"WHAT?!"
A collective shout erupted from the arena floor.
Chaos followed.
"Defeat a puppet with the strength of a Mid-Stage Foundation Realm Cultivator?!"
"That’s insane! How are we supposed to win against them?!"
"This is completely unfair! Most of us are still only at the peak of the Qi Solidification Realm!"
"They’re clearly trying to reduce the numbers by force!"
The arena shook with panic and protest as many disciples began to despair.
But Reon stood still, eyes narrowed as a cold smile curved on his lips.
’So the sect has truly raised the bar... Interesting.’
The Minor Elder’s voice rang out once more, sharp and commanding:
"Enough whining, you brats! You call yourselves the future of the Supre Dao Sect, yet you lose spirit at the first sign of hardship?"
His gaze swept coldly across the crowd.
"This is an Overlord-Class cultivation sect, not a playground. Did you forget that? Only the best of the best move forward here."
He paused, letting the silence press down.
"You may form groups to fight the puppets—or fight each other for the Purple Crystals. No one will stop you. There are five hundred crystals, but only one per person is needed."
His next words were laced with finality.
"JUST WIN!"
"That’s all that matters if you wish to enter the Inner Sect."
"You only have two days. Use your ti well."
"And to aid you, a Spiritual Screen has been set inside the secret realm. It will display a map of the area along with the general locations of all Purple Crystals."
A hush fell for a mont.
Then—
Excited murmurs swept through the crowd like wildfire.
"Wait... we can form groups? That’s allowed?! Then this doesn’t sound so impossible after all!"
"Yeah! If we fight in groups, even those puppets won’t be unbeatable!"
"Haha! With and my three brothers, we’re easily as strong as a Mid-Stage Foundation Realm cultivator—we can totally take one down!"
"And stealing is allowed too?! Damn, then even if we can’t win in a fair fight, we just have to be smart about it."
"Forget fair fights! As long as I get into the Inner Sect, anything goes!"
While the crowd erupted in renewed excitent, Reon stood silently, observing the growing arrogance in their faces.
His eyes narrowed, a hint of cold amusent flickering within.
’Idiots... they still don’t get it.’
’Revealing the locations of the Purple Crystals... allowing cooperation... permitting theft—there’s only one conclusion. They’re also implicitly allowing disciples to kill each other.’
’Form alliances, ambush the weak, backstab your teammates... even take the crystals from corpses—no one will interfere.’
The Minor Elder’s voice thundered across the arena once more:
"Oh, and one more important announcent for this exam!"
A pause.
"There will be fifty Inner Disciples participating alongside you."
A stunned silence followed.
"W-What?! Inner Disciples?!"
"Why would they take the exam with us?!"
"This isn’t fair!"
Outcries rippled through the crowd of Outer Disciples, voices rising in confusion and dismay.
’So... they’ve finally brought it up. That ans the plot is still unfolding,’ Reon mused.
The Minor Elder continued, unbothered by the outcry.
"So of these Inner Disciples have remained at the bottom of the Inner Sect for decades. Despite all resources and guidance, they’ve failed to improve."
"This... is their final chance. If they secure a Purple Crystal and pass the next two rounds alongside you, they will retain their position for another decade."
"If not—they’ll be demoted back to Outer Disciple status."
Another wave of panic surged through the crowd.
"W-What?! Why are we the ones always getting caught in these crazy changes?!"
"Even if they’re bottom-tier Inner Disciples, they’re still leagues above us in technique and experience!"
"Exactly! That’s fifty seats already taken! Our odds are even worse now!"
"This is insane—I don’t want to take this exam anymore!"
"That’s so fucking unfair!"
Cries of protest grew louder, chaos threatening to erupt.
Swoosh!
The Minor Elder unleashed a wave of spiritual pressure again, silencing the crowd with a re gesture.
"Enough! We anticipated your concerns."
He paused, then added with deliberate calm.
"To ensure fairness, those Inner Disciples are prohibited from forming groups. They must act alone, while you may form parties and work together."
The crowd erupted once more—but this ti with cheers instead of complaints.
"Oho! The sect really is fair after all!"
"Haha, justice prevails!"
"Long live the Supre Dao Sect!"
"Long live the Supre Dao Sect!"
Reon’s gaze sharpened as he listened to the crowd’s naive excitent.
’Sigh... They have no idea what’s coming.’
’Among those fifty Inner Disciples... more than five are spies from the Azure Dragon Sect.’
’They infiltrated the Supre Dao Sect years ago, disguising themselves as ordinary disciples, all to slaughter our most talented cultivators—crippling our future while no one suspected a thing.’
’In the novel, Yang Lie killed them all eventually... but this ti, I’ll take that opportunity for myself.’
As the cheers died down, the Minor Elder gave one final announcent.
"And know this—every move you make in the secret realm will be watched. A massive Spiritual Screen has been set up outside to monitor the trial in real ti."
"Not just by the Elders present here, but perhaps even by the Great Elders... and the Supre Elders themselves from their secluded residences."
His next words set the crowd ablaze with excitent.
"So don’t hold back. Show your true strength. This may be the mont that decides your entire future."
"With an exceptional performance, you could be recruited into one of the sect’s top factions... or even taken in as a direct disciple by an Elder, a Grand Elder, or perhaps a Supre Elder."
Gasps and murmurs of awe filled the air.
"Supre Elders will be watching too?!"
"This is insane... if I get noticed, I’ll be set for life!"
"Endless resources, guidance from top cultivators of the continent, and fa throughout the sect... and the mortal world."
"Please... let Elder Shi Qi notice . I want to beco his personal disciple so badly..."
Finally, the Minor Elder raised his hand high and declared:
"Everyone, prepare yourselves. The teleportation to the secret realm will begin in—"
"Five..."
"Four..."
"Three..."
A tremor passed through the air as formation runes lit beneath their feet.
"Two..."
"One!"
"Let the Inner Disciple Selection Ceremony begin!"
Reviews
All reviews (0)