Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Holy Sage Pavilion was the best pavilion in the Holy Zhi Palace and had a symbolic significance. According to some rumors in the palace at the moment, Bai Luli might have already been chosen as the next lord of Holy Sage Pavilion and he would manage the Holy Zhi Palace in the future. Indeed, Holy Zhi Palace was already paving the way for him.
Hua Fan was ranked first on the Law Rank and was the most brilliant person after Bai Luli. The Holy Zhi Palace similarly had high hopes for him. Ximen Hanjiang was ranked just below Hua Fan. Of course, in his batch, there were also a few others whose talents were no weaker than his. Going further down the rank, it would be Ye Futian’s cohort. Although Ye Futian had emerged first in the entrance assessment of the palace, he had entered Battle Sage Palace, while Bai Ze had entered Holy Sage Pavilion. Hua Fan would therefore clearly hope that Bai Ze would top the Law Rank in the future. However, Ye Futian was already stronger than Bai Ze in the assessment. Moreover, he had defeated Bai Ze despite being one level lower. Bai Ze would need to put in much effort to surpass him.
No elders would be participating in the Year-End Sparring Session in the Holy Zhi Palace. All the disciples here were geniuses and the elders would only occasionally guide them. Most of the time, they would be relying on their own hard work and ability to comprehend new things. The Holy Zhi Palace had plenty of cultivation resources. If a disciple had any questions, he could also ask the seniors around. There was no need for the elders to supervise everything.
This was meant for Noble Plane disciples. After they became sages, the Holy Zhi Palace would release all restrictions and allow them to do whatever they wanted. Even in the vast Barren State, Sage Plane cultivators would be considered as extremely powerful. They would have a high position in any place.
The Year-End Sparring Session was an opportunity for the disciples of the Holy Zhi Palace to have friendly fights with and learn from each other. It was a tradition passed down the generations. Therefore, most disciples would participate to see the progress of the others. While the elders of the Holy Zhi Palace would not be present, they would also be taking note of the outcome secretly.
At the moment, disciples of the Holy Zhi Palace were arriving one after another. The appearance of many people had attracted much attention. Clearly, all the disciples would be paying attention to those on the Law Rank.
Suddenly, Hua Fan walked out from the Kan direction and stood in front of everyone else, looking at the rest. His long robes swang in the air and he looked indescribably elegant.
“It’s the end of the year again. Every year, the Holy Zhi Palace holds the Year-End Sparring Session to examine the progress everyone’s made over the year. Furthermore, you’ll be fighting against each other. The session is non-competitive and does not have a ranking. You only need to display your skills casually and there are no rules. Most people should be aware of this,” Hua Fan said. “It’s nice that this year, the Holy Zhi Palace has admitted new disciples, which only occurs once every three years. We have many new people here. Juniors, you should make use of this opportunity to display your talents and the progress this upcoming year.”
There were no elders present during the session. Therefore, the first person on the Law Rank was the natural candidate for the host.
After speaking, Hua Fan glanced at Ye Futian’s direction. Ye Futian was the top performer among the newcomers, while Yu Sheng, Xu Que, and Hua Jieyu were also gathered beside him. Apart from Bai Ze and Zhuge Xing, the most powerful people among the newcomers were all around him. Hua Fan wanted to see how outstanding this newcomer, who had defeated Bai Ze with a lower level and was ranked 81st on the Law Rank, really was.
Apart from Hua Fan, many other people in various directions were also staring at Ye Futian, looking forward to his performance. People at any level could participate in the sparring session and they would all have a chance to display themselves. Ye Futian’s level was somewhat low and he certainly would not be in the spotlight, but he could still display his skills.
In the previous years, the top performers among the newcomers would all obtain a rank on the Law Rank after the sparring session. They might, in fact, even attain quite a good ranking. This year, Ye Futian was already ranked 81st on the Law Rank before the sparring session. Therefore, many people wanted to see which position Ye Futian could climb to after the sparring session.
“Let’s begin,” Hua Fan said.
Everyone quietened down, but nobody walked out. Many people looked at Ye Futian and his friends. Since they were giving the juniors the opportunity to perform first, most people would obviously be looking at Ye Futian, the top performer. If Ye Futian and his friends did not walk out, those who did not do so well in the assessment would also not walk out first as to not be humiliated.
The whole place fell into an awkward silence. Then, someone smiled and said, “Why are the newcomers this time so humble?”
“You don’t have to worry that you’ll lose face by performing badly. This has been the case in all the previous years. Nobody will mock you. Just try your best,” someone said.
Ye Futian looked at everyone. He bowed slightly and smiling, he said, “The newcomers, including me, do not really know the rules, so we’ll not go first. Seniors, please start the session, and you do not have to think for us all the time. I believe that when we are familiar with the rules, we’ll certainly go up the stage and perform.”
Hearing Ye Futian’s words, many people had a strange expression on their face. Ye Futian’s words did not have any problems, but Hua Fan had already asked the newcomers to go first. Was Ye Futian trying to refute Hua Fan by speaking like this? Indeed, this would very likely cause a misunderstanding. If Hua Fan really thought this, then…
Many people looked at Hua Fan to see his reaction. However, his expression was just as usual, and he did not seem to have any emotions.
“It’s simple. Ximen, go and demonstrate,” Hua Fan said. Then, a young man in a blue robe walked out. A somewhat sharp kind of coldness was being emitted from him and his temperament was extraordinary. He flew into the air and landed on the Zhonggong Battle Platform, after which he put his hand forward. Immediately, a freezing aura befell from the sky and the entire place was covered with a layer of frost. Snow started falling down. In this snowy world, a silver sword suddenly appeared.
The snow was cold, but the sword was colder.
Two of the statues behind the Nine Halls Diagrams also lit up as though they had felt the power released from Ximen Hanjiang. They started resonating with his power. In an instant, brilliant radiance was released from the two statues and a terrifying beam of light landed on Ximen Hanjiang’s body. Then, a two-colored light circled around his body. The light from Ximen Hanjiang’s sword was seven Zhang high, so was the freezing radiance around him. It caused the Sword Qi around him to become stronger and colder.
“Ximen Hanjiang is already in the Upper Noble Plane. In a few years, he will probably be able to stand at the peak of the Noble Plane and try to break through into the Sage Plane.”
“The radiance from both his sword and freezing aura is seven Zhang high, and it’s because he is only releasing his aura. If he’s at the climax of a fight, it might even go up to eight Zhang high. He is indeed the top performer of the assessment last cohort.”
“Go onto the stage and release your aura. Display your abilities and ask someone to fight. Do you understand?” Hua Fan said to Ye Futian. Withdrawing his aura, Ximen Hanjiang walked back to his original position. The radiance on the two statues also died down.
A strange expression appeared on Ye Futian’s face. Just now, he could clearly feel that the two statues seemed to have turned alive. They actually formed some kind of resonance with the aura from Ximen Hanjiang who was on the battle platform. The battle platform, Nine Halls Diagram, and Eight Trigrams were indeed placed in special positions. It seemed like the statues and Nine Halls Diagrams were somehow connected and could sense each other.
“I understand.” Ye Futian nodded.
“Then let’s start properly,” Hua Fan said again. However, after he said that, Ye Futian still seemed as if he had not heard anything. Instead of reacting, he only stood quietly there. Ye Futian did not have any other intentions. It was only that he did not want to go onto the stage and perform, at least not now.
The sparring session was supposed to be a very casual event. Ye Futian had come here mainly to see how strong the other people of the Holy Zhi Palace were and did not really want to display his abilities. Therefore, although he knew that Hua Fan and many others wanted to see him go onto the stage, he still made no moves.
He simply did not want to. He did not have to go just because the others wanted him to. When he really wanted to perform, he would naturally walk out.
Many people started smiling. The top performer this time was really somewhat interesting. It was no wonder many rumors claimed that he was shameless. Indeed, he would not act logically and did not care about others’ feelings at all. Even Hua Fan could not change his decision.
Hua Fan did not say anything directly, but he had already hinted something. However, Ye Futian still did not move. Clearly, nobody would think that Ye Futian did not know what was happening. All they could say was that Ye Futian really had a unique personality.
Many people from Holy Sage Pavilion frowned and glanced coldly at Ye Futian. Hua Fan was the top in the Law Rank at the moment and had received a place in Sage Palace. Indeed, he was the best disciple here after Bai Luli. Even Ximen Hanjiang would listen to his orders. On the other hand, the top performer deliberately gave no face to Hua Fan.
Suddenly, a person walked out from the Kan direction. It was Bai Ze. Since Ye Futian did not walk out, he would do it.
During the assessment battle, Bai Ze was badly humiliated. Over several months, he had been putting in his best to cultivate. He knew that Ye Futian must also be becoming stronger, but he still believed in himself. At the very least, he had to try. His brother, Bai Luli, was a saint-to-be, the most talented person in the Barren State. Bai Ze would not allow such a defeat to stay with him.
Even if he was to lose again, he would still not give up. The people from White Cloud City had their own pride and they would never think that they were lesser than anyone else.
Bai Ze walked onto the Zhonggong Battle Platform and glanced at the eight statues in the air. Then, he released his Eye of Devastation. At once, the Spiritual Qi of various elements around him raged and a horrifying artistic conception was born. It was as if all the Spiritual Qi was being controlled by him at the moment. The statues lit up one after another, and only one of them did not light up. A seven-colored radiance circled around him and it was four Zhang high. With his current level, it was already very amazing for him to achieve this. Many people seemed to be surprised.
He was indeed the second lord of White Cloud City.
Bai Ze was not weak, but how about Ye Futian?
Bai Ze raised his head. Looking at Ye Futian who was in the Li direction, he said, “I’m Bai Ze from Holy Sage Pavilion. I would like to challenge Ye Futian from Battle Sage Palace.”
Since Bai Ze called for a specific opponent, it was already a challenge. Everyone looked at Ye Futian. It was almost certain that this time, the top performer would not be able to avoid the battle.
Ye Futian glanced emotionlessly at Bai Ze. He totally disliked Bai Ze who had invited Hua Jieyu to join Holy Sage Pavilion right before him.
“A loser has no right to challenge me,” Ye Futian said. Right away, Bai Ze’s sharp look froze on the spot and his face darkened rapidly. He wanted to wash his old shame off. However, Ye Futian’s words were hitting him directly on his face!
