"Damn it all, who did this?"
A short while later, Heaven Mending Pavilion's Elder Xiong Fei let out a shrill cry of grief and outrage, enough to break hearts and bring tears to every listener's eyes.
"Elder Xiong Fei, keep calm. So many fellow cultivators are watching. We must mind Heaven Mending Pavilion's image."
Elder Zhuo Yun did his best to maintain his composure and reminded him through a private voice transmission.
What a disaster!
Over ten thousand people had entered the Eighth Zone. Only the thousand or so exceptionally weak ones had failed to get past the opening area; the remaining eight thousand-plus had all walked out of the Eighth Zone and passed the trial.
Heaven Mending Pavilion was suffering and rejoicing at once. Now they could be certain that the Bear Child from the Void God Realm really had come to Heaven Mending Pavilion. Even if he had changed his appearance and slipped inside, his way of doing things had not changed one bit!
"Little brother, don't be afraid. Deer-Chasing Academy's doors will always be open to you."
The War Goddess hurriedly stepped forward and spoke.
"Junior brother, you can pretend to be eliminated, then come to Deer-Chasing Academy. When the time comes, I'll teach you personally.
"I'll give you cultivation resources, top-tier treasure arts, and even find you ten little wives."
Xiao Tian's Blue Calabash Brother's Clone also hurried forward to help the War Goddess poach him.
He knew perfectly well that Shi Hao would not go to Deer-Chasing Academy, but that did not stop him from showing the right attitude.
The War Goddess fell speechless at Xiao Tian's words. She felt she should never have come. Having gained a freak like Xiao Tian, who could thrash someone with Double Pupils and fight Spirit Transformation Realm opponents while in the Cave Heaven Realm, she should not insist on recruiting the Bear Child too. Otherwise, once the things Xiao Tian had done came to light, Deer-Chasing Academy would become even more chaotic than Heaven Mending Pavilion.
And another thing-could this scoundrel not keep a lower profile?
The assessment continued!
Xiao Tian's Red Baby body was already nodding off while hugging his iron sword. In the end, he fell asleep standing up. "Hey, you twelve-year-old brat, wake up! Are you taking the assessment or not? Everyone else has already left..."
"Thanks!"
Xiao Tian opened his eyes and saw Elder Xiong Fei's darkened face. He promptly dashed into the newly reconstructed assessment battlefield.
"Heavens, just what sort of demons and monsters have come to join Heaven Mending Pavilion this time? This boy-is he really twelve?"
Elder Xiong Fei tilted his head toward the sky and spoke in grief and indignation.
"Xiong Fei, how can you judge people by their appearance? That child's aura is young. He is indeed within the assessment's age limit of sixteen."
Elder Zhuo Yun spoke.
Half an hour later!
Elders Xiong Fei and Zhuo Yun gathered themselves and entered the geniuses' assessment area, also known as the Second Battlefield, bringing along several elders from great clans at the Inscription Realm or above to observe.
Only those who could enter this Second Battlefield were true geniuses, with cultivation at least at the Cave Heaven Realm.
However, entering the Second Battlefield also meant risking one's life. Xiao Tian slipped inside and wandered around for a while, saving a few foolish children along the way.
To him, it was no more effort than lifting a hand.
"Everyone, allow me to show you a Quasi-Saint Medicine that Heaven Mending Pavilion has painstakingly nurtured for eight hundred years. Its potency far surpasses what is normal for its age, and when it reaches a thousand years, it may transform into a saint medicine."
Elder Zhuo Yun stroked his beard and spoke with refined grace.
"Look over there..."
Elder Zhuo Yun looked over, only to see a hole.
He instinctively rubbed his eyes. It was still a hole.
"Damn it all, who did this? Where's the medicine? Where did the precious medicine go?!"
All of Elder Zhuo Yun's elegant bearing and calm composure vanished. Like a Primordial Heavenly Dog whose tail had been stepped on, the veins on his forehead bulged as he threw back his head and roared. His voice echoed through the mountain range, making the rocks, trees, and grasses tremble.
"Elder Zhuo Yun, keep calm. So many fellow cultivators are watching. We must mind Heaven Mending Pavilion's image."
Elder Xiong Fei stepped forward, tugged at Elder Zhuo Yun, and reminded him through a private voice transmission.
The powerful cultivators from the various clans who had come to observe all turned to stone, their eyes wide and mouths agape. Elder Zhuo Yun's cultivation was impressive indeed; his sonic technique was terrifying enough to shake heaven and earth.
Then their shoulders began to twitch and the muscles in their faces trembled. They had undergone professional training. They had to hold it in-they could not laugh. Heaven Mending Pavilion was already unfortunate enough.
They had already figured out for Elder Zhuo Yun exactly who had done this.
At some point, Xiao Tian appeared beside Elder Zhuo Yun. "Elder, were you demonstrating the treasure art of the primordial fierce beast Huo Dou? Your sonic technique is incredible. I want to learn it."
Seeing Xiao Tian, Elder Zhuo Yun stared dumbfounded. "You again? What are you doing here?"
"Why can't I come to the Second Battlefield? I'm hardly the only youngster who entered it, am I?"
Xiao Tian rolled his eyes as he spoke.
"Yes, he's right. Elder Zhuo Yun, this youngster will be a member of our Heaven Mending Pavilion's Genius Camp. You mustn't leave a bad impression on a disciple."
Elder Xiong Fei tried his best to sound kind and approachable.
Zhuo Yun said nothing. Instead, he looked toward the Black Fiend Tiger, the Primordial Remnant that guarded the Quasi-Saint Medicine.
The Black Fiend Tiger was a Primordial Remnant with White Tiger blood. Its entire body was jet-black, without a trace of any other color. Its fur was long, thick, and dense, like swirling black mist. Standing there, taller than a mountain peak, it resembled a primordial demonic mountain. Its blood-red eyes were like two enormous crimson moons, chilling the soul as it gazed coldly down at everyone.
The Black Fiend Tiger appeared in a furious rage as well. One roar set the mountains swaying and the earth trembling. It sent out its divine sense and recounted everything that had happened.
"Meimei, I think you should give up on recruiting that Bear Child into Deer-Chasing Academy. Just look at Heaven Mending Pavilion, and you can imagine what terrifying things would happen if he came to our academy."
Xiao Tian stepped forward, took the War Goddess's fair, lustrous hand, and spoke earnestly.
The War Goddess had also been watching in stunned disbelief. She had to admit that everything that had happened had once again reshaped her understanding of the Bear Child's destructive power. Deep down, she actually agreed a little with Xiao Tian's words, and even forgot to pull her hand away.
Finally, another hour passed, and Heaven Mending Pavilion's disciple selection came to a complete end.
Xiao Tian's Calabash Brothers Blue Calabash Brother's Clone happily returned to Deer-Chasing Academy with an arm around the War Goddess's slender waist.
His Red Baby body successfully joined Heaven Mending Pavilion.
After they paid their respects to Heaven Mending Pavilion's founding master, everyone was assigned a place to stay.
Their assigned houses lay in a valley covered with bamboo groves. Spiritual energy hung thick in the air, and auspicious mist swirled around them. In particular, old medicinal plants grew between cracks in the rocks, beside the paths, and along the streams, filling the air with all manner of medicinal fragrances. It was wonderfully natural and peaceful.
In the end, more than three thousand new disciples stayed, over half again as many as in previous years.
Over the next few days, quite a few more people were assigned to the Genius Camp based on their performance in the entrance trial.
Here, Xiao Tian met little Qingfeng, a delicate-featured boy whose talent was actually quite good. He had simply been cultivating for too short a time. Xiao Tian felt that, with his talent, if he had begun cultivating at two or three years old, he would also have qualified to enter the Genius Camp on his own merits.
"Junior brother, come spar with me. We'll stop short of hurting each other."
Just then, a thirteen-year-old boy in blue looked at Shi Qingfeng with what he considered an approachable smile. His black hair fluttered, his build was sturdy, and his skin was bronze.
Shi Qingfeng looked nervous. He was only in the Blood Moving Realm, had been cultivating for just over a year, and had only just turned eight. The boy before him clearly wanted to bully him, and he instinctively sensed that the other party meant him no good.
Smack!
Xiao Tian stepped forward and slapped Zhou Yuhao on the shoulder, instantly numbing his entire shoulder.
"Hello there. What's so impressive about bullying an eight-year-old child? Come on, let me play with you."
Xiao Tian flashed two rows of gleaming white teeth and drew the Black Iron Sword from his back as he spoke.
"Who are you?"
Zhou Yuhao's expression turned cold as he asked.
"This great hero never changes his name, standing or sitting. Listen well: Li Xiaoyao.
"When I see injustice on the road, I roar, draw my sword to help, and chop off a dog's head."
Xiao Tian raised his sword and pointed it straight at Zhou Yuhao as he spoke.
"You asked for this."
Zhou Yuhao had joined Heaven Mending Pavilion three years ago and had now opened three heavenly grottoes.
The next instant, Zhou Yuhao attacked, unleashing his best technique, the Fish-Dragon Treasure Art. His right hand traced an elegant arc, as though in harmony with the Dao, like a Primordial Remnant fish-dragon sweeping its tail. Endless runes burst forth in an instant, specks of blue light resembling splashing water as they lashed toward Xiao Tian.
"Startling Sword Art!"
Xiao Tian shouted. With the Deceit Beast Treasure Art empowering him, truth and falsehood were his to imagine. In an instant, heaven-shaking lightning descended from the sky and connected with his sword tip. Heaven and earth trembled as the surrounding houses and ground were obliterated inch by inch, with Xiao Tian at the center, swallowed by a sea of Thunderbolts.
He seemed to become a vessel for Thunderbolts. A single stroke of his sword seemed capable of destroying heaven and earth. A Primordial Remnant Golden-Winged Great Peng Eagle flew overhead, only to be struck by a wisp of Thunderbolts and instantly reduced to ash.
"Aah!"
Zhou Yuhao screamed. Such might was more terrifying than any battle between Inscription Realm experts he had witnessed. Frightened out of his wits, he lost control of his bowels and bladder. The runes he had gathered dispersed at once, and with another cry, he fell flat on his backside. The resulting rune backlash made him cough up several mouthfuls of blood before passing out.
Everyone around them stared with wide eyes and open mouths. What had happened? All they had seen was Xiao Tian shout and point his sword at the sky. Then Zhou Yuhao had been frightened out of his wits, wet and soiled himself, and apparently suffered a backlash from his own treasure art.
"Ah, this junior brother, whatever his name is, has crumbled under the pressure. He also knows he was wrong, subdued by my invincible presence. What a pity. I rarely unleash my Heaven-Shattering Sword, for once I strike, heaven crumbles, earth splits, and the sun and moon lose their light."
Xiao Tian sheathed his sword and spoke with a sigh.
"You in white-yes, I mean you! You look unconvinced. Come here."
Xiao Tian pointed at a boy who looked graceful in his fluttering white robes but wore a gloomy smile.
Yu Feng's face darkened. Zhou Yuhao was one of his people, and now he had been defeated without anyone understanding how. Faced with Xiao Tian's challenge, he could not back down. Otherwise, how could he hold his ground in the Genius Camp in the future?
"Since junior brother seeks instruction, allow your senior brother to demonstrate one of Heaven Mending Pavilion's supreme techniques."
Clad in white, Yu Feng forced out a smile as he spoke.
"Don't smile. It's too fake."
Xiao Tian spoke bluntly.
Yu Feng said nothing more. He also used the Fish-Dragon Treasure Art, which was naturally compatible with their Rain Clan bloodline. As he raised his hand, a dragon's cry rang out, and a vivid, lifelike fish-dragon formed from fish runes blasted toward Xiao Tian.
"Heaven-Shattering Draw-Sword Slash!"
Xiao Tian shouted, using the Pulao Treasure Art. This time, the power lay not in his sword but in his shout, its sound waves transformed into invisible sword energy.
Pfft!
The fish-dragon was cleaved in two with a single slash. The remaining force struck Yu Feng, making his body shudder. He felt nothing but excruciating pain in all his internal organs. He wanted to cough up blood but could not. This force had attacked the inside of his body directly, inflicting terrible internal injuries.
(End of chapter)
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