Slapped in the Face Again, Promoted to the Inner Sect, and the Zhou Family at All Costs
The annual outer sect promotion assessment of the Ancient Path Holy Land arrived as scheduled, and the entire outer sect area was bustling with activity. The huge martial arts arena was packed with participating disciples and onlookers early on.
Hundreds of outer disciples lined up neatly to await the assessment.
All eyes were focused on the ancient, imposing rock in the center of the arena, and everyone harbored the expectation of stepping into the inner sect.
An ordinary disciple's powerful attack can only unleash a cultivation level of three to five tiers.
Occasionally, a person with exceptional talent breaks through to the Sixth Tier, instantly eliciting gasps of amazement and heated discussions from the entire audience.
The Seventh Tier cultivation is an extremely rare Peak Stage level in the outer sect. Every time the Seventh Tier value lights up, it will attract envious glances from the surrounding disciples.
This assessment is the only chance for outer disciples to transform themselves, the dividing line between lower-level cultivators and core geniuses, and the ultimate opportunity that countless people have been waiting for after years of arduous cultivation.
The queue moved slowly forward, with countless disciples taking turns to test their skills. The discussions and exclamations on the field never stopped, and the atmosphere was extremely enthusiastic.
Many of Zhou Jingxuan's former disciples were secretly observing the situation. They were both curious about Chen Du's true strength and secretly wary of this newly promoted powerhouse who had risen against all odds.
When the long queue finally came to an end, Chen Du, dressed in a plain disciple's robe, slowly stepped out of the crowd, his calm figure instantly attracting the attention of everyone present.
Having undergone several transformations of laws and accumulated insights from Ji Yuan, he had long since shed his naivety upon first entering the sect. His aura was extremely restrained, and ordinary people could not fathom its depth at all.
Chen Du calmly walked to the front of the force-testing stone. He did not gather his strength or prepare a move, nor did he mobilize his powerful True Essence to create momentum. He simply raised his hand and threw a simple and unadorned punch.
A deep, resonant roar instantly swept across the entire training ground, and the spiritual light on the surface of the force-measuring stone surged and jumped wildly, with the readings skyrocketing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The value easily crossed the barrier of the Sixth Tier, swiftly broke through the limit of the Seventh Tier, and finally stabilized at the dazzling Eighth Stage mark, its brilliant light illuminating the entire arena.
The once bustling and lively martial arts arena suddenly fell into a deathly silence.
All the murmurs, exclamations, and conversations vanished, and every cultivator present was utterly shocked.
Everyone stared wide-eyed at the unchanging value on the force-measuring stone, their hearts filled with shock, unable to believe the sight before their eyes.
A mere newly promoted outer disciple who rose from the menial servants' quarters, having cultivated for just over a year, actually displayed Eighth Stage cultivation that crushed all his fellow disciples during the assessment.
The brief silence lasted only a few breaths before the entire training ground erupted in chaos, with shouts and commotion filling the entire area.
Countless disciples whispered among themselves, marveling at the upheaval of the world, the terrifying talent of these prodigies, and the unprecedented, heaven-defying advancement record in the history of the outer sect.
The examiner, who was sitting on the high platform, suddenly stood up with a drastic change in expression.
He had been in charge of the outer sect assessments for decades and had never seen an outer sect disciple reveal Eighth Stage cultivation level during the evaluation.
He strode down from the platform and went to the measuring stone to examine the spiritual patterns on its surface.
This confirms that it is not a mere illusion of spiritual brilliance, but rather a genuine foundation of cultivation.
To completely eliminate any loopholes, the steward personally activated the sect's sensing array, signaling Chen Du to step into the array and activate his own law cultivation for the final qualification verification.
Following instructions, Chen Du slowly stepped into the sensing array. The Level Six Law of Thunder within his body circulated slightly, and the foundation of his intermediate core was fully unleashed, with pure cultivation aura steadily emanating.
The array's light screen instantly lit up with a high-level cultivation indicator, clearly revealing the Eighth Stage cultivation level, completely confirming everyone's guesses and shock.
The deacon exhaled a long, drawn-out breath, his eyes filled with disbelief and solemnity. In front of hundreds of disciples, he loudly announced the final assessment results.
Zhang Shun topped the outer sect assessment in combat strength, his cultivation level was indeed at the Eighth Stage, his aptitude was qualified and his foundation was sufficient, so he was granted the qualification to enter the inner sect immediately.
As soon as he finished speaking, applause and congratulations erupted in the arena, mixed with sighs of resentment from many, and a group of the Zhou Family followers had livid faces and were full of resentment.
Chen Du bowed slightly to the steward, his demeanor calm and composed.
They then quietly retreated to one side of the field, waiting for the assessment to end and for the inner gate to arrive.
The afternoon sun was shining brightly when a refined-looking inner sect steward came alone to guide the newly recruited inner sect disciples. This man, surnamed Wu, was over forty years old and had a clean-shaven face.
Deacon Wu speaks slowly and gently, and his manner is fair and humble. Anyone who sees him would think that he is a just and reliable elder of the sect.
He led Chen Du away from the outer sect area, and they traveled along the winding mountain stone path, bypassing the bustling disciples' training areas, heading towards the deep mountains where the inner sect was located.
The road ahead became increasingly remote and secluded, and the disciples along the way gradually disappeared without a trace, until only steep cliffs and desolate gravel mountain paths remained to surround them.
The surrounding spiritual energy was becoming increasingly thin, and the environment was becoming more and more desolate and oppressive, with an eerie atmosphere and a sense of danger that seemed to be deliberately avoiding the sect's gaze.
Chen Du followed behind Deacon Wu without making a sound, his steps steady and his expression normal. He seemed completely unprepared, but his early warning talent in his mind was already in full operation.
[Inner Sect Deacon Wu had long been secretly colluding with the Zhou Family. Entrusted by the Zhou Family with a large sum of money, he intended to lure the host to a deserted cliff and secretly kill him. The target's cultivation level was at the Tenth Tier, and his combat power far exceeded that of ordinary inner sect cultivators. His killing intent was extremely strong. The system suggests that the host fight back on the spot to eliminate any future troubles.]
Chen Du calmly scanned the prompts appearing in his mind, his heart unmoved by any surprise, and continued to follow steadily forward with composure.
He had long anticipated that the Zhou Family would not let the matter rest, and he knew that they would definitely use their inner circle connections to plot an assassination. He was simply waiting quietly for them to fully reveal their murderous intent.
The two continued on until they reached the bottom of a secluded, deserted cliff. The desolate valley isolated them from all sects' investigations, making it an ideal place to kill and silence witnesses.
Deacon Wu finally stopped in his tracks. He slowly turned around, his gentle and refined smile vanishing instantly, replaced by a ferocious grin. "Zhang Shun, someone spent a fortune to take your life. You have no one to blame but yourself for your demise here today. I was merely paying someone to solve their problem."
The moment the words left his mouth, Deacon Wu no longer feigned any goodwill. His powerful and domineering Tenth Tier cultivation erupted completely, and a terrifying pressure enveloped the entire valley.
The pressure from cultivators far exceeding the outer sect level piled up layer upon layer, slamming down fiercely on Chen Du in front of him, intending to crush and kill his opponent directly by virtue of the difference in their cultivation levels.
They faced a terrifying pressure that was enough to crush an ordinary Eighth Stage cultivator.
Chen Du stood upright in place, without moving an inch or showing the slightest sign of panic.
He waited quietly for the other party to unleash all of their cultivation, waiting for the moment when the other party's arrogance was at its peak and their killing intent was at its most ferocious, before slowly raising one of his fingertips.
An extremely faint popping sound quietly echoed in the valley, and a wisp of dim, restrained dark golden lightning silently spilled from his fingertips, swiftly shooting into Deacon Wu's brow.
This bolt of lightning, though seemingly weak and insignificant, contained the primal destructive power of the Fourth-Tier Fundamental Law of Thunder, and concealed the ultimate mystery of the sixth-level law.
Just a second ago, Deacon Wu was arrogant and domineering, but now he froze on the spot, his True Essence completely stopped circulating, and all his killing intent and pressure dissipated.
He looked down blankly at his unharmed body, then looked up and stared intently at Chen Du, who had a calm expression. His lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a sound.
In the short span of half a breath, his physical body, dantian, True Essence, meridians, and soul, all at the Tenth Tier of cultivation, were annihilated and disintegrated by the primordial lightning, turning him into ashes from the inside out.
Fine dust drifted gently in the wind, and the cliff valley, which had just been teeming with murderous intent, instantly returned to a deathly silence, as if no one had ever fought there.
[Deliberate Revenge triggered, target's arrogance is at its peak, ultimate revenge achieved, base Hatred Qi Value increased by nine thousand years.]
[Super Ascension Talent activated, tenfold boost effective, final gain is 90,000 years of Ascension to Enmity Qi.]
Chen Du raised his hand and gently brushed away non-existent dust from his fingertips, his expression calm and composed. He turned and strode calmly toward the true inner sect gate.
This conspiracy to ambush him in secret ultimately turned into an opportunity delivered right to the Zhou Family's doorstep, causing his reserves of Enmity Qi to surge dramatically once again.
The following morning, news of the failed ambush at the cliff was sent a thousand miles to the Zhou Family mansion in the Heavenly Gift Dynasty, shattering the last vestiges of hope for the Zhou Family.
After listening to his subordinate's detailed report, the Zhou Family patriarch, who was sitting upright in his study, finally erupted with the rage that had been building up in his heart for months.
He raised his hand and smashed the precious jade porcelain teacup in his hand to the ground.
The sound of the teacup shattering was crisp and jarring, like the Zhou Family's repeated failed attempts to kill, shattered thoroughly, embarrassingly, and irrecoverably.
In the battle at the training ground in the past, they lost Zhou Jingxuan, the chief disciple of the outer sect whom they had carefully cultivated, and the genius they had nurtured with countless resources was completely rendered useless.
Today, their secret scheme has resulted in the mysterious death of the Tenth Tier inner sect steward they spent a fortune to win over, rendering their enormous resources completely useless.
Despite the Zhou Family's repeated attempts to scheme and scheme, investing their connections, resources, and core strength, they couldn't even harm a single hair on Chen Du's head.
Time and again, meticulously planned deadly traps failed to materialize, and seemingly inevitable killing schemes turned into a joke. Endless frustration and anger swept through the entire Zhou Family's upper echelons.
The Zhou Family patriarch paced back and forth in his closed study, his face extremely gloomy, and the fear and apprehension in his eyes were growing and spreading wildly.
He fully realized that ordinary assassinations and schemes would no longer be effective against this young man. If he were allowed to continue to grow, the Zhou Family's decades-long sect strategy would eventually collapse.
After a long silence, he suddenly stopped, gritted his teeth, and uttered a cold and resolute command, preparing to use the Zhou Family's ultimate trump card, which had been hidden for countless years, to completely eradicate the threat.
"Immediately proceed to the clan's forbidden area to report to the patriarch, informing him that Zhang Shun, a remnant of the Zhang Family, is growing at an alarming rate. If he is not suppressed soon, the Zhou Family's foundation will surely crumble."