Chapter 428 - 233: The Assessment Begins! A Peerless Demon Fiend Appears! Jiang Che Shocks Everyone

It was none other than the former number one on the Hidden Dragon List, the son of the General, Qin Xuange!

His cold gaze swept over the crowd. When his eyes fell on Qin Wuya, he gave a slight nod.

Then, he walked directly to an empty space at the very front, sat down cross-legged, and closed his eyes to meditate.

"What... what a powerful aura!"

The crowd only dared to breathe again after he sat down. Murmurs rose once more, only much quieter this time.

"I heard he broke through to the True Master Realm half a year ago on the border. I can’t imagine what his Realm is now!"

"Judging by that aura... he must be at the Second Layer of True Master Realm, right?!"

"He truly is Qin Fuhu’s son. His Talent is even more terrifying than Qin Wuya’s!"

In the corner, Qin Wuya’s expression soured as he listened to the surrounding chatter.

He took a deep breath, stood up, straightened his collar, and walked up to Qin Xuange.

After all, this was his cousin. He had to go over and greet him.

"Brother," Qin Wuya said.

Qin Xuange slowly opened his eyes.

He sized up Qin Wuya. Sensing the contained yet potent fluctuation of True Qi within his cousin’s body, he nodded slightly. His voice was deep and resonant:

"Wuya. It seems you haven’t been slacking off in the Sect during this time. Not bad."

Receiving Qin Xuange’s affirmation, Qin Wuya’s eyes flashed, his voice tinged with excitement. "Brother, this time... I won’t lose again!"

"Big words."

Qin Xuange said lightly, then closed his eyes once more.

"Then save your energy and prove it to me in the arena!"

"Of course!"

Qin Wuya firmly cupped his fist, then turned and walked back to his spot.

DONG——

A distant, heavy bell toll suddenly echoed throughout Xuanwu Plaza!

The next moment, a terrifying pressure, as vast as an ocean, erupted from the high platform in the center of the plaza!

A middle-aged official with a dignified face, dressed in a crimson official robe and wearing a black gauze hat, appeared out of thin air on the high platform.

His gaze swept across the entire plaza, his voice imbued with True Qi:

"SILENCE!!!"

The raucous plaza fell silent in an instant, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The official nodded in satisfaction and announced in a clear voice:

"The auspicious time has arrived!"

"The Celestial Strategy Guard selection... officially begins!"

"Now, for the rules of the first test!"

Everyone’s heart jolted. They held their breath and pricked up their ears, afraid of missing a single word.

’The real contest...’

’...has begun!’

The official continued:

"This Celestial Strategy Guard selection is divided into three tests and will last for three days!"

"Today’s competition is the first test: Realm Assessment!"

"In this test, the Heaven-Reaching Stele will be used to examine your Cultivation, which will determine your score. The higher your Cultivation, the higher your score!"

"Due to the large number of participants, the assessment will proceed by prefecture. When one prefecture is done, the next will follow, until all Forty-Three Prefectures have been tested!"

Jiang Che subtly glanced at Chen Jiayu beside him, nodding to himself. ’It’s exactly as Brother Chen discovered. It seems the Chen Family’s power in the Capital City can’t be underestimated. To think they could get their hands on such secret information ahead of time!’

After reading the rules, the official did not immediately announce the start. Instead, he turned to the side, his expression becoming extremely respectful, and bowed deeply toward the three Purple Gold Thrones floating in the air behind the high platform.

"Furthermore, today we are honored to have Elders from the Three Top Sects present as the chief proctors for this selection!"

As soon as he said this, countless gazes filled with curiosity and awe shot toward the high platform.

On those three thrones, three figures had appeared at some unknown time and were now seated.

The person on the left wore a snow-white Daoist Robe, had white hair but no beard, and a cold, stern face. He seemed like a drawn sword, emitting a sharp aura. This was the Haotian Sword Sect Elder, Su Wuming!

The person on the right wore a red kasaya and held Prayer Beads. He had a kind and benevolent face, and a faint halo of Buddhist light seemed to circle behind him, giving off an impression of profound stability, as if he were Unmoving as a Mountain. This was the high monk of the Prajna Zen Sect, Master Xuan Kong!

And the one in the center wore an azure Daoist Robe. With a white beard and hair, a benevolent face, and a Duster in hand, his aura was ethereal and indistinct, as if he had merged with nature itself.

That was the Myriad Phenomena Dao Sect Elder, Daoist Wu Wei!

The three of them sat there, and even without intentionally releasing their pressure, the sense of oppression stemming from a higher level of existence made the countless young prodigies below feel it was difficult to breathe, as if they were looking up at three towering mountains!

In the crowd, Jiang Che’s heart tensed.

He subconsciously activated his [True: All-Seeing Eye], wanting to gauge the true power of these legendary Elders from the Three Top Sects.

However, the very moment his gaze touched the Myriad Phenomena Dao Sect Elder in the center, the Daoist seemed to sense something. He suddenly lifted his eyelids slightly and glanced faintly in Jiang Che’s direction!

BOOM!!!

It was just a single glance!

Jiang Che felt as if a clap of thunder had exploded in his mind!

In that instant, he felt like an ant that had been targeted by a colossal dragon coiled in the highest heavens!

His heart clenched violently, nearly leaping out of his throat!

All the blood in his body seemed to freeze in that moment!

’This is bad!’

Terrified, Jiang Che hastily cut off the probing from his [True: All-Seeing Eye] and quickly lowered his head, not daring to look at the high platform again. His back was instantly drenched in cold sweat.

’What terrifying Perception Power!’

’I just took a quick peek with my Pupil Technique, and he noticed it instantly!’

’Such Cultivation... such Divine Soul strength...’

’Could it be...’

A shocking thought suddenly surfaced in his mind: