Chapter 14

There were Shaoyang Sect disciples doing roll call at the exit, and after inspecting the Golden Star Grass and energy stones Ling Xia's group collected, they recorded down the quantity and quality. Ling Xia cautiously skimmed what was written on the rest of that page; most people brought around the same amount as they did, but some had brought in a lot more spiritual herbs and stones. For example, the one named "Xu Yan" that was listed right before them not only found energy stones and spiritual herbs, but he also caught a level-3 magical beast.

When they walked into the resting area, about sixty to seventy people were already inside, including the youngster with a long sword on his back that had clashed with Yu Zhijue before. Ling Xia heard someone call him "Xu Yan," only now learning his name.

Xu Yan saw the three of them and sneered from the corner of his lips, "I didn't expect you three to walk in here. Guess your luck's good enough you didn't need to escape halfway with a transfer talisman."

Faced with such a brainless, half-pint youth with the tendency to turn hawkish at the drop of a hat, Ling Xia flat out treated him like air, walking right past him and sitting down at an empty table in the back. Everyone who reached this stage was basically already guaranteed to enter Shaoyang Sect, so all the nearby supervising disciples were treating them with a lot more courtesy, and as soon as they sat down, someone came over to deliver tea and refreshments.

The refreshments and utensils were both very refined, and there were spiritual herbs that had properties of invigoration and restoration, so that after eating, the physical strength they had expended would slowly recover by a large amount. Ling Xia drank a cup of tea first, paused as he felt his energy greatly increase, then ate some refreshments.

Song Xiaohu was already close to starving, driving him to eat in a rushed and unrefined manner. Xu Yan saw this and mocked in a low voice, "Truly, you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear! Some remote, countryside villager actually wants to cultivate in a large sect. How hilarious!"

Ling Xia was quite apathetic towards these words, but gave the two kids next to him a worried glance. The oblivious Song Xiaohu was currently sitting there, engrossed in eating, completely unaware that Xu Yan was talking about himself. Although Yu Zhijue was also hungry, his posture was as graceful as always; if one ignored the cheap clothes on his body, he really had the bearing of an heir from an influential family. But what Ling Xia was most pleased about was that even when hearing those provocative words, Yu Zhijue's complexion remained as composed as before. Looks like after coming outside and experiencing the world, this kid has genuinely matured a lot compared to when they first met…

After they ate and drank their fill, then waited a while, around ten more people came in successively, and the deadline for this round had arrived at last. The disciples in charge of recording down their names counted up their numbers, reaching a total of ninety-two people.

Even though these ninety-two people will all enter Shaoyang Sect, it was difficult to say whether they will be apprenticed to a famous master or stay as a common disciple since they still had to go through the evaluation of Shaoyang Sect elders.

A young disciple with handsome and bright facial features stood in the middle of the lounge and smiled as he projected his voice: "Junior brothers and sisters, you've all worked hard. Next, please follow me to the Dueling Hall."

Since they were currently situated on the outskirts of Thousands of Beasts Forest, they were required to traverse a deep valley shrouded in mist and clouds to reach the arena mentioned. As everyone was finally able to let go of their stress and worries, the group finally had the capacity to fully appreciate and admire the natural beauty that surrounded them.

When they reached the Dueling Hall, seven or eight disciples uniformly dressed in yellow martial arts apparel were already waiting outside. Everyone's relaxed mindsets immediately became tense once more, and in groups of ten, they followed these disciples inside one after another.

Ling Xia carefully observed the hall, which was bigger than any of the gymnasiums he had ever been to, and wondered how it was built. The ground was hidden beneath a carpet, likely crafted from the fur of a magical beast and adorned with varying sizes of Shaoyang Sect's emblem, intricately stitched with delicate threads of gold and silver. Just looking at it practically made him dizzy.

Overlooking the hall, many tables and chairs were placed above, and the person sitting in the middle should be young Miss Feng Luo's father and the current head of Shaoyang Sect, Feng ShuMing. Though he only appeared to be twenty-four or twenty-five years old, just by sitting there, he gave off an exceptional air, radiating an oppressive might despite his calm demeanour, looking to the world like a man who had an overflowing presence. Those on his left and right ought to be the honoured guests invited from other sects and many of the high-ranking elders. When Ling Kia saw Cui Yu's group, his heart instantly stuttered with a ba-thump.

From the start, Cui Yu was looking at and scanning everyone walking in, and as soon as she caught sight of Yu Zhijue, the bored expression on her face disappeared in a flash as a pair of eyes brimming with irrepressible joy locked onto the target. But no matter how long she stared, Yu Zhijue never once looked her way, causing her to unhappily pout on the spot.

She cast her gaze towards Mo Dai and whined in a soft voice, "Second Senior Brother, that's who I was talking about, so tell Uncle Feng later that I want to bring him back to be my little junior brother!"

Mo Dai's headache swelled just from listening; how was this something he could finalize just by saying a few words? This young boy had come to register under Shaoyang Sect, and moreover, he had passed both rounds of exams. How could outsiders like them ask to take someone like this away at present? Besides, that junior brother Shang Yan of his clearly doesn't get along with this young boy. Speaking of which, that junior brother had disappeared many hours ago, and who knew where he ran off to… Both this one and that one, acting up and causing him trouble! As their second senior brother, what a wonderful, burdensome, and thankless assignment he had brought unto himself!

He casually deluded, "Okay, I'll go inform Martial Uncle Feng, so be good and don't make a ruckus."

Cui Yu was overjoyed, promptly sitting up all straight and proper, her clever eyes glittering with light, eagerly waiting for Yu Zhijue's upcoming performance.

One of the guiding disciples gave a deferential and respectful bow towards those above and stated in a luminous voice, "All ninety-two junior brothers and sisters have been brought here. I humbly request Master to decree the next mandate."

Feng ShuMing nodded, indicating for the disciple to step back, and swept out his wide sleeves gracefully as he composedly intoned to those below, "Today, as thou hast all stepped within our gates, thou must cultivate and persevere assiduously, behave with modesty and prudence…"

His way of speaking was didactic and erudite; in every ten sentences, there were seven or eight that Ling Xia couldn't understand. One could see that Feng ShuMing had a reserved and serious disposition, which explains how he was able to raise a neither arrogant nor hot-tempered Feng Luo, a daughter who was different from the typical mould of a wealthy family's young miss.

By the time Feng ShuMing finished his speech, the platform in the centre of the hall had been very quickly adjusted and prepared so that a total of four matches could simultaneously take place. The Shaoyang Sect elders in charge of assigning groups comprehensively factored in each disciple's basic constitution, age, aptitude, and other such components, and based on that, split them into pairs. How one performs in combat on the stage will determine where he gets assigned.

Of course, it didn't mean that the ones who were currently stronger would be guaranteed a better placement, as the habits and preferences of the elders in Shaoyang Sect were all different. They would most likely take many aspects into account, so it wasn't necessarily true that they'd favour and think more highly of a person who won. But naturally, other than Ling Xia, the other participants did not know this.

Take Yu Zhijue as an example. Even though he's young and weak all round, his results in the first round's fundamental exam had already attracted the attention of many Shaoyang Sect elders. What's more, he hadn't gone through or received guidance from any professional institutions; just like a piece of unpolished jade, as long as he spends enough time putting his heart and soul into cultivating, his extraordinary talents will definitely shine through, becoming a dazzling piece of priceless jade.

Since he already knew the results from the novel, Ling Xia wasn't that worried. In the text, the Yu Zhijue who possessed endless potential and aptitude was chosen by Feng ShuMing and accepted as his direct disciple, while the currently very mediocre Song Xiaohu only followed an average body cultivator as his master.

After listening to the names of the pair-ups, Ling Xia let out a sigh of relief; Song Xiaohu and Yu Zhijue's names had been announced separately, so at least the three of them didn't get matched up against one another. However, before that sigh could end, he heard the name of his opponent and nearly violently gushed out tears from his eyes—Xu Yan!

Fuck! Who wants to bet that he'd get robbed blind and then beaten into a pulp by that guy?

Nevertheless, after being on edge for a while, Ling Xia eventually got over it. In any case, under these many sets of eyes, that window-licking child Xu Yan probably wouldn't do anything too outrageous, right? Besides, who cares if he loses? The stay-at-home club member that he was would never dare have delusions of becoming as amazing as the almighty protagonist or the great sir villain. It'd be good enough if he could desultorily become an official Shaoyang Sect disciple…

Ling Xia attentively observed the fights between the people onstage and realized that those above fifteen years of age had all generally cultivated to a certain degree. There were some who used swords, some who used body cultivation, and also some who used arrays and formations. They were allowed to use a variety of techniques, but as long as one fell off the stage, they lost.

Out of the three of them, Song Xiaohu was the first to go up. His opponent was a body-cultivating youngster who was seventeen or eighteen years old, possessing quick and nimble attacks and arms as hard as rocks, evidently having undergone some degree of body cultivation training. On the other hand, Song Xiaohu had naturally swift reflexes and a strong yet supple body, but due to his lack of combat experience, under the opponent's sharp and severe onslaught, he suffered rapid and repeated losses.

Ling Xia knew that Song Xiaohu wouldn't win, and his heart ached for that stubborn kid whose nose was bleeding a river from the beatings he received, so much so that he started praying in his mind for Song Xiaohu to immediately leave the stage. As in the novel, it'd be fine for Song Xiaohu to enter Shaoyang Sect as an ordinary disciple.

The protagonist, well, his invincible aura needs to be developed step by step, so it was very normal to have setbacks in the beginning.

That youngster pressed forward with a burst of strength, and Song Xiaohu nearly flew off the stage. He gritted his teeth and bent his waist, his hands and feet clawing the ground as he slid a few metres backwards, only then finally dispelling the power in his opponent's strike. Having overused his strength, all ten of his fingers were chafed with blood, but at least he didn't fall off.

The youngster facing him reflexively adjusted back into an attacking stance as he declared, "You're not worthy to be my opponent. Hurry up and get off the stage."

Song Xiaohu forcefully wiped his nosebleed and raised his head, retorting, "I'll never surrender!"

That youngster ground his teeth and yelled, "Then I won't hold back any longer!"

By the time he started his attack once more, Ling Xia was practically unable to resist closing his eyes, but then suddenly, the situation onstage underwent a complete reversal!

Song Xiaohu let out a tremendous roar, and in the instant his opponent pushed him down, a fierce and violent electric current burst out from his body, directly striking that youngster and sending him flying out of bounds!

Ling Xia's eyes widened in shock. Fuck, sure enough, the protagonist's impressively awe-inspiring cheat powers had activated ahead of time!

Rest in pieces, the original plot line…

Even Song Xiaohu himself was very perplexed, blankly staring down at his hands, visibly confused about the situation. It wasn't until the disciple keeping score announced his result did he snap out of his daze and come to a momentous realization, jumping down and leaving the arena all while laughing as he waved to Ling Xia and Yu Zhijue. Just seeing that look of his, so proud even while sporting a bloody nose and swollen face, made Ling Xia grin and chuckle helplessly.

Not long after, it was Yu Zhijue's turn to go up, and Ling Xia redirected his focus to observe the upcoming match carefully. While walking onstage, Yu Zhijue very noticeably turned around to look at him, and without missing a beat, Ling Xia returned his look with an encouraging smile.

Yu Zhijue inhaled a deep breath as he turned back around and clenched his fists, impassively observing his opponent. He appeared calm on the outside, but in fact, Song Xiaohu's performance earlier had more or less given him a certain amount of pressure. And unexpectedly, his opponent was one of the two macho men they had met near the exit not long ago—the ones who wanted to steal their spiritual herbs and energy stones by force! Yu Zhijue narrowed his eyes, scrupulously taking in the enemy's each and every move.

That macho man was clearly also somewhat surprised upon seeing Yu Zhijue, but his stiff and strained nerves quickly relaxed. His opponent was a little brat who had meekly yielded to him just recently, so what was there to be afraid of? With a shake of his hand, an iron chain began to reveal itself, link by link.

He grinned at Yu Zhijue and warned with a laugh, "Little punk, if you're smart, then obediently get off the stage. Uncle's whip doesn't have eyes; it'd be terrible if your soft and tender flesh got injured!"