Translator: CinderTL
"The first assessment, the Primordial Trial, will begin immediately."
"Everyone, follow me to the second floor."
Tang Huochang's magnetic, mature voice echoed through the hall.
With a sensual stride, she turned and headed for the stairs.
The crowd's spirits lifted, and they surged forward to follow.
As they walked, Jiang Ye asked curiously, "What exactly is this Primordial Trial?"
Lin Yushu replied, "It's like a super-charged version of cosmic tempering."
"Super-charged?" Jiang Ye raised an eyebrow.
"Primordial refers to the purest form of cosmic energy," Lin Yushu explained with a smile. "Our previous cosmic tempering only used stellar energy diluted hundreds of times."
Jiang Ye's eyebrows shot up. "Does that mean the pain will be hundreds of times worse too?"
"Exactly," Lin Yushu said, his smile fading into a sigh. "This trial won't be easy."
Jiang Ye fell into thoughtful silence.
Soon, they reached the second floor.
The entire floor was dominated by a single, colossal Purification Pool.
The Purification Pool resembled the pools used during cosmic tempering, but its internal structure was far more complex.
At the base of the pool stood several energy bases, each towering three stories high and rooted to the ground like ancient colossal statues.
Clearly, once activated, this Purification Pool would unleash an immense surge of energy.
"Enter the Purification Pool!" Tang Huochang announced loudly.
As soon as she spoke, the group began moving toward the entrance.
Jiang Ye and Lin Yushu also entered the Purification Pool and found places to sit.
Hum!
Once everyone was inside, the pool's entrance slowly sealed shut.
"Primordial Trial commencing," a cold, mechanical voice echoed throughout the Purification Pool.
In the next moment, the energy conduits on the walls and floor lit up.
Hum!
Countless streams of purple mist erupted from tiny pores in the walls.
Within the purple mist, brilliant lights flickered like Stellar Mist, glowing with a dazzling, ethereal beauty.
Behind this extreme beauty lay extreme danger.
"Is this Primordial Stellar Energy?"
Jiang Ye gazed at the Stellar Mist without moving.
He remembered that during his cosmic tempering, he had needed to circulate his cultivation technique to absorb stellar energy into his body.
As long as stellar energy didn't enter his body, he wouldn't experience any pain.
If that's the case, couldn't I endure this for as long as I want?
Jiang Ye quickly realized things weren't so simple.
Whoosh!
The surrounding purple mist, as if alive, actively burrowed into every pore of his skin.
Even before the mist fully entered his body, Jiang Ye felt a searing pain erupt across his skin.
But when the mist seeped into his pores and began coursing through his meridians, an indescribable, terrifying agony instantly flooded Jiang Ye's mind.
Is that all?
This is barely as bad as enduring an hour on the second level of the Martial Dao Heavenly Ladder.
Yet Jiang Ye remained outwardly calm, his face betraying no emotion.
For the past several months, he had endured hours of excruciating pain daily on the second level of the Martial Dao Heavenly Ladder.
He had long grown numb to this level of torment.
Of course, this was Jiang Ye.
The others present, however, felt quite differently.
Among the 190 examinees in the Purification Pool, nearly every one of them grimaced in agony the moment the assessment began.
Only a handful of top-tier martial artists managed to maintain their composure.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a gust of wind howled from Su Tong'er's direction.
Streaks of violet mist surged toward her snow-white skin, and she was actively absorbing them!
This sight sent waves of shock through the crowd.
Most were already suffering immensely just enduring the pain, let alone actively absorbing the mist.
Su Tong'er's ability to do so demonstrated that both her martial prowess and Martial Dao Will had reached terrifying heights.
Hmph, Su Tong'er's beautiful eyes swept across the surroundings, and she scoffed inwardly, A bunch of weaklings.
She wasn't absorbing the Stellar Mist to show off.
Rather, it contained immense benefits.
Soon, a second person in the Purification Pool began attempting to absorb the Stellar Mist.
"Wan Yaoyang?" Su Tong'er turned her head, unsurprised.
Immediately afterward, a third person began actively absorbing the Stellar Mist.
"Ye Xiuluo?" Su Tong'er glanced at him before quickly looking away.
Students from Qingyang University, a typical martial dao university, were simply no match for her.
Jiang Ye also noticed Su Tong'er and her companions' actions.
Looking around thoughtfully, he mused, "This Primordial Stellar Energy seems to have an extraordinary effect on the physical body?"
This benefit was vastly different from what he had experienced during cosmic tempering.
Cosmic tempering had merely enhanced the strength of his physical body.
But this? It felt like a complete transformation.
Jiang Ye could sense it.
As the violet mist seeped into his pores, it began to cleanse his meridians.
Blockages in his meridians were rapidly cleared.
Accumulated stagnant blood and hidden ailments within his body were revealed by the Stellar Mist.
"My cultivation speed has been too rapid," Jiang Ye murmured, carefully observing his body. "I've accumulated numerous hidden ailments. This Primordial Stellar Energy seems capable of purifying my physical body, giving me a fresh start?"
"This Stellar Mist is truly a treasure!"
"If I can absorb all of this Primordial Stellar Energy into my Guanyuan Acupoint, my strength will skyrocket!"
The thought sent a jolt through Jiang Ye.
This isn't an assessment—it's paradise!
Without hesitation, Jiang Ye began absorbing and refining the energy. He knew the trial had a time limit. Primordial Stellar Energy was incredibly rare and expensive; even the Unified Examination Bureau couldn't provide it indefinitely.
Whoosh!
Jiang Ye activated the Star Martial Advancement Method. As he circulated the technique, the surrounding purple mist surged toward him as if drawn to a vortex. In that moment, he transformed into a whirlpool, devouring the Primordial Stellar Energy around him.
Jiang Ye's actions quickly drew attention.
Lin Yushu, seated nearby, noticed his movements almost immediately.
"Is this guy insane?" Lin Yushu's eyelid twitched. "He's actually actively absorbing the Primordial Stellar Energy?"
In this Stellar Mist, Lin Yushu barely dared to breathe deeply, trying to prolong his time here. Yet Jiang Ye was actively circulating his Advancement Method to absorb more? Was this guy made of steel?
Meanwhile, some of the other examinees had also vaguely noticed Jiang Ye's unusual behavior.
However, most were too preoccupied with enduring the excruciating pain to pay attention.
Only those with exceptional strength and innate talent could spare a glance toward Jiang Ye's direction amidst the agony.
"Is that him?"
Wan Yaoyang gazed at Jiang Ye, his mind involuntarily recalling recent events.
It was because of Jiang Ye that he had suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Lin Yushu and been sent to the police station.
A cold glint flashed across Wan Yaoyang's handsome face as he remembered this.
"Daring to absorb it before even reaching the first breakthrough?" he sneered inwardly, watching Jiang Ye. "Suicidal!"
Primordial Stellar Energy was hundreds of times more concentrated than cosmic tempering.
Wan Yaoyang dared to actively absorb it because he had already broken free from life's shackles.
Attempting this before achieving the first breakthrough risked collapsing the Guanyuan Acupoint, permanently severing one's path to cosmic martial arts!
On the other side, Su Tong'er's beautiful eyes widened. "Is this guy crazy? His Guanyuan Acupoint will collapse!"
(End of the Chapter)