The moment Mo Zhiyi loosed his third arrow, Zhaang Ye’s eyes widened in focus.

Mo Zhiyi’s third arrow was wreathed in a hazy white light. This shimmering light made it seem, at first glance, to be moving very, very slowly.

But Zhaang Ye knew this was merely an illusion. The arrow Mo Zhiyi had shot was no slower than the previous two. The reason it felt slow was that the light on its shaft created a visual aftereffect, making the arrow appear to move at a crawl.

If he truly believed it was flying slowly, an arrow would be piercing his heart in the next instant!

’The light on this arrow doesn’t just create an illusion. It likely has other effects too!’ As the thought flashed through Zhaang Ye’s mind, his body suddenly spun like a tornado. His heavy saber carved out a profound realm, swinging at a speed invisible to the naked eye.

For this slash, Zhaang Ye had learned his lesson from the last one. He no longer unleashed his Dark Force, instead fully channeling the devouring power of his Mountain-Breaking Slash. With a single swing, the heavy saber became like a space storm, wildly consuming everything in the void.

HUMMM—

Mo Zhiyi’s third arrow streaked forward like lightning, meeting Zhaang Ye’s Mountain-Breaking Slash head-on. Before the arrow even touched the heavy saber, it let out a deep, muffled hum as the light on its shaft was slowly devoured by Zhaang Ye’s blade.

The arrow vibrated with a hum, twisting like a snake as it tried to escape the range of the Mountain-Breaking Slash. But it only managed a few tremors before Zhaang Ye’s heavy saber descended like a crushing shadow. The moment the arrow touched the blade, it vanished inch by inch, dissolving into scrap metal that dissipated into the void.

"Hm?" Seeing Zhaang Ye break his third arrow in such a way, Mo Zhiyi couldn’t help but reveal a flicker of astonishment. His third arrow was called the "slow arrow," but in reality, it was incredibly fast, capable of crossing dozens of yards in an instant.

In addition to its incredible speed, Mo Zhiyi had also imbued the arrow’s shaft with exquisite force. He had infused it with seventeen different types of force in total. When it reached Zhaang Ye, these seventeen forces were meant to erupt, allowing the arrow to launch a variety of attacks.

But he had never expected Zhaang Ye’s saber technique to be like a monstrous beast, devouring his arrow whole. All the different forces he had poured into it were rendered completely useless!

"What a fine saber technique!" Mo Zhiyi gave Zhaang Ye a long, deep look and said, "You’ve passed."

A wave of joy rose from the bottom of Zhaang Ye’s heart. He bowed to Mo Zhiyi, then executed his body technique and shot upward like a flying bird.

In the great hall.

When the Fourth Hall Master saw Zhaang Ye successfully block Mo Zhiyi’s third arrow, he couldn’t help but burst out laughing. For the past few days, the Fourth Hall Master had been quietly observing Zhaang Ye. He’d noticed that Zhaang Ye’s saber technique improved daily, and his execution was increasingly capturing the realm of a Space Storm.

And along with his progress in saber technique, Zhaang Ye had also displayed outstanding combat talent during this test. For the three guardians on the White Jade Steps, even a one-in-ten-thousand genius would have a hard time passing all by themselves. Yet Zhaang Ye, all alone, had managed to break through three stages in a short time, even surpassing Situ Houtu.

The Fourth Hall Master had seen countless young geniuses, but not a single one could compare to Zhaang Ye. Overjoyed, the Fourth Hall Master laughed heartily and said, "Hahahaha! Excellent! Excellent! To think Zhaang Ye would be the first to pass the test! This is wonderful! My Three Western Counties have finally produced a true genius!"

After saying this, the Fourth Hall Master rose to his feet, laughing. "I must go at once and take Zhaang Ye as my disciple. Hahahaha, once I’ve trained him into a True Dao Expert, I’ll finally have hope of returning to the Sect! Huh?"

He stopped mid-sentence. The Fourth Hall Master had just realized that the Great Hall Master, Second Hall Master, and Third Hall Master had all vanished from the great hall!

’Those old geezers, how could they just sneak off without a word? Ah, damn it!’ A sudden realization struck the Fourth Hall Master. He let out a low cry, and his body vanished from where he stood without any warning.

...

Zhaang Ye continued to race upward, quickly finishing the last of the steps.

After the final step, the massive palace appeared before him. As he drew closer, Zhaang Ye truly realized just how enormous and majestic it was. The auras emanating from it—of ancientness, of history, of boundless desolation—combined to form an oppressive pressure like that of a great mountain. This pressure bore down on him like the full-powered aura of a Martial Arts Expert, making it difficult for Zhaang Ye to even breathe.

"True Hall!"

Zhaang Ye’s gaze was unconsciously drawn to the two large words above the palace entrance.

These two words were carved upon a slab of white jade a thousand *zhang* wide. Each word was as tall as a mountain, and every stroke seemed perfectly natural, as if formed by nature itself. They looked like a Celestial Horse soaring through the sky, like the Celestial River hanging inverted, like a shooting star streaking past. The infinite charm they contained showered down like spiritual light into the depths of Zhaang Ye’s soul. In an instant, he became lost within these two words of infinite mystery, and his entire body began to tremble.

He had no idea how long had passed before his soul suddenly jolted. It felt as if the realm contained within those two words had purged all the impurities from his mind, leaving him feeling incredibly refreshed and clear-headed.

Zhaang Ye had a faint feeling that his body had undergone some kind of transformation after looking at those two words. But he couldn’t quite put his finger on what had changed.

Just as Zhaang Ye was about to find a place to sit cross-legged and contemplate his experience, a faint purple light appeared on the horizon. Before he could get a good look, the purple light had already crossed dozens of miles, arriving abruptly above his head!

WHOOSH!

The purple light transformed into a young man in purple robes, who suddenly descended from the sky and landed squarely in front of Zhaang Ye.

Zhaang Ye was startled to see the purple-robed youth. He quickly bowed and said, "Disciple Zhaang Ye pays his respects to the Great Hall Master."

As it turned out, the young man who had come from the far horizon was none other than the Great Hall Master of the True Hall. Zhaang Ye had seen the four Hall Masters from a distance at the beginning of the test, so he recognized him at a glance.

The Great Hall Master sized Zhaang Ye up, then let out a sound of surprise. "Your aura has changed quite a bit. What just happened?"

Zhaang Ye didn’t dare to be disrespectful. He bowed reverently and said, "This disciple was just observing the two words ’True Hall’ and seemed to have an epiphany. But as for what I comprehended, I can’t quite say."

"An epiphany just from looking at the words ’True Hall’! Your comprehension is not bad. Excellent, excellent!" The Great Hall Master praised him several times, then fixed his gaze on Zhaang Ye. "Zhaang Ye, you were the first to pass this test. Are you willing to take me as your master?"

’Take him as my master?’

’Take the Great Hall Master as my master?’

’Take a Daoist Master as my master?’

After confirming he hadn’t misheard, Zhaang Ye was overcome with excitement. The Great Hall Master was a Daoist Master of immense power! If he became the disciple of such a person, he would no longer have to fumble his way through cultivation on his own. With guidance from a Daoist Master, even if his aptitude was poor, he could surely advance to the Martial Arts Ninth Layer with ease, and perhaps even step into the True Dao to become a True Dao Expert, free to roam the world as he pleased!

Overjoyed, Zhaang Ye was about to drop to his knees and bow when a voice called out from the distant sky. "Wait! Zhaang Ye, you should take me as your master. I am skilled in alchemy and have countless elixirs to aid your cultivation. If you become my disciple, your cultivation speed will advance by leaps and bounds, far surpassing your peers!"

As the voice spoke, another young man in purple robes descended from the sky. This was none other than the Third Hall Master of the True Hall.

Hearing the Third Hall Master’s words and then seeing him appear, Zhaang Ye was momentarily stunned. He didn’t forget his manners, however, and respectfully bowed to the newcomer. "Greetings, Third Hall Master."

At this, the Great Hall Master pulled Zhaang Ye to his feet and frowned. "Third Brother, Zhaang Ye has already decided to become my disciple. Don’t you come here and make a scene."

The Third Hall Master chuckled. "First Brother, you are not suited to be Zhaang Ye’s master. I am the most suitable person."

The Great Hall Master snorted and said in a low voice, "Third Brother, you should be well aware of my abilities. How am I not suited to be Zhaang Ye’s master?"

The Third Hall Master gave a sly grin. "Of course you’re not suitable, First Brother. You spend all your time in closed-door cultivation. Even with your great abilities, you’d have no time to teach Zhaang Ye. Besides, your greatest skill is in arrays. Arrays are an exceptionally profound subject that even Martial Arts Ninth Layer experts struggle to comprehend, let alone someone like Zhaang Ye."

"But I’m different. I have plenty of time to guide Zhaang Ye slowly, and I can definitely help him go further on his cultivation path. Furthermore, I’m an expert in the Alchemy Technique, so Zhaang Ye will never lack for elixirs if he studies with me. And there’s more! My Alchemy Technique has endless uses. Once you learn it, Zhaang Ye, you’ll be welcomed by all the major powers when you travel the Desolate Continent. You’ll be like a fish in water..."

The Third Hall Master had directed that last sentence at Zhaang Ye, and it made the boy’s eyes brighten.

’Elixirs are just too important for a Martial Artist. If I could learn the Alchemy Technique, I’d never have to worry about elixirs again. What’s more, I could even use the Alchemy Technique to earn Gold from others...’

Seeing Zhaang Ye’s eyes shining, the Third Hall Master chuckled. He knew he had swayed the boy and only needed a few more words to achieve his goal. He was just about to speak again when the Great Hall Master cut him off.

"Nonsense!" Seeing that Zhaang Ye looked tempted, the Great Hall Master shot the Third Hall Master a fierce glare, then turned to Zhaang Ye. "If you’re going to take a master, naturally you should choose the strongest one. In the Wei Kingdom True Hall, my strength is the greatest. Zhaang Ye, if you want a master, you should choose me..."

Before he could finish his sentence, a soft whistle echoed from the distant sky. Seeing someone else arriving, both the Great Hall Master and the Third Hall Master frowned. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to vote for Recommendation Tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation.)