Chapter 45: Tests - II

Qing thought one last time before moving at the exact same moment as the replica. In a single second, both figures appeared at the center of the distance between them, their swords colliding immediately as the impact caused the surrounding Spiritual Qi to disperse in all directions, despite the Spiritual Qi here being far denser than anything found in the Lower Realm.

The sound of two non-metallic swords colliding echoed throughout the area as sparks flew from the point of contact and scattered in every direction.

Seeing that the replica’s sword didn’t move even an inch after the clash, Qing pushed his body even further while the replica remained completely calm, simply holding its sword as it watched Qing struggle against it.

At least, that was what everyone watching the battle believed, including the replica itself. Qing, however, understood exactly what was happening as he thought, ’It’s no use. That Formation completely analyzed my physical prowess and constructed this replica to match it while making its Cultivation three sub-realms higher than mine.’

Even under such circumstances, a small grin remained on Qing’s face as he continued pushing against the replica. ’My real advantage isn’t my physical prowess, it’s my Talent and my mind.’

Qing immediately shifted his stance and removed his sword from the clash without hesitation before crouching down. His sword streaked forward in a horizontal arc from below, clearly aimed at the replica’s legs rather than its body.

However, just as the blade came within an inch of the replica’s left leg, the replica calmly jumped backward and created distance between them. It immediately returned to an offensive stance, and just as it was about to move forward again, Qing appeared behind it with his sword already cleaving toward its neck.

’Now it will dodge again and immediately attack me,’ Qing thought as his grin remained on his face. Just as he expected, the replica vanished in the same manner Qing had moments earlier, using the exact same Void Steps Technique before appearing behind him.

Its sword thrust forward with precise speed, aiming directly for Qing’s skull, but Qing vanished at the final moment and reappeared elsewhere without hesitation, ’Now, Void Steps plus Mirror Image.’

The technique immediately surfaced within Qing’s mind, a Technique he had learned during his previous life and used when he had still been around the A-Rank. Back then, it had allowed him to fight opponents two major ranks above himself, and although his current Cultivation was completely different, the Technique itself remained engraved within his memories.

The moment Qing reappeared behind the replica, his figure suddenly multiplied as several images emerged from his body while he continued moving forward. In an instant, the number of figures increased from one to ten, each one appearing almost identical to Qing as they surrounded the replica from different positions.

The replica instinctively swung its sword at the Mirror Images with extreme speed, attempting to eliminate every single one of them before they could create an opening. The Sect Master, Grand Elders, and Elders all widened their eyes as they watched the Technique Qing had just used, because it was almost as complicated as the method he had used to create the Qi-Sword.

Qing was using his own Spiritual Qi to construct the Mirror Images, making them similar in principle to the replica itself, except the replica had been created by the Formation using the surrounding Spiritual Qi.

However, the true difficulty came from controlling them, because Qing possessed only a single mind, and controlling ten separate Mirror Images while simultaneously controlling his own body should have placed an enormous burden on his consciousness.

Yet Qing continued moving without even the slightest sign of hesitation.

The replica’s sword came within an inch of the first Mirror Image on the left, and just as the blade was about to cleave through it, Qing suddenly appeared above the replica. His sword descended with intense force, piercing directly through the replica’s skull from above and driving its body downward.

No blood emerged from the wound because the replica was nothing more than condensed Spiritual Qi given form by the Formation. Qing landed on the ground as the replica’s body began to collapse, its entire form rapidly dispersing into countless streams of Spiritual Qi that spread in every direction.

’The answer to these kinds of tests is so simple that it almost feels underwhelming. I just need to be unpredictable and use Techniques I would never normally use in a battle, then make the replica go through hell. Hehe.’

Qing’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a clap, and he turned his head toward the Sect Master as the Mirror Images around him also began disappearing one after another. The Sect Master herself was applauding while looking at Qing with clear interest, her expression showing that she hadn’t expected him to finish the test so quickly.

"What a truly incredible genius you are, Yue said you were a Formation Master with not much combat ability, but I see she was wrong about you. To create both a Qi-Sword and Mirror Images at your current stage of Cultivation, your combat ability is beyond what I expected from even a genius." She paused before turning toward Yue for a moment, only to see her standing with her head lowered as though she had failed at something she had been entrusted with.

The Sect Master then turned back toward Qing, who remained in a respectful position with one fist against his palm. "Now comes the test of your Elemental Affinity and Spiritual Roots." As soon as she finished speaking, the Sect Master snapped her fingers, and a small platform began rising from the floor beneath Qing before levitating several feet above the ground.

A small tablet approximately two feet tall floated above the platform, its entire body constructed from a translucent material that allowed faint streams of Spiritual Qi to be seen moving inside it. A circular Formation was embedded directly into its center, and with only one glance, Qing immediately understood both its structure and its purpose.

’Hmm, this thing is on a completely different level compared to what I saw in my past life. Well... I never came here in my past life to begin with.’ Before Qing could think any further, the Sect Master began explaining the purpose of the artifact.

"This is the Heavenly Origin Resonance Tablet, one of the treasures that has remained within the Sect since the time our Grand Ancestors ruled this Grand Region. With this, we can measure a disciple’s aptitude, including how many elements they can wield and how many Spiritual Roots they possess." Qing nodded as he listened before turning his attention back toward the translucent tablet.

The artifact clearly wasn’t something that could be found in an ordinary Sect, and even the Formation embedded inside it contained a level of complexity that would have been difficult to reproduce, "Now step forward and place your hand on the Formation of the tablet. It will do everything on its own after drawing a small amount of Spiritual Qi from your body."

Qing nodded once more and stepped forward, his demeanor remaining completely calm as he approached the artifact. ’I guess I can’t conceal how many elements I can wield, but it’s not like having more elements automatically means someone is more talented.’

’It’s actually the opposite. The more elements someone possesses, the more difficult it becomes for them to cultivate all of them and break through, so they will probably think I’m mediocre at best.’

Qing raised his hand and slowly moved it toward the circular Formation embedded in the center of the tablet. ’Now let’s see...’