Chapter Sixty-Three: Geniuses from All Sides!

“Ladies and gentlemen, today’s assessment of the new disciples of Azure Profound Gate will be overseen by myself and Elder Li Chengfeng.”
The frail elder gestured toward Elder Li, who stood beside him with a warm smile, and spoke slowly.
“I am Lin Qingfeng, Elder of the Law Enforcement Hall of Azure Profound Gate. All you need to do is place your hands upon the multicolored crystal stone and infuse it with your spiritual power; the crystal’s reaction will determine whether you pass this round and advance to the next stage, the ‘Hundred Hunt Ground.’ Now, I declare the assessment begins!”
With Elder Lin’s words, the noisy crowd fell instantly silent.
For this first requirement, candidates under fifteen years old and with cultivation at the Sensing Spirit Stage were eligible to enter the gates of Azure Profound Gate; some families and factions had previously tried to slip in candidates above the age limit, hoping to cheat the system, but as soon as they stepped inside the gate, they were violently expelled, landing in a heap and becoming the laughingstock of all. Thus, this year, no one dared repeat the folly.
Yang Yan and Liu Zhengqing were pushed to the back of the crowd, but neither was anxious, for Azure Profound Gate did not select disciples based on queue order.
At the front of the line, a thin boy walked up to the stone platform with nervous restraint. His hands trembled as he placed them on the multicolored crystal.
After a moment, under the boy’s expectant gaze, the green glow on the crystal intensified slightly. At the same time, several large words appeared in the air before the crystal:
“Grade One Innate Wood Body.”
“Not qualified; next!”
Elder Lin’s voice rang cold and emotionless from the seats above, and immediately, a chorus of booing erupted below.
Such talent was only marginally better than ordinary mortals unable to cultivate; without great fortune, he would never advance beyond the Sensing Spirit Stage, making higher achievements unattainable. In Jinzhou, such people were not rare, and as the leader of Jinzhou’s cultivation world, Azure Profound Gate naturally looked down on such mediocre talent.
A hint of gloom flickered in the boy’s eyes, but he dared not protest. He sighed and walked off the platform.
It was not that Azure Profound Gate deliberately set impossible demands; the first two rounds of assessment were preparation for the third round, the ‘Hundred Hunt Ground,’ to weed out those whose strength was not outstanding. For in the Hundred Hunt Ground, candidates would face genuine life-or-death trials; entering without sufficient strength was tantamount to courting death.
As the assessment continued, quite a few candidates achieved Grade Two Innate Spiritual Bodies and passed the second round.

After passing the assessment, Azure Profound Gate recorded the names of these successful candidates, preparing for the upcoming ‘Hundred Hunt Ground.’
Suddenly, Yang Yan sensed a pair of eyes fixed upon him—cold and fierce as a wolf, sending chills down his spine.
He turned abruptly and saw a young man in blue-and-white brocade robes staring at him icily. The youth’s surprise flashed briefly when Yang Yan noticed him, but he quickly shifted his gaze elsewhere.
With his growing mastery over his soul power, Yang Yan’s senses had become exceptionally keen; such brazen scrutiny could not escape his perception.
“Do you know that person? He looks unfamiliar—likely not from any family or faction in Jinhuan City,” Yang Yan nudged Liu Zhengqing with his elbow and asked.
“Did you notice the sword-shaped emblem on his chest? That is the mark of Jade Sword Pavilion from Hanxiang City!”
Yang Yan’s gaze sharpened; indeed, he saw a sword-like symbol on the youth’s chest before withdrawing his eyes and continuing,
“How powerful is this Jade Sword Pavilion?”
“Hanxiang City’s cultivation factions are nothing like the chaos of Jinhuan City; Jade Sword Pavilion is the unchallenged leader. So, what do you think of its strength?”
Liu Zhengqing looked at Yang Yan with a meaningful smile.
“If they dominate alone, Jade Sword Pavilion’s strength and foundations far surpass any of Jinhuan City’s three great families. Although I don’t know why he bears hostility toward me, he clearly isn’t friendly. I’d better be cautious…”
Yang Yan remained impassive, but in his heart, he had placed the Jade Sword Pavilion youth firmly on his list of dangerous individuals.
“Have you noticed? In recent years, Azure Profound Gate has intentionally relaxed its restrictions on Jinhuan City’s family factions, rarely intervening in their open and secret struggles. They seem to want Jinhuan City’s chaotic situation to change, to consolidate power, and become like Hanxiang City.”
Liu Zhengqing’s tone shifted abruptly, lowering his voice.

Yang Yan was momentarily stunned, then quickly understood.
No wonder, when Zhang and Xu’s families had their fierce conflicts, Azure Profound Gate imposed only verbal warnings instead of harsh penalties—they tacitly permitted these internal battles!
For centuries, Jinhuan City’s factions had engaged in open and covert strife. Though Azure Profound Gate mediated, significant clashes still erupted. After repeated failed interventions, Azure Profound Gate changed its strategy.
If one faction could rise above the rest, subduing or destroying rivals, Jinhuan City’s chaotic era would end, making Azure Profound Gate’s governance much easier.
“So, Jinhuan City will become even more turbulent for a while. But that’s good; now we can openly deal with the Xu family…”
As time passed, Yang Yan drew closer to the stone platform. Though there were many candidates, the innate spiritual body test was swift—each took less than a minute to complete.
Among those who passed, three caught Yang Yan’s attention: Lei Fengxing of the Lei family from Shengwu City, possessing a Grade Four Innate Fire Body; Ye Xiulan of the Ye family from Wushuang City, with a Grade Four Innate Wood Body; and the third, Long Aodi of Dragon Fortress from Tianlong City, who unexpectedly possessed a rare Grade Four Innate Ice Body.
Long Aodi’s ascent to the platform caused a stir, even surprising and delighting the two elders above.
They never expected that, apart from Yang Yan, another youth from Jinzhou’s cities would possess such a special constitution—a once-in-a-century occurrence happening simultaneously.
But Yang Yan did not think so. When Long Aodi infused the crystal with his ice attribute spiritual power, Yang Yan could clearly sense that the latter’s power was different from the pale-blue energy within his own qi sea!
This indirectly confirmed that Yang Yan’s innate spiritual body was not ice, though its precise attribute remained unclear. He possessed spiritual power able to counter gold, fire, and perhaps even more attributes—an extraordinary phenomenon indeed!