The Huntian Sacred Mountain was home to the mountain gate of the Huntia, one of the te powers of the Eastern Wastends.

  The Sky-Patrolling Giant Ship came to a halt mid the Huntian Sacred Mountain. Disciples from hundreds of academies, numbering iens of thousands, disembarked and gathered in the enormous pza in front of the Huntia's Disciple Hall.

  The Disciple Hall was majestic, akin to a small mountain standing tall, exuding an a and timeless aura.

  The pza itself was unimaginably vast. Even the Sky-Patrolling Giant Ship, a thousaers long, occupied only a small er. The tens of thousands of academy disciples present barely filled even half of it.

  The academy disciples looked around, their eyes filled with curiosity and amazement.

  Everything they saw here left them feeling awestrud overwhelmed, like frogs leaping out of a well for the first time, suddenly beholding the vastness of the world.

  Before long, tens of thousands of gazes were collectively drawn to an object standing in front of the Disciple Hall.

  It was a drum!

  A massive war drum, teers in diameter, suspehree meters in the air. Its body resembled a bronze, with a deep and rustic hue, exuding an aura of timelessness and imperishability.

  The drum's surface was etched with faint patterns, densely packed and crisscrossing, as if imbued with the infinite mysteries of the Dao itself.

  "Silence!"

  A resounding and majestic voice, like the voice of a god, reverberated across heaven ah, instantly sileng the buzzing discussions of the tens of thousands of disciples.

  Oer another, streaks of light flew into the pza, revealing individuals h in mid-air. Each of them radiated divine light and brilliaheir auras profound and unfathomable.

  "They’re not flying with the help of tools… they’re flying through the air unaided…" someoh sharp eyes muttered, notig that these figures had no flying artifacts beh their feet.

  "Flying with tools… versus flying unaided…" Feng’s eyes narrowed as he pondered in silence.

  Was one superior to the other? If so, which was higher? Lag suffit knowledge about cultivation, Feated to make a judgment but couldn't help f a hypothesis in his heart.

  "Wele, everyoo the Huntia. This drum is our sect’s treasure, the Huntian Drum." The speaker hovered above the Disciple Hall—a burly elder with a long beard. His face was ruddy, and his body radiated intense divine light, exuding a world-shaking aura that seemed to suppress both heaven ah. However, this pressure was restrained; otherwise, none of the tens of thousands of academy disciples present would have been able to e.

  "I am the Hall Master of the Disciple Hall, and I will be overseeing your assessment."

  "Your assessment is straightforward: you will strike the Huntian Drum with your own strength."

  "The results of striking the drum depend on the foundation of your strength, not your cultivation level. In other words, regardless of your cultivation, the Huntian Drum treats everyone equally."

  "If the drum sounds onbsp;within one breath, you will earn the rank of Outer Sect Disciple."

  "If the drum sounds twibsp;within one breath, you will earn the rank of Inner Sect Disciple."

  "If the drum sounds three times within one breath, you will bee a Core Disciple."

  "If the drum sounds four times within one breath, you will bee a Direct Disciple."

  "If the drum sounds five times within one breath, you will earn the rank of Quasi-Sect Heir."

  "If the drum sounds six times within one breath, you will bee the Sect Heir."

  "Before you arrived, the academy disciples from Huntian City’s main academy were already assessed. The highest result was five drumbeats."

  The tens of thousands of academy disciples were instantly filled with awe and surprise.

  During their time aboard the Sky-Patrolling Giant Ship, they had learned much about the Huntia.

  While there were hundreds of Huntian Academies across the nd, these were merely branch academies. The main academy was located in Huntian City, at the base of Huntian Sacred Mountain.

  This carried signifit implications.

  The disciples of the main academy were closer to the Huntia itself, meaning they had better cultivation enviros and resources. The main academy naturally attracted meniuses.

  A, even with all these advantages, no one had mao strike the drum six times.

  Hearing this, many disciples among the tens of thousands felt their fighting spirit ignite.

  Six drumbeats!

  Achieving this wouldn’t just overshadow the geniuses of the main academy—it would be a ce to asd to the rank of Sect Heir in one fell swoop.

  And what did it mean to bee a Sect Heir?

  They didn’t pletely uand.

  But judging by the elder’s words, it was clear that the status of a Sect Heir far surpassed that of any other disciple rank.

  "Now, begin the assessment. Remember, give it your all. What rank you achieve depeirely on your own ability." The burly elder smiled slightly as he spoke.

  With tens of thousands of disciples to assess, the process was bound to take a long time. Feng was in the middle of the queue, so it would be a while before his turn. He wasn’t anxious and instead tio focus on refining his Wind Shadow Sword Teique.

  "During the half month aboard the Sky-Patrolling Giant Ship, I mao prehend the Eleventh Sword and ie it into the Wind Shadow Killing Strike, but I still have no clue how to proceed to the Twelfth Sword…"

  "Could it be… that the Wind Shadow Eleven Swords is the limit?"

  "Still, through prehending and mastering the Wind Shadow Eleven Swords and the Treading Waves Ten Steps, my strength and cultivation have bee even more densed, even though my realm hasn’t advanced. It’s an ued be."

  As he pted, the first partit approached the Huntian Drum.

  The disciple was less than two meters tall and appeared tio the massive drum, which floated three meters in the air and had a diameter of teers.

  Running like the wind, the disciple suddenly unched himself into the air, his body propelled by the full power of his eighth transformation of body refi. With his arm drawn back like a fully tensed bow, he unleashed a powerful punch at the drum.

  The punded squarely on the a, mysterious drumhead, causing a slight vibration and produg a thunderous boom. The sound wave rippled outward, almost tangible, f the disciple to stagger backward.

  He nded heavily, retreating several meters before stabilizing himself. His strength had been scattered, and he was uo muster arike for some time.

  "One drumbeat. You are ranked as an Outer Sect Disciple. Go wait on the side," the burly elder announced.

  The disciple, visibly dejected, had hoped to strike the drum three times but had only managed one.

  , the sed partit stepped forward.

  Leaping into the air, this disciple wielded a broaff, swinging it like a thunderbolt toward the drum. The resulting sound was deafening, but like the first partit, the force of the drum’s reverberatio him flying back several meters, his strength dissipated, leaving him uo strike a sed time.

  The third partit stepped forward but failed to make the drum sound at all.

  "Uo strike the drum, you have two choices: join Huntian City for further training or bee a Huntia borer," the elder stated.

  "I…" The partit stood there, bewildered and unsure.

  "Step aside and decide ter," the elder instructed.

  The assessment tinued.

  One by one, partits took their turns.

  Some failed to make the drum sound, indig their chaotiergy and shallow foundations, making them unfit to bee Huntia disciples.

  Some managed one drumbeat, earning the rank of Outer Sect Disciple.

  After about 100 partits, someone finally mao strike the drum twice.

  "Two drumbeats. You are ranked as an Inner Sect Disciple. Go wait on the side," the elder said, a faint smile appearing on his face.

  As more partits stepped forward, the number of those who mawo drumbeats gradually increased.

  Qin Haoyu stepped forward, his pace growing faster and faster, the howling of the wind eg in all dires.

  First Strike!

  The drum face trembled, produg a thunderous sound.

  The sound waves rebounded like a tangible force, throwing Qin Haoyu to the ground. But he immediately leapt bato the air.

  Sed Strike!

  The sed drumbeat reverberated.

  This time, the rebounding sound waves seemed even stronger. Qin Haoyu, after nding, paused briefly. His eyes suddeed bzing light, like two beams of radiance pierg through the void. Once again, he propelled himself upward.

  With a low shout, he unleashed his third strike.

  "Scorg Light Eyes, not bad. When fully developed, it do more than just break illusions or blind oppos temporarily. It has the potential to transform into the Divine Scorg Eyes, capable of emitting divine beams of light that pierce through anything," the burly elder nodded, his smile growing a little wider.

  Qin Haoyu—three drumbeats! Ranked as a Core Disciple.

  up was Lei Zhan. He also struck the drum three times. During the elder's evaluation, it was hat his Iron Arms would make it easier for him to break through the limits of body refi and achieve Copper Skin and Iron Bones.

  Yan Ling, with her Wind Spirit Physique, and another disciple with a Golden Spirit Physique were both praised as having the potential to achieve the derue Essence Realm.

  Fan Quan, with his Phantom Eyes, was said to have the potential to evolve them into Demonic Phantom Eyes, granting mastery over supreme illusions.

  Almost all those with iraordinariness mao strike the drum three times, earning the rank of Core Disciple.

  However, geniuses with solid foundational strength but without iraordinariness could only mawo drumbeats. And the elite disciples with det foundations were limited to one drumbeat.

  As for those who couldn’t strike the drum even ohey were mostly individuals who had relied heavily on medial pills to artificially raise their cultivation to the ter stages of the Body Refi realm. Their shallow foundations made it evident why they failed.

  Yang Xuening also participated in the assessment. She struck the drum once, earning the rank of Outer Sect Disciple—revealirue abilities.

  "Brother Yun, good luck!" Yang Xuening cheered as Ye Yunqi stepped forward. "You’re sure to surpass everyone!"

  Ye Yunqi’s gaze remained distant and aloof, as though he looked down ohing. But as he turned his attention to the Huntian Drum, an indescribable brilliance fshed in his eyes.

  Step by step, Ye Yunqi advanced, his aura growing stronger and more densed with eaent.

  The burly elder watched him closely, a hint of surprise flickering in his eyes.

  Ye Yunqi's aura intensified with each step, his pace quiing gradually. In the fai moments, one could hear the sound of surging waves. Beh his steps, the air seemed to transform into powerful tidal waves, and Ye Yunqi appeared to walk upon them.

  Step, step, step...

  eps!

  In an instant, Ye Yunqi's speed increased by 90%, turning him into a dark green blur as he charged toward the Huntian Drum. With his left arm swinging forward, he unleashed a punfused with immensely densed power, striking the a and mysterious drum face with a deafening thunder-like sound.

  The sound waves rebounded violently, but Ye Yunqi drew his bde with his right hand. The dazzling bde light split into nine shadows, instantly shattering the rebounding sound waves. With unstoppable momentum, the bde struck the drum again, produg a sed drumbeat.

  This se left many people gasping in disbelief.

  Even those with iraordinariness, like Qin Haoyu, had been pushed back by the rebounding sound waves befathering their strength to strike again.

  The sed wave of sound rebounded even more powerfully, sending Ye Yunqi flying backward to the ground. But he quickly rebounded, gripping his long bde with both hands. The air beh the bde seemed to transform into turbulent waves, which were forcefully parted as he unleashed an overwhelmingly powerful ssh.

  Boom!

  The third deafening drumbeat resounded.

  The rebounding sound waves grew even strohis time, f Ye Yunqi back several meters before he nded.

  "Bloodliivation!"

  With a low roar, a fsh of azure light appeared in Ye Yunqi’s eyes, and the sound of rushing tides seemed to echo from within his body. His blood surged like vast rivers and mighty streams, enveloping his entire form in a yer of radiant blood-colored light.

  The blood-colored light pulsed like o waves, yer upon yer, granting Ye Yunqi an eveer surge of strength.

  "This is ued—a Bloodline Physique, and a Water-element Tidal Bloodline at that," the burly elder remarked in astonishment. "Judging by its characteristics, it’s even a King-tier Bloodline. Impressive, he’s worth cultivating."

  Empowered by his bloodline, Ye Yunqi surged forward with his bde, delivering a fierce strike to the Huntian Drum.

  Boom!

  The fourth drumbeat reverberated.

  The rebounding force surged expoially, smming into Ye Yunqi. The tidal-like blood-colored light around him wavered and trembled, as if on the brink of shattering.

  Despite this, Ye Yunqi resisted the enormous rebounding ford leapt fain, swinging his bde for arike.

  For a moment, everyone present couldn’t help but widen their eyes and hold their breath.

  Could he… could he match the prodigies of the main academy and strike the drum five times?

  [--------------------------------------------]

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