Chapter 62

With his last bit of strength and consciousness, Tanggu instantly rushed into his room, casually swept the door shut, and locked it tightly, then collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

The floor was icy cold, and a chill permeated the air, seeping into his body.

Fortunately, Tanggu had already reached the Fourth Turn of the Qi Dao, with his qi and blood as heavy as lead and his physique as strong as a dragon. As his blood flowed, all the coldness dissipated on its own.

Although the Rain-Driving Spell was powerful, its effects were only temporary... As the corrosive properties that drained his strength gradually faded, the internal energy that had disappeared from Tanggu's body returned one by one.

In the middle of the night, Tanggu slowly regained consciousness, completely recovered. He then realized he was lying on the ground.

After such a long night, the adverse effects of the Rain-Driving Spell on his body had vanished without a trace.

...

The next day, in the afternoon, at the hour of Wei.

It was still the same white jade square. The blue-robed elder stood on the platform, looking down at the ten disciples lined up below, his eyes filled with approval as he nodded in satisfaction.

The list of the new top ten disciples of the Inner Court had already been posted on the purple jade wall. "Jade Sword" Ning Qingjun's name had not disappeared but was listed first alongside Tanggu.

Following them were "Snake Hand" Ye Guyu, "Thunder King" Fang Jingshuo, "Ice Palm" Ping Jiushan, "Snake Blade" Chen Xingxiu, and the other nine names.

"Lingdie" Fang Jiujiu, originally the eleventh in the Inner Court, now ranked tenth, barely making it to the last spot.

As for "Ice Maiden" Li Yuxue and others, "Ice Maiden" Li Yuxue did not make it into the top ten, but she won several rounds and achieved a commendable fourteenth place.

She was another major dark horse in the competition besides Tanggu.

"Liuyang Fist" Yan Shan, who had the best relationship with Tanggu, ranked twenty-fifth, missing the top sixteen, but for a newcomer, this was still an impressive result.

As for "Paper Scholar" Xiao Qingbi, who was just an acquaintance, he ranked thirty-first.

Of the five new disciples who entered the Inner Court this year, four achieved remarkable results that were astonishing.

However, "Silver Sword" Du Zhongjing, one of the original top ten disciples of the Inner Court, became the last, ranking sixty-third, which was a shock to everyone, leaving them speechless and feeling sorry for him.

And "Iron Sword" Du Pengfei, who originally ranked first in the Outer Court, after entering this time, due to bad luck, met "Blue Fox" Yi Yuer in the first round and only ranked second to last.

He was the only one among the five new talents who ranked the lowest.

Next, it was time to distribute the rewards.

The blue-robed elder took out a piece of paper, his gaze sweeping over the ten people below, pausing for a moment on Tanggu, nodding, and then unfolding the paper to begin reading.

"Inner Court tenth, 'Lingdie' Fang Jiujiu, ninth, 'Blue Fox' Yi Yuer, eighth, 'Mad Demon' Chai Qixing, seventh, 'Golden Sword' Yuan Suichen, each receive a low-grade second-class secret manual. Someone will take you to the armory to choose."

"Yes."

The four of them responded simultaneously, their eyes filled with excitement. In the Inner Court, apart from the opportunity to choose a martial arts technique and a martial arts secret when they first entered, they would have to exchange contribution points to obtain a secret manual, which was very expensive.

Now, they had the chance to obtain a new secret manual for free, and although each of them had definitely cultivated more than one second-class secret manual, they would never have too many, the more the better.

"Inner Court second, 'Snake Hand' Ye Guyu, choose one medium-grade second-class secret manual. You will also go to the armory with them to choose freely."

"Yes."

"Snake Hand" Ye Guyu responded stiffly, but his eyes showed no excitement, only a look of resentment as he glared at Tanggu beside him.

If it weren't for him, he wouldn't have lost the first place in the Inner Court, and he wouldn't have lost face in front of everyone. He might have even angered the Du family and had the "Water Essence Pearl" taken away.

If he hadn't begged bitterly and promised to do another favor for them in the future, the "Water Essence Pearl," which was crucial for his Rain-Driving Spell, would have been taken away.

This grudge must be avenged.

He touched his chest, and although the old master of the medical hall had carefully set his bones, a faint pain still lingered. Any slight exertion made him break out in a cold sweat.

"Once I recover, I won't let you off. The two swords and one punch on the platform yesterday, I will repay you a thousand times over."

He thought to himself, but on the surface, he showed no unusual expression, standing with lowered eyes and a respectful demeanor.

The blue-robed elder glanced at him, catching the fleeting resentment in his eyes, knowing the reason, but pretending not to see.

In the path of cultivation, some minor setbacks were inevitable. If they couldn't overcome this, they wouldn't be expected to achieve much in the future, let alone pass the entrance test of the Supreme Autumn Wind Pavilion.

And if they couldn't pass the entrance test of the Supreme Autumn Wind Pavilion, the two ordinary Inner Court disciples would be dispensable to him.

So, whether it was "Snake Hand" Ye Guyu or the top disciple of this year's competition, Tanggu, they both needed to face this challenge.

It was the final test.

He continued to read from the paper: "Fourth, fifth, and sixth, 'Ice Palm' Ping Jiushan, 'Snake Blade' Chen Xingxiu, 'Ancient Spear' Chen Hun... each receive a seventh-grade ordinary weapon. Someone will take you to the second floor of the armory to choose."

He looked at the three of them, then paused, focusing on "Snake Blade" Chen Xingxiu and "Ancient Spear" Chen Hun, and added:

"Of course, if you have better weapons, you can choose one and then submit it to the contribution hall to exchange for contribution points. Once you have the contribution points, you can go to the armory and exchange for anything you want."

"Of course, there will be some loss in value. How you proceed is up to you. I won't say more."

"Yes."

"Ice Palm" Ping Jiushan, "Snake Blade" Chen Xingxiu, and "Ancient Spear" Chen Hun, after listening, stepped forward together, responded, and then retreated. Tanggu observed that the three of them mostly reacted indifferently.

"Ice Palm" Ping Jiushan usually didn't use weapons, "Snake Blade" Chen Xingxiu's spectacled snake blade, although of low grade, was well-suited to his attributes and had a unique aura, so there was no need to replace it.

And "Ancient Spear" Chen Hun's "Fire Dragon Spring Spear" was already a famous seventh-grade ordinary weapon. Replacing it would not improve its grade and would require time to familiarize himself with it, making it a loss.

Therefore, the three of them were not very interested in this reward, but they wouldn't give it up. A seventh-grade ordinary weapon was worth at least 1,500 to 2,000 gray stones, and even if exchanged for contribution points, it was not a small amount.

They could use the stones or contribution points to give as gifts or for personal use, exchanging for what they wanted, without much loss.

Finally, the blue-robed elder continued: "Inner Court third, 'Thunder King' Fang Jingshuo, you will go to the Alchemy Hall to receive one Five-Turn Pill and two Mystic Flower Dew Pills."

"Tanggu... I will personally take you to the Inner Court armory to choose an eighth-grade ordinary weapon. Ping Jiushan, Chen Xingxiu, and Chen Hun, come with me, and I will handle the procedures for you."

"Yes."

Amidst the envious gazes of everyone, Tanggu, dressed in white, Ping Jiushan, dressed in a cotton robe like an old farmer, Chen Xingxiu, dressed in blue and looking spirited, and Chen Hun, carrying a fiery red "Fire Dragon Spring Spear," walked out together and headed towards the Inner Court armory.

As for "Lingdie" Fang Jiujiu, "Blue Fox" Yi Yuer, "Mad Demon" Chai Qixing, "Golden Sword" Yuan Suichen, and "Snake Hand" Ye Guyu, they were also led by an Inner Court white-robed steward to the armory.

However, since they were going to different floors, the procedures and the person leading them were different.

Soon, the nine of them arrived at the Inner Court armory again.

Tanggu had been here once before, so he was not unfamiliar. On the way, he was silently thinking about what weapon he should choose.

PS: First update, please give 1 recommendation ticket.

Wishing everyone a happy Christmas Eve and a happy Christmas! No one gave me an apple, and I still have to stay up late to write, which is really sad. Please give a few recommendation tickets to comfort me ^_^

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