Chapter 70

After about half an hour, some people were delighted, some were dejected, and others left in despair. When Yi Buqiu took the stage and unleashed the power of seven flying dragons, the atmosphere on the scene was ignited.

In the Later Heaven Realm, the best one could usually achieve was the power of one flying dragon. A few geniuses could reach two, or even three. Earlier, there had been four and five, all exceptional geniuses from various outer academies, who were considered key cultivation targets by the inner academy.

However, compared to the Innate Realm, their talents clearly fell short. Those who could advance to the Innate Realm in their twenties had great potential. Yi Buqiu was among the outstanding disciples of the outer academies, having advanced to the Innate Realm around the age of twenty, making him stand out among the crowd.

This time, about a dozen of the more than a hundred outer academies had Innate Realm disciples, all vying for the top spot in the assessment.

The Three Dragons and One Phoenix were all excellent, each displaying the power of three flying dragons. Ye Feng was the last to go. The first test did not pose a challenge to them; they all passed, as the outer academies were well-prepared for the assessment. Anyone with less than the power of one flying dragon would not be brought to participate, to avoid embarrassment.

At this moment, everyone's eyes were on Ye Feng. Only he was left, and if he could display the power of one flying dragon, he would pass the first test.

Under the watchful eyes of countless people, Ye Feng's fist slowly moved, without any true qi fluctuation. He relied solely on his physical strength. Everyone else had used a combination of true qi and strength to strike the stone stele, which was impossible to achieve with just strength.

"What is this kid doing, not even using true qi?" A female mentor beside Mentor Li was puzzled. Ye Feng seemed so careless, even abandoning the use of true qi.

"This kid has his own plan. Let's watch quietly," Mentor Li said, fully trusting Ye Feng.

However, those watching did not share this view. Some began to jeer and even burst into laughter.

"Get lost, you can't even cultivate true qi, and you dare to think you can pass?"

"What an arrogant kid, not using true qi. Is this a challenge to the inner academy's authority, or are you arrogant to the point of being blind to everything else?"

"I think this kid must have delusions of grandeur, wanting to become famous in one move."

"I don't think so. I think this kid is a fool."

"Ha ha ha..." Various comments echoed throughout the vast square.

Faced with the various comments, Ye Feng was unperturbed. Nothing could sway his mindset, which had long reached a state of desirelessness and formlessness.

The Three Dragons and One Phoenix did not leave. Standing not far from Ye Feng, they were very anxious but dared not speak, for fear of interrupting him. They could only watch quietly.

Ye Feng's fist broke through the air, drawing a straight line at incredible speed. With a powerful kick, his body leaned forward, and his fist struck the stone stele.

"Whoosh!"

The scale on the stone stele lit up, rising rapidly. In an instant, it reached the power of one flying dragon.

Two flying dragons!

Three flying dragons!

Four flying dragons!

It continued to rise, and the onlookers were stunned. The scale kept flashing and rising, their eyes wide open, watching the scale climb crazily.

Five flying dragons!

Six flying dragons!

Seven flying dragons!

The scene erupted. Relying solely on strength, he had achieved the power of seven flying dragons. The light continued to flash, still rising, with no sign of stopping. The scale jumped rapidly, reaching the mark of eight flying dragons in an instant.

Nine flying dragons!

The flashing speed clearly slowed down, just one more step to reach ten flying dragons. However, the light was flashing very slowly.

Watching the light flicker, everyone's hearts raced, extremely anxious, unsure if it would reach the top. If the light dimmed, it would mean nine flying dragons. But the light was very strong, just moving very slowly.

A smile curved at the corner of Ye Feng's mouth, and a burst of hidden strength erupted. The light suddenly intensified, surging past nine flying dragons and reaching the top of the stone stele. If it hadn't been specially treated, the light would have burst out, surpassing ten flying dragons.

"Damn!"

"How is this possible!"

"It must be fake!"

"The stone stele must have been tampered with!"

"Monster!"

"How can this be!"

Countless exclamations echoed. Those who had mocked and ridiculed him earlier were now wide-eyed, as if they had a rotten duck egg in their mouths, feeling extremely bitter. This was a slap in the face. They had called him arrogant, ignorant, and a fool, but now Ye Feng had slapped them back with the power of ten flying dragons.

Earlier, Yi Buqiu had ignited the atmosphere, making countless disciples go wild with the power of seven flying dragons, enough to rival a late-stage Innate Realm. But Ye Feng had used his strength to achieve the power of ten flying dragons, meaning he could easily kill Yi Buqiu. However, sometimes strength alone did not mean everything; it could only be considered brute force.

"This kid is a bit over the top!" Mentor Li smiled bitterly, not expecting Ye Feng to be so high-profile. He had only asked him to show his best, but now he had become the center of attention.

The three mentors beside him beamed, their earlier worries dispelled. Ye Feng and the others slowly returned to their original positions, like stars surrounding the moon, protecting Ye Feng in the center.

A cold killing intent emanated toward Ye Feng, almost palpable. Ye Feng quickly sensed it; it was from Yi Buqiu. His glory had been stolen by Ye Feng in less than a quarter of an hour, almost in a crushing manner.

On the high platform, the five chief examiners exchanged glances. Only one of them showed a fleeting hint of killing intent, while the others were excited. This inner academy assessment was more intense than any previous one, as this time the number of Innate Realm disciples was the highest. Adding Ye Feng's achievement of ten flying dragons with his physical strength, he had become the focus of everyone's attention.

The next part was relatively dull. Most people displayed the power of one flying dragon, and even three flying dragons failed to stir the crowd. The number of participants was rapidly decreasing, with only a few hundred left.

A powerful innate qi burst forth, another Innate Realm disciple, likely from an outer academy.

"Quick, look, Liu Xueqi is making her move!" It was a woman, and she was an Innate Realm disciple. A strong aura swept past as she struck the stone stele with a fierce punch.

"Eight flying dragons, pass!" The chief examiner announced the result. Although she did not surpass Ye Feng, she had broken Yi Buqiu's record and was temporarily ranked second.

One by one, Innate Realm disciples appeared before the stone stele, each displaying the power of seven flying dragons, similar to Yi Buqiu.

In quick succession, more Innate Realm disciples appeared, with another young man achieving the power of eight flying dragons. No one managed to reach nine flying dragons.

This round eliminated about a third of the participants. Many began to leave, preparing to try again next year. Most of those remaining were outer academy disciples, and none had been eliminated.

If outer academy disciples were eliminated in the first round, it would be embarrassing. The second round soon began, but not here. It was held in front of a massive tower.

"Ye Feng, this tower is called the Seven Stars Tower. It has seven levels and is mainly used for disciples' daily cultivation. During the assessment, it is cleared out. You need to pass four levels to pass," Mentor Li explained to Ye Feng.

Ye Feng nodded, understanding that the Seven Stars Tower was not simple. It must be quite advanced to support disciples' cultivation.

"The Seven Stars Tower is divided into three difficulty levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. For the assessment, it is usually set to beginner. With your strength, the four beginner levels should be no problem. Don't worry," Mentor Li said, fully confident that Ye Feng could pass all seven levels at the beginner difficulty.

Some people were already eager, forming a queue and heading toward the entrance. A group quickly entered the Seven Stars Tower, and a layer of light flashed outside, indicating that the first level had been activated.

"Bang!"

Suddenly, a figure was ejected from the third level, covered in injuries, having failed the third level.

"Failed!" The examiner coldly announced.

One after another, figures were ejected from the Seven Stars Tower, some not even making it past the first level, crying out in frustration. They had been stunned upon entering.

This round of the assessment was faster than the first. Strong participants quickly advanced to the second level, then the third, and soon the fifth level began to light up.

"Go in quickly!" More than half had already entered, with only a few still attempting to pass the levels. Ye Feng and the others quickly headed toward the entrance of the Seven Stars Tower.

The Seven Stars Tower was unique, with a spatial interior filled with illusions, indistinguishable from real people. It was divided into beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels, with both simulation and real modes.

In the simulation mode, participants would not die in battle. If injured, they would be ejected. This could improve their strength but lacked the feeling of being in a life-or-death situation, making it hard to fully tap their potential, as they knew they couldn't die.

In the real mode, if injured, participants would not be ejected unless they passed the level. Otherwise, they would die. Most disciples chose the simulation mode, with only a few extreme ones opting for the real mode.

However, during the assessment, only the beginner difficulty and simulation mode were activated to avoid fatalities.

After entering the Seven Stars Tower, Ye Feng quickly lost contact with the others. Various monsters, strange beasts, and humans, all around the Eighth Level of the Later Heaven Realm, wielding weapons, rushed at him.

Unbeknownst to Ye Feng, a serious conflict had erupted outside.

"Meng Zhongliang, how could you do this? You sent our disciples to the intermediate difficulty and even activated the real mode. What are you trying to do?"

Mentor Li was furious, seeing that someone had entered the intermediate difficulty and real mode. It turned out to be Ye Feng, so he roared at Chief Examiner Meng Zhongliang.

Ye Feng was unaware of this, already deeply engaged in battle.