30 The Special Exam Begins
[Special Trump Card – You Are Surrounded: Activates only when facing multiple opponents. Doubles the host’s physical, spiritual, and Mystic Power cultivation.
Note: When facing four or more opponents, triggers the special effect “Divine Descent,” doubling the host’s physical, spiritual, and Mystic Power cultivation again.]
—A perfect tool for showing off. Love it.
Yan Zhen happily put away the special trump card and then took out healing pills, distributing them to the East District students.
“Sorry, Yan Zhen, for causing you trouble again.”
“Don’t mention it. Cultivate diligently and get your revenge during the exam.”
“Mm…”
Yan Zhen patted Xiao Mie’s shoulder and then left with Huangfu Wenqing.
Xiao Mie finally understood what Yan Zhen had told him before.
There was no need to suppress his cultivation before reaching Mystic Master. He should have advanced as soon as possible. He had wasted a precious year, his cultivation now lagging behind the true prodigies, turning him into a loser.
He looked up and shouted towards Yan Zhen’s back, “I’ll catch up to you, Yan Zhen! And then I’ll challenge you to another fight!”
Yan Zhen gave him an “OK” gesture without turning around and returned to the dormitory with Huangfu Wenqing. He then locked himself in his room to cultivate, entering the Fire Refining Starry Sky.
The Fire Refining Starry Sky contained incredibly pure Mystic Qi. Now that Yan Zhen was a Mystic Master and possessed three Extreme Flames, he could finally absorb and refine it.
Sitting cross-legged atop one of the towering pillars at the edge of the plaza, he circulated the Emperor Flame Technique. Visible to the naked eye, Mystic Qi gathered around him like dense fog, forming a fiery vortex that he inhaled.
The efficiency of this cultivation method was far greater than the Outer Academy’s cultivation rooms. The only drawback was that he had to pause occasionally to circulate his Extreme Flames and cleanse his meridians. Otherwise, the overly pure Mystic Qi would crystallize within them, causing blockages and potentially severe consequences.
To cultivate here without any worries, one needed to be at least at the Mystic King or Mystic Lord realm.
The most suitable place for Mystic Masters and Mystic Generals was the “Celestial Dome Pagoda” in the Inner Academy, which gathered the power of celestial wind and thunder, greatly benefiting body, Qi, and spirit cultivation.
Several of his “showing off” moments in the script took place within that pagoda.
Yan Zhen cleared his mind and immersed himself in cultivation. Two days later, reminded by Beautiful Master, he stopped cultivating and left the Fire Refining Starry Sky.
Today was the day of the special examination.
After washing up, Yan Zhen left his room, sensing Huangfu Wenqing’s presence next door, so he knocked on her door.
“Wenqing?”
“Coming~”
Huangfu Wenqing quickly opened the door and came out, heading towards the examination site—the Dragon Gate Ferry—with Yan Zhen.
There were ferries of various sizes at the Dragon Gate Ferry, allowing for normal travel between the Inner and Outer Academies.
When they arrived, the ferry was already crowded with students, a small portion of them examinees, the rest onlookers.
Beep, beep, beep, his communication talisman beeped. Yan Zhen took it out and saw messages from the four girls.
[Cousin’s Meng’er: Look]
[True Love Ruyu: Behind]
[Serious Xue: You]
[This Heart to Zhen: ~]
“?”
Yan Zhen turned around and saw the four girls walking towards him, smiling.
“Cousin~~~”
Yan Meng’er was the first to pounce on him, ignoring the public setting, her ample 36D breasts pressing against his chest beneath her academy uniform.
Yan Zhen patted his cousin’s head and created some distance between them, as Huangfu Wenqing was glaring at Yan Meng’er.
“Why are you here?”
“To cheer for you, Little Brother Yan Zhen, of course~” Mi Xue’er pumped her fist. “And after the exam, you’ll be entering the Inner Academy. We don’t know when we’ll see you again.”
“Don’t worry, even after entering the Inner Academy, I’ll come out once a month to visit you.”
The four girls’ eyes lit up.
“Really, Cousin?”
“Yes.”
“Wouldn’t that be too troublesome?” Yan Ruyu said, though she didn’t mean it. “It might affect your cultivation.”
“Don’t exaggerate. It’s just like taking a one or two-day break each month.”
“That’s great.”
Just then, a voice interrupted them. “—Yo, boasting to the girls before the exam even starts?”
They turned and saw Shan Ben, the four-star Mystic Master representing the West District, who had a record of defeating five-star Mystic Masters.
He walked over with a few other West District examinees.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk, surrounded by five beauties. Student Yan Zhen is quite the ladies’ man. We’re all so envious.”
The four girls frowned, Huangfu Wenqing’s expression turning to disgust. Yan Zhen, however, remained impassive.
“What do you want?”
“Don’t you know?” Shan Ben stood before Yan Zhen, looking him over. “You showed off against our West District students the other day. They told me everything. I didn’t expect a scrawny, three-star Mystic Master like you to have such—”
Yan Zhen raised his hand, interrupting him. “—Wait, my limbs are perfectly normal. Your gorilla-like arms and legs are the result of improper body tempering.”
Pfft!
The girls couldn’t help but giggle.
The playful look on Shan Ben’s face vanished, replaced by a dark expression.
“Sharp tongue. I hope your skills are just as sharp. Otherwise, you won’t pass this special exam. You’ll be stuck in the Outer Academy, flirting with your girlfriends, hehe.”
Shan Ben and his group left.
Yan Zhen curled his lip, thinking, You’ll learn your lesson soon.
If it weren’t for the script requiring him to deal with this guy during the exam, he would have already beaten him to a pulp. A four-star Mystic Master who couldn’t even do body tempering properly, and he dared to act so arrogant?
“Such an annoying guy. Be careful, Cousin.”
“He’s just a clown.”
“What are you going to do, Yan Zhen? I want to beat him up.”
“Ahem, calm down, Wenqing. I can handle him.”
“Alright.”
As they spoke, a group of instructors arrived, led by Dean Yu Qing and Head Instructor Shui Bailan.
The importance of the year’s first special examination was second only to the year-end Dragon Gate Selection, so half of the Outer Academy instructors were present.
Bai Yue was also there, hoping to see Yan Zhen fail. He had even lent Shan Ben a Tier 4 Mystic Tool gauntlet.
Although Yan Zhen had been forced to separate from Instructor Yu Xuan, Bai Yue was still worried that if he performed too well, the Yu family might change their minds. Therefore, he wanted to hinder Yan Zhen’s progress.
However, the special examination was primarily overseen by Inner Academy instructors.
Shortly after the Outer Academy instructors arrived, two Inner Academy instructors flew over from the other side of the river, bowed to Dean Yu Qing, and then said, “The special examination is about to begin. We’ll now explain the rules.”
“All examinees, step forward and choose a ferry to cross the river. Reaching the other side within the time limit of one incense stick constitutes a pass. If you fall into the water, you’re eliminated.”
“Note that the Dragon Gate River isn’t as calm as it appears. And interference between examinees is permitted during the exam.”
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