Want to Watch? Then I'll Let You Watch Your Fill!

Of course it was different!

Above the clouds.

The Primordial Spirit Daoists watched through layer upon layer of mountain walls as the young figures disappeared one after another into the branching passageways.

Especially when Xia Manggan appeared in the corridor at the end of a passage, every one of them wore an expression of eager anticipation.

"Wu Xiu."

A short, plump bald man smiled and said, "You supervised the entire first round of aptitude screening for this disciple recruitment. You should know the imperial youngster's aptitude well. Tell us, do you think he has a chance of passing the third trial?"

They had learned their lesson by now, surrounding themselves with Origin Force to block the transmission of sound.

Thus, they no longer needed to worry about the two Immortal senior uncles ahead overhearing them.

"If you ask me, Xia Manggan should have no problem crossing the corridor with the gatekeeper disciple trying to stop him."

The black-haired middle-aged man, Wu Xiu, hesitated before continuing, "Though I did not inspect his Divine Body closely, I could still faintly sense that the youngster had cultivated some sort of Body Refining Divine Ability."

"A Body Refining Divine Ability?"

"Really?"

"What level is his Divine Body at now?"

The Primordial Spirit Daoists all pressed him for answers.

"At the very least, it is comparable to a Human Rank magic treasure." After thinking for a moment, Wu Xiu said, "With a Purple Mansion Fiendgod Body comparable to a Human Rank magic treasure, Purple Mansion Completion Realm Origin Force, a top-grade Human Rank magic treasure, and a trace of the true intent of the Great Dao of Life and Death... compared to the Wanxiang Realm Formal Disciples in our Academy, he is hardly inferior. He might even rank among the best of them."

"Mhm."

"That's right. Especially those ordinary Wanxiang disciples who only cultivate Qi Refining—if they encountered this youngster, they might not necessarily be his match."

"No wonder Senior Uncle Hanshan told the elite disciple guarding the final trial not to hold back."

"What a freak—no, a monster!"

"He is only at the Purple Mansion Realm and has not even taken a master yet, but he already possesses a Body Refining Divine Ability, a Divine Body comparable to a Human Rank magic treasure, a soul at the Divine Sense level, and secret arts." One Primordial Spirit Daoist clicked his tongue in praise. "He is a true little monster."

Some Primordial Spirit Daoists were unconcerned. "The imperial Xia Mang Clan is the greatest behemoth in our Great Xia World. Their total population numbers in the hundreds of billions, perhaps even trillions! It is only natural for them to produce such a little monster."

"Enough talking. Look, that little monster has met the gatekeeper disciple."

Inside the corridor.

After Xia Manggan entered, he saw an extraordinarily handsome young man in white standing a hundred zhang away.

Not Yinxue Wenjian? Xia Manggan was slightly startled.

He remembered that in the original novel, among the nine Purple Mansion Realm disciples of the Black-White Academy guarding the final trial, the strongest should have been Yinxue Wenjian, whom Ji Ning had encountered.

Thus, when Ink Daoist specifically directed him toward the first passage on the left, he had assumed it was deliberate—meant to make him face Yinxue Wenjian.

Perhaps Yinxue Wenjian had even been told not to hold back and to use his full strength, so he could test Xia Manggan properly.

After all.

Given the strength Xia Manggan had displayed so far, to put it bluntly, if the gatekeeper disciple were told to hold back as they had when testing Ji Ning and the others, that would simply be delivering himself to Xia Manggan to be beaten.

"Are you Young Master Xia Mang?"

The white-clothed young man in the distance smiled and said, "I am Beishan Xuantang, a Wanxiang Realm disciple of the Black-White Academy and the guardian of this final trial."

It's him? Xia Manggan looked up.

Though Beishan Xuantang wore a smile, Xia Manggan could see deep within his eyes a trace of disgust, jealousy... and all kinds of gloomy emotions that were difficult to describe.

Sure enough, just as the original novel said, he is good at disguising himself—a venomous snake draped in sheep's clothing.

Xia Manggan laughed inwardly. He even vaguely harbors a few traces of killing intent toward me? Does he intend to use the excuse of guarding this trial to kill me? Is he courting death?

Beishan Xuantang looked at Xia Manggan with a smile.

Yet deep within his heart, the flames of jealousy surged straight toward the heavens.

Why? I am so outstanding. I rose step by step from an overlooked, impoverished collateral branch of the Beishan Clan, and I am one of the very best disciples in the Black-White Academy, yet I could only take a Primordial Spirit Daoist as my master. Why has an Immortal patriarch already chosen this brat as a disciple before he has even entered the Academy?

Why!? Just because he was born into the imperial clan? Just because his surname is Xia Mang!?

His youthful experiences had made him deeply jealous of and hateful toward the direct descendants of the Andan Beishan Clan, especially those high-status noble young masters.

Therefore, when he heard that Beishan Hu had gone to serve as an attendant to an imperial youth, effectively becoming someone's servant, he had been pleased for several days.

But after that joy faded, he developed a deep disgust and jealousy toward the imperial youth named Xia Manggan.

After all his effort, he had only barely earned the qualifications to associate with noble young masters like Beishan Hu as an equal.

Yet because you were born into the imperial clan, you could directly take Beishan Hu as your attendant servant?

Did that not mean all of his efforts were utterly worthless before people like this?

After striving desperately for so many years, he had only reached the level of someone else's servant?

Originally, no matter how much Beishan Xuantang resented him, the two had no interaction and would not affect one another.

But this time, he had been selected as a gatekeeper disciple for the Formal Disciple trial.

And he had specifically been assigned to guard the trial Xia Manggan needed to pass.

That undoubtedly gave him an opportunity.

Because according to the traditions of the Black-White Academy, anyone who failed the entrance examination could not be admitted, not even a member of the Beishan Clan or the imperial clan.

So—

You want to enter the Academy and take an Immortal as your master?

Dream on!

"Young Master Xia Mang, if you are ready, you may begin."

Beishan Xuantang smiled as he raised his hand and released a Whisk magic treasure, which floated before him. "So long as you can pass through this corridor despite my obstruction, you will become a Formal Disciple of our Black-White Academy."

Dressed in white, he looked graceful and refined.

The Primordial Spirit Daoists above the clouds all revealed approving smiles.

Even Black Crown Immortal asked Jade Sea Daoist beside him, "What is the name of this third-generation disciple guarding the trial?"

"Beishan Xuantang," Jade Sea Daoist replied. "He comes from a collateral branch of the Beishan Clan and has been in our Academy for nearly thirty years. He is at the Late Wanxiang Stage in Qi Refining. He has comprehended five Lesser Daos to the Domain of Dao, is most skilled in the secret art Five Qi Great Capture, and is Iron Hand's disciple. He is quite popular among the third-generation disciples of the Academy and ranks among the top dozen or so."

"Iron Hand's disciple?" Black Crown Immortal nodded slightly. "He has comprehended five Lesser Daos, so his comprehension is quite good. If he can use Five Qi Great Capture to comprehend a trace of the Great Dao True Intent of the Five Elements Dao, his future accomplishments will be limitless."

"Yes."

Jade Sea Daoist agreed aloud, but inwardly he sighed. Even Junior Brother Iron Hand has not yet entered the Great Dao of the Five Elements. How could Beishan Xuantang so easily comprehend a trace of Great Dao True Intent?

The Formal Disciples of their Black-White Academy would only choose to break through into Primordial Spirit Daoists after comprehending one complete Dao at the Wanxiang Daoist Realm.

Their Dao Comprehension Realm was so high that they surpassed many Void Return Earth Immortals from other sects.

Yet even so, not every Primordial Spirit Daoist could comprehend Great Dao True Intent and enter its threshold.

That was even less likely for Great Daos focused on operational techniques, such as the Five Elements Dao, Taiji, and the Sword Dao.

Of course.

The most difficult of all was still the Great Dao of Life and Death.

For it not only contained the techniques of life-and-death transformation, but also the boundless mysteries of life and death.

It was a Great Dao that combined countless Dao mysteries with methods of execution!

It was extremely difficult to cultivate.

It was even more difficult than technical Great Daos such as the Five Elements Dao, Taiji, and the Sword Dao.

Across the Black-White Academy's countless years of history, the only person clearly recorded to have cultivated the Great Dao of Life and Death was Immortal Hanshan.

Unlike the other Great Daos, which were also rare but still saw one or two monstrous geniuses enter their threshold every few generations.

That was why he had been so conflicted after meeting Xia Manggan in the Cave of Carefree.

That was why Immortal Hanshan, along with all the Primordial Spirit Daoists of the Black-White Academy, had taken such an interest in Xia Manggan, who had come to seek a master and enter the Academy.

If Senior Uncle Hanshan accepts Xia Manggan as his disciple, then given his imperial status, perhaps...

Jade Sea Daoist glanced at Immortal Hanshan's back and sighed inwardly. Perhaps this is Senior Uncle Hanshan's final opportunity.

It had to be said that Beishan Xuantang was truly excellent at disguising himself.

Even the Primordial Spirit Daoists and Immortals who had been watching him all along had been deceived by his smile and mannerisms.

But Xia Manggan keenly sensed that the killing intent concealed behind Beishan Xuantang's gentle smile had grown several degrees stronger.

Trying to play tricks in front of me?

With a thought from Xia Manggan, the Qushan Seal stored within his Purple Mansion space rose once more, transforming into a massive mountain seal several zhang high that hovered above his head.

During his month of seclusion, he had fused everything his former Yang God self had learned with the Great Daos of this world, integrating them all into the fist art Wheel of Life and Death of the Heavens.

And the Martial Dao of the Yang God World placed the greatest emphasis on cultivating the mind and fist intent.

Its sensitivity of spiritual perception and ability to discern all kinds of auras were even more effective than Divine Sense.

It could even grant a special premonition of danger from the unseen.

It could be said.

Before Xia Manggan, no matter how skilled someone was at disguising himself.

So long as that person harbored malicious intent toward him, his mind would immediately sense it.

But this was now the entrance examination of the Black-White Academy, and Beishan Xuantang's act was flawless enough.

Therefore, even though he knew the other party might strike ruthlessly against him, Xia Manggan did not expose him at once.

"Dao Brother, be careful. I am about to attempt the trial."

Xia Manggan stepped toward the depths of the corridor.

Since Beishan Xuantang wanted to feign humility and play tricks, Xia Manggan would play along for now.

He wanted to see just what tricks the man could pull off.

"Young Master Xia Mang, feel free to attack. My cultivation is higher than yours, after all, so I will exercise restraint."

Beishan Xuantang lightly waved his sleeve. The Whisk before him immediately sent out countless strands of white silk, which formed into a giant hand in the air and crashed toward Xia Manggan in a grasp.

Of course I will exercise restraint.

Beishan Xuantang thought coldly, If the headmaster had not restricted me to using only one Human Rank magic treasure, then even if you cultivate both Body Refining and Qi Refining and possess a Purple Mansion Fiendgod Body, I would still be confident in killing you with a single strike!

The Whisk he was using was merely a top-grade Human Rank magic treasure, barely possessing the power of a lower-grade Earth Rank magic treasure.

But in Beishan Xuantang's eyes, it was already enough.

After all, his Qi Refining cultivation was at the Late Wanxiang Stage. With it, he was activating a magic treasure while using the secret art he was most skilled in, Five Qi Great Capture.

Among all the Purple Mansion Formal Disciples in the Black-White Academy, he was confident that he could suppress and capture any one of them with a mere turn of his hand.

This time, not only will I keep you outside the Academy, I will also carve an invincible Shadow into your heart.

As Beishan Xuantang sneered inwardly, a sky full of stars suddenly appeared in the void above his head.

Amid the countless stars, a bright moon and a blazing sun hung high at the same time.

He had actually directly used the Dharma Form power unique to Wanxiang Daoists.

And as soon as that Myriad Manifestations Dharma Form of sun and moon hanging high appeared, the starlight filling the sky likewise transformed into a giant hand and merged into the white silk hand formed by the Whisk magic treasure.

The white silk hand reaching for Xia Manggan immediately became wreathed in boundless starlight, its might surging by far more than double in an instant!

"That kid is quite sinister. He says he will exercise restraint, but once he actually attacks, he shows no mercy at all."

Above the clouds, a Primordial Spirit Daoist laughed loudly.

All is fair in war.

In the incomparably cruel world of cultivation, battles between cultivators changed in the blink of an eye.

If one was not somewhat devious, especially while one's cultivation realm was still weak, it was all too easy to die young.

Therefore.

In the eyes of these Primordial Spirit Daoists, there was nothing wrong with Beishan Xuantang's actions.

Instead, they were more than happy to see the imperial prodigy Xia Manggan feel some pressure, preferably suffer a little.

Otherwise, judging by the youngster's previous performance, he might once again reveal no methods at all.

Then what would be the point of everyone waiting around here for an entire day?

"Stop talking!"

"Watch how the little fellow handles this."

All the Primordial Spirit Daoists focused intently on the scene.

Some even released their Divine Sense without caring whether Xia Manggan might detect it, so they could sense things more clearly.

Don't you just want to see me reveal my true intent realm?

Sensing that twenty or thirty streams of Divine Sense had suddenly appeared in the surrounding corridors, Xia Manggan understood what the Immortals and Primordial Spirit Daoists of the Black-White Academy wanted to see.

Thus—

Boom!

The Qushan Seal instantly expanded to over twenty zhang.

At the same time, Water and Fire swirled across the surface of the great seal, forming an enormous black-and-white wheel.

Beneath that wheel.

Countless phantom deities raised it with both hands and turned it.

The entire corridor,

and even all of Heaven and Earth,

were immediately filled with the murmured words of "life" and "death" from the mouths of countless deities.

Bang!!!

The second update is here. Wait ten minutes—the third update will be coming right away.

Another three chapters and ten thousand words today. During the new book period, there probably is not anyone else doing this. The key is that Suifeng does not even have a single saved chapter. Gentlemen, please support me with whatever votes you have on hand. That way I will have the motivation to keep writing, hahaha.