Chapter 481: Ye Xuan’s Assessment

"Hmph, now you know how incredible Young Master Ye is."

Luo Cheng, of course, had long known about the relationship between Dongfang Zisi and Ye Xuan. At this moment, his expression was perfectly composed as he spoke contemptuously to Zhang Lie.

At this time, Hou Fei also walked out of the Trial Tower. Seeing his rank, his face showed no hint of emotion.

"The third floor? So-so." He walked up to Ye Xuan, his eyes full of fighting spirit as he stared at him. "I’ll wait for you to finish the assessment. I hope you don’t disappoint me. Also, I don’t want to be too lonely at the inner courtyard assessment a month from now."

After speaking, he turned, walked to a corner, sat down cross-legged, and ignored everything around him.

Hou Fei had said such things before, but back then, many of the older students had mocked him for his wishful thinking.

Now, however, no one thought that way.

Because everyone admitted that Hou Fei had the qualifications to say such things.

Next, the assessment continued.

With Hou Fei as an example, even when two more disciples among the next batch made it to the second floor, it seemed unremarkable.

Soon, it was Luo Cheng’s turn.

He walked in with a determined gaze.

After the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, Luo Cheng’s name appeared on the second floor.

"So close, I was so close to failing. Thankfully, I had the better skill at the last moment and killed my opponent."

After coming out, Luo Cheng spoke repeatedly, still shaken from the experience.

At the same time, he began explaining his experience inside to Ye Xuan.

Next up was Zhang Lie.

As if spurred on by Luo Cheng, Zhang Lie actually managed to hold on until the second floor as well.

Both of their names were now displayed at the very bottom of the second floor’s list.

"Hahaha, Young Master Ye, Brother Luo, I forgot to tell you! Even though my enrollment rank wasn’t high, I’m actually a genius! Yes, a buried genius! Hahaha."

Zhang Lie was ecstatic, completely forgetting himself.

Once Zhang Lie finished his test, everyone’s gaze instantly focused on Ye Xuan.

Originally, the crowd had only been paying mild attention to Ye Xuan’s assessment.

But after Hou Fei’s performance, everyone’s expectations for Ye Xuan had suddenly skyrocketed.

If even Hou Fei, who was ranked second, could break through to the third floor, then what about Ye Xuan, who was ranked first?

Of course, in the Trial Tower assessment, a higher enrollment rank didn’t guarantee a better result, but at the very least, it was enough to make everyone look forward to it, wasn’t it?

’Is it my turn?’

Ye Xuan smiled faintly and walked into the testing area.

Before him was a large stone gate connected to a stone building.

"This is..." Ye Xuan’s body suddenly trembled, his eyes filled with shock.

The entire building was engraved with complex and mysterious profound patterns. The structure of these patterns was ancient and weather-worn. Just a single glance gave off a primordial aura that seemed to pass right through him.

’A Profound Treasure... could this Trial Tower be a Profound Treasure?’

In Ye Xuan’s mind, it was as if a monstrous wave had been stirred up.

Before seeing the Trial Tower, he couldn’t have judged, but the moment he saw it, this thought inexplicably surfaced in his mind.

It wasn’t an answer he’d reached through analysis, but a gut feeling.

The intuition of an expert.

However, in his past life as an Eighth Grade Soul Emperor, he had owned countless Profound Treasures.

His most personal Ninth Grade Profound Treasure, the Sky Cloud Star-Shattering Shuttle, was even ranked in the top ten on the Profound Domain’s Profound Treasure list.

But compared to this Trial Tower, all of them felt like child’s play.

What shocked him even more was that as a former Tier Nine Array Pattern Master, he couldn’t understand the profound patterns on the stone building at all.

’Is this Trial Tower really a Profound Treasure? But what kind of Profound Treasure could allow a Martial Artist’s consciousness to enter and fight within it? And to have such rules set up?’

Ye Xuan felt uncertain once again.

"Young man, if you wish to take the test, just place your hand on the great door."

Suddenly, a majestic and ancient voice rang out by Ye Xuan’s ear.

Ye Xuan jumped in fright, only then discovering that there was actually another person in the room.

This person sat cross-legged in the shadows of a corner, completely covered by a cloak. They emanated an obscure yet terrifying aura, clearly a top-tier expert from Gale Light Academy tasked with guarding the Trial Tower.

When Ye Xuan had entered, he was so shocked by the Trial Tower that he hadn’t noticed anyone else in the room at all.

He quickly composed himself and nodded. "Yes."

"You seem very surprised to see this Trial Tower?" the cloaked figure asked doubtfully, their voice hoarse.

Ye Xuan said with a hint of respect, "This disciple was simply taken aback by the grandeur of the Trial Tower."

"Is that so?" the cloaked figure asked lightly, but said no more.

「Before the stone gate.」

Ye Xuan gently placed his hand upon it. A warm yet solid texture transmitted to his hands.

It was the first time Ye Xuan had ever discovered that a stone structure could give off such a warm feeling.

Just as he was thinking, a huge suction force suddenly burst forth from the stone gate.

The immense suction was impossible for Ye Xuan to resist. He only felt his mind grow dizzy, and then he found himself in a void-like space.

This was a deathly silent world. It was pale white all around, like a vast and empty plaza, with no trace of life in any direction.

’So this is the inside of the Trial Tower?’

Ye Xuan looked around. The entire world was a vast, boundless expanse of white, with no end in sight.

Ye Xuan was secretly alarmed. ’It forms a world of its own... just what kind of treasure is this Trial Tower?’ Even with his extraordinary knowledge, he couldn’t help but be stunned by it.

After his surprise, he calmed his mind and began to inspect himself.

Soon, he had a clear understanding of his body’s condition.

Because only his consciousness had entered the Trial Tower, none of the martial souls in his body could be manifested.

Additionally, external objects like his Celestial Fire could not be manifested in the Trial Tower either.

However, his ten Profound Veins, and even heaven-defying Cultivation Techniques like the Nine Revolutions Sacred Body and the Nine Profound Prideful World Art, were all present in his perception.

This gave him an even deeper understanding of how terrifying the Trial Tower was.

"Young man, welcome to the Trial Tower assessment."

Just then, an ancient voice suddenly echoed in the empty space.

Ye Xuan looked around but couldn’t discern the direction the voice was coming from.

"Young man, all you need to do is defeat the enemy before you and press forward relentlessly."

"Now, the assessment begins."

The ancient voice gradually faded away.

SWISH!

At that moment, a figure suddenly appeared a hundred meters in front of Ye Xuan. It was a figure in a black martial robe, holding a longsword. Its height, build, and the aura of Profound Power it emitted were identical to Ye Xuan’s. The only difference was that the black-robed figure’s face was blurry, without distinct features.

SWOOSH!

The moment the black-robed figure appeared, its gaze locked onto Ye Xuan. With a sudden movement, it crossed the hundred-meter distance in a flash. The black figure was instantly in front of Ye Xuan, its longsword thrusting out abruptly.

WHOOSH!

Like a viper striking, the sharp sword-light burst into a cold star, instantly grazing past Ye Xuan’s head.

PFFT!

Strands of hair drifted down through the air. A bloody line appeared on Ye Xuan’s face as he stared at the scene in horror.

He was injured in a single move.

Fast. It was too fast. That last strike was simply too fast.

He was so close to not even having time to dodge.

If not for his abundant combat experience from his past life, that last strike would have surely eliminated him. If that happened, he wouldn’t have even lasted a single breath. He would have become the biggest joke in the history of the assessment.

"How could this happen?"

He murmured to himself, unable to believe his eyes.

When it came to combat talent, Ye Xuan was full of confidence in himself.

In his past life, as a Tier Eight Martial Emperor, he could contend with the Nine Heavens Martial Emperor and had experienced no less than ten thousand grueling battles.

In his mind, passing the first level should have been an incredibly easy matter. Never mind the first level; with his combat experience, Ye Xuan wouldn’t have been surprised if he had charged straight through to the sixth or seventh floor in one go.

After all, the simulated spiritual body was only supposed to be equal to him in strength.

Yet on this first floor, the very first exchange had been a sharp blow to the head.

And while he was still in shock, the man in black had already launched another attack.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!

The sharp sword-light was like a monstrous, surging wave—vast and unending, coming one after another without pause.

’This is—Flowing Water Sword Intent!’

Ye Xuan’s eyes widened. In his haste, he quickly retreated. His figure was ethereal, like a swift soaring through a torrential storm, weaving and dodging amidst the crashing waves at high speed.

It was the Flying Swift Body Technique.

But while he was fast, the man in black was faster.

SWISH SWISH SWISH!

The longsword appeared before Ye Xuan’s chest from an extremely tricky angle.

’Not good.’

Ye Xuan was greatly alarmed. At the critical moment, he violently retracted his chest and simultaneously struck out with a backhand palm.

BANG!

PFFT!

The sword-light flashed. A wound nearly a foot long appeared on Ye Xuan’s chest. His robe was torn, and blood sprayed from the gash.

If not for the terrifying Defense Power of his Nine Revolutions Sacred Body and his timely reaction, that single sword strike might have taken his life.

Looking up, he saw that a palm-shaped hole had also appeared on the black-robed figure’s robes. However, the skin underneath the hole was completely unharmed.

"I understand now."

It was like a bolt of lightning flashed through Ye Xuan’s mind, and he was suddenly awakened.

A bitter smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

All this time, Ye Xuan had been analyzing this Trial Tower from the perspective of his past life, giving him a sense of superiority.

Now he finally understood that he was wrong. In fact, he was terribly wrong.

Indeed, if the Ye Xuan of this life cultivated the same Cultivation Techniques and martial skills as his past self, there was no doubt he could have easily killed his opponent in the Trial Tower. Reaching the sixth or seventh floor would have been no problem at all; he could have even attempted to challenge the ninth floor.

This was because he had cultivated those Cultivation Techniques, martial skills, and techniques to their absolute peak in his past life. The spiritual body simulated by the Trial Tower couldn’t possibly be stronger than him.

But in reality, in this life, he was cultivating heaven-defying Cultivation Techniques that he had never cultivated in his previous life: the Nine Profound Prideful World Art, the Nine Revolutions Sacred Body, and the Divine Spirit Gaze.

For the current him, he was still just in the process of exploring these Cultivation Techniques and martial skills.

But the spiritual body simulated by the Trial Tower was even more proficient with them than he was. As a result, from the very first clash, Ye Xuan was naturally at a disadvantage.