Chapter 110 - 107: The Assessment Begins

Chapter 110: Chapter 107: The Assessment BeginsSeeing the two giant eagles approaching, Ye Xuan hurriedly dissipated the demonic power from his body, as it would certainly be troublesome if someone else detected the fluctuations of demonic power on him. His body’s demonic power retracted back into the Beast Soul Token and in that instant, Ye Xuan felt a sense of exhaustion. After all, this power was not his own, and having it drained away so quickly naturally left him feeling quite unwell and weak. The two giant eagles descended from the sky and landed beside Ye Xuan. Two people jumped down from their backs, one a white-robed old man with a kindly brow and benevolent gaze, who looked to be over seventy, and the other, a middle-aged man in luxurious clothing. However, both were high-level experts of the Martial Sect. "Young fellow, there seemed to be an astonishing surge of demonic and evil energy shooting into the sky just now, what exactly happened here, did you see anything?" The white-robed old man, seeing only Ye Xuan around, stepped forward to ask. The two of them had sensed the anomaly here and had hurried over. "There indeed was a battle here just now." Ye Xuan’s expression remained unchanged. His cultivation was only at the Sixth Grade martial master level, and the conflict was so fierce that the others would definitely not suspect him, so there was no need for undue worry. "Oh?" The white-robed old man raised his eyebrows, and the middle-aged man in luxurious clothing also turned to look at Ye Xuan. "The strength of the two involved was surprisingly formidable, and they fought a fierce battle right here. One of them seemed to be called something like the Vampire General..." Ye Xuan scratched his head, pretending to be a clueless youth, before slowly continuing. "Vampire General? One of the Eight Demon Generals of the Black Demon Sect. Indeed, a remnant of the Black Demon Sect." The middle-aged man’s expression suddenly turned cold while he exchanged a glance with the white-robed old man. They had guessed it earlier, but hearing Ye Xuan’s words instantly confirmed their thoughts. "I wonder who the expert exchanging blows with the Vampire General was." The white-robed old man looked contemplative and then turned to Ye Xuan, evidently curious about who had been battling the Vampire General. "I wouldn’t know about that. I’m just a little nobody; those two didn’t care about me at all. However, that Vampire General guy has been seriously injured, and he fled on a flying Demon Beast heading southwest. If you go after him with full force now, perhaps you could still catch up." Ye Xuan shook his head and then pointed in the direction where the Vampire General had fled. "Good, thank you, young brother. A man who survives a great disaster is destined for good fortune; your luck in the future is probably not shallow." The white-robed old man and the man in luxurious clothing exchanged looks. They naturally would not miss the opportunity to eliminate a remnant of the Black Demon Sect. After smiling at Ye Xuan, the two immediately leaped onto the backs of the giant eagles and soared off toward the southwest. As Ye Xuan watched the two figures disappearing into the horizon, he breathed a sigh of relief. Of course, he hoped that they could catch the Vampire General, which would also mean eliminating a latent threat. However, he did not hold out much hope—after all, if such an adversary were so easily vanquished, the remnants of the Black Demon Sect would not still be rampaging as they were now. "I should meet up with Little Yan now, otherwise she’ll be worried if it gets too late." Muttering to himself, Ye Xuan mounted his horse. Tang Xiaoyan was still in the dark about what had just happened, and if he did not show up soon, she would likely be beside herself with worry. "Giddy-up!" With this thought, Ye Xuan spurred his horse and took off at full speed, heading towards the capital city to the north. ... Great Hua’s Capital City, being the largest and most populous city of Great Hua Country, had a frightening amount of foot traffic. The city walls alone were a hundred zhang tall and, from afar, looked like a giant beast lying prostrate upon the plains, creating an incredible visual impact. By the time Ye Xuan reached the city gate, it was nearing dusk, but the stream of people entering and leaving the city was still bustling, with a very long queue. After waiting in line for a considerable time, Ye Xuan finally entered the city. Fortunately, Tang Xiaoyan was waiting nearby the city gate, and they quickly reunited. Tang Xiaoyan, who was deeply concerned, also heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing Ye Xuan safely arrive. The onrush of the Vampire General had given her quite a scare; she had never encountered such a menacing figure before. Upon hearing about the identity of the Vampire General from Ye Xuan, Tang Xiaoyan’s pretty face grew solemn. Clearly, the matter of the Black Demon Sect’s remnants was well-known throughout the entire Tiannan Region. "Brother Ye, how did you manage to escape in the end?" Tang Xiaoyan looked at Ye Xuan with some astonishment. The Vampire General was a notorious figure within the Black Demon Sect, one of the Eight Demon Generals. Although Ye Xuan was strong, he was still far from the Vampire General’s level. "Fortunately, two experts happened by and injured the Vampire General, which saved my life." Ye Xuan smiled. Of course, he couldn’t reveal the truth that he had unleashed the power of the Flood Dragon in a major burst, thoroughly routing the Vampire General. "To injure a vampire general, one must be a true expert," Ye Xuan’s brother sighed with admiration. "You’re quite lucky, Brother Ye Xuan. Perhaps the one who saved you was a master from the Heavenly Martial Hall." Tang Xiaoyan naturally had no doubts about what Ye Xuan had said, and she blinked before speaking immediately. "There should be quite a few experts from Martial Sects in the Great Hua Country, but it’s not necessarily someone from the Heavenly Martial Hall. Things won’t be just that coincidental." Even though Ye Xuan said that, the likelihood was still significant. However, whether it was an expert from the Heavenly Martial Hall or not wasn’t important. After all, one couldn’t expect them to give you a break just because of such a small connection. Besides, there was no need for that. They must do what they needed to do and prepare properly for the upcoming Heavenly Martial Hall disciple admission assessment. That was the real matter at hand. Now, there were only about five days left until the admission assessment. Before that, he needed to take good care of his body to face the challenge in his best condition. After all, Heavenly Martial Hall only recruited new disciples once every three years, and the recruitment extended across the entire Tiannan Region. While Ye Xuan’s current strength wasn’t bad, he hadn’t been practicing cultivation for long. The younger generation from the Tiannan Region might well be full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, with many outstanding peers, and must be taken seriously. The two found a top-grade inn to rest in. For the next few days, Ye Xuan had no intention of going out again, to avoid any unnecessary trouble at this critical juncture. Five days passed in the blink of an eye. The day of the Heavenly Martial Hall disciple assessment had finally arrived. Before dawn broke, Ye Xuan called Tang Xiaoyan, as today’s disciple assessment left no room for negligence. The location for the Heavenly Martial Hall’s recruitment was set up in East City, the capital city. That place was already a branch of the Heavenly Martial Hall, where the assessment of new disciples always took place. Ye Xuan and his companion did not stop on the way, heading straight to the destination. Still, by the time they arrived, the assessment site was already overcrowded and a long line had formed. Looking at the queue, at least forty or fifty meters long, Ye Xuan couldn’t help but click his tongue in wonder. It seemed countless people wanted to join the Heavenly Martial Hall. He thought he had arrived early enough, but there were already so many people ahead waiting. However, since they had arrived, Ye Xuan was not in a hurry and queued up at the end of the line patiently with Tang Xiaoyan. The first requirement for Heavenly Martial Hall in recruiting disciples was clear origins; they never accepted anyone with an unclear background, fearing infiltration by spies. Secondly, one needed to be no older than twenty-five. Anyone over this age would be eliminated directly. Of course, some people tried to lie about their age to sneak through, but the Heavenly Martial Hall had special means to test one’s bone age, which would reveal the truth upon examination. Standing in front of Ye Xuan were three young powerhouses dressed as Princely Heirs from major families, whose attention was naturally caught by Ye Xuan and his companion’s arrival. Obviously, their attention wasn’t on Ye Xuan, but on Tang Xiaoyan. After all, Tang Xiaoyan’s beauty was astonishing anywhere she went, even though she dressed in simple white soft armor without much adornment that day. Her natural grace still drew many gazes. Beautiful women always attract suitors. Those Princely Heirs, after a short while, initiated a conversation with Tang Xiaoyan. After some chatting, Ye Xuan learned that these people were indeed the Princely Heirs from various families of Great Hua Country, all here to become disciples of the Heavenly Martial Hall without exception. "Greetings, I am Yang Hang. May I ask your name, brother?" After a while, the young man in white clothes finally turned his attention to Ye Xuan, noticing that Tang Xiaoyan’s manners seemed to inquire about him, which made him slightly irritated. Their Yang family held quite a reputation in the Great Hua Country, and so he spoke with considerable confidence. "Ye Xuan," he responded indifferently, giving his name directly. "So, you’re Brother Ye," Yang Hang greeted Ye Xuan with a cupped-hand salute and a smile, but in his heart, he felt somewhat disdainful. In his mind, there was no Ye family known as a major family in Great Hua Country. He thought Ye Xuan might be someone of consequence, but now it seemed more likely that Ye Xuan was just Tang Xiaoyan’s follower. Seeing the change in Yang Hang’s expression, Ye Xuan guessed what he was thinking. However, naturally, he wouldn’t reveal his thoughts; it didn’t matter to him how the other perceived him. Yang Hang, though, turned his attention back to Tang Xiaoyan, showing great eagerness. He answered any question she had, responding eagerly with a beaming smile. "Miss Tang, you must take the admission assessment seriously. As far as I know, there are two main parts to the test. The first is an assessment of True Qi and the attributes of the Cultivation Technique. One needs to meet certain standards to enter the second round of the assessment. The second round is the most difficult, involving the most tests," Yang Hang said, his expression growing solemn as he spoke about the second round, which was likely the barrier that denied entry to many. "What does the second round test?" Tang Xiaoyan couldn’t help asking. Ye Xuan’s eyes also showed a trace of curiosity about this second round. "Have you heard of the Copper Man Formation of the Heavenly Martial Hall?" Yang Hang’s demeanor turned stern as he spoke each word deliberately.