Chapter 541: The Sixth Level

"Shadow Transformation Skill—Explode!"

With a low shout, Ye Xuan’s figure burst apart the moment he charged into the crowd of black-robed Martial Artists. Three afterimages exploded outwards, shooting off in different directions.

The Shadow Transformation Skill was a secret cloning technique Ye Xuan had mastered in his past life. It used Profound Power and Soul Power to create several doppelgangers that were nearly identical to his real body, making it an extremely effective combat skill.

The appearance of the afterimages immediately scattered the attention and attacks of several black-robed Martial Artists. Two of the afterimages were instantly sliced to pieces, but Ye Xuan’s real body swung his sword, cleaving a black-robed Martial Artist—whose focus was on the other decoys—in two.

’Two!’

He counted silently. Ye Xuan’s Spiritual Power was highly focused, and his expression showed no sign of carelessness. In a situation like this, the contest came down to a Martial Artist’s observation and focus. The slightest lapse in concentration against Ye Xuan would result in death.

’Come on.’

An astonishing Sword Qi surged to the heavens, filling the entire trial space with its immense presence. Ye Xuan’s gaze was grim as he plunged into a crazed slaughter on the fifth level.

One sword strike after another.

As Ye Xuan danced on the edge of life and death, he cut down one black-robed Martial Artist after another within the trial space.

At that moment, Ye Xuan felt as if he had returned to his past life. The feeling of unrestrained slaughter, of fighting with wild abandon, made his blood boil. His movements grew faster and his combat techniques more practiced.

「Outside the trial chamber!」

Many students waiting for their turn were chatting and laughing amongst themselves.

"Hasn’t that Xuan Ye been in there for a while now?" one of the waiting students couldn’t help but ask.

"Almost an hour," someone next to him replied.

"I heard that during his first assessment, this Xuan Ye spent over an hour getting to the fourth level. I wonder how he’ll do this time."

"Maybe he’ll break into the fifth level, just like Lin Yuan and the others."

"That’s not very likely, is it? It took Lin Yuan and the others multiple attempts to succeed. Xuan Ye’s talent is decent, but trying to reach the fifth level on only his second trial is just wishful thinking."

"The fourth level pits you against eight experts of the same rank. It’s tough to pass that on your second try."

Many students voiced their opinions, discussing the matter in low tones.

After all, only a few dozen students in the entire Gale Light Academy had ever reached the fifth level. Although the talent Ye Xuan had shown was shocking to everyone, the vast majority still didn’t believe he could make it to the fifth level on his second attempt.

If the senior students present knew that Ye Xuan was already on the fifth level at this very moment, one could only wonder what expressions they would have.

「In the trial space!」

A dense storm of Sword Qi tore the space to shreds. Fierce sword glints soared to the sky, bathing the area in a dazzling light.

Several black-robed Martial Artists surrounded Ye Xuan, locked in a deadly battle.

Twisting in mid-air, Ye Xuan dodged a flurry of sword glints. His figure suddenly retreated to evade two more, then blurred into a shadow that skimmed low across the ground, narrowly avoiding another wave of attacks. At the same time, he scraped his heavy sword along the ground, sending a powerful sword glint surging forward. It severed the legs of a spiritual body that failed to dodge in time, then continued upward, tearing the black-robed Martial Artist’s chest in two.

The more Ye Xuan fought, the more fluid and fierce he became. He had completely integrated his Body Technique into his fighting style, attacking while dodging and dodging while attacking. It was impossible to tell whether he was on the offensive or defensive; all one knew was that his figure was a dazzling, untraceable blur.

His vast combat experience taught him exactly what to do in a group fight.

He never stayed in one place for more than an instant. For him, everyone around was an enemy, so all he had to do was attack. But for the spiritual bodies, a poorly aimed strike could easily injure one of their own. This forced them to be more restrained, making them less agile and free-flowing than Ye Xuan.

SHHNK!

He thrust his sword, and a sharp glint flew across the battlefield. The spiritual body in front of him twisted aside, dodging Lin Yexuan’s attack, but another spiritual body behind it couldn’t react in time. Its right arm was hastily severed, robbing it of most of its combat strength.

"Die!"

With a fierce cry, Ye Xuan’s heavy sword slashed through the void, igniting a brilliant flash of light.

PFFT!

A head flew into the air, and then it and the body vanished from the trial space.

’Eleven!’

Ye Xuan’s eyes were cold as he silently kept track.

After his all-out battle, only five spiritual bodies remained in the trial space, two of which were heavily injured. By this point, however, Ye Xuan wasn’t in great shape either.

When he first entered the trial space, Ye Xuan could have killed five spiritual bodies in a matter of moments. Now, killing even one took a significant amount of his strength, and a single mistake could lead to his own demise.

Flying backward to dodge a sword glint, a long gash was torn in Ye Xuan’s robes by the Sword Qi. Fortunately, he had dodged just in time; otherwise, he would have been gutted.

"Die!"

With no time to hesitate, Ye Xuan flipped over, his body flying backward. He shot into the air before twisting and plummeting down like a lightning bolt, unleashing several slashes at the one-armed spiritual body before him.

SCHLICK!

Having lost its right arm, the spiritual body’s power was greatly diminished. It could only hastily block two of the sword glints before being diced into pieces by the rest...

「In the Trial Hall, another half an hour passed.」

HISS!

A series of sharp gasps echoed through the hall.

"It’s been almost an hour and a half, and that Xuan Ye still hasn’t come out."

"At this point, he must be at the fifth level at least."

"Could Xuan Ye still be fighting in there? That’s too insane!"

"Xuan Ye’s rank on the Trial Tower stele hasn’t changed, which means his test isn’t over yet!"

As time ticked by, many of the students who had previously looked relaxed now wore tense expressions.

An hour and a half was not a short time. Even if someone deliberately stalled on the first two levels, very few could last this long.

Normally, this would mean he was at least in the later stages of the fifth level.

「In the trial space!」

"This Trial Tower really knows how to train a person. What a satisfying battle, haha!"

Ye Xuan’s expression was ecstatic. He was fighting with all his might, yet he still frequently encountered danger.

The feeling of battling on the precipice of life and death made his blood boil with excitement.

While the initial battles on the fifth level were difficult, they were primarily a test of a Martial Artist’s combat experience. By this later stage, however, it had become a test of willpower as well.

After fighting for so long, it was impossible to keep one’s nerves perpetually taut. Fatigue would soon set in, and combat efficiency would plummet.

At this point, the line between killing and being killed was razor-thin.

BANG!

His toes tapping the ground, Ye Xuan spun around and killed another black-robed Martial Artist with all his strength.

’Three left. But my Profound Power is mostly depleted. I have to end this quickly.’

Ye Xuan felt his will beginning to blur. An urge to give up rose within him. ’I’m just too tired... and consuming this much Spiritual Power in the trial chamber will cause serious damage to my real body. This is only an assessment; there’s no need to fight so desperately.’

The thought of giving up began to echo in Ye Xuan’s mind.

"Heh, this Trial Tower is truly amazing. It can even influence a person’s thoughts."

Ye Xuan shook his head and let out a dry laugh.

His will was unshakably firm. He wouldn’t give up even when pushed to his absolute limit, let alone when facing death.

The reason such a thought had appeared in his mind was, without a doubt, an effect imposed on him by the Trial Tower.

An ordinary Martial Artist might have been deceived by this feeling, their focus would slacken, and they would ultimately be defeated. But Ye Xuan instantly saw through the Trial Tower’s mental assault.

"You think the mere fifth level is enough to stop me?"

"Die!"

His gaze grew even colder. Ye Xuan barely dodged the coordinated attack of three black-robed Martial Artists, then suddenly thrust his sword. The glint of the blade shot out diagonally, directly severing the necks of two of the Martial Artists.

BOOM!

As Ye Xuan killed the other two, the last remaining black-robed Martial Artist suddenly unleashed its most terrifying attack, charging madly at him from the side.

It was too fast. The final black-robed Martial Artist’s speed was simply too great for Ye Xuan to dodge.

"If I can’t dodge, then why bother trying!"

In that hurried moment, Ye Xuan didn’t retreat but advanced. He met the attack head-on, his black heavy sword transforming into a formless ocean that swept outward.

BOOM!

The two forces collided. Ye Xuan stumbled back several steps, but the black-robed Martial Artist couldn’t withstand the terrifying power and was instantly blasted to smithereens, vanishing without a trace.

’My Profound Power is nearly gone, but after fighting for so long, you’re in the same boat. In a one-on-one fight, why would I, Ye Xuan, ever fear you?’

Ye Xuan stood with his sword in hand, his expression proud and his eyes filled with confidence.

Fifth level, passed.

BUZZ!

An invisible white light descended, instantly healing all of Ye Xuan’s injuries. At the same time, the vast amount of Profound Power he had consumed was restored in an instant. A feeling of power once again radiated from his body.

「A moment later...」

WHIRRRRRR...

The dense sound of tearing air filled the space as a large number of black-robed Martial Artists suddenly appeared before Ye Xuan. There were thirty-two of them in total, an oppressive, suffocating mass.

The sixth level of the Trial Tower!

Thirty-two spiritual bodies of the same rank appeared.

"Thirty-two Martial Artists of the same level. At first glance, it’s actually a little intimidating."

Ye Xuan grinned, calm and collected.

SWOOSH!

With a single movement, he instantly charged into their midst.

A massive number of sword glints instantly formed an inescapable net, blanketing Ye Xuan.

However, Ye Xuan dodged them with exquisite skill.

’Thirty-two Martial Artists aren’t fundamentally different from sixteen,’

Ye Xuan’s eyes gleamed as he searched for an opening.

For an ordinary student, the jump from the fifth to the sixth level, with the number of opponents suddenly doubling to thirty-two, would be terrifying. But Ye Xuan knew that in terms of actual combat difficulty for a Martial Artist, there wasn’t much of an increase between the two levels.