The Beginning of the Assessment

In the southwest corner of Tianyun City lied a mysterious area. A majestic stone gate, over ten meters high, standed like an ancient beast with its gaping mouth, exuding an imposing aura.

This place was usually heavily guarded and was considered a restricted area for ordinary martial practitioners.

However, today was different. It was the big day for the annual enrollment of the Zhengyang Academy.

Early in the morning, the square behind the stone gate was packed with young martial practitioners who came to participate in the assessment.

When Dan Chen and Dan Yuan arrived, they were taken aback by the lively scene with people bustling about. The young participants were all wearing smiles of excitement on their faces. They chatted with each other, walked around the square, gazed in different directions, and the bustling noise filled the air.

After a while, Dan Chen couldn't help but exclaim, "This is too lively, isn't it?"

"Of course. This is the Zhengyang Academy, the most renowned institution in the area for hundreds of miles. Every martial practitioner who graduates from here becomes a prominent figure in the region. The Zhengyang Academy is known for its equal education, enrolling students based solely on talent, regardless of their background and status. Who wouldn't be enticed? Look over there..." Dan Yuan nodded in a certain direction.

Following his gaze, Dan Chen saw a ragged and frail young boy, holding a cracked porcelain bowl and carrying a worn-out blanket.

"This..." Dan Chen shook his head in silence and said with a smile, "Even beggars are trying their luck to get into the Zhengyang Academy, so this is the Zhengyang Academy!"

"Look at those martial practitioners maintaining order," a sudden voice said.

Dan Chen hastily raised his head and saw numerous young martial practitioners dressed in full battle gear. They wore armor adorned with mysterious patterns and wielded long spears, lances, or bladed weapons. Their presence emitted a stifling aura.

One of the armored youths casually cast a glance towards Dan Chen. The chilling aura in their eyes caused Dan Chen's entire body to tense up. He felt as if he were facing an unparalleled savage beast, making him involuntarily enter a state of alertness. His eyes squinted, muscles tensed, and he seemed ready to counterattack at any moment.

"Wow, this kid is quite something. He's alert and has a good sense of battle awareness. He's a promising talent," the armored youth keenly noticed Dan Chen's unusual reaction, smiled faintly, glanced at him again, and then walked away nonchalantly.

"Phew! These martial practitioners are formidable. They emit a strange aura, like the savage beasts in the Great Qing Mountain. They're very dangerous," Dan Chen breathed a sigh of relief but continued to eye the armored youths with caution.

"These people are indeed formidable. They are at least at the eighth level of initial martial cultivation," Dan Yuan also grew serious.

"Country bumpkin," a well-dressed youth, who appeared to be a year or two younger than Dan Chen, sneered and arrogantly said, "These are the members of the Zhengyang Academy's Enforcement Team. They must reach at least the eighth level of Initial Martial cultivation and go through life-and-death trials before they can join the team."

Dan Chen rolled his eyes. So what if he knew a bit more?

"The academy is not a place for ignorant fools who know nothing. Even if you miraculously get in, you might not necessarily graduate alive," the well-dressed youth continued to make his words even more caustic.

Next to the well-dressed youth, there was another youth in green, of similar age to Dan Chen, who cast a sidelong glance at him. When he saw Dan Chen's relatively ordinary attire and lack of a strong aura, he began to sneer.

"You're about fifteen or sixteen years old, right? Only at the fifth level of Initial Martial Realm. How low are your qualifications? And you have the audacity to participate in the assessment. Let me advise you, the Zhengyang Academy only accepts real geniuses, not worthless individuals," the youth in green sneered.

Without any reason, Dan Chen was subjected to a series of mockery. Even someone with a good temper would eventually lose their patience, and Dan Chen, who couldn't stand it, glared at the two young men. His gaze was filled with anger as he snapped, "I'm just a country bumpkin. Where are you idiots from?"

"Are you daring to call us idiots?"

The well-dressed youth and the youth in green became furious. The well-dressed youth sneered, "Listen carefully, you country bumpkin. My name is Su Zhichang. My father is the Grand Marshal of the Tianyun City Guards, a high-ranking martial practitioner at the third level of High Martial Realm."

He then pointed at the youth in green, "He's Sun Yaorui. His father is the Grand Marshal of the Tianhong City Guard, a martial practitioner at the second level of High Martial Realm. Kid, what's your background?"

Dan Chen scratched his nose, genuinely taken aback. He realized he had been shaken up a bit. He thought to himself, "Are High Martial practitioners this common at the academy? In an instant I already hear two names! No wonder these two kids are acting so high and mighty; they do have some background."

With that in mind, he smiled coldly. Did these two think they could intimidate him that easily? They were too naive.

Dan Chen stood tall and confidently declared, "My name is Dan Chen. I don't have a significant background, but it won't be long before I become a high-ranking martial practitioner. I've dealt with idiots like you countless times. What, are you planning to rely on your fathers for the rest of your lives?"

"Ridiculous! Of course, we're going to become high-ranking martial practitioners too," Su Zhichang and Sun Yaorui both got infuriated and yelled back.

"Great! That's the spirit," Dan Chen laughed heartily with a hint of mockery. "Alright, how about a little competition? Let's compare our progress after entering the academy. We'll see who advances faster and break through the first level of High Martial Realm first!"

"Sure, let's do it!"

"We are not afraid of you!"

Su Zhichang and Sun Yaorui each made a statement. Then, Sun Yaorui looked down at Dan Chen and said, "Hey, Mr. Dan, what's the point of just comparing? Do you have anything valuable on you? Take it out as a bet!"

"Let's make it big!"

Dan Chen looked at the two of them and chuckled, "The first to reach the High Martial Realm will be the big brother, and the other two are little brothers. If anyone dares to back out..."

In the end, Dan Chen intentionally paused and scrutinized the two.

"Whoever backs out is a loser!" Su Zhichang and Sun Yaorui replied simultaneously, then looked at each other again and added, "And the loser has to call the other 'big brother.'"

Watching these two start bickering, Dan Chen couldn't help but secretly laugh. They were truly two naive teenagers who had easily fallen into his trap.

At this moment, Dan Yuan approached, furrowing his brow with concern. "Dan Chen, if you lose and have to call two guys younger than you 'big brother,' won't that be embarrassing?"

"What? You think I'm going to lose?" Dan Chen exclaimed in disbelief. He hadn't even considered the possibility of losing.

"High Martial Realm is something I've heard my grandfather mention. It's not what we can imagine. In any case, with their fathers as strong supporters, they won't lack cultivation resources, and their progress will be astonishing. Brother, take care of yourself," Dan Yuan patted his shoulder, wearing a sympathetic expression, then shook his head and said no more.

"Was I too reckless?" Dan Chen remained stunned in place for a moment. After a while, he raised an eyebrow and smirked. A challenge made things more interesting. Perhaps the pressure from these two would make his cultivation speed even more astonishing.

In the crowd, two youths dressed in ordinary clothing watched everything with cold eyes.

"That's Dan Chen," one of them said.

The other one nodded slightly, looking relaxed. "He's just at the fifth level of Initial Martial Realm. Don't worry, Young Master Aoyun, I'll take good care of him. In the second phase of the assessment, the trial of the secret realm, a few casualties are no big deal."

"Then I’ll be waiting for your good news." The former nodded with satisfaction, then walked away and soon disappeared into the crowd.

An impending crisis quietly approached, but Dan Chen was completely unaware.

He and Dan Yuan stopped talking casually and instead mingled in the crowd, listening to conversations to gather useful information.

"Have you heard? There are many young talents participating in the assessment this time. Among them, there's Fang Yulong from Tianqi City. He's only fourteen years old and has a top-tier talent. He's already at the middle stage of the seventh rank Initial Martial Realm."

"Fei Chengfei from the Fei family in Tianhong City. Although he has only a high-tier talent, he's fourteen years old and already at the seventh rank Initial Martial Realm. We shouldn't underestimate him."

"They're so impressive. Why didn't they apply to the academy a year earlier? Disciples are allowed to enter the academy at thirteen, you know."

"I guess they want to secure the top spot in the assessment. Every year, the first-place finisher receives a substantial reward. I wonder what the prize will be this year."

"Ah, who cares what the reward is? It doesn't concern mediocre people like us. I just want to pass smoothly and enter the academy. That's enough for me."

The last youth's sigh became the end of the discussion, and the surrounding youths fell silent. The thought of the upcoming assessment cast a somewhat gloomy atmosphere.

"Dong... dong... dong..." At this moment, a resounding bell suddenly rang out.

One by one, middle-aged men and women in silver robes walked out from a large hall on the side of the square. They walked to several temporary assessment points set up on small platforms outside the hall.

Under the guidance of the armored youths, the young applicants lined up below each assessment point.

At the assessment point where Dan Chen was situated, a woman in her thirties stepped forward and said, "Hello, everyone. I am one of the instructors responsible for this assessment point. The assessment consists of two phases. The first is a test of your strength and talent. Only those who pass this step will proceed to the second phase of the trial. The content of the second phase is kept secret for now, but I can reveal in advance that the first-place finisher in this assessment will receive a high-grade cultivation technique..."

"Gosh, a high-grade technique! It increases cultivation speed threefold compared to a middle-grade technique. If I have a high-grade technique, my cultivation will surely advance rapidly, and I'll quickly break through to the sixth rank Initial Martial Realm."

"Who wouldn't want a high-grade technique? In smaller factions in various cities, the best they have is a middle-grade technique. High-grade techniques are typically held by super factions like the Zhengyang Academy. High-grade techniques... alas, my abilities aren't sufficient."

The woman's words were like a stone tossed into a calm lake, creating enormous waves. Most of the young people in the crowd gazed at her with burning eyes, but soon, their heads drooped in disappointment because their own aptitude fell short.

Some, who were self-confident in their extraordinary talents and formidable strength, began rubbing their hands together, treating the technique as if it were already a cake in their pockets.

Only Dan Chen and Dan Yuan remained composed. They had the Supreme Jade True Art, so a high-grade technique held no allure for them.

If it were a high-grade martial skill, that would be great, Dan Chen thought with some regret.

The woman's voice continued, "The second and third places will receive ten Qi-Nourishing Pills each, and the fourth to tenth places will get one hundred spirit stones."

When Dan Chen heard the name "Qi-Nourishing Pills," his eyes sparkled.

"Qi-Nourishing Pills, middle-grade pills composed of thirteen precious spirit herbs, can accelerate a martial artist's True Qi cultivation speed. Each pill is worth at least fifty spirit stones. These pills are limited in production due to the scarcity of one of the main ingredients, and the Dan family can't produce them. You can't find them for sale anywhere in Tianyun City. Truly generous for the Zhengyang Academy to offer twenty of them as rewards."

"From Qi Gathering to the fifth rank Initial Martial Realm, it took me only a few days. However, compared to true geniuses of the same age, my cultivation is still too low. People like Su Zhichang and Sun Yaorui, both a year or two younger than me, are already at the fifth rank Initial Martial Realm. Sigh, due to my constitution, I've wasted too much time in the past! I must obtain Qi-Nourishing Pills and catch up courageously!"

Dan Chen's eyes shone with determination.