Chapter 1645: Qualification Test
"Wait a moment, just let me pat your shoulder," Zhang Ruochen said with an easy smile.
Xiang Chunan looked puzzled. "Just a pat on the shoulder?"
Mu Lingxi understood what Zhang Ruochen intended to do and smiled softly. "It seems we really do have a big advantage. But to participate in the Enshrinement Platform Assembly, we still need to prove we can defeat a Saint Void Body."
Xiang Chunan had no idea what Zhang Ruochen and Mu Lingxi were hinting at, and he paced around anxiously.
Zhang Ruochen didn't explain to him. Instead, he looked up at the old Confucian scholar standing in the void. According to what the old scholar had said himself, he was the artifact spirit of the Saint Spirit Register.
What was the Saint Spirit Register?
For an artifact spirit to have condensed a "Dao Body," just how high was the grade of the Saint Spirit Register?
The "Dao Body" condensed by a sacred artifact's spirit was as powerful as the sacred body cultivated by a human, and could even comprehend Sacred Dao rules and cultivate sacred arts.
Of course, the "Dao Body" was not a flesh-and-blood body, but a combination of sacred qi, weapon qi, and other mysterious forces.
The voice of the Abyssal Ancient Sword sounded in Zhang Ruochen's ear. "That is the artifact spirit of a Supreme Sacred Artifact, and it has cultivated its Dao Body for at least tens of thousands of years. That Dao Body's cultivation is extremely powerful—it should have reached the Great Saint realm. The aura it emits suppresses the spirits of all sacred artifacts."
"Is its aura very strong?"
Zhang Ruochen felt no oppressive aura from the old scholar.
"Only artifact spirits can sense that aura," the Abyssal Ancient Sword said with great caution.
Zhang Ruochen certainly wouldn't doubt the Abyssal Ancient Sword's judgment, but the thought of an artifact spirit possessing cultivation comparable to a Great Saint was truly astonishing.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen seemed to think of something. "The several Supreme Sacred Artifacts of the Kunlun Realm have existed since ancient times. Their artifact spirits must be even more powerful than the Saint Spirit Register, right?"
The Abyssal Ancient Sword replied, "I'm actually very curious about that too. The Azure Heaven Floating Pagoda suppressed in the Qiankun Realm, the Void Sword of Qiangu Nüdi, the Life-and-Death Bronze Furnace of the Moon Worship Demon Sect... the main bodies of their artifact spirits don't seem to be inside the sacred artifacts at all. Only a faint wisp of artifact spirit consciousness remains within them. I wonder if their spirits were completely destroyed or have fallen into deep slumber? If their spirits were still inside the artifacts, the power they could unleash would be unstoppable for most beings below the divine realm, and even Great Saints would be crushed."
This information shocked Zhang Ruochen deeply.
Back when the remnants of the Sacred Bright Central Empire attacked the Lingxiao Heavenly King's Mansion, the Lingxiao Heavenly King had used the Azure Heaven Floating Pagoda, crushing everything in its path. If not for the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron suppressing the pagoda, the Sacred Bright Central Empire's army would have been completely annihilated.
Yet the Abyssal Ancient Sword was telling Zhang Ruochen that the main body of the Azure Heaven Floating Pagoda's artifact spirit wasn't even inside the pagoda. If the spirit had been inside, just how powerful would the Azure Heaven Floating Pagoda have been?
"The qualification test battle begins."
Above, the old scholar's booming voice snapped Zhang Ruochen out of his thoughts.
A thick silver book appeared in the old scholar's hand.
The book exuded an ancient aura, as if it carried the weight of endless history, with a vast surge of sacred qi flowing out from within it.
"Whoosh—"
The old scholar's fingers flipped through the pages.
Immediately, ten armored warriors in silver armor flew out from the book, landing in the center of the ten battle platforms.
These were ten Saint Void Bodies, and surging battle qi rose from within them.
"Boom, rumble."
On Wangshen Mountain, cultivators swarmed like locusts, flying toward the ten battle platforms above.
A four-step Saint King from the Evil Wolf Clan, exuding overwhelming dominance, wielded a pitch-black iron staff and swept it in all directions. "This platform is mine! No one will take it from me!"
A four-step Saint King was already quite formidable, ranking among the top-tier experts gathered on Wangshen Mountain.
After knocking back over a dozen cultivators, the Evil Wolf Clan expert was about to step onto the platform when he was besieged by a large group of cultivators.
Over a hundred sacred artifacts flew toward him, and the Evil Wolf Clan expert was sent flying, blood spraying from his mouth and nose, crashing heavily onto the peak of Wangshen Mountain.
Fierce battles raged around every platform. Fortunately, the old scholar's methods were extraordinary, and he intervened in time each time to prevent any deaths.
Xiang Chunan was growing increasingly anxious, eager to charge into the fray. But remembering what Zhang Ruochen had said earlier, he held back. Just as he turned to ask Zhang Ruochen when he would pat his shoulder...
"Slap!"
His shoulder was patted.
The world spun around him, and when Xiang Chunan could see clearly again, he was astonished to find himself standing on a battle platform.
At the edge of the platform, the cultivators who had been fighting tooth and nail all froze in shock.
Some of them couldn't help but curse. "Damn it! Did anyone see how that dark-faced fool got onto the platform?"
"No! He just appeared out of nowhere!"
A Saint King from the Ape Clan, who had one foot on the platform and was about to succeed, was so furious he was trembling. He pointed at Xiang Chunan, flames practically shooting from his eyes, wanting to tear him apart.
Xiang Chunan gradually came to his senses and burst into laughter. "Haha, sorry, really sorry. This platform is mine for now!"
Since the platform was already taken, the surrounding cultivators had no choice but to charge toward the other platforms.
The old scholar glanced at Zhang Ruochen on Wangshen Mountain, a meaningful smile appearing on his face as he nodded. "Not bad."
Zhang Ruochen turned his gaze to Mu Lingxi. "I'll send you up too. Be careful—defeating a Saint Void Body won't be easy."
"Why do you have so little confidence in me? I'm a disciple of the Moon God and the inheritor of the Ice Fire Phoenix," Mu Lingxi said, rolling her eyes, feeling underestimated.
"Then I'll look forward to witnessing the Divine Maiden's peerless grace."
Zhang Ruochen shook his head with a smile and gently patted Mu Lingxi's fragrant shoulder.
"Whoosh—"
Space power erupted, and Mu Lingxi vanished from her spot, reappearing on an empty battle platform, which once again drew complaints.
But since it was a stunning beauty this time, few resorted to curses.
This technique, "Space Capture," was similar to "Great Space Teleportation" in principle but had its differences.
Great Space Teleportation mainly targeted Zhang Ruochen himself, along with nearby objects and cultivators.
But with Space Capture, Zhang Ruochen remained stationary, using a capturing method to move an object or cultivator from one location to another.
This was also very similar to space teleportation.
The difference was that space teleportation could cover long distances but required a teleportation array. Space Capture didn't need an array, but its range was short. Beyond a certain distance, it would lose effect.
Space Capture was a technique Zhang Ruochen had created himself, combining space power with martial arts capturing techniques. Using this move was more direct and faster than using space distortion to capture an opponent.
However, the technique was still in the research phase and had many flaws. It wasn't perfect.
If the captured cultivator didn't resist, it worked fine. But if they unleashed too much resistance, they could break free from Zhang Ruochen's Space Capture. So using it in actual combat wasn't very helpful yet.
In the future, once he cultivated more space rules within his body, it might improve.
Zhang Ruochen didn't immediately go to challenge a Saint Void Body on the platform. Instead, he observed Mu Lingxi and Xiang Chunan's battles.
Xiang Chunan's combat power surprised Zhang Ruochen. With just one punch, he shattered the Saint Void Body, turning it into wisps of mist, winning the battle.
After receiving an invitation letter from the old scholar, Xiang Chunan leaped off the platform and rushed excitedly toward Zhang Ruochen, laughing. "Brother, I really owe you this time! Without you, I probably wouldn't have gotten this invitation letter."
"It was nothing," Zhang Ruochen said with a faint smile.
Xiang Chunan clutched the invitation letter tightly, curiosity in his eyes. "Why haven't you taken the qualification test? How about teaching me that secret technique of yours? I could pat your shoulder too—maybe I could send you up?"
Xiang Chunan seemed unaware of space power, thinking Zhang Ruochen's palm had some kind of divine ability.
"Don't even think about it. You probably couldn't learn that technique."
Zhang Ruochen knew that Xiang Chunan could shatter a Saint Void Body with one punch. Who knew how much force a pat from him would carry?
So he quickly stopped Xiang Chunan.
Then Zhang Ruochen pointed a finger at one of the battle platforms above. "I'm backing Lingxi up. I'll take the qualification test later."
Xiang Chunan looked at Mu Lingxi, who was fighting a Saint Void Body, a strange expression on his face. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Brother, there's something I've been holding in for a long time."
"What is it?"
Zhang Ruochen kept his eyes on the platform, not turning around.
Xiang Chunan spoke earnestly. "With a face like your wife's, how could you even fall for her? Is this really true love?"
"True love... huh? What did you say?"
Zhang Ruochen immediately withdrew his gaze and glared at Xiang Chunan. "What do you mean by that?"
Xiang Chunan looked a bit embarrassed and chuckled awkwardly. "Let's keep this between us brothers. Don't tell your wife—I'm afraid it'll hurt her self-esteem."
Zhang Ruochen was both amused and exasperated, but also a little annoyed. If Mu Lingxi heard that, their brotherhood would definitely be over.
Zhang Ruochen said sternly, "I'll pretend I never heard that. Don't say it again."
"Got it, I understand. I won't bring it up again. After all, if my brother fancies a woman, no matter how ugly she is, she's still one of us," Xiang Chunan said with a grin.
Zhang Ruochen added, "Also, even though we've sworn brotherhood, we haven't settled the rankings yet. I might end up being the eldest. Isn't it a bit early to call her 'sister-in-law'?"
Xiang Chunan's expression changed. "Right, I almost forgot about that! Damn it, Feng Yan has already entered the Enshrinement Platform and is probably frantically collecting treasures. How can I let him take the position of eldest brother?"
Thinking of this, Xiang Chunan immediately rushed toward the divine gate. "Brother, I won't wait for you and your wife. I'm taking the eldest brother's position!"
In truth, Zhang Ruochen wasn't particularly interested in being the eldest brother.
Let the two of them fight for it.
Looking up, Zhang Ruochen continued watching Mu Lingxi's battle with the Saint Void Body. The fight was nearing its end, with Mu Lingxi holding the absolute advantage. She should win within ten moves.
It had to be said, Mu Lingxi's intense training during this period had yielded tremendous progress.
...
(Kong Lanyou's QQ-style character illustration has been completed—very beautiful. Interested readers can follow this book's official account to check it out.)