Chapter 70 - 70 67 The Eve of the Trial

70: Chapter 67: The Eve of the Trial 70: Chapter 67: The Eve of the Trial Dragon City, located on the southern border of the Great Xia Kingdom, was the city closest to the Panlong Mountain Range. Although its scale could not be considered grand and magnificent, it was nonetheless a strategic border fortress built to withstand the attacks of Demon Beasts from the Panlong Mountains and held a position of considerable importance. At this time, on the eve of the opening of the Hundred Clan Trials, as the largest foothold for those heading to the Panlong Mountain Range and the starting point for the trials, there were not only numerous descendants of major families participating in the trials, but also a multitude of Martial Artists who flocked to the ordinarily cold and desolate city, adding an exceptionally bustling atmosphere. By the time Ye Xuan arrived at Dragon City, there were already many figures gathered within the city, and even more outside the city, all thronging toward the city center. Numbers of steeds galloped, each one carrying the talented youths of various noble families of the Great Xia Kingdom, creating a spectacular sight. As the grandest event of the Great Xia Kingdom, the Hundred Clan Trials clearly possessed an unquestionable power to attract and appeal. “Indeed, it’s a grand occasion…” Ye Xuan looked at the scene, a trace of admiration flashed in his eyes. Although he had experienced the grandeur of the autumn hunts organized by noble families, where the scale was also not small, when it came to quality, it was clearly inferior to the Hundred Clan Trials; after all, at the autumn hunt, reaching the Fourth Grade Martial Master Realm could be considered top tier, but here, that level was seen all over the streets… Without any disturbances, Ye Xuan entered the city. At that moment, inside Dragon City, one could see figures everywhere, in groups of twos and threes. S~eaʀᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The city was not very large to begin with, which made it seem incredibly busy. However, those who could enter the city were Martial Artists with the qualification to do so, and ordinary people could no longer enter the city now. After a long journey, Ye Xuan did not linger and headed directly towards an inn. Along the way, the conversations of the Martial Artists were continuous, their topics were undoubtedly about the trials, and specifically about which family had strong contenders likely to rank in the top three. Of course, the ones with the highest buzz were the Princely Heirs of the three great families from the capital: Xia Xingyun, Jun Wuming, and Xie Cangsheng. Originally, Ye Xuan thought these three would be his greatest rivals, but after seeing Song Peifeng on the road, his thoughts had somewhat changed. The Great Xia Kingdom had over a hundred families, both large and small, and even though there were only a few first-rate families now, there were still many that used to belong to the first-rate league, such as the Song family, where Song Peifeng came from. The trials had not yet begun, but the overt competition was already so intense. Behind the scenes, it was even more turbulent, with unknown strengths of hidden rivals. When the time came, there would undoubtedly be an intense battle like dragons fighting tigers. Upon arriving at the inn, Ye Xuan settled the Two-headed Demon Tiger he rode and went to rest early. Dusty and weary from the road, even an iron man needed to recuperate and await the start of the trials. During the days of the Hundred Clan Trials, the inns within the city were reserved for the Princely Heirs of the great families, and unrelated individuals had already been evacuated from the city. Dragon City was originally a strategic border location, with very few real commoners. The night passed without incident. The next day. The city remained lively, and after resting for the night, Ye Xuan came out from the inn and wandered the streets at random. March was approaching and the weather was gradually warming up. Occasionally, well-dressed descendants of noble families could be seen, walking in twos and threes. There were quite a few Martial Artists coming and going on the streets and soon, Ye Xuan arrived at the central square of the city. On the square, many figures dressed in blue robes adorned with a green leaf on their chests could be seen. These people were disciples of Green Leaf Valley, all wearing the sect’s standardized uniform. These disciples of Green Leaf Valley all appeared spirited. Although their Cultivation was not much different from other noble descendants, there was an unmistakable hint of arrogance in their eyes and brows, a sense of superiority common among sect disciples over ordinary people. Ye Xuan’s gaze shifted from the Green Leaf Valley disciples and landed on a cylindrical stone column standing in the middle of the square. The material from which the column was made was unknown, and on the surface of the stone column, there were very precise scales. A rather peculiar wave of energy was emanating from it. At this moment, there were quite a few people surrounding the column. A burly man stepped up to the column and swung his fist to hit it. The scales on the column rose swiftly, stopping at the number “fifty-six.” “Is this a True Qi Testing Column?” Seeing this scene, Ye Xuan’s eyes lit up slightly. The so-called True Qi Testing Column was used to test a Martial Artist’s strength. Upon unleashing one’s True Qi at full force against the column, it could measure the intensity of the tester’s True Qi, serving as an indicator to assess strength. Bang! A short and thin young man stepped up to the column and slammed his palm against it. The scale immediately climbed and stopped at the number sixty-three. Seeing this result, Ye Xuan could not help but glance at the thin young man. Although physically different from the previous tester, the latter’s True Qi quality was extremely high. In a fight, relying solely on the brawny man’s physical advantage, he most likely would not be the match. Appearances can be deceiving; the strength of Martial Artists has always had little to do with their physique. Generally, those below the Martial Master Realm would test within twenty. Upon reaching the Martial Master Realm, each increase in grade would add about ten units to the scale. The short and thin young man, merely at the Fourth Grade Martial Master Realm, had scored sixty-three, proving no lack of strength. “Forty-two.” “Fifty-five.” The disciples from Green Leaf Valley recited the test measurements unemotionally. The Princely Heirs and Martial Artists who had completed their tests were also somewhat dejected; evidently, the results were disappointing even to themselves. “Third Young Master, this True Qi Testing Column is a unique artifact of Green Leaf Valley. Why don’t we give it a try?” Just then, two young men approached, one of them speaking in a somewhat ingratiating tone. “It’s the Xie Family’s Third Young Master, Xie Cangsheng! He’s a hot favorite to rank in the top three of this trial.” Someone recognized the lean young man in blue, and immediately exclamations of surprise erupted. “What, Xie Cangsheng from the Xie family? He wants to test as well? I wonder what score he’ll achieve.” Seeing Xie Cangsheng’s presence, the surrounding Princely Heirs and Martial Artists were shocked, while the Green Leaf Valley disciples also focused their attention, curious to see how strong the much-hyped Xie Cangsheng really was. “Then as you wish, let’s give it a try.” Xie Cangsheng cracked a smile and walked up to the stone column. His eyes sparked with intensity, and with a “bang,” he struck the True Qi Testing Column with a punch. In the eyes of the crowd, the scale on the column shot up rapidly, breaking past seventy, eighty, and finally stopping at the position of eighty-one. “As expected of Xie Cangsheng, a hot favorite for the top three ranks.” Seeing this measurement, the onlookers immediately began to express their admiration. Even the disciples from Green Leaf Valley were moved; eighty-one was no simple feat. The experts who could reach this score in Green Leaf Valley were probably only Core Disciples. Xie Cangsheng, seeing this measurement, just smiled nonchalantly, enjoying the admiring glances from around him. Eighty-one, just passable. “Hey, isn’t that Ye Xuan, the champion of the last Aristocratic Family Autumn Hunt? Brother Ye, aren’t you going to give it a try?” At that moment, someone recognized Ye Xuan, and suddenly all eyes were directed towards him. Even though many didn’t think much of the Autumn Hunt champion, Ye Xuan’s reputation had grown quite loud after the event, and almost everyone present knew his name. “Brother Ye is usually unassuming; there’s no harm in testing.” “Right, let’s witness Brother Ye’s elegance.” Upon seeing Ye Xuan, many people also assisted vocally. Of course, some wanted to see just how strong Ye Xuan was, but whether they held good intentions or wished to see him make a fool of himself was hard to say. “Alright.” Ye Xuan, curious about the potential outcome, wasn’t pretentious. He walked up a few steps, without even preparing himself, and casually slapped the True Qi Testing Column. Seeing this, many people snickered. This Ye Xuan really didn’t know how to exert his strength; such a light and breezy palm would probably not even hit sixty. However, just when they were ready to mock Ye Xuan, the scale on the column surged quickly, surpassing eighty, and then nudged slightly higher. Eighty-two. In an instant, all voices came to an abrupt halt. Hisss! A chorus of gasps echoed through the crowd, their eyes almost popping out. Ye Xuan had casually slapped an eighty-two? That score was even higher than Xie Cangsheng’s. But how could that be possible? The person who looked the most upset was Xie Cangsheng himself. Seeing Ye Xuan hitting a score of eighty-two, the smile on his face instantly stiffened. “There must be something wrong with this testing column, right? How can a mere Fifth Grade Martial Master produce a score of eighty-two?” Xie Cangsheng snorted coldly, his face dark with discontent. “Exactly, the Third Young Master just exerted too much force, causing this True Qi Testing Column to malfunction,” the sycophantic young man next to Xie Cangsheng immediately chimed in. Hearing these somewhat unreasonable remarks, Ye Xuan couldn’t help but feel a mix of amusement and disbelief. Indeed, he hadn’t controlled his strength properly just now. If he had known that such a casual strike could reach the score of eighty-two, he should have tempered his power a bit more to avoid causing such a disturbance.