Talisman Emperor

Since Zuoqiu Hong was able to occupy the position of Vice Dean in the outer court, he absolutely deserved this position.

The stiff expression on his face flashed before he said with a warm smile, “Chen Xi is not bad indeed. If he’s able to obtain the Praise of the Gods, then I’d be happy to introduce a formidable instructor to him so that he can become that person’s personal disciple.”

Zhou Zhili glanced at him yet didn’t say anything.

Wang Daolu frowned instead, and he faintly sensed that if Chen Xi was really taken as a personal disciple by an instructor of the Zuoqiu Clan, then it would absolutely be a calamity.

If such a matter were to occur, then it might destroy Chen Xi’s future!

After all, the conflict between the disciples of the Zuoqiu Clan and Chen Xi was something that all of them had noticed. So no one would believe that Zuoqiu Hong was helping Chen Xi with good intentions.

Of course, Zuoqiu Hong had only spoken casually, so Wang Daolu couldn’t make a fuss about it.

Thump!

At the center of the distant Heart Reflection Lake, a disciple that sat upright on a Dao Sharpening Stone suddenly fell into the lake, and then his figure flashed as a shapeless force within the lake swept his body away.

This meant that disciple had been eliminated, and he didn’t have any further qualification to enter Dao Emperor Academy.

This scene instantly distracted the great figures on the platform because all of them were clearly aware that the moment for the outcome of this test of Martial Dao Will had arrived!

Thump! Thump!

Sure enough, in the next period of time, disciples fell from the Dao Sharpening Stones in succession, and in practically ten minutes of time, there was only five hundred people remaining on the Dao Sharpening Stones.

Up until this point in the test, two hundred people had already been eliminated, so even if someone amongst the remaining five hundred were to fall off the Dao Sharpening Stone, that person could still enter smoothly into Dao Emperor Academy.

Of course, the test hadn’t ended yet. The next period of time was the critical moment because the final ranking of the test round of the test would be born during this period of time!

At that time, not only would the remaining five hundred disciples be ranked on their performance during the last round of the test, they would be ranked according to their overall performance from all three tests.

That was the final list of this year’s recruitment test that carried supreme honor!

    …

Thump! Thump!

Amidst the deathly silent atmosphere, only the sounds of splashes resounded. Every single time it resounded, it meant that a disciple had fallen off a Dao Sharpening Stone.

As for what sort of tribulation they’d experienced on the Dao Sharpening Stone, that was something only they knew.

After the time for an incense stick to burn, only less than a hundred people remaining seated cross-legged on the Dao Sharpening Stones.

At this moment, even the great figures on the platform couldn’t help but hold their breaths in concentration while shooting their gazes over in unison. Their gazes didn’t blink at all as they didn’t dare miss the slightest detail

After all, practically all the disciples that were still persisting on the Dao Sharpening Stones now were from their various powers. There were disciples from the seven great ancient clans, the Buddha Dimension, Dragon Dimension, Phoenix Clan, and so on and so forth. Practically all of them came from top powers.

In other words, besides Chen Xi who was a special case, the disciples of the other powers couldn’t be found on the Dao Sharpening Stones at all.

Thus, in the following period of time, a wave of sighs resounded every single time a disciple fell from a Dao Sharpening Stone, and these sighs rose and fell unceasingly.

Some were delighted while the others anxious.

Up until the point only thirty disciples remained on the Dao Sharpening Stones, then there was no further movement. Those figures sat cross-legged silently and firmly, and they didn’t show any signs of being unable to hold on.

Meanwhile, the third round of the test had come to the most critical moment because whether or not they would be able to obtain the Praise of the Gods would usually be decided during this period of time!

“Not bad. Six members of my Ji Clan have persisted until now, and it’s an entire two more from the last time the tests were held. Haha!” Elder Ji Wen that wore a Daoist robe twisted his beard and was filled with complacency.

“Oh, my Zhongli Clan isn’t bad as well. During the last time the test was held, only two people persisted until now, yet this time, an entire five have persisted up to this point.” An instructor from the Zhongli Clan beamed from ear to ear as well.

“Do all of you see that? That’s my Mu Clan’s Mu Xiaoliu. He has only cultivated for a few tens of years until now, yet he was able to obtain such a ranking. It’s truly a great surprise even to me.” A refined middle aged man from the Mu Clan grinned as he spoke.

As for the others who hadn’t spoken, some had smiles on their faces while some shook their heads while sighing.

Only Zuoqiu Hong’s fair and dignified expression couldn’t help but be covered in a wisp of darkness that even seemed slightly gloomy because amongst the members of his Zuoqiu Clan that had participated in the test this time, only Zuoqiu Yin alone had persisted until now!

A single person!This was simply an extraordinary humiliation!

Zuoqiu Hong was clearly able to sense the gazes that the others shot at him inadvertently carried a wisp of pleasure from his misfortune, and this sort of feeling caused him to be extremely furious.

What a bunch of trash! A bastard that shouldn’t have been born into this world was able to put all of you in such a humiliating situation. You’ve simply thrown all the face of my Zuoqiu Clan! Zuoqiu Hong’s rage grew the more he thought about it, and the gaze he shot at Chen Xi inadvertently flashed with a piercingly cold and ghastly expression. Little Fellow, just you wait. Don’t let me grab onto any of your mistakes once you enter Dao Emperor Academy!

“You seem to have some opinions about Chen Xi?” Suddenly, a flat voice resounded by Zuoqiu Hong’s ears. He raised his head to look and saw Zhou Zhili was suddenly looking at him.

Zuoqiu Hong’s heart shook while he smiled and said, “This young man isn’t bad. I was just thinking about which instructor I should recommend him to.”

Zhou Zhili withdrew his gaze and said, “Actually, there’s no need for you to trouble yourself. When the time comes, there’ll probably be many old fellows that will be fighting to take him as their personal disciple.”

Zhou Zhili paused and continued. “I think highly of him as well.”

The last sentence he spoke was the main point!

Zuoqiu Hong was naturally able to discern the trace of warning within these words, and his expression couldn’t help but stiffen slightly. But he still smiled and said, “Oh, Even I slightly admire this young man’s luck to receive Brother Zhou’s favor.”

Zhou Zhili was obviously someone with a reserved nature, and he just nodded lightly when he heard this and didn’t speak any further.

Zuoqiu Hong’s heart wasn’t peaceful at all when he saw this, and it surged instead. He’d never imagined that Zhou Zhili would actually treat Chen Xi with special regard and even faintly warn him!

Hmph! If it wasn’t for that old fellow, Meng Xinghe, would you, Zhou Zhili, possess your current position? Zuoqiu Hong was both shocked and resentful in his heart, and it was an extremely complicated feeling.

Bang!

Right at this moment, an azure bolt of lightning suddenly descended from above the nine heavens. It was dark and cold as it flickered down like a dazzling blue colored flower of lightning, and then it descended onto Mu Xiaoliu and enveloped his figure.

That instructor from the Mu Clan leaped up from his seat when he saw this, and he said excitedly, “The phenomenon of Darkwater Lightning descending from the heavens. Not bad, this kid really is not bad!”

The others revealed a wisp of admiration as well. Presently, only thirty disciples remained on the Dao Sharpening Stones, and there were many of them with greater combat strength, natural talent, and cultivation in the Dao Heart than Mu Xiaoliu. But it just so happened that Mu Xiaoliu was the first to cause a phenomenon of the heavens and the earth to descend during the test, and it was unexpected indeed.

This meant that Mu Xiaoliu would obtain the Praise of the Gods!

Sure enough, the scene in the sky vanished after a short moment, yet strands of the chanting of the Dao appeared, and it sounded like the primeval gods were chanting and praising.

When they heard these strands of sound, all the great figures of Dao Emperor Academy revealed a wisp of an expression that was solemn and filled with yearning. 

However, to the astonishment of everyone present here. Not long after Mu Xiaoliu received the Praise of the Gods, his figure flashed before falling off the Dao Sharpening Stone as he was actually unable persist any longer.

Even then, these great figures of Dao Emperor had remembered this young man called Mu Xiaoliu. He was still at the perfection-stage of the Heavenly Immortal Realm, had only cultivated for a few tens of years, and he was absolutely unique amongst all the disciples that had participated in the test.

The future accomplishments of such a young man was bound to be limitless!

“Unfortunately, the sound from the Praise of the Gods was too weak. According to the differentiation of grades, it only belonged to the third grade, Lingering Tune.” There was also someone that didn’t speak in Mu Xiaoliu’s favor, and it was the instructor from the Zhongli Clan. The Zhongli Clan and the Mu Clan had always been enemies, and everyone was clearly aware of it, so all of them laughed and didn’t take it seriously.

As instructors of Dao Emperor Academy, they were naturally aware that the might of the Praise of the Gods was divided into three grades, and these grades were respectively called Lingering Tune, Resounding in the Nine Heavens, and Resonance of the Heavens and the Earth.

The higher the grade of the Praise of the Gods, the greater the benefits obtained. For example, when one advanced into the Golden Immortal Realm, one who’d obtained the Praise of the Gods at the grade of Resonance of the Heavens and the Earth might be able to obtain an Allheaven Divine Crest bestowed by the heavens that was formed from up to four types of Grand Dao Laws.

For example, the Iron Abyss Ye Tang obtained the Allheaven Divine Crest called Metalfuse Watermoon, and it was obtained by receiving the Praise of the Gods that was at the first grade.

On the other hand, the Lingering Tune grade only allowed one to obtain an Allheaven Divine Crest that was condensed from two types of Grand Dao Laws.

After Mu Xiaoliu, the situation where phenomenon of the heavens and the earth descended successively didn’t emerge, and it was instead a situation where a disciple would be unable to persist any longer from time to time and fell from the Dao Sharpening Stones.

Up until the point only a mere eleven people remained on the Dao Sharpening Stones did a phenomenon of the heavens and the earth called Flaming Birth of the Lotus appeared. It was caused by the Xuanyuan Clan’s Xuanyuan Yun, and he’d similarly obtained a Praise of the Gods.

According to the judgment of those great figures from Dao Emperor Academy, the Praise of the Gods that Xuanyuan Yun obtained could be determined to be at the second grade called Resounding in the Nine Heavens, and it was superior to Mu Xiaoliu.

Before long, Xuanyuan Yun fell from the Dao Sharpening Stone as well, and only ten people remained at the center of the lake.

They were respectively Zuoqiu Yin, Mu Yuchong, Moqi Yan, Ao Wuming, Jiang Canghai, Zhongli Xun, Zhao Mengli, Ji Xuanbing, Zhen Lu, and Chen Xi.

According to the tests of the past, this period of time was the period where the possibility that the phenomenon of the heavens and the earth would descend was the greatest. The facts were indeed so because right after Xuanyuan Yun, Zuoqiu Yin, Mu Yuchong, and Moqi Yan had successively caused a phenomenon of the heavens and the earth to appear, and they activated the might of the Praise of the Gods to envelop them.

Moreover, the Praise of the Gods they received had all attained the second grade, Resounding in the Nine Heavens, and it caused everyone to exclaim with admiration and shock.

The reason was very simple. No matter how great the possibility for the phenomenon of the heavens and the earth to descend at this moment was, a moment where it descended successively was absolutely rare to the extreme!