Chapter 86

Jiang Ding opened his eyes again, and all he saw was a blinding white expanse, with no distinction between sky and earth.

Only a few large characters remained.

【32:27 REMAINING UNTIL EXAM】

He wasn’t in a hurry, carefully inspecting his entire body.

Nothing appeared abnormal—it was identical to his real body, down to the smallest details: a tiny spot on his hand, a single hair slightly shorter, even his clothes were the same, and the talisman sword in his chest had successfully been brought in.

He walked around; it was indistinguishable from reality, except that the surroundings were too monotonous.

Jiang Ding decided to close his eyes and rest, continuing to warm his Du Meridian and all its associated meridians with internal energy; here, he could clearly sense the condition of every part of his body, and cultivation would still yield results.

【10:00 REMAINING UNTIL EXAM. CANDIDATES, PROCEED TO THE EXAMINATION HALL.】

Before Jiang Ding could even think about how to enter the exam hall, the world spun violently, surroundings shifted endlessly, and his head throbbed so intensely he felt like vomiting blood.

Faintly, he saw an image of an island.

Hua Bing had explained: this simulated long-distance teleportation arrays, a process he would experience when deployed beyond the realm for military service.

“Damn! My head hurts!”

“Ugh!”

Many people landed, and numerous classmates who hadn’t yet reached Qi Refining stage vomited immediately—the vomit looked startlingly real, with a strong, pungent odor.

Jiang Ding’s body staggered slightly; he gripped the talisman sword hidden in his sleeve, quickly stabilizing his turbulent qi with internal energy, then swiftly scanned his surroundings.

There were many people: over ninety students from Class 12, Grade 3 of No. 1 High, and over three hundred seventy from No. 7 High.

Hua Bing and Gong Sun Ling, along with about forty other Qi Refining cultivators from No. 1 High, while No. 7 High had only about twenty such cultivators across twelve classes—fewer than two per class on average, and their cultivation levels were lower, mostly Qi Refining second or third layer.

Yet, as Hua Bing had said, one person’s aura stood out as exceptionally powerful: a tall, stern-faced youth.

Li Tie, Qi Refining eighth layer!

Dual elemental affinity!

If judged solely by cultivation potential, he should have been Rongcheng’s Top Graduate this year.

Qi Refining cultivators recovered quickly; spiritual senses swept across the area, raising goosebumps on Jiang Ding’s skin despite his perfected Lesser Concealment Technique, triggering an inexplicable sensation.

Suddenly, Jiang Ding’s expression changed slightly as he turned toward a direction he had previously overlooked.

Cultivators!

One hundred Qi Refining cultivators stood in neat formation, all wearing gray Daoist robes embroidered with azure wave patterns on the left chest; nearly all were at mid-stage Qi Refining, with ten reaching late-stage Qi Refining.

A warning flickered in Jiang Ding’s mind; he gripped the talisman sword tightly.

For some reason, though they were also Qi Refining cultivators, he could instantly tell these were utterly different from Xianmen cultivators—perhaps due to their aura, or perhaps because of the way their gazes swept over these ordinary people like ants.

“Canghai Small Realm, Liyun Sect Inner Disciple Trial Cultivators, pay homage to the Xianmen Envoys!”

The ten late-stage Qi Refining cultivators—four at Qi Refining eighth layer, six at seventh layer—led their hundred disciples in a deep bow to the Xianmen candidates, showing utmost respect.

Many students were startled, stepping back several paces, utterly confused.

This drew a few looks of disdain, quickly retracted.

Ding!

The familiar, mechanical voice of the Array Spirit.

“The Cold Weapon Examination has concluded. The Combat Trial will now begin.”

“For the Combat Trial, participants must select the second of the Twelve Xianmen Small Realms—Canghai Small Realm, Liyun Sect Inner Disciple Trial Cultivators. Five teams each from No. 1 High and No. 7 High must gain mutual consent, but Dao Soldiers must join one side or the other!”

“Do not reveal that the Tai Xu Illusion is non-lethal. Violators will receive zero points on the Combat Trial and will be expelled before uttering the words!”

“After the exam, scores must be assigned to Liyun Sect disciples based on obedience, combat ability, cooperation, and other factors.”

Hua Bing and several others, having seen the world before, quickly conferred and joined forces with Gong Sun Ling from Class Two and Ding Qi from Class Three, forming a temporary command center.

The former was Qi Refining seventh layer; the latter two were still at sixth layer, so Hua Bing became the commander.

On the other side, Li Tie, with his Qi Refining eighth layer cultivation, naturally assumed command, flanked by two Qi Refining fifth layer cultivators approaching this way.

They weren’t familiar, so after a brief greeting, Li Tie took charge of negotiations.

No choice—he was higher in cultivation.

“Greetings, fellow cultivators of Liyun Sect.”

Li Tie spoke calmly; born into a Foundation Establishment family, his experience far surpassed ordinary people, and he handled this situation with ease.

“We must conduct a martial contest. Might your esteemed companions wait a moment?”

“We humbly obey the Xianmen Envoys’ command!”

The ten late-stage Qi Refining cultivators of Liyun Sect showed faint smiles, bowing respectfully.

Given their own lives were at stake, they naturally wished to observe closely before making decisions.

As negotiations proceeded, students from No. 7 High and No. 1 High separated into two groups, watching each other warily.

Even without his perfected Lesser Concealment Technique, Jiang Ding easily sensed a heavy thread of hostility—and quickly identified its source.

A slightly dark-skinned youth with a broad forehead sneered at him, mimed a slashing motion, drawing laughter from his inner qi companions nearby.

Jiang Jinxian!

Jiang Ding’s face remained expressionless as he continued observing these warriors, inwardly startled.

So many inner qi cultivators!

No. 1 High’s Grade 3 had three classes; including those who broke through in recent months, there were only about twenty inner qi cultivators—roughly seven per class.

No. 7 High,

over a hundred inner qi cultivators—five times as many!

The top among them were those surrounded by others, like Jiang Jinxian—inner qi Great Circulation, one minor realm higher than him, and already halfway through refining and nurturing the 108,000 meridians, his internal energy vast and overwhelming.

Moreover, unlike the mild-mannered inner qi cultivators from Class One, these warriors displayed far greater aggression and offensive intent.

Due to teaching resources and school tradition, most Rongcheng youths with martial talent preferred enrolling in No. 7 High, making its strongest even stronger—few from No. 1 High could defeat their peers from No. 7 High.

“Sss~”

Li Junhao, after surveying the opposite side, drew a sharp breath: “One against five? Damn, I can’t beat even one!”

“It’s one against twelve—they’ve got plenty of Body Tempering students too.”

Jiang Ding joked.

Li Junhao’s face grew even more grim.

“The Cold Weapon Examination is about to begin. Candidates, prepare yourselves.”

The sky blurred, projecting a vast desert of yellow sand—endless horizon, with occasional tornadoes tens of meters tall sweeping across.

“Random terrain—Wind Howling Desert.”

“Candidate Li Junhao, report to the arena. Candidate Zhou Chong, report to the arena.”

The first announcement turned Li Junhao’s face green; a white teleportation light enveloped him, slowly fading—similarly on the No. 7 High side.

Two figures appeared in the sky above the desert, separated by several meters.

Zhou Chong from No. 7 High wielded a heavy halberd; as soon as Li Junhao appeared, he didn’t even look—he bolted away, hoping to escape.

“Hah!”

Zhou Chong chuckled, dragging his halberd behind him, striding forward and soon reaching Li Junhao’s back—he swung the blade cleanly and decisively downward.

“Wait! Let’s talk—”

Li Junhao rolled sideways, gripping his short sword, barely dodging the halberd—then a gust of wind struck from his left, his waist exploded in pain, his vision darkened, and he lost consciousness.