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墨書 Inktalez
In the rarely visited Back Mountain, a valley is filled with howling winds, swaying branches, and flying leaves. The scene is chaotic, with dust swirling everywhere, a far cry from the previous tranquility and beauty.
“Ow… Ow…” The Little White Fox, watching from a distance, once again found itself in trouble, lying flat on the ground. It covered its eyes and ears with its paws, covered in dust. Only when the wind stopped did it jump up with a look of grievance and protest loudly.
“Not bad, there has been some progress in Sword Technique; all that hard practice wasn’t in vain. The Seventh Meridian is at the final stage; I can break through tonight.” Ren Pingsheng sheathed his sword and stood with a face full of joy.
“Alright, little one, stop whining. I’ll roast some meat for you soon!” Upon hearing this, the Little White Fox immediately quieted down. It obediently climbed down, looking satisfied as it groomed its fur with its small paws.
“Sigh. What a little glutton!” Ren Pingsheng shook his head with amusement. He was well aware of this little one's temperament by now.
Late at night, Ren Pingsheng sat cross-legged in his room, continuously operating his mental techniques.
Again and again, he struck against the last barrier of the Seventh Meridian. Abundant Spiritual Energy surged like giant waves crashing against a dam riddled with holes. A rumbling sound echoed continuously. Finally, the waves broke through all obstacles like a galaxy falling from the heavens. A refreshing sensation made Ren Pingsheng unable to help but let out a long howl.
“Very good, finally at the Qi Layer of Refining Qi. I’ll soon become an Inner Sect Disciple.” Feeling the surge of strength and the increase in Spiritual Energy, his face was filled with happiness.
“Tomorrow I’ll apply for the Inner Sect Disciple Assessment; generally, these assessments are held around mid-month. That means I have ten days left to cultivate. By then, if I make some progress in Advanced Swordsmanship, I should be able to fully master forty percent of its power; that would count as a small achievement.”
The next day, Ren Pingsheng went to Bai Shi Tang to register for the mid-month Inner Sect Disciple Assessment. The exam would officially start in ten days!
“Brother, how come your cultivation speed is so fast? I’ve just broken through to the sixth layer while you’ve already reached the seventh layer. This shouldn’t be; our talents aren’t that different!” Chu Xiao rushed over upon hearing that Ren Pingsheng was preparing for the Inner Sect Disciple assessment, his eyes filled with envy and indignation!
“That’s because you’re too lazy; otherwise, you would have broken through earlier too,” Ren Pingsheng replied bluntly.
“Hmph! I call that knowing when to relax and when to work hard. I can’t emulate your kind of relentless training.”
“Then don’t come complaining to me about your slow progress.”
“Hehe, I’m here to congratulate you! You’re about to become an Inner Sect Disciple; when my little brother enters the Inner Sect later on, you must take care of him,” Chu Xiao said with an expression that clearly understood what he meant.
"Let's talk when you become an Inner Sect Disciple! It's nothing, I'm going to cultivate," Ren Pingsheng said calmly, as if he didn't take it to heart.
"Sigh, all you do is cultivate every day. Sooner or later, you'll turn into a block of wood. Learn from me; you can enjoy life while cultivating," Chu Xiao said with some disdain, then immediately spoke about himself with a beaming smile.
"You should just go do what you need to do!" Ren Pingsheng no longer paid him any mind and turned to begin his cultivation.
In the following days, Ren Pingsheng worked even harder on his cultivation. To prepare for what was coming, he had no choice but to put in the effort. Finally, the day before the Inner Sect Disciple Assessment, he had mastered the High-Level Sword Technique to a minor success.
A sword skill that demonstrates at least one layer of power is considered entry-level; at least four layers is minor success; at least seven layers is major success; and at least ten layers is perfection.
Currently, Ren Pingsheng could unleash four layers of power with the Gale Sword Technique's Intermediate Sword Technique, Whirling Winds, which barely qualified as minor success. The power differences between each stage were also vast.
In the hall where the Inner Sect Disciple Assessment was held, fifteen people gathered. Most were Outer Sect Disciples who had been around for a longer time; only two were newly promoted Outer Sect Disciples.
One was Ren Pingsheng and the other was Huang Qing, which left Ren Pingsheng speechless. He wondered what kind of situation this was—why did he run into this guy again? Was it really a case of enemies crossing paths? Seeing Huang Qing's smiling face, he was sure he was plotting something bad.
Huang Qing looked delighted upon seeing Ren Pingsheng. After consuming countless pills, he had finally broken through to the Qi Layer of Refining Qi just a couple of days ago. However, his Spiritual Energy was still somewhat unstable and hadn't fully settled yet.
"Hehe, this guy actually came to participate in the sect disciple assessment. I fear that the moment he becomes an Inner Sect Disciple will be your death knell. Poor kid; he might still be happy about becoming an Inner Sect Disciple without realizing it's actually a death sentence. How tragic!"
"Forget it; this guy won't be able to stir up trouble for long anyway." Ren Pingsheng didn't pay much attention to Huang Qing's malicious demeanor. In his view, Huang Qing's biggest reliance was his older brother. Once he dealt with his brother, Huang Qing would just be a toothless tiger—nothing to fear.
Ren Pingsheng registered his identity with the assessment personnel and stood obediently at the end of the line.
"This Ren Pingsheng cultivates at an astonishing speed; he's actually here for the Inner Sect Disciple assessment," others remarked with a mix of admiration and envy.
Especially those who had previously sparred with him, like Outer Sect Disciples Zhao Shixiong, Wu Yujin, and Feng Jinshan, felt particularly moved.
They knew it had taken them a year to reach their current level of cultivation. Meanwhile, this newly promoted Outer Sect Disciple had only spent about four months and was already on track to become an Inner Sect Disciple like them.
More importantly, it is their strength that sets them apart; they are far from being on the same level. The top expert among the Outer Sect Disciples is not just a name without substance. Countless Outer Sect Disciples have been defeated by him. It’s no wonder they envy him; truly, some people are just too impressive.
Before long, the Elder presiding over this Inner Sect Disciple Assessment appeared before everyone.
This Elder, appearing to be in his forties or fifties, carefully examined the fifteen participants in the assessment. He frowned slightly. More than half of these fifteen had unstable Spiritual Energy within them. It seemed they either broke through using pills or had just recently broken through and hadn’t had time to consolidate their cultivation.
“There are only fifteen of you participating in this assessment, but whether you pass or not depends on your own strength. The first test is for power; do you see that Testing Stone? Anyone whose strength does not reach five thousand cannot pass and will have to return next month for another assessment.”
This was not difficult; generally, breaking through to the Qi Layer of Refining Qi would allow one to increase their strength by five thousand pounds, and with their original strength added in, they would easily exceed five thousand pounds. Additionally, those who practiced Body Refinement Techniques could even reach six thousand pounds without much difficulty. Therefore, as long as they had a good grasp of their own strength and were proficient, they would likely pass the assessment.
After speaking, the Assessment Elder took the registration materials and cleared his throat: “The assessment begins now; the first participant is Li Qingqing.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a beautiful young girl stepped forward from the front. She was one of the Top Ten Experts among the Outer Sect Disciples. She walked up to the Testing Stone, took a deep breath, and punched it.
“Punch power: five thousand five hundred pounds; qualified! Next, Wu Yujin.” The Assessment Elder glanced at her and said lightly.
“Ha…” Wu Yujin let out a soft shout and struck down with a punch.
“Punch power: five thousand eight hundred pounds; qualified! Next, Zhao Shixiong.”
“Very good, punch power: six thousand five hundred pounds; qualified!” This was the first time the Elder showed any change in expression, albeit slight. However, others still noticed and envied Zhao Shixiong. This level of strength was indeed impressive, exceeding the standard by fifteen hundred pounds.
“Punch power: four thousand nine hundred pounds; unqualified!” This announcement was somewhat abrupt. Everyone turned to see who had failed so miserably.
However, Ren Pingsheng did not recognize him and didn’t care much. It seemed like just someone who had recently broken through without consolidating their strength or cultivation. Even so, it was clear that this person’s grasp of power was lacking. He probably only focused on cultivating without paying attention to anything else. His practical combat ability must also be quite poor.
No one paid attention to the boy standing aside with a look of disbelief on his face. The assessment continued.
“Next, Ren Pingsheng!” Finally, it was his turn. Many people looked over to see if this top Outer Sect Disciple could pass.
With a 'bang', Ren Pingsheng lightly tapped the Testing Stone and calmly withdrew his hand.
"Not bad, a punch force of five thousand pounds, qualified!" The Assessment Elder unexpectedly glanced at Ren Pingsheng and said loudly.
In the end, twelve people passed the first round of assessment, while three unfortunate individuals were eliminated right away. They would have to wait until next month to continue their assessments.
However, with a month of reflection, they should be able to pass the first round easily by then. One could not say whether they were lucky or unlucky.
"The next assessment tests the Spiritual Energy within you. You just need to hit the bronze bell three zhang away. You may use martial techniques," the Assessment Elder explained before directly starting to call names for the next round of assessments.
The first to be assessed was Li Qingqing, who used an Intermediate Sword Technique and barely hit the bronze bell, just managing to pass the assessment. At such a distance, only using sword techniques could reach it; ordinary sword light could not travel that far.
Zhao Shixiong's assessment was even more impressive; with a single sword technique, he not only hit the bronze bell but also produced a deafening ringing sound, demonstrating his power. The others barely managed to hit it as well, clearly showing the depth and solidity of his Spiritual Energy.
"Next, Ren Pingsheng." He was again the last one. This time, Ren Pingsheng did not use any sword technique; he simply raised his palm and struck down directly. The technique he used was the Cleaving Palm he had learned earlier. However, he had not had much opportunity to use it until now.
Relying on his profound Spiritual Energy and control over his strength, even a regular attack could reach its target. Thus, there was no need for him to draw his sword.
The sound of the bell echoed continuously, lingering in the air.
"Wow... amazing! He didn't even use any sword techniques. Truly deserving of being the top Outer Sect Disciple; he's unfathomable." The others shared similar thoughts, feeling both envy and apprehension in their hearts.
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