Shocking!

Chapter 047: Shock!

Outside the assessment area, a commotion erupted among the crowd as Qin Shaofeng passed the eighth trial.

He was the third person to pass the eighth trial in this assessment area.

And most importantly, Qin Shaofeng was only a martial artist at the Houtian Eighth Layer!

He was probably the person with the lowest cultivation among all those who had passed the eighth trial in any assessment area so far today.

But that wasn't all. When the ninth ring on the assessment area's gate lit up, the crowd exploded.

A martial artist at the Houtian Eighth Layer had actually passed the ninth trial?

It was astonishing!

If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, few would have believed it.

After the ninth trial, Qin Shaofeng still hadn't emerged. While the crowd discussed, they began to speculate whether Qin Shaofeng could pass the final trial.

"He still hasn't come out. Does he want to attempt the tenth trial?"

"Haha, my friend, you jest. Passing the ninth trial already makes him a one-in-a-million genius. The tenth trial? That's too difficult!"

"Exactly. Although his cultivation is only at the Houtian Eighth Layer, I estimate the assessment puppet he'll face in the tenth trial will already possess Innate realm cultivation. A Houtian Eighth Layer facing an Innate First Layer, lasting even three breaths would be quite good!"

"Mhm, I think so too. But I reckon this guy can last ten breaths..."

Dong!

As the crowd was discussing, the assessment area's gate suddenly shook violently, like a massive bell being struck, emitting a deafening clang.

Boom!

After the loud noise, the tenth ring at the very top of the assessment area's gate hummed and lit up!

Golden light flashed, blindingly brilliant!

And the moment the tenth ring lit up, the nine rings below it also intensified their glow.

Immediately after, all ten rings erupted in a dazzling golden light, like a golden pillar shooting straight into the sky!

At this moment, the entire Lianyang Academy was shaken.

"What is that?"

At the location of the instructors and powerful figures, as soon as the golden pillar appeared, everyone was stunned. One old man's eyes widened, and he stammered in disbelief, "It's the Innate Golden Pillar!"

The Innate Golden Pillar was the most mysterious phenomenon in the Lianyang Academy's assessment. It was personally set up by the founder of Lianyang Academy and the founding monarch of the Lianyang Kingdom, Great Emperor Lianyang.

Therefore, triggering this Innate Golden Pillar was naturally not simple.

Although the Innate Golden Pillar was named "Innate," it actually had nothing to do with the Innate realm. This was because to trigger the Innate Golden Pillar, the martial artist must be below the Innate realm. Once their cultivation reached the Innate realm, even if they passed the tenth trial, they couldn't trigger it.

This was just the most basic selection criterion for triggering the Innate Golden Pillar. There were other conditions as well, such as defeating the assessment puppet within the time it takes for one stick of incense to burn (10 minutes).

If it exceeded one stick of incense, even if the assessment puppet was defeated in the end, the Innate Golden Pillar couldn't be triggered.

Of course, the appearance of the Innate Golden Pillar would vary depending on the time taken to defeat the assessment puppet and the inherent cultivation of the assessor. The most obvious differences would be in size and height.

The lower the cultivation and the shorter the time, the larger the Innate Golden Pillar that appeared.

But this Innate Golden Pillar before them was three meters thick and over a hundred meters tall, enough for the entire Lianyang Academy to see.

"Such a massive Innate Golden Pillar, this..."

The aged instructor was so excited he could barely speak.

This instructor was no ordinary person. While this wasn't his first time encountering an Innate Golden Pillar, the one before them, throughout the entire history of Lianyang Academy, could probably be matched by no more than three others!

Even according to records, the current dean of Lianyang Academy, when he triggered the Innate Golden Pillar back then, it wasn't this massive.

If this old instructor knew that Qin Shaofeng's cultivation was only at the Houtian Eighth Layer and that he defeated the assessment puppet in a single move, he might have understood a little more.

In a sense, Qin Shaofeng had taken advantage of a loophole.

First, he detected the assessment puppet's weakness, and then he possessed the sharp attack of Little Li Flying Dagger, a God-grade Skill. These factors combined had led to the current situation.

If it were a direct fight, without relying on Little Li Flying Dagger, Qin Shaofeng would probably only be able to rely on his profound Inner Qi to engage in a war of attrition with the assessment puppet at the Innate First Layer.

But even then, the outcome would likely be fifty-fifty.

Qin Shaofeng was unaware of all this. At this moment, he was somewhat taken aback.

After defeating the assessment puppet with Little Li Flying Dagger, the aged voice that had prompted him for passing the tenth trial actually spoke again.

However, this time, the aged voice directly echoed in Qin Shaofeng's mind.

"Innate Golden Pillar triggered, cultivation Houtian Eighth Layer, meets inheritance conditions. You may enter the Hall of Inheritance to accept the trial!"

This voice suddenly sounding deep within his mind truly startled Qin Shaofeng.

Innate Golden Pillar?

Hall of Inheritance?

Qin Shaofeng didn't understand, but hearing the last sentence left him dumbfounded.

"Take the test? Has this assessment not ended yet?"

Qin Shaofeng exclaimed inwardly, his expression turning a little grim.

That Little Li Flying Dagger strike earlier had completely depleted his Inner Qi, and he only had a few Qi Replenishing Pills left. If the assessment hadn't ended, he would have no choice but to give up.

"Damn it, I just wanted to get first place and a chance at the lucky draw. Does Lianyang Academy really need to mess with me like this?"

Muttering curses in his heart, Qin Shaofeng decided to just speak up and give up on continuing the challenge.

There was no other way; his Inner Qi was depleted, and fighting further would just be asking for trouble.

Moreover, even if his Inner Qi was full, Qin Shaofeng wouldn't have continued. He knew himself well enough to realize that defeating that Innate First Layer assessment puppet had a large element of luck involved.

If he continued, he would definitely be the unlucky one!

But just as Qin Shaofeng was about to speak, the gate to the assessment area automatically opened.

Huh? What's this?

A thought flickered through Qin Shaofeng's mind as he pondered.

The assessment area gate opened, so that should mean he passed, right?

Besides, he hadn't heard of any further assessments after passing the tenth stage!

Thinking this, Qin Shaofeng no longer hesitated and strode out.

But when Qin Shaofeng stepped out of the gate, he was startled by the scene before him.

Where did this golden pillar of light come from!

Suddenly seeing the hundred-meter-tall golden pillar, Qin Shaofeng's mind was filled with questions.

Before he could get a good look, his vision went black, and he was embraced by a huge figure.

"Hahaha, Brother Feng, you're truly amazing! You actually passed the tenth stage!"

A familiar voice rang out, but Qin Shaofeng's entire body broke out in goosebumps.

"Get lost, you crazy bastard! Let go of me! Your brother isn't into that!"

Qin Shaofeng violently broke free from Du Meng's embrace, his face full of anger.

Damn it, his lifelong reputation was being ruined by this brat, it was too hateful!

But Du Meng didn't seem to notice Qin Shaofeng's anger. He looked at Qin Shaofeng with vacant eyes and asked foolishly, "Brother Feng, what's 'into that'?"

"You..."

Qin Shaofeng's expression froze, and he almost choked to death.

But at this moment, the examiner who recorded the results walked over, a gentle smile on his face as he said to Qin Shaofeng, "You're Qin Shaofeng, right? As the one who activated the Innate Golden Pillar, please tell me about your situation. I need to understand some things!"

This examiner was also a tutor at Lianyang Academy, and being assigned as an examiner meant he knew at least something about the Innate Golden Pillar.

He also understood that someone who could activate the Innate Golden Pillar was a special existence to Lianyang Academy. As the examiner recording Qin Shaofeng's results, he naturally needed to understand some of Qin Shaofeng's basic information.

And from the examiner, Qin Shaofeng gained a basic understanding of the so-called Innate Golden Pillar.

Only then did Qin Shaofeng realize the magnitude of the commotion he had caused.

After Qin Shaofeng emerged, the group of tutors in the distance didn't rush over to recruit Qin Shaofeng as a disciple or anything.

Someone who could activate the Innate Golden Pillar was a special existence at Lianyang Academy, and they didn't have the qualifications to take such a person as a disciple.

But precisely because of this, the tutors let out a series of regretful sighs.

Alas, another promising talent that couldn't be taken as a disciple!

What a shame!

Meanwhile, at Lin Zhihao's location, Lin Zhihao and the others were also filled with shock.

Could this year's batch of newcomers actually produce someone who activated the Innate Golden Pillar?

Lin Zhihao and the other two exchanged glances, their expressions becoming solemn.

As members of the three major factions, they naturally knew what this signified.

But precisely because of this, the appearance of the Innate Golden Pillar meant that someone in that particular place might lose their spot.

The interests of certain people and certain forces were about to be affected!

However!

If they could recruit this person into their own faction, it would completely secure their faction's interests there.

If successful, their contribution would be immense!

In an instant, Lin Zhihao and Wu Lang's minds became active. After a moment, they looked at each other and departed simultaneously.

With such a major event occurring, the first thing they needed to do was notify the important figures of their respective factions.

As for the woman from Nine Phoenix Garden, her expression was also quite grave at this moment.

Even though the person wasn't a woman, they had activated the Innate Golden Pillar. If things weren't handled well, it could also affect the interests of their Nine Phoenix Garden.

Especially the junior sister of the Garden Master from their Nine Phoenix Garden, she also needed one of the spots to enter that place.

The spots for that place were already scarce, and with two more qualified people now, it was going to be difficult to handle, the impact was too great.

After all, that place wasn't accessible based on status alone.

"No, I have to quickly inform the Garden Masters about this. If we don't prepare in advance, it'll be quite disadvantageous for our Nine Phoenix Garden!"

After muttering this, the woman prepared to turn and leave.

But the next moment, her eyes widened instantly!

Dong!

Another tremor, and in the direction of Lianyang Academy's south gate, a golden light flashed, and another golden pillar appeared!

"How can this be? Someone actually activated another Innate Golden Pillar?"

The woman exclaimed, her face full of disbelief.

On the same day, in less than fifteen minutes, someone had activated an Innate Golden Pillar again.

What was going on!

After a while, the woman finally came to her senses, then her expression changed, and she instantly flashed away.

One more!

This time, it was three spots, and this matter had blown up!