Liu Tao and his group led the way, with Tang Yi’s group following behind. They all headed toward the Martial Arts Arena.
In the West Mansion, the Martial Arts Arena was actually known as the Fighting Palace. It wasn’t a single platform, but an entire great hall.
The great hall was divided into three sections.
One was the Independent Challenge Arena, another was the Eight Palaces Deer Battle Hall, and the last was the Ranking Hall.
The primary function of the Independent Challenge Arena was similar to a standard ring, allowing two disciples from the same Palace to spar against each other. There were no restrictions on strength or combat records.
The Eight Palaces Deer Battle Hall, on the other hand, randomly matched disciples from the Eight Palaces as opponents, letting those of similar strength spar with one another. Here, there were restrictions on both strength and combat records.
Only disciples with comparable strength and records would be matched together for a spar.
The setup of these two places reminded Tang Yi of an online game he had played in his past life called League of Legends.
In League of Legends, there were two modes: a custom game mode and a random matchmaking mode.
The Independent Challenge Arena here corresponded to the custom game mode, where you could choose your opponent. The random matchmaking mode corresponded to the Eight Palaces Deer Battle Hall, which required a randomly matched opponent.
The two places, two modes, each had their own merits.
Finally, there was the third section of the Fighting Palace: the Ranking Hall.
This was a separate room, and the only thing inside it was a large Light Curtain on the wall.
The sole purpose of the Light Curtain was to allow examinees to see their own ranking—the very leaderboard Wang Bi’Er had mentioned.
Other than that, the Ranking Hall served no other purpose.
"Judging by your attire, you must be this year’s examinees. What brings you here?"
Upon entering the Fighting Palace, Liu Tao, Tang Yi, and the rest of their group were stopped by an Elder from Dui Palace.
"Elder, we are indeed this year’s examinees. Since the House Entrance Examination is imminent, this fellow disciple here and I wish to gain some combat experience by having a spar."
Liu Tao said with a respectful salute.
’He delivered that little speech so smoothly. Clearly, this isn’t the first time he’s said it. I wonder how many people he’s conned with that line.’
"For a sparring challenge, you can head to the Independent Challenge Arena. It’s through the first passage on your right."
Upon hearing this, the Elder pointed Liu Tao in the right direction and let them pass, paying them no further mind.
Following his directions, the group entered the first passage and soon arrived at the Independent Challenge Arena.
The Independent Challenge Arena contained one hundred and eight rooms, which could accommodate one hundred and eight pairs of Martial Artists dueling simultaneously.
Tang Yi and the others found an empty room and went inside.
The room was empty save for a square, transparent Qi Shield shimmering with radiant light in the center. This Qi Shield occupied two-thirds of the entire room.
"The match starts as soon as you enter the Qi Shield. If you shout ’I surrender’ or the shield determines you’ve sustained a Severe Injury, it will teleport you out and declare you the loser."
Liu Tao, who was quite familiar with the Independent Challenge Arena, took the initiative to explain the rules to Tang Yi.
"Oh."
Hearing this, Tang Yi nodded. ’The setup for this Independent Challenge Arena is pretty convenient.’
’It protects the disciples while also deciding a winner simply and effectively. You don’t have to worry about the loser refusing to accept the result.’
Having understood the rules, Tang Yi started walking toward the Qi Shield, apparently intending to enter it directly.
"Brother Tang Yi, wait!"
Wang Bi’Er called out from behind, trying to stop him.
But it was too late. Tang Yi had already reached out and touched the shimmering, transparent Qi Shield.
BUMP.
With a soft sound, the moment Tang Yi touched the Qi Shield, a Rebound force from it sent him staggering back more than a dozen steps.
If Tang Yi hadn’t been so powerful, he probably would have been sent flying.
"Huh?"
Seeing this, Liu Tao let out a sound of surprise and looked at Tang Yi in confusion.
’According to my plan, he should’ve been sent flying and ended up eating dirt. But he only stumbled back a dozen steps or so? That’s a little unexpected.’
"What was that? Didn’t you say the match starts as soon as you enter the Qi Shield?" Tang Yi asked, confused.
"Brother Tang Yi, he did that on purpose! He wanted to see you make a fool of yourself, so he didn’t tell you that only official disciples of the West Mansion can enter the Qi Shield," Wang Bi’Er said resentfully, clearly unhappy that Liu Tao had concealed this detail.
"Only West Mansion disciples? Then we can’t get in? What’s the point of fighting, then?" Tang Yi asked, puzzled.
"Under normal circumstances, only official West Mansion disciples whose identities have been registered are allowed to enter the Fighting Palace for spars. No one else is qualified. Since we’re just examinees, of course we can’t use the Independent Challenge Arena. However, to allow examinees to experience the West Mansion’s various facilities and benefits, they’ve set up a system of temporary access in the Fighting Palace. As long as you receive a temporary number plate and gain a temporary spot, you can use any of the Fighting Palace’s facilities," Wang Bi’Er explained.
Then, she pointed a slender finger to the right. "You can get a temporary slot over at that stone pedestal. Each person can only get one. Brother Tang Yi, you just have to place your hand in the groove on the pedestal to receive it."
Following the direction Wang Bi’Er pointed, Tang Yi saw a stone pedestal about a meter high to his right. There was a groove on top of it.
Tang Yi walked over and, following Wang Bi’Er’s instructions, placed both hands into the groove on the pedestal. A moment later, a brilliant light flared up and enveloped him, then vanished just as quickly.
"Is that it?"
When the light faded, Tang Yi withdrew his hands and asked Wang Bi’Er.
"Yes, that’s it. Brother Tang Yi, look at your arm. A number should have appeared there. That’s your temporary number, and all of your results in the Fighting Palace will be recorded under it," said Wang Bi’Er.
At her words, Tang Yi rolled up his sleeve. Sure enough, a number had appeared on his arm: 59416.
Just as Wang Bi’Er had said, this number had to be his temporary number.
"Alright, now that you have your temporary number, let’s not waste any more time. Get over here and let me see what you’re made of!" Liu Tao leaped into the transparent Qi Shield first, then beckoned to Tang Yi with a crooked finger.
Liu Tao was also an examinee. The fact that he could enter the Qi Shield directly meant he had clearly already obtained his temporary number.
Liu Tao had known about the temporary numbers all along. The only reason he hadn’t mentioned it to Tang Yi was that he wanted to see him make a fool of himself, so he deliberately concealed that detail.
He just hadn’t expected Tang Yi to merely stumble back a dozen steps instead of suffering the complete humiliation he had imagined.
"Heh, fine by me. The sooner we get this over with, the better."
Tang Yi chuckled and walked toward the Qi Shield again. This time, there was no Rebound force, and he entered it with ease.
"Hey..." After entering the Qi Shield, Tang Yi paused for a moment before saying, "Is it just going to be you? Why don’t you have your buddies join in too? Otherwise, a one-on-one fight wouldn’t be fair to you."

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