The vast, sun-drenched central square of Azure Academy buzzed with intense anticipation as thousands of young cultivators gathered for the official class assessments.
Disciples from every tier step forward to register their personal cultivation bases onto the glowing array slates, which rapidly calculated each class’s overall average power.
On the high spectator platform, the Dean stepped to the edge and unfolded a shimmering crystal scroll.
His voice, resonant and amplified by spiritual energy, echoed over the quieted crowd.
“Now that all classes have registered their cultivation averages, the official rankings stand as follows: Class A1 leads with an average of Qi Gathering Level 7, taking first place!
Class C9 claims second place, with an extraordinary average of Qi Gathering Level 6!
Class A2 takes third place…” As the Dean announced the rankings, a warm, proud smile crossed his face when his gaze swept over the humble corner where Class C9 stood.
The surrounding plaza exploded into a tempest of shocked chatter.
“What?!
Class C9 is ranked second overall instead of dead last?!” “I thought Intern Jiang was only brilliant at martial comprehension, but his teaching ability is divine!” “I completely missed my chance!
If I had known, I would have begged to join his class—my cultivation would have skyrocketed by now!” Whispers of envy, regret, and newly awakened awe rippled through the gathered disciples.
[System Notification: Host Gained +5 Emotion Points!] [System Notification: Host Gained +5 Emotion Points!] [Total Emotion Points: 170] Up on the primary spectator pavilion, Intern Jiang Bai’s face flushed pale with sudden outrage.
“How is this possible?!” Jiang Bai hissed toward the Vice-Dean, who stood beside him with an unreadable expression.
“Vice-Dean, are you absolutely certain no extra cultivation resources were secretly funneled to Class C9?” “I am entirely certain,” the Vice-Dean replied smoothly, shaking his head.
“No resources were allocated to Class C9.
Even the Dean himself did not intervene.” “Are you telling me he trained a group of backwater trash into second place without a single resource?!” Jiang Bai’s voice cracked in fury.
“Are you out of your mind?!” The Vice-Dean’s aura flared with a subtle, icy pressure, instantly stifling the rude mentor.
“Mind your tongue, Intern Bai.
I am not your servant.” Jiang Bai’s jaw clenched tight, but he swallowed his anger and turned his head away, not daring to push the Vice-Dean any further.
High above, the Dean’s thunderous voice rang out once more.
“We shall open three arenas simultaneously to begin the class placement matches!
The first three bouts will feature Class C8 versus C7, Class C6 versus C5, and Class C4 versus C3!” The massive crowd parted into three distinct spectator rings around the arena stages.
Disciples stepped into the battle rings, drawing their spiritual weapons as battle cries shattered the air.
Sparks flew, cobblestones cracked, and vibrant waves of colored Qi exploded as the first match reached its violent conclusion.
“Class C7 wins!” the presiding elder declared.
“Come on, come on!
Place your bets on the upcoming matches!” a loud voice boomed from the edge of the spectator crowd.
Sitting behind a sturdy wooden table piled high with silver taels was a burly, middle-aged cultivator in opulent robes.
“Hey, it’s Master Chen from the Drunken Hall!
He’s setting up a gambling desk!” someone recognized immediately.
“Quick, let’s place our bets!
If I win this round, drinks are on me tonight!” another disciple cheered, joining the surge of spectators rushing forward to toss their coins onto the table.
“I bet fifty silver on Class C6!” “Twenty silver on Class C5!” As the gambling frenzy peaked, a loud gong signaled the end of the second ring’s battle.
“Class C5 takes the match!” “Damn it!
I lost fifty silver taels!” a frustrated disciple cursed, clutching his head in agony.
“Why did I bet on those losers?!
Beaten by a lower-ranked class!” “Ha!
My twenty silver paid out five-to-one!
I just made a hundred silver!” another winner roared with delight, scooping up his coin stack.
“Don’t lose heart, there is still one match left on the third arena!
Step right up, place your bets!” Master Chen chuckled loudly, sweeping the lost coins into his wooden chest.
“I have thirty silver left…
I’m going all in on Class C3!” “Thirty silver on Class C4!” A heavy crash detonated across the third arena ring as a final blow landed.
“Class C3 wins!” “Hahaha!
Sixty silver taels straight into my pouch!” Near the Class C9 platform, Lu Ruie watched the matches intently before turning to her classmate.
“That disciple used the exact same spear style as you, Qin Fan, but his execution was so weak—it looked like he was waving a wooden stick around!” Qin Fan crossed his arms with a confident grin.
“His technique is riddled with fundamental flaws, so it naturally lacks explosive power.
Besides, he hasn’t even mastered the Medium Realm of that style, whereas Master has already guided me to the Perfection Realm.” Lu Ruie chuckled softly.
“It really is incredible.
Master corrected every single flaw in our forms with just a glance.” “Yes,” Qin Fan agreed, his eyes shining with profound reverence.
“Master’s guidance is absolute.” As the afternoon progressed, more placement matches concluded in rapid succession until the Dean called out the final bout of the day: Class B6 versus Class B5.
“That’s my brother’s class next,” Lu Ruie murmured nervously, wringing her hands.
“I know how hard he worked over the past month.
I really hope they win…” “Let the match begin!
This will be the final duel of the day; the remaining brackets will resume tomorrow morning!” the Dean announced.
On the sidelines of the main arena stage, Lu Jun looked at his team of disciples with genuine warmth.
“Give it your all out there.
Even if we don’t win, do not be discouraged—you have only trained under me for a single month.
Next time, victory will belong to us!” “Don’t worry, Intern Lu!
We won’t let you down!” his disciples shouted in unison, raising their weapons high before marching onto the stage.
“Feeling nervous?” a calm voice asked from behind him.
Lu Jun turned around quickly, his face lighting up with a relieved smile.
“Brother Jiang!
I’m not nervous for myself, but their training window was simply too short.
Most of these other classes are filled with scions from wealthy clans who have eaten high-tier pills since childhood.
My disciples come from humble origins…
it’s difficult to bridge that gap in just thirty days.” “Do not worry,” Jiang WuShang said smoothly, offering a reassuring smile.
“Once this class assessment concludes, I will select several martial manuals suitable for your personal disciples.
By the next assessment, I guarantee they will stand comfortably among the Class Rank A brackets.
Also…
take these.” With a flick of his wrist, Jiang WuShang tossed a small spatial pouch toward him.
Lu Jun caught it and peeked inside, his eyes widening in shock.
“This…
Brother Jiang, what are these pills?!
I’ve never seen such a dense medicinal glow before!” “Just standard Healing and Qi Restoration Pills,” Jiang WuShang replied casually.
“I refined them myself during my free time.” BANG!
A sudden, violent explosion of energy rattled the stage floor, signaling the end of the clash.
“Class B5 takes the victory!
That concludes today’s matches!” the elder announced.
The disciples of Class B6 trudged off the ring, their heads hanging low.
“Intern Lu…
we failed you,” their team captain muttered, his voice choked with disappointment.
“Nonsense!
You fought valiantly,” Lu Jun replied warmly, clapping the boy on the shoulder.
“Besides, I have a massive surprise for all of you.” “A surprise?
What is it, Intern Lu?” the disciples asked, their gloomy spirits instantly lifting with curiosity.
“Intern Jiang here has promised to personally gift our class high-tier martial manuals to cultivate!” Lu Jun declared proudly.
“WHAT?!
Manuals corrected by Intern Jiang?!” the disciples gasped, their eyes sparkling with pure excitement.
“Does that mean our forms will have zero flaws like Class C9’s?!” Jiang WuShang chuckled at their enthusiasm, waving his hand modestly.
“Train hard with them.
Brother Lu, I shall take my leave first.” Leaving the noisy arena behind, Jiang WuShang returned to his private quarters within the academy.
Locking the heavy doors behind him, he sat cross-legged on his meditation bed, closed his eyes, and whispered into the quiet air.
“Shadows, come.” SWOOSH!
The ambient light in the room seemed to bend.
From the pitch-black corners of the floor, two dense, wraith-like silhouettes materialized, dropping onto one knee before him.
“Master!” Jiang WuShang opened his eyes, their dark depths glinting with cold intellect.
“Have you gathered any intelligence regarding Jiang Bai or Jiang WuHan of the Royal Clan?” “Master,” Asura Guard Wu reported dutifully, “over the past month, Jiang Bai’s agents placed nine high-value assassination bounties through our Death Hall targeting key regional magistrates and governors.
We executed all nine contracts without flaw.
He has never appeared in person; we only tracked him through his intermediaries.” “Furthermore,” Asura Guard Shang added from the shadows, “our intelligence confirms that Jiang Bai recently purchased twenty whole batches of Blood Pills from Rain Town at an astronomical price.” “Blood Pills?” Jiang WuShang’s lips curled into a cold, contemptuous smile.
“Pills that forcibly ignite the user’s innate vitality to grant a temporary leap in power—at the cost of permanently destroying their spiritual foundation.
He bought twenty batches…
it seems he is digging his own grave.” Jiang WuShang narrowed his eyes.
“What do you suspect he intends to use them for?” “We are uncertain, Master,” both guards replied in unison.
“He currently lacks a disciple at the 9th Level of Qi Gathering, though he has one at the 8th Level,” Jiang WuShang analyzed smoothly.
“To guarantee a absolute victory against my Class C9 tomorrow, he needs a breakthrough force.
He intends to force-feed those pills to his elite disciples.” Asura Guard Shang gasped softly.
“That will permanently ruin those disciples’ cultivation futures!
Just to win a single academy assessment, he is willing to destroy his own students?!” “Arrogant fools rarely consider long-term consequences,” Jiang WuShang said, a dangerous glint in his eyes.
“Shang, track down every record of his Blood Pill transactions.
Gather undeniable proof and expose it publicly the moment tomorrow’s matches finish.
Do not leave a single trace back to us.
Ensure he has no way to shift the blame onto his disciples—I want him utterly ruined before the entire academy.” “Understood, Master!” Asura Guard Shang bowed deeply before dissolving back into the darkness.
Jiang WuShang turned his gaze to the remaining shadow operative.
“Wu, you will accompany me tomorrow.
We are approaching the stage where we must take absolute control of both the Capital City and Azure Academy to expand our shadow network.
You will meet the Dean soon—he is already aligned with our interests, but we must display our true power to secure his complete obedience.” “By your command, Master,” Asura Guard Wu replied smoothly, sinking directly into the shadow beneath Jiang WuShang’s bed, vanishing completely.
With his immediate arrangements set, Jiang WuShang reached into his spatial ring and retrieved several leather-bound ancient manuals.
It’s time to compile these texts and decipher that ancient technique…
Closing his eyes, he activated his divine consciousness, channeling his mental energy to fuse the complex mnemonic pathways of the ancient manuals into a single unified comprehension slate inside his mind.
However, the instant he attempted to cultivate the first mnemonic line of the newly compiled technique— PUFF!
A violent wave of rebellious internal energy surged wildly through his chest!
His face paled instantly as he spat out a mouthful of crimson blood onto the wooden floorboards.
Clutching his chest while gasping frantically for air, Jiang WuShang wiped the blood from his lips.
System!
What is going on?!
Why is my energy violently recoiling from this mnemonic pathway?
Is my natural talent really too low to comprehend this text?!
DING!
[System Response: Host’s current natural talent allows comprehension of only the 1st Stage of this ancient technique.
Cultivating or comprehending the higher stages requires a minimum talent threshold of Heaven Rank.] Reading the system prompt, Jiang WuShang let out a dry, self-deprecating laugh.
“Heaven Rank Talent…” he muttered, shaking his head.
“It seems I must put the advanced stages on hold until I upgrade my talent rank.
As for the materials required for the first stage…
I already know their locations.
I must increase my strength quickly—venturing into those dangerous wild zones without sufficient power would be foolish.” Closing the ancient manual, he stored it safely back inside his spatial ring.
Wiping away the remaining bloodstains, Jiang WuShang lay down on his bed, closing his eyes to rest his mind for the decisive battles awaiting him tomorrow.