A powerful gust of wind blew as the aerial saint beast soared through the sky, leaving a trail of white shockwaves in its wake.
Sitting in the room on the back of the aerial saint beast, Zhang Xuan looked at the young man before him and nodded in satisfaction.
Since the results of the secondary selection did not count, Zhao Xingmo led the group toward the Sanctum of Sages.
Along the way, Zhang Xuan imparted the Three Swords of Lingxu and his understanding of swordsmanship to Zhang Jiuxiao.
As expected of a genius of the Zhang clan, Zhang Xuan's ability to learn was truly astounding. In just half a month, his comprehension of swordsmanship had already reached Half-Quintessence. Even though he was still a far cry from matching up to Zhang Xuan, his swordsmanship was already unmatched among the examinees!
Not only so, his cultivation had also successfully reached Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle. With this level of strength and Sword Intent, even if he were to clash head-on with Sun Qian, Ma Minghai, and the others, he would still stand his ground.
If Zhang Jiuxiao had been barely able to clear the examination of the Sanctum of Sages in the past, the current him could easily be considered as one of the top geniuses of the Sanctum of Sages.
Once a person's strength reached a certain limit, their improvement would become slower and slower. Take a hundred meters for example. It was easy to advance from thirteen seconds to twelve seconds, but from 10.3 seconds to 10.2 seconds, the difficulty would increase severalfold.
Such was the situation that Zhang Jiuxiao was in. His talent had always been outstanding, and he had his own unique cultivation technique. It was difficult for him to advance even the slightest bit. Yet, if he were to achieve such a huge breakthrough within half a month, many people would be shocked speechless.
It could be said that it was a feat that only a Nine Star master teacher would be capable of.
"I've finally reached the 2-dan of the Unbounded Voyager!"
While guiding Zhang Jiuxiao, Zhang Xuan didn't slack off either. Over the past half a month, he had fused the movement technique he had learned with the Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel, and he had finally mastered the 2-dan of the Unbounded Voyager.
However, he was unable to test it out on the back of the aerial saint beast, so he had no idea how effective it would be.
Not only had he reached the 2-dan of the Unbounded Voyager, his Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle cultivation had also been fully reinforced. It felt as if his Primordial Spirit would leap out at any moment to push for a breakthrough to Half-Leaving Aperture realm.
Of course, his greatest improvement was in his swordsmanship.
After comprehending Sword Quintessence and combining it with the Three Swords of Lingxu, Zhang Xuan's understanding of swordsmanship had far surpassed that of any other weapon. Putting aside the Lingxu Sword, even the Glacier Rain Sword would be able to wield extraordinary might in his hands!
In the past, he would only be able to fight to a draw with a Grand Dominion realm primary stage cultivator. However, with his sword, he would be able to crush the latter easily.
What I need to do right now is to gather more sword arts to make up for the flaws in the Three Swords of Lingxu. Once I complete the Heaven's Path Divine Art, my fighting prowess will surely soar once more!
He sighed and stood up.
The power of the Three Swords of Lingxu was indeed terrifying, but there were too many flaws. For a perfectionist like him, it was impossible for him to practice it.
It seemed like he would have to enter the Sanctum of Sages to look for more cultivation technique manuals to compile them into Heaven's Path Divine Art.
Along the way, Zhang Jiuxiao and Ma Minghai had been cultivating non-stop. Ma Minghai, Sun Qian, and the others did not slack off either. It was as if they had been dealt a heavy blow, and were working even harder on their cultivation.
Even though there was not much of a difference in their cultivation, their disposition and disposition had clearly become much sharper than before.
"An unpolished jade will not be of use. These people are all geniuses of their respective powers, and it's a good thing that they have been dealt a heavy blow by Zhang shi."
Taking this sight into his eyes, Zhao Xingmo nodded in satisfaction.
Those who had been chosen by him were the most talented geniuses of their respective powers, and they were incomparably prideful individuals. Having been dealt a heavy blow by Zhang Xuan, they had been unable to accept it. Over the past half a month, they had gritted their teeth and cultivated diligently, hoping to surpass Zhang Xuan as soon as possible.
"Zhao shi, what is the final examination of the Sanctum of Sages? It can't be a battle, right? "
While Zhao Xingmo was still deep in thought, a master teacher suddenly asked.
Turning around, he saw that it was Sun Qian.
Hearing those words, the others also halted their cultivation and turned their curious gazes over.
They were about to arrive at the Sanctum of Sages soon, and they were also curious about the final examination.
"This examination is far more difficult than the preliminary examination and secondary examination. It isn't going to be a simple battle!"
Zhao Xingmo hesitated for a moment before saying, "Rather, it's going to be a comprehensive evaluation!"
"Comprehensive evaluation?"
The crowd was perplexed.
"The Sanctum of Sages is the number one academy on the Master Teacher Continent. Those who wish to enroll into the Sanctum of Sages will have to possess strength, wisdom, adaptability, breadth of mind, and courage.
Zhao Xingmo said. "Based on my previous experience, if I'm not mistaken, he should be crashing the Mountain Gate!"
"Crashing the Mountain Gate?"
"Un. The Mountain Gate is a venue that Mingshi Tang spent a great deal of effort to construct. It is a huge test of a cultivator's mental fortitude and strength. In order to become a member of the Sanctum of Sages, one will have to complete a series of tests within a certain period of time. The shorter the time, the higher the score … Those who exceed the time limit will be eliminated! "
Zhao Xingmo said with a grim expression.
After flying for half a month, they were already not too far away from the Sanctum of Sages. Thus, it was not against the rules to announce the rules in advance.
"The two of them failed the Mountain Gate, but their results are still decent. That's why they are qualified to listen in on the examination. Otherwise, they wouldn't even be qualified to listen in!"
Zhao Xingmo said as he pointed to the two young men who had conducted the preliminary examination.
"Does that mean that they are geniuses who have cleared the secondary examination?"
Everyone was taken aback.
Since they were able to challenge the Mountain Gate, it meant that they had cleared the secondary examination. While they had a chance to challenge the Mountain Gate as well, under normal circumstances, at least a dozen of them should have been eliminated.
In other words, a small half of them had failed to clear the secondary examination.
It was only due to the unexpected turn of events in the secondary examination that they were fortunate enough to follow along.
"Un. They have all cleared the secondary examination, but they have been eliminated in the Mountain Gate!" Zhao Xingmo nodded.
"Zhao shi, based on your experience, how many of us will be able to clear the Mountain Gate?" Ma Minghai asked.
"Your talent and strength are not too bad, but the Mountain Gate requires you to face off against the geniuses and experts of the major powers. The difficulty of the Mountain Gate is much higher than the Cage Duel. Based on my estimation, if we are lucky, ten of you should be able to clear the Mountain Gate. If we are unlucky, at most, one or two of you will be eliminated."
Zhao Xingmo said.
The Mountain Gate wasn't just an internal test for the thirty-three candidates. There were also geniuses from the Alliance Master Teacher Continent, Sage Clans, and other major powers.
Strength was a factor, but luck was another as well. Of the thirty-three candidates, only ten would be able to clear the Mountain Gate. If they were unlucky, there was a good chance that none of them would be accepted.
This was not the first time such a situation had occurred in the past.
"Jiuxiao is a member of the Zhang clan, so he should know a lot about the Mountain Gate, right?"
Zhao Xingmo turned to Zhang Jiuxiao and said, "Indeed.
It's indeed difficult. Even among the candidates sent out by the Zhang clan every year, at least half of them fail to clear the Mountain Gate. "
Zhang Jiuxiao nodded.
Even though he was from the side branch of the Zhang clan, he still knew quite a bit about the Sanctum of Sages, and he knew just how difficult the Mountain Gate was.
There were countless core disciples in the Zhang clan, and there were many who were more talented and stronger than him. Even so, there were still many who were eliminated every year.
"There's a genius from my side branch, Zhang Yunqi. He was twenty-eight last year, and his cultivation reached Leaving Aperture realm primary stage. With such strength, there's no one among us who can match him. However, it's a pity that he failed the trial as well."
Zhang Jiuxiao continued.
"Even a Leaving Aperture realm primary stage cultivator failed the trial?"
The crowd was stunned.
The strongest of them was only at Quasi Leaving Aperture realm. If even a Leaving Aperture realm expert who had undergone the Leaving Aperture Ordeal failed to clear the trial, didn't that mean that none of them would be able to clear it?
"Indeed. However, the trial isn't entirely based on one's strength. Zhang Yunqi's younger brother is only at Primordial Spirit realm advanced stage, but he managed to clear the Mountain Gate as well. I'm not too sure what the trial is and what the criteria are."
Zhang Jiuxiao said with a bitter smile.
There were many geniuses in the Zhang clan who would challenge the Mountain Gate once every year. Some of them would fail for decades, but there were also some who managed to achieve decent results on their first try. As for what was going on, it was impossible for one to understand it without experiencing it for themselves.
"There are many types of trials in the Mountain Gate, and those who take the trial together will encounter different situations. You can only adapt to the situation based on your own ability, so there's no way to train you or inform you in advance. As for how you will fare, that will be up to you. "
Zhao Xingmo nodded.
"This …"
The crowd fell silent.
They had thought that they would be able to make preparations as soon as possible if they were informed in advance, but after hearing those words, they realized that things weren't as simple as they thought.
But that was to be expected. If the Master Teacher Academy of the Master Teacher Continent could be so easily cleared, wouldn't it be overcrowded by now?
"Actually, there's no need to worry too much. After entering the Mountain Gate, as long as you exert your full strength, even if you fail the trial, there's still a good chance that you'll be able to become a listening student. As long as you're able to become a listening student, you'll be able to challenge the trial again when the time is right. It's not as if there's no chance for you to be eliminated once! "
Zhao Xingmo said with a smile. Seeing that the crowd was starting to feel a little nervous and apprehensive, he chuckled softly.
As strict as the trials of the Sanctum of Sages were, it didn't mean that there would be no more chances after the first trial. As long as one's results weren't too bad, they could easily become a listening student.
Of course, the second trial would be far more difficult than the first … However, in order to prevent the crowd from getting discouraged, Zhao Xingmo could only keep such words in his heart. Otherwise, if they were to lose their confidence, it would be a shame for him as the guide to the Sanctum of Sages.
"It's good that we won't be eliminated right away …"
Hearing that there was still a chance for them as long as they performed well, the crowd heaved a sigh of relief.
"We have arrived at the Sanctum of Sages. Everyone, prepare yourselves. The Mountain Gate examination should be conducted within the next three days!"
After chatting for a while longer, Zhao Xingmo suddenly pointed forward.
The crowd hurriedly turned their gazes over and saw a massive city standing amidst a mountain range. There seemed to be a massive Spirit Gathering Formation in the surroundings that was gathering the spiritual energy within a radius of several hundred thousand li. Even before arriving, they could already feel the oppressive and refreshing aura emanating from the city.
"This is the Sanctum of Sages?"
Zhang Xuan abruptly stood up as he clenched his fists tightly under his sleeves. "Ruoxin, I'm here!"
(Thank you to my book friend < Nickkkl > for your 60,000 RMB tip. We have arrived at the Sanctum of Sages, and the climax is just around the corner. Where are your Monthly Passes?)
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