Lightning Arts Hunt, Ranked Ninth! (Third Update)

As Lu Bang pressed down with both hands, the Cloud Law Trial test immediately entered its second phase.

Most people Wuxin of dealing with others, because fighting against Lu Bang's Cloud Method was already extremely difficult.

"Buzz~"

All the clouds around them, under Lu Bang's pressure, rapidly decreased in altitude.

If the cloud cover is below 100 meters, the system must be eliminated.

No one dared to be distracted; they all used their Cloud Method to resist the pressure coming from the sky.

"Soaring Thunder to the Ninth Heaven, get up there!"

In a corner of the Eastern Suburbs, Yu Chunwu's face was flushed red. He had just witnessed the battle Li Feng Zhao Xing, and even wanted to personally question Zhao Xing about why he had tricked them.

But now, such thoughts no longer exist; they are single-mindedly resisting Lu Bang's oppression.

Yu Chunwu was already quite strong, but even with his full control over the thunderclouds...

The clouds, however, continued to descend slowly to a height of 100 meters.

"Sizzle~"

Within the thunderclouds, wisps of cloud drifted away, heading towards the cloud layer a thousand meters above Lu Bang.

Cloud and gas domain!

Although Lu Bang wasn't using the Devouring Cloud Art, his cloud energy had already formed a domain, gradually absorbing the cloud energy of the geniuses below.

With one side gaining and the other losing, the difficulty of the confrontation has become greater.

"Buzz~" The clouds finally couldn't resist anymore.

Yu Chunwu felt himself being Entanglement by a gust of wind, and the next moment his vision blurred.

He was now outside the Boundary Marker.

"You failed the test. Report to another branch." An armored man looked at Yu Chunwu indifferently. "You will have opportunities to advance to Four Great Academies in the future. There is no need to be obsessed with the result at this moment."

"Yes." Yu Chunwu nodded respectfully. Although he was somewhat unwilling, he knew that a test was a test.

As time went on, the number of people eliminated also increased.

Two quarters of an hour later, there were 931 people, but slowly only less than 800 remained.

At this moment, the clouds over Lu Bang also dropped from a height of 1,000 meters to a height of 700 meters.

"They're still pushing down the ranks. Just how many people does Old Deng have to eliminate before he can advance to the next round?"

Zhao Xing also felt the pressure.

The cloud layer above him is currently at a height of 600 meters.

After absorbing Li Feng, his height rose to nine hundred meters, at which point there were only a few people.

However, with Lu Bang's pressure, he also had to lower his own.

However, it still maintains the level of the top tier.

"The number of people eliminated is still increasing, and it has already fallen below 800."

Zhao Xing scanned his surroundings. Every time someone was eliminated, they were immediately teleported outside the Boundary Marker by Wind Art.

Gradually, the people standing around him became fewer and fewer.

"Buzz!"

The clouds in Lu Bang pressed down further.

It suddenly dropped to a height of 500 meters!

Zhao Xing was startled.

"That old man has no sportsmanship; he resorts to sneak attacks."

"A 200-meter drop in one go? That's going to kill someone!"

Zhao Xing cursed inwardly.

His cloud formations were almost destroyed by this old man.

Although it didn't collapse, it still smashed many things; it was an all-encompassing crushing force that was impossible to resist.

Once they realized what was happening, they immediately controlled the cloud layer to descend to a height of 400 meters.

The cloud vapor breaks down into smaller parts and is then reabsorbed and replenished.

The others weren't much better off.

The top-ranked practitioners, such as Shi Yong, Zhuang Ziqing, Hua Zhilin, Feng Qiu, Guan Junyang, also suffered considerable damage to their Cloud Method.

As for those even lower down, they're in a much worse situation.

The challengers, who were barely maintaining their height of 100 meters, were suddenly struck by the violent downward pressure.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh~"

Dozens of people suddenly disappeared inside the Boundary Marker.

"The test is over! Everyone, please remove the cloud cover and rest where you are."

Zuo Zizhi's voice came through.

The dark golden cloud formation in the sky also disappeared immediately.

"Phew~"

The challengers all breathed a sigh of relief, some even plopping down on the ground.

The pressure was immense. Lu Bang was at least Fifth Grade expert, and even with so many people fighting together, the pressure on each individual was not reduced.

"Finally we're through. I wonder how many people are left?" Zhao Xing looked up at the sky.

"The Second Stage test has been passed by 720 people. The rest can go to other branches to report and compete for the ranking within their respective branches."

"Those who are eliminated should not be discouraged. If they perform well in other departments in the future, they will have the opportunity to be promoted to the Four Great Academies."

Zuo Zizhi's voice carried on the wind across the fields.

"Only 720 people left?" Zhao Xing clicked his tongue in surprise.

It's mainly that last one.

Lu Bang launched a sudden attack.

That wave eliminated at least sixty or seventy people.

The Second Stage test, the First Tier Supporting Cloud and fight for control.

The second stage of ascent altitude, and the height of the cloud layer, also determine the range of the spell.

The final stage tests the stability of the clouds.

Even though these 900-plus people were already the best of the best, more than 200 were still eliminated after the Second Stage.

"The selection process for the position of Military Sima Nong was truly rigorous."

In Zhao Xing's view, the selection process for Military Sima Nong at Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven was quite rigorous.

"I wonder what the next test will be. There are eight tests, and I've only passed two."

Many people were also whispering among themselves.

"The First Stage is the wind, the Second Stage is the clouds."

"Should the third level be thunder or rain?"

Zhao Xing rested while silently pondering.

" Of the Four Seasonal Arts, the Cloud Method Wind Art have been tested, so there's no reason why the thunder method and the Rain Art shouldn't be tested."

"It all depends on how the test is conducted."

"They should all be comprehensive tests."

The First Stage is to send a message; the Second Stage is to press down with oppressive clouds.

All of them incorporate practical experience.

The third stage is probably not as simple as comparing who has completed the highest level of lightning magic.

"That's about it," Lu Bang said, standing on the airship. "Send the Tower Ship over."

"Aren't you going to let them rest a bit more?" Zuo Zizhi asked. "They've only had a quarter of an hour of rest."

"A quarter of an hour is a long time," Lu Bang said coldly. "When the real war begins, even a quarter of an hour of rest will be a luxury."

"Alright, you're the commander, you're in charge." Zuo Zizhi helplessly, taking out the Earth Mirror to send a message.

"All challengers, please board the Cloud Rain Tower Ship."

"You are going to the [Ten Thousand Beasts Garden] area."

"The Ten Thousand Beasts Garden is a confined plain and hilly area. It contains a large number of exotic beasts, the lowest of which are Ranked Realm or comparable to the Ranked Realm in some aspects. Of course, the highest is Ninth Grade."

"The challengers will be placed in a random area of Ten Thousand Beasts Garden, and the test requires them to kill the strange beasts."

"The test lasts for four hours, and rankings are determined by the number of monsters killed."

On the Tower Ship, Zuo Zizhi announced the rules to everyone.

Everyone listened quietly.

"You can use the standard treasures provided by the Agricultural Official, but you are only allowed to use Cloud Method and thunder magic, and there will be no supplies."

"If other spells are used, then it is eliminated."

"If you are rescued from a life-or-death situation, you will be removed from the test early, and the number of strange beasts you killed when you were rescued will be used as the standard."

"Four hours later, the rankings will be announced. The top 500 will advance to the next test."

Zuo Zizhi announced the rules, everyone below couldn't help but shake their heads.

More than two hundred more will be eliminated!

"For four hours, the beasts were all comparable to or directly at the Ranked Realm -Ranked Realm, and they were only allowed to Cloud Method and lightning magic."

"Thunder magic is powerful, but without supplies, how many times can it be used?"

"You were rescued from a life-or-death crisis? That means you were possibly seriously injured."

"This level is very dangerous..."

Even though most of these new recruits were not truly new recruits, they still changed color at this point.

All of them are Ranked Realm exotic beasts, or comparable to the Ranked Realm.

Also known as the Ten Thousand Beasts Garden, it must contain a considerable number of animals.

But having come this far, no one wants to back down.

They were all quietly taking the time to rest on the Dragon Head Tower Ship.

Not long after, the Dragon Head Tower Ship flew into the Ten Thousand Beasts Garden.

The Agricultural Official can choose to jump from any location.

But a choice must be made within fifteen minutes.

Before landing, other spells can be used, but after landing, spells other than lightning and Cloud Method are prohibited.

Once it's used, it's considered obsolete.

"Whoosh~"

Zhao Xing jumped off the Dragon Head Tower Ship.

The Lesser Nine Gale Law is used to draw Astral Wind from the sky and surround oneself.

Compared to the time I jumped from the entrance to the Great Lake.

This time, Zhao Xing was much more composed.

Soon, he landed on a patch of barren land covered with shrubs.

By this time, the sky had darkened, and the two Solar Yang had set in the east and west respectively.

"Awoo~"

As soon as they landed, the roars of wild beasts echoed around them.

"Swallowing Clouds!"

Without saying a word, Zhao Xing immediately used the Devouring Cloud Art to support the clouds.

He did not expand the cloud cover, but only covered an area of about 100 meters in radius.

"Use Cloud Method to sense the presence of strange beasts, and use lightning magic to kill enemies."

After Zhao Xing raised the cloud layer, he quickly sensed eighteen strange beasts around him.

Clearly, there was a group of gregarious beasts nearby.

"Boom!"

Zhao Xing pointed, and lightning immediately descended from the clouds, striking the strange beast in the darkness.

"Swish, swish, swish~"

The beasts are extremely fast and very difficult to lock onto.

Although the mid-level perfected Guiding Thunder was powerful, it only hit half of Zhao Xing with the previous strike, while the other half was rapidly approaching him.

"Relying solely on the method of Guiding Thunder is too costly and inefficient."

"Fortunately, I know more than one type of lightning magic."

"We must slow down these beasts before attacking them with Guiding Thunder."

Zhao Xing remained calm in the face of danger.

This stage also tests your practical mindset, as you are in a strange and unknown environment with so many constraints.

If you get nervous, you might only be able to unleash two or three tenths of the power of your spells.

It's also possible that in a dangerous or urgent situation, they might use other spells, leading to their elimination.

"Rolling Ground Thunder!"

Zhao Xing pointed, and the Golden Light disappeared into the ground.

Soon, the power of lightning was drawn from the Earth Vein.

More than twenty semi-transparent blue orbs floated around Zhao Xing.

"Disperse!"

Zhao Xing waved his hand, and the Rolling Ground Thunder began to spread outwards at a height of half a meter to one meter from the ground.

"Awooo!"

"Heh heh!"

The Rolling Ground Thunder explodes upon contact with its target, and the blast radius is quite large. Anyone caught in the blast will instantly experience a numbing sensation throughout their body.

Under the influence of the Rolling Ground Thunder, the strange beasts in the darkness slowed down considerably.

At this point, Zhao Xing used the Guiding Thunder method again, which greatly improved efficiency.

There were still some who managed to slip through the net and get close.

Once bound by Thunderbolt Chains, a final strike with a lightning palm would virtually guarantee survival.

"Let's go, next place."

After clearing out the strange beasts, Zhao Xing quickly left.

Just as Zhao Xing began fighting the strange beasts, on the Tower Ship...

Inside an attic, a figure was also observing the behavior of the people below through Earth Mirror Instrument.

"The branch has eight checkpoints, the first four of which are set up by my Celestial Timing Academy."

"As long as you pass the four tests, you can enter my Celestial Timing Academy, and we can also choose the first person to enter."

"Have you all decided on your candidates?"

The four figures were all high-ranking officials in the Celestial Timing Academy, and would be the main figures responsible for training the new recruits of the Celestial Timing Academy after the academy was divided into branches.

"Shi Yong's wind, cloud, and thunder techniques are all excellent; he should be admitted to my Celestial Timing Academy."

"Yes, all three of his techniques are top-notch, and he's very young. It's been a long time since we've seen such a promising talent."

"He can be given resources to be trained by Grade A."

"Agree."

"Agreed." "In favor."

All four nodded, having no objection to the selection of Shi Yong.

"Feng Qiu excels in wind magic, but he won't have a chance to demonstrate it in this test. While his Cloud Method is top-notch, his lightning magic is only so-so, and his efficiency is relatively slow, so he's already starting to fall behind. Giving him some Grade C resources for training is about right."

"The highest we can offer Grade B. If he wants to choose, he can; if he doesn't, we won't force him."

"Um."

After discussing Feng Qiu, the four of them looked at the next name.

"Zhuang Ziqing is skilled in Earthly Advantage Faction magic, so he'll probably be going to the Earthly Advantage Institute. But his wind, cloud, and thunder magic are also quite good, all top-notch. Should we try to get him in?"

"We can't compete with those guys from the Earthly Advantage Institute, and Zhuang Ziqing is the direct grandson of the Dream Marquis. They've already spoken to the Tian Hou from the Earthly Advantage Institute, so I doubt they'll choose the Celestial Timing Academy."

"Skip that and take a look at Hua Zhilin and Guan Junyang of the Black Armor Army."

"At present, he can only be treated as a Grade C, without any particularly outstanding qualities. We'll see if he can perform exceptionally well in the next round."

The four observers of the Celestial Timing Academy evaluate a group of outstanding individuals. In fact, the Celestial Timing Academy only considers the results of four stages in its branch examinations.

The Earthly Advantage Institute focuses on the performance in the middle two stages, while the Tranquil Flood Academy and Great Granary Institute focus on the performance in the last two stages.

Once a challenger reaches the fourth level, there is no longer any elimination; they will all have the opportunity to participate in the next four levels of challenges and, based on their performance, strive for different levels of resource development!

Soon, their eyes fell on the name Zhao Xing.

"His Cloud Method is first-rate, and his thunder magic is also quite good. I've already seen that he has three thunder magic techniques that are all at the Seventh-Turn or above."

"But the Wind Art, which is only the Lesser Nine Heavens Astral Wind Technique at the Fourth-Turn, can only be given the treatment of Grade D at present," someone said.

"That's not right. Lu Bang once told me that Zhao Xing knows a Dark Wind Method, which has already Nine Turns, and may even be at its peak. That's how Li Feng was tricked by him, so his talent in Wind Art is actually not weak," another person said.

"Oh? I didn't know that. So, would you offer the same treatment as someone from Grade B?"

"He's a newly promoted clerk, still a blank slate with a lot of room for advancement. I think we should give him the resources and benefits of Grade A."

"That's not appropriate. Precisely because they lack experience, a Grade B would be more suitable."

The three disagreed, but a fourth person quickly said, "Let's see how they perform in the fourth round; it'll be over soon anyway."

"Um."

Time flies, and four hours passed quickly.

When it was dawn on the second day, the assessment at the [Ten Thousand Beasts Garden] ended, and everyone boarded the ship.

Zuo Zizhi also used the Earth Mirror Instrument to send the hunting rankings of this Ten Thousand Beasts Garden to all the challengers.

[First Place: Shi Yong]

Second Place: Zhuang Ziqing

Third place: Guan Junyang

Fourth place: Lei Meng

[Ninth Place: Zhao Xing]

[10th Place: Jiang Tianming]

[Ranked 188th, He Zheng]

The rankings have changed significantly.

Many people exclaimed in surprise after seeing the results.

"I killed so many strange beasts, and I'm only ranked 385th? Damn, the ones ahead of me are too strong!"

"Shi Yong is still number one. How can he be so strong?"

"Zhuang Ziqing is also very impressive, securing second place again. It seems that the top two in the test report are far superior to the others."

Guan Junyang has also risen to third place.

"Those three have stabilized, but the top ten have been completely reshuffled, and the rest have dropped out."

"Alas, I've reached the 700th place, so I'm out of luck with the Four Great Academies."

"It's infuriating that I know two thunder techniques, each at the Seventh-Turn, and I'm ranked over two hundredth in both."

"There are too many geniuses, all at the Ninth Grade, how come others are so strong..."

Zhao Xing also silently browsed the rankings.

"Ninth, better than expected."

He possesses four thunder techniques: [Guiding Thunder], [Thunderbolt Chains], [Thunderclap Palm], and [Rolling Ground Thunder].

Among them, the Rolling Ground Thunder Fourth-Turn, the Guiding Thunder Perfection, the Thunderbolt Lasso Nine Turns, and the Thunderclap Palm Eighth-Turn!

The more lightning magic you know, the more varied your attack methods, and the higher your monster-killing efficiency will be.

After all, there are many kinds of strange beasts in the Ten Thousand Beasts Garden, and a single spell may not be able to deal with all situations.

With multiple lightning techniques, including Yang lightning and Yin lightning, and the combined use of ranged, single-target, and area-of-effect lightning, you won't waste too much time on a single alien beast race.

Therefore, Zhao Xing's monster-killing efficiency is quite high.

They jumped straight to ninth place!

"Compared to the top eight, my gap is very small; the gap is only larger with the first and second place."

The Earth Mirror shows that Shi Yong hunted down 1,534 strange beasts!

Zhuang Ziqing hunted down 1,325 strange beasts!

Both of these two scored over 1,000; starting with Guan Junyang in third place, the score is only 921.

Then, the line goes down to Zhao Xing.

His kill count was 825.

"The landing point and the different beasts encountered can be attributed to luck. It may be just a slight difference in luck that leads to the difference in rankings."

"My luck can't be bad, which means there's still a gap in strength between me and the people in front of me. This gap probably lies in the fact that I haven't learned the classic secrets of the three major schools, and my Essence Gathering is only at the fifteenth level," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

The fifteenth level of the Essence Gathering is considered relatively low. Most of the others are already at the nineteenth level of the Essence Gathering stage, just First Tier away from the twentieth level of the Eighth Grade. According to the ancient system, that would be the Ninth Grade rank of perfection, and in the Great Zhou system, it would be the Ninth Grade Upper Rank.

Secondly, there are the classic secrets of the three major schools; whether or not they have been practiced makes a difference.

For example, the "Yin Yang True Self Scripture" cultivates the five elements internally, resulting in a much higher speed and total amount of vital energy recovery. This difference becomes apparent in high-intensity combat.

Zhao Xing felt that his ninth-place finish was due to good luck, as he encountered a relatively easy-to-kill beast.

"He's ranked ninth?" Jiang Hai and Jiang He were somewhat surprised, looking at Zhao Xing's ranking. Both brothers had fallen outside the top twenties this time. "He's a formidable opponent!"

"Zhao Xing of the Divine Might Army, I didn't expect him to be so strong in actual combat with lightning magic." Zhuo Li noticed Zhao Xing when he checked the rankings. "I'm only 59th. I originally thought I could surpass him, but I didn't expect him to be 9th."

"Interesting. No wonder he was able to defeat Li Feng." Hua Zhilin glanced at Zhao Xing, his eyes gleaming with a strange light.

Just then, Zuo Zizhi walked out of the pavilion, interrupting everyone's discussion.

"The top 500 have been determined. Those who are eliminated can choose to go to other departments."

"The remaining 500 people will now face the fourth test."

"In the fourth stage, only two hundred people will remain."

"However, once you pass the test, you will no longer be eliminated in subsequent stages and can choose your academy. Furthermore, you will receive different training benefits based on your performance..."

This is the third update. There will be a fourth update before 1 PM, which will be a bonus update for 3,000 monthly votes.

For those of you who have to go to work or school, don't stay up all night. You can check it tomorrow.