A Sudden Turn of Events

The disciples in the courtyard retrieved the magic tools they relied on most. In an instant, the courtyard was ablaze with dazzling, kaleidoscopic light. Aside from common magic tools like swords, sabers, mirrors, pagodas, banners, and flags, there were quite a few pieces that even Qin Sang could not recognize. Their functions were bound to be extraordinary. None who were qualified to step into this courtyard were simple. Mu Yifeng still wielded his Nine Fire Divine Blade. He had painstakingly refined this magic tool over many years, pouring untold effort into it. The flames around the nine fire dragons now held a faint violet hue, elevating it beyond what a mere top-grade magic tool could claim. Qin Sang surmised that the reason Mu Yifeng remained so single-minded was likely because he intended to continue upgrading the Nine Fire Divine Blade after reaching Core Formation, turning it into his life magic treasure. Zhan Yi, meanwhile, used a fist-sized brass bell that Qin Sang had never seen before. Soon, everyone was ready. *Whoosh!* Chenyan gave a gentle wave of her hand, and spiritual power condensed at her fingertips into a paper crane. The crane let out a crisp cry, spread its wings, and flew into the courtyard. Coming to a stop above the crowd, the paper crane suddenly flapped its wings with blistering speed, sending streams of ethereal wind plunging from the sky. *Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!* A fierce gale tore through the courtyard, yet it was strictly contained, perfectly encircling only the disciples undergoing the test. That level of pinpoint control alone was beyond what ordinary cultivators could ever hope to attain. Qin Sang quietly watched the courtyard, trying to gauge Chenyan's cultivation through the paper crane and the spiritual wind, but he discerned nothing. The spiritual wind gathered more and more densely until it turned almost corporeal. Like dark storm clouds pressing down, it slowly descended! A curtain of spiritual wind formed around each person. These curtains were extraordinarily heavy and dense, exerting tremendous pressure on those trapped within. Mu Yifeng and the others channeled their magic tools with all their might to resist the crushing weight of the wind. As the curtains thickened, the figures inside became scarcely visible. *Bang!* Finally, someone could endure it no longer and fell. Just before he hit the ground, the pressure bearing down on him abruptly vanished, preserving his dignity. The cultivator cupped his hands with a face full of shame and quietly stepped aside. The pressure on the others continued to mount. Seeing that he truly could not ascertain Chenyan's cultivation through the paper crane, Qin Sang ceased troubling himself and focused instead on the two familiar faces: Mu Yifeng and Zhan Yi. Where Mu Yifeng stood, only the faint silhouettes of nine fire dragons could be seen, interlocking into a ring as they struggled to hold back the curtain of spiritual wind. Zhan Yi's brass bell hovered above his head, radiating rich golden light like a brilliant lantern. From the ringing, one could tell the bell was shaking faster and more violently. *Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang...* One after another, disciples were defeated, and among them were no few False Core stage experts. Qin Sang grew pensive. It appeared this test was not merely a measure of raw cultivation. What was actually transpiring inside those curtains of wind remained unknown for now. As time passed, fewer and fewer disciples remained standing. Suddenly, Zhan Yi let out an angry roar. The chiming of his bell turned frantic, and the golden light blazed brilliantly, but it was all in vain. His body swayed violently. Once the curtain dissipated, Zhan Yi steadied himself. Qin Sang noticed the undisguisable disappointment on his face. Moved by a sudden thought, Qin Sang quietly observed Che Yutao and saw him shake his head with a fleeting look of disappointment, which left Qin Sang deeply contemplative. In the end, only three people were still holding on, including Mu Yifeng. However, all three were clearly at the end of their tether. Mu Yifeng's nine fire dragons had dwindled to wisps, like candles flickering in the wind, threatening to snuff out at any moment. A barely perceptible sigh slipped out from beneath the cloak. Che Yutao spoke with a trace of embarrassment, "The disciples of our sect are rather lacking. I apologize for the poor showing, Lady Chenyan! "The summons from both the Sect Master and you came on such short notice. The other capable disciples are either out traveling for experience or in secluded cultivation attempting Core Formation. Calling them back now would leave them without enough time to refine the seals and suppress the ferocious souls within. "And disciples from other sects cannot be fully trusted. "Still, once the Five Elements Beast Seals are activated, the five bearers act as one. With Mubai and the other two, having two slightly weaker members should not compromise the grand design." Chenyan gave a soft hum of assent. "It will have to do." Before her words fully faded, the roar of a dragon suddenly shook the courtyard! The nine fire dragons around Mu Yifeng collapsed all at once, but in the next instant, a point of crimson light flared beneath the curtain, piercing through like a sharp drill. Amidst a resounding boom, Mu Yifeng emerged with the Nine Fire Divine Blade in hand, bursting straight out through the wind! He stumbled a step, but ultimately held his footing. An unexpected breakthrough! Che Yutao's eyes lit up, and he praised, "Not bad! Come over as well." "Thank you, Martial Uncle Che!" Mu Yifeng cupped his hands, took the Nine Fire Divine Blade back into his body to nurture it, and strode over to Qin Sang's side, raising an eyebrow with smug satisfaction. The remaining two disciples were not so fortunate. Despite multiple attempts, neither could breach the curtain. Eventually, one collapsed from exhaustion, and the pressure lifted from both of them simultaneously. "You may all return." Che Yutao summoned the one who had held out to the end, dismissed the rest with a wave, and then said to Chenyan, "The candidates are chosen. I shall report to Master." Chenyan nodded. She then rose to her feet, and in a flash, vanished into thin air. From beginning to end, she had not spared Qin Sang so much as a single glance. The five disciples stood side by side, their curiosity piqued to the utmost. Only from Che Yutao's words did Qin Sang realize that their sect's Ancestor had already arrived at Xuanlu Pass, and that this entire test had been initiated by him. For some reason, an ominous foreboding crept into Qin Sang's heart. Che Yutao waved his hand, sending forth a streak of azure light. A moment later, everyone felt their chests tighten for no apparent reason, and a gentle voice sounded beside their ears: "Are these the ones?" *He is Dongyang Bo!* A flash of realization struck Qin Sang's mind. Che Yutao bowed respectfully toward empty air. "Reporting to Master: these are currently the five strongest disciples within the pass." Following a simple "Good," a five-colored rainbow suddenly streaked into the hall. A closer look revealed that the radiance emanated from five small square seals. The five seals were of identical size, distinct only in the beast carvings on their knobs. Each seal was crowned with a carved sacred beast, corresponding precisely to the four mythical sacred beasts—the Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, Xuanwu, and White Tiger—along with a divine beast resembling a qilin, known as Gouchen. "Instruct them to carefully comprehend the wonders of the beast seals, so they may lend me their strength!" "This disciple obeys!" Che Yutao caught the small seals. Turning toward Qin Sang and the others, he raised his hand lightly, sending each seal flying toward one of them. The beast seal that came to a rest before Qin Sang was the one carved with Xuanwu. The Xuanwu on the seal looked lifelike, with thick limbs and head raised toward the sky as though roaring in defiance, exuding an intractable, feral ferocity. Che Yutao said impassively, "From this moment on, each of you will wield one beast seal and refine it with everything you have. Within half a year, you must tame the ferocious soul within. After that, you will accompany the Ancestor and Lady Chenyan into Ziwei Palace." *What!* Qin Sang's mind was violently shaken.