The Celestial Travel Sect’s white-robed Elder furrowed his brows, but said nothing; the martial world is, after all, a place where the strong prey on the weak.
Having learned from the previous example, the following boys and girls were extremely cautious. In fact, the speed at which Li Yuan had made his move earlier was simply too fast for most of those present to see clearly.
With Chu Ming’s eyesight, he could tell at a glance that Li Yuan probably ranked at the bottom of the Celestial Travel Sect, not even surpassing the Young Master Hu Yan of the past.
Only a few of the genius participants could sustain a period of time that lasted an incense’s worth. In truth, the chance of entering the Celestial Travel Sect was almost zero without some family background.
Training and wealth were both essential elements of cultivation!
At this moment, it was finally the turn of the Eldest Prince of the Han Feng Empire. Clad in a yellow robe, he slowly walked to the platform, like an unrivaled treasure sword, radiating sharpness that was hard to look at directly.
The white-robed Elder slightly raised his eyes and said to a tall figure behind him.
Liu Long’s eyes were exceptionally bright, his whole body emanating condensed powerful Qi. As he walked, he moved with the grace of a dragon and the steps of a tiger, with faint rumbles of thunder emanating from his arms, resembling flames and thunder. At a glance, it was evident that his physical body was extraordinarily formidable.
"Elder Zuo actually sent Senior Brother Liu to test that youth. He is in for a tough time now!"
Li Yuan’s mouth curled into a cold smile as he spoke caustically.
"Senior Brother Liu ranks within the top ten thousand of the Inner Sect. This person has almost no chance of passing the test!"
The gaunt man added with disdain.
Elder Zuo stood off to the side, his gaze deep as a cold pool. He had always had a keen eye for people and tailored the testing to each individual.
"Make your move, I don’t want to bully the weak!"
Both men occupied opposite ends of the platform. Liu Long’s powerful Qi swelled, his white robe instantly billowing. He shouted loudly.
"If I make a move, you won’t have the chance to!"
Huangfu Jian shook his head slowly and said indifferently.
This was the first reaction of several Celestial Travel Sect disciples. They were used to saying such things to others, not the other way around. Even Liu Long’s eyes flashed with a cold light; every genius has their pride, and he was being underestimated?
"Then show me your skill!"
Liu Long’s right foot stomped the ground fiercely, and an endless wave of energy spread outwards, forming a light wave. Simultaneously, his figure shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, leaving shadows in the air.
In mid-air, Liu Long’s right hand curled his fingers into a tight fist, with a blue light flashing from it, carrying a few traces of murderous aura. The space around him seemed to be compressed and exploded with a bang.
Huangfu Jian’s eyes narrowed. Without drawing his sword, he extended his fingers as if wielding a blade, and a powerful stream of Sword Qi burst forth from them. There were no superfluous movements, just raw power.
The blue light around Liu Long was instantly torn in half, split down the middle, and vanished. Liu Long’s eyes were filled with shock as he attempted to retreat, but another Sword Qi swiftly followed.
A thin line of blood spread from Liu Long’s chest; had he been a step slower, the Sword Qi could have taken his life.
"Huangfu Jian, full marks, not bad!"
Elder Zuo stood to the side, a glimmer of satisfaction in his eyes. Every disciple entering the Sect goes through a period of rapid development, where their strength increases by leaps and bounds.
Huangfu Jian’s gaze fell on Chu Ming, filled with provocation, but Chu Ming directly ignored it.
Huangfu Jian’s victory was within his expectations. After all, Huangfu Jian belonged to the Han Feng Empire’s royal family. The cultivation techniques and martial skills he trained in were top-tier, and with the guidance of an ancestor, his resources far exceeded those of Liu Long.
Huangfu Jian snorted coldly and turned to leave the platform. Only then did the other Celestial Travel Sect disciples react, quickly moving forward to help Liu Long, feeding him a Healing Elixir. Watching Huangfu Jian’s departing figure, their eyes were filled with wariness.
Among them, although Liu Long wasn’t the top, he wasn’t weak either. Yet, he couldn’t withstand even one move from Huangfu Jian. If Huangfu Jian wanted to kill them, it would probably only take a few moves.
Elder Zuo continued calling names.
"Tier Two Void Sword Intent?"
Chu Ming’s eyes narrowed slightly. At the moment Huangfu Jian made his move, he distinctly felt a subtle fluctuation in space, akin to something he had sensed before.
The Void Sword Intent, one of the Six Great Sword Intents, Chu Ming had a feeling that perhaps the next Sword Intent he comprehended would be this Void Sword Intent.
Huangfu Jian’s strength should be on par with Zhu Hongxue’s, but he was a few months younger than Zhu Hongxue, making his talent even stronger.
Today’s combat strength test was much faster than yesterday’s enlightenment test, as there were fewer participants today.
"Next, Zhao Tianlei!"
Elder Zuo said slowly. Zhao Tianlei was a Fourth Layer True Dao martial artist, so his opponent from the Celestial Travel Sect would certainly also be at the Fourth Layer of True Dao.
Zhao Tianlei, with his towering body, moved slowly onto the platform. Under his skin, faint purple lines flickered, appearing extremely eerie.
Elder Zuo said to a gaunt man with a sword at his waist behind him.
Since stepping onto the platform, Ye Ming had been meditating with his eyes closed, ignoring the loud clamor of other disciples. When he opened his eyes now, two beams of light shot out, like bolts of lightning.
"Senior Brother Ye Ming is finally making a move!"
A small and thin Celestial Travel Sect disciple exclaimed, full of admiration. The other disciples looked at Ye Ming with reverence.
Ye Ming, at the Fourth Layer of True Dao, was ranked 321st within the Celestial Travel Sect, someone they always looked up to.
In truth, they were here for the combat strength test because of a task assigned by the Sect; otherwise, no one would waste their valuable cultivation time.
"Ye Ming ranks 321 in the Celestial Travel Sect Inner Sect, known for his exquisite Sword Technique. He once seriously injured a Ninth Layer True Dao martial artist. I am no match for him."
Beside Chu Ming, Zhu Hongxue said with a serious expression. She herself was ranked near the bottom of the top five hundred in the Inner Sect, but the gap between ranks was substantial.
"For Zhao Tianlei to hold out for an incense’s worth of time against him will be difficult!"
Though Ye Ming hadn’t made a move yet, the ease with which he carried himself was already apparent to Chu Ming.
Facing Zhao Tianlei, Ye Ming said calmly, the sword at his waist appearing in his hand at some unknown point.
Without a word, Zhao Tianlei kicked out, purple light trailing, aimed at Ye Ming’s lower body. Faced with Ye Ming, he wasn’t foolish enough to hold back.