32 Throw from the jackal's mouth into the tiger's cave

Despite some problems, the exam was still ongoing. Zhao Zhao's attacks were swift, and he moved very nimbly, which again corresponded to a person from the inner court.

Zhao Zhao was a swordsman oriented towards speed and agility, so his techniques did not deal heavy damage.

"Shadow Moon Strike!" Zhao Zhao shouted and struck vertically towards Xie Qing, who failed to dodge.And so, the sword approached Xie Qing's neck, who remained still and did not even draw his sword to counterattack. Zhao Zhao sneered contemptuously.

"Scared, bastard. He's still too weak to face me," thought Zhao Zhao.

But...

"Good enough. I think I've tested your strength enough. I don't think you have any more tricks up your sleeve," Xie Qing's voice rang out, and then...

Clang!

A powerful force collided with Zhao Zhao's blade, causing him to freeze in shock. Before his eyes, Xie Qing managed to instantly block the strike in a split second, raising his sword and blocking the attack that Zhao Zhao had put all his strength into.

Therefore, Zhao Zhao immediately felt a sharp pain in his wrist after his sword was blocked and knocked backward.

"Agh..."

Zhao Zhao gritted his teeth in disappointment but could only focus on not losing his balance and falling, thus opening a gap in his defense. And when he was ready for the next attack...

"!!!!!"

Fear. Coming from the depths of your heart, your soul, and consuming you from within. As if you had encountered something... that was hundreds of times larger than you.

"Heh."

Xie Qing smiled. His eyes shone with a golden light as he looked at Zhao Zhao. There was a notification in front of him.

Ding!

[Based on the opponent's assessment, including his Qi and cultivation level... "Dragon's Gaze" will be active for 15 seconds.]

Dragon's Gaze. A damn overpowered ability that can make an opponent freeze in place, even if they are stronger than you. If even for a second, in an active battle, you gain a huge advantage.

While Zhao Zhao tried to break free, he was suddenly struck by a flash of Sword Aura that struck his neck, leaving a shallow cut before stopping short of disaster.

"Aaaa!"

"S-stop! The exam is over! Disciple Xie Qing, you have passed!"

The referee immediately ended the battle, and a group of medics rushed to the bleeding Zhao Zhao, who was still under the effect of Xie Qing's technique.

Looking at his opponent, the young man could only shrug. If comparing their techniques, Xie Qing had fewer, but they were of much higher quality.

***

The exam was over. With three positive evaluations, Xie Qing was honored to become a disciple of the inner court.

"Here is your disciple clothing and 500 Spiritual Stones. Congratulations."

At the registration counter, where there were now fewer people, the elder handed him the orange-colored inner court disciple clothing and Spiritual Stones with a smile.

Each court has its uniform, distinguished by color. The outer court is green, the inner court is orange, and the main court is red. The elders wore black robes.

Spiritual Stones, on the other hand, were a special type of resource that contained Qi. They are created in a natural environment due to the abundance of Qi in a particular place. They are usually used as currency or for cultivation, more often for the latter.

"Thank you," Xie Qing thanked the elder and, ignoring the red faces of the women around him, took the uniform and the bag of Spiritual Stones.

He wanted to return and relieve the tension as soon as possible. Xie Qing couldn't help but look at Xie Qing Jr., who was clearly showing signs of awakening. He frowned.

"I need to remove these stupid bracelets if I'm not going anywhere," he thought and did so - he took off the bracelets, but the effect did not disappear.

He sighed slightly. Did he have to relieve tension and drink every time?! This was... ideal! Cough, cough... I mean, very bad.

At this time, he took out two tokens that were securely hidden inside his hanfu. One was gold with an engraving of a sword with roses, and the other... a snowflake.

"..."

Xie Qing frowned, looking at the second token. This token... belonged to his mother.

"I can't contact her. This is not normal. In my early days in the sect, she called me almost every day, then started calling less and her voice sounded suppressed as if she was ill," he thought, and his expression became darker and darker.

He decided to try. Infusing his Qi into the token, Xie Qing attempted to establish contact with his mother, but even after twenty minutes, there was no response. This was not normal.

BOOM!

The surrounding disciples froze in shock as a dangerous aura began to emanate from Xie Qing. His eyes became sharp as thorns, while his teeth creaked as he clenched them tightly in anger.

He couldn't help but worry. His mother's status in the Xie family was high, but in recent years, due to his uselessness, she had begun to lose support from the family's elders.

"Kill... kill!"

Xie Qing clenched the Spiritual Stones in his hand, and they began to crack, and abundant Qi flowed out, which, though it felt like freedom for a second, was quickly drawn into Xie Qing's body and processed by the technique.

Whoosh! The Qi around him swirled into a vortex and was instantly absorbed. He had broken through to the second stage of Qi Condensation!

"All because of me... it's my fault, isn't it?" he thought and restrained his anger, his eyes colder than ice. He snorted in annoyance: "I suspected something was wrong when my father suddenly gained strong support from the elders and investments were made."

Turning around, Xie Qing began to walk towards the exit of the sect.

***

"What? He left?"

Lian Xin let out a surprised sound when she learned that, according to the sect's records, Xie Qing had left immediately after the exam ended. Moreover, the disciples reported that he seemed angry, and she couldn't understand why.

"Everything seemed to be fine with him. What could be the reason?" Lian Xin began to worry.

She entered the examination building and started questioning the elders, but they all said that before leaving the sect, the young man had been in a normal mood. This greatly puzzled her.

"What happened to him? I haven't heard of him getting angry in so many years," Lian Xin thought and then took out a token.

She waited a little, and after a minute, a familiar voice rang out.

"Lian Xin, what is it?"

It was Xu Mei!

"It's about your disciple..."

***

"No information?" Xie Qing shouted angrily, looking at the hooded man in front of him. He twisted his mouth and, barely restraining his anger, asked through clenched teeth: "Then what the hell are you doing?! Why can't I even find out such simple news?!"

"Y-young master, calm down..."

The man in the mask was named Bao Xia. He was a cultivator at the Qi Condensation stage - 3rd stage. In the Xie family, he held the position of an ordinary assistant. His task was to assist the heirs and inform them of the Xie family's orders.

Years ago, he was assigned to Xie Qing, for which he greatly regretted. No one personally dealt with the young man, and even Bao Xia felt contempt for him. However, today he discovered something shocking...

"H-he's at the Qi Condensation stage! Only one stage below me! H-how is this possible?! He's only eighteen!"

Bao Xia felt his world crumbling before his eyes. He couldn't even believe it. Anyone who could reach such a level at the age of eighteen was considered the greatest genius, and no one in the family, even if including past achievements, had been able to achieve this!

"Oh... Lord Xie Xui will have a hard time," Bao Xia thought. Xie Xui had bribed him to report on all of Xie Qing's movements, but now...

"Yeah, fuck what I'm gonna tell you! You want me dead?!"

Xie Qing's Qi was so overwhelming that he even forgot to breathe. In response to Xie Qing's questions, where he pointed out his uselessness, Bao Xia could only lower his head and remain silent, not daring to utter a word.

"Tsk! I'm talking to him, and this idiot lowers his head!" Xie Qing snorted in annoyance and, to calm his nerves drank some wine. Then he asked again: "Now, are you telling me that there has been no information from Xie Meiling?"

"Th-that... I'm telling the truth! She disappeared half a year ago or something like that when Xie Hai suddenly received absolute support from all the elders!"

"Shit! Fucking asshole!"

Bang!

Xie Qing clenched his teeth and struck him, creating a dent in the wooden table.

The man sitting at the table felt his balls shrink.

"Fuck! This table was made of sturdy wood that even I can't scratch! Abnormal! Why did they pull me out of the jaws of a jackal to throw me into a tiger's den?!"