「Three days later, at dawn.」
In the Daoist School’s Central Martial Arts Arena, clouds and mist swirled about.
Over three hundred new students, dressed in student robes of various colors, were gathered here. Their ranks were neat, and a hush had fallen over them.
This was the largest assembly since they had enrolled.
In the formation for Class Three, Chu Bai stood at the very front.
Today, he had changed into the cyan Daoist Robe previously gifted to him by Daoist Zhang. Its material was of high quality, lending him an extraordinary air.
What drew the most attention, however, was the aura he naturally emanated.
Qi Cultivation Second Layer!
The students who had previously harbored doubts about his status as Class Three’s number one all averted their gazes after sensing this solid aura.
Cultivation was the only true currency.
"Look, Lin Xuewei broke through too," Zhou Tong whispered from behind Chu Bai.
Chu Bai turned his head to look. In the Class One formation not far away, Lin Xuewei stood in a white dress that outshone the snow, a faint, cold qi circulating around her.
Although her aura had also reached the Qi Cultivation Second Layer, it seemed somewhat ethereal because she specialized in the Cold Pool Technique, a variation of the Water Element.
Meanwhile, in the Class Two contingent, Dong Feng stood in the center, surrounded by his followers like the moon by stars.
He wore a golden Fish Scale Vest, the Defensive Dharma Artifact known as the Golden Scale Armor.
His aura was even a cut above Lin Xuewei’s. It was clear his family had spent a fortune on miraculous pills and elixirs for him over the past two months.
Just then, a brilliant light erupted from the high platform.
A crimson streak of light tore across the sky, accompanied by an intensely scorching Spiritual Pressure, before landing steadily in the center of the platform.
"That’s... Dean Su!"
Someone in the crowd gasped in a low voice.
Dean Su, one of the three deans of the Daoist School, specialized in the Fire Element and had attained the Miscellaneous Order Dao Foundation: Earth Smoke Fire.
Unlike Dean Chen, Dean Su was burly, with his hair and beard bristling. He wore a bright red Daoist Robe, and his entire person resembled a blazing inferno.
His torch-like gaze swept across the arena, and every student he looked at felt their skin grow slightly hot.
Under Dean Su’s watch, the atmosphere of the assembly grew ever more grim and tense.
"Listen up, all of you."
Dean Su’s voice rolled across the square like muffled thunder. "The location for this semester’s grand competition will be the Cyan Prison Spirit Realm."
At these words, the faces of many knowledgeable Noble Family Descendants in the crowd turned pale.
A thought stirred in Chu Bai’s mind, and he immediately searched his memory for any relevant information.
There were legends of Secret Realms in the world, which were said to be ephemeral and unpredictable. Stumbling into one could lead to either great fortune or great disaster.
However, such pocket dimensions that were not naturally formed but were instead controlled by Cultivators were called Spirit Realms.
The Cyan Prison Spirit Realm was not a naturally formed Secret Realm, but a fragment of a shattered world captured by the Dayuan Prefecture Daoist School.
After generations of the Daoist School’s Great Powers reinforced it with Arrays and organized it with the Law Net, this place had become a semi-enclosed ecosystem.
Within it grew a large number of Spirit Plants nourished by the Law Net, and it was also home to many ferocious Mutated Beasts raised to temper the students.
Due to its complex environment and the existence of some lingering nodes of ancient Evil Qi, it had always been a trial ground for the Daoist School’s intermediate disciples and had never been opened to new students on such a large scale.
"There is only one rule for this assessment."
Dean Su held up one finger, his eyes cold. "After entering the Spirit Realm, every person is an independent individual. Teaming up or cooperating in any form is strictly forbidden! If multiple people are detected fighting in concert, all involved will be immediately disqualified. In severe cases, you will be expelled from the Daoist School!"
An uproar erupted throughout the arena.
"No cooperation?" Jiang Kuo was dumbfounded. He had originally planned to latch onto a powerhouse like Chu Bai to secure a decent rank.
Still, this was also a good thing. It would prevent teams from dominating and make it easier to determine who was truly strong.
’The path of Cultivation, in the end, must be walked alone.’
Dean Su snorted coldly, ignoring the crowd’s chatter. "The moment you step through the portal, I will bestow a Dharma Decree."
With that, Dean Su formed a hand seal with one hand and pressed it toward the sky.
A vast golden light descended from the core of the Law Net on the Daoist School’s main peak, splitting into three hundred fine streams of golden light that shot accurately into the glabella of each student.
Chu Bai felt the Gray Talisman in his Sea of Consciousness suddenly tremble.
On the originally plain gray Daoist Record Talisman, a profound, intertwining cyan and red mark had now appeared—the Lingxi Mark.
This mark was branded directly onto the Gray Talisman, connecting it to the Cultivator’s Divine Soul.
It was not only responsible for recording points from hunting Mutated Beasts, but it was also a comprehensive monitoring device.
Who fought whom, who triggered the automatic teleportation upon near death, who violated the rules by cooperating—everything was crystal clear in the eyes of the deans.
"Now, we will distribute supplies and maps."
A group of Stewards walked into the crowd, handing each person a gray Storage Bag. Inside were three days’ worth of dry rations, basic healing medicine, and a simple map marking some of the safe zones.
"This batch of brats looks like it has a few promising ones."
Dean Su turned and said to Zhou Changkong beside him, his voice booming like a great bell.
Zhou Changkong smiled respectfully and pointed in Chu Bai’s direction. "Lord Su, that is Chu Bai from my Class Three. He was also the Top Scholar of the previous County Examination. His foundation is extremely solid."
Dean Su followed his finger. When his gaze landed on Chu Bai, his previously indifferent expression suddenly changed.
"Hm?" Dean Su murmured, a red glint pulsing in his eyes. "This kid... not only is his Cultivation solid, but his Divine Sense is also this condensed? And that faint killing intent... that’s not something you get from slaughtering chickens and sheep. This is the kind of person who has witnessed a truly great evil."
He nodded, a playful smile touching the corners of his mouth. "Interesting. It seems the Cyan Prison Spirit Realm won’t be too boring today."
Dean Su retracted his gaze, strode to the edge of the high platform, and yelled to the three hundred-plus students below:
"Enough nonsense! You all know the rules! This grand competition is called the ’Cyan Prison Trial.’ That place is an independent space carved out by the Daoist School using the power of the Law Net. Countless Spiritual Qi projections of Demon Beasts are imprisoned within."
"Inside, there are no classmates, only rivals! As long as you don’t kill anyone, you can do as you please! The mark will protect your Divine Soul, but the physical pain is all too real!"
Dean Chen also appeared on the other side of the high platform. The two deans worked together, summoning a massive Bronze Seal.
The void in the center of the Martial Arts Arena suddenly tore open, and a giant cyan vortex slowly materialized.
In that instant, a desolate and ancient aura surged out from the vortex.
"Go!"
At Dean Su’s command, the three hundred-plus students transformed into streaks of light and streamed into the portal in single file.
Chu Bai ran forward with the crowd.
The moment he stepped into the rift, he felt several gazes fixed on his back.
He didn’t need to turn around to know who they were.
’Want to use me as a stepping stone?’
’It doesn’t matter. Among Cultivators, victory and defeat are decided by Magical Combat.’
Chu Bai stepped into the dark cyan portal, and his figure vanished into the light and shadow.

Comments

Loading...