Before the Trial

At five in the morning, just as the sky began to lighten, Seacloud City was just waking up. The people in the city seemed to be called by something, and they all rushed towards the various squares within the city.

In these squares, giant, frame-like structures had been prepared in advance. The frames were now filled with water, and through the water, one could vaguely see a mountain forest!

"The annual Demon Subduing Valley trial is finally here!"

"Yeah, I've been looking forward to it for a long time!"

"Are there any promising talents this year?"

"The Ascension Academy is being very secretive. They said that last year's seed spots were leaked early, which led to a large number of merchants flocking to them, disrupting the cultivation of the Ascension Academy disciples!"

"Even though there are no official spots, there are still rumors. I heard there's someone named Yuan Qingming from the North Sea Yuan Family!"

"Why would a disciple from the North Sea Yuan Family come to the Ascension Academy? Shouldn't they go to the Tianyi Sect?"

"Maybe they weren't accepted by the Tianyi Sect, hahaha."

"Be careful what you say!"

"Ahem!"

"The disciples of the North Sea Yuan Family are probably just so-so. I heard that the Guang Family from Nanlin also has a disciple participating in this year's Demon Subduing Valley trial!"

"The Guang Family is rarely seen. I remember twenty years ago, there was someone named Guang Mu, known as Heavenly King Guang Mu, who killed fourteen Fierce Beasts alone and became famous in Seacloud!"

"Your information is outdated. That Guang Mu broke through the Qi Refining Stage four years ago and was promoted to Inner Disciple!"

Jiang Yunhao also brought a woman to the water curtain.

The woman was only 1.60 meters tall, with a small face but a magnificent figure. Although she was wearing a coarse cloth dress, it couldn't hide her beauty. However, not many people were looking at her.

Seacloud City was equivalent to Shanghai in the previous life. With its developed economy, it naturally wouldn't lack beautiful women, but how could beautiful women be as interesting as a competition?

She was none other than Mu Yunshan's lover, Madam You.

"Sister-in-law You, please sit!" Jiang Yunhao actually brought a stool, attracting countless people's attention.

Many people touched their foreheads: "Oh, right, why didn't I think of bringing a stool!"

"You didn't think of it, but who would have? I've been watching this for over sixty years, and I've never seen anyone sit on a stool!"

This remark made Jiang Yunhao's face darken. What, isn't bringing a stool standard equipment for watching a show? How could they not even think of this!

However, because of his reminder, quite a few people actually ran back to get a stool.

With this back and forth, the two who were not in a prominent position originally actually moved to the front row.

"Actually, I don't have to watch this!" Madam You said.

"It's boring to stay at home all the time, isn't it!" Jiang Yunhao chuckled. "Coming out for some fresh air can also relax your mood!"

"Alright!" Madam You nodded.

"I can also observe the quality of the Ascension Academy disciples!" Jiang Yunhao thought to himself.

Senior Zhong Li had always said that his cultivation talent was good, but Jiang Yunhao feared that the senior was just being polite. Now, with the Ascension Academy disciples as a comparison, he could finally know his own level!

"I heard that Inner Disciples will be watching today!" someone said.

"Why would Inner Disciples watch this?"

"Who knows? After all, they are Inner Disciples; they can do whatever they want!"

"That's true."

On the other side, in the Ascension Academy square, the students participating in this Demon Subduing Valley trial had already formed a huge formation.

The entire second-year class participated, while the first-year class selected a thousand representatives, plus their attendants, making a total of four thousand people.

A grand total of forty-four thousand people.

Behind the forty-four thousand people stood a white jade gate, forty meters wide and sixty meters high. This was the entrance to the secret realm.

Fang Zhuo stood on the high platform in front of the square. A viewing platform had been built here overnight. The chairs on the platform were purple-gold, with a luxurious design, prepared for the Inner Disciples.

A counter-intuitive fact is that in Taiheng, blue and gold are the most revered colors. Blue and gold are also the colors exclusively used by the Spiritual Law Realm mighty figures of the Taiheng Sect. Inner Disciples can also use blue and gold, but there is only one such person: the chief Inner Disciple, known as the Daozi of the Taiheng Sect, Tian Dao Yi.

"Brother Yang, are you nervous?" Xun Hu asked.

"Why should I be nervous?" Yang Ning retorted.

"This is the first time the tank will be unveiled in this world!" Xun Hu said. They thought the tank was a good thing, but others might not agree.

Especially since Inner Disciples were participating in this Demon Subduing Valley trial.

"Stay calm!" Yang Ning chuckled. "It's great if they value us, but it's not a big deal if they don't. We didn't build this to sell tanks, but to survive the trial. Don't lose sight of the main goal!"

"That's true!" Xun Hu nodded. He just felt it would be a shame if they didn't achieve good results in the trial, considering how powerful the tank was.

Yang Ning's mood was even better than Xun Hu imagined because the Inner Disciples had already entered the city, yet no one had discovered the Cloud-Mist Information Matrix around them!

Therefore, the Cloud-Mist Information Matrix could be bolder in its expansion, no longer limited to just Seacloud City.

"They're here!" Deep Blue reminded him.

Yang Ning's smile faded as he watched the rosy glow rising from the east, accompanied by a surge of pressure that directly swept towards the square!

"Is this... Mana Pressure?" Yang Ning was shocked. The suppression of the Qi Refining Stage over the Body Refinement Realm was absolute. Even the most talented Body Refinement Realm cultivators would find it difficult to contend with Qi Refining cultivators.

One of the reasons is this mana pressure.

Mana pressure doesn't just act on the physical body; it also affects the spirit, capable of making one lose the will to fight.

Without the will to fight, how can one defeat a powerful enemy?

"Lin Tianheng!" Following the direction of the pressure, Yang Ning spotted Lin Tianheng!

Unlike the first time he saw Lin Tianheng, when he was standing still on both previous occasions, this time his robes fluttered, and he walked through the air, strolling over!

Every step he took seemed to land on Yang Ning's heart, causing a momentary feeling of suffocation.

And this was merely the aura he was unintentionally emitting. If he had deliberately targeted him, Yang Ning believed he would have died with his heart exploding from a single step!

"Peerless Divine Ability: Calamity Annihilation Heavenly Origin Steps!" Like everyone else, Yang Ning watched the approaching figure with reverence, while having Deep Blue carefully observe Lin Tianheng's posture from all possible vantage points.

He knew he couldn't learn it this way, but even grasping a sliver of its divine charm would be good.

Behind Lin Tianheng, Wang Yao and Wang Yi still followed.

To his left walked a young woman in green, with a jade flute at her waist. She had a delicate, oval face, willow-leaf eyebrows, and eyes as clear as water. Her appearance was exquisite, with a hint of coldness on her face.

A maid followed behind the young woman. Yang Ning recognized her as the same maid who had been behind Lin Yuanxi last time.

Therefore, it was obvious that this young woman was Lin Yuanxi herself. So this was what she looked like.

To Lin Tianheng's right stood a burly man over two meters tall, with his arms crossed. He wore a magnificent white and gold robe but was bald. He wore a string of beads on his wrist, yet had no monastic scars on his head, making him look like a monk or perhaps a gang enforcer.

Perhaps monks in this region didn't have scars?

Beside the burly man were several other men and women, who appeared to be of considerable status. A young man in purple caught Yang Ning's attention because he seemed to have glanced at him.

"This person is Ming Yunxiu, a cultivator at the sixth level of Qi Refining in the Talisman Mirror realm. He should be the reinforcements Fang Zhuo invited!" Deep Blue said.

"No wonder!" Yang Ning understood. The sixth level of Qi Refining was two realms lower than Lin Tianheng.

Everyone arrived at the viewing platform. The Inner Disciples took their seats, while attendants and maids stood behind.

Seeing that everyone was seated, Fang Zhuo quickly stepped to the front of the platform and announced loudly, "Everyone has seen that this year's Demon Subduing Valley trial is different from previous years. Not only are the talents from the first year participating, but Inner Disciples are also here to observe. Therefore, you must all perform well. If your performance is outstanding, the elders will not only reward you generously, but they might even take you away to become their subordinates. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Whether you can seize it depends entirely on you!"

Without waiting for the disciples below to make bold declarations, Fang Zhuo waved his arm, and the white jade gate rumbled open. Then, with a single command, forty-four thousand people, some running, some jumping, surged through the gate!

"This gate teleports randomly. Let's four hold hands and stay together!" Xun Hu shouted.

"Yes!" Yang Ning, Su Bai, and Ning Rong quickly grabbed his arms. As the four of them rushed to the entrance, their vision blurred, and when they reappeared, they were in a field full of blooming flowers!