Chapter 653

Chapter 653: Ascend High and Look Far

Beside the waiting seats next to the high platform, a young man dressed in black with yellow edges looked at the girl on stage, his mouth uttering admiring words.

“Truly exquisite swordsmanship, like a gazelle hanging its horns, light and natural. It seems I’ll have to put some effort into this too.” He tapped his fan against his palm, his eyes gleaming with interest.

“Number 149, Ying Canxiao.”

As the voice faded, a stern-looking man stepped onto the stage. He wore dark blue clothes, neat and tight-fitting, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword at his waist.

After the elder explained the rules, he nodded slightly and stood still.

When the patient old teacher was becoming impatient, he suddenly moved, his figure darting forward like a black crow.

Screech—

A short, sharp friction sound echoed on the stage. When everyone turned their gaze, they found his sword pointed at the old teacher’s neck. At this moment, they realized the half-drawn longsword in the old teacher’s hand had been torn apart.

After a brief pause, the crowd below erupted in excited cheers.

Then, the man in deep blue withdrew his sword and slowly walked down the stage, leaving behind only a silent silhouette.

At the wooden stage, several representatives of the watching sects began to converse.

“This person seems familiar.”

“Yes, he is Ying Sangyang’s grandson, Ying Canxiao. If nothing goes wrong, he is likely to join the Black Robe Palace, given that his grandfather was once the head of the palace.”

“But will the Black Robe Palace really accept him? After all, his grandfather was executed by the emperor for using cruel methods, causing the palace’s status to plummet, and its disciples face discrimination in official circles.”

“Sigh, indeed. Not just the Black Robe Palace, but other factions, including us, are unsure whether to admit him.”

“Let it be then. Don’t actively contact him, but don’t actively reject him either. Let him decide on his own.”

“Yes, Uncle.”

Lolan Xi returned to her seat. The girl sitting beside her, excitedly asked:

“So strong! So impressive! Is Jialan’s swordsmanship passed down through the family? Such proficiency at such a young age.” Tang Nanlian looked curiously at Lolan Xi, her excitement clearly visible in her eyes.

“Mm, sort of,” the girl thought for a moment and nodded. Otherwise, it would be hard to explain.

“A few elders in my family practiced before, and later passed it on to me.” She pondered, the other witches could indeed be considered her elders.

“Really? But that’s quite impressive. I come from a family that runs a clothing store, but I can never learn my mother’s embroidery skills. I can’t even stitch a duck, uh.” Tang Nanlian muttered, talking about her occasional clumsiness.

“It might be a matter of practice.” Lolan Xi didn’t know how to comfort her.

“I guess so. I’m not very interested in embroidery anyway; sitting under a lamp all day is so boring. It’s better to go out and walk around. By the way, I’m quite interested in swordsmanship too; I’ve learned a bit.”

She probably knows more than a bit, Lolan Xi thought. During the preliminary round, she had seen this girl’s swordsmanship. It was quite proficient and methodical, not just random practice.

Just as the two were quietly conversing, there was another commotion from below. They looked up and saw a handsome young man standing on the high platform, wearing crimson silk robes. His opponent, the old teacher, lay on the ground.

“Number 178, Wu Xingkui, wins.”

“Congratulations.” He folded his sleeves, bowed, making the old teacher unable to vent his anger, then gracefully leaped off the stage and walked toward the waiting seats.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, he slowly approached Lolan Xi’s seat and gave a slight bow.

“I am Wu Xingkui, wishing to meet Miss Jialan. A small gift, not much.” He took something from his sleeve, a small box floating and gently flying towards the girl, then landed.

Seeing the box fly towards her, Lolan Xi hesitated for a moment before not pushing it back, instead lightly tapping it to open in mid-air.

After flipping open, a small wooden plaque appeared, long and narrow, with vermilion patterns.

“Peach God Token?” Tang Nanlian said uncertainly.

“This is a product of the Crimson Immortal Sect, a talisman for warding off evil. Worn on the body, it allows access to remote wildernesses, generally keeping beasts and insects below the fifth tier away. Quite convenient,” Lolan Xi explained.

“However, the talisman gradually fades from the moment it’s made, completely losing its effect after three years.”

“How valuable is it generally?” the girl asked curiously.

“Let me think, around 16 to 20 gold plates, though the overall strength of cultivators is lower nowadays, so it might be worth more.”

It wasn’t particularly valuable since it could be bought, but it was practical and reasonably priced.

Lolan Xi thought that Wu Xingkui had handled it well, showing sincerity without being overly extravagant, avoiding any sense of pressure.

For her, accepting or rejecting the gift was fine. She could repay it later if needed.

“Thank you, Young Master Wu,” she said. Her interest lay more in the sequence Wu Xingkui practiced—rarely seen in both continents—the Necromancer Sequence. She wondered how the various secrets of the Mercury Dynasty had spread here.

After a simple thank-you, Lolan Xi remained silent, continuing to sit, even without standing.

Wu Xingkui didn’t find this strange. If Miss Jialan had shown drastic emotional changes like a common girl, he would have looked down on her.

Then, several others took turns ascending the stage, showcasing their unique skills and specialties. The experienced teachers on stage commented and guided them.

Though most were older and their strength had declined, their experience was still evident, allowing them to see many things.

Finally, when everyone thought the event would end uneventfully, a bald, muscular man ascended the stage.

“Number 199, Huang Gu.”

He held nothing in his hands, his steps heavy, as if a giant, climbing the stage. Nearly three meters tall, he loomed over the old teacher below.

The old teacher moistened his lips, drew his longsword, and said, “Begin.”

A faint white aura rose from the old man’s aged body, his veins filling, veins bulging like snakes beneath his skin.

“Apologies, Sir,” Huang Gu bowed.

Roar—

A roar like thunder resounded, as he extended his thick arm like a steel clamp towards the old teacher below.

A longsword slashed out, aiming at his coppery arm. Though the blade wasn’t sharpened, the added sword aura made it razor-sharp.

Clang—, like hitting an iron pillar, the longsword was deflected, while his huge hand grabbed the old teacher’s head, lifting him up.

His fingers dug deeply into the skull, causing the old teacher’s face to turn red, struggling fiercely. However, all his moves seemed ineffective, as if striking a bronze body.

“Number 199, Huang Gu, wins.” As the judge announced, Huang Gu released his grip, letting the old teacher fall.

“Cough, cough.” Coughing violently, blood spattered on the stage floor, startling the audience.

“This man is truly formidable.” The spectators below were now utterly silent, many even showing fear towards the man.

But Huang Gu showed no change in expression, simply bowing and walking down the steps.

With the final round complete, the second phase of the assessment ended. During the brief rest, factions on four high towers began to converse.

“The origin of this Huang Gu is unknown. We haven’t heard of him before. Given his size, he might be a descendant of the Thunder God. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be so tall,” said the representative of the Crimson Immortal Sect, a man in his thirties, playing a wooden flute, dressed in green floral cloth. Behind him stood several Level 4 experts of the Crimson Immortal Sect.

On the high tower of the Rumbling Thunder Prefecture.

“That man is fierce. If we’re going to recruit him, he’ll need some training,” an old man with a white beard discussed Huang Gu with those around him.

“The Prefect has decided. I don’t know much about cultivation, so I won’t comment,” replied the man in official attire, who seemed to be the city lord of Lei Xiaze.

“As for Miss Jialan, her background is mysterious. My people checked and found no record of her existence in Min Ze. The village she reported, Yu Village, has only a few dozen households, yet there were no rumors before,”

“So, she’s recent?”

“Probably. Maybe she’s the offspring of a high-ranking person testing their skills,”

“In that case, let the people below pay attention. We shouldn’t offend her. She might be one of the wandering disciples,”

“Yes.”

After saying this, a guard in deep blue uniform descended the tower to convey some instructions.

In the high tower of the Black Robe Palace.

“Ying Canxiao didn’t even inform us, the uncles and aunts, before coming. What a pity,” sighed the short old man.

“He must have some grievances. After that incident, to avoid suspicion, he distanced himself from the events, cutting ties. These years, we haven’t contacted Ying’s descendants to avoid detection by the Deep Dragon Bureau,”

“It’s also due to the situation. Our Black Robe Palace can’t afford another breach of trust. Without members in Luo Capital, our last foothold in the Seven Regions of Cut Lightning would be gone,”

“Sigh, no point in dwelling on it. Regardless of whether he joins the Black Robe Palace, we should secretly support him to repay the debt to Ying’s former head,”

On the high tower of the Silver Willow Village.

“That Wu kid is quite good. No wonder he’s Brother Longxi’s nephew. Do you think he’ll come to our Silver Willow Village this time?” A man on the tower tapped his leg, watching the scene below, a small knife spinning nimbly between his fingers like a silver butterfly.

Behind him, several people exchanged glances and replied, “It’s difficult. That boy used to talk about being a carefree hero when he visited the village as a child, not wanting to be a blacksmith or wield a sword.”

“Brother Longxi has disciplined him often, but he’s his sister’s child, so he couldn’t bear to punish him harshly. In the end, he let him be.”

“Haha, looks like another wild dragon,” laughter echoing.

With the assessment over, the registration for the new round began, requiring more information, including which faction to join.

“Which faction is Miss Jialan going to join?” Tang Nanlian asked the girl beside her.

“I’ll take a look first,” the girl didn’t answer immediately.

“Haven’t decided yet? I’ve already decided, I’ll go to Green Deer Plain,”

“But isn’t Green Deer Plain in the southern Muqing Prefecture?” The girl blinked, realizing it was a long journey.

“Yes, but you can visit the mountain gate with a recommendation letter,” the girl explained.

Though the treatment wouldn’t be as favorable as locally, those who passed the grand selection could obtain recommendation letters to visit designated factions. Whether the faction accepted them was another matter.

“Like that,” she had no particular preferences regarding factions, only hoping for fewer miscellaneous tasks and more peace.

“Done. As for the faction, there’s no rush. It’s fine not to fill it in, just for reference. Tomorrow, each faction will arrange meetings with the newcomers,” Tang Nanlian said.

“Alright,” the girl put down her pen, contemplating the names she had seen earlier.

‘Bamboo Mountain Academy’, ‘Yellow Wine Temple’, ‘Nine-Colored Workshop’, ‘Qingyu Pavilion’ — any of these would do. The styles of the four major factions didn’t suit her taste.

“Oh, Miss Jialan, they’re calling us. Shall we go together?” Tang Nanlian tugged at Lolan Xi’s hand, waving.

Looking up, Lolan Xi saw the young man who had promised to treat everyone to a banquet earlier. Now, a group of people surrounded him, greeting each other.

“Let’s go, it’s worth checking out,” she thought she might ask if anyone knew about the situation in the Western Continent.

With her current strength, she should return to the Western Continent to see what had changed.

Deciding, Lolan Xi and Tang Nanlian joined the group.

“Enjoy life when you can. Fellow countrymen, fellow scholars, I am fortunate enough to have some wealth. Today, I specially invite everyone to ascend the tower and drink together, sharing this joy,”

“Hahaha, Brother Lan doesn’t need to be modest. We will definitely join you. Besides, several notable figures from our grand selection are present,” he finished, and others looked around in surprise, finding the four outstanding geniuses from earlier among them.

Ying Canxiao, Jialan, Wu Xingkui, Huang Gu, all stood there.

“Let’s go! Ascend, ascend. Today, we shall not leave until we’re drunk!”

(End of Chapter)