Chu Bai slowly withdrew his power, the Five-Colored Divine Light in his eyes vanishing in a flash.
He stood up and straightened his robes. Without asking any questions, he merely thought to himself:
’Has the time come? Is the verdict on my Foundation Establishment Without Talisman out? Or is it something else...’
With some speculation, Chu Bai followed the petty official through winding corridors, heading toward the core area of the Examination Department.
A moment later, his view suddenly opened up.
What came into view was, surprisingly, the familiar Martial Arts Arena.
But unlike the grand occasion when the Celestial Examination began, with its bustling, shoulder-to-shoulder crowds of ten thousand, the Martial Arts Arena today was exceptionally empty and desolate.
In the center of the vast square, only a dozen or so figures stood sparsely scattered.
But these dozen-odd people all possessed profound auras. Each was an outstanding expert at Qi Cultivation Perfection, clearly top prodigies who had fought their way out of the various Secret Realms.
The moment Chu Bai stepped onto the Martial Arts Arena, a somewhat startled gaze shot toward him like a needle.
"Chu Bai?!"
In a corner of the crowd, the pupils of a young man in brocade robes with a sinister face suddenly contracted, his expression a mask of disbelief.
It was none other than an old acquaintance, Wei Chuan.
As an inspector from Dayuan Prefecture, Wei Chuan had previously developed a considerable grudge against Chu Bai during the Threadline Gorge case. He had even tried to use his authority to crush him, only for Chu Bai to turn the situation to his own advantage.
Now, coming face-to-face with his enemy, the corner of Wei Chuan’s eye twitched. But he was an official, after all. He knew this was the hallowed ground of the Examination Department, with a Purple Mansion Master overseeing things from behind the scenes. Even as hatred roiled in his heart, he dared not act out in the slightest. He could only forcibly suppress the malicious fire within.
However, the storm raging in his heart simply would not calm down.
’How could he be here?’
Wei Chuan was filled with shock and suspicion.
For this Celestial Examination, in the interest of fairness, several thousand candidates had been randomly sent into different Secret Realm fragments.
The Secret Realm Wei Chuan had been in was called the Red Refining Cave. Although it was perilous, he had relied on his family’s deep resources and his Qi Cultivation Perfection to pass through all obstacles. In the end, he had secured a spot in the top one hundred of that examination site, which was the only reason he was qualified to stand here today.
He hadn’t seen a trace of Chu Bai along the way. He had assumed this kid from a Humble Family in Anping County had long since died in some nameless corner or had been eliminated with mediocre results.
After all, the presence of these dozen-odd people on the Martial Arts Arena meant only one thing—
Candidates for the [Cyan Talisman]!
In the Great Zhou Official System, that was a qualification granted only to the true core elite, the future seeds of Foundation Establishment!
’This kid... could he have passed the examination too? And even gotten a high score?’
Wei Chuan’s brows furrowed, his eyes dark and gloomy.
In the past few days since he got out, he had also asked around about the situation in the other examination sites.
He had especially heard that a major incident seemed to have occurred in an examination site called the "Cyan Nether Realm." But no matter how he asked, all who knew were either already in quarantine or were pale-faced and tight-lipped, not daring to speak a single word about it.
Clearly, the Examination Department had issued the strictest of gag orders.
’I wonder what happened in that realm.’
’Could it be that the mutual slaughter was too cruel, and the losses were too great?’
He clearly had no idea what earth-shattering deeds this kid from a Humble Family, whom he considered merely lucky, had accomplished in the information-blacked-out Cyan Nether Realm.
Chu Bai felt Wei Chuan’s hostile gaze but merely gave him a detached glance before looking away.
Having now killed three Foundation Establishment Divine Spirits, a mere Qi Cultivation Stage Cultivator like Wei Chuan was no longer worthy of his attention.
What he cared about was the reason why these dozen or so people had been summoned here today.
On the Martial Arts Arena, a light breeze blew, but it couldn’t disperse the storm raging in Wei Chuan’s heart.
Refusing to believe it, he secretly mobilized his Spiritual Sense, attempting to probe the details of this kid from a Humble Family whom he had once considered easy to crush at any moment.
However, the moment his senses touched the area three feet around Chu Bai, a terrifying pressure that made his Divine Soul tremble suddenly rebounded back at him.
How could that possibly be the aura of a Qi Cultivation Stage Cultivator?
Abyss.
Only one word surfaced in Wei Chuan’s mind.
At this moment, Chu Bai was like a bottomless, dark pool—calm and still on the surface, but concealing a torrent powerful enough to swallow mountains and rivers within.
In comparison, his own proud Perfection Cultivation was like a tiny ripple on the bank of a great river—laughably fragile.
’How is this possible... It’s only been a short while?!’
Wei Chuan’s face turned deathly pale, and he unconsciously took half a step back.
That absolute suppression on a fundamental level of existence made the bellyful of harsh words he had prepared instantly rot in his stomach.
They weren’t on the same level at all! It was impossible to compete!
Just as Wei Chuan was stunned and terrified, a steady and powerful set of footsteps broke the silence on the stage.
Shen Xuance, dressed in a vermilion official robe, strode onto the Martial Arts Arena with a powerful gait.
This Director, who was usually deeply imposing and stern, now looked at the only nineteen remaining saplings below the stage and, for once, had a rare smile on his face.
"This session of the Celestial Examination was exceptionally perilous."
Shen Xuance’s gaze swept across the crowd, his voice clear and resonant. "But Dayuan Prefecture is full of outstanding talents. In the end, a total of nineteen people climbed the Celestial Ladder and earned a place on the Golden List. Among the Thirty-Six Prefectures of Qingzhou, such a result is already considered quite good."
Hearing this, everyone’s tense expressions relaxed, replaced by the joy and pride of having survived an ordeal.
"Next," Shen Xuance waved his large sleeve, his expression turning solemn, "we will begin the Receiving Talisman ceremony."
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire crowd erupted in an uproar, which was immediately followed by wild joy.
Receiving Talisman!
This was the step that countless Cultivators dreamed of, a step that signified officially crossing the threshold into the core of the Great Zhou’s power.

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