"Examiner Li Ruolian illegally used battle techniques. Examinee Lin Chen is victorious!"
The chief examiner elder announced loudly outside the examination hall, and the whole audience was in an uproar!
A third level Spiritual Bridge realm examinee actually forced the second level Earth Core realm Li Ruolian to use battle techniques!
"Many thanks to instructor Ruolian for yielding."
Lin Chen smiled and cupped his fists in salute.
"Why did you use such despicable attacking methods just now!"
Li Ruolian's slender eyebrows frowned slightly as she let out a cold snort.
"Despicable? How could I, a mere third level Spiritual Bridge realm, withstand ten rounds against an instructor without using some tricks? As the saying goes, all is fair in war, and what I said just now was the truth, the instructor's legs are indeed very beautiful."
Lin Chen grinned, earning the silent admiration of some hot-blooded youths. Going after the instructor like this again and again, such guts were simply unheard of!
Li Ruolian was both ashamed and angry, and was about to argue when a white-haired elder appeared out of thin air like a ghost outside the examination hall, stroking his beard and chuckling softly.
"Ruolian my girl, this lad's perceptiveness is not bad, using psychological tactics to unsettle you, then relying on his lightness movement to ambush you, and utilizing his cultivated physique to engage you in close combat, preventing your whip technique from being fully deployed immediately, forcing you to use defensive battle techniques, so you lost fair and square."
The white-haired elder walked leisurely to the edge of the arena, and Li Ruolian bowed deeply and respectfully said,
"Vice Principal, since you have spoken, Ruolian will not say more."
Vice Principal? Upon hearing this title, the young people present all looked at the white-haired elder with awe. He was a peak powerhouse at the pinnacle of the Desolate Territory, someone countless people spent their whole lives striving to even catch a glimpse of!
"Lad, you still seem carefree; this old man looks forward to your performance in the second round of assessments."
The Vice Principal gave Lin Chen a meaningful smile.
"Seniors, I really have nothing else, just some charisma and a bit of brute force, that is all."
Lin Chen shrugged, and the Vice Principal shook his head with a smile, then turned to look at the two forces outside the arena.
"There are indeed many familiar faces here today."
The Vice Principal stroked his beard and smiled at the Shangguan family and the Bai family, and the members of both families greeted him with the etiquette due to their juniors.
"And you young lads, strive forward with all your talent and determination. For talented and tenacious youth, the doors of my Heavenly Song Academy will always remain open. This old man looks forward to seeing you at the second round of assessments."
The Vice Principal came and went without a trace, leaving only a casual, carefree laugh as he vanished into thin air.
"Examinee Lin Chen, you have advanced to the second round of assessments, take your invitation."
The chief examiner elder handed the invitation back to Lin Chen, and Li Ruolian glared fiercely at him before flouncing away.
"Brother Lin Chen, congratulations, congratulations!"
Shangguan Yunfan came forward with two elders of his family and Shangguan Bihan to congratulate Lin Chen.
"We hope Brother Lin Chen can take good care of Bihan in the future."
One benevolent, elderly elder in yellow robes smiled and nodded; beside him, Shangguan Bihan protested coquettishly, "Elder, Bihan will rely on her own ability to pass, how could she trouble Brother Lin Chen..."
The elders Shangguan Yunfan had brought were relatively more open-minded, understanding Lin Chen's position at the time, so they harbored no resentment and were still grateful.
"Miss Shangguan is already at the eighth level of the Spiritual Bridge realm, who will be helping whom is still uncertain."
Lin Chen joked.
"So the Shangguan family also knows Big Brother Lin Chen!"
Bai Junhao also ran over excitedly with a group of elders to congratulate Lin Chen.
"Oh? This little brother is the recent awakener of the Azure Dragon bloodline in the Bai family?"
Shangguan Yunfan's supreme Purple Gold Eye realm easily saw through Bai Junhao, and he spoke with a mixture of gravity and friendliness.
"You flatter me, I am Bai Junhao. Greetings to seniors and Sister Shangguan Bihan."
Bai Junhao deeply understood Lin Chen's teachings, and was neither servile nor overbearing as he cupped his fists.
"I didn't expect Brother Lin Chen to also take the Heavenly Song Academy exam, what a coincidence."
The Bai family elders congratulated Lin Chen while also trying to get on good terms with the Shangguan family. Both families recognized each other's potential and standing, so the atmosphere was warm and cordial.
Seeing that the millennia-old top families of Falling Sun City and the number one appraiser family of the Desolate Territory treated Lin Chen with such courtesy, even deference, the previous candidates who had mocked Lin Chen quietly slipped away with their tails between their legs...
Compared to Lin Chen, Shangguan Bihan and Bai Junhao's exam content was much easier; Lin Chen had passed the exam and was waiting for the second round of assessments.
But that Lin fellow just couldn't sit still. He paced around almost the entire exam grounds, collecting all the scattered elemental light spheres, obtaining a large amount of five element elemental light spheres. His pure strength broke through to 53,000 tiger power.
In the afternoon, all the candidates finished their exams.
Of the 155,000 youths of talent who came from all over the Desolate Territory, after just one day of screening, less than 80,000 remained!
Half were eliminated directly!
"Everyone, next is the academy's second and final round of assessments."
The Vice Principal personally appeared in the sky a hundred yards above Xuantian Square, stroking his beard and smiling.
"Not bad, there are quite a few promising youths this year, slightly better than previous years. Listen well everyone, the content of the second assessment is: half an hour from now, enter Tianlong Mountain Range from Xuantian Square. Within the mountain range, you need to collect at least five stalks of the Heavenly Song Academy's unique Dragon Tendon Grass within seven days, and reach Ending Valley at the end. Extra stalks of Dragon Tendon Grass collected can be exchanged for academy credits, and reaching Ending Valley with at least five stalks will be considered passing the second assessment to formally become outer disciples."
"On the journey, students can attack each other and steal Dragon Tendon Grass from one another, but you cannot maliciously take lives. There will be a hundred instructors and elders monitoring the entire assessment, and any discovered malicious attempts on lives will lead to disqualification. There may also be powerful fierce beasts within the mountain range, so if you encounter danger you cannot handle, you may forfeit early to receive protection and evacuation by the elders and instructors."
"To avoid excessive conflicts from too many people at the start, there are eight entrances to Xuantian Square, dividing into four assessment zones entering Tianlong Mountain Range from east, west, south and north. The number of candidates is evenly distributed across zones, so please check your invitation for your assigned zone."
After the Vice Principal finished speaking, he vanished with the wind. The crowds buzzed with discussion upon hearing these assessment rules completely different from the past, and some talented youths began forming alliances and agreements to help each other during the assessment.
"Brother Lin Chen, Bihan is in the west zone, I wonder if we could travel together?"
Shangguan Bihan spoke to Lin Chen. He flipped through his invitation and waved it casually.
"I'm in the east zone, it seems we are not fated this time."
Lin Chen's words about lacking fate made Shangguan Bihan blush in embarrassment as she hurriedly explained,
"I'm in the south zone, so I can't go with Big Brother Lin Chen either."
Bai Junhao beside them shook his head helplessly. The Bai family members were rather regretful, because they had personally witnessed Lin Chen's unfathomably terrifying strength...
Boom~~!
The colossal gates rumbled open. At the end of Xuantian Square, the eight hundred-yard tall gates opened simultaneously, primal ancient aura sweeping forth!
"All candidates please set out within half an hour, those who do not leave after the time limit will forfeit."
The Vice Principal's voice echoed outside the square again. As his words fell, a flash of sword light streaked through the gates as top geniuses took the lead rushing out!