Dayuan Prefecture, Examination Department.
Early that morning, with the dawn clouds still lingering, a golden light shot toward the heavens from the Martial Arts Arena.
The entire Martial Arts Arena, paved with white jade and spanning a thousand zhang, seemed somewhat crowded at this moment.
Hundreds of Qi Cultivation Perfect Cultivators from Dayuan Prefecture’s various counties and the Prefecture City proper had gathered here. Their combined Spiritual Pressure rose to the heavens, forcefully shattering the clouds overhead.
’After all this time, it all comes down to today.’
Clad in a simple, elegant green robe, Chu Bai stood inconspicuously near the back of the crowd.
With his hands clasped behind his back and his eyes slightly closed, his Divine Thought spread out silently, like a spider’s web.
Thanks to his Guardian Scripture reaching the Mastery Realm, his Divine Thought could cover a radius of three hundred zhang, revealing everything around him in minute detail.
At the very front stood the scions of Dayuan Prefecture’s elite families. They gathered in small groups, dressed in shimmering, multicolored Magic Robes, and the Jade Pendants at their waists were all Upper-Grade items that radiated a potent Spiritual Qi.
"Did you hear? Qingzhou only managed to capture three ’Wild Secret Realms’ this time. In past years, there were always five or six."
"Those are just rumors; you can’t take them seriously. The people selling that information just make things up as they go. If they happen to be right, they call it an inside scoop. If they’re wrong, it’s not like you’re going to hunt them down afterward, are you?"
"Heh, I’m more curious to see who can place in the ’Qingzhou Top 100.’ That’s how you truly catch the Lord Governor’s eye."
Many people were discussing the matter with great enthusiasm. The stakes of the Celestial Examination and the subsequent Receiving of Talismans were immense, so it naturally garnered a great deal of attention.
He could sense that while many of the auras were profound, and a few individuals had even consumed Top-Grade Pills, causing their Spiritual Power to fluctuate violently, their power felt somewhat hollow.
Perhaps because the Celestial Examination was held only once every five years, some Cultivators had forcefully rushed their cultivation to make the deadline.
However, there were also many cultivators who had spent years polishing their skills at the Perfection realm; they were not to be underestimated.
In contrast, the Spiritual Power from the Guiyuan Technique within Chu Bai’s body was as heavy as lead and mercury, yet as smooth and perfect as a pearl.
In terms of sustained combat and explosive power, he was confident he ranked among the best of his peers.
"Silence."
A calm yet thunderously authoritative voice suddenly boomed over the Martial Arts Arena.
The once-noisy arena instantly fell deathly silent.
A streak of dark gold light shot from the roof of the distant Examination Department hall, cutting across the sky.
Shen Xuance, the Chief of the Examination Department, stood unsupported in the air. He was clad in a Daqian Regular Fourth Grade Dark Gold Official Robe. In his right hand, he held a vermilion official brush nearly a zhang long; in his left, he cradled a Merit Jade Scroll that emanated an awesome Celestial Might.
The terrifying pressure, unique to a high-level cultivator, descended upon the hundreds of Qi Cultivation Cultivators present, making their breath catch in their throats.
"I am Shen Xuance. By order of the Governor of the State, I am here to oversee the Celestial Examination of Dayuan Prefecture."
Shen Xuance looked down, his gaze sweeping across the crowd. When his eyes passed over Chu Bai’s position, he paused for a fraction of a second, a flicker of surprise in their depths.
Through his spiritual sight, he saw the sea of auras below, thick as a forest. Yet one spot was as deep and placid as an abyss, its true nature completely unfathomable.
But he did not linger, abruptly unfurling the Merit Jade Scroll in his hand.
SHHHHHH—!
The golden scroll stretched a hundred zhang across the sky. Countless complex runes flowed from it, transforming into a shower of golden rain.
"Today, across the Thirty-Six Prefectures of Qingzhou, Realm Gates will open for tens of thousands of Qi Cultivation Perfect Cultivators."
Shen Xuance’s expression was solemn, his voice echoing in all directions. "All of you should know that Cultivation is not a solitary pursuit, conducted behind closed doors! It is to act as Heaven’s agents, to patrol the world and accumulate Yin Merits."
"Within the Secret Realm on this journey, your origins and background do not matter! The only way to earn Merit is to slay Evil Spirits, protect the Purifying Qi, and ignite your Divine Fire Mark."
"Those with the highest Merit will receive the Cyan Talisman and be granted a divine post!"
"Those with insufficient Merit will be eliminated and sent home. You are responsible for your own life and death!"
With that, Shen Xuance waved the vermilion official brush and slashed it fiercely through the empty air above the center of the Martial Arts Arena.
"Open the Realm Gate!"
The void was torn open, revealing a pitch-black rift a hundred zhang high. Immediately, countless silver threads surged from within the fissure, weaving themselves into a massive Teleportation Array.
The entire Martial Arts Arena began to tremble.
Chu Bai felt a powerful spatial tug. He took a deep breath, patted the Jade Treasure Gourd hidden in his sleeve, and his gaze grew as sharp as a sword.
’It’s finally starting.’
He had lain low in Anping County for a long time, fighting his way up from a low-level Demon-Slaying Guard to his current Realm of Qi Cultivation Perfection.
Now, it was finally time to seek a Cyan Talisman and achieve his Dao Foundation.
’This journey isn’t about seeking the Dao in peace. It’s about carving a bloody path to the heavens from among tens of thousands of my peers.’
The crowd began to pour into the silver Realm Gate like a tide.
Chu Bai moved with the flow, unhurried. In the instant before he stepped through the Realm Gate, he vaguely heard Shen Xuance’s final words drifting down from the heavens:
The light swallowed his vision.
Chu Bai’s consciousness went blank for a moment. When he opened his eyes again, the air filling his lungs was no longer the Clear Spirit Qi of Dayuan Prefecture, but the thick stench of death and blood.
The Qingzhou Celestial Examination had officially begun!
After passing through the silver Realm Gate that tore through the void, the expected sensation of landing on solid ground never came.
Chu Bai felt the ground vanish from beneath his feet, as if he had been plunged into a boundless, empty void.
When his vision returned, he found himself standing on a vast platform paved with pure Spiritual Light. It was surrounded by a void as deep and dark as ink, with only distant stars twinkling in the far reaches.
And within this void, countless figures were rapidly converging.
Ten thousand, twenty thousand... perhaps even more.
The Qi Cultivation Perfect Cultivators from the Thirty-Six Prefectures of Qingzhou and its hundreds of counties had all arrived.
The combined breaths and Spiritual Power fluctuations of tens of thousands of people merged, creating a thunderous roar in the void, like the turning of a great tide.
’So this is the scale of the Qingzhou Celestial Examination?’
Chu Bai suppressed his shock, focused his senses inward, and concealed his aura to the absolute limit.

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