Chapter 43: One Punch!

Cang Heaven Alliance!

Though there was only a single character emblazoned on that banner, Wang Ran instantly understood that this must be Ye Cang’s territory.

From afar, he could see a grand palace towering between the cliffs—red bricks and ancient tiles, imposing in its splendor. Many disciples were coming and going, all from the Hall of Enforcement.

Of all the four major powers here, Ye Cang’s domain appeared the most formidable.

Wang Ran swept his gaze over it without a pause, ignoring the scene as he leapt onward, landing atop the main hall of the Hall of Enforcement on the Fifth Mountain.

In front of the main hall, a large crowd had already gathered. Elder Liu was presiding, trying to maintain order, but the scene was still chaotic.

“Senior Brother, over here!”

In the crowd, the youngest disciple waved her arms energetically and called out to Wang Ran.

He followed the voice and saw Yan Wanzhou and Zhao Xiaobai had already arrived, queuing up to register amidst the throng.

As expected, many disciples had come to participate in the selection. The Hall of Enforcement rarely recruited new members; whether they had confidence or not, everyone wanted to try their luck.

Zhao Xiaobai’s calculation was accurate—when registration ended, including Wang Ran and his companions, there were a total of one hundred seventy-two people.

Selecting four out of one hundred seventy-two would be extremely difficult for ordinary disciples.

But for prodigies like Wang Ran, the challenge was somewhat less daunting. Among all these candidates, only a little over twenty could be considered true prodigies.

Wang Ran was unmistakably the brightest among them. News of his ten-star Foundation Establishment had spread throughout the sect, though the sect’s information was tightly controlled and outsiders remained unaware.

Next to him was Zhao Xiaobai, whose eight-star Foundation Establishment was equally dazzling. Following them were prodigies like the youngest disciple and Dong Nimu, who had six- or seven-star Foundation Establishment.

However, the others were not entirely without hope. Wang Ran had only recently reached Foundation Establishment; though his talent was unparalleled, he was still only at the second level.

Many of the older inner sect prodigies, though only at five- or six-star Foundation Establishment, had already reached the third level—or higher. With their advantage in cultivation, they still had a chance to seize a spot.

Soon, the first trial began. Elder Liu stood before the main hall, clapped his hands, and the aura of a Golden Core cultivator spread, quieting the crowd at once.

He cleared his throat and said, “As you all know, the words ‘Hall of Enforcement’ represent honor, recognition, and above all, the sword of our sect!”

“You are the finest disciples of the sect. In this selection, I hope you’ll perform your best and earn a good ranking. Even if you aren’t chosen for the Hall of Enforcement, you will have drawn the attention of the sect and may gain more cultivation resources as a result.”

“I’ll keep it brief. You all understand the stakes. Now, for the first test: the martial trial!”

At that moment, a massive boulder appeared behind Elder Liu, covered in strange, arcane patterns that flickered with a blue glow.

The crowd looked on in amazement as Elder Liu announced, “This is a Spirit Martial Stone. It measures the power of a cultivator’s attack, whether you favor swords or fists—it makes no difference. Simply unleash your full strength upon the stone, and it will judge your level.”

The Spirit Martial Stone was a spiritual tool used to measure attack power. Wang Ran didn’t know exactly how it was forged, but he knew it came in three grades: lower, middle, and upper.

A lower-grade Spirit Martial Stone was used to assess Foundation Establishment cultivators. It could withstand a full-strength blow from a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator. Middle-grade stones were for Golden Core cultivators, and upper-grade for Nascent Soul.

Each grade corresponded to a realm. Using the wrong grade could result in unpredictable consequences. For instance, if a Golden Core cultivator struck a lower-grade stone, not only would it fail to provide a proper evaluation, but it would also shatter. Conversely, a Foundation Establishment cultivator striking an upper-grade stone would barely make a dent, making any assessment meaningless.

The stone before them was, naturally, a lower-grade Spirit Martial Stone.

Many disciples had never seen one before and were filled with curiosity. Seeing this, Elder Liu said, “Since everyone’s interested, let’s begin the selection. Line up and test one by one.”

With that, the disciples quickly formed an orderly queue.

The first in line was a disciple with a horse-like face, excitement written all over him. Carrying a longbow on his back, he cupped his hands to the crowd and said, “Everyone, though I lack skill, I’ll go first and clear the way for you all!”

The nearby disciples cheered.

“I know him. He’s not exactly a prodigy, but he works hard. He’s reached the third level of Foundation Establishment,” someone said.

“Third level isn’t low. Let’s see what score he gets.”

“Indeed, having him go first will help us all observe.”

As the crowd discussed, the horse-faced disciple received Elder Liu’s nod, gripped his bow, and stepped solemnly before the Spirit Martial Stone. He focused his qi in his dantian, pulled the string taut, and spiritual energy swirled around him.

“This is my strongest technique: Three-Star Daoist Art—Cloud-Piercing Arrow!”

He released the string, and the arrow shot forth like a streak of light, striking the stone with a crisp clang. The arrow fell to the ground, and smoke curled from the spot where it hit.

Elder Liu stepped forward to inspect it, nodded, and said, “Not bad—he achieved a Lower-B grade!”

The horse-faced disciple was overjoyed, his eyes lighting up with excitement.

The Spirit Martial Stone’s ratings were named A, B, and C—A being highest, C lowest, each further divided into upper, middle, and lower subgrades.

A Lower-B score was very respectable for someone at the third level of Foundation Establishment. Over the years, cultivators had established certain rules: ordinary disciples at levels one to three could only reach C grade, four to six could reach B, and seven to peak could hope for A.

So this result showed the horse-faced disciple had surpassed the average.

Many among the hundred or so disciples present couldn’t hope to match that, and they cheered him on with admiration.

After he stepped down, others took their turn. The scene became lively, with Daoist arts flying and spiritual power surging.

Most scores hovered between B and C. Occasionally, a prodigy would step up and, relying on their talent, earn an Upper-B, leaving the crowd in awe.

Dong Nimu also took the stage. Whatever fortuitous encounter he’d had, his cultivation had soared—he was now at third-level Foundation Establishment. Wielding a long spear, he struck the stone with all his might, earning a Lower-A.

Elder Liu’s eyes shone, and the crowd murmured in amazement. It seemed certain Dong Nimu would be among the top three in this round.

Next, the youngest disciple and Zhao Xiaobai both took their turns. The youngest used a longsword, her “Rain of Pear Blossom” Six-Star Daoist Art stunning the crowd as she achieved a Middle-A, making her the focus of attention.

Many disciples were both amazed and ashamed that they couldn’t match even the youngest among them, and they would remember her performance.

But Zhao Xiaobai took things a step further. Though only at the second level, his eight-star Foundation Establishment marked him as a rare prodigy. When he became serious, his aura transformed completely from the gentle scholar he usually was.

His gaze turned bloodthirsty, a murderous intent flooding the air. Many disciples found their spirits crushed beneath the weight of his killing intent, their hearts filling with uncontrollable fear.

Though his target was just a stone, it felt as if he meant to kill even that.

Slay the heavens, slay the earth, nothing beyond his reach—everything under heaven was his to slay!

At the peak of this terrifying aura, Zhao Xiaobai snapped open his folding fan. Though made of thin paper, in his hand it became as hard as steel, slashing across the Spirit Martial Stone.

When the spiritual energy faded, Zhao Xiaobai returned to his usual cheerful self. But there, on the stone, was a deep scratch.

All eyes turned to Elder Liu, who took a look and drew a sharp breath. “Zhao Xiaobai—Upper-A!”

As his words fell, the place erupted.

A second-level Foundation Establishment cultivator had delivered the power of a peak Foundation Establishment expert. This was the mark of a true prodigy!

Everyone marveled, convinced Zhao Xiaobai would claim first place in this round, for Upper-A was the highest possible rating.

“Looks like the results are in: Zhao Xiaobai first, Yan Wanzhou second, Dong Nimu third.”

“Wait—aren’t we forgetting Wang Ran?”

“That’s right, Wang Ran is also a prodigy. If he takes the stage, Dong Nimu may be bumped down a place.”

“At best, Wang Ran can only tie with Zhao Xiaobai. How could he possibly score higher than Upper-A?”

“True. Has he even gone yet?”

As the crowd discussed, all eyes sought Wang Ran. Soon, they found him sprawled across a stone table at the hall’s entrance, fast asleep.

Everyone stared in disbelief, sweat beading on their foreheads.

Such nerve!

The youngest hurried over and shook his shoulder to wake him.

There was no helping it—the martial trial was slow, each taking their turn, and two whole hours had passed. Bored, Wang Ran had simply gone to sleep.

Now, blinking awake, he rose without a word and strolled forward.

The crowd watched expectantly. With so few inner sect prodigies, and Wang Ran the brightest among them, his result would impact many rankings in this trial.

Unfazed by the attention, Wang Ran glanced at the Spirit Martial Stone and dropped into a horse stance.

Even Elder Liu was caught off guard.

Was he really about to go bare-handed, using only his body?

That would surely affect his score. Everyone else had used spiritual tools, and Wang Ran seemed to be putting himself at a disadvantage.

But Wang Ran didn’t spare it a thought. Clenching his fist, he used no Daoist art, just a simple punch, slow and steady, landing softly on the stone.

There was no sweeping wind, no surge of energy. Compared to the others, it was utterly unimpressive.

Many were baffled, thinking Wang Ran must still be half asleep. Elder Liu grew irritated. “Wang Ran, you may be the Grand Elder’s disciple, but you should take this seriously. This is the Hall of Enforcement selection—can’t you put a little effort into your punch? Are you fluffing cotton here?”

Wang Ran looked up, innocent. “I was being very serious.”

Elder Liu grew angrier still, striding over to the stone. “Still making excuses? Look for yourself—there’s not even a rating showing!”

He scolded Wang Ran as he patted the stone—when suddenly, a crack sounded. From where Wang Ran’s fist had landed, a fissure split the Spirit Martial Stone.

The crack spread rapidly, running from end to end, and in an instant, the entire stone split in two with a thunderous crash!

The hall fell silent.

Elder Liu was dumbstruck, his words frozen. Every disciple present was left utterly speechless.