Chapter Eight: Rankings

Dispatching a level-five monster was easier than the battle in which Chen Fan had once slain a level-four tiger fiend while still only at the third stage.

When it was over, he had merely panted a little.

Such ease came entirely from the formidable power of his two techniques, both of which had already reached consummate subtlety.

In truth, Chen Fan had considered unleashing the power of his inner core, but as this was only the beginning of the examination, he decided against it. Since he could already defeat the beasts with his own strength, there was no need.

This round was meant to test how far one could go, not how quickly one could end the fight.

As soon as his breathing steadied, the whirlpool before Chen Fan flashed again. This time, three more fiends appeared before him, and all three were level-five beasts.

Chen Fan drew a deep breath, understanding immediately.

He had already surpassed the standard for the fourth stage of the martial path and had reached the benchmark for the fifth.

And for this round of the assessment, he also knew that if he did not use the burst of his inner core, facing three level-five beasts at once would consume a great deal of stamina.

...

Outside, Chen Fan's name flickered upward two or three times, yet still remained in first place.

Only after quite a long while did another name finally appear above his.

"Zhang Yuan, five hundred and forty-first place."

A gleam lit up the eyes of the crowd, and even the senior figures showed slight surprise.

"The first time his name appears, and he ranks this high. This Zhang Yuan must be at least at the fifth stage of the martial path. I did not expect a fifth-stage fighter to pass the assessment this year..."

The higher one's strength, the harder it became to pass the examination. Such a cultivation level usually also meant one was no longer young.

If a fighter truly possessed great combat skill and talent, he should already have entered the academy long ago. And those whose talent and strength were insufficient, no matter how high their cultivation, could not break through the first two rounds because of the age limit.

As soon as his name appeared, not long afterward a pale-faced young man in his mid-twenties opened his eyes on the vast plaza. He was Zhang Yuan.

His eyes carried a trace of helplessness.

"Who would have thought that the basic assessment would require defeating three beasts of the same rank? I used every means I had, and only by fighting to the death did I finally kill the three beasts. But in the second round, with my injuries so severe, I had almost no chance against five level-five beasts, and I was defeated at once."

The design of this round of Qingming Academy's examination made it difficult for fighters whose same-rank strength was not exceptional to pass.

This was the greatest difference between Qingming Academy and the sects: only battle strength mattered.

Within the Boundless Illusion Realm, death was of no consequence. Even if one had extraordinary cultivation talent, if one lacked practical combat ability, one could not enter the academy.

One would only have to return next year after further tempering.

In truth, once one reached a first-class foundation, the sixth stage, the circulation of blood and qi, was the true threshold. Reaching the fifth stage could be achieved entirely through patient accumulation.

But realms could not be forced into being through brute endurance.

Though Qingming Academy's assessment was severe, it had its own reason.

...

Within the illusionary realm, after Chen Fan confirmed that he could not quickly finish the battle and would only waste more stamina, he wasted no time and unleashed his inner core.

Though it was only a first-level inner core, it still granted a twenty percent increase in strength, terrifying beyond measure.

His Three Thousand Thunder Steps and Ninefold Sun Dominating Tiger Fist were both overwhelmingly tyrannical. Once empowered by the burst of his inner core, their might became even more dreadful.

Three to five blows were enough to kill a level-five beast.

In the end, long before the duration of the inner core burst had even half ended, Chen Fan had taken down the three level-five beasts without a scratch, and his ranking leaped once more, reaching five hundred and forty-one.

Chen Fan's rank rose.

What he did not know was that outside, on the Boundless Vessel, his name once again jumped to first place.

In truth, in terms of points, he and Zhang Yuan were tied. They had both only just passed the first basic trial of the fifth stage. It was simply that Chen Fan's name had appeared first on the ranking stone, so he was displayed ahead by default.

And when Chen Fan's ranking fluctuated time and again, finally returning to first place, the academy's senior members, who had been watching the rankings all along, were astonished as well.

Ye Wouji began praising him without pause.

"This Chen Fan is truly impressive. I heard he is not yet fifteen. Reaching the fourth stage of the martial path may perhaps be aided by outside help, but to achieve this ranking, his own martial techniques must be exceedingly formidable... There aren't many like him in our academy!"

As one ascends the martial path, the gap between each stage only grows wider. In the lower stages, it was easy to cross a level, but above the fifth stage, the difference became absurdly large.

Even the fourth-stage prodigies within the academy, after undergoing so much competition, found it difficult to attain such a score. For a fifteen-year-old undergoing the entrance examination to achieve it was naturally astonishing.

The others also thought of the A-grade power evaluation he had received, and all smiled in agreement.

"A genius among geniuses!"

"Truly remarkable!"

Even the nineteenth prince narrowed his eyes, a smile never leaving his face.

Ye Wouji was naturally delighted. With Chen Fan performing so brilliantly, he was even more confident that he could secure for him the qualification to enter Moonlight Tower.

By then, many disciples on the plaza had already finished the assessment.

Most had failed to leave their names behind and had been defeated in regret.

At this point, Zhang Fan had long since opened his eyes as well, but his ranking was beyond the top thousand. In fact, he had passed the first two rounds, only to fail in the third when faced with ten beasts of the same rank.

However, he was only at the third stage of the martial path, so his ranking was naturally low.

"Given my age, even if my ranking is outside the top thousand, the score for this round should still place me among the leading few. I wonder, when the overall results are tallied, whether I will have a chance to enter the Cluster of Stars Tower..."

Looking at the names and rankings on the Boundless Vessel, Zhang Fan felt a quiet anticipation.

"Hm..."

Just then, Chi Liuguang beside him also opened his eyes.

Zhang Fan smiled and cupped his fists. "Senior Brother Chi, congratulations on passing the assessment! Our rankings aren't too far apart."

Chi Liuguang had also been halted in the third round of the third stage, but he shook his head.

"You're much younger than I am. The third round was too difficult, and my cultivation is too low..."

In truth, his subtle movement technique was quite formidable among third-stage fighters. In direct combat, he was not weaker than Zhang Fan. Though impressive, he lacked killing power; no matter how fast a target moved, it was still a target in the end.

His blood and cultivation were not on par with Zhang Fan's or Feng Yuancheng's, and under normal circumstances he would still need three or four more years of training before he might reach full completion of the third stage.

That was also his greatest weakness. Otherwise, he would likely already have been taken in as a disciple by Dong Guzhi.

And if not for the fact that the Boundless Illusion Realm allowed one to fight to the death without restraint, he would not have been able to defeat three beasts of the same rank, let alone five.

Zhang Fan smiled and shook his head.

"As long as you can get in, that's enough. Senior Brother, with your subtle movement technique and higher realm, once you enter the academy you will surely gain access to more cultivation resources. When your cultivation rises, your ranking will improve much faster than mine."

"Younger Brother, you have not yet reached the level of subtlety, but with your talent, it is certainly not beyond your reach. How could I compare with you?" Chi Liuguang said with a touch of emotion.

He then turned to the Boundless Vessel rankings to search for his own name, but when he saw the placement, he could not help but freeze and rub his eyes hard.

"Did I see that wrong? Is Junior Brother Chen ranked the highest?"

Chen Fan was young, so he had an advantage in the entrance assessment, but that did not necessarily mean his strength surpassed everyone else's.

Hearing this, Zhang Fan's expression turned slightly odd, his eyes flashing.

"My little junior brother is not only high in cultivation and solid in foundation, but also terrifying in actual combat. Truly, comparing people can drive one mad."

At the same time, on the other side of the plaza, Chai Yong and Zhao Hei had also opened their eyes.

"Phew!"

Zhao Hei looked shaken. He had fourth-stage strength and had only just passed the basic assessment, barely escaping failure.

Chai Yong, on the other hand, had comprehended a subtle movement technique and had fared relatively easily.

Both of them were now staring in astonishment at the rankings on the Boundless Vessel...

...

Inside the Boundless Illusion Realm, Chen Fan had no room to be distracted by anything else.

He was struggling against five beasts at the fifth stage of the martial path.

Only after unleashing his second inner core did he finally wipe out all five level-five beasts, paying for it with a minor wound to his shoulder.

His ranking reached four hundred and seventy-five.

At first, each breakthrough allowed him to leap forward by more than ninety places, but now it was only by more than seventy. The pace of his rise was slowing, showing that as strength increased, the number of fighters of equal level in the academy grew steadily smaller.

"Phew! The next round will be ten level-five beasts!"

After using two inner cores, a faint, sharp pain spread through Chen Fan's whole body, and even his hands trembled slightly.

He took the interval between rounds to force himself to adjust.

When the ten beasts appeared, even Chen Fan's spirit jolted, and he focused all his attention at once.