Chapter 282 - Palace Exam
The ranking list of the palace exam was quickly leaked.
Meng Kui, Zhu Xuanji, and others had no time to stop it, nor could they prevent it.
The source of the leak came from a rogue cultivator.
Once this explosive news spread, it immediately sparked widespread discussion in the Lava Immortal Palace and Huoshi Immortal City.
Even with the threat of the beast tide, countless people’s attention was drawn to this news!
"After the palace exam, won't the Palace Master of Lava Immortal Palace be decided?"
"Once the Lava Immortal Palace has a Palace Master, it should be able to unleash its full power and easily wipe out the beast tide, right?"
"Speaking of which, the Three Sect Lords are truly compassionate. They’ve set up this palace to save Mount Huoshi again. Over the years, the Lava Immortal Palace has done this countless times!"
Fei Si gritted his teeth.
He stared at the entrance requirements listed in the information, feeling a blatant mockery.
“No-Void Sect, Sun Lingtong!” He silently remembered this grudge.
Fei Si, relying on his cunning, had always been proud of himself, but experiences of being openly toyed with like this were rare.
As a result, each such experience left a deep, even unforgettable, impression on him.
Soon, he noticed Ning Zhuo's ranking, which was even ahead of Meng Chong.
This made Fei Si's lips curl: "This ambitious kid is really making a name for himself this time."
"You’d better be careful."
Fei Si obviously felt more sympathy toward Ning Zhuo.
Ning Xiaoren threw the information to the ground and roared furiously, "Damn it! That sly little bastard actually made it into the final palace exam list."
"Why didn’t I think to eliminate this trouble when I had the chance?"
Ning Xiaoren had followed his father's plan, offering an improved talisman, and was released from the dungeon, regaining his freedom.
On the surface, he had already been expelled from the Ning family, becoming a wandering cultivator.
Following the Ning family patriarch's guidance, Ning Xiaoren also entered the Lava Immortal Palace, trying to get close to Ning Zhuo, desperately seeking the latter's forgiveness.
But he didn’t succeed, as Ning Zhuo didn’t even spare him a glance.
This made Ning Xiaoren feel utterly humiliated, and his hatred for Ning Zhuo grew even stronger.
In the Ning family estate.
Ning Xiaohui’s grandmother was so furious she wanted to tear the information to shreds.
Her face twisted as she screamed at the top of her lungs, “Xiaohui, my Xiaohui! What kind of thing is Ning Zhuo? He dares to be on the ranking list? If he's on there, Xiaohui must be ahead of him."
"Xiaohui must be ranked before him!"
Ning Xiaohui's grandmother pressed the information against her face, her eyes just a fingernail away from the paper.
She searched desperately, reading word by word, but never found her name.
She roared in anger, tore the paper into pieces, and hissed like a venomous snake, "Fake, fake, this information is fake!"
"Hahaha, hahahahaha!"
In the main hall of the Lava Immortal Palace.
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit was even weaker.
It had secretly interfered with the normal functioning of the Lava Immortal Palace, using the beast tide to destroy one of the palace's core mechanism buildings, and was once again decapitated by a fire blade.
After this second heavy injury, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit was now less than fifty percent of its peak state.
In the entire palace exam ranking, it only cared about three people.
One was Zhu Xuanji, after all, ranked first and coming from the Southern Dou royal family, who knew many of the Lava Immortal Palace's secrets.
Another was Meng Chong. The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit had always hoped for him to inherit the Lava Immortal Palace.
The last one was Ning Zhuo.
“How did Ning Zhuo sense that the palace exam was about to begin?"
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit had too many things to pay attention to, especially at this moment when the beast tide required its focus even more.
So, it had neglected Ning Zhuo recently.
However, it had personally witnessed Ning Zhuo's resolute offering of the Buddha Heart Demon Seal.
Such decisiveness and determination sent chills throughout the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit’s body, making cold sweat break out.
Facing this little monster Ning Zhuo, it was increasingly fearful.
"He absolutely cannot be allowed to become the Palace Master."
"Otherwise, if I can’t escape, what will my future be like?!"
People began speculating about who the final victor of the palace exam would be, and who would laugh last, ultimately seizing the Lava Immortal Palace.
The majority agreed that Zhu Xuanji would be the top contender. Ranked first, representing the Southern Dou royal family, he was famous across the nation, with unmatched strength.
Most people believed that the City Lord's side was too weak. Judging by the ranking list alone, only some Qi Refining juniors like Meng Chong were on it. But those who truly understood the situation knew that the main force of the Meng family was in the second tier, watching the top three intently, ready to strike.
Just as the discussions reached a fever pitch, the first elimination happened.
To be precise, the body was discovered on the afternoon the list was released.
It was an assassination.
The heart of the corpse was destroyed, and the soul had vanished without a trace.
This immediately reminded people of Zheng Jian, as the death was identical.
Thus, the blame fell squarely on Yang Chanyu!
"Someone is framing me, starting to eliminate competitors. Hmph!" Being set up infuriated Yang Chanyu.
But she didn’t take action and instead hid even deeper alongside Sun Lingtong.
Their situation was now dangerous. Once they showed themselves, they would certainly be attacked.
Previously, Yang Chanyu had been the main target of concentrated attacks. But with the release of the "entry requirements," Sun Lingtong attracted even more hatred than Yang Chanyu.
Now, the public believed that the one who took first place in the palace exam would become the Palace Master.
A great number of cultivators were envious. Even those not on the list harbored the thought that if they eliminated someone from the list, they might take their place.
Such an opportunity might come only once in a lifetime. So many were willing to take the risk and bet everything!
Ning Zhuo had already gambled. He staked his future, his name, his life, and even the Buddha Heart Demon Seal.
"Now that the palace exam is out, it’s hard for me to find an opportunity to build my foundation in the short term," Ning Zhuo sighed.
As soon as he saw the list, he ran to Ning Jiufan.
"Old Ancestor, it’s terrifying. I'm also on the list. I'm scared, so scared of being eliminated," Ning Zhuo didn’t hide his desire for protection.
Ning Jiufan scolded him for lacking backbone, but still took him along.
Not only Ning Zhuo, but Ning Chen, Ning Yong, and several others on the list were also taken by Ning Jiufan for protection.
Soon after, Zhu Xuanji gathered everyone in one place.
Ning Zhuo then noticed that it wasn’t just Ning Jiufan; the Golden Core ancestors of the Zhou and Zheng families were also bringing their Qi Refining juniors to protect them in real time.
After all, with only Qi Refining cultivation, their strength was too weak to protect themselves.
Previously, it was Sun Lingtong from the No-Void Sect and Yang Chanyu who might strike, but now, with the palace exam list released, well, even righteous cultivators could become killers!
Zhu Xuanji had taken this into consideration and once again gathered everyone, urging cooperation and caution rather than exhausting each other early on.
This suggestion was immediately agreed upon by the Golden Core cultivators of the three families.
Zhu Xuanji also reminded them: if possible, try to collect fragments of the Golden Furnace.
He never let go of this critical clue.
In the past, the Golden Furnace was nearly inaccessible, being a heavily guarded area of the palace. Even trial disciples found it difficult.
But now, with the red flame beast tide reaching the palace's outer area and constantly attacking the inner area, if the tide reached the Golden Furnace, the palace’s defense formations would likely be loosened, allowing cultivators to approach.
"These broken fragments of the Golden Furnace have the value of tracing things back to their source," were Zhu Xuanji’s exact words.
Ning Zhuo was present and heard this, internally marveling at how persistent this detective was. Even at the palace exam, he was still thinking about clues.
"He might be hoping to use these clues to find Yang Chanyu and Boss Sun."
"If that day comes, I’ll have to use the Five Elements Cannon Tower to wipe everything clean," Ning Zhuo reminded himself.
The palace exam came faster than anyone expected.
A teleportation circle and a message appeared simultaneously—
The first round of the palace exam begins.
Candidates, please step into the circle. Latecomers will be considered forfeited.
No one hesitated; they all stepped into the circle.
In the next moment, they found themselves in a vast square.
In the square, there were desks and meditation cushions.
Each desk had a dozen or so jade slips on it.
Every cultivator was assigned to a desk.
They looked at each other, then at the desks in front of them. Some impatient ones sat cross-legged on the cushions right away.
New information was transmitted, and everyone realized: this was the first round of the palace exam, where they would answer
questions to earn scores.
Based on the scores, the ranking list would be adjusted.
The last ten on the list would be eliminated.
Anyone who attacked others, schemed, or attempted to cheat would be eliminated!
In an instant, everyone tensed up.
Especially Ning Zhuo.
After all, he was ranked last right now.
"Hey, can you handle this?" Yang Chanyu called out to Sun Lingtong, "You're in last place."
Her shout immediately drew everyone's attention.
"Just as expected!" In an instant, people confirmed their suspicions.
Meng Chong glared at Sun Lingtong in anger. This little devil cultivator in a child’s form had toyed with him!
Sun Lingtong was filled with worry for Ning Zhuo, but he never looked in his direction. Instead, he laughed nonchalantly, displaying overflowing confidence.
The palace exam officially began.
Ning Zhuo's heartbeat quickened as he quickly picked up a jade slip and placed it on his forehead to check the questions.
There were many questions, and he needed to imprint the answers into the jade slip with his spiritual sense.
Ning Zhuo's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he felt a surge of excitement.
Question 1: “Mirror merges Yin and Yang, observing both inside and out.” In the Mirror Platform Spirit Technique, the mirror observes things. How does it merge Yin and Yang to discern the truth of matters? Please explain the Mirror Platform Spirit Technique in terms of Yin and Yang changes.
Question 2: “When muscles are dyed, the bones also become firm.” The Demonic Blood Tendon Technique includes a method of dyeing muscles and bones with blood. How does this method strengthen both muscles and bones, doubling the practitioner’s strength? Please discuss the relationship between muscles and bones and their effect on cultivators.
Question 3: The Five Elements Conversion Disk contains five types of elemental mana. What methods can allow a cultivator to counteract three fire-element spells while leaving behind two water and two wood-element mana?
Everyone: “The Demonic Blood Tendon Technique is indeed one of the Three Sect Lords' methods, but the Qi Refining fifth-layer content doesn’t even touch on dyeing muscles and bones with blood, does it?”
“And what is this Five Elements Conversion Disk?”
“The Mirror Platform Spirit Technique? Looks like another of the Three Sect Lords' methods! But I’ve never even heard of it!”
“We’re doomed, doomed!”
“Stay calm, don't panic. If I don't know, others probably don't either!”
“Right, right. Everyone doesn't know, so the rankings shouldn’t change much. It won’t!”
(End of chapter)