Chapter 87: The Form of Complete Concealment

Blood blossomed; the waist split in two, internal organs tumbled out with a splash.

“Ah!”

The bloody scene made many female students scream and shut their eyes; male students gritted their teeth to suppress trembling—even many Qi Refining cultivators turned pale.

Though they practiced daily, it was always restrained; none had ever seen such direct, gory violence.

In contrast, the students from No. 7 High were far better; many wore cold, hard expressions, and their gazes toward Li Junhao brimmed with contempt—they didn’t even dare to fight back; such a feeble martial cultivator was something they’d never seen before.

“How did No. 1 High become the top school in Rongcheng?”

A student near Jiang Jinxian asked: “This kind of student would be expelled from our school within a few months, dumped into garbage schools like No. 9 or No. 10.”

“Rumors are exaggerated; No. 1 High has declined. It’s time for No. 7 High to become Rongcheng’s top school…”

Someone exclaimed excitedly, seeing hope.

If the school’s ranking rises, the Ministry of Education’s funding increases accordingly—everyone benefits.

“Don’t say that; No. 1 High’s academic scores are still solid.”

…

In the proctoring room, Zhang Ding frowned: “You’ve taken your students on field training beyond the borders—have you seen blood before?”

The reaction of No. 1 High’s students was expected.

It’s their first time; everyone reacts like this.

Once they see enough, they’ll gradually adapt—that’s the point of constant exams and training.

“Yes, under the guise of winter break trips, our opponents were all human scum.”

Jin Dazheng, No. 7 High’s chief martial arts instructor, spoke succinctly.

He was a burly, Peak Primordial martial cultivator—not a Young Eagle Primordial, or he’d have become a cultivator long ago; in terms of power, under close-range ambush, he could pose some threat to late-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

But in martial arts mastery, no one present could match him.

“Nonsense!”

Zhang Ding scolded harshly: “At sixteen or seventeen, their values are forming. We must offer students warmth and care from society, cultivating their sense of belonging and honor toward the Immortal Sect.”

“What you’re doing will make many students develop twisted, dark personalities—they may become a future security threat to the Immortal Sect!”

“For a few extra combat scores, do you still have a conscience?”

“After the exam, I’ll report you to the Ministry of Education!”

“Do as you please.”

Jin Dazheng didn’t bother to rebut.

“Teacher Zhang, please calm down.”

A No. 7 High teacher spoke softly: “No. 7 High has mostly students without spiritual roots. To ascend to immortality, we can’t afford your leisurely ways—we must fight for it.”

“Heh.”

Zhang Ding didn’t agree; he was already drafting his report.

…

Li Junhao was teleported out, face as pale as paper, body trembling uncontrollably, eyes vacant.

Jiang Ding patted his back, offering a few words of comfort.

The fate of Immortal Sect citizens is this: they enjoy the relatively superior living conditions and stability of surrounding worlds, yet must bear the burden of combat and defending the Immortal Sect.

This is power—and duty!

“Zhou Chongsheng!”

Zhou Chong returned outside, his halberd stained with blood, laughing loudly: “No. 1 High trash! I can take on all of you alone!”

“Bullshit!”

Faced with the terror of bloodshed, No. 1 High’s students instantly snapped, glaring at Zhou Chong.

Several female Qi Refining students, trembling with fear, suddenly held orange-yellow flames in their hands—flames growing larger.

Zhou Chong flinched in fright and ducked behind the Qi Refining cultivators of No. 7 High.

“Candidate with ID number, Sun Xiao…”

“Candidate…”

One by one, student IDs were called; the sky unfolded ten battle terrains: forest, bamboo grove, desert, snowfield, lake, and more—all active simultaneously.

Real combat doesn’t involve three hundred rounds; the human body is fragile. Inner qi shields are as thin as paper against infused anti-magic steel—even when inner qi levels are equal, one misstep means bloodshed on the spot.

Victories and defeats came quickly; cold weapon scores appeared one by one, rising or falling.

“Sun Xiao—victory!”

Sun Xiao stepped out, face grim; he’d barely defeated a No. 7 High inner qi Small Circulation martialist with slightly weaker inner qi—his practical experience was clearly inferior.

This also reflected No. 1 High’s school ethos.

They prioritized realm and academics; a little time spent on cold weapons was enough—more was wasteful, better invested elsewhere with higher returns.

Sun Xiao glanced back at the rankings; nearly all top ten were from No. 7 High—he was barely ninth, but if he faced even one inner qi Great Circulation opponent, he’d drop.

No. 7 High had over a dozen inner qi Great Circulation martialists; top ten wasn’t enough to hold them all.

“Will No. 1 High really have zero students in the top fifteen for inner qi cold weapon assessment?”

Sun Xiao smiled bitterly—it was too humiliating.

Other classmates who’d just fought looked ashamed, avoiding eye contact; they hadn’t even won a single match at their own level.

“Jiang Ding, can you do it? At least get into the top ten—otherwise we’ll have no face left.”

Sun Xiao and the others stared at Jiang Ding—he’d always been the top inner qi cold weapon user since freshman year.

“I’ll do my best.”

Jiang Ding nodded.

“Don’t worry,”

Hua Bing added: “Even if Jiang Ding loses, I might not beat Li Tie—but Gong Sun Ling, Ding Qi, Wu Tianli, and a few others can wipe out the rest of their Qi Refining students.”

“Pfft!”

Female classmates burst out laughing; their expressions brightened.

“Candidate Jiang Ding, enter the arena.”

“Candidate Wu Jinqian, enter the arena.”

Jiang Ding tapped confirm.

His vision blurred; heaven and earth shifted, time spun.

Before him stood a lush bamboo grove; water dripped from leaves, the scent of grass and wood filled his nose, and in the distance, a crimson sun rose above the horizon.

He reached out, plucked a bamboo leaf—it felt slightly sharp, damp with dew.

“...The power of creation…”

Jiang Ding marveled—everything felt utterly real; had he not been told, he’d have believed this was a true world, like the Yun Sect cultivators did.

“You’re Jiang Ding?”

A few meters away, an ordinary-looking boy stepped forward, grinning: “I heard you had terrible talent, faked pity, and stole Jiang Jinxian’s Blue Flower Foundation Elixir to boost your potential—so why are you still at inner qi Small Circulation?”

“You’re decent for No. 1 High—but you’ve met me.”

Jiang Ding’s expression turned slightly cold.

Yet he didn’t charge recklessly—he stepped back, vanished in a few flashes, gone from everyone’s sight.

The bamboo grove stood empty—only one person remained.

Wu Jinqian froze.

No matter how he imagined it, he never expected his opponent to vanish after just one sentence.

“You’re using camouflage to exploit optical shifts and stall for time?”

Wu Jinqian quickly realized, sneering: “Clever idea—but too far-fetched. Who told you camouflage can fool Immortal Sect martialists…”

This isn’t ordinary camouflage—it’s a top-grade magic treasure.

Just as Qi Refining cultivators using flying sword treasures to crush inner qi martialists aren’t called unfair, the difficulty of training reconnaissance infantry is the reason.

“Come out!”

Wu Jinqian roared, swinging his spear in a sweeping arc; bamboo trunks shattered, countless sharp fragments sprayed outward, laced with inner qi.

Many bamboo stalks the size of bowls were pierced; the ground pockmarked with countless small holes—no human-shaped space within ten meters could survive.

Yet not a single figure appeared—not even a translucent outline.

His brow finally furrowed.

He had to admit: his opponent was weaker, yet had found the perfect counter.

If he couldn’t find him before the thirty-minute limit, it’d be declared a draw.

A draw against a Qi Refining Small Circulation? He couldn’t afford that humiliation.

“Let’s see where you hide!”

Wu Jinqian’s eyes flashed malice; he swung his spear hard, sending bamboo shards flying in all directions—before they even pierced anything, he lunged forward, swung again, releasing more fragments.

Again and again.

He became a forest beast, relentlessly destroying the bamboo grove; dense bamboo fell, leaving behind bare circles.

Outside,

Sun Xiao and the others stared in shock at the sky’s display.

Wu Jinqian was like a human excavator, relentlessly demolishing the bamboo grove.

Just behind him, on a shattered bamboo stump, Jiang Ding held his longsword silently, watching with his peripheral vision, occasionally leaping to dodge flying shards—completely exposed.

But Wu Jinqian seemed blind, seeing nothing, hacking and slashing aimlessly without even glancing behind him.

“Jiang Ding… how far has he taken his Minor Concealment Technique?” Hua Bing and the others realized: “At least to the level of an Immortal Sect reconnaissance infantryman.”

The students of Seventh Middle School also grew solemn.

Examination Room.

“Your student has trained his Minor Concealment Technique well.”

Jin Dazheng, chief instructor of Seventh Middle School, was slightly surprised, then sighed: “But his realm is too low. Wu Jinqian isn’t a fool—he won’t waste his internal energy forever.”

“Not necessarily.”

Zhang Dingjun smiled.

Crash!

Crash crash!

Amid flying bamboo slats and green leaves, Wu Jinqian’s internal energy drained by more than half, and he finally stopped, furious: “If you’ve got guts, keep hiding forever!”

Shhh!

A blade of light pierced the air, swift as lightning, silent and unseen, not even disturbing the breeze.

“Bold!”

Wu Jinqian was overjoyed, thrusting his spear straight forward—the spearlight condensed into perfect focus, with three linked follow-up moves ready, and if it so much as grazed his opponent, he’d make him regret not staying safely tucked away like a turtle!

The spear struck true.

The blade-light dissolved like a phantom, insubstantial and yielding; the spear’s momentum wavered slightly.

Just once—no ordinary person could have noticed.

“No!”

Wu Jinqian’s face changed; in his peripheral vision, he caught a faint, translucent shadow, and from the tiny flaw in his spear’s motion, a brighter point of blade-light pierced in, effortlessly cutting through his internal energy barrier and driving deep into his throat.

“Fuck…”

Wu Jinqian’s heart burned with bitter resentment—he was clearly stronger!

A sharp pain surged through him; threads of blade qi had already traveled down his throat into his brain, shredding it into pulp, his returning spear falling limp.