Passing Three Trials in a Row

The gatekeeping puppets of the fourth trial had become Mid True Qi Realm. Both their strength and speed had undergone a qualitative leap.

Of course, that was only relative. Compared with Lu Ming, they were still far too lacking.

They were still pinned to the ground without question.

"Good heavens, that closing speed, that pinning force—how could there be such a tyrannical existence among the last three groups?"

"I think I've seen him before. I remember now—at the Mission Hall last time, he accepted a Level Three mission targeting the great bandit Lan Wuying despite only being at the Early True Qi Realm."

"Lan Wuying? Didn't they say even his master, Xiao Zan, had appeared? I never expected him to make it back."

"Yeah, and he's already reached the Mid True Qi Realm now."

Since they had reached the fourth trial, the rules had changed to first come, first tested. Thus, there were many spectators behind and beside Lu Ming.

Someone among them had clearly recognized Lu Ming.

"Look at that swordswoman! She didn't even draw her sword, yet she casually flipped the puppet over. That's too monstrous, isn't it?"

Before long, they saw Zhu Ningyun's performance as well and erupted in cries of surprise.

Thus, as time passed, Lu Ming and Zhu Ningyun cut through the trials like bamboo, arriving at the sixth trial.

This was a watershed, because the gatekeeping puppets in this trial possessed strength equivalent to Martial Artists at the Peak Mid True Qi Realm.

And there were two of them.

As a result, the number of people reaching this point dropped drastically.

The passage entrances had also become five, further mixing up the people entering.

Fortunately, many Steward Disciples continuously recorded information and delivered it to the elders, allowing the trials to proceed smoothly.

"Seventh participant of the sixth group, Chu Yunxiao!"

Lu Ming encountered an acquaintance here. Back then, Chu Yunxiao had only been at the Early True Qi Realm, but now he had also reached the middle stage.

Moreover, he appeared to have entered the middle stage some time ago; his aura was exceptionally steady.

Holding a longsword, he slowly stepped forward, then held his breath and focused his mind.

Crack!

Sensing someone's arrival, the eyes of the two puppets immediately lit up. They closed in from the left and right.

Chu Yunxiao moved as well. He suddenly sprang into the air, drew his sword midair, and sent forth a startling beam of sword light toward one of the puppets.

"That's Chasing Stars and Snatching the Moon from the Flying Star Sword Technique!"

Someone immediately recognized the sword move he had used.

With a bang, the sword light struck the chest of the puppet closing in from the right, knocking it back several steps.

Taking advantage of that opening, Chu Yunxiao flashed toward the puppet charging in from the left. Using his longsword in tandem with his fists, he knocked it down.

He then turned to meet the other puppet as it charged again, swiftly knocking it to the ground as well.

Just like that, he defeated the two puppets, each possessing strength equivalent to the Peak Mid True Qi Realm, one by one.

His strength was clearly extraordinary.

"Passed!"

The elder in charge nodded at him and allowed him to enter the next trial before calling for the next person.

After more than twenty people in succession, Lu Ming's turn finally came.

"Sixty-ninth participant of the tenth group!"

"The tenth group?"

Hearing the elder's announcement, everyone was stunned.

"Did I hear that right? The tenth group is ranked in the nine hundreds. They've basically only been in the Inner Sect for a short time—how could they make it this far?"

"Look, he's at the Mid True Qi Realm."

Lu Ming stepped out, and everyone saw his cultivation level.

"So that's why. Then it isn't strange, but why has he cultivated so quickly?"

"He probably took some kind of pills. After all, some people pursue cultivation speed without caring about squandering their potential."

"Let's watch first."

Lu Ming turned a deaf ear to their discussions. After walking forward and nodding to the elder in charge, he suddenly flashed forward, moving after yet arriving first before one puppet, and sent it crashing down with a palm strike.

Then, in an instant, he unleashed the Whirlwind Sweeping Leaf Leg, turning into an afterimage and reaching the other puppet in the blink of an eye.

His foot struck squarely against its chest, kicking it flying.

That settled it smoothly. The entire process flowed like drifting clouds and running water, effortless and unhurried to the extreme.

Hiss!

Seeing Lu Ming's series of movements, everyone stood dumbfounded.

"My goodness, that was so easy. He definitely doesn't look like someone who raised his strength by taking pills."

"Alright, passed!"

The Outer Sect elder in charge had initially guessed, like everyone else, that Lu Ming had taken some kind of pill to boost his cultivation.

Now he could be certain—absolutely not.

"Next, Number Ninety-Two of Team Ten, Zhu Ningyun!"

"Eh, so she's Zhu Ningyun?"

"Yeah, I'd heard of her long ago, but I'd never seen her in person."

Compared to Lu Ming, everyone had far fewer doubts about Zhu Ningyun. She was simply too famous.

"Four hundred and fifty-sixth. Alright, go inside and wait."

The moment Lu Ming stepped into the seventh trial, an elder at the entrance counted him.

Only then did he learn that after reaching this stage, they had to wait until the assessments behind them were finished and no one else entered before this trial would begin.

And being the four hundred and fifty-sixth meant that four hundred and fifty-five people had already arrived before him.

They still had to continue eliminating contestants until the number fell to three hundred.

Lu Ming walked inside and saw that the top ten figures of the Inner Sect were all waiting there as well.

His arrival did not draw much attention. After all, there were quite a few Mid True Qi Realm cultivators here.

There were even several Early True Qi Realm cultivators present, and they attracted far more attention than he did.

Li Biehe, however, took special notice of him.

When he saw Lu Ming appear, his brows furrowed. "I didn't expect this guy to be somewhat capable. He actually made it to the seventh trial."

"Hmph, the puppets in this trial are at the Late True Qi Realm. This is as far as he'll get."

"No, that won't do. If he doesn't pass, how can I meet him in the arena battles and break his arms and legs in broad daylight?"

Thoughts churned through his mind.

Lu Ming had no idea what others were thinking, nor did he know of Li Biehe's inner conflict. But even if he had known, he would not have cared. After all, it was still uncertain who would be beating whom.

Right now, he was catching up with Chu Yunxiao.

"I didn't expect that after not seeing you for so long, you'd already reached the Mid True Qi Realm."

As he looked Lu Ming over, Chu Yunxiao's eyes showed surprise. During this period, he had been throwing himself wholeheartedly into advancing his realm and practicing martial arts, rarely leaving home.

Thus, he knew nothing of Lu Ming's circumstances.

Still, the two inexplicable rewards he had received had vaguely made him suspect they were connected to the man before him.

Now that he saw Lu Ming's cultivation speed, he was even more certain.

After all, while he did not know exactly how long Lu Ming had been cultivating, he knew it had certainly not been long.

Otherwise, he would not have brought him into the sect.

"You're not bad yourself."

Lu Ming smiled and began chatting with him about recent events.

Before long, Zhu Ningyun also entered the seventh trial.

Her arrival drew much more attention. Although she did not often show herself in the Inner Sect either, many of these highly ranked people had seen her before.

Zhu Ningyun ignored everyone's gazes. After spotting Lu Ming, she walked straight toward him.

Lu Ming naturally introduced Chu Yunxiao and her to each other.

Chu Yunxiao had naturally heard of Zhu Ningyun. In fact, he had been the one to tell Lu Ming about her.

He had simply never had the chance to meet her. Now, he finally did.

What he had not expected was that she and Lu Ming already knew each other, and seemed to have a very good relationship.

It was somewhat unbelievable.

As for Li Biehe, when he saw Zhu Ningyun take the initiative to approach Lu Ming, jealousy blazed from his eyes. "Damn it, you'd better get crippled by the seventh trial's puppets and fail the challenge. Otherwise, in the arena battles, I'll definitely make you understand pain!"

He clenched his fists tightly, leaving the people beside him utterly baffled.

Very soon, another half hour passed. Word came from outside that no one else would be entering.

Thus began the seventh trial. There were four hundred and seventy-eight participants in total, and another one hundred and seventy-eight had to be eliminated before the preliminary selection could end.