Chapter 483: Consecutive Passes

"No matter what, after so long, that Xuan Ye must have at least reached the second level. Even if he’s eliminated on the second level, that’s still not bad. If he actually makes it to the third level, that would be incredible."

"To reach the third level on the first assessment... We already had a Hou Fei. Is our Gale Light Academy going to produce another genius this year?"

As they waited, countless students discussed amongst themselves, fists clenched in anticipation.

If Ye Xuan really managed to break through to the third level on his first assessment, it would be a huge blow not only to the new students present but to many of the senior students as well.

After all, many senior students had studied diligently for a whole year and still might not be able to reach the third level.

"Young Master Ye will definitely make it to the third level."

"Right! He’ll reach the third level and show them. He’ll blind them with his brilliance."

Luo Cheng and Zhang Lie cheered him on under their breaths.

If the crowd knew that Ye Xuan had only just entered the second level at this very moment, who knows what expressions they would be making.

Inside the Trial Tower.

Ye Xuan was engaged in a frenzied, evasive battle with two men in black.

In the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he had already gained a clear understanding of the two men’s strength and coordination.

’On this second level, just two of them isn’t much of a challenge for me.’

’Let’s end this quickly.’

A cold glint appeared in Ye Xuan’s eyes.

SWOOSH!

Facing the ferocious assault of the two, his figure moved like a phantom, like lightning. He suddenly dodged their attacks, employing a Body Technique from his past life. His movements became impossibly ethereal as he instantly appeared beside one of the men in black and slashed out with his sword.

The brilliant sword light crashed down like a toppling mountain.

BOOM!

Unable to withstand the blow, the man in black spat out blood and was sent flying backward.

Ye Xuan’s figure blurred as he gave chase like a bolt of lightning.

WHOOSH!

At the critical moment, the other man in black rushed in to help.

Ye Xuan’s eyes flickered toward him, a faint smile instantly gracing the corners of his mouth.

’You’re the real target!’

In the midst of his pursuit, he abruptly stopped and thrust his sword back in a dream-like motion.

SHING! SHING! SHING!

The sky filled with sword light, transforming into blooming flowers of blood—tragically beautiful and desolate, like life’s final, fleeting blossom before death.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

A series of metallic clashes rang out. The man in black hastily defended himself, his longsword vibrating as it fanned out like a peacock’s tail, enveloping his surroundings and somehow blocking all of Ye Xuan’s sword strikes.

’But the real killing blow is here.’

"Carefree Wanderings—Kun Palm!"

At that moment, however, Ye Xuan had already closed in beside the man in black. With a cold and merciless gaze, he used his Nine Profound World-Defying Art Cultivation Technique to manifest the Kun Palm from the North Nether Profound Skill, striking the man squarely on the back.

Even though the man in black had an astonishing Defense Power from his Nine Revolutions Saintly Body, the palm strike shattered his heart meridians, causing him to spurt a mouthful of purplish-black blood.

WHOOSH!

A flash of sword light flared. Along with it flew the blurred head of the man in black. An instant later, his body and head dissolved into nothingness.

All this took a long time to describe, but it happened in a flash. One of the men in black had been slain.

"Now it’s just you left. And you’re injured, at that."

Ye Xuan said with a smile, turning to look at the man in black he had knocked back earlier.

A few breaths later, the other man in black was also decapitated, his body dissolving into nothingness.

"This second level was pretty simple."

Leaning on his sword, Ye Xuan smiled faintly.

If he had been forced to face two men in black right when he first entered the Trial Tower, he probably wouldn’t have lasted more than a few rounds before being defeated.

But during the more than half an hour he’d spent on the first level, Ye Xuan had already memorized the strength, attack patterns, and other characteristics of these spirit bodies.

The men in black were, after all, simulated spirit bodies. No matter how perfect their coordination, they lacked the unpredictability of the human heart. Therefore, he only needed to use a few small tricks to instantly divide their assault and defeat them one by one.

Thus, even though the second level had two opponents, in terms of difficulty, it was actually easier for Ye Xuan than the first level.

First level: more than half an hour. Passed!

Second level: one incense stick. Passed!

A white light enveloped him, and the injuries Ye Xuan sustained and the Profound Power he had consumed on the second level were once again restored.

SHH! SHH! SHH! SHH!

At the same time, four figures appeared before Ye Xuan.

WHOOSH!

The four figures charged violently toward Ye Xuan at the same time.

"Kill!"

Ye Xuan roared, not waiting for the four to make their move. He took the initiative and attacked the one on the edge of their formation.

Four men in black were clearly much more difficult than two. Against two, you could risk focusing on just one, ignoring the other, or use small tricks to separate them.

No matter what, you could find a way to face only one of them. Once one was killed, the remaining one would be easy.

But four was different. Even if you lured one away, three would still charge at you. It was impossible to defeat them one by one.

Therefore, when facing four, Ye Xuan had to create distance between them, ensuring their attacks could not land at the same time.

Most critically, he absolutely could not let himself be surrounded. Once surrounded, it would be over.

BOOM!

Ye Xuan’s fierce attack instantly clashed with one of the men.

Without any hesitation, after launching his strike and regardless of the result, Ye Xuan’s own figure didn’t pause for a moment, fiercely dodging away.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

The instant Ye Xuan moved, three beams of sword energy landed where he had been standing. If he hadn’t moved so quickly, he would have been sliced to pieces by those beams.

"Star Sword Skill—Star Cluster Explosion!"

After dodging, Ye Xuan unleashed an area-of-effect Swordsmanship technique. The whole process was as smooth as flowing water, without the slightest pause.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Amidst the explosions, the three men in black were once again momentarily obstructed by Ye Xuan.

’Now’s my chance.’

SHING!

Ye Xuan’s figure suddenly charged toward the first man in black who had been separated. At the same time, his longsword thrust dreamily toward the man’s head with all his might.

One on one!

As long as Ye Xuan willed it, the fight would be an absolute rout.

PFFT!

One of the men in black was slain in an instant.

At the same time, three streaks of light struck, leaving a wound nearly a foot long on Ye Xuan’s body.

Licking his lips, Ye Xuan stared at the three rapidly approaching men, a crazed look in his eyes.

"Three left. Come on."

A cold, sinister smile played on his lips.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

In the void, the sky flickered with sword light. Strands of Profound Power spread out like a spider’s web, dense and terrifying to behold.

Dodge!

SHING! SHING! SHING!

Ye Xuan’s figure flickered manically through the illusory space like a flash of lightning. His speed was electric; he never stayed in one place for even a fraction of a second.

"Kill!"

Amidst the brilliant sword light, Ye Xuan seized an opportunity and suddenly thrust his sword, leaving a gash on one of the men in black.

He didn’t linger in battle. Once a strike landed, he immediately dodged away, never getting greedy for a quick victory.

After several more attacks, he finally seized another opportunity and slew a second man in black.

’Two left. No rush, I’ll take my time.’

As the number of opponents dwindled, the smile on Ye Xuan’s face grew wider.

He panted, slightly adjusting the flow of energy within his body as he moved.

Facing only two Martial Artists, the pressure on him had lessened considerably.

An incense stick’s time later.

PFFT!

The last man in black was decapitated by Ye Xuan’s sword.

He had finally passed the third level.

Ye Xuan was panting heavily, a look of exhaustion finally showing on his face.

A white light descended, and the injuries on his body began to recover rapidly.

「At this moment.」

Outside the Trial Tower, the crowd was already in an uproar.

"What’s going on? It’s been almost an hour, and that Xuan Ye still hasn’t come out?"

As time passed, the crowd’s attention on Ye Xuan grew more and more intense.

"He hasn’t come out after a full hour? That’s terrifying, isn’t it?"

"Historically, no new recruit has ever lasted this long on their first assessment."

"Could it be that Xuan Ye is lasting this long on the third level?"

"The third level is a fight against four experts of the same rank. Do you really think a new recruit like Xuan Ye could last this long? Honestly, I’d rather believe that Ye Xuan delayed and didn’t enter the Trial Tower right away."

"That’s very possible. But there’s another possibility: that Ye Xuan has been fighting on the first level this whole time."

"The first level is just one Martial Artist of equal strength. If we wanted to, any of us senior students could last a long time."

"Could that really be it?"

The countless senior students all broke into noisy discussion.

At this point, they were actually starting to doubt that Ye Xuan could have reached the third level. The third level involved facing four spirit bodies; an ordinary person couldn’t possibly last very long.

Simply put, the higher the level, the shorter the time one could last. Either you swiftly and decisively killed your opponents, or you were instantly killed by the four spirit bodies. There was no other possibility.

For Ye Xuan to have been inside for an hour, there were only two possibilities.

First, he hadn’t started the test right away.

Second, he had wasted too much time on the first level.

Of course, besides these two, there was a third possibility: that Ye Xuan had broken through to an even higher level.

But the crowd didn’t even consider this possibility.

The Trial Tower assessment was unique to Gale Light Academy. No matter how talented a new student was, they would need time to adapt.

Hou Fei reaching the third level was an extremely rare event in history. As for an even higher level? The crowd could only scoff at the idea.

Inside the Trial Tower’s space.

Ye Xuan began to face the assessment of the fourth level.

SHH! SHH! SHH! SHH! SHH! SHH! SHH! SHH!

Eight men in black stood in a single line, each one exuding a terrifying aura.

The gazes of the eight men in black fell on Ye Xuan in unison. Their stares seemed to pierce the very void, making the skin all over Ye Xuan’s body tingle.

The combined aura of eight Martial Artists of the same rank surrounded him. Even the strongest genius would feel immense pressure. That oppressive might weighed on the soul, causing the very atmosphere of the illusory space to nearly freeze solid.