Eternal Supreme

"Chapter 16: The Day of the Results

In the courtyard where he lived, Lin Mo sat cross-legged. The spiritual energy from the surrounding heavens and earth flowed into his body like fine threads, continuously replenishing him. After a while, the spiritual energy in the surrounding environment was depleted.

"The spiritual energy in this residential area is really too scarce," Lin Mo said, standing up.

The spiritual energy room in the outer courtyard had already been closed, reportedly due to the depletion of the spiritual veins. Since the spiritual energy room was unusable, Lin Mo could only cultivate in his residential courtyard, but the spiritual energy here was too thin and was quickly exhausted.

Next to him, Leng Wuyan didn't know what to say. Although the spiritual energy in the residential area was thin, it would usually take him half a day to exhaust the spiritual energy in the courtyard.

Lin Mo had consumed it in just fifteen minutes.

In the previous final assessment, Lin Mo had already advanced from the sixth level of Body Refining to the seventh. If the spiritual energy room hadn't been closed, he would have attempted to break through to the eighth level of Body Refining.

"It's almost time for the results to be announced. Let's go," Lin Mo said, waving his hand.

Leng Wuyan followed him.

...

At noon.

In the outer courtyard square stood a green stone tablet, known as the Ranking Stone. It shone with a faint green light. The entire Ranking Stone was divided into four sections, each displaying a row of names.

The arrival of Lin Mo and Leng Wuyan attracted a lot of attention.

Lin Mo was already quite well-known in the outer courtyard, given his previous years of poor performance in various trials. It was hard not to remember him. In the final assessment, Lin Mo, who had been derogatorily called the "Stone in the Pit," shocked all the students. Not only did he win first place in the final assessment, but he also set a record as the best in the outer courtyard in five hundred years.

The nickname "Stone in the Pit" had become a thing of the past.

Logically, no one should have underestimated Lin Mo anymore. However, as they walked, Leng Wuyan keenly noticed the mocking and even gloating expressions from those around them, all directed at Lin Mo.

Not far away, a group led by Qiu Jun was looking at Lin Mo with amused expressions.

"Lin Mo, congratulations on being admitted to the Tianxing Branch," Qiu Jun said loudly.

Tianxing Branch...

Leng Wuyan's face changed instantly, and his gaze swiftly shifted to the Ranking Stone. In the area for the Tianxing Branch, a row of names was listed, with Lin Mo's name at the very end.

It really was the Tianxing Branch...

Leng Wuyan's expression turned as cold as ice, an intense chill emanating from him. His eyes were even colder, and those familiar with him knew this was his ultimate sign of fury. Over the past two years in the outer courtyard, Leng Wuyan had only shown this level of anger twice: the first was when Lin Mo was bullied, and Leng Wuyan had acted out violently, almost killing the bully if not for the intervention of a teacher.

Now, Leng Wuyan was filled with anger. He could overlook many things, even being bullied himself, but he could not tolerate any injustice towards Lin Mo, not even a little.

What kind of place is the Tianxing Branch?

The Tianxing Branch is officially referred to as one of the Four Major Branches, but the students in the outer courtyard know that in reality, there are only three major branches: Luocha, Sanjue, and Xuanling.

A hundred years ago, the Tianxing Branch might have still been considered among the branches, but now it is regarded as a废院 (废弃院 or "waste branch").

Anyone who understands the situation knows that although the Tianxing Branch is still one of the Four Major Branches, its cultivation resources are far inferior compared to the other branches. Not only that, but the space available for cultivation and the various benefits and treatments are also not comparable to the other branches. It is only marginally better than the outer courtyard.

The Tianxing Branch's legacy has long been severed.

With incomplete techniques, scarce cultivation resources, and no prospects, most of the students selected for the Tianxing Branch choose to leave. The remaining few, apart from a few who continue to persist, usually transfer to the outer courtyard to become teachers or hold other positions. At least as a teacher in the outer courtyard, the resources they enjoy are far superior to those in the Tianxing Branch.

Due to various limitations, the Tianxing Branch has almost become a废院 (废弃院 or "waste branch").

Generally, students selected for the Tianxing Branch are those whom the other three branches are unwilling to accept, or those who barely pass the assessments.

Given Lin Mo's final assessment results, it was inevitable he would be selected for the Luocha Branch. Even if he were slightly less successful, he would end up in Sanjue or Xuanling. How could he be selected for the Tianxing Branch, a废院 (废弃院 or "waste branch")?

Others might not know Lin Mo's abilities, but Leng Wuyan was very clear. Since Lin Mo broke through to the seventh level of Body Refining, it had become very difficult for him to defeat Lin Mo. Moreover, Lin Mo had awakened the Sharp Gold Spirit Soul.

No matter what, Lin Mo could not possibly be selected for the Tianxing Branch. Clearly, something was wrong.

Leng Wuyan noticed the mocking and sarcastic glint in Qiu Jun's eyes. Stepping forward, the icy cold aura around him intensified with each step as he approached Qiu Jun.

"What's this? Do you think I did it?" Qiu Jun looked at Leng Wuyan with a smile. "Even if I did, what can you do about it? What does it matter if you came first in the final assessment? Even if Lin Mo, this so-called 'Stone in the Pit,' had extraordinary luck, he is still just a piece of stone. If he's a stone, he should stay in the cesspool; why go through so much trouble trying to blend in with the jade?"

A murderous intent surged, and the coldness around Leng Wuyan intensified, causing the surrounding students to change their expressions and retreat to a distance.

"I really don't understand why someone with such good potential like you would willingly stay by his side. I don't know what kind of enchantment he's cast on you. I've been bored in the outer courtyard for the past two years, and I've been looking forward to a fight with you. Come on, I want to see what kind of skills you have that make the inner courtyard rate your potential above mine. This is your last chance. Once you enter the inner courtyard, you will never get another chance to fight me." Qiu Jun said with a smile, slowly spreading his arms.

A stream of earthy yellow energy surged from his arms, wrapping around him like thousands of threads. This energy emitted a faint crackling sound, and Qiu Jun's robe fluttered wildly.

The energy condensed...

Some of the more experienced students were shocked to see Qiu Jun. This was a characteristic of reaching the ninth level of Body Refining. Originally, Qiu Jun was at the eighth level during the final assessment, but now he had reached the ninth level.

Reaching the seventh level of Body Refining makes each subsequent breakthrough significantly harder, and once achieved, the increase in power can be described as exponential.

Originally, Qiu Jun was the top student in the outer courtyard. Now, having broken through to the ninth level, his strength could rival some of the students from the last inner courtyard class.

The swirling condensed energy created a massive force around Qiu Jun, completely overshadowing Leng Wuyan.

Leng Wuyan's eyes narrowed, and his coldness grew stronger.

"Wait!" Lin Mo had somehow appeared in front of Leng Wuyan, his gaze calmly fixed on Qiu Jun. "Did you just call me a 'Stone in the Pit'?"