A month's time passed as scheduled.
Chen Zong walked out of the courtyard. Ever since he had refined his inner force and chosen a suitable martial arts technique, he had been cultivating in the courtyard for the past ten days. He had even prepared a large amount of dried food for his meals.
The sun was shining brightly as the official disciples walked out of the courtyard one by one. Today was the day of the New Star Competition. Almost all the official disciples would be present. Some of the palace disciples would also come to watch.
The New Star Competition was held in the Sword Battle Arena.
One official disciple after another walked into the arena from the entrance. It was Chen Zong's first time seeing it, and he was shocked.
The Sword Martial Arena was like a circular valley. The surroundings were high and there were many levels of stairs. One could either stand or sit. There were a total of ten levels, and each level could accommodate at least a few hundred people. Even if all the people from the Real Sword Academy came, they wouldn't be full.
The lower part of the arena was very flat and had a diameter of about 200 meters. In the middle was a circular arena with a diameter of 100 meters and a height of two meters.
"Chen Shidi, I haven't seen you in ten days." A familiar voice came from behind. It was He Tielin.
"Senior Brother He, I've been cultivating recently," Chen Zong replied with a smile.
However, He Tielin couldn't tell if Chen Zong had reached the Qi Refining Realm. The Leakless Body was not only useful in the Qi Refining Realm, but also in the Qi Refining Realm. However, if Chen Zong used his inner force, his aura would be emitted. This was incomparable to the Qi Refining Realm.
"He Tielin, is this the new disciple you have your eyes on?" Someone asked as he glanced at Chen Zong. Then, he said disapprovingly, "I think he's not as good as Jiang Bailiu and Huo Yihong."
Chen Zong didn't feel anything, but He Tielin frowned. "Qikang, who I choose has nothing to do with you. Besides, how do you know he's not as good as Jiang Bailiu and Huo Yihong?"
"Why don't we make a bet?" The skinny Qikang smiled coldly, full of provocation.
"Why should I bet with you?" He Tielin said coldly. Qikang was trying to provoke him, but it was obvious that he wouldn't be provoked.
"He Tielin, I'm guessing that you wouldn't dare to bet with me, a coward like you." Qikang opened his mouth and mocked. Chen Zong immediately saw He Tielin's expression change greatly. His face was ashen, and his eyes emitted a terrifying light, as if he was an angry demonic beast.
"Qi Kang, if you want to bet, then bet big." He Tielin glared at Qi Kang, his tone incomparably cold as he spoke word by word.
Chen Zong had known He Tielin for a short period of time, but he had never seen He Tielin reveal such an expression. He immediately understood that Qikang's words must have a deeper meaning. It must have angered He Tielin, causing He Tielin to lose his reason in anger.
"Alright, let's make a big bet." Qi Kang squinted his small eyes and his gaze landed on Chen Zong. "Let's bet on his ranking in the Rising Star Competition with either Jiang Bailiu or Huo Yihong. As long as his ranking is higher than either Jiang Bailiu or Huo Yihong, I'll lose. Otherwise, I'll win."
"The bet is 500 Sword Merit Points." Qi Kang sneered.
"500 Sword Merit Points!" He Tielin suddenly woke up. He had only received 50 Sword Merit Points in a month of managing the Refining Intent Hall. 500 Sword Merit Points would take him ten months. Moreover, each person could only manage for a month.
After entering the True Sword Academy for three years, the Sword Merit Points he had accumulated were only a little more than 1000. After deducting the Sword Merit Points he needed for cultivation, he only had a little more than 500 Sword Merit Points.
What could 500 Sword Merit Points do? It was enough to exchange for a Mid Rank Earth Realm Martial Arts or Martial Arts.
If he lost, then he would really become a pauper.
However, since he had already said it, he could not take it back. He could only bite the bullet and agree.
"Prepare 500 Sword Merit Points. Don't become a laughing stock if you can't take it out." Qi Kang sneered and glanced at Chen Zong. "If you can't even pass the test, then you'll lose too badly."
"Test?" Chen Zong did not understand.
"Chen Shidi, it's up to you now." He Tielin looked at Chen Zong and said in a serious tone. Then, he smiled bitterly. "Sigh, I got carried away. I actually lost my mind because of anger."
Jiang Bailiu and Huo Yihong had already broken through to the Qi Refining Realm. They had extraordinary talent. After cultivating for a while, their strength would definitely be extraordinary. As for Chen Zong, although He Tielin could not tell if he had reached the Qi Refining Realm, he felt that he was not as good as Jiang Bailiu or Huo Yihong. It would be very difficult to compete with them.
"Senior Brother He, don't worry. I will do my best." Chen Zong said. At the end of the day, he was implicated. But no matter what, He Tielin had treated him well before, so he could help. However, he wasn't sure how strong Jiang Bailiu and Huo Yihong were, so he could only do his best.
"Chen Shidi, if your final ranking is higher than either Jiang Bailiu or Huo Yihong's, we will split the 500 Sword Merit Points." He Tielin said immediately. Although he did not think that he could win, there was still hope. Moreover, if Chen Zong could get 250 Sword Merit Points, he would try even harder.
Chen Zong naturally would not reject such a good thing that could benefit both of them.
"I thought you were hiding and did not dare to come out." Yang Jingzhi looked at Chen Zong with a cold face and said in a cold tone.
"You are not qualified yet." Chen Zong replied calmly.
"You will know the consequences very soon." Yang Jingzhi pointed out.
He Tielin stared at Chen Zong, dumbfounded.
"Chen Shidi, how did you provoke him?" He Tielin could not help but ask after Yang Jingzhi left.
"I did not provoke him. He thought that I was a fat sheep and wanted to kill me." Chen Zong replied simply.
"You know that he is from the Liu Men, right?" He Tielin said, "The Liu Men is one of the three major powers among the official disciples. They have many masters and are very domineering. If you offend them, you will be in trouble. Fortunately, the school has its own rules. Otherwise, I would have to stay far away from you."
It sounded like a joke, but it was the truth. Chen Zong understood He Tielin's personality better. He could make friends with such people, but they could only be ordinary friends.
Among the official disciples, there were more than a dozen powers, but only three were really powerful. They were the Liu Men, the Ning Men, and the Mo Men. The leaders of these three powers were all part of the Seven Sword Stars.
It was said that these three powers were also related to the Palace Guarding Disciples.
Soon, all the disciples arrived. Those who were going to participate in the New Star Competition stood under the circular arena. Those who were not going to participate jumped up the stairs to watch.
"Carry the strength measuring pillars." As soon as the elder's voice fell, five disciples carrying five pillars jumped onto the stage and lined up in a row.
The strength measuring pillars had a circular base with a diameter of half a meter. It was very stable. The entire pillar was white. It was 2.5 meters tall and as thick as a human thigh. From the base to 1.5 meters tall, it was intact. However, at 1.5 meters tall, it expanded and looked very tough. From 1.5 to 2.5 meters tall, there was a transparent line that was as wide as a finger in the middle. There was a scale beside it.
The scale went from 1 to 100 from the bottom to the top.
"This is the strength measuring pillar. It is used to measure attack power." The elder pointed at the five strange white pillars and said, "I know that some warriors are good at attacking, some are good at defending, and some are good at dodging. However, as a sword warrior, attack power is the most important factor that determines one's strength. Without enough attack power, how can one become a powerful sword warrior? How can one become a swordsman?"
What he said was very reasonable. The sword was originally the representative of attack power. Without enough attack power, how could one practice sword?
"The scale on the strength measuring pillar is 100. 1 to 30 corresponds to the First Turn of the Training Force Realm, 31 to 60 corresponds to the Second Turn of the Training Force Realm, and 61 to 90 corresponds to the Third Turn of the Training Force Realm."
"The New Star Competition is divided into two parts. The first part is to hit the strength measuring pillar. Those who don't hit 15 scales will be eliminated. Everyone has three chances to hit the maximum value."
"The test begins."
As soon as the elder finished speaking, the disciples who were going to participate in the New Star Competition were divided into five groups and tested one by one.
"Elder, can I use sword techniques?" The first disciple who was going to be tested was smart and asked quickly.
"Yes," the elder responded.
After receiving the response, they immediately waved the ceremonial sword in their hands and used sword techniques.
Sword light flashed as each of them slashed out with all their might, hitting the strength measuring area of the strength measuring pillar. With a bang, Chen Zong could clearly see that the strength measuring pillar had caved in inwards under the sword. Immediately, a red light shot up from within and into the scale area.
On the scale area, the numbers 30, 60, and 90 were all bronze in color. The characters were very clear. 10, 20, 40, 50, 70, and 80 were black iron in color. The characters were relatively smaller, but still very clear. As for the nine styles, the characters from 1 to 100 were gold in color, which was even more eye-catching.
"How can it only be 9? Impossible."
"Haha, I hit 15."
Some people were happy, while others were unhappy. Those who didn't hit 10 had two more chances to try. When they tried again, some of them hit 10, and some of them didn't. They were directly eliminated. It was indescribably depressing.
Out of the five people in the first batch, only two passed, and three were eliminated. This immediately made those who hadn't tested yet adjust their attitude. They thought that it wouldn't be difficult, but now it seemed that it wasn't. If they were eliminated because they didn't pay enough attention, they would definitely be depressed to death.
Chen Zong took advantage of the moment when the new batch of people was about to take the test. His eyes quickly scanned the surroundings, and suddenly stopped because he saw a familiar figure.
He wore a silver-white sword robe and had an indifferent expression on his face. His eyes were indifferent but sharp.
Silver Sword Star!
Before, Chen Zong didn't understand the meaning of this name at all. Now he knew that it was one of the Seven Sword Stars of the Real Sword Academy, and also one of the seven most powerful official disciples.
Above that would be the Palace Guarding Disciples. Only those who had reached the fourth transformation of the Jin Training Realm were qualified to become a Palace Guarding Disciple.
There was not a single person around the Silver Sword Star, as if it was an absolute zone. Chen Zong also saw the same thing on a few other people as he swept his gaze over them. From this, he could tell that they were also part of the Seven Sword Stars.
"So powerful! He hit 18 scales."
"That one is not weak either. He hit 17 scales."
Up until now, there had been several batches of people who had hit 16 scales at most. Therefore, those who could hit 18 and 17 scales immediately attracted attention.
"20 scales? Who is that?"
As more and more people took the test, some of the stronger ones gradually appeared.
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