"Clang, clang, clang..."
One resounding bell toll after another rang out, echoing throughout the entire Heavenly God Academy.
Before long, the Dragon Soul Bell had been struck thirty or forty times, and it continued to ring.
The bell's chimes were steady, carrying an exquisite rhythm that soothed the restless hearts of those who heard them.
Even the academy officials of the Void Refining Stage temporarily set aside their work and gazed toward the source of the bell.
"Looks like today's challenger came well prepared."
"But ringing the Dragon Soul Bell ninety-nine times is merely the prerequisite for beginning the challenge. Whether she can pass the three trials is another matter entirely."
"Especially the third trial. No one has managed to pass it for many years."
As the academy officials spoke, the bell continued to toll. In the blink of an eye, it had already rung more than eighty times.
"Only a dozen or so strikes remain, yet the chimes are still steady and without the slightest stray note. It seems the Dragon Soul Bell cannot stop today's challenger."
"With nothing else to do, let's head to the Preaching Hall and see just how far this challenger can go."
Inside the Preaching Hall, upon hearing the ninety-ninth bell toll, the old man seated nearby with his eyes closed opened them, a trace of surprise flashing through his gaze.
He had seen that this female cultivator's cultivation was unremarkable and had assumed she had come to Heavenly God Academy with a letter of recommendation merely to broaden her horizons. He had not expected her to truly ring the Dragon Soul Bell ninety-nine times.
When the Dragon Soul Bell was struck, the dragon roars emitted by the True Dragon remnant soul sealed within it would disrupt the bell-ringer's state of mind. The longer