World Controlling God Chapter 22

Chapter 22 First Stage of the Exam (Part 2)

After Ling Tian stepped down, the tension in the air seems to surge up.

The next several examinees to come up all tested between sixth and ninth-rank martial apprentice and no one else was cast out from the inner court.

By this point, more than one-third of the hundred or so Ling Family children have completed the test, and only Ling Tian and two other children have reached the xuan pract.i.tioner rank. It could clearly be seen that entering the xuan pract.i.tioner rank as a member of the younger generation not only requires great effort but also innate talent.

“Eighteenth generation’s Ling Zhi, come up.” Ling Fu’s voice rang out just as another Ling Family child stepped down.

Ling Zhi came up with his nose in the air and raised his fist to smash the test crystal without greeting the Ninth Elder.

Ling Fu watched on indifferently, noted at the color on the test crystal, and said out loud, “Ling Zhi, low-rank xuan pract.i.tioner. You’ve promoted a rank since last year so you can stay in the inner court.”

“Humph!” Ling Zhi let out a satisfied snort and turned around to step off the platform.

“Eighteenth generation’s Ling Xiao, come up.” Ling Fu continued.

Just as Ling Fu finished, the previously quiet crowd instantly bustled with noise and excitement.

“I really did not expect Ling Xiao would return to take the exam. It’s nothing short of a miracle. I wonder what has become of his cultivation.”

“I reckon he’s at least attained high-level xuan pract.i.tioner rank. Ling Zhi could not even last a round against him that day. I saw it with my own eyes.”

“Even a cripple can experience a reversal of fortune. When Elder Taishang determined he cannot cultivate xuan strength again, everyone had written him off for good. He must have some dog-s.h.i.+t luck1.”

“Who knows when he will become a cripple again.”

Ling Family’s younger generation was constantly talking about Ling Xiao.

Ling Xiao yawned as he stood up before quietly making his way up the stairs to the high platform. He did not choose to emulate Ling Tian’s flashy entrance because there were no beautiful women here to impress, and he didn’t want to waste his time for these wimpy kids.

When he pa.s.sed by Ling Zhi, Ling Zhi did not attempt to cover up the fierce glow in his eyes. He narrowed his eyes and said to Ling Xiao, “I was merely careless last time. You had better pray you don’t meet me in the following stage, or else you’ll be toast!”

Ling Xiao looked at him for a moment, but did not lower himself to Ling Zhi’s level and said, “On such a sunny and cloudless day, it really dampens the spirit hearing a dog’s incessant barking.” Having said this, he carried on walking up to the high platform.

Ling Zhi clenched his fists as he stared at Ling Xiao’s retreating figure and said, “I want to see just how long you can be so arrogant.”

Ling Xiao walked on the high platform and bowed very gracefully to Ling Fu as he said, “Greetings, Ninth Elder.”

Ling Fu smiled and nodded, “You may begin!”

Ling Xiao made a sound of acknowledgment, arrived before the test crystal, and casually threw a punch.

The white test crystal turned gray before eventually changing to a pale yellow.

After a quick glance, Ling Fu’s face revealed a look of doubt as he announced, “Ling Xiao, low-rank xuan pract.i.tioner. You can remain in the inner court.”

“Low…low-rank xuan pract.i.tioner?” How is this possible? I heard that he had even defeated the two high-ranked xuan pract.i.tioner guards sent by the Fifth Elder. He should be at least have reached the low-rank xuan warrior rank!”

“Could it be he hid his strength during the test?”

“That’s possible.”

……

When Ling Zhi returned among the crowd and heard Ling Fu’s announcement, a blank look filled his eyes momentarily before he muttered to himself, “So what if he’s the same rank. I still won’t lose to him.”

Elsewhere, Ling Tian crossed his arms in front of his chest and said disdainfully, “To think that I used to look up to you, you turn out to only be a low-rank cripple.”

Among the children of the collateral branches, Ling Hu stared fixedly at Ling Xiao and muttered, “You’re worthy of being a former genius, to be able to rise once again after your meridians have been terminated. Too terrifying!”

In the area where most of the Ling Family children congregated stood a nineteen years old youth with a sneer on his face. “Humph! The t.i.tle of Ling Family’s genius belongs to me!”

The exam continued after Ling Xiao stepped down. The first stage of the exam ended after four hours. Of the hundred or so Ling Family children, a few dozen had been expelled from the inner court while the rest stayed behind.

Besides Ling Tian and Ling Xiao surprising the crowd during the first stage, several other children broke through to low-rank xuan pract.i.tioner and attracted everyone’s attention. Ling Hu of the collateral branch also garnered quite a stir, as he was able to break through to high-level xuan pract.i.tioner. Even the elders on the platform cast meaningful gazes at Ling Hu. With his talent, Ling Hu shows promise of breaking through to xuan warrior rank and become a future pillar of the Ling Family.

Although the several individuals mentioned above are outstanding, the most eye-catching of all was still the one who broke through to xuan warrior rank, Ling Lin.

Ling Lin is Fourth Elder Ling Wei’s granddaughter and Ling Tian’s elder sister. Her innate talent is outstanding; she had just turned twenty this year but had quietly broken through to xuan warrior rank , becoming only the second person to do so among those twenty years or younger.

The end of the first stage heralded the start of the next stage.

The second stage is a martial arts compet.i.tion and will be used to determine the final ranking.

Although the test crystal can detect the individual’s martial rank, it does not mean that a low-rank martial artist is inferior to a high-rank martial artist. Occasionally, a low-rank martial apprentice will prevail over a high-rank martial apprentice. This represents an individual’s combat prowess.

The second stage will begin with a single-elimination format contest among the lowest ranked martial apprentices; for example, a fifth-rank martial apprentice will compete against a fifth-rank martial apprentice, sixth-rank against sixth-rank, and so on. This continues until the ranking is established among those of the same rank. The first among each rank can then challenge anyone one rank higher or forfeit this opportunity to retain their ranking. The compet.i.tion will continue in this fas.h.i.+on until the final ranking is established.

To accommodate for all of the people, the training field was divided up into four martial arts arena and presided over by four honor guards. The ranking for the martial apprentice will be determined first and then the fifteen Ling Family children who have already broken through to xuan pract.i.tioner rank will compete head-to-head on the elevated platform.

Crowds formed around all four martial arts arenas as everyone split up to support the brothers and sisters who they are on good terms with.

Only those who have achieved fifth-rank martial apprentice rank at a minimum are allowed to partic.i.p.ate in the second stage of the exam.

There was nothing worth seeing in the first round of the martial arts compet.i.tion. Matches between fifth-rank martial apprentices were void of any showmans.h.i.+p and usually devolves into a contest of speed and brute strength.

It was not until the matches between the seventh-rank martial apprentices that the atmosphere finally grew intense after quite a few Ling Family children showcased gray-order xuan skills. The compet.i.tion became more exciting by far.

Several of the honor guards kept a close eye on these seedlings that have displayed fighting talent, to give them more personalized attention and training in preparation for next year.

The examinees who have reached the xuan pract.i.tioner rank had no interest in watching this kind of child play between martial apprentices. There was that arrogance of a xuan pract.i.tioner about them, a bone-deep believe in their own superiority and their own sublime worth.

However, there was one exception.

Ling Xiao was like a child who had seen the world for the first time, running between the four martial arts arena to carefully observe the state of the matches. Once in a while, he’d sink into deep thought before a look of enlightenment appears on his face shortly after.

Not far away, Ling Zhi stared at Ling Xiao’s back with his fists tightly clenched, as if he wanted to tear Ling Xiao apart.

Ling Tian is also paying attention to Ling Xiao, but the disdain in his eyes is thicker.

As the compet.i.tion continued, the champion of the martial apprentice rank was determined, but no one had expected that a girl had seized the top spot. She is Ling Xue, the Third Elder Ling Yuan’s granddaughter, barely fifteen years old, with the strength of a ninth-rank martial apprentice, and relied on the gray-order xuan skill, “Scatter Flower Hands,” to defeat three Ling Family children of the same rank. Her overall ranking has risen to sixteenth place, and she is ent.i.tled to either partic.i.p.ate in a match with a xuan pract.i.tioner rank opponent or give up this chance.

With the conclusion of the martial apprentice rank matches, the xuan pract.i.tioner rank matches were set to begin.

Ling Xue eventually relinquished her right to challenge a xuan pract.i.tioner rank opponent, but no one mocked her for this decision. Instead, many thought it was the only sensible option; there is an insurmountable gap between a martial apprentice rank and a xuan pract.i.tioner rank.

A contest between xuan pract.i.tioners is not like a contest between martial apprentices in that those of the same lesser rank are matched against one another. Rather, matchups are determined by drawing lots, and the results of the drawing are final. Regardless of who the opponent is, you’d have to either face them or give up. Of course, Ling Kuang and Ling Lin will not partic.i.p.ate in these matches and are guaranteed the first two places. The three remaining spots in the top five will be determined from the result of the matches between the thirteen xuan pract.i.tioners.

Since Ling Xue is not partic.i.p.ating in the contest between xuan pract.i.tioners, there are now an odd number of compet.i.tors. As a result, one lucky compet.i.tor will not have to compete in the first round of matches and instead gets a free pa.s.s to the second round.

One of the Ling Family’s honor guards held up a drawing box as the thirteen xuan pract.i.tioners came up to draw lots.

The first to go up was Ling Tian. He drew out a bamboo slip and handed it directly to the honor guard without looking at it, confident he would prevail over any opponent.

After that, the Ling Family children went up one by one .

When Ling Xiao’s turn was about to come up, someone came along beside him.

He was a young man dressed in blue martial arts uniform, and while he cannot be considered handsome, his tall and robust physique is well worth a second look. He exudes an aura that was impossible to ignore. A golden pike secured behind his back appeared especially dazzling; you can tell at a glance that this is no ordinary goods.

This man is Ling Xiao’s older cousin, Ling Li, and has the strength of a high-rank xuan pract.i.tioner.

In Ling Xiao’s memories, this big brother only knew how to bitterly practice cultivation and possessed a quiet and unfeeling disposition, or what would be considered a Type B personality in Ling Xiao’s previous life.

“Elder Brother,” Ling Xiao called out. In his memories, they had neither animosities or deep friends.h.i.+p with one another, but he did not dispense with etiquette since the other was still his older cousin.

Ling Li lightly nodded his head and said, “Let’s go draw lots together.”

Ling Xiao gave Ling Li an inquisitive look but nodded nonetheless, “Sure.”

Ling Li and Ling Xiao stepped forward together and attracted the attention of the crowd.

“Quickly, look! The cultivation madman and the cripple went up together.”

“Screw you! If Ling Xiao is a cripple, then what the h.e.l.l are we? He’s already a xuan pract.i.tioner.”

“It-It was just a slip of the tongue. This madman usually looks down on everyone. I was just surprised he’s together with Ling Xiao. Could there be something else going on?”

“What else could there be? He’s Ling Xiao’s brother. Besides, Ling Xiao can practice cultivation; who knows if he will make another meteoric rise to become a xuan warrioragain. It’s only natural that he wants to deepen their friends.h.i.+p.”

……

Ling Li and Ling Xiao drew lots at the same time; Ling Li drew a number five slip while Ling Xiao got lucky and drew out the number seven slip, earning a bye in the first round.

Ling Li glanced at Ling Xiao and said, “Your luck’s not bad. Pay attention to Ling Xing.” Having said this, Ling Li separated from Ling Xiao.

“Ling Xing?” Ling Xiao pondered for a moment. But then, it seemed he’d thought of something, and an indifferent smile appeared on his face.

Several of the Ling Family children who had barely entered the xuan pract.i.tioner rank eyed Ling Xiao with intense jealousy. Others can only mutter under their breath that this guy was really a lucky b.a.s.t.a.r.d.

With the drawing at an end, the first match is set between number one, Ling Hu, and number thirteen, Ling Guang.

This phrase actually describes a great, not terrible, turn of events. This is a throwback to the days when, in rural China, people used excrement for fertilizer and there was not enough supply to meet demand. Dog s.h.i.+t could be sold for cold hard cash or used to grow crops, and either way, accidentally stepping in it was a source of joy, not sorrow.