Night fell at Tinghai Pavilion.
The group squeezed into a single room to discuss the assessment starting the day after tomorrow.
"When I went to register, the sequence had already reached 316. There were still many people queuing behind me. Conservatively, I estimate about 400 teams will participate," Shen Mengqi spoke first.
"Brother Wang and I checked the assessment arenas. There are ten in total. They are about ten meters square with very little buffer space. At this distance, techniques from the qi refining stage can basically cover the entire area," Zhao Yifang shared the information he had gathered.
"The assessment lasts for twenty-four hours. The goal is to choose an arena and hold it until the end."
"So it is a king of the hill format. That means only ten teams will make it to the next round."
"Yes. The ten teams remaining on the arenas at the end will earn the qualification to go to Tianxin Island for the final assessment."
The rules of the Tianxin Assessment were always simple, even less complex than the entrance exams of some minor sects. Those exams often tested character, comprehension, spiritual roots, or compatibility with the sect's techniques. As the world's number one, Tianxin Island favored a more direct approach.
"Then wouldn't the first person to step onto the arena be at a huge disadvantage?"
"The arena master has one privilege: they can choose the combat format. It can be individual rotation matches or a multi-person melee. You can choose based on your team's composition," Zhao Yifang continued. "For a group like ours, we should probably choose individual rotation. Those large sects might form formations based on the five elements or corresponding buffs to face their enemies."
Ma Ku took out a registry and handed it to Shen Mengqi. "I went to the Tower of Three Excellences with Fellow Daoist Chen today and bought this Genius Registry published by the Sifang Chamber of Commerce. Many geniuses recorded inside have combined attack methods used to fight enemies above their realm."
"Senior Brother Ma, which ones are the formidable opponents? Could you tell us?" Shen Mengqi took the registry and flipped through it while asking Ma Ku.
Ma Ku shook his head. "The Sifang Chamber of Commerce is very slick. The registry only records them without ranking them. Looking at it alone without a specific reference makes it hard to say."
For the Sifang Chamber of Commerce, the decennial Tianxin Assessment was a periodic hot event. it was the perfect time to launch limited commercial services, such as the sky skiffs and the registry.
However, the extra revenue from the Tianxin Assessment was just a drop in the bucket. Although the Sifang Chamber of Commerce was backed by the four great sects, the registry also involved the geniuses of those sects. There was no need to offend their backers for a little bit of money. Therefore, the president of the chamber had established a rule long ago: record everyone, but rank no one.
Even if some people did not meet the standards, as long as they objected, the Sifang Chamber of Commerce would add them to the registry. In the words of their president: "The registry is just for the spectacle, and the Sifang Chamber of Commerce is simply a place that provides the spectacle."
Shen Mengqi flipped through it a few times before losing interest. The content in the registry might be true, but it was filled with too much flowery language and exaggeration.
For example, it recorded a core disciple of the Peach Blossom Sect, claiming his swordplay was ethereal and transcendent, and that flowers followed the movement of his blade. But Shen Mengqi knew it was just a transformation technique within the Peach Blossom True Qi. At the qi refining stage, a cultivator's divine sense was not yet strong, so many techniques included visual distractions.
"Should we try to seize an arena early the day after tomorrow?" Chen Xu asked. He was not familiar with the others and did not know if they had combined techniques. If a large sect took an arena and forced a multi-person melee, it would be difficult for him to operate.
"Only Yifang and I have a dual sword technique here. We don't have an advantage in multi-person combat, so we can consider holding an arena early," the other sword cultivator, Wang Sen, suggested.
"But we aren't from a major sect. I expect many people will challenge us. Except for Senior Brother Shi, who has thick earth element qi and long-lasting energy, the rest of you might not be suited for prolonged combat. If we get stuck in a loop of constant challenges, it will be difficult," Zhao Yifang expressed his concerns. After all, Shen Mengqi's team was neither a famous sect nor comprised of ranked geniuses.
"It is fine. Leave it to me," Chen Xu said directly.
"Do you have a plan, Big Brother Chen?" Shen Mengqi looked over, her eyes full of curiosity. She held great admiration for this top Dragon Seed candidate who had cleared the initial dungeon with such efficiency and completed a low-level dungeon alone.
"A preemptive strike."
...
Time flew by, and the day of the assessment soon arrived.
"Everyone, the assessment officially begins once this incense is lit. When the incense burns out, the teams remaining on the arenas will earn the qualification to enter the next round." The old man Chen Xu had seen in the betting room was now wearing the robes of the Sifang Chamber of Commerce. He held a massive piece of green incense with both hands and placed it into a tripod. Surrounding the tripod were the ten arenas.
The old man pressed his palms together and bowed toward Tianxin Island. Then, a bolt of spiritual fire descended from the sky and lit the green incense.
In the next instant, cultivators leaped onto the three arenas near the south.
Chen Xu seized the opportunity and used a teleport to stand on an arena to the west.
Shen Mengqi and the others followed him up.
"Does anyone recognize the team on Arena Seven?"
"I don't. Looking at their robes, they don't seem to be from any sect. Perhaps they are rogue cultivators from somewhere, ignorant of the world and just trying to attract attention."
"Hehe, there are always hotheads every year. But this is the Tianxin Assessment. There will be a good show to watch in a moment."
Aside from the four arenas occupied by Chen Xu and others, the remaining six were also quickly claimed. Based on their attire, the three teams from the same batch as Chen Xu were from the three great sects. Of the other six arenas, four were held by teams in uniform, and the remaining two were rogue cultivator teams.
Before long, a team stepped onto Arena Seven, Chen Xu's arena.
"Will the arena master please choose the combat format?"
The Sifang Chamber of Commerce had arranged a referee beside each arena.
"Individual rotation," Shen Mengqi replied.
The referee nodded and shouted loudly, "Arena Seven, individual rotation! Please send your contestants!"
"Arena Seven is starting! Look over there!"
"Hah, it is a team of unknown rogue cultivators. Look, they've been targeted by the Tianshan Sect."
"Hehe, what if they are hiding their true strength? It wouldn't be the first time rogue cultivators passed the assessment like that."
Only Chen Xu and one contestant from the challenging team remained on the arena. Everyone else stepped down.
"Chen Xu of the Bone Path," Chen Xu looked at his opponent and introduced himself.
But the opponent only nodded without responding, seemingly looking down on a rogue cultivator like Chen Xu.
After all, Chen Xu was only wearing a plain yellow-rank daoist robe and did not even have a magical artifact. He looked exactly like a rogue cultivator who had come just to join the fun.
Chen Xu was not annoyed. He simply smiled and stood with his hands behind his back.
"Begin the match!"
The referee's voice had barely faded.
Over thirty skeleton arms suddenly appeared in front of the opponent. Carrying the power of a Bash, they slammed into his body. Caught off guard, the man was sent flying.
Chen Xu did not let up. He continued to summon skeleton arms in mid-air, knocking his opponent higher and higher.
Finally, a massive skeleton palm appeared above him. It was the hand of Bone Guard One. Even if the opponent was disrespectful, Chen Xu had to return the favor; he considered himself a man of etiquette.
The giant hand slapped down fiercely, and Bone Guard One even utilized the power technique of a Shield Bash.
Boom!
Bang!
The first sound was the skeleton palm striking the opponent, and the second was the sound of the opponent embracing the earth.
"Ah Cheng!"
The people from the Tianshan Sect rushed forward to check on him.
Chen Xu looked at the referee and asked, "Does this count as my win?"
The referee snapped back to his senses and announced loudly, "Arena Seven, defense successful! Challenger, please send your next member or forfeit the arena!"
"What kind of technique is that?"
"Brother Liu, you are well-traveled. Have you ever seen which sect this belongs to? How did he summon so many skeleton arms in an instant?"
"I have never seen it either. The Immortal Island is vast and full of wonders. It might be a fringe inheritance from a remote island or a strange technique left over from ancient times. It is hard to say."
Seeing Chen Xu's rapid victory and unusual fighting style, the surrounding audience grew rowdy, filled with noisy chatter.
Even the contestants on other arenas looked toward them.
Seeing that he had achieved the desired effect, Chen Xu decided to add more fuel to the fire.
The giant hand of Bone Guard One appeared again, transforming into a palm shape that hovered behind Chen Xu like a bone throne. Then, several skeleton soldiers appeared from behind, stacking and intertwining with each other to form a buddha statue about five meters tall. Over thirty more arms extended from the back of the statue.
"Chen Xu of the Bone Path, greetings to you all," Chen Xu said loudly, cupping his hands to the entire crowd. He then sat cross-legged on the bone throne, leaning his head on one hand while resting his left leg over his right.
The entire field fell into an instant, deathly silence.
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