Chapter 488: Inner Court Assessment

"Xiaoyao, what do you think of my music?"

A captivating voice drifted over, silently tugging at Ye Xuan’s heartstrings.

"Yingtai!"

Ye Xuan’s heart stirred.

He looked at the picturesque woman before him, the one who had silently stayed by his side for so many years in his past life.

The weight of this emotion was more than he could bear.

Some people, some things... by the time you finally understand, they have already vanished without a trace.

A hint of inexplicable sadness flickered in Ye Xuan’s eyes. ’The fifth trial... I suppose stopping here is fine.’

With his current mental fortitude and willpower, he could easily distinguish whether this was the Illusion Realm or reality.

But he didn’t expose the illusion.

He couldn’t bear to shatter this beautiful scene.

Within the Illusion Realm, Ye Xuan simply stood there quietly, watching the woman before him as time slowly drifted by.

HUM!

An unknown amount of time passed before the scene in front of him suddenly began to waver. By the time Ye Xuan came to his senses, he was back at the entrance to the Illusion Realm assessment chamber.

’The fifth trial, huh? That’s about right. I already caused a huge sensation in the trial tower. If I suddenly clear seven or eight trials in this Illusion Realm and word gets out, forget Gale Light Academy, the entire Dream Realm Plain would probably be shaken.’

The Illusion Realm assessment measured a tester’s mastery of intent. If the Profound Mystery Sect knew he was this formidable in that regard, it would undoubtedly cause a massive storm.

Ye Xuan was currently in a phase of lying low and biding his time. Thus, even though he could have gone much further in the Illusion Realm, he stopped at the fifth trial, allowing himself to be eliminated.

However, Ye Xuan had no idea what a sensation his so-called "deliberate elimination" had caused in the outside world.

"The fifth trial! That Xuan Ye reached the fifth trial on his very first attempt!"

"Good heavens, just how strong must his willpower be?"

"The strongest student in our entire Gale Light Academy right now has only reached the seventh trial, yet he made it to the fifth on his first try. Is he even human?"

All the students stared at Xuan Ye’s ranking, their expressions dazed and their eyes wide with shock.

Exiting the assessment, Ye Xuan saw the looks of awe and shock on the faces of the many senior students and was left a little speechless.

’If they knew that I didn’t use my full strength during the assessment, what kind of reaction would that cause?’

Soon, the news that Xuan Ye had reached the fifth level of the Illusion Realm spread like wildfire, setting off another wave of commotion.

Meanwhile, Ye Xuan had already returned to his dormitory.

"Young Master Ye, you really broke through to the Tier Five Third Layer! And you even reached the fifth trial in the Illusion Realm!"

Luo Cheng and Zhang Lie stared at Ye Xuan, somewhat dumbfounded.

He said he’d break through to the Tier Five Third Layer in one month, and he did it in exactly one month. This feat of Ye Xuan’s made the two of them feel the chasm between them was immense.

Granted, a Martial Artist can roughly sense when their breakthrough is coming, but the timing is never set in stone. This was the first time they had ever seen a breakthrough as precise as Ye Xuan’s.

Ye Xuan offered no explanation, asking instead, "Zhang Lie, do you know what the inner court assessment usually entails?"

"The inner court assessment is generally conducted in two parts. The first is a written exam, the second is a trial. Only those who pass both can enter the inner court."

"A written exam?" Ye Xuan said, somewhat stunned.

"Yes, a written exam." Zhang Lie nodded. "The content of this written exam often changes, and the academy doesn’t provide a syllabus. Sometimes it tests a student’s comprehension of cultivation realms, sometimes it tests a student’s knowledge of Demon Beasts and Profound Beasts, and sometimes it tests a student’s ability to identify Spirit Medicines. The list goes on."

"But you don’t need to worry too much about the written exam, Young Master Ye. It’s usually very simple and often doesn’t serve to weed out students. It’s more for identifying which areas a candidate excels in."

"What you need to pay attention to, Young Master Ye, is the second round: the trial."

"This trial is the truly crucial part of the inner court assessment. It’s a complete test of a student’s survival skills. Those who aren’t true geniuses and experts simply cannot pass. And I’ve heard that in past trials, there have even been cases of students dying."

"Of course, the probability is very, very small."

After hearing Zhang Lie finish, Ye Xuan nodded.

’So it seems the inner court assessment isn’t actually that difficult. The written exam doesn’t eliminate anyone, and as for the trial... ’ Ye Xuan was full of confidence in his own strength.

The next day, after registering, Ye Xuan waited peacefully for the inner court assessment to begin.

Two days later, the inner court assessment arrived as scheduled.

The inner court assessment was Gale Light Academy’s most grand annual event. Its influence was so great that it was even more sensational than the new student entrance exam.

Because joining Gale Light Academy only meant you were a genius.

But once you became an inner court disciple of Gale Light Academy, it meant that you had a high chance of becoming a leading figure of the entire Dream Realm Plain in the future, a truly top-tier expert.

Early in the morning, the entire academy was abuzz with activity, and every face was alight with excitement.

In front of the great hall for the written exam, many students gathered. Looking out, one could see young men and women everywhere, all exuding powerful auras.

Among them, there were even quite a few Tier Six Martial Venerables.

"Senior Brother Lin."

"Senior Brother Lin."

A young man of about twenty-something walked past, and many senior students greeted him one after another.

The man’s gaze was cold. He just nodded, then found a random spot before the hall and sat down cross-legged.

"This must be Senior Brother Lin’s third time taking the inner court assessment, right? If he doesn’t pass this year, he probably won’t have another chance to enter the inner court."

"Senior Brother Lin Yuan broke through to Tier Six First Layer the year before last. It’s a pity he had bad luck and didn’t pass the assessment. Last year, he was framed by someone. This is already his third year."

"The probability of Senior Brother Lin becoming an inner court disciple this time should be very high. I heard he broke through to Tier Six Second Layer half a year ago. Such talent is simply astonishing."

"What a pity. With Senior Brother Lin Yuan’s talent, if he had joined the inner court in his first year, he might have already become a Tier Six Third Layer Martial Venerable by now."

Many senior students watched the green-robed young man, discussing him in low voices.

Ye Xuan followed their gazes. Indeed, the young man’s aura was restrained and subtle, yet it contained an explosive power. He was without a doubt a Tier Six Second Layer Martial Venerable.

’This is alarming,’ Ye Xuan thought. ’This person failed Gale Light Academy’s inner court assessment for two consecutive years. Just how difficult is this assessment?’

At the same time, he looked out as far as he could see and saw that in front of the hall, there were actually quite a few Tier Six Martial Venerables. Most of them were at the Tier Six First Layer, and all were clearly here to take the inner court assessment.

Ye Xuan had been at Gale Light Academy for a month now, and most of the students he had seen were only Tier Five Third Layer Martial Sects. This was the first time he had seen so many Tier Six Martial Venerables.

As if knowing Ye Xuan’s thoughts, Zhang Lie explained from the side, "Young Master Ye, in the academy, the residential areas for Martial Sect and Martial Venerable students are separate. Furthermore, once a student’s cultivation reaches the Martial Venerable level, they can accept missions issued by Gale Light Academy, go out to train, and earn points. So generally speaking, it’s rare to see Martial Venerable-level students in the academy. They only appear during major academy events."

"Additionally, the living areas for inner court disciples and outer court disciples are completely segregated. Not just their residences, but even their places for cultivation and attending lectures are different."

"So that’s how it is." Ye Xuan had a moment of realization. Indeed, up until now, he had not seen any of the so-called inner court disciples.

Just as the two were talking—

WHOOSH!

A terrifying aura descended, and a man in an instructor’s uniform landed in front of the great hall.

"Everyone, I am Instructor Lu Jun, and I am in charge of this inner court assessment. This year, the number of registered participants has reached one hundred and three, the highest in history. The first round, the written exam, is about to begin. All participating students, please enter the great hall, find a seat, and sit down. In a quarter of an hour, the written exam will begin on time."

After Lu Jun finished speaking, he waved his hand, and several staff members immediately opened the great hall for the written exam.

Inside was a spacious hall, in which many desks and chairs had already been arranged.

Student after student walked up and handed their student Tokens to the staff for verification.

"I’m going in."

Ye Xuan was standing near the front. After saying goodbye to Luo Cheng and the others, he reached the front of the hall in a few steps, passed through verification, and entered the great hall.

He scanned the empty seats in the hall, then sat down in a relatively open area in the center.

"Look, that’s Xuan Ye, the first-place winner of this year’s new student entrance exam."

"He’s so damn awesome. He’s only been enrolled for a little over a month and he can already take the inner court assessment. Whether he passes or not, he’s already a legend."

"Yeah, the threshold for taking the inner court assessment is very high. You have to pass the second level of both the trial tower and the Illusion Realm. Most people can only manage that in their second or third year. This Xuan Ye reached it right after enrolling. He’s a monster."

"I heard another one of the new students, Hou Fei, also met the standards for the inner court assessment."

"Look, that’s Hou Fei."

Outside the hall, many students were chattering, causing many of the Tier Six Martial Venerable-level students to look over.

Although they had all heard of Xuan Ye and Hou Fei’s deeds, this was the first time they were seeing them in person.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Hou Fei walked over to a table not far from Ye Xuan and sat down.

"You really haven’t disappointed me." Hou Fei stared at Ye Xuan, his fighting spirit blazing, and said coldly, "I will definitely pass the inner court assessment. I just don’t know if I’ll still be seeing you in the inner court."

Ye Xuan just smiled and said nothing.

"Arrogant brat."

A senior student who heard this couldn’t help but snort coldly. "A Tier Five Third Layer Martial Sect wants to take the inner court assessment? You think getting into the inner court is child’s play? Don’t make me laugh. I took the inner court assessment last year at the Tier Six First Layer and still didn’t pass. I think you two should just quietly get out of here. Don’t become a laughingstock."