’How could this be? Is that little fellow Zhaang Ye actively devouring my Innate True Qi?’ The Great Hall Master couldn’t help but wonder as he felt the devouring speed of the Elephant Power increase significantly.

However, the Great Hall Master quickly dismissed this idea.

The Innate True Qi he had sent into Zhaang Ye’s body had all sorts of wonderful uses. One of these was that it could subtly control Zhaang Ye’s Qi flow, keeping him in a semi-cultivation state. Zhaang Ye’s Cultivation was worlds apart from his own. Under the control of this sliver of Innate True Qi, it was absolutely impossible for him to have a clear consciousness.

The Great Hall Master quickly regained his composure. He continued to comprehend the mysteries of the Elephant Power, allowing his Innate True Qi to be devoured bit by bit. To him, this sliver of Innate True Qi was dispensable; he wouldn’t feel the slightest bit of pain even if it were completely consumed. Moreover, his strand of Innate True Qi was exceptionally condensed. Although the Elephant Power’s devouring speed was not slow, it would be impossible for it to consume the entire thing in just a few short Hours.

A little over three Hours later, a look of realization dawned on the Great Hall Master’s face. Satisfied, he withdrew his Innate True Qi and vanished from the small wooden cabin like a wisp of smoke.

After the Great Hall Master left, Zhaang Ye continued his Cultivation.

One day later, Zhaang Ye stopped his Cultivation and opened his eyes.

As he inspected the Innate True Qi within his body, a faint golden light shot out from Zhaang Ye’s eyes. Though the light was pale, it faintly carried a sharp aura.

During that frenzied devouring, Zhaang Ye had consumed over forty percent of the Great Hall Master’s sliver of Innate True Qi in one go. After refining this Innate True Qi, his Dragon Elephant Power had advanced considerably, and he was not far from the Late Fifth Layer. He only needed to cultivate for a period of time and temper the bones in his body once more, and Zhaang Ye would be able to enter the Late Fifth Layer of the Dragon Elephant Skill.

While delighted by the rapid advancement of his Dragon Elephant Skill, Zhaang Ye was also secretly astonished. ’These old masters are simply too powerful. Just a tiny sliver of their Innate True Qi can allow me to make such huge progress. If they used their full strength, I bet moving mountains and leveling lakes would be no difficult task. No wonder ancient records contain so many accounts of True Dao Experts slaughtering entire cities.’

Having suppressed numerous geniuses to become the number one Inner Hall Disciple at the age of fourteen or fifteen, it was inevitable that Zhaang Ye would feel a little complacent. But after witnessing the power of the several Hall Masters, he had thrown that trace of pride to the back of his mind.

Two days later, the Fourth Hall Master finally returned.

The Fourth Hall Master returned to the small wooden cabin and glanced at Zhaang Ye. A hint of surprise showed in his eyes as he said, "I haven’t seen you for half a month, yet your Dragon Elephant Skill has actually improved again. What on earth happened during this time?"

The reason Zhaang Ye’s Dragon Elephant Skill had advanced so rapidly was that he had devoured the Innate True Qi of three Hall Masters. Zhaang Ye had no intention of revealing this, so he just chuckled and said, "Master, this little wooden cabin of yours is excellent. I cultivated here for half a month and gained some new insights, so my Dragon Elephant Skill made some progress."

The Fourth Hall Master gave Zhaang Ye a suspicious look. However, he didn’t press the matter, instead saying, "The tests have all concluded today. Come with me to the True Hall to attend the discipleship ceremony and pay your respects to the past patriarchs."

Half an Hour later, Zhaang Ye returned to the True Hall.

Outside the True Hall, two or three hundred youths were gathered. Zhaang Ye looked over and saw that they were the same ones who had participated in the tests with him. To his surprise, even the youths who had been snatched away by the strange birds during the test were also present.

The Fourth Hall Master saw the astonishment on Zhaang Ye’s face and chuckled. "All the youths who participate in the test are outstanding geniuses of the Wei Kingdom, scouted by our True Hall with great difficulty. No matter how generous the True Hall might be, we would never feed these young geniuses to birds or Fierce Beasts. After these youths were caught by the birds or gravely injured by Fierce Beasts, someone was naturally there to rescue them. Although they received quite a scare, their lives were never in danger."

Realization dawned on Zhaang Ye.

After saying this, the Fourth Hall Master glanced at Zhaang Ye again and added, "You’re looking for that little fellow named Zhaang Yijian, aren’t you? Don’t worry, he’s not dead either. Shortly after the test, he was chosen by our True Hall’s Second Elder. Right now, he is out gaining experience with the Grand Elder."

"Oh, so that’s what happened. No wonder I couldn’t find Zhaang Yijian anywhere during the test. It turns out he had his own fortunate encounter." Hearing this, Zhaang Ye was secretly happy for Zhaang Yijian.

The True Hall’s Second Elder, even if not a True Dao Expert, was at least a great expert of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer. For Zhaang Yijian, being taken as a disciple by such a great expert was also a rare and fortunate opportunity.

According to the rules of the True Hall, the discipleship ceremony for Outer Hall Disciples was conducted outside the True Hall. The ceremony for Inner Hall Disciples, however, was held inside.

Zhaang Ye followed the Fourth Hall Master straight toward the True Hall. Seeing that Zhaang Ye could enter the True Hall directly, the youths outside were green with envy, wishing they could take his place and enter the Inner Hall immediately.

While outside, Zhaang Ye had tried to imagine the scene inside the True Hall many times. But after entering, he discovered that his imagination was somewhat lacking. No, it was far from enough!

The space surrounding and above him within the True Hall was unexpectedly a vast, brilliant, starry sky. Within this cosmos, fist-sized stars slowly revolved around Zhaang Ye’s head and body. The trajectories of the stars faintly carried a mysterious and boundless Realm, seeming to contain infinite profundities. The moment Zhaang Ye’s gaze fell upon it, he found it impossible to look away.

Zhaang Ye had never seen this starry sky before, yet the moment he saw it, a sense of familiarity washed over him, as if he had already seen this very cosmos long ago.

Seeing Zhaang Ye mesmerized by the starry sky, the Fourth Hall Master nodded slightly and vanished without a sound.

Zhaang Ye silently watched the starry sky above and around him. He didn’t know how much time had passed when he suddenly heard a voice. "Hm? Zhaang Ye, it seems your strength has improved again?"

Zhaang Ye turned to look and saw Situ Houtu standing about ten feet away. His eyes were fixed on Zhaang Ye, filled with utter disbelief.

During the test, Zhaang Ye had been one step ahead of Situ Houtu and taken first place, which left Situ Houtu feeling rather unconvinced. He felt that although Zhaang Ye’s strength was great, it was still a bit inferior to his own. Therefore, over the past dozen or so days, Situ Houtu had remained convinced that Zhaang Ye couldn’t truly defeat him; Zhaang Ye had only won first place through sheer luck.

He never expected that after just over ten days, Zhaang Ye’s strength would have improved so much again. Situ Houtu could feel that Zhaang Ye’s current aura was not only powerful but also contained a hint of a profound Realm, which actually gave him a slight edge over him.

’How is this possible!’ Situ Houtu was shocked. ’Just over ten days ago, Zhaang Ye’s strength was still a little weaker than mine. How is his aura even stronger than mine now? Did the Fourth Hall Master give him some Celestial and Earthly Treasures? No, even if he consumed Celestial and Earthly Treasures, he would still need time to refine them. It’s impossible to improve one’s strength to this degree in just over ten days!’

Zhaang Ye nodded at Situ Houtu and said, "I’ve made some small gains recently. Brother Situ, it seems your Cultivation has also progressed greatly these past ten-odd days. You’re getting closer and closer to the Martial Arts Sixth Layer."

Situ Houtu stared at Zhaang Ye, a hint of fighting spirit glinting in his eyes. He said slowly, "I have made some progress in the last ten-odd days, but Younger Brother Zhaang’s progress has been even faster. I’ll have to ask for your guidance some other day."

Situ Houtu’s words were tantamount to a challenge. If it were an ordinary talented youth, they would probably be immediately intimidated by Situ Houtu’s challenge. But Zhaang Ye’s Dragon Elephant Skill had already reached the Mid-stage Fifth Layer, and he was only a hair’s breadth away from the Late Fifth Layer.

Moreover, after assimilating the Martial Dao insights from the several Hall Masters, Zhaang Ye’s Mountain-Breaking Slash was also on the verge of reaching the Minor Achievement Realm. Under these circumstances, Zhaang Ye feared no challenge from any of his peers.

Hearing Situ Houtu’s challenge, Zhaang Ye let out a soft laugh and said, "I am also very interested in Brother Situ’s Shovel Technique. When there is time, I will definitely experience your brilliant moves for myself."

Just then, the soft sound of jade striking against jade echoed from within the True Hall. The discipleship ceremony was officially beginning.

As the one who placed first in the True Hall’s test, Zhaang Ye was positioned at the very front.

Standing behind Zhaang Ye were six people: Situ Houtu, Feng Tongming, He Daiji, Lan Haohan, Jiang Ailiang, and Fu Caiwu. In addition, there were three other youths Zhaang Ye didn’t recognize. The auras of these three were extremely powerful. Although they couldn’t compare to Situ Houtu and the others, they were a cut above the likes of Lin Chong and Zhaang Yijian. No wonder they were able to stand out from the many geniuses and become Inner Hall Disciples. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with Recommendation Tickets and Monthly Tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)