Chapter 42

"Deprive him of the qualification to take the exam?"

Luo Xiu himself was also stunned, never expecting that this old ancestor of the Zhang family would be so shameless, not letting go of any opportunity to deal with him.

"Zhang Luliang, you've gone too far!" The master of the Qingyun Hall's face changed, and he shouted angrily.

As he spoke, the aura of a half-step Spirit Refinement expert spread out, making those nearby who had come to take the exam feel a suffocating pressure.

Although his strength was inferior to that of the master of the Qingyun Hall, Zhang Luliang, as an outer gate executive, held a position equivalent to that of the master of the Martial Hall. Moreover, as the chief examiner of this outer gate exam, he naturally wasn't afraid of what the master of the Qingyun Hall might do.

"I am the chief examiner of the exam. Is the master of the Qingyun Hall questioning my decision?" Zhang Luliang said with a cold laugh.

"On what grounds are you depriving Luo Xiu of his exam qualification?" the master of the Qingyun Hall asked angrily.

"I just said that although he is at the Second Level of the Qi Sea, he used special means to stimulate the Third Level of the Qi Sea, which is equivalent to cheating. Such a person who seeks attention and has poor character, shouldn't his exam qualification be revoked?"

"Bullshit!" The master of the Qingyun Hall's face turned ashen. "Luo Xiu has cultivated the Pure Yang Technique. His true qi is more robust and pure than others at the same level. This situation is quite normal."

"Pure Yang Technique?"

Many of the martial artists who had come to take the exam showed surprise, and their gazes towards Luo Xiu were tinged with envy.

The Pure Yang Technique is notoriously difficult to cultivate. In Yunlong County, only one or two people can achieve it every few years.

Many people nodded. If it was the Pure Yang Technique, it made sense that a Second Level Qi Sea practitioner could display true qi cultivation comparable to a Third Level Qi Sea practitioner, which was not surprising.

"Hmph!"

Zhang Luliang gave a cold snort, his gaze intense. "You say he has cultivated the Pure Yang Technique, but that's just your word as the master of the Qingyun Hall. To verify if he has truly cultivated it, I must personally investigate!"

At these words, the entire venue erupted in chaos. For a martial artist, if someone were to investigate their meridians, acupoints, and dantian qi sea, it would be like exposing all their secrets, even putting their life in the hands of others, which is a great taboo among martial artists.

Luo Xiu's face also changed instantly, never expecting Zhang Luliang to make such a demand.

He naturally couldn't let Zhang Luliang investigate. If the All-Heaven Life and Death Wheel in his dantian qi sea were discovered, it would surely cause trouble. Moreover, with Zhang Luliang's cultivation as a Ninth Level Innate Martial Artist, he could easily manipulate the investigation, or even kill Luo Xiu directly.

Who would willingly expose all their life secrets to someone they have a grudge against?

At this moment, Zhang Luliang's figure flashed, and he appeared directly in front of Luo Xiu, his voice cold. "I want to see if you have truly cultivated the Pure Yang Technique."

Luo Xiu's first reaction was to retreat, but the overwhelming aura of a Ninth Level Innate Martial Artist locked him in place. The air around him seemed compressed, making him feel like a stake fixed to the ground, unable to move an inch.

"You old man, you're settling personal scores!" Luo Xiu roared, his gaze turning to the master of the Qingyun Hall, hoping he would intervene.

"Stop!"

At this moment, a soft shout echoed, and everyone turned to see a woman walking out from the outer gate.

Seeing this woman, everyone felt a bright light, and Luo Xiu's expression was filled with surprise.

The woman wore a white dress, her long hair cascading over her shoulders, her skin as smooth as jade, and her transcendent and holy aura made people feel refreshed.

Accompanied by two maids, the woman in the white dress slowly approached, her lips parting slightly. "I can vouch that Luo Xiu has indeed cultivated the Pure Yang Technique."

Looking at the woman in the white dress, Luo Xiu was astonished.

Because this woman was none other than Lu Mengyao, the original instructor of the Qingyun Martial Hall!

Zhang Luliang also turned to look, his hand that was about to grab Luo Xiu suddenly stopping, and he respectfully said, "Miss."

At the same time, the masters of the eighteen city martial halls all stood up, respectfully bowing to Lu Mengyao.

Seeing this, Luo Xiu was filled with confusion. What was Lu Mengyao's position in the Free and Easy Sect?

"Executive Zhang, I will vouch for Luo Xiu. Do you have any objections?"

"This..." Zhang Luliang's brows furrowed, his face showing difficulty. "If Miss intervenes, I will naturally not object, but as the chief examiner, if I cannot handle things fairly, I fear I will辜负 the trust of the sect leader."

"Executive Zhang, are you saying that my intervention makes things difficult for you?" Lu Mengyao said coldly.

"I dare not," Zhang Luliang said, lowering his head.

"Since that's the case, I will watch how you handle things fairly. Luo Xiu has indeed cultivated the Pure Yang Technique."

Lu Mengyao slowly said, and then someone brought a table and chair for her to sit and observe the entrance exam.

Zhang Luliang's face was very unpleasant. He never expected that this young miss who had just returned would suddenly intervene at this moment.

He could ignore the face of the master of the Qingyun Hall, but he dared not ignore the face of this young miss.

"You lucky brat, to have the sect leader's daughter come to your aid."

Zhang Luliang glared at Luo Xiu, unwillingly. According to his knowledge, Lu Mengyao had lived in Qingyun City for several years.

"Since the young miss vouches for you, you pass the cultivation test!"

Zhang Luliang said helplessly, "Luo Xiu, fourteen years old, Second Level Qi Sea, 8 points!"

An 8-point score wasn't high, but it was average, leaving no room for criticism.

The exam continued, and Luo Xiu stood in the crowd, his gaze turning to Lu Mengyao, seeing her smile at him.

"Who is this beauty, to make the chief examiner so wary?"

"I heard she is the daughter of the outer gate master!"

"Heavens, with such a precious identity, how did Luo Xiu know her?"

From the murmurs of the crowd, Luo Xiu roughly understood some information about Lu Mengyao.

...

The first test of cultivation took the entire morning. In the afternoon, the second test, martial skills, began.

In the first test, only one person received the highest score, a young man named Mo Chuan.

Xu Ping from Shuiyun City and Wang Can from Yushan City both scored 9 points, tying for second place. Behind them were eighteen people who reached the Second Level Qi Sea at fourteen years old, scoring 8 points, including Luo Xiu.

The cultivation test assessed the natural talent of martial artists in cultivation, though some achieved their cultivation through resources. Therefore, cultivation alone couldn't explain much.

The second test of martial skills, however, would assess the talent in martial arts. Even with a master's guidance, without sufficient insight and talent, it would be difficult to cultivate martial skills to a high level.

Luo Xiu was confident in this test. With the Fourth Rank Thunderbolt Sword Technique at its peak, he was sure to achieve a good score.

As for the Fast Sword Technique, in a certain sense, it wasn't a martial skill but a technique of exerting force.

The location for the martial skills test was a spacious training ground. Each martial artist participating in the exam took turns stepping onto the central arena to display their most proficient martial skills.

The final score would be determined based on the rank and level of the martial skill cultivated.

"Third Rank martial skill, Residual Wind Shadow Palm, Minor Success, 6 points!"

The first person to step onto the stage was a martial artist at the Second Level Qi Sea, fifteen years old, who scored 7 points in the first cultivation test.

Compared to the cultivation test, the second test of martial skills was much more challenging to score.

Luo Xiu noticed that most of the martial artists participating in the exam were cultivating Third Rank martial skills, with only a few cultivating Fourth Rank martial arts.

One by one, they took turns stepping onto the stage. Occasionally, someone who had cultivated a Third Rank martial art to Major Success would score 7 points.

"Fourth Rank movement technique, Major Success! 9 points!"

At this moment, as the chief examiner Zhang Luliang announced, the entire venue erupted in chaos, and all eyes were drawn to the stage.

"It's Xu Ping from Shuiyun City. He scored 9 points in the first test, and now he has achieved such a high score in the second test!"

"One of the three spots for the outer gate will surely be his. Cultivating a Fourth Rank movement technique to Major Success, his talent is truly remarkable!"

Just as Xu Ping stepped down from the stage, another person stepped up, none other than Wang Can, the genius from Yushan City, who tied with Xu Ping.

His appearance drew everyone's attention, as Wang Can and Xu Ping were the highlights of this entrance exam.

Wang Can performed a set of saber techniques on the stage, his true qi glowing, the saber light fierce and majestic.

"Fourth Rank saber technique, Major Success! 9 points!"

The crowd erupted in exclamations again. Wang Can, another potential contender for the top spot, performed no less impressively than Xu Ping.

At fifteen years old, reaching the Third Level Qi Sea and cultivating a Fourth Rank martial art to Major Success, such achievements naturally caused great surprise.

The test proceeded slowly, and finally, it was Luo Xiu's turn.

Luo Xiu's appearance drew many comments from the crowd. After all, during the first cultivation test, the chief examiner Zhang Luliang had tried to revoke his exam qualification, and the unexpected appearance of Lu Mengyao had caused quite a stir.

"This Luo Xiu is a genius of the Qingyun Martial Hall. Being able to cultivate the Pure Yang Technique, his talent should be good," someone said with a smile.

"Unless he can cultivate a Fourth Rank martial art to its peak, his score won't catch up to Xu Ping and Wang Can," someone else said dismissively.

Zhang Luliang also watched Luo Xiu on the stage, being the one who least wanted Luo Xiu to enter the outer gate.

"Clang!"

A sword light rose on the stage, instantly becoming like thunder, spreading out.

"Fourth Rank sword technique... peak!?"

In the viewing stands, the masters of the eighteen city martial halls were all shocked, sitting up in surprise.

Even the master of the Qingyun Hall was incredulous. He had thought Luo Xiu would at most achieve Major Success in a Fourth Rank martial art, but he had unexpectedly reached the peak.

The peak means completely mastering all the subtleties of a martial art, which is almost impossible for a Qi Sea realm martial artist.

Some might think that the peak is just a small step above Major Success, but the gap between the two is actually significant.

Lu Mengyao watched Luo Xiu on the stage, a smile appearing on her lips. "This guy always does the unexpected."

"This..." Zhang Luliang's face became even more unpleasant. The better Luo Xiu performed, the greater the potential threat he posed in the future.

"Ha ha, at fourteen years old, Second Level Qi Sea, cultivating the Pure Yang Technique and a Fourth Rank martial art to its peak, he's a good seedling!"

Suddenly, a hearty laugh echoed from the sky, and everyone turned to see a middle-aged man in a blue robe standing in mid-air, looking down at Luo Xiu on the stage.