Chapter 88: Step Onto the Stage
Bang!
Xia Jiuxuan’s figure was struck by a wild and violent force. He plummeted rapidly, shattering a vast expanse of earth beneath him. His bones, too, were fractured in several places. Yet, he remained upright, his body unbowed.
This spectacle left all the assembled geniuses utterly stupefied, their eyes wide with disbelief. So this Xia Jiuxuan was truly mad! In a setting such as this, with tempers flaring and a single word out of place, he had cut down a peerless talent with one stroke of his sword. He was too arrogant. Now, having provoked the intervention of a reclusive master from beyond the world, he showed not a shred of fear, daring even to lift his gaze and stare directly at the heavens!
“Xia Jiuxuan, restrain yourself! If not for Wang Hai challenging you first, I would not have held back just now—I would have slain you outright!” The voice boomed from above like thunder, laden with terrifying pressure that made the hearts of the martial prodigies tremble.
“Hmph.” Xia Jiuxuan sheathed his sword, let out a cold snort, and looked skyward. “Your hidden sects truly have no shame. I will remember this!”
On hearing these words, the crowd’s astonishment deepened. Was Xia Jiuxuan threatening that honored elder? He was truly lawless! Such a man, ignorant of self-control and respect for hierarchy, was destined to meet an untimely end.
“Enough, let us proceed. Do not let a troublemaker disturb your composure—maintain your mindset.” A voice from above signaled the closure of that brief episode.
Xia Jiuxuan offered no further argument, for words would avail him nothing.
“You have guts,” the middle-aged man snorted coldly, sweeping his gaze over Xia Jiuxuan before turning away and soaring up to the Spirit Artifact Battle Platform.
He then bowed toward the elders above and declared in a loud voice, “Honorable elders, Xia Jiuxuan has maliciously disrupted order. I request that he be expelled. Please make your judgment.”
Above, the eighteen elders of the top sects conferred briefly before passing down their verdict: “Ignore him. Continue with the proceedings.”
These eighteen elders had their eyes chiefly on Duanmu Wan. If Xia Jiuxuan were expelled, Duanmu Wan would surely withdraw as well. Thus, they had no choice but to let Xia Jiuxuan remain, at least for now.
The middle-aged man paused, thought for a moment, and quickly deduced the elders’ intent.
“Next, we proceed with the test of comprehension!” Without wasting any more time, he announced the next stage.
“Distinguished talents, in this trial each of you will receive a special cultivation technique, divided into ten levels. Within one hour, every level you comprehend will earn you ten points, for a maximum score of one hundred. Do you all understand?” he proclaimed.
“We understand!” came the excited response, as everyone’s spirits soared and anticipation filled the air.
Immediately, an elder above waved his hand, and golden humanoid projections appeared before each participant.
These projections began demonstrating the techniques automatically.
“Hurry, memorize them! They’ll vanish soon!” The golden figures performed the techniques at astonishing speed, completing the demonstration within the span of a hundred breaths.
The projections disappeared.
“That was so fast! Oh no, I only memorized three levels!”
“I’m doomed—I barely got five levels. I won’t score much this time.”
“Not only were they too quick, but my technique was so obscure I couldn’t even understand it!”
The prodigies murmured their complaints in hushed tones. This trial was far more difficult than the previous refinement of spiritual crystals.
“Look at Xia Jiuxuan—he glanced at the technique once and shut his eyes. What’s he up to now?”
“I noticed as well. He probably knows he can’t comprehend it and can’t be bothered to try.”
“I agree. He has an ordinary body—what talent could he possibly possess? His earlier kill was just a sneak attack. He’s a fool.”
...
On Xia Jiuxuan’s side.
Duanmu Wan’s face was icy as she said, “Senior Brother Xia, the technique they gave you far exceeds what your body can endure.”
Others might not notice, but as a reincarnated cultivator, Duanmu Wan detected the issue immediately. The technique before Xia Jiuxuan was a high-level method suitable only for practitioners at the Sea-Splitting Realm.
Xia Jiuxuan’s expression was indifferent. “It doesn’t matter. It’s only about comprehension, not actual combat.”
For comprehension alone, Xia Jiuxuan needed only a glance. After seeing the first level, he had already deduced the subsequent levels in his mind.
Duanmu Wan nodded. “True enough. My technique is rather simple—I’ll begin comprehending.”
With that, she fell silent, focusing on her internal deduction.
Beside them, Mu Feng, like the others, had memorized only a few levels, his face clouded with worry.
“Sigh,” Mu Feng sighed. “Senior Brother Xia, we’re likely to be eliminated. They gave you zero points earlier, and now I only memorized two levels. Even if I comprehend them all, that’s just twenty points—our total score is too low.”
“Eliminated? You’re overthinking it,” Xia Jiuxuan replied with a smile.
“But I really didn’t memorize much. It’s discouraging—I’m the one dragging you down. I’m sorry,” Mu Feng said dejectedly.
“Young man, just because you didn’t memorize it doesn’t mean I didn’t. I’ll teach you.”
If Xia Jiuxuan wished, he could perform all six hundred-plus techniques present, so demonstrating Mu Feng’s assigned method was no trouble.
“Really?” Mu Feng looked on in disbelief. “Senior Brother Xia, you actually memorized my technique?”
“Enough talk. I’ll demonstrate it three times—memorize it quickly.”
Without further ado, Xia Jiuxuan began to perform Mu Feng’s set of fist techniques.
First level: Break the Wall!
Second level: Split the Sky!
Third level: Soaring Dragon Thousand-Pound Fist!
...
Ninth level: Ten Directions Shadowless Fist!
He finished the first round, then started the second, then the third, each move executed flawlessly.
“Look, what is Xia Jiuxuan doing over there?”
“He’s already performing the technique—could he have fully comprehended it?”
“What a fierce fist technique! There’s no way he just grasped it now; he must have trained for years to reach this level!”
“I don’t know what he’s up to. Let’s ignore him and focus on our own comprehension.”
...
After a few moments’ attention, the crowd returned to their own contemplation.
“Did you get it?” Xia Jiuxuan asked Mu Feng.
“Yes! I memorized nine levels!” Mu Feng nodded. After seeing it three times, even the slowest could remember most of it, and Mu Feng’s talent was not lacking.
“Good. Start comprehending now.”
Mu Feng wasted no time, beginning to practice as Xia Jiuxuan had instructed.
Again and again...
Clang!
Suddenly, the sound of a bell rang.
Before Duanmu Wan, the golden projection reappeared.
“Hah!” The projection wielded a long staff, sweeping it fiercely at Duanmu Wan.
She opened her eyes, soared upward, and engaged the projection in battle.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Explosive clashes echoed, and after more than a hundred breaths, the golden projection shattered.
“Excellent, very good!” The eighteen sect elders in the sky all revealed expressions of admiration. Just now, Duanmu Wan had shattered the projection using the technique she had comprehended, proving she had mastered all ten levels.
“She is a prodigy beyond compare!”
“Too bad she teamed up with Xia Jiuxuan—a burden in the secret realm. She likely won’t fare well.”
“Never mind. When she wins, we’ll simply announce Xia Jiuxuan’s removal from her team.”
“Yes, let’s do exactly that.”
...
Apart from Duanmu Wan, no one else summoned the golden projection again.
An hour passed.
“Everyone, cease your comprehension and prepare for evaluation!” The middle-aged man on the platform used his authoritative voice to rouse those still immersed in their thoughts.
“Sigh, I only comprehended four levels—no high score for me.”
“Damn it! If I had ten more days, I could comprehend everything!”
“Did you notice that beautiful girl? She finished all the levels before the time was even up. Jealous!”
“Damn it, such a remarkable woman, but she’s stuck with Xia Jiuxuan, that useless pig. All the best flowers are trampled by swine! It’s infuriating.”
After a brief interval, a golden projection appeared before each participant.
“Now, use the techniques you’ve comprehended to battle your projection, matching each move. Remember, you cannot use your dantian’s energy—only the moves themselves. If you do, you will be scored zero. Is everyone clear?” the middle-aged man announced.
“Understood!” the crowd replied, preparing for the test.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
More than six hundred contestants began their battles, the shockwaves shaking the island continuously.
Strangely, only Xia Jiuxuan had no golden projection before him.
He did not question this, simply folded his arms, closed his eyes, and waited quietly.
After about a quarter of an hour, everyone had finished their tests. The island finally fell silent.
At this moment, the middle-aged man looked at Xia Jiuxuan and called out loudly, “Xia Jiuxuan, please come onto the stage.”
Xia Jiuxuan suddenly opened his eyes. “Why?”
The middle-aged man’s expression was amused. “During the earlier spiritual energy test, you claimed I wronged you. So now I’m giving you a chance to prove yourself to everyone. Make the most of it.”
Xia Jiuxuan smiled.
He understood this man’s intent—it was nothing but an attempt to humiliate him.