Chapter Six: The Illusory Realm of All Things

Mao Wangchen’s long beard fluttered in the wind as he stroked it and looked over the crowd.

“In the Martial Academy, every quarter there is also an assessment in the Myriad Phenomena Void Realm, and all disciples may take part. The Jade Pot automatically tallies and displays the rankings of the top three hundred disciples according to their performance in the trial...”

“Those who can make it into the top three hundred are, at the very least, among the leading disciples of our Martial Academy’s Star Hall. And the disciples ranked within the top thirty-one are all from the academy’s Sun Hall!”

So these names were indeed the ranking of the Martial Academy’s disciples’ strength, and this Myriad Phenomena Void Realm assessment was automatically compiled by the dao artifact!

At Qingming Martial Academy, there were a total of thirty-one Sun Hall disciples, all of them at the level of grandmasters; they also happened to occupy the top thirty-one places in the Jade Pot’s ranking.

Everyone began discussing it.

Chen Fan had long known that Qingming Martial Academy had more than thirty grandmaster disciples, so he was not surprised.

Seeing that he had stirred the crowd, Mao Wangchen smiled and went on.

“Your later placement within the academy, and the competition for resources, are also closely tied to your ranking in the Myriad Phenomena Void Realm trial. A disciple’s standing determines the chance to step into a higher hall, the distribution of resources, the duration of use for the various training facilities within the academy...”

“Even the quotas for entry into certain special secret realms and blessed lands controlled by our Great Qian are closely linked to your ranking.”

Secret realms? Blessed lands?!

Chen Fan’s eyes widened again.

His thoughts turned, and he wondered: was the Yuan Merchant ruins he had once entered a kind of secret realm?

At that moment, Mao Wangchen waved a hand, and light rippled across the jade pot. The three hundred names vanished entirely, leaving only a blank expanse.

Then he looked down at the many disciples taking part in the assessment.

“Your final third-round result will be determined by your ranking in the Myriad Phenomena Void Realm assessment and by your respective ages!”

As long as one left one’s name, entry into the academy was assured.

Yet the results of the academy’s entrance assessment would still be divided into different grades, and age would factor into them.

Mao Wangchen smiled faintly and said, “This academy examination is filled with talent and prodigies, so we will also bring forth generous rewards. The top five overall after the three rounds will directly enter Star Hall. The top two will each receive a rank-earth cultivation pill. And the first place winner, in addition to a rank-earth pill, will also be rewarded with one spiritual weapon of their choosing!”

Another uproar rose all around.

Chen Fan’s reaction was fairly calm, but Zhang Fan beside him immediately widened his eyes, full of envy.

“Good heavens, a rank-earth cultivation pill plus a spiritual weapon. Even the old master probably doesn’t have many spiritual weapons. This academy is really being extravagant!”

There was no need to say much about a rank-earth pill. Even people like Dong Guzhi would find it difficult to obtain a pill of that level.

And once a weapon reached the spiritual grade, it underwent a transformation of its own.

Such weapons were usually only in the hands of grandmasters, and their price was beyond measure by mere money.

The choice of style only made them all the more appealing to the public.

Chen Fan’s eyes also lit up. He already had the treasure-grade Black Sword, but he was still missing a pair of handy gauntlets!

Though he had specifically commissioned several steel gauntlets in Yan Capital over the past few days, they were still far inferior to treasure-grade.

Mao Wangchen glanced at the noisy disciples and lightly swept his sleeve, then said, “Everyone should prepare yourselves mentally. The third round of the assessment will begin in one incense stick’s time.”

With that, he turned and once again rose into the air, returning to his original place.

The disciples participating in the assessment were instantly thrown into complete commotion.

Zhang Fan’s eyes shone as he came before Chen Fan and reminded him, “Junior Brother, though you’ve achieved top marks in the first two rounds, you must absolutely not grow complacent. The final round is the most critical. The rankings there depend only on strength, though the final overall evaluation will still factor in age...”

“You have a great advantage. In the third round, you must go all out. That spiritual weapon and rank-earth pill must be yours; you cannot miss them.”

“Rest assured, Senior Brother.” Chen Fan smiled.

With two top marks already, he had in truth already displayed the utmost of his strength.

He was also confident he could push himself to an even higher ranking.

The remaining disciples from White Cloud Dao Hall were all eager to try, flexing their fists and rubbing their palms, though how many of them would still remain after this round was anyone’s guess.

Just then, Chen Fan heard a voice from behind him.

“Chen Fan, it really is you!”

He turned in surprise, only to freeze slightly.

“Yan Linchu?”

Appearing before Chen Fan once more was Yan Linchu, whom he had not seen in nearly a year.

At this point, that boy had grown even sturdier, and both of his eyebrows had completely turned crimson, an exceedingly strange sight.

Behind him were two others, one of whom was Cha Yong, whom Chen Fan had once met only briefly.

The other also surprised Chen Fan a little, causing him to glance twice more.

Although this man had clearly put care into his clothes and hair, no longer resembling the shabby figure Chen Fan had first seen, how could Chen Fan possibly forget him? This was the man from Flying Tiger Gate who had sold him the manual!

He had guessed back then that this man was no simple character, and now it seemed his intuition had been right after all!

Zhao Hei, seeing Chen Fan stare at him like that, could not help asking first, “Have we met before?”

Over this past year and more of martial training, Chen Fan had changed tremendously. With his nourishment finally keeping pace, he had grown much taller, the boyishness had faded from his features, and he had become even more handsome, with only the faintest shadow of his former self remaining.

Chen Fan shook his head and let out a slight sigh.

“It seems Your Excellency no longer remembers me...”

Times had changed, and the identities of the two men were no longer the same.

Yan Linchu frowned and glanced at the two of them, not knowing what grievance there might be between them, and not caring either. He stepped forward on his own and stood before Chen Fan.

“Chen Fan, I’ve already heard about your performance in Yan Capital. I never expected you to have already reached the third level of martial arts and to be able to defeat a fourth-level beast. You really are formidable. But I haven’t been idle either—I’ve also reached the third level of martial arts, and I dare say I’m no weaker than you... This time, let’s compete and see who ranks higher!”

At this, Chen Fan looked at Yan Linchu a few more times, marveling inwardly. This boy truly was gifted beyond measure. After only a year apart, he had already reached the third level of martial arts!

Even with someone like Feng Yuancheng’s foundation, reaching the third level of martial arts would probably still require several more months.

Though the two had once settled a victory and defeat between them, there was no real conflict. They were rivals, not enemies. Chen Fan smiled.

“I certainly won’t lose to you!”

“Hmph!”

Yan Linchu’s eyes burned with enthusiasm. He glared at Chen Fan, then turned away.

“Let’s go, both of you, Senior Brothers!”

Zhao Hei did not even have time to exchange a few more words with Chen Fan, though some faint impossible suspicion had already taken root in his heart...

His expression became even stranger.

One incense stick of time later.

The academy master, Mao Wangchen, once again stepped into the air and stood atop the Jade Pot.

He spread his hands slightly, and true essence left his body to pour into the Jade Pot from the air.

“The assessment begins!”

With a whoosh, it was as though a breeze had stirred. Strange ripples emerged from the pot’s spout.

Chen Fan only felt a brief daze, and the scenery around him suddenly changed. The dense mass of people vanished without a trace.

Before him, the scene shifted drastically. He now stood alone upon a vast white platform, empty and expansive.

Between heaven and earth lay a milky-white radiance.

Yet Chen Fan could clearly tell that this was entirely different from the feeling he had had when entering the Yuan Merchant ruins back then.

“They said something about the spirit soul being drawn in. Is a spirit soul something like a soul? In other words, my body is still outside...”

Chen Fan frowned.

But soon his eyes brightened. He could still sense the Yuan Core within this body.

In a single day he had only re-condensed one Yuan Core, and at present there were only eight.

This body was exactly the same.

That also meant his body had been copied over in perfect scale!

He stepped forward across the open ground, and before him a weapon rack appeared out of nowhere, bearing every weapon imaginable.

Chen Fan hesitated for a moment, and in the end chose the gauntlets.

His fist arts, cultivated to the mastery of subtle precision, were naturally still stronger than the three-foot sword, which had not yet even reached basic mastery.

The moment he put them on, the weapon rack vanished.

Then, not far ahead, watery ripples shimmered in the air.

Three enormous shapes suddenly appeared near Chen Fan!

“Beast!”

Each of the three was no smaller than the tiger demon he had once slain!

Chen Fan narrowed his eyes. Three Thousand Thunder Movement erupted, and in an instant he had closed in on one of the hyena-like demon beasts, unleashing his subtle-level fist technique secret art!

Boom!!

With all his might, he slammed a punch into the demon beast’s head, smashing it brutally into fragments!

Though tigers were said to have copper heads, iron bones, and tofu waists, under the terrifying power of Chen Fan’s fist, that head was by no means tough enough to withstand him.

He shifted slightly, lightning seeming to flash beneath his feet as he effortlessly dodged the attacks of the remaining two beasts. His fists tore through the air, and with two more blows he finished off the other two.

After the exchange, Chen Fan also confirmed the beasts’ strength.

“These three beasts are all at the fourth level, but each is much weaker than the tiger demon I killed outside!”