The Pope and the Elders Arrive

Xing An thought for a moment, then nodded seriously.

"That's true."

"Then let's hope we both get good results tomorrow."

She lightly patted Chen Xi on the shoulder before heading toward the dormitory building.

After Xing An left,

Chen Xi gradually revealed a smile.

"The final trial... I'm actually looking forward to it."

Muttering to himself, Chen Xi headed back to his dormitory.

Back in the dormitory, Chen Xi sat cross-legged on his bed and entered a meditative state of cultivation.

The next morning.

Fifty-three trainees stood neatly on the training grounds.

The instructors stood on either side of the Training Camp's main gate.

The gates slowly opened.

The carriage of the Papal Hall and the coach of the Worship Hall drove into the Training Camp, stopping before the temporarily constructed viewing stands.

The carriage doors opened.

Pope Bibi Dong and Third Elder Qingluan stepped out from their respective vehicles and took their seats in the viewing stands.

The moment they sat down, their gazes fell upon the trainees ahead.

Under their scrutiny, every trainee held their heads high and straightened their backs.

Among the trainees, Chen Xi was also observing Qingluan and Bibi Dong ahead.

Azure Luan was the same as before, with no expression on his face, giving off an icy impression.

Bibi Dong remained as imposing as ever, but her temperament had changed ever so slightly. If the previous Bibi Dong had been dignified and noble, then now she carried an additional sense of ease.

It was as though the massive boulder weighing upon her had been removed, leaving her relaxed from the inside out.

After glancing at them a few times, Chen Xi withdrew his gaze.

No matter what, Bibi Dong was the Pope of Spirit Hall. Staring for too long would seem disrespectful.

As long as I knock everyone around me down, Azure Luan will become my teacher as he promised.

Chen Xi silently thought to himself, discreetly rolling his wrist.

"The final trial of the Training Camp will use one-on-one battles to determine the final rankings."

"During the first two rounds, one of the fifty-three of you will receive a bye. That means fifty-two will advance to twenty-six, then twenty-six to thirteen. In the third round, no one will receive a bye, making it fourteen to seven. The final seven will then compete for the final rankings."

"You will draw lots shortly to determine your opponents."

After Jiekaer finished explaining the rules, an instructor approached with a small box and had everyone draw lots.

After drawing.

Chen Xi looked at the blank slip of paper in her hand, then at the other trainees heading toward their assigned match areas. Clearly, Chen Xi had very luckily received a bye in the first round.

After pondering briefly.

Chen Xi headed toward Xing An's match area.

In the entire Training Camp, Xing An was the only person Chen Xi was fairly close to, so she wanted to see whether Xing An could achieve a good result.

When she arrived at Xing An's match area, Xing An was already standing opposite another trainee.

Xing An was the first to release her martial spirit. A shield resembling an ice crystal appeared in her hand, while two yellow Century Spirit Rings continuously flickered beneath her feet.

"Frost Saint Shield, a rare martial spirit focused on defense."

Chen Xi murmured to herself.

During her year in the Training Camp, Chen Xi had learned much about martial spirits. Though she could not claim to recognize every martial spirit, she knew most of them.

The match officially began.

Xing An was the first to unleash her First Spirit Skill: Reflective Damage.

A ring of light resembling ice crystals appeared around Xing An's body. The Frost Saint Shield gradually enlarged, enveloping her body, while tiny ice spikes emerged across its surface.

Since Xing An was a pure defense-type Spirit Master, her opponent's attacks not only failed to break through the shield's defenses, but also suffered the backlash of its reflective damage effect, causing him to be injured.

Damn, a hedgehog!

Watching the situation in the match area, Chen Xi silently calculated.

Her First Spirit Skill, Heavenly Blessing, could ignore the defenses of any spirit skill, so this reflective damage posed no threat to her. Besides, she specialized in spiritual attacks, giving her a natural advantage against defense-type Spirit Masters.

But if Xing An's spirit skill were paired with the Nine Heart Begonia martial spirit, it should be comparable to a godly skill.

The Nine Heart Begonia could instantly restore injuries, while Xing An was a pure defense type with a reflective damage effect...

After briefly imagining it, Chen Xi came to a conclusion: a frontline tank with a mobile healing fountain and thorn armor—tough and capable of dealing damage. Its only weakness was being afraid of someone targeting the support.

Just as Chen Xi's thoughts drifted away.

The battle in the match area had already entered its final phase.

As Xing An raised her shield and knocked her opponent to the ground, the battle officially came to an end.

"Whew, that was a truly satisfying battle."

"I've successfully advanced."

Xing An wiped away sweat that did not exist from her forehead, recalled her martial spirit, and walked out of the match area to Chen Xi's side.

"You advanced."

"Chen Xi, how did things go on your side?"

Xing An asked with great interest.

"I got a bye, so I advanced directly."

Chen Xi spread her hands.

"A bye? You're so lucky. I'm kind of jealous."

Xing An tilted her head, revealing a small envious expression.

"Come on, let's go watch the others."

Chen Xi smiled and headed toward the other matches, preparing to assess everyone else's strength.

Walking beside Chen Xi, Xing An thought for a moment before asking curiously, "Chen Xi, how strong are you exactly?"

"My strength?"

Chen Xi paused, then held out her hand to indicate the distance of one Spirit Ring. "Probably just a little stronger than you."

Chen Xi's expression was exceptionally serious.

Just a little.

A little more by one Spirit Ring.

Chen Xi felt that her gesture was perfect. The difference of one additional Spirit Ring was about that much.

"Then our strengths are about the same."

Xing An nodded lightly.

"Mm, about the same."

Chen Xi answered casually.

The two arrived at another match area and began watching.

As for the other trainees who had finished their matches, they were either adjusting their condition or heading to other areas to observe the others' true strength, striving for good results.

In the viewing stands.

Bibi Dong watched the scene below, gently rubbing her fingertips together. "The trainees in this year's Training Camp seem to be a little stronger than last year's."

Hearing this, Azure Luan slowly turned his gaze toward Bibi Dong, yet he had no intention of speaking.

Although Bibi Dong had made some changes during this period, the relationship between the Worship Hall and the Papal Hall still was not particularly good. At most, it had eased slightly.