Chapter 105: Inner Disciple? True Disciple!

The sun blazed across the sky, with not a single cloud in sight.

Beneath Divine Arms Mountain, the open ground was silent; all the Divine Arms Valley disciples stood solemnly, and the crowds gathered in concentric rings around the ground fell quiet.

"The hour of Si is nearly here."

Shifang Bai stood with his hands hanging at his sides, a retainer holding a sword behind him, Zhao Yunsheng and Luo Renshu flanking his sides; their voices were low:

"Shifang brother, you must give your all in this entrance trial—miss today, and you may not see the Valley Lord again for years, even decades…"

Luo Renshu leaned close to Shifang Bai's ear, whispering:

"Only if the Valley Lord takes notice can you be listed among the True Disciples and receive the supreme martial arts. Elder Kuyue is Sword Chief, but the Five Secret Transmissions may only be passed down with the Valley Lord's permission…"

Shifang Bai gave a slight nod:

"What of you, Luo brother?"

"Observe and wait. If no one calls your name, the later you step forward, the better—otherwise, even Xiao Longxing alone may not catch the Valley Lord's eye…"

In the past eighty years, only Han Chuijun and the Valley Lord Gongyang Yu had achieved Longxing; yet Xiao Longxing was not unheard of.

"Your greatest rival this time is only Gan Wu and Tong Jincheng."

On the other side, Zhao Yunsheng lowered his voice: "If you surpass these two and rank first among this cohort, you stand a good chance of becoming a True Disciple!"

Shifang Bai's expression turned serious; his peripheral vision swept over two young men nearby—both had slightly inferior roots than his, yet each had perfected one martial art, qualifying as Xiao Longxing.

But compared to him, they were much older, and their postnatal root modifications could never match the superiority of innate Xiao Longxing.

"To enter as a True Disciple—only four or five such cases in a hundred years. I may not be inferior to them, but ultimately, it depends on who the elders on the dais choose."

Luo Renshu and Zhao Yunsheng continued whispering, but Shifang Bai gazed far at the dais, his mind stirred.

His understanding of the Divine Arms Valley was no less than theirs; though he wished to become a True Disciple, he knew well the odds were slim.

"If I fail, I must proceed gradually."

Shifang Bai's peripheral vision scanned the others, his thoughts turning.

True Disciples require not only talent and roots, but other considerations too—if he could win over most of this cohort, he could swiftly seize the True Disciple position.

Ding!

Only when the dais rang out did the crowd disperse to the wooden platforms; some scattered to maintain order, others sat at tables to record, preparing to begin the sect entrance trials.

The masses outside the open ground stirred, then, under the Divine Arms Valley disciples' shouts, lined up in long queues before each wooden platform.

"Outer Disciple, Inner Disciple, True Disciple—the Divine Arms Valley's disciples are roughly divided into these three tiers. Each generation, twelve True Disciples, five Elders, and two disciples under the Valley Lord himself…"

Li Yuan was also calculating.

Thanks to Wang Peiyao, he had considerable knowledge of the Divine Arms Valley; these past days, he had his own plans and considerations.

To enter directly as an Inner Disciple—or even a True Disciple—was best; True Disciples were nearly equal to Elders, holding high status.

With the Nine Forms and Han Chuijun's favor, he believed he had a fair chance of becoming a True Disciple; his only concern was…

"It's been less than half a year since Old Han tested my roots—I've altered my roots four times to complete the Nine Forms. Is this pace too fast…?"

As Li Yuan turned this thought over, he heard the voice from the dais.

Deep, resonant, full of vigor:

"Gao Liu County, Li Yuan!"

"Gao Liu County, Liang Ashui!"

Whoosh!

The only armored disciple still standing in place stepped forward, repeating the dais's call:

"Step out!"

First?

Li Yuan was slightly surprised, but not concerned—he had prepared for this before arriving, and walked calmly onto the open ground.

Liang Ashui, who had been scanning the surroundings, heard his name and flinched, then forced himself forward.

"Those two from Gao Liu County that Old Han recommended!"

"Who's the first one? Handsome, refined—his roots must be good? No, wasn't it said Han Elder's two favored candidates both had below-average roots?"

"Long arms, slender waist—looks like Yuanbi Fengyao? Yes, Li Yuan was said to have perfected the White Ape Cloak Hammer over half a year ago!"

As the two stepped forward, dozens of eyes turned their way; even the Divine Arms Valley disciples at the mountain's base stared—some puzzled, some astonished.

Before the Divine Arms Valley opened its gates, over a dozen Talent Seekers had been dispatched to each county; among those selected, the most renowned were naturally Shifang Bai, Gan Wu, Tong Jincheng, and other geniuses with innate or postnatal Six Forms.

Next to them came Li Yuan and Liang Ashui.

Of all the Talent Seekers' picks, only these two had roots that were not top-tier…

"He's…?"

Shifang Bai frowned deeply, eyes filled with disbelief—was that Li Yuan?

Outside this open ground, nearly all were martial artists with fully developed blood and qi; many were Body Tempering or Inner Strengthening experts, even some Form Transformation masters.

Their gazes were piercing.

Under so many stares, even Li Yuan felt his heart skip a beat; Liang Ashui's scalp prickled, so nervous he nearly forgot how to walk.

But soon, Li Yuan no longer felt those gazes—he drew closer and saw the blue glow emanating from the armored disciples.

【Wu Gu Qing Bao Jia (Second Rank)】

【Cast from refined Wu Jin iron, pounded a thousand times with Qing Bao stone, mixed with the hide of the spiritual beast 'Wu Niu'—a full-body armor with three layers, weighing over two hundred jin…】

【Control Requirement: Body Tempering perfected, any Horizontal Training perfected】

【Control Effect: Impervious to blades and spears, immune to weapons, Horizontal Training talent】

Second-rank armor!

And it was standard-issue armor!

Li Yuan's heart leapt—these disciples' armor all shared nearly identical control effects, each bearing the Horizontal Training talent!

【Excellent!】

At the sight of the armor, Li Yuan instantly realized he had underestimated too much.

For training, combat, and escape—he had planned three control sets, but he needed this armor for defense too!

If he could control four identical sets of armor…

"Li Yuan, Liang Ashui!"

The armored Divine Arms Valley disciple strode forward, voice commanding:

"I'm Bai Yuangang, squad leader of the Divine Guard Army. I oversee this Inner Disciple trial. Now, choose your weapon!"

No root test?

Li Yuan was slightly surprised, but nodded, selecting a first-rank long-hafted hammer from the nearby weapon rack, weighing roughly thirty jin—light as straw in his hands.

Liang Ashui circled the rack several times, finally choosing a spear.

"Pick up your weapon—attack me!"

Bai Yuangang glanced at Shifang Bai in the distance, his voice grave:

"If you force me to retreat within three strikes, you pass. Otherwise, go outside and join the Outer Disciple trials!"

"Yes!"

Liang Ashui was extremely tense, drew a deep breath, gripped his spear tightly—but looked at Li Yuan.

"You go first!"

Bai Yuangang also glanced at Li Yuan, his expression dark.

"Me first?"

"Yes!"

"Full force?"

Li Yuan glanced toward the distance.

There stood a heavily armored giant, a perfected Inner Strengthening expert—far stronger than the man before him, likely a hundred-man commander of the Divine Guard Army.

"Hurry!"

Bai Yuangang grew impatient; the other two armored disciples cast pitying glances at Li Yuan and Liang Ashui, then moved toward other Inner Disciple candidates.

"Alright!"

Li Yuan nodded, then exploded forward.

His foot struck the ground, blood and internal force bursting forth—he unleashed everything, no reserve, and before his words faded, the long hammer had already crashed toward Bai Yuangang's chest.

He wanted to test the armor's defense.

"Hmph~"

Seeing the hammer's feeble swing, Bai Yuangang relaxed slightly, raised his arm horizontally to block with his elbow:

"Two more strikes… Huh?!"

The next instant, the hammer fell.

BOOM!!!

…

"I've seen no good prospects out there—only these two are barely worth a look…"

On the dais, Han Chuijun lounged carelessly; over the years, he'd taken many disciples, some with poor roots.

But his disciples, no matter how weak, were guaranteed entry into the Inner Disciples—this trial was merely a formality.

Suddenly, his eyelids lifted—actual shimmering light flashed in his eyes:

"Bai Yuangang? How bold…"

"Stop this nonsense!"

Elder Ku Yue reacted swiftly, grabbing Han Chui's arm: "Bai Yuan Gang has no internal strength—he's fit to oversee the inner gate examination, no problem…"

Crash~

Han Chui flicked his hand away, then shot to his feet.

"You?"

The elders behind Qiu Zhengxiong watched this moment closely; all changed expression, several stepping back instinctively, hearts still pounding.

Gong Yangyu frowned slightly, about to speak—then suddenly turned his head, as if sensing something, toward the base of the dais.

"Hmm?"

Elder Ku Yue, slower, also turned toward the open ground.

A thunderous *boom* echoed—a dark shadow flew backward, smashing into the packed yellow earth and sending up a cloud of dust!

"Bai Yuan Gang?!"

Qiu Zhengxiong's expression changed instantly; he leapt to his feet, eyes wide with shock and disbelief:

"Bai Yuan Jin, Xiao Long Xing?!"

"Xiao Long Xing?"

All the elders on the dais altered their expressions.

To them, Xiao Long Xing was a genius—but weren't they all?

What startled them was Han Chui's own report to the valley: Li Yuan had only mediocre-to-poor bone structure, and only after perfecting the Hammer Form did he manifest the Monkey Arm and Bee Waist…

"Brother, you've truly improved!"

Gong Yangyu glanced at Han Chui, who shifted expression several times—shock, then joy, then quickly regained composure:

"Perhaps I misread his bones back then."

Good lad—you've given this old man quite the surprise…

Lightly tapping the arm of his chair, Han Chui glanced at Li Yuan, hammering wildly on the open ground, his heart surging.

Misread his bones?

The elders on the dais fell silent.

Han Chui had delayed entering the Meridian Channel stage to perfect Yi Bai Xing—his realm was lower than theirs—but precisely because he'd transformed so many forms, in bone-reading, he was unquestionably the top expert in Divine Weapon Valley.

How could he have misread bones?

"Stop!"

Han Chui sat back down, but Qiu Zhengxiong rose to his full height, hair and beard bristling—yet this time, he was stopped.

He could only watch helplessly as Bai Yuan Gang, roaring in fury below, was struck again and again by hammer blows…

…

"How is this possible?!"

"That Li Yuan… he actually…"

The moment Li Yuan smashed Bai Yuan Gang into the air, the entire open ground erupted.

Only three hundred men in Divine Weapon Valley wore heavy armor—these were the true elite of the Divine Guard Army!

And now, this elite Divine Guard soldier, clad in heavy armor, had been blasted away by a disciple who hadn't even entered the valley?!

"Did Uncle Nineteen hold back?!"

Shao Fangbai was stunned.

Zhao Yunsheng and Luo Renshu changed expression instantly—they didn't believe Bai Yuan Gang would hold back; the only possibility was:

"That boy hid his martial skill!"

Bang!

One hammer blow—Bai Yuan Gang flew again.

Li Yuan stepped forward, chasing him—three strikes were promised, not one less.

He swung the long hammer, its rush cutting through the air with a *whoosh*—even without the Power-Weapon Talisman's enhancement, his Nine Forms transformation had granted him immense speed and power.

The thirty-jin hammer fell like a storm, forcing Bai Yuan Gang into constant retreat.

Bang!

The third strike landed—Bai Yuan Gang, nearly dazed, rose off the ground again, crashed down hard, and spat out a mouthful of blood, shocked and furious:

"You?!"

Li Yuan's movements were violent and swift, his hammer swings like a gale—he'd been caught off guard and nearly stunned on the spot.

Had he not worn heavy armor, those three strikes might have killed him!

"Enough!"

A roar like a lion's exploded through the air.

Li Yuan halted instantly, dropping the hammer, his heart settling slightly.

Body Tempering perfected with heavy armor was indeed harder to kill than Cao Yan—but to him, the hammer weapon's immunity to armor only made it slightly harder to kill.

Whoosh!

A massive, bear-like armored man strode forward, face grim.

"Big Brother Zhao!"

Bai Yuan Gang's face turned deathly pale.

Zhao Guangqing's expression was blank:

"Beaten into this state by a disciple who hasn't even entered? Do you still have the face to stay here? Get out!"

"Yes…"

Bai Yuan Gang couldn't stand—he was dragged away by two comrades, barely managing to retreat.

Around the open ground, chaos erupted—Shao Fangbai, Gan Wu, Tong Jincheng, and others all changed expression; the people from Gao Liu County stared in utter shock.

"That Divine Guard…"

Yue Yunjin stared blankly, throat dry: "He… is he internal force?"

"Three hundred armored men in the Divine Guard—all wearers are at least Body Tempering perfected—he, he…"

Wang Peiyao stood frozen, unable to process it.

"Li Yuan!"

Zhao Guangqing turned, face dark: "You possess Six Forms bone structure—why didn't you report it? You concealed it first, then struck with brutality…"

Zhao Guangqing was furious—but Li Yuan bowed deeply:

"Master!"

"Huh?!"

Zhao Guangqing's body trembled—then suddenly felt the ground vanish beneath him; he rose into the air.

"Ah!"

He struggled desperately to steady himself, but his bones and tendons shook uncontrollably—he could only watch helplessly as the ground grew larger.

Bang!

Dust flew everywhere.

"Worm-like trash!"

Han Chui wiped his hands with a silk cloth and tossed it aside, then looked at Li Yuan's bow—and finally smiled:

"I actually misjudged you?"

"Disciple has made slight progress."

Li Yuan smiled, glancing at Zhao Guangqing, half-buried in the earth.

The Dao Master has backing too.

"Come!"

Han Chui placed a hand on Li Yuan's shoulder, tapped his foot lightly, and lifted him onto the dais.

Beside him, Liang Ashui's face was stiff; the two Divine Guard disciples approaching him looked black as charcoal…

…

On the open ground, chaos boiled over, noise impossible to suppress.

On the dais, silence reigned.

"Disciple Li Yuan, bows before the Valley Master and all Elders…"

Li Yuan's etiquette was impeccable; his gaze swept the crowd.

Excluding Han Chui, thirteen people sat or stood on the dais—five seated, eight standing—all with robust, furnace-like blood and qi.

Han Chui was in high spirits:

"My disciple possesses Xiao Long Xing—his bone structure and talent are top-tier—he qualifies as a True Disciple!"

"True Disciple?"

A stir rose on the dais; Qiu Zhengxiong was the first to object:

"You already have two True Disciples under you—where's the slot left? Are you… eyeing my True Disciple slot?"

Seeing Han Chui stare at him, Qiu Zhengxiong realized—exploded in rage:

"You're delusional!"