Chapter 128: Wind Crossing

Yun Che merely glanced at Ao Yan indifferently before looking away. Previously, he had given him some attention, but now he dismissed him completely. He didn't bother to respond, nor even to look at him again. Arrogant, conceited, and self-important, Yun Che probably considered him intellectually inferior. For such a person, Yun Che's assessment was simply "worthless." He wasn't fit to be his friend, much less his enemy. Yun Che assumed his impressive profound strength was likely accumulated through his family's abundant resources.

Seeing Yun Che's lack of response, Ao Yan assumed he was clearly intimidated and too afraid to even reply. He sneered, turning his head away.

"That's, that's too much!" Yun Xiaofan whispered indignantly beside Yun Che, his face flushed with anger. "He's clearly inferior to Big Brother Yun, yet he dares to say such things. How shameless!"

"What did you say?" Although Yun Xiaofan had intentionally lowered his voice, Ao Yan was standing close by and still heard him. He narrowed his eyes, his gaze turning sinister. "Repeat that."

"I..." Yun Xiaofan instinctively flinched, his face paling slightly. He knew Ao Yan's background, while he himself was just a young man from an ordinary family, pursuing his dream alone at the Azure Wind Profound Palace with his family's hopes resting on him. How could he dare to make an enemy of someone so powerful upon his initial entry?

However, this was ultimately the Azure Wind Profound Palace's assessment ground, so Ao Yan didn't dare to openly cause trouble. He snorted and turned his head away, but the cold sneer in his eyes showed he had already held a grudge.

Only then did Yun Xiaofan secretly let out a breath, his demeanor becoming uneasy. Yun Che glanced at Yun Xiaofan's somewhat simple attire and asked, "Xiaofan, are you afraid of this Ao Yan?"

"I..." Yun Xiaofan hesitated for a moment before nodding. "It's not that I'm cowardly, but I heard he's the second heir of the Ao Tian family from Giant Desert City in the west. They're very powerful, and his profound strength is far greater than mine. If I offend him, I'm afraid I won't be able to remain in the Azure Wind Profound Palace. Entering the Azure Wind Profound Palace is the greatest dream for me and my family, and I don't want anything to jeopardize that."

"Don't worry," Yun Che said with a smile, shaking his head. "The status of a great family's heir does sound impressive, but this is the Azure Wind Profound Palace. His status here is worthless; at most, he can try to intimidate you with his profound strength. If you don't want to be bullied, you must cultivate even harder. This Ao Yan can actually be a good source of motivation for your training. Furthermore, while Ao Yan might be flaunting his power now, he's destined for nothing great. In just a few years, you'll surpass him, so there's no need to fear him at all."

Yun Che's words brought comfort to Yun Xiaofan's heart. Along with his admiration, a sense of gratitude grew within him. His expression relaxed, and he nodded firmly. "Big Brother Yun, you're right! I won't be afraid of him... I've decided: my first goal here at the Azure Wind Profound Palace is to surpass Ao Yan, hehe!"

After a long wait, Yun Che's group finally completed their profound strength test. Out of 120 young profound practitioners who took the assessment, only 29 passed, less than a quarter. Even those who were eliminated possessed considerable profound strength and talent; they had come hoping for a chance, but ultimately had to leave disheartened by the Azure Wind Profound Palace's high standards.

Next was the second part of the assessment: the combat prowess test.

The elder in charge of the assessment glanced at the number of people who had passed the first stage and said expressionlessly, "You should all understand that the previous assessment was not a true test at all. It was merely to filter out those who clearly didn't meet the standards but wished to sneak in. The second round, the combat prowess assessment, is the real test."

"The level of profound strength does not necessarily dictate combat prowess. What our Azure Wind Profound Palace needs are the empire's most exceptional profound practitioners. An outstanding practitioner must not only possess a sufficiently high profound strength level but, more importantly, the ability to unleash that profound strength to its maximum potential! A true genius can not only easily defeat opponents of the same rank but can even challenge those two or even four ranks above them! Conversely, someone who possesses profound strength but doesn't know how to wield it, no matter how high their rank, will ultimately be useless. This second assessment evaluates your ability to utilize profound strength. This capability will directly showcase your talent in profound energy control, and that talent will largely determine how far a profound practitioner can advance in the future!"

"Do not assume that passing the profound strength test means everything is settled. Out of you twenty-nine, at most only half will pass this combat prowess assessment. If you wish to remain in the Azure Wind Profound Palace, exert your profound strength to your utmost ability... Now, the second round of assessment begins!"

The black-robed elder's words made most people secretly swallow, their expressions turning tense once more. After the first round, only twenty-nine people remained, and at least half of them would be eliminated in the second round. This was truly quite ruthless.

"The assessment content is very simple. Each of you will spar with one of your future senior disciples, each performing seven moves. This sparring session is not about winning or losing; you won't be able to win. Instead, it's to observe the extent to which you can utilize your profound strength in actual combat. I will be watching from the side and making the final judgment. Those who pass will become disciples of my Azure Wind Profound Palace. Those who do not pass will leave. Feng Yue, it's your turn to come out."

As the elder spoke, a man who appeared to be in his twenties, with a slightly pale complexion, walked out with a smile. He stood before the elder and nodded slightly. "Instructor Qi, please leave it to me."

The moment he appeared, the outer-palace disciples watching immediately gasped in surprise. "Look! This group's opponent is actually Senior Disciple Feng Yue from the Central Palace!"

"What? Feng Yue from the Central Palace? I heard that among over a thousand assessment groups these past few days, fewer than ten had opponents from the Inner Palace. This group is really unlucky. Although these are just combat tests, and no one can win against either an outer-palace or central-palace disciple, facing someone from the Central Palace significantly increases the pressure. Plus, I hear Senior Disciple Feng Yue strikes hard. The people in this group are in for a rough time."

The murmurs from afar sent shivers down the spines of the assessees in this group. They generally knew that the second round involved sparring with a high-ranking outer-palace disciple, but they had never imagined they would be facing a disciple from the Central Palace!

Although Feng Yue was a low-ranking disciple of the Central Palace, he was still part of the Central Palace!

"Feng Yue, nineteen years old, True Profound Realm Level Three. I look forward to sparring with all of you junior disciples." Feng Yue stood before everyone, smiling. His arrogant demeanor and gaze were like an emperor surveying his subjects.

Upon hearing "True Profound Realm Level Three," many people's hearts twitched, especially the younger profound practitioners with relatively lower profound strength levels, who clenched their fists and broke out in nervous sweats.

Ao Yan, standing at the very front of the line, had his eyes light up significantly when he saw that his opponent was Feng Yue. He grinned, silently exchanging a glance with Feng Yue.

"Now, the second round of assessment officially begins. When I call your name, step forward immediately and spar with Feng Yue for seven moves." The elder, whom Feng Yue called Instructor Qi, announced, "First up, Li Mo!"

The person whose name was called stepped out of the line and stood before Feng Yue. Although he tried to remain calm, he couldn't hide the tension in his brows. After all, facing a Central Palace disciple before even officially entering the Azure Wind Profound Palace was unimaginable.

"Senior Disciple Feng Yue, please... be merciful," Li Mo said, bowing to Feng Yue.

"No need for unnecessary chatter, let's begin!" Feng Yue said indifferently.

Li Mo took a deep breath, his expression becoming calm. He gripped a long sword, let out a low cry, and suddenly unleashed his attack.

"Parting Clouds to See the Sun!"

Facing a powerful opponent at the True Profound Realm and during a combat prowess assessment, Li Mo dared not hold back in the slightest. His opening move was one of his family's strongest sword techniques. The sword produced a considerable momentum, aiming directly at Feng Yue, with continuous profound energy undulating along its blade.

Feng Yue's response was simple and brutal: he stepped forward and threw a punch.

*Thud!*

The continuous sword momentum was instantly shattered. Feng Yue's punch struck Li Mo squarely in the chest. Under the immense profound strength of the True Profound Realm, Li Mo was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, landing heavily on the ground, his face pale. Yet, his right hand... still clutched his sword tightly.

"First move." Feng Yue extended a finger toward Li Mo, a hint of disdainful smile on his face.

This first exchange for the first person made everyone's hearts sink. They had initially thought this would be a sparring match to test combat prowess, where Feng Yue would primarily defend, allowing the assessees to demonstrate their abilities to the fullest. No one had expected Feng Yue to directly counterattack, and with such heavy, merciless blows!

Instructor Qi also frowned but said nothing. Feng Yue striking with such heavy force right from the start was indeed excessive. After all, this wasn't a duel; he was merely an assessor. The profound strength levels of his opponents were vastly different from his, and his counterattacks were far more than these young, yet-to-be-admitted profound practitioners could withstand. However, Instructor Qi then reconsidered: every single person who passed the first assessment possessed considerable talent and a certain arrogance. Experiencing such a significant setback would, to some extent, temper their pride, which could be beneficial for them. Furthermore, knowing Feng Yue, such actions were entirely normal for him. Instructor Qi wouldn't be surprised if Feng Yue were to severely injure an opponent later on.

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