A thirty-percent mortality rate meant that with every examination, thousands of the Great Zhou’s most elite Qi Cultivation Cultivators were reduced to ash in that grand trial.
"As for the specific content of the examination, it’s jointly decided by the Qingzhou Governor’s Office and the Celestial Decree Department for each session. No one can know in advance until the moment they enter, and I can’t reveal a single word."
Zhang Cheng looked at Chu Bai and sighed heavily. "I spent over twenty years grinding away at the very bottom of the Great Zhou. I was constantly on edge in a place like Anping County, changing official posts three times. Finally, at the age of forty-seven, I risked life and limb to climb the Celestial Ladder in that Secret Realm, receive the Cyan Talisman, and step into Foundation Establishment."
Forty-seven years old. To an ordinary person, this was already middle age. But for a cultivator like Zhang Cheng, with his mediocre qualifications honed only by the slow passage of time, it was a blessing from the heavens.
"But you, Chu Bai, you’re not even twenty this year."
Zhang Cheng reached out and clapped Chu Bai’s shoulder, the force heavy. "You are the most talented young man I have ever seen.
But in this upcoming Celestial Examination, you will be facing experts at the Ninth-Layer Perfection of Qi Cultivation who have been honing their skills for ten, or even twenty, years.
If you don’t pass this time, don’t lose heart."
Zhang Cheng’s warnings struck Chu Bai’s heart like heavy hammer blows.
Chu Bai took a deep breath. Far from being intimidated by the brutal elimination rate, a burning fighting spirit ignited in his eyes.
’A Wild Secret Realm, beyond the Law Net... tens of thousands competing for a few hundred spots...’
Chu Bai muttered to himself, then looked up to meet Zhang Cheng’s gaze, his eyes so clear they were almost cold. "Thank you for the guidance, Master. Without a trial of life and death like this, I fear the Cyan Talisman wouldn’t be able to bear the weight of Foundation Establishment."
"Good! What courage!" Zhang Cheng exclaimed in praise. "Over the next year or so, I will do my best to find some ancient texts for you on surviving in secret realms. As for your duties with the Demon-slaying Team, starting tomorrow, you can consider yourself half-retired.
In a year’s time, in Qingzhou City, I’ll be waiting to see you crush the spines of those so-called prodigies and truly ascend to the heavens in a single step!"
As the night deepened, Chu Bai bid farewell to Zhang Cheng and walked out of Fengyue Residence.
A cold wind brushed against his face. The Jade Treasure Gourd at his waist knocked together gently, making a crisp sound.
The moment he stepped through the gates of Qingfeng Courtyard, the clamor of Fengyue Residence and the lingering aftertaste of the Spirit Wine were shut out behind him.
Midnight had passed. Anping County was shrouded in a deep silence. Only above Qingfeng Courtyard, due to the Five Elements Gathering Spirit Array operating at full power, a faint, violet vortex of qi was faintly visible, almost imperceptible to the naked eye.
This was an anomaly caused by the fusion of highly condensed Spiritual Qi with the Earth Essence Qi emanating from the Earth Treasure, the Mountain-Suppressing Platinum.
Chu Bai looked down at his own hands. His fingers were long and slender, his knuckles fair. He looked more like a scholar who held a brush than a martial artist who slayed demons and purged evil.
But beneath that skin flowed the Magical Power of a Late-stage Qi Cultivation cultivator, enough to instantly shatter solid rock, as well as an iron-like foundation forged repeatedly by a Secret Technique.
’Director Zhang was right. In a Wild Secret Realm beyond the Law Net, there’s no protection from the Great Zhou Laws. A powerful physical body and absolute Magical Power are the only guarantees of survival.’
He knew very well that although Magic Cultivators wielded immense power, in an ownerless secret realm like that, a weak physical body would become a fatal shortcoming if one was ambushed at close range or ran out of Magical Power.
’In a little over a year, if I’m to climb that Celestial Ladder paved with the bones of ten thousand men, this "vessel" of a body needs to be forged to be stronger and tougher.’
Chu Bai held his breath and focused his mind, striding toward the Cultivation Room.
Inside the Cultivation Room, at the core of the Spirit Gathering Array, the Mountain-Suppressing Platinum emitted a dim, dark gold light.
Since Chu Bai had entered the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer, his efficiency at drawing upon the Earth Treasure’s energy had also increased. At this moment, the gravity inside the Cultivation Room seemed several times higher than outside, and the air was as heavy as liquid mercury.
Chu Bai removed his top, revealing a lean and perfectly proportioned upper body.
As he began to circulate the Iron Bone Casting Body Technique, fine, dark gold lines began to appear under his originally jade-like skin, resembling intersecting Dragon Veins across the land.
"Begin!"
With a low shout from Chu Bai, the Microscopic-level Guiyuan Technique within him activated with a roar.
He didn’t immediately begin nourishing his meridians. Instead, he forcibly reversed a portion of his Magical Power, transforming it into countless tiny spikes that surged backward along his meridians and into the crevices of every bone in his body.
Even though he had already endured half a year of this tempering, when the bone-scraping agony washed over him, Chu Bai still couldn’t help but grit his teeth, the muscles all over his body trembling violently like taut bowstrings.
This was the domineering nature of the Iron Bone Casting Body Technique.
It required a cultivator to use Spiritual Qi as a hammer and their skeleton as an anvil, forcibly smashing the Five Elements Spiritual Mechanism within their body into their very bone marrow through a repeated process of destruction and reconstruction.
Previously, Chu Bai’s Magical Power had been insufficient, and each tempering session was as superficial as a dragonfly skipping across water. But now that he had stepped into the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer, the sheer volume and purity of his Magical Power had increased by far more than just several times over.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
From the silent Cultivation Room, a low rumble like rolling thunder actually emerged. It was the sound of Chu Bai’s Magical Power striking his ribs, spine, and skull.
At the same time, the Mountain-Suppressing Platinum sensed the activation of the Secret Technique. An extremely heavy and pure stream of Earth Element Qi drilled into Chu Bai through his pores, rapidly enveloping the bones that were being "destroyed" by his Magical Power.
Earth begets Metal.
Nourished by the energy of the Earth Treasure, Chu Bai’s bones began to undergo a strange, qualitative change.
His originally white bones, through countless cycles of shattering and healing, gradually became tinged with an extremely faint, yet incredibly tough, golden gleam.

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