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nWith the ever-present autumn rain, the temperature plummeted significantly and people were starting to put on their winter clothing.

nAfter the end of the practical combat section, the Imperial Examination would officially conclude. The core evaluation on the third day was just a formality with no suspense.

nA person’s core was unlikely to undergo any major changes throughout their lives.

nThe autumn rain continued without an end in sight.

nAt the rooftop of the Mentors’ Office in Luojiang Academy, the wolfberry tea in Wen Ting’s hand had cooled.

nFine raindrops fell from the sky but none could touch him. The blade energy surrounding Wen Ting kept him from being drenched.

nSuddenly, Wen Ting lifted his head and looked into the distance. A flight sword was streaking across the sky. As it approached, Wen Ting could make out the rider.

nWen Ting was surprised and quickly masked his energy. Chao Xiaojian was here.

n“Vice Leader Chao,” Wen Ting greeted with his hands folded.

nChao Xiaojian disembarked and the flight sword returned to the sword box with a flash.

nHe studied Wen Ting then smirked. “There’s no need to suppress your negligible cultivation. You had innate talent but sadly, it was wasted. As the saying went, women will weaken your sword. And yet you abandoned your sword for that woman.”

nWen Ting only smiled in return. He was not angered by the words. “Everyone has their method when it comes to mastering the sword. My sword is different from yours.”

nChao Xiaojian pursed his lips. “You should stop masking your abilities. Prolonged suppression is damaging to your body.”

nWen Ting smiled and asked curiously, “Why is Vice Leader Chao here in person?”

nChao Xiaojian’s eyes lit after the reminder of the main reason for his visit. “That boy, Fang Lang… He managed to rank first in the theoretical component of the Imperial Examination. I came to follow his progress. It’s such a shame, the boy only lacks a good core. Otherwise, he would no doubt rank well in the honor roll.”

nWen Ting only chuckled at that.

n‘You know nothing.’

nThen, the two men had nothing more to say to each other.

nThey waited in silence for the practical combat section to end.

nAs Wen Ting took a sip of his wolfberry tea, he watched as candidates walk out of the Luojiang Examination Tower. His eyebrows knitted together.

nThe exiting candidates were bruised and battered, some were trembling in fear while some broke down sobbing.

nChao Xiaojian’s white eyebrow lifted. “Such unforgiving assessments will destroy morale and affect the future generations of cultivators…”

nWen Ting spat out the remnants of a wolfberry. His eyes married.

nThere was something off about this practical session…

nThe autumn rain was dissected by the sudden eruption of blade energy.

nWen Ting flickered and vanished from the rooftop of the Mentors’ Office.

nA white eyebrow lifted. Chao Xiaojian took a seat and waited for the drama to unfold.

n…

nThe snow had a long passage carved into it. In the distance, heavy snow covered half of the Mountain God temple.

nFang Lang remained where he was, one hand clutching the Obsidian Sword. The energy in him continued to climb and the snow around him was pulverized by the intensity.

nA fine Spirit Suit enveloped Fang Lang. He held the Obsidian Sword at an angle, sword tip pointing forward.

nThe foreign warrior rose. A stunned expression was on his face. His disbelief resulted in a loud howl.

n“You!”

nThe man touched the wound on his chest. Fang Lang’s attack nearly cut through him!

nUnbelievable!

nThis was the caliber of a Tang Dynasty candidate?

n‘If the Tang Dynasty has geniuses like this, when will my tribe have a chance at glory?’

nThe foreign man tightened his grip on his sword. The ferocity and malevolence in his eyes intensified.

n“Unfortunately, I’m not allowed to kill you. I won’t survive if I killed you, but I can crush your soul and deter you from the path of cultivation,” the foreign cultivator said coldly.

nBoom!

nWith a heavy step, the untamed vital energy surrounding his body exploded, blowing away the nearby snow.

nThe man charged forward with all his might as if he was rushing into battle.

nAs a soldier who had fought in actual battles on the frontline, he would not lose to an inexperienced student who was sitting for the Imperial Examination.

nThe Tang Dynasty had invited the top fighters from the many armies throughout the empire to join this Imperial Examination. The strength of the army was to be used to educate the candidates about the truth of cultivation.

nHowever, only Luojiang Examination Tower was assigned a foreign examiner—this was Li Puyi’s arrangement.

nIt was Li Puyi’s idea to rely on the foreign tribes to protect the Tang Dynasty’s borders. Therefore, he appointed a foreign cultivator to be the practical combat examiner as a test run.

nCoincidentally, the third prince wanted Li Puyi to pressure Fang Lang. Therefore, he made arrangements for the foreign cultivator to be posted at Luojiang Examination Tower.

nFang Lang did not flinch from the foreign warrior’s attacking charge.

nA third-class, first-grade martial arts master was no big deal.

nOf course, a martial artist in the blood-bending realm had power running through all parts of the body. He was strong, no doubt, and it would be a tough battle if Fang Lang were to fight as his own self.

nWhy struggle when Fang Lang could decisively win?

nWithout hesitation, Fang Lang used the Power Loan Card and whipped out Jiang Linglong’s ninth-grade sword mastery.

nOld Jiang, the golden-core genius!

nTrue geniuses could win despite being outranked.

nThe rule might not be applicable to others but with Old Jiang’s power, Fang Lang was sure she could.

nA golden-core ninth-grade sword master against a normal first-grade, blood-bending realm martial artist.

nThe foreign warrior who wanted to trash Fang Lang would soon understand…

nTwo could play the game.

nClink!

nThe Blooming Lotus Sword was unsheathed.

nThe overbearing killing instinct from the brutish foreign cultivator did not make Fang Lang flinch.

nThe late Lin Yun’s intensity and ferocity were comparable to the foreign warrior’s.

nThe blades clashed and Fang Lang let out a burst of speed. Both swords moved at high speed, causing the foreign cultivator to struggle to keep up. He was struck multiple times by Fang Lang’s swords.

nThe man could only block blow after blow…

nEven after Fang Lang stopped his attack, the man still raised his sword in a defensive stance.

nFang Lang activated his Spirit Step and afterimages appeared across the snowy land, confusing the foreign cultivator’s sight.

nFang Lang hurled the Obsidian Sword. Like a black arrow, it shot forward and struck the pile of snow behind the foreign cultivator. Then, Fang Lang rushed forward and leapt. His jump caused the snow to rise from the ground.

nNearer to his target, Fang Lang’s vital energy exploded and shocked the foreign warrior.

nA sword master? A martial arts master?

nBefore the man could make head or tail, Fang Lang’s knee shot out and struck the man’s head.

nThud!

nThe foreign warrior was physically strong. His body simply wavered while his head was momentarily twisted to one side. When Fang Lang dropped to the ground, he pulled out the Obsidian Sword that was stuck in the pile of snow behind the man.

nSword Draw Technique!

nThe blade’s light was brilliant and exuded a sharpness.

nIt poured forth and caused a flurry of snow.

nSnowflakes danced in the strong winds.

nThe foreign cultivator’s blood armor was ripped apart.

nSnow was in the air and so was his blood.

nWarm blood sprayed seven feet across the white landscape.

nFang Lang did not stop his barrage. With two swords in hand, he delivered lightning strikes that pierced through armor and broke defenses. His strikes were akin to his brush strokes during the written section of the combat assessment.

nWithin a few breaths, he had managed to land a dozen blows.

nThe harried foreign cultivator was bleeding from multiple wounds. Scarlet bloomed across the snowy fields.

nHe was breathless.

nAs a third-class martial artist, he could not believe he was losing.

nBloodied and bruised, he let out a frustrated roar.

nHe lunged forward and caught Fang Lang’s blades. Blood ran down his arm but he managed to restrict the boy’s movements. It was his chance to counterattack.

nHowever, Fang Lang immediately released the two swords. The foreign warrior’s jaw dropped.

nFang Lang raised his hand to the man’s forehead and flicked.

nFinger Flick Energy Wave!

nA ninth-grade sword master’s Finger Flick Energy Wave…

nWhoosh!

nThe rippling blade energy poured out from his fingers. The snowy grounds shuddered in the wake of the energy blast.

nThe foreign cultivator’s head was decimated into an unrecognizable mess.

nFang Lang rushed forward and got hold of the man’s head. Fingers clutching tight, he forcefully rubbed the skull into the snow, a cold expression on his face.

n“Crush my soul? Deter me from the path of cultivation? You? Hilarious…”

nThe words were uttered in a flippant tone.

nWith his fist, Fang Lang delivered blow after blow.

nThe grounds shook and the snow-laden Mountain God temple collapsed as if the scene was too gory for it to witness.

n…

nThe doors to the combat hall swung open loudly.

nFang Lang walked out in a bloodstained robe with a dark expression. Despite his savage battery of the examiner, he was not the least bit happy.

nThe third prince had put a target on his back and Fang Lang felt the imminent danger. At his current state, he would be bullied when he entered the Imperial City.

nWhen he achieved the third-grade sword mastery, he had thought to take a break from his rigorous cultivation. However, reality seemed to dictate otherwise.

nSome distance away, an examiner from the Ministry of Rites escorted Liu Hao to the combat hall.

nNoting the blood-soaked robes on the unhappy Fang Lang, Liu Hao wondered if the boy had failed the practical section like many others.

nThat assumption tasted as sweet as honey to Liu Hao.

nFang Lang’s unhappiness was Liu Hao’s happiness.

nLiu Hao’s joy in life was to see Fang Lang suffer.

nAs if sensing Liu Hao’s delight, Fang Lang stared at the boy and smirked before leaving the area.

nLiu Hao stepped into the combat hall.

nThe Winter Temple was chosen again as the arena after the randomization.

nThe illusion runes glowed. Liu Hao saw the fallen Mountain God temple and…

nA bloodied and bruised examiner with labored breathing.

nWhat did Fang Lang do to the examiner?

nHe smacked the examiner around?

nWere the examiners so weak this round?

nThen, Liu Hao rejoiced—the examiner was injured.

nIt meant he could easily pass this round.

nHowever, his joy did not last.

nThe foreign cultivator who was severely beaten by Fang Lang slowly rose from the ground. With bloodshot eyes and a broken blood armor, he charged at Liu Hao. Rage fueled his rampage and he let out a roar.

nLiu Hao only managed to utter, “Be—”

nTears splattered everywhere.

nBe gentle.

n…

nFang Lang exited Luojiang Examination Tower. The icy rain struck his skin.

nSwoosh!

nA zooming sound in the sky.

nWen Ting slowed down and got off his flight sword. He appeared beside Fang Lang.

nSeeing Fang Lang’s bloodied robe and downcast expression, trepidation filled Wen Ting’s heart.

n‘Did Fang Lang fail the practical assessment?’

nThere must be something wrong with the examination.

n“What happened?” Wen Ting asked in a stern tone.

nFang Lang saw his mentor and pursed his lips. In a miserable tone, he said, “Master Wen, I’m sorry…”

n“What happened? Just tell me what happened,” Wen Ting replied with a frown.

nFang Lang took a deep breath as if he was truly regretful.

n“I almost killed the examiner. Sir, my hand was forced!”

nWen Ting was speechless.

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