Great Sword Master

Chapter Vol. 1 Ch. 24

The Huntian Sacred Mountain was home to the mountain gate of the Huntian Sect, one of the ten great powers of the Eastern Wastelands.

The Sky-Patrolling Giant Ship came to a halt midway up the Huntian Sacred Mountain. Disciples from hundreds of academies, numbering in the tens of thousands, disembarked and gathered in the enormous plaza in front of the Huntian Sect's Disciple Hall.

The Disciple Hall was majestic, akin to a small mountain standing tall, exuding an ancient and timeless aura.

The plaza itself was unimaginably vast. Even the Sky-Patrolling Giant Ship, a thousand meters long, occupied only a small corner. The tens of thousands of academy disciples present barely filled even half of it.

The academy disciples looked around, their eyes filled with curiosity and amazement.

Everything they saw here left them feeling awestruck and overwhelmed, like frogs leaping out of a well for the first time, suddenly beholding the vastness of the world.@@@@

Before long, tens of thousands of gazes were collectively drawn to an object standing in front of the Disciple Hall.

It was a drum!

A massive war drum, ten meters in diameter, suspended three meters in the air. Its body resembled ancient bronze, with a deep and rustic hue, exuding an aura of timelessness and imperishability.

The drum's surface was etched with faint patterns, densely packed and crisscrossing, as if imbued with the infinite mysteries of the Dao itself.

"Silence!"

A resounding and majestic voice, like the voice of a god, reverberated across heaven and earth, instantly silencing the buzzing discussions of the tens of thousands of disciples.

One after another, streaks of light flew into the plaza, revealing individuals hovering in mid-air. Each of them radiated divine light and brilliance, their auras profound and unfathomable.

"They’re not flying with the help of tools... they’re flying through the air unaided..." someone with sharp eyes muttered, noticing that these figures had no flying artifacts beneath their feet.

"Flying with tools... versus flying unaided..." Chen Feng’s eyes narrowed as he pondered in silence.

Was one superior to the other? If so, which was higher? Lacking sufficient knowledge about cultivation, Chen Feng hesitated to make a judgment but couldn't help forming a hypothesis in his heart.

"Welcome, everyone, to the Huntian Sect. This drum is our sect’s treasure, the Huntian Drum." The speaker hovered above the Disciple Hall—a burly elder with a long beard. His face was ruddy, and his body radiated intense divine light, exuding a world-shaking aura that seemed to suppress both heaven and earth. However, this pressure was restrained; otherwise, none of the tens of thousands of academy disciples present would have been able to endure it.

"I am the Hall Master of the Disciple Hall, and I will be overseeing your assessment."

"Your assessment is straightforward: you will strike the Huntian Drum with your own strength."

"The results of striking the drum depend on the foundation of your strength, not your cultivation level. In other words, regardless of your cultivation, the Huntian Drum treats everyone equally."

"If the drum sounds once within one breath, you will earn the rank of Outer Sect Disciple."

"If the drum sounds twice within one breath, you will earn the rank of Inner Sect Disciple."

"If the drum sounds three times within one breath, you will become a Core Disciple."

"If the drum sounds four times within one breath, you will become a Direct Disciple."

"If the drum sounds five times within one breath, you will earn the rank of Quasi-Sect Heir."

"If the drum sounds six times within one breath, you will become the Sect Heir."

"Before you arrived, the academy disciples from Huntian City’s main academy were already assessed. The highest result was five drumbeats."

The tens of thousands of academy disciples were instantly filled with awe and surprise.

During their time aboard the Sky-Patrolling Giant Ship, they had learned much about the Huntian Sect.

While there were hundreds of Huntian Academies across the land, these were merely branch academies. The main academy was located in Huntian City, at the base of Huntian Sacred Mountain.

This carried significant implications.

The disciples of the main academy were closer to the Huntian Sect itself, meaning they had better cultivation environments and resources. The main academy naturally attracted more geniuses.

And yet, even with all these advantages, no one had managed to strike the drum six times.

Hearing this, many disciples among the tens of thousands felt their fighting spirit ignite.

Six drumbeats!

Achieving this wouldn’t just overshadow the geniuses of the main academy—it would be a chance to ascend to the rank of Sect Heir in one fell swoop.

And what did it mean to become a Sect Heir?

Next up was Lei Zhan. He also struck the drum three times. During the elder's evaluation, it was noted that his Iron Arms would make it easier for him to break through the limits of body refinement and achieve Copper Skin and Iron Bones.

Yan Ling, with her Wind Spirit Physique, and another disciple with a Golden Spirit Physique were both praised as having the potential to achieve the Condensed True Essence Realm.

Fan Quan, with his Phantom Eyes, was said to have the potential to evolve them into Demonic Phantom Eyes, granting mastery over supreme illusions.

Almost all those with innate extraordinariness managed to strike the drum three times, earning the rank of Core Disciple.

However, geniuses with solid foundational strength but without innate extraordinariness could only manage two drumbeats. And the elite disciples with decent foundations were limited to one drumbeat.

As for those who couldn’t strike the drum even once, they were mostly individuals who had relied heavily on medicinal pills to artificially raise their cultivation to the later stages of the Body Refinement realm. Their shallow foundations made it evident why they failed.

Yang Xuening also participated in the assessment. She struck the drum once, earning the rank of Outer Sect Disciple—revealing her true abilities.

"Brother Yun, good luck!" Yang Xuening cheered as Ye Yunqi stepped forward. "You’re sure to surpass everyone!"

Ye Yunqi’s gaze remained distant and aloof, as though he looked down on everything. But as he turned his attention to the Huntian Drum, an indescribable brilliance flashed in his eyes.

Step by step, Ye Yunqi advanced, his aura growing stronger and more condensed with each movement.

The burly elder watched him closely, a hint of surprise flickering in his eyes.

Ye Yunqi's aura intensified with each step, his pace quickening gradually. In the faintest moments, one could hear the sound of surging waves. Beneath his steps, the air seemed to transform into powerful tidal waves, and Ye Yunqi appeared to walk upon them.

Step, step, step...

Nine steps!

In an instant, Ye Yunqi's speed increased by 90%, turning him into a dark green blur as he charged toward the Huntian Drum. With his left arm swinging forward, he unleashed a punch infused with immensely condensed power, striking the ancient and mysterious drum face with a deafening thunder-like sound.

The sound waves rebounded violently, but Ye Yunqi drew his blade with his right hand. The dazzling blade light split into nine shadows, instantly shattering the rebounding sound waves. With unstoppable momentum, the blade struck the drum again, producing a second drumbeat.

This scene left many people gasping in disbelief.

Even those with innate extraordinariness, like Qin Haoyu, had been pushed back by the rebounding sound waves before gathering their strength to strike again.

The second wave of sound rebounded even more powerfully, sending Ye Yunqi flying backward to the ground. But he quickly rebounded, gripping his long blade with both hands. The air beneath the blade seemed to transform into turbulent waves, which were forcefully parted as he unleashed an overwhelmingly powerful slash.

Boom!

The third deafening drumbeat resounded.

The rebounding sound waves grew even stronger this time, forcing Ye Yunqi back several meters before he landed.

"Bloodline activation!"

With a low roar, a flash of azure light appeared in Ye Yunqi’s eyes, and the sound of rushing tides seemed to echo from within his body. His blood surged like vast rivers and mighty streams, enveloping his entire form in a layer of radiant blood-colored light.

The blood-colored light pulsed like ocean waves, layer upon layer, granting Ye Yunqi an even greater surge of strength.

"This is unexpected—a Bloodline Physique, and a Water-element Tidal Bloodline at that," the burly elder remarked in astonishment. "Judging by its characteristics, it’s even a King-tier Bloodline. Impressive, he’s worth cultivating."

Empowered by his bloodline, Ye Yunqi surged forward with his blade, delivering a fierce strike to the Huntian Drum.

Boom!

The fourth drumbeat reverberated.

The rebounding force surged exponentially, slamming into Ye Yunqi. The tidal-like blood-colored light around him wavered and trembled, as if on the brink of shattering.

Despite this, Ye Yunqi resisted the enormous rebounding force and leapt forward again, swinging his blade for another strike.

For a moment, everyone present couldn’t help but widen their eyes and hold their breath.

Could he... could he match the prodigies of the main academy and strike the drum five times?

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