Chapter 1331: Applying Is So Difficult

The steps crumbled, and the formation collapsed. Before those undergoing the trial could react, they felt the ground give way beneath them. They fell to the ground with a series of "thumps," like dumplings dropping into a pot, creating large craters.

Opening their eyes, each person looked bewildered, utterly confused. They were just taking a formation master assessment. "Can anyone tell me what... what exactly is going on?"

"Destruction King, you'll pay for our formation steps!"

"Unless you fix these steps, don't even think about leaving today..."

"I'm going to kill you..."

"Elder Su, don't be rash. You can't defeat him..."

Elder Su and the others felt their blood boil. They instantly sealed the space, staring at the young man in the air, each of them seething with rage. The formation steps had been in the Saint Son Hall for countless years, assessing innumerable geniuses and talents without a single issue. This guy shows up, and now they're completely ruined! They were so furious they could explode!

"I..." The Destruction King himself seemed equally confused, staring blankly at the collapsed steps below him, not understanding what had just transpired.

"I really didn't do it on purpose... Maybe the formation steps were just poor quality?" The Destruction King spread his hands, a look of helplessness on his face.

"Rubbish!" Unable to restrain himself any longer, Elder Su burst out cursing. "How can you even say that? Countless people have used them without a problem. You show up, and they collapse... And you blame the quality? Where's your shame?"

"Su Bing, I warned you not to mention my sister..." The bewildered Destruction King heard the insult, and his expression immediately darkened. His eyes narrowed, and a wave of murderous intent surged from him.

*Boom!*

Before he even finished speaking, the man in the air had already appeared before Elder Su. Elder Su's pupils constricted. He quickly raised his hand to block, but before he could react, he felt a sharp pain in his chest as a foot connected with him. He was sent flying through the air, spitting blood, and crashed straight into a nearby wall, creating another large hole.

"So powerful..." Zhang Xuan's jaw dropped. Elder Su's true strength was no less than Saint Domain Seventh Realm. For someone so powerful to be kicked away without even managing a single move against his opponent... This Destruction King might not look old, but his power was truly astounding! What's more, the speed at which he moved from mid-air to directly in front of Elder Su was as if he had transcended space itself. It was no weaker than Zhang Xuan's own "Walker Without Borders" movement art!

"Calm down, calm down. Su Bing didn't mean it... He was just too angry and spoke without thinking..." Seeing their colleague get kicked away, the other elders exchanged glances, paused for a moment, then rushed forward, continuously trying to appease the young man, fearing he might erupt in anger again.

"I said, you can curse me, but don't curse my sister. Not even a single word." The young man's gaze was cold and stern.

"Yes, yes... Old man Su, aren't you going to apologize now?!" The elder who had spoken earlier twitched at the corner of his mouth, then turned and bellowed.

"Cough, cough!" Rising from the rubble, Elder Su Bing coughed up a mouthful of blood. With a look on his face as if he was about to cry, he walked forward, clasped his fists, and said, "Su Bing was wrong. Please forgive me!"

Kicked into a wall twice in one day... "What kind of day is this?!"

"That's more like it. Be careful next time!" The Destruction King nodded in satisfaction.

"Uh..." Zhang Xuan and Chen Leyao exchanged glances, then looked at each other in utter astonishment, their mouths agape.

"How incredibly arrogant!" He had ruined the assessment item, and when someone cursed him for it, he immediately beat them up... For a moment, Zhang Xuan felt that he was far too kind and accommodating in comparison. He had also caused destruction before, but he always offered ample compensation and even helped with repairs. This guy, however, was completely unreasonable! "So what if it's broken?" If you dared to utter even half a word of "no," he'd beat you until you were spitting teeth, then demand an immediate apology.

"Alright, no need for gifts. I'm a rather easygoing person and don't like to cause trouble!" The many elders responsible for the formation assessment all twitched at the corners of their mouths.

"He just said apologize... Who the hell mentioned gifts? Easygoing? Doesn't like to cause trouble...? Does he only consider it 'causing trouble' if he actually kills us?"

"A true paragon for our generation!" Zhang Xuan's mouth remained agape, unable to close for a long time. He was speechless. No wonder this guy was known as the Destruction King; he was truly ruthless! Compared to him, Zhang Xuan felt he still had a long way to go; there was simply no comparison.

"These formation steps..." Their faces flushed with suppressed anger, Elder Su and the others could no longer hold back. He pointed at the ruins on the ground.

"There's no need to keep apologizing. I haven't finished my Eight-Star Formation Master assessment yet. You guys figure out a way to quickly repair the steps. We can talk after I finish my test!" the Destruction King said.

"Uh..." The others were once again speechless. Zhang Xuan was also stunned. Could a person... truly be this shameless? He had just turned the assessment steps into ruins, and not only did he refuse to compensate, but after beating someone up, he then demanded that they quickly repair it... Where was his dignity?

"Compared to him, my skin is still too thin!" Zhang Xuan felt ashamed. "Do you see now? This is what true shamelessness is! This is what it means to be the Destruction King!" His own antics were just minor mischief, not worth mentioning.

"The assessment steps were built by eight Nine-Star Formation Masters sent by the guild, and it took them over three months to complete," Elder Su said, his face flushing. "Our current strength... is simply not enough to repair them!" Nine-Star Formation Masters could set up formations below the ninth star in an instant. However, condensing a formation within a single step, and making it such that touching it caused one to fall into the assessment... that was incredibly difficult! Even for Formation Masters of that caliber, it would be impossible without sufficient time.

"Not enough to repair it? I need to complete my Formation Master assessment as soon as possible; I don't have time to waste!" The Destruction King frowned.

"Actually, there's no need to rush," Elder Su said, his face twitching as he thought of a solution. "We all saw your performance just now. You reached the 79th step, just one step shy of the 80th. This indicates that your strength has already reached the level of an Eight-Star Formation Master. We can jointly apply for an Eight-Star emblem on your behalf, so you won't need to take the assessment!" Even if they repaired it, it wouldn't be enough to withstand this guy's destructive tendencies. Rather than having it collapse again, it would be better to do him a favor and let him pass directly. Given his performance, passing the 80th step was a certainty, so there was no need to dwell on it.

"Apply for me?" The Destruction King was momentarily stunned. "How can that be? When I take a side profession assessment, I've always been pragmatic and never resorted to cheating. Besides, Eight-Star Formation Master is my weakness. Since I'm going to take the assessment, I must complete it... I don't want a badge that's just given to me!"

Elder Su and the others ran their hands through their hair in frustration. "Is this ever going to end? They had already conceded and were willing to give him the emblem, yet he still refused... Was he trying to drive them insane?"

"Um... Elder Su, may I interject?" Seeing that neither side knew what to say and the atmosphere was awkward, Zhang Xuan could no longer hold back and stepped forward.

"Please speak, Master Zhang!" Elder Su cupped his fists. Although this 'idiot' had also caused the hall to collapse, compared to the Destruction King, he seemed as pure as a white flower, making Elder Su feel that his character was actually quite decent the more he looked at him.

"Since these steps have collapsed, does that mean I also can't take the assessment?" Zhang Xuan asked. This was his primary concern at the moment. He needed to quickly complete his Eight-Star Formation Master assessment, consult some books, then contact Zhao Ya and meet with this disciple he hadn't seen in a long time. If the steps had collapsed, did that mean he wouldn't have a chance to take the assessment either?

"Well..." Elder Su looked conflicted. "Actually, it's not impossible, but the assessment might take a very long time..."

"Oh?" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

"It involves... applying to the headquarters now, having them send a brand new formation diagram. The examinee would then study it, and set it up. As long as they succeed and the formation reaches the required level, it can also be counted as a pass..." Elder Su paused before continuing. This was actually the most ancient method of assessing Formation Masters. However, it was incredibly difficult for a peak Seven-Star Formation Master to set up an Eight-Star formation without several months of preparation. Because it was too time-consuming and too many people took the assessment each year, this cumbersome method had gradually been phased out.

"Formations involve integrating with the terrain and surrounding environment, blending with nature... It certainly takes a lot of effort to locate all the energy nodes!" Zhang Xuan nodded. "However, it's fine. I'm willing to undergo this assessment!" Other Seven-Star Formation Masters might indeed take a long time to set up an entry-level Eight-Star formation, but Zhang Xuan was different. With his Eye of Insight, he could clearly discern the location of the formation's core with a single glance. Even if that wasn't enough, once he decided to act, he was always successful. It would be extremely simple for him.

"Since there's a way, I want to take the assessment too..." Before Elder Su could reply, the Destruction King spoke up from the side.

"You too?" Hearing that he wanted to continue the assessment, everyone trembled.

"That's right!" The Destruction King nodded.

"Haha, my friend, actually, if Elder Su and the others help you apply, you won't need to take the assessment. Why go through all this trouble?" Seeing his insistence on taking the assessment, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but try to persuade him. If he could just get it by application, why bother with so much hassle?

"An emblem obtained through an application is like charity from others," the Destruction King said, waving his hand. "It doesn't feel right, and it lacks legitimacy!"

"Since the Formation Master Guild headquarters issues the emblem, it means it's already recognized... How could it be illegitimate or improper?" With that, Zhang Xuan chuckled, flipped his wrist, and took out his own emblem. "Look, my Seven-Star Formation Master emblem was applied for by President Han of the Qingyuan Empire Formation Master Guild. I didn't even take the assessment!"

"This..." The Destruction King frowned. "That kind of application must be very difficult, right?" Directly receiving an emblem through application certainly wasn't easy. For this person to have the president of a Formation Master Guild personally help him... Could he also be a super genius, just like himself?

"It's not that easy. Applying for it is really tough!" With a sigh, Zhang Xuan flipped his wrist again and took out a pile of emblems, arranging them one by one. "Look at me. This Seven-Star Demonic Tuner emblem, applied for; Seven-Star Alchemist emblem, applied for; Seven-Star Calligrapher-Painter emblem, applied for; Seven-Star Startling Swan Master emblem, applied for; Seven-Star Appraiser emblem, applied for; Seven-Star Physician emblem, applied for..."

"..." The Destruction King.

"..." The many elders.

"..." Chen Leyao.