young man in front of her actually had a star-rank weapon.
After all, the aura coming from star-rank weapons was vastly different to the aura coming from the bodies of cultivators, so even if someone wanted to conceal that they were actually using a star-rank weapon, it was nearly impossible to do so!
Of course, if the disciples of the Holy sect had been standing next to Shun Long when he had activated the runes on the black sword when he used the 'Thundergod's slash' during the second or the third test, they would have realized that his sword was a star-rank weapon as well. However, due to the screen of light that only allowed them to observe the scenes, even the peak rank 9 Dao King, Elder Zhuan hadn't been able to discern that his sword was actually a peak rank 1 star-rank weapon!
At the same time, the moment that the black-robed young man took out the star-rank saber, the most shocked out of everyone in the arena was actually the white-robed Dao Emperor. As soon as Elder Cao Ling sensed the black aura coming from the golden saber, his eyes instantly narrowed while a serious look appeared on his face, almost as if he had just guessed something.
Elder Zhuan who was standing a few meters away from him couldn't help but shiver when he felt the aura coming from the white-robed Dao Emperor next to him, as he asked in a voice that was mixed with confusion as well as some fear
''Senior Cao Ling is everything alright?''
Cao Ling nodded his head without responding to Elder Zhuan's question, as he continued to stare at the fight in the arena with a deep look in his eyes.
The black-robed young man held the golden saber in his hands, and without waiting for the yellow-robed young woman from the Holy sect to create more afterimages, he slashed the saber sideways.
The deep, dark aura coming from the saber instantly swept past the afterimages in front of the black-robed young man, destroying more than 50 of them in a single instant!
From the original 200 afterimages that the yellow-robed young woman had managed to create, more than 50 of them were destroyed with a single slash!
Of course, as a middle rank 5 Nascent Soul stage cultivator, despite being flustered for a moment after seeing the star-rank saber appear in the black-robed young man's hands, the young woman from the Holy sect quickly regained her bearings, as she started to create even more afterimages once again.
At the same time, she was no longer just running around, and while creating the afterimages she had also taken out a peak rank 3 gold grade dagger from her spatial ring, and had mixed her own attacks in the process, attacking the black-robed young man from many different angles without giving him a chance to breathe.
Despite having the star-rank golden saber in his hands, the young man seemed to have fallen into a passive state, having to desperately deflect the attacks from the young woman of the Holy sect.
After all, even with a star-rank weapon in his possession, the difference between their cultivation couldn't be bridged so easily.
''Hahaha! In the end, he is just an early rank 4 Nascent Soul stage rookie! No matter what, it's impossible for him to defeat someone at the middle of rank 5 in the Nascent Soul! Especially when he is against someone like senior sister Huo Ru, who can even jump levels and fight against a peak rank 5 Nascent Soul stage cultivator head-on.''
''Eh? Could it be that Elder Cao Ling knew about his golden saber which is why he told senior sister Huo to not hold back in the fight?''
''No, I don't think so. I've heard that there have also been a few instances in the past recruitments of the sect, where the disciples coming from the outside also had star-rank weapons, but neither Elder Cao Ling nor the other Elders of the sect had made someone fight against a disciple who was nearly 2 entire minor ranks higher than them in cultivation. I think that this black-robed young man has somehow pissed off Elder Cao...''
Although the disciples of the Holy sect tried to understand why Elder Cao Ling had forced the black-robed young man to fight against 'senior sister Huo Ru' like that, their voices were filled with hints of schadenfreude, almost as if they were enjoying seeing the black-robed young man being beaten up.
Of course, even peak Dao Kings would be jealous if they saw an early rank 4 Nascent Soul stage cultivator having a star-rank weapon in his possession.
However, although the disciples of the Holy sect seemed to be enjoying this scene, those sitting in the audience seats in the arena had furious looks on their faces after seeing the black-robed young man fall into a passive position. And yet, although they all felt that this scene was unfair, none of them dared to complain to the Elders of the Holy sect in the sky. After all, they were the ones who had made this rule.
More than a minute passed since the yellow-robed young woman, Huo Ru had started her barrage of attacks, causing the black-robed young man's condition to fall into a desperate struggle.
Not only did he not have an opportunity to attack, but Huo Ru's attacks had already managed to pass through open up gaps in his defense, filling his body with cuts and injuries.
If it wasn't for the 'Demonic Wings' which allowed him to defend himself during the most desperate moments, the black-robed young man would have already lost by now.
Although Shun Long had been stunned when he heard the Dao Emperor giving the order to the yellow-robed young woman named Huo Ru to fight all-out without suppressing her cultivation, he was even more shocked when he noticed the black-robed young man having a calm look in his eyes, despite his body being filled with injuries.
Of course, Huo Ru had also noticed this calm look, which made her heart seethe with anger causing her attacks to turn even more powerful than before as she no longer held back.
Although it was unfair for a middle rank 5 Nascent Soul stage cultivator like her to attack an early rank 4 Nascent Soul stage rookie, it was also even worse if she was unable to defeat him even after going all-out and using her peak rank 3 gold grade weapon!
At that moment, Huo Ru infused her qi into the peak rank 3 dagger in her hands before she thrusted it towards the young man's waist.
This was a Mystic high-grade martial skill that Huo Ru had been using for many years, and it was also the attack she was the most proficient in.
Five hundred afterimages followed after her, as they all attacked the black-robed young man at the same time.
Although only one of them was the real Huo Ru and the rest were only afterimages, in that split moment it was nearly impossible to detect which one was the real her.
The black-robed young man covered himself completely with the 'Demonic Wings', almost as if he had turned them into the shape of a cocoon.
And yet, Huo Ru's attack still slashed through the black wings easily, before she plunged her dagger into the black-robed young man's waist.
A rain of fresh blood filled the air, before the black wings that were burning with red flames slowly dissipated in front of everyone's eyes.
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436 Do I pass the test?
.
As the 'Demonic Wings' slowly disappeared, it revealed the scene of a black-robed young man standing behind them while a dagger that was filled with blood was plunged into his waist.
And yet, despite the horrible injury that revealed his destroyed internal organs, the black-robed young man still had that same cold look on his face as he stared at the young woman in front of him.
The moment that she met his gaze, Huo Ru felt a sudden chill in her body, almost as if she had suddenly fallen into the deepest depths of hell!
She instantly tried to open up the distance, but the black-robed young man opened his mouth for the second time today, as he said a simple sentence
''Since you guys have forced me to do this, you have to pay the price as well!''
The moment that Huo Ru opened up the distance between herself and the black-robed young man, her eyes suddenly widened in shock, as she sensed a terrifying aura that suddenly erupted from the young man's body.
It was an aura filled with darkness and cruelty, one that wanted to destroy until it had killed everything in its sight.
At that moment, fear instinctively filled Huo Ru's eyes as she hurriedly stepped backwards, opening up the distance between herself and the black-robed young man.
The black-robed young man however didn't chase after her, while the aura coming from his body continued to rise, as it started to turn even more intense than before.
In Huo Ru's eyes, the black-robed young man was like a beast that had finally woken up.
At that moment, Shun Long's expression instantly turned serious, as he stared at the scene at the center of the arena with a deep look in his eyes.
At the same time, different expressions mixed with doubt, fear, and disbelief, appeared in the faces of the disciples in the audience seats, as they all turned their attention towards the black-robed young man who seemed to be undergoing a transformation.
His previously brown eyes had already turned red, while from his back, a pair of pitch-black wings suddenly sprouted, tearing off a big part of his black robes in the process.
These wings that seemed like the wings of a demon, didn't have any dark red flames burning around them, making it obvious that they were completely unrelated to his 'Demonic Wings' that had already dissipated.
The disciples of the Holy sect weren't any less shocked than the disciples in the audience seats, as they all stared at this transformation with fear rising in their hearts.
Although all of them had knowledge regarding bloodlines, and some of them even had their own bloodlines inherited from their ancestors, the power coming from the black-robed young man definitely belonged to a very terrifying bloodline.
Seeing the changes in the black-robed young man's body, Elder Zhuan turned his head to look at Cao Ling, only to see that the white-robed Dao Emperor's face was also filled with disbelief.
Elder Zhuan took a deep breath as he tried to calm down his agitated emotions, before he asked in a voice that seemed unable to accept the scene in front of him
''Senior, is this really a -''
''Yes!''
Before Elder Zhuan could finish his sentence, Cao Ling interrupted him with a serious look as he confirmed his guess.
At the same time, although Huo Ru could feel a sense of deep fear in her heart after seeing the black-robed young man's transformation, she knew that this was still the fourth test of the sect and she couldn't back down.
Besides, no matter how scary the young man in front of her felt, his cultivation was still at the early rank 4 of the Nascent Soul!
As Huo Ru used this thought to placate her mind and calm herself down, her feet once again blurred as she started to create even more afterimages than before.
600 afterimages once again appeared around the black-robed young man, all of them holding the same peak rank 3 gold grade dagger in their hands!
Without waiting for the black-robed young man to make a move, Huo Ru immediately sprung into action, as she immediately shot towards him while she activated the same Mystic high-grade martial skill as before, causing her dagger to be shrouded by her qi in an instant.
No matter what, the black-robed young man in front of her was already seriously injured right now. If he got hit this martial skill a second time, it was impossible for him to remain standing!
600 afterimages all shot towards him at the same time, but the black-robed young man was still standing in the middle of the arena without a change in his expression.
However, at that moment, just as the 600 daggers around him were about to pierce through his waist, he suddenly turned around and stared at a specific image before stretching out his right hand.
He had found the real Huo Ru!
Huo Ru could feel her heart constrict but her movements didn't stop, as she changed the trajectory of her dagger, aiming it towards the black-robed young man's chest.
At that moment however, something astonishing happened!
Before Huo Ru could pierce his chest, the young man stretched out his left hand as well, before he easily slapped the dagger away from Huo Ru's hand.
Her entire right hand exploded on the spot, but the black-robed young man's actions didn't stop just yet, as his right hand tightly grabbed her neck.
Raising her in the air with one hand, he saw the look of fear and despair appear in her face, causing him to shake his head in response.
Then, with an uncaring look on his face, the black-robed young man stared deep into Huo Ru's eyes before he said in a nonchalant tone
''Forget about it. Even an early rank 6 Nascent Soul stage cultivator wouldn't be my match after I have activated my bloodline, let alone someone like you!''
Without waiting for Huo Ru's response, the black-robed young man slammed her body into the ground below him causing her to lose consciousness.
Then, he turned his head to look at the white-robed Dao Emperor in the sky before asking in a cold tone
''Do I pass the test?''
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437 Sheng Huang
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The disciples of the Holy sect and those sitting in the audience seats, all turned their attention towards the white-robed Dao Emperor in the sky at the same time as they waited for his answer.
If this didn't qualify as 'passing' the test, then what else would?
However, Cao Ling didn't respond right away.
Instead, he first turned his attention towards the yellow-robed Huo Ru who seemed to have completely lost consciousness, before he finally turned his attention back towards the black-robed young man.
At that moment, Cao Ling's lips slowly curved up into a smile as he asked in a seemingly casual voice
''What's your name?''
The black-robed young man fell silent the moment that he heard this question, while his eyes continued to stare at the white-robed Dao Emperor above the arena without a change in his expression.
Silence filled the arena as the disciples of the Holy sect all had their eyes glued on him. No matter what, he had already passed the test, so it was unlikely for Elder Cao Ling to refuse him entry into the sect at this point. Of course, as a Dao Emperor, if he really wanted to, Elder Cao Ling definitely had enough authority to expel a disciple of the sect even if there weren't any real reasons.
After all, even in the Holy sect, a Dao Emperor was a true powerhouse!
Finally, a few moments later, the black-robed young man broke the silence in the arena, as he opened his mouth and said in the same cold tone
''Jiang Chen.''
A deep look flashed past Cao Ling's eyes when he heard his name, before he nodded his head a moment later, and with that same smile on his face he said
''Hahaha, of course you passed the test kid. Although your test was slightly harder than the disciples' before you, you still didn't disappoint me!''
Nodding his head, the black-robed young man who called himself Jiang Chen didn't say another word, as he turned around and flew directly towards the audience seats behind him.
Of course, his arrogant actions had already pissed off many of the disciples of the Holy sect standing behind Elder Zhuan and Cao Ling, but considering that Jiang Chen had already passed the test and would soon enter the sect and become an outer disciple like them, as well as the fact that neither of the 2 Elders didn't say anything to berate him, in the end, none of them dared to express their anger.
At the same time, the disciples in the audience seats had mixed looks on their faces.
On one hand, they were happy that someone had finally passed this fourth test of the Holy sect showing that the disciples of the Holy sect weren't really undefeatable. On the other hand though, that person was not only arrogant, but he was also a monster who could fight against someone 2 full minor ranks above his level!
Although he had activated some kind of bloodline, and it was very likely that he wouldn't be able to activate that bloodline again any time soon, he still managed to beat an outer disciple of the Holy sect in the end, and someone whose cultivation was more than one full minor rank above his own.
More fights followed suit after Jiang Chen sat back in the audience seats, but in the next 10 fights that followed, the disciples of the Holy sect seemed even more fired up than before, winning every single one of them without suffering another defeat.
This was almost as if they were trying to claim through their actions that Jiang Chen was an abnormality, and something like that won't happen again.
By the time the 35th disciple of the Holy sect appeared at the center of the arena, the Holy sect's disciples still hadn't lost another fight since Jiang Chen's victory.
At that moment, seeing the disciple of the Holy sect standing in the arena holding the token with the number '35' on it, a handsome young man in golden robes slowly stood up from the audience seats, and with a calm smile on his face, he walked towards the center of the arena as well.
This golden-robed young man had short-spiky black hair and a pair of deep green emerald eyes, while his aura that seemed to have reached the peak of rank 3 in the Nascent Soul exuded an air of confidence as if he wasn't worried in the slightest about this battle.
At the same time, the faces of some people in the audience seats instantly turned serious when they saw this golden-robed young man walking towards the center of the arena.
Noticing the abnormally solemn expression on Xie Xingyi's face, Liu Mei looked at her and asked curiously
''Xingyi, do you know this person?''
Xie Xingyi turned around and looked at Liu Mei before she nodded her head with that same solemn look in her eyes and said
''Mei probably doesn't know him because you didn't spend enough time in the Heaven's Dome city's House of Rankings.
He is said to be the greatest genius of the Shengtian dynasty and perhaps even the entire Night star continent, the grandson of the old king of the Shengtian dynasty, Sheng Huang!
It is said that so far, no one in the entire Night star continent had managed to force him to reveal his true strength!
The only one who is said to be on the same level as him in the entire Night star continent, is the young white lord, Bai Longtian.
However, since the 2 of them didn't fight against each other, no one knows which of them is stronger or weaker.
However, Sheng Huang's talent is said to be far greater than that of his father and his grandfather!
At the same time, he is a dual cultivator who trains both in qi refinement and body refinement! However, besides his Dao of Metal, no one knows what other Dao he has comprehended and set as a foundation for his body refinement. There are only some rumors that it's an extremely powerful Dao that no one in the Shengtian dynasty has managed to comprehend before!''
The moment that she heard Xie Xingyi's description Liu Mei nodded her head, while the look in her eyes slowly turned serious.
No matter what, for a person to be ranked first in the entire Night star continent, his strength would definitely not be weak.
As Sheng Huang arrived at the center of the arena and stared at the disciple of the Holy sect that was leisurely standing in front of him, the calm smile didn't disappear from his face.
Instead, a fervent look appeared deep in his eyes, almost as if he had been waiting for this for a long time, and without wasting any moment, his aura at the peak of rank 3 of the Nascent Soul exploded out from his body! At the same time, he waved his left hand, causing a bronze warhammer to appear in front of him.
Then, with a voice that was no longer willing to wait, he raised the bronze warhammer in the air using his right hand, before he said in a serious voice
''Let's begin!''