A full half-hour later, Li Qingxian passed through the main gate, listening to a trumpet-shaped Magical Treasure at the side continuously announcing the rules.
"First round: Puppet Battle."
"Those who defeat the Puppet within fifty breaths will receive a Grade A. Within one hundred breaths, a Grade B. Surviving for two hundred breaths without defeat earns a Grade C. Those defeated or forced out of the circle fail. Only participants with Grade A, B, or C may proceed to the second round."
"In the first round, aside from the standard-issue military weapons provided, the use of any external items, other weapons, Talismanic Magic, Magical Artifacts, or Magical Treasures is forbidden..."
Li Qingxian and the others entered, listening to the Magical Treasure’s announcements as they selected weapons from the racks. Afterward, they were led by the examiners to their respective Puppets.
The brilliant morning sun illuminated a large expanse of meadow at the foot of the mountain. The verdant grass had been marked with a series of large circles.
Each large circle, seemingly drawn with Sword Qi, was about five zhang in diameter. A Puppet stood in the center of each one.
The Puppet was entirely encased in rust-spotted steel. Through the gaps in the Armor, one could faintly see numerous sheets of Talisman Paper stuck to its interior.
The examiner held a sheet of Developing Paper on which Li Qingxian’s name was obscured, revealing only his candidate number and basic information.
Li Qingxian took out the Wooden Examination Token from his waist. The examiner inspected it and nodded.
The examiner stood outside the circle and asked in a loud voice, "Are you aware of all the rules?"
"I am," Li Qingxian replied.
The examiner nodded. "Magic Cultivators may enter and cast three Skills first. The Puppet will only evade and not attack. After the third Skill is cast, the Puppet will engage."
Li Qingxian stepped into the circle. The Puppet, which had been looking down, raised its head. A faint red glow emanated from the slits where the helmet’s eyes should be.
The examiner shouted, "Time starts now!"
Li Qingxian formed the Celestial Thunder Finger Technique with one hand and made a Pointing Sword gesture toward the Puppet with the other, chanting the incantation for the Thunder Skill: "Five Thunders True Thunder, Thunder Light Fire Master. The Wind Master as commander, the Rain Master gives the order..."
Once the incantation was complete, a Thunderbolt coiled around the fingers of his right hand’s Pointing Sword. He then tapped it lightly toward the steel Puppet.
BOOM!
Li Qingxian’s hands trembled violently as a bolt of lightning as thick as an arm shot forth. In the blink of an eye, it pierced straight through the steel Puppet’s chest and continued flying forward.
"Watch out!" An examiner up ahead hurriedly summoned a Magical Treasure, and a white light blocked the Thunderbolt.
BOOM!
The nearby examiners and students all turned to look.
Li Qingxian’s examiner trotted over to the Puppet and found a large hole in its chest. It was completely destroyed. While writing on the Developing Paper, he announced, "One Skill, within ten breaths. Super Armor."
Some of the nearby candidates gave a thumbs-up, while others shook their heads and sighed.
Li Qingxian asked, "Sir, may I leave now?"
"A Super Armor result requires verification from a superior. I’ve already notified my Shangguan, please wait a moment."
Li Qingxian nodded and waited where he stood.
In the distance, Song Baige, Wang Buku, and the others cheered loudly for Li Qingxian.
Qiu Ye, however, asked doubtfully, "Baige, just how strong is Li Qingxian? His Thunder Skill is much more powerful than what he showed last night. You and Buku both took over forty breaths to defeat the Puppet back in the day, you almost missed out on Grade A."
"Generally speaking, Fate Masters don’t have very strong Daoist Skills, but he managed to repel the Bone Filth Child, so it’s hard to say," said Song Baige.
Wang Buku added, "He clearly wasn’t using his full power with that Thunder Skill just now. Even so, if we had to face it, I’m afraid it would be a huge struggle."
Qiu Ye said, "I definitely couldn’t block it. That’s a Thunder Skill, not ordinary Magic. Baige might be able to stop it with his Battle Poems, and Buku is talented enough that he could probably dodge it, but an ordinary, newly-promoted Seventh-Grade Martial Cultivator like me absolutely couldn’t block it. And with that speed, I couldn’t dodge it either."
"Qingxian really has something up his sleeve; no wonder my father is always praising him. Besides, a junior brother taught by Fairy Qingcheng can’t be all that bad. Of course, he’s still just a tiny bit worse than me," Song Baige said, a hint of jealousy in his tone.
"I heard he prepared a lot of Spirit Talismans. It’s a good thing the Eighth-Grade Cyan Cloud Examination has restrictions, otherwise he could just blast his way through with them."
Song Baige said, "A while ago, he told me he was draining his Magical Power every night to create Thunder Talismans. I suspect he has at least three thousand, if not five thousand, on him."
"That many?" Qiu Ye said in shock.
"If you don’t believe me, ask the guys in his room. Old Han, do you think I’m overestimating or underestimating?"
"Underestimating," Han Anbo said.
"This kid... he doesn’t seem like a normal Fate Master."
"Even a normal Talisman Cultivator can’t hoard Spirit Talismans like he does. I reckon only the Ten Thousand Talisman Scholar could compare to him," said Song Baige.
"No way. The Ten Thousand Talisman Scholar is a Great Cultivator. He has far more than ten thousand Spirit Talismans on him. Including what his Sect provides, he might have over a hundred thousand stockpiled," Qiu Ye said.
"I’m not talking about the past, I’m talking about the future. Look, the Fifth-Grade Official is heading down. His Super Armor grade is secured. Ugh, this kid is probably going to surpass me," said Song Baige.
"He might surpass me, too," said Wang Buku.
"You two were both in the top ten of the Eighth-Grade Cyan Cloud Examination. Interesting," Qiu Ye said, looking up at Li Qingxian.
On the examination field, a crimson-robed Fifth-Grade Official with a handlebar mustache walked over. He glanced at the damage on the Puppet’s chest, raised an eyebrow, and turned his head to ask, "You’re a Fate Master. Where did you learn such a powerful Thunder Skill?"
"I’m a Celestial Cloud Sect Official Disciple. Jiangg Youfei taught me personally," Li Qingxian replied.
"Cut the crap. When Fairy Qingcheng was Eighth Grade, she couldn’t have possibly had a Thunder Skill like this, not even at Seventh Grade. Look at the edges of this wound—the power of this Thunder Skill is at the Middle Grade level, at least. Are you sure you didn’t use a Magical Artifact?"
"I’m sure I didn’t. But I do have a talent for Thunder Cultivation," said Li Qingxian.
The original Seventh-Grade examiner said, "If he had used a Magical Artifact, it definitely would have been discovered."
"That’s true. He must have a talent for Thunder Cultivation, otherwise he couldn’t have repelled the Bone Filth Child. Fine, I’ll approve it. Super Armor. Keep up the good work, don’t embarrass your father, and try to take the Eighth-Grade Aoshou," the Fifth-Grade Official said. He took the Developing Paper, signed and marked it, then turned and left.
The Seventh-Grade examiner pointed toward several large gates in the second wooden fence ahead and said with a smile, "You may go. When you reach the gate, just present your Examination Token."
Li Qingxian thanked the Seventh-Grade examiner and walked slowly toward the second set of gates.
As he walked, Li Qingxian observed the other candidates in the first round.
Only then did he realize how formidable the steel Puppets actually were.
Most people were fighting while retreating, being chased around by the Puppets. Only a very small number of them were evenly matched with their opponents.
Li Qingxian made a quick estimate. The first round alone would likely eliminate seventy to eighty percent of the candidates.
Arriving before the second gate, Li Qingxian presented his Examination Token. An examiner took out a sheet of Developing Paper to compare it, nodded, and said, "Follow me. Do you know the contents of the second round?"
"I do. It’s informally known as the ’Gauntlet of Thorns’. We have to cross a swamp, ford a river, and pass through a jungle, all while enduring a constant barrage of Hidden Weapons and arrows from Puppet Mechanisms. The fewer hits you take, the better your final score."
"I saw that your Thunder Skill is very powerful. However, you cannot use your Thunder Skill to attack those Puppets or the arrows and Hidden Weapons."
"I understand. I plan to use Spirit Talismans. For this second round, I can make them on the spot, right?"
"You can. But even if you use Spirit Talismans like the Vajra Talisman, an arrow landing on you still counts as a hit."
"I get it. By the way, can I use my Life Artifact?" Li Qingxian asked.
The examiner froze for a moment. "This is the first time I’ve encountered a Fate Master participating in the Eighth-Grade Cyan Cloud Examination. Please wait, I’ll ask my superiors."
The examiner consulted the Developing Paper. After a short while, he said, "Fate Masters are not proficient in combat, and Life Artifacts cannot be used directly for offense or defense. You may use them. All Life Artifacts are unrestricted."