Artifact Control Trial, the Glow of Magical Artifacts

Over those three days, Chu Bai did no more intensive training. He stayed behind closed doors, sitting in meditation and bringing his vitality, energy, and spirit to a peak state of Perfect Flawlessness.

At dawn, the bell rang nine times, its sound echoing over the entire Dao Academy.

Led by his instructor Zhou Changkong, Chu Bai arrived at the Heavenly Spirit Martial Training Ground, a forbidden area on the mountain behind the Dao Academy.

It was not normally open to outsiders. Only a major examination of this caliber warranted the use of its special Spirit Realm.

At that moment, the vast Martial Training Ground was already buzzing with voices.

Besides the hundred or so elite students who had passed round after round of selection and secured their places in the competition, the surrounding stands held plenty of second- and third-year students who had not signed up and had come purely to watch and learn.

For them, witnessing a clash between the Dao Academy's strongest students was a rare opportunity in itself.

The moment Chu Bai entered, he spotted several familiar faces in the crowd.

"Junior Brother Chu!"

A delighted voice rang out. Zhang Shan stood in the front row of the spectator section, waving excitedly at him.

The two had worked together on several more missions recently and had grown quite close. But Chu Bai had spent the last month training in seclusion, so they had not seen each other for some time.

Zhang Shan strode over and patted Chu Bai on the shoulder. "Are you here to watch too, Junior Brother? Perfect. Let's find a good spot. This is the Immortal Official Examination! The strongest contenders are vying for supremacy. We'll learn plenty just by watching."

He paused, a trace of longing flashing through his eyes. "I was lucky