Chapter 79

Lu Sheng was startled, but quickly understood. His expression first showed surprise, then turned vicious.

Lu Sheng understood what Zhou Hao meant. Once Lin Tian secured a spot in the Inner Hall, it would be the time for his showdown with Zhou Hao. They had already signed a life-or-death contract three months ago. In the duel, whether Zhou Hao crippled or killed Lin Tian, it would be considered normal. Zhou Hao was now at the Divine Pulse stage, and he could easily achieve either outcome.

The prospect of smoothly entering the Inner Hall, with a greatly enhanced status and a bright future, was about to be shattered. If he were to be crippled or killed in the duel, how much regret and resentment would that bring?

"Falling from heaven to hell is far more despairing than falling directly into hell!" Lu Sheng laughed coldly. "No wonder you're Master Zhou!"

Zhou Hao's gaze was cold. "Daring to approach someone I have my eye on! Seeking death!" In Qingfeng Ridge, he had set a trap for Lin Tian, and that sword strike had already completely severed their relationship. In public, he would hide it, but in front of his confidant Lu Sheng, he no longer concealed anything.

...

At the training ground, on the high platform, almost all the disciples had gathered.

On this day, the Inner Hall selection began. Not only did all the disciples from the Outer Hall come, but even some from the Inner Hall arrived to observe. After all, five people from the Outer Hall would enter the Inner Hall for cultivation, and these five would be their future competitors. It was always beneficial to take a look beforehand.

Below the platform, the crowd was slightly excited, with occasional noise.

"Quiet!"

A cold voice rang out from the platform, and the crowd quickly fell silent.

The one who spoke was a middle-aged man. He scanned the disciples and continued, "I won't say more about the Inner Hall selection. I'll just explain the rules. First, those who have reached the Seventh Level of Body Tempering can participate in the selection. Second, all eligible participants will enter the Inner Martial Cave. Those who can last for an hour inside the cave will be considered qualified."

"Third, all those who qualify in the Inner Martial Cave will simultaneously engage in a mixed, no-holds-barred battle on this platform. The last four standing will win and enter the Inner Hall. The overall ranking of these four will be determined by their performance in the Inner Martial Cave, which is recorded by the ranking stone outside the cave."

He paused and said, "The reason only four are selected is because one person in the Outer Hall has already reached the Divine Pulse stage and does not need to participate in the assessment, being automatically ranked first. Of course, if any of the four winners are dissatisfied, they can challenge this person. If they win, the first place will be reassigned. Additionally, for fairness, all participants can only use ordinary weapons throughout the selection process."

The middle-aged man's words caused a stir in the crowd.

"Indeed, the rumors are true; someone has reached the Divine Pulse stage!"

"Reaching the Divine Pulse stage while still in the Outer Hall... That's terrifying!"

"Who would be so foolish as to challenge a Divine Pulse stage expert with only Body Tempering level cultivation?"

"Exactly."

"In other words, this selection is just for the second to fifth spots."

Below the platform, many disciples murmured quietly.

At this moment, a dry cough sounded.

On the platform, someone stepped forward—it was Wu Mansion's Elder Mu Qing. On such an important day for the Inner Hall selection, the elders of the Wu Mansion naturally would be present.

Mu Qing's expression was calm as he looked at the disciples and simply said, "Wish you all success." After these words, he got straight to the point: "Now, the selection begins. All eligible disciples, proceed to the Inner Martial Cave."

"Yes, Elder!"

Below the platform, dozens of disciples responded in unison.

The Outer Hall of Jiuyang Wu Mansion had nearly three hundred people, and forty-nine of them had reached the Seventh Level of Body Tempering. Soon, these forty-nine, led by the middle-aged man, arrived at the entrance of the Inner Martial Cave. This cave was a massive mountain cavern, with a comprehensive array inside, covering an area of about several dozen square meters.

Looking around, there was a strange stone about a meter high outside the Inner Martial Cave.

"This must be the ranking stone for the Inner Martial Cave. It can analyze and record the performance of the disciples inside the cave on its own. That's impressive," Lin Tian thought.

The Inner Martial Cave was said to be composed of a small-scale Heavy Wave Array and a large-scale Illusion Killing Array. The Heavy Wave Array would exert pressure on the disciples entering, suppressing their strength and speed. The Illusion Killing Array would create illusions of beasts to attack the disciples. Of course, the Illusion Killing Array wouldn't actually kill the disciples; when a disciple was killed, they would be automatically teleported out of the Inner Martial Cave. Afterward, the ranking stone would determine the overall ranking based on the time the disciples lasted inside the cave, the level, and the number of beasts they killed.

Looking at the Inner Martial Cave ahead, many disciples were amazed.

Especially the forty-nine Outer Hall disciples participating in the selection, many of whom clenched their fists.

"Hey!"

Lin Tian was tapped on the shoulder, and Su Shu appeared beside him.

Lin Tian looked at Su Shu and said helplessly, "You really came to join in the fun?"

Su Shu, now at the Eighth Level of Body Tempering, was indeed eligible to participate in the Inner Martial selection. However, Lin Tian knew that the reason she was participating was to bring glory to Mu Qing, just like in the previous Outer Hall ranking trial. Su Shu didn't care about the Inner Hall's cultivation resources or the honor and status that came with being an Inner Hall disciple. After all, she was Mu Qing's last disciple, and that alone was enough for her to be proud. In terms of status, how could Inner Hall disciples compare to the last disciple of a Wu Mansion elder?

"What do you mean by 'joining in the fun'? Can't you speak properly?"

Su Shu gritted her teeth.

Lin Tian: "..."

At this moment, the middle-aged man coughed and looked at the disciples.

"Now, you can enter. Once inside the Inner Martial Cave, those who can last for an hour will be considered qualified. Those who are teleported out within an hour will be considered failures." The middle-aged man scanned the dozens of disciples and raised his voice, "Everyone, go in!"

"Yes!"

The disciples responded again.

The Inner Martial Cave had only one entrance. From a distance, the light inside the door flickered, giving it a mysterious feel.

"Let's go."

Su Shu said.

Lin Tian nodded and followed Su Shu, slowly walking in.

As soon as he stepped into the Inner Martial Cave, Lin Tian felt his vision darken, and then a dim light flickered around him. He was surprised to find that Su Shu, who had entered with him, was gone. He was alone in this space, unable to see the other disciples or the outside of the Inner Martial Cave.

Buzz!

Suddenly, the space changed, and Lin Tian felt his body become heavier.

Lin Tian's heart stirred; the gravity had increased!

After a moment of sensing, Lin Tian quickly realized that the gravity was between two and three times normal. For him, this was not a significant challenge, and he could move freely under this gravity. Of course, his combat strength would be somewhat suppressed, as this was not the outside world.

With a roar, a beast gradually materialized in front of him.

"This is the beast created by the Illusion Killing Array?"

Lin Tian muttered.

Looking at the beast, Lin Tian immediately recognized its level—it was a low-level Second Rank beast, equivalent to the Fourth Level of Body Tempering.

The beast roared and charged at Lin Tian.

"This Illusion Killing Array is quite realistic!"

Lin Tian was slightly surprised.

The beast's charge made him feel its breath, as if it were a real entity.

As he thought, the beast was already close.

Without hesitation, Lin Tian raised his sword and cut it in half. The long sword in his hand was issued by the Wu Mansion before the assessment, a simple long sword. The other disciples participating in the assessment were also given weapons of the same grade.

After killing the beast, Lin Tian stood still, making no move.

The next moment, another roar sounded, and this time, five beasts materialized, all at the peak of the Second Rank, equivalent to the Sixth Level of Body Tempering.

"Roar!"

With a loud roar, the five beasts surrounded Lin Tian.

However, Lin Tian's current strength was formidable. At the Ninth Level of Body Tempering, he paid no attention to a few Second Rank beasts. Seeing the five beasts charge, he didn't move, casually swinging his sword.

"Thud!"

"Thud!"

"Thud!"

In an instant, the five beasts were completely killed.

However, it didn't end there. After Lin Tian killed the five peak Second Rank beasts, more beasts materialized, dozens of them, all at the peak of the Second Rank, each extremely fierce.

Lin Tian remained calm.

He raised his hand, and the sword fell.

"Thud!"

"Thud!"

"Thud!"

Blood splattered in the dim space, and soon, all the dozens of beasts were killed one by one.

"From this, it seems that the beasts created by the Illusion Killing Array in the Inner Martial Cave will gradually increase in level and number, working in conjunction with the Heavy Wave Array to drain the true essence and physical energy of the participants. In the end, the participants will either be killed due to exhaustion of true essence or due to insufficient strength, and then be teleported out." Lin Tian thought, "However, in terms of beast levels, there shouldn't be any Fourth Rank beasts."

The Inner Martial Cave was designed to select Inner Hall disciples from the Outer Hall, and all Outer Hall disciples were at the Body Tempering stage. Therefore, there wouldn't be any Fourth Rank beasts in the Inner Martial Cave. As for someone like Zhou Hao, who had already reached the Divine Pulse stage in the Outer Hall, such a person didn't need to participate in the assessment and could directly join the Inner Hall.

Just as Lin Tian finished his thoughts, an even more startling roar sounded.

In front of him, a beast with scales covering its body appeared, its eyes blood-red and filled with fierce energy.

This was a mid-level Third Rank beast, equivalent to the Eighth Level of Body Tempering.

"Indeed."

Lin Tian muttered.

Without hesitation, Lin Tian swung his long sword, charging like a bolt of lightning and slashing at the beast's throat.