Chapter 451 - 236: The Dust Settles, Choosing a Sect! To Stay or to Go, Such is Life

"My conscience is clear. Why wouldn’t I dare?"

With that, he walked slowly onto the high platform under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

After all, he possessed the Soldier Soul Technique, Invisible Dao, granted by the Concealing Breath Treasure Pearl!

’This is a Spirit-grade Treasure, said to be undetectable even by a Great Power of the True Mastery Realm... I should be fine!’

However, despite his calm facade, his heart was not entirely still.

The presiding official’s aura was unfathomably deep. While not on par with the three Great Powers of the True Mastery Realm, he was definitely a top-tier expert at the Seventh Layer of the True Master Realm or higher!

It would be a lie to say he wasn’t nervous about undergoing such a close inspection from an expert of this caliber.

Jiang Che took a deep breath, stood before the official, and lowered his Divine Thought and True Qi defenses.

HUMMM—

A vast yet meticulous Divine Thought instantly enveloped Jiang Che’s entire body, carefully sweeping through his meridians, internal organs, bones, and even his Sea of Consciousness.

In that instant, time seemed to stretch on forever.

Down in the crowd, Lei Kuang stared intently at the stage, a vicious glint in his eyes, eagerly awaiting the moment Jiang Che would be exposed.

The disciples from the Cangyun Sect, despite their trust in Jiang Che, watched nervously, worried that something might go wrong.

A string of tension was pulled taut in Jiang Che’s heart as well.

Without the Concealing Breath Treasure Pearl, he never would have taken such a risk to vie for third place.

At most, he would have controlled his score to land somewhere in the seventies or eighties, just enough to secure a qualifying spot.

But since he had the pearl, securing a higher rank was more advantageous for receiving a favorable allocation of resources later.

Who knew he would end up overestimating this group of so-called "genius" opponents...

He had only planned on aiming for around tenth place, but he’d accidentally shot up to third!

Finally, after a moment, the official withdrew his Divine Thought.

He looked at Jiang Che with a flash of admiration, then turned, gathered his True Qi, and announced in a booming voice to the entire audience:

"I have personally conducted the inspection!"

"Jiang Che’s True Qi is pure and vast, originating from an orthodox Daoist Profound Skill. There is not the slightest trace of the Demon Sect’s aura!"

"Nor are there any signs of him having overdrawn his potential or taken forbidden medicines!"

"His foundation is far more solid than his peers! This third-place result..."

"Is authentic and valid!!"

BOOM!

With the official’s final verdict, the crowd erupted once more!

This time, however, their clamor was not of doubt, but of complete conviction and astonishment!

When an examiner who was a high-tier True Master personally vouched for him, who would dare to claim he cheated?

This was a genuine, bona fide genius!

Jiang Che let out a long, silent sigh of relief, the tension in his back easing imperceptibly.

’Whew... this Concealing Breath Treasure Pearl really is something else!’

’Now, I’m completely in the clear!’

He bowed to the official with cupped fists, then turned and descended from the stage.

Upon seeing this result, Lei Kuang’s face instantly turned a furious, purplish-red.

Although his heart seethed with defiance, he didn’t dare continue making trouble now that the presiding official had delivered his verdict.

To do so would be to question a court-appointed official and the very fairness of the Celestial Strategy Guard’s selection process!

"Hmph! You got lucky, kid!"

He shot Jiang Che a vicious glare before turning and slinking back into the crowd with his tail between his legs.

Jiang Che’s eyes narrowed as he watched Lei Kuang’s retreating figure.

’This guy is vengeful and petty. I’ll need to watch my back around him in the future...’

...

Before long, the final comprehensive rankings appeared with a great flourish on the enormous Jade Disc!

Golden light swirled as names materialized one after another.

Everyone looked up, searching for their own names and ranks.

[First Place: Xiong Tong (Northic Divine Beast Mountain)]

[Second Place: Nalan Ruoshui (Southern Desolate Medicine King Valley)]

[Third Place: Long Yu’er (East Sea Penglai Island)]

...

[Fourth Place: Lei Kuang (Desert Mad Saber Sect)]

...

[Fourteenth Place: Jiang Che (Cangyun Sect, Cangzhou Prefecture)]

...

[Sixty-third Place: Qin Xuange (Qilin Army, Cangzhou Prefecture)]

...

[Seventy-eighth Place: Qin Wuya (Taiyuan Sect, Cangzhou Prefecture)]

...

In the Cangzhou Prefecture waiting area, Jiang Che wasn’t surprised when he saw his rank.

Although he had taken third place in the combat trial and ninth in the Divine Soul Pass, his performance in the first trial had dragged his overall score down. After all, with his cultivation at only the Second Layer Peak of the True Master Realm, he had ranked just thirty-first.

Still, even though he was ranked fourteenth, no one would actually regard him as someone whose comprehensive strength was merely fourteenth in the cohort.

In fact, aside from the two Demon Fiends at the very top, Jiang Che was now considered a seed contestant on the same level as Long Yu’er and Lei Kuang!

Among the nearby Taiyuan Sect disciples, when Qin Wuya saw his rank, the nerves that had kept him on edge for three whole days finally loosened.

His rank was low, but he was solidly within the top ninety-nine!

From this day forward, he was a member of the Celestial Strategy Guard, a chosen prodigy who could enter the Inner Sect of one of the Three Top Sects to cultivate!

He clenched his fists in excitement, the rims of his eyes turning slightly red.

The torment and struggle of the past few days had finally paid off!

In a corner nearby, Qin Xuange looked at his rank and let out a soft sigh of relief.

It wasn’t a top rank, but it was in the middle of the pack, which was enough to preserve the Qin Family’s honor.

However, human joys and sorrows are not intertwined.

Aside from these three, not a single other disciple from Cangzhou Prefecture appeared on the Jade Disc.

A suppressive atmosphere fell over the waiting area.

Gu Qingxuan, Chen Jiayu, Xiao Qingge, Qing Ling...

These prodigies, who were used to being the center of attention and admiration back in Cangzhou Prefecture, now stared at the unattainable list, their eyes filled with disappointment and bitterness.

They had failed.

The harsh reality was laid bare before them: they hadn’t even made it into the top ninety-nine.