Chapter 436: Jiang Xiaoyue's Entrance Test

"Within the Ask-Heaven Sword Palace, it is not men you must fear, but the swords. A blade wielded by human hands amounts to little, but should you ever encounter one of the Nangong family controlled by their own sword, you must exercise the utmost caution!" This young noble, upon learning of the duo's ties to the Nangong clan, finally adopted a rare expression of gravity.

Fang Qi's eyes narrowed slightly as he drew a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. Staring at the solitary stick remaining inside, he felt the urge to strike a flame but hesitated, ultimately slipping his lighter back out of sight.

Tang Yu’s warning had caused a faint furrow to appear between his brows.

Mulling over the deeper implications of those words, he naturally understood that the grand factions of the Spirit State possessed heritages far deeper than what met the eye.

Stowing the cigarette away, he gave a casual shrug. "Why is there always someone looking to stir up trouble?"

...

The Haotian Academy.

Amidst an endless expanse of spiritual mountains, ethereal light seemed to shoot across the skies as purple mist ascended.

Deep within that shroud of nourishing spiritual aura lay the true seat of the Haotian Academy.

In truth, this year's academy examinations had already surpassed their original purpose; because the stakes were so immense, even the existing disciples of the Haotian Academy were set to participate.

This meant that while gaining entry might remain largely unchanged from previous years, anyone truly wishing to claim the top spot—to be taken as the final personal disciple of the old Headmaster and inherit that peerless volume, the *Secret Manual of the Grotto-Heaven*—would find it no simple or easy task.

Of course, for certain individuals, such considerations were perhaps entirely irrelevant.

For they had not come to compete for the championship in the first place.

Nangong Zhuo’s gaze was freezing cold. "Is it true that the woman from the Li family has advanced her cultivation yet another step by relying on the Jade of Divine Mechanics?"

"Yes, Young Master!" Standing behind him was the same man clad in a black satin robe embroidered with cloud-dragons and swords. "Furthermore, it is rumored she has mastered a highly miraculous sword art that allows her to fly atop her blade at incredible speeds. The cultivators gathered at the Cloud Sea Square all witnessed it."

"Fast?" Nangong Zhuo let out a mocking sneer. "How fast could she possibly be? No matter how swift, can she outrun my blade?"

"And what of the boy who accompanies her?" Nangong Zhuo inquired further. "Have you investigated him thoroughly? His connection to the Jiang family, and where he comes from?"

"The man's origins remain obscure," the servant replied. "We only know he shares a remarkably close relationship with the young princess of the Jiang family and runs a shop within the city. As for his specific identity, it still defies our efforts to uncover."

"Playing the mystic, are we?" Nangong Zhuo remarked. "You may dismiss yourself."

"Understood."

Only after the man had departed did two specter-like silhouettes manifest, appearing almost out of thin air directly behind him.

The twin figures were draped in pitch-black cloaks, prostrating themselves upon the ground, their features entirely hidden from view.

"Act the moment he leaves the city."

Like two flashes of dark sword-light, the figures vanished into the distance.

Cold light gleamed in Nangong Zhuo’s eyes. "Whoever you truly are, we shall soon find out."

Meanwhile, Xun Yuan, who was sitting in meditation within his chamber, suddenly snapped his eyes open to find the sky outside the window exceptionally grim.

"Crack!" A bolt of lightning tore through the firmament, blindingly bright against the dark, heavy clouds.

"Who could have possibly driven the Nangong family to deploy their Sword Slaves?"

Before the window, orchids and irises exhaled a sweet fragrance, while several yellow birds frolicked beneath the eaves. A young gentleman in white stood along the corridor outside the courtyard, gazing at the increasingly stifling sky while holding an antique volume of esoteric scriptures. The characters inscribed within were intricate and archaic, seeming to originate from a time far more ancient than antiquity itself: "A single flower, a solitary leaf; that which alters the course of a man’s life may lie within the minutest grain."

Up in the heavens, a pair of grand wings—resembling gold and jade, intricately carved with countless bizarre array formations—snapped open as a youth in black robes curled his lips into a smile: "This young master shall take his leave first!"

A streak of brilliant light cut through the vast sky like a shooting star!

In the next instant, countless spiritual lights erupted across Yuanyang City. Torrents of luminescence gathered like swarms of fireflies at the edge of the sky, resembling the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each deploying their own divine talents. Beneath the darkened heavens, ray after ray of light pierced through the astral winds of the horizon like sharp swords, all surging toward the northeast!

"Boss! We're off too!" At the Cloud Sea Square, Jiang Xiaoyue waved her small hand.

"Let's go, Sister Lanruo, time for us to head to school!"

With those words, the two girls trailed a long, shimmering wake of sword-light, merging into that spectacular river of spiritual brilliance.

"What is there to be proud of? Senior Sister is clearly supposed to be the champion of this year's examination!" a voice muttered from within the crowd.

"Hush your nonsense." Amidst the throng, a woman dressed in a pure white Taoist robe—its hem embroidered with a pair of crane motifs—slightly lifted her bamboo hat to glance in their direction. Then, she floated up into the air, riding the wind as if entirely untainted by the mundane sparks of the mortal world, yet trailing no further behind than the others as she followed calmly at the rear of the crowd.

Never before had all the master cultivators of the younger generation been brought into such close proximity.

...

Balancing atop her flying sword, Jiang Xiaoyue proudly sped to the very front of the vanguard. "Sister Lanruo, don't you worry, the things in the Boss's shop are incredibly powerful..."

"How many volumes of the Heavenly Book have you read?"

"Uh... only three volumes, I haven't fully mastered them yet."

"Then there's nothing to fear!" Jiang Xiaoyue patted her small chest reassuringly. "When the time comes, just watch this princess!"

Having spent every day cooped up in the shop acting as a clerk for so long, surrounded by an incredibly imposing senior and a formidable boss without ever having the chance to show off her skills, Jiang Xiaoyue could no longer suppress the primal excitement swelling within her.

She was absolutely thrilled now; after all, the Boss couldn't enter this kind of arena and could at best watch from the sidelines. Finally, she could unleash her full potential!

She was so excited she felt like jumping up and down!

"Hey~ if trouble arises later, just stick with this princess, and I guarantee I'll carry you to victory! This princess has read the entirety of the Heavenly Book, practiced the Sword Control Technique for years, and can cast Magic Shields and Ice Roars effortlessly..."

Li Lanruo’s eyes widened in astonishment. "..."

Her mind short-circuited slightly.

She had just encountered an incredibly intimidating senior against whom she wanted to display a trick or two, and now here came another awe-inspiring princess. It seemed she still had a long way to go.

Beyond the Haotian Academy lay an endless stretch of mountain ranges. Within these spiritual peaks, birds, beasts, and all manner of demons thrived in chaotic abundance. Furthermore, because the origins of this mountain range could be traced back to profound antiquity, while it was not an utterly impassable forbidden zone, it could certainly be deemed a perilous realm treacherous for ordinary men to traverse.

At the same time, it was teeming with various spiritual flowers, herbs, and even rare treasures.

Naturally, it was also riddled with all manner of strange restrictions laid down since ancient times, alongside additional barriers erected specifically to accommodate this examination.

And the rule of this Haotian Academy examination was simple: cross this massive expanse of spiritual mountains and reach the mountain gates of the Haotian Academy!

Of course, this was merely the baseline standard for passing. The quotas for entering the Haotian Academy numbered only eighty-one, and it was naturally impossible for this vast multitude of cultivators to all secure a place. Therefore, they had to harvest more natural treasures and rare curios within the mountains, where superiority would be judged by both quantity and quality.

Hunting for treasures and exploring secrets had always been an essential and most common method for all factions, cultivators, and martial artists to develop their strength. Whenever ancient ruins or secret realms emerged, they would invariably draw massive waves of cultivators into their depths, and this examination was precisely a contest centered around this theme.

Naturally, the dangers would not merely stem from within the spiritual mountains themselves; perhaps, they might also come from the other students participating in the exam.