The Sword God of the Universe

Chapter 1088: Chapter 1088 Core Members

The difficulty of refining the Vermilion Pill ultimately exceeded Jing Yan’s expectations.

The first furnace, refining failed!

The second batch of elixirs, failure continued!

Three consecutive furnaces of Vermilion Pills, all failed.

Even though Jing Yan possesses fourth-level Source Power and holds the Qiankun Pill Dao Heart Method, he still couldn’t avoid continual failure when refining the high-level divine pill, Vermilion Pill.

If he can’t even produce a conventional high-level divine pill like the Vermilion Pill, then refining a Daozhen Pill is out of the question. The difficulty of refining a Daozhen Pill would only be higher, not lower than that of a Vermilion Pill.

”Hoo...”

Exhaling a long breath, Jing Yan paused his alchemy, looked at the Qiankun Pill Furnace before him, and shook his head.

Three furnace materials for Vermilion Pills were wasted, equating to a loss of over a million first-level Divine Crystals. Jing Yan couldn’t help but feel lucky that he didn’t attempt to refine a Daozhen Pill directly. If he had wasted even a tiny bit of Daozhen Stone Milk, it would have been truly unbearable.

”It seems my alchemy accumulation still doesn’t reach the level of a high-level Divine Pill Master. For now, I’ll have to continue refining intermediate divine pills.” Jing Yan had purchased twenty servings of Vermilion Pill materials at Wanbao Hall, but after failing to refine three furnaces of Vermilion Pills in a row, he temporarily gave up trying to make them.

He needs to continue building his foundation in the Pill Dao.

Months went by in a flash.

One day, Chief Tan Bin of the Fourth Palace Qingmu Department came to find Jing Yan, informing him to be prepared as in three days, he would be taking the promotion exam to the Fifth Palace.

This was indeed good news for Jing Yan.

Jing Yan’s upcoming participation in the Fifth Palace promotion exam quickly spread throughout the Fourth Palace.

”That Jing Yan, is he going to take this promotion exam to the Fifth Palace?”

”That’s right, I know someone from the Fourth Palace Assessment Department. Jing Yan indeed applied for the Fifth Palace promotion exam, and his application has been accepted.”

”How is this possible? To take the promotion exam from the Fourth to the Fifth Palace, doesn’t one need to be in the Nine Stars Void God realm? Has Jing Yan reached the Nine Stars Void God realm already?”

”Since he has applied for the promotion exam, he must have indeed stepped into the Nine Stars Void God realm.”

”Tsk, tsk... That’s unbelievable! How long has he been with Luo Jiu Divine Palace? And he’s already become a Nine Stars Void God?”

”It’s truly incomparable!”

Discussions about Jing Yan often arose within the Fourth Palace.

”Promoting to the Fifth Palace is not so easy!” Some people commented with disdain, their tone carrying a hint of ridicule.

”It is indeed not easy! To be promoted from the Fourth to the Fifth Palace, one needs to be an outstanding Nine Stars Void God. The distinction between the Fourth and Fifth Palaces is significant.”

”Yes! We members of the Fourth Palace are merely ordinary members of Luo Jiu Divine Palace. But once promoted to the Fifth Palace, we become core members, the true backbone!”

”It’s not easy to become a Fifth Palace member. Moreover, during the Fourth Palace promotion to the Fifth Palace exam, there might be life-threatening dangers!”

In promotion exams for the previous palaces, there was generally no threat to life. Even if one failed the exam, rarely was a martial artist injured, let alone losing their life.

However, when the Fourth Palace promotes to the Fifth Palace, it was not uncommon for martial artists to lose their lives during the exam.

The Fourth Palace promotion to the Fifth Palace exam is typically held every twenty years or so. On average, during every three exams, one martial artist would die on the spot. The likelihood of death might not seem high, but it’s important to understand that all martial artists in the Fourth Palace are aware of the life-threatening risks associated with the Fifth Palace promotion exam. Therefore, those without great confidence in passing typically wouldn’t apply for the exam.

That is to say, those who do apply for the promotion exam are martial artists who have great confidence in their abilities. Even so, one martial artist dies on the spot every three exams. This shows how dangerous the Fourth Palace promotion to the Fifth Palace exam is.

”That Jing Yan has had too smooth a journey.”

”Indeed! Who does he think he is? Haha, wanting to take the Fifth Palace promotion exam after being a Fourth Palace martial artist for just over a decade, how ignorant!”

”He’s bound to fail this exam. I can’t wait to see the look on his face after he fails!”

Many envied Jing Yan’s talent and cultivation speed. Similarly, many were jealous and eager to witness Jing Yan’s failure in the exam.

Three days later!

Tan Bin brought Jing Yan to the entrance of the Fourth Palace Assessment Department.

The promotion from the Fourth to the Fifth Palace is unlike the previous palace promotions. Previous palace promotions were held in the assessment department’s Great Hall. In contrast, the Fourth Palace promotion to the Fifth Palace exam is held on a designated plaza outside the assessment department.

Every time a Fifth Palace promotion exam is held, a large number of Fourth Palace members gather to watch.

Once a Fourth Palace member is promoted to the Fifth Palace, it’s like a fish leaping through the dragon gate, soaring to the sky. Members of the Fifth Palace hold extremely high status and privileges throughout Luo Jiu Divine Palace, as they are the core members.

For example, if a Fourth Palace member publicly disrespects a Fifth Palace member, that Fifth Palace member could even kill the Fourth Palace member on the spot without being held accountable by Luo Jiu Divine Palace.

This illustrates the essential difference between the Fourth and Fifth Palaces.

”Brother Jing Yan, the difficulty of the Fifth Palace promotion exam is extremely high. During the exam, you must be very careful. The moment you feel you can’t hold on, be sure to shout ’I give up’ immediately. In past exams, some martial artists were unwilling to give up, ultimately leading to their deaths.” Tan Bin cautioned Jing Yan in a low voice.

He had mentioned similar things to Jing Yan before in the Green Wood Bureau Manor, but now that the exam was about to begin, he couldn’t help repeating himself, fearing Jing Yan might recklessly risk his life during the exam.

”Rest assured, Chief Tan Bin, I won’t treat my life as a game. If I can’t endure, I’ll abandon the exam and wait for the next opportunity.” Jing Yan said with a bitter smile.

”There are many spectators!” Jing Yan remarked casually, eyeing the crowd around the plaza.

”Naturally! The promotion to the Fifth Palace is immensely attractive to Fourth Palace martial artists. These people don’t have enough confidence themselves, but they still want to witness how participating martial artists perform during the exam.” Tan Bin remarked ruefully.

As Tan Bin and Jing Yan conversed, a group of people arrived. This group comprised the high-ranking staff of the Fourth Palace Assessment Department, Personnel Department, and the Fifth Palace Assessment Department, Personnel Department.

Their arrival signified the imminent start of this Fifth Palace promotion exam.