Divine Reception Technique

Pfft—

Xiao Ziming spat out a mouthful of blood, the phantom behind him trembling on the verge of collapse. He dropped to one knee, one hand bracing against the ground to keep himself from falling entirely.

"How... how is this possible?"

His eyes were filled with disbelief.

Jiang Yan had already pressed a blade to his throat, his expression utterly unruffled.

"You lost."

Xiao Ziming's former arrogance vanished, his aura wilting. But the facts stood before him, undeniable—he had indeed lost.

And crushed, at that.

Jiang Yan turned to the others.

"Now, none of you are worthy of a one-on-one with me. Because..."

"I'm coming for all of you."

Jiang Yan advanced, blade in hand. The Swiftness trait, combined with Nine Consecutive Steps, turned his speed into a blur of afterimages. In an instant, he was upon Li Qingle.

Li Qingle's eyes flickered. He hadn't expected Jiang Yan to be this fast. Caught off guard, he raised his spear in a hasty block.

Clang!

Jiang Yan's blade met the spear shaft. The sheer force sent Li Qingle flying backward.

Midair, Li Qingle twisted his body, barely managing to shed the momentum before landing on the ground.

One move revealed the whole picture—this man was terrifyingly strong.

Jiang Yan ignored Li Qingle and turned toward the Taoist.

Zhang Daoran's fingers wove a seal, and a thick earthen shield materialized before him.

Boom!

Jiang Yan's blade shattered the wall of earth, the edge aimed straight at Zhang Daoran's face.

Zhang Daoran's eyes narrowed. He hadn't expected his spell to fail against even a single strike. He pushed off the ground, his body retreating lightly. In midair, he formed another seal, muttering incantations.

The next instant.

A bolt of lightning descended from the clear sky.

Jiang Yan took the hit without flinching. A 100% defense boost was no joke.

Metal Origin surged outward. Absolute sharpness met absolute defense, and the more Zhang Daoran fought, the more his heart sank.

"This little Taoist can't seem to wound him?"

He gritted his teeth, bit his finger, and quickly traced a talisman in the air.

"Invoke the heavenly momentum, array the Great Purity, the Dao descends, the ancestors reveal their might!"

Boom!

A surging power exploded from Zhang Daoran's body.

His Taoist robe was shredded. His muscles bulged to an exaggerated degree. The humanity in his eyes faded, replaced by a cold indifference that saw all living things as mere straw dogs.

An awe-inspiring heavenly pressure radiated from him. His height swelled to three meters, a far cry from his former refined image.

The exam livestream was quickly layered with mosaic. The commentator, well-versed in such matters, began explaining the origin of Zhang Daoran's technique.

"The Divine Reception Technique is a forbidden art of the Heavenly Dao Sect. Once activated, it borrows the power of the ancestors, multiplying one's strength several times over in a short period. It can even grant access to some of their divine abilities."

"Rumor has it that only core disciples are qualified to learn this technique, and its difficulty is extreme. It seems Zhang Daoran, despite his youth, has no small mastery of the Dao."

"It's Ancestor Yuanqing, the one who specializes in the physical body."

Zhang Daoran's heart leaped with joy. He hadn't expected to summon such a powerful avatar.

The gentleness in his eyes was consumed by savage tyranny. His entire aura climbed to an unprecedented peak.

Ancestor Yuanqing had founded his own school, shunning spells and techniques in favor of the flesh. Among the ancestors, his strength ranked above average—formidable by any measure.

The tide of battle had turned.

Zhang Daoran, who had kept a low profile all along, had suddenly become the strongest among them. No one had expected the Heavenly Dao Sect to place such importance on this College Entrance Exam, sending such an outstanding disciple into the world.

Rumble!

Zhang Daoran's muscles knotted and bulged. He transformed into a Semi-Truck, charging straight at Jiang Yan.

Before this colossal figure, Jiang Yan seemed infinitesimally small. Yet his aura did not diminish in the slightest. Instead, he met the ferocious assault head-on.

System Log updated:

You are experiencing a thrilling battle. Your physique is rapidly strengthening. The Battle Saint Armor undergoes a minor evolution. Your blade technique comprehension deepens.

What a joy!

Finally, an opponent in this exam who could put pressure on him.

If Jiang Yan weren't here, Zhang Daoran, empowered by the Dao Ancestor, would undoubtedly be the biggest dark horse of this exam, crushing all the Two Capitals Prodigies to claim first place.

Jiang Yan now faced not just any ordinary disciple of the Heavenly Dao Sect, but Ancestor Yuanqing, famed for his physical arts!

Even if this was only a clone, it was enough to force Jiang Yan to take things seriously.

Boom!

Jiang Yan's blade met Zhang Daoran's fist. The massive recoil cracked the sword, and the next moment it shattered into fragments on the ground.

"Really useless."

Jiang Yan shook his arm and actually blocked with his fist.

Low-grade Yellow-rank martial skill—Fierce Bull Strength!

The Battle Saint Armor erupted with immense power. Geng Metal Mother Qi surged through his body, while the Demon's Scale poured all his other attributes into strength. The terrifying momentum even began to overwhelm Zhang Daoran.

Their fists collided, and the giant was sent flying backward instead.

"Hahaha, again!"

Jiang Yan pressed the attack, charging forward relentlessly.

"Your physique has slightly improved."

"Your talent is evolving."

"Your Geng Metal Mother Qi is tempering itself."

As expected, only in battle could he rapidly sharpen himself.

"All of you, come at me together!"

Jiang Yan shouted at the others.

Xiao Ziming gritted his teeth but still held back.

"Worthless."

"Damn it, this old man will fight you to the death!"

Xiao Ziming's temper flared. Forget martial honor—he drew his sword and charged.

Shang Xingren followed close behind, his form slipping into the void, hiding in the shadows.

Li Qingle also set aside her pride. Since she couldn't win anyway, she might as well use him to hone her spear technique.

The proud ones had finally united on the same front.

Jiang Yan's fist drove forward, blasting the once-arrogant Zhang Daoran's body flying once more. Then he lunged forward, pivoted, and backhanded Xiao Ziming across the face mid-strike.

He kicked the useless fighter away, then closed five fingers around a spear tip. Li Qingle pulled with all her might, but couldn't budge it an inch.

Crack.

The spear tip crumpled in Jiang Yan's grip like clay.

It tore free, and Jiang Yan rewarded Li Qingle with a kick as well—a brutal blow slamming into her chest. She spat blood and flew backward like a kite with a snapped string.

Li Qingyue dropped to one knee, arms and legs trembling helplessly. A feeling called despair spread from her heart.

At this point, only Zhang Daoran, possessed by the ancestor, could still barely withstand a few of Jiang Yan's punches.

But unfortunately, the Spirit Invocation Art wasn't invincible.

Zhang Daoran's aura gradually weakened, his body shrinking. Soon enough, he would revert to his original form.

The more he fought, the more hopeless he felt. Even at his peak with the Dao Ancestor's power, he could barely hold his own against Jiang Yan. Once the invocation time ran out, he wouldn't have a shred of a chance.

"Are all outsiders these days this monstrous?"

Finally, Zhang Daoran was punched flying, his massive body cratering the ground.

He lay bruised and battered in the pit, his bones aching as if crushed by a steamroller, unable to muster a single ounce of strength.