With the ever-present autumn rain, the temperature plummeted significantly and people were starting to put on their winter clothing.
After the end of the practical combat section, the Imperial Examination would officially conclude. The core evaluation on the third day was just a formality with no suspense.
A person's core was unlikely to undergo any major changes throughout their lives.
The autumn rain continued without an end in sight.
At the rooftop of the Mentors' Office in Luojiang Academy, the wolfberry tea in Wen Ting's hand had cooled.
Fine raindrops fell from the sky but none could touch him. The blade energy surrounding Wen Ting kept him from being drenched.
Suddenly, Wen Ting lifted his head and looked into the distance. A flight sword was streaking across the sky. As it approached, Wen Ting could make out the rider.
Wen Ting was surprised and quickly masked his energy. Chao Xiaojian was here.
"Vice Leader Chao," Wen Ting greeted with his hands folded.
Chao Xiaojian disembarked and the flight sword returned to the sword box with a flash.
He studied Wen Ting then smirked. "There's no need to suppress your negligible cultivation. You had innate talent but sadly, it was wasted. As the saying went, women will weaken your sword. And yet you abandoned your sword for that woman."
Wen Ting only smiled in return. He was not angered by the words. "Everyone has their method when it comes to mastering the sword. My sword is different from yours."
Chao Xiaojian pursed his lips. "You should stop masking your abilities. Prolonged suppression is damaging to your body."
Wen Ting smiled and asked curiously, "Why is Vice Leader Chao here in person?"
Chao Xiaojian's eyes lit after the reminder of the main reason for his visit. "That boy, Fang Lang… He managed to rank first in the theoretical component of the Imperial Examination. I came to follow his progress. It's such a shame, the boy only lacks a good core. Otherwise, he would no doubt rank well in the honor roll."
Wen Ting only chuckled at that.
'You know nothing.'
Then, the two men had nothing more to say to each other.
They waited in silence for the practical combat section to end.
As Wen Ting took a sip of his wolfberry tea, he watched as candidates walk out of the Luojiang Examination Tower. His eyebrows knitted together.
The exiting candidates were bruised and battered, some were trembling in fear while some broke down sobbing.
Chao Xiaojian's white eyebrow lifted. "Such unforgiving assessments will destroy morale and affect the future generations of cultivators…"
Wen Ting spat out the remnants of a wolfberry. His eyes married.
There was something off about this practical session…
The autumn rain was dissected by the sudden eruption of blade energy.
Wen Ting flickered and vanished from the rooftop of the Mentors' Office.
A white eyebrow lifted. Chao Xiaojian took a seat and waited for the drama to unfold.
…
The snow had a long passage carved into it. In the distance, heavy snow covered half of the Mountain God temple.
Fang Lang remained where he was, one hand clutching the Obsidian Sword. The energy in him continued to climb and the snow around him was pulverized by the intensity.
A fine Spirit Suit enveloped Fang Lang. He held the Obsidian Sword at an angle, sword tip pointing forward.
The foreign warrior rose. A stunned expression was on his face. His disbelief resulted in a loud howl.
"You!"
The man touched the wound on his chest. Fang Lang's attack nearly cut through him!
Unbelievable!
This was the caliber of a Tang Dynasty candidate?
'If the Tang Dynasty has geniuses like this, when will my tribe have a chance at glory?'
The foreign man tightened his grip on his sword. The ferocity and malevolence in his eyes intensified.
"Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to kill you. I won't survive if I killed you, but I can crush your soul and deter you from the path of cultivation," the foreign cultivator said coldly.
Boom!
With a heavy step, the untamed vital energy surrounding his body exploded, blowing away the nearby snow.
The man charged forward with all his might as if he was rushing into battle.
As a soldier who had fought in actual battles on the frontline, he would not lose to an inexperienced student who was sitting for the Imperial Examination.
The Tang Dynasty had invited the top fighters from the many armies throughout the empire to join this Imperial Examination. The strength of the army was to be used to educate the candidates about the truth of cultivation.
However, only Luojiang Examination Tower was assigned a foreign examiner—this was Li Puyi's arrangement.
It was Li Puyi's idea to rely on the foreign tribes to protect the Tang Dynasty's borders. Therefore, he appointed a foreign cultivator to be the practical combat examiner as a test run.
Coincidentally, the third prince wanted Li Puyi to pressure Fang Lang. Therefore, he made arrangements for the foreign cultivator to be posted at Luojiang Examination Tower.
Fang Lang did not flinch from the foreign warrior's attacking charge.
A third-class, first-grade martial arts master was no big deal.
Of course, a martial artist in the blood-bending realm had power running through all parts of the body. He was strong, no doubt, and it would be a tough battle if Fang Lang were to fight as his own self.
Why struggle when Fang Lang could decisively win?
Without hesitation, Fang Lang used the Power Loan Card and whipped out Jiang Linglong's ninth-grade sword mastery.
Old Jiang, the golden-core genius!
True geniuses could win despite being outranked.
The rule might not be applicable to others but with Old Jiang's power, Fang Lang was sure she could.
A golden-core ninth-grade sword master against a normal first-grade, blood-bending realm martial artist.
The foreign warrior who wanted to trash Fang Lang would soon understand…
Two could play the game.
Clink!
The Blooming Lotus Sword was unsheathed.
The overbearing killing instinct from the brutish foreign cultivator did not make Fang Lang flinch.
The late Lin Yun's intensity and ferocity were comparable to the foreign warrior's.
The blades clashed and Fang Lang let out a burst of speed. Both swords moved at high speed, causing the foreign cultivator to struggle to keep up. He was struck multiple times by Fang Lang's swords.
The man could only block blow after blow…
Even after Fang Lang stopped his attack, the man still raised his sword in a defensive stance.
Fang Lang activated his Spirit Step and afterimages appeared across the snowy land, confusing the foreign cultivator's sight.
Fang Lang hurled the Obsidian Sword. Like a black arrow, it shot forward and struck the pile of snow behind the foreign cultivator. Then, Fang Lang rushed forward and leapt. His jump caused the snow to rise from the ground.
Nearer to his target, Fang Lang's vital energy exploded and shocked the foreign warrior.
A sword master? A martial arts master?
Before the man could make head or tail, Fang Lang's knee shot out and struck the man's head.
Thud!
The foreign warrior was physically strong. His body simply wavered while his head was momentarily twisted to one side. When Fang Lang dropped to the ground, he pulled out the Obsidian Sword that was stuck in the pile of snow behind the man.
Sword Draw Technique!
The blade's light was brilliant and exuded a sharpness.
It poured forth and caused a flurry of snow.
Snowflakes danced in the strong winds.
The foreign cultivator's blood armor was ripped apart.
Snow was in the air and so was his blood.
Warm blood sprayed seven feet across the white landscape.
Fang Lang did not stop his barrage. With two swords in hand, he delivered lightning strikes that pierced through armor and broke defenses. His strikes were akin to his brush strokes during the written section of the combat assessment.
Within a few breaths, he had managed to land a dozen blows.
The harried foreign cultivator was bleeding from multiple wounds. Scarlet bloomed across the snowy fields.
He was breathless.
As a third-class martial artist, he could not believe he was losing.
Bloodied and bruised, he let out a frustrated roar.
He lunged forward and caught Fang Lang's blades. Blood ran down his arm but he managed to restrict the boy's movements. It was his chance to counterattack.
However, Fang Lang immediately released the two swords. The foreign warrior's jaw dropped.
Fang Lang raised his hand to the man's forehead and flicked.
Finger Flick Energy Wave!
A ninth-grade sword master's Finger Flick Energy Wave…
Whoosh!
The rippling blade energy poured out from his fingers. The snowy grounds shuddered in the wake of the energy blast.
The foreign cultivator's head was decimated into an unrecognizable mess.
Fang Lang rushed forward and got hold of the man's head. Fingers clutching tight, he forcefully rubbed the skull into the snow, a cold expression on his face.
"Crush my soul? Deter me from the path of cultivation? You? Hilarious…"
The words were uttered in a flippant tone.
With his fist, Fang Lang delivered blow after blow.
The grounds shook and the snow-laden Mountain God temple collapsed as if the scene was too gory for it to witness.
…
The doors to the combat hall swung open loudly.
Fang Lang walked out in a bloodstained robe with a dark expression. Despite his savage battery of the examiner, he was not the least bit happy.
The third prince had put a target on his back and Fang Lang felt the imminent danger. At his current state, he would be bullied when he entered the Imperial City.
When he achieved the third-grade sword mastery, he had thought to take a break from his rigorous cultivation. However, reality seemed to dictate otherwise.
Some distance away, an examiner from the Ministry of Rites escorted Liu Hao to the combat hall.
Noting the blood-soaked robes on the unhappy Fang Lang, Liu Hao wondered if the boy had failed the practical section like many others.
That assumption tasted as sweet as honey to Liu Hao.
Fang Lang's unhappiness was Liu Hao's happiness.
Liu Hao's joy in life was to see Fang Lang suffer.
As if sensing Liu Hao's delight, Fang Lang stared at the boy and smirked before leaving the area.
Liu Hao stepped into the combat hall.
The Winter Temple was chosen again as the arena after the randomization.
The illusion runes glowed. Liu Hao saw the fallen Mountain God temple and…
A bloodied and bruised examiner with labored breathing.
What did Fang Lang do to the examiner?
He smacked the examiner around?
Were the examiners so weak this round?
Then, Liu Hao rejoiced—the examiner was injured.
It meant he could easily pass this round.
However, his joy did not last.
The foreign cultivator who was severely beaten by Fang Lang slowly rose from the ground. With bloodshot eyes and a broken blood armor, he charged at Liu Hao. Rage fueled his rampage and he let out a roar.
Liu Hao only managed to utter, "Be—"
Tears splattered everywhere.
Be gentle.
…
Fang Lang exited Luojiang Examination Tower. The icy rain struck his skin.
Swoosh!
A zooming sound in the sky.
Wen Ting slowed down and got off his flight sword. He appeared beside Fang Lang.
Seeing Fang Lang's bloodied robe and downcast expression, trepidation filled Wen Ting's heart.
'Did Fang Lang fail the practical assessment?'
There must be something wrong with the examination.
"What happened?" Wen Ting asked in a stern tone.
Fang Lang saw his mentor and pursed his lips. In a miserable tone, he said, "Master Wen, I'm sorry…"
"What happened? Just tell me what happened," Wen Ting replied with a frown.
Fang Lang took a deep breath as if he was truly regretful.
"I almost killed the examiner. Sir, my hand was forced!"
Wen Ting was speechless.
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